Value of Human Life, Examined

Have you ever been in a situation where you saw that people died and thought, “Thank God it wasn’t X”? It may have been a plane crash on a flight where someone you care about could have been a passenger but wasn’t. Perhaps it was a violent attack near a loved one’s home or workplace. Either way, there has been a moment when you were appreciative that someone else died in the place of a person you love. Whether you believe it or not, you wished for another person to die. Read the rest of this entry »

Date Night Rebooted

After Nastassia and I got married, we quickly fell into a routine, as most newlyweds do. We both worked full-time jobs, and soon established Friday night as a sacred ‘Date Nite’. Why Friday nights? You may assume that it was because Friday is a traditional night for a date. You’d be wrong. After we became a couple, I realized that the “The X-Files” was her favorite show. Even though I made it to the party a couple seasons late, I still joined with enthusiasm. Read the rest of this entry »

Holmes Alone™ “On White Privilege”

If you’ve been following me on social media recently, you may have seen that I have launched a new vlog (video blog) originally entitled “Rob’s Readings” due to the fact that each day I read some quotes from the book “637 Best Things Anybody Ever Said”. Each vlog is comprised of one or two minutes of levity for the day, a recommendation or two, and some quotes. The goal is to provide a smile from a friendly face during these often frustrating times. Read the rest of this entry »

How Boogies and Jesus Prepared me for COVID-19

I’ve lived my life by one rule. Everybody picks their nose. Don’t deny it. It’s true. How is this relevant to the current pandemic? The answer is simple. I’ve spent a good portion of my life avoiding touching things that others have touched. For example, I always take the second cup from the Slurpee cup dispenser. Yes, it is possible that somebody took of the top cup and rubbed a boogie on the second one just to get my goat, but it’s not incredibly likely. The same goes for valet parking. I see my car almost as an extension of myself and I believe I’m not alone in this philosophy. Read the rest of this entry »

Eulogy for an Angel

Last week, I flew back home to South Jersey to be with my family to attend the funeral for my Aunt Jutta “JJ” Holmes. I was honored for my cousins to ask my sister and me to stand in the receiving line with them as we accepted condolences. It was delightful to see the people who came to say goodbye one last time. I was one of three to deliver words to the folks in attendance. I wanted to share my words with you: Read the rest of this entry »

We Can End War. Here’s How.

On September 21, 1987, then-President Ronald Reagan addressed the United Nations General Assembly with a message about world peace. I was seventeen years old and we were on the brink of nuclear war. That threat came to an end when the United States and Russia found common ground. We all love our children. We’ve lived through two world wars, where each atrocity was only matched by the next, and nuclear annihilation was a reality. And this simple principle kept strangers from killing one another. Here is my favorite excerpt of his speech:

“In our obsession with antagonisms of the moment, we often forget how much unites all the members of humanity. Perhaps we need some outside, universal threat to make us recognize this common bond. I occasionally think how quickly our differences worldwide would vanish if we were facing an alien threat from outside this world. And yet, I ask you, is not an alien force already among us? What could be more alien to the universal aspirations of our peoples than war and the threat of war?”

Read the rest of this entry »

Yes and…. How Improv Teaches Loyalty

In our 20’s, my wife took improv classes at a really cool studio on Fairfax in Los Angeles right next to the famous Canter’s deli. Her comedy troupe “Mama Likes it” headlined there Friday nights for almost a year and I was always in the front row and stood proud watching Wifey be funny, along with her talented colleagues. I learned from her training is that rule #1 in improv is to never, ever resist your partner’s suggestion. In other words, no matter what is said, your response needs to reflect the sentiment of “Yes, and…” To summarize, improv training teaches individuals to trust one another and to follow along, no matter where it may take you. And, yes, no matter the cost. Trust your partner. I took this as advice for life and have never deviated. Read the rest of this entry »