No one applauds anymore.
I was at the circus with my family a couple of months ago, and virtually no one clapped for anything.
A woman fired herself out of a cannon. Nothing.
A man walked upside-down along the rafters of the stadium we were in by hooking his feet into tiny ropes. Not one round of applause.
A performer balanced a running chainsaw on his chin while juggling household appliances. I looked over and saw a man playing Tetris on his cell phone.
I made it a point of compensating for the lack of claptitude by applauding as loudly and for as long as I could...
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 Aug 06 A bad case of the clapswdevoe, Pop Culture CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: Clap, spotlight, applause, parade, Jul 24 Beyond the seawdevoe, Pop Culture  So, that was two years ago — why post this now? Because my wife asked me to, and the key to a successful marriage is doing exactly what your wife asks you to do. Most marriage counselors call that compromise. that being said, Here we go: Bobby Darin. For some reason that was the first thing that went through my mind when the nurse told me and my wife that our unborn child had a considerably pronounced arrhythmia. Bobby Darin was born Walden Robert Cassotto on May 14, 1936... Continue Reading CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: Spotlight, Pop culture, bobby Darin, sea Jul 01 Fathers are as weird as the day is longwdevoe, Pop Culture
Father’s Day is a largely useless holiday. Along with Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day, it is a holiday that exists solely to market greeting cards and holiday-specific gifts under the guise that there should be a single day that should embody the sentiment we should express to the important people in our lives on every day of the year.
In fact, I’m a big proponent of the Anti-Holiday-Day. Instead of having a single day during the year where we show our husbands/wives/fathers/mothers/kids/receptionists how much they’re appreciated, why don’t we do that all year except for one day— a day when we can disregard everyone around us. Think of how liberating the selfish indulgence would be... Continue Reading CATEGORY: General Society
Jun 11 House buying and home wreckingwdevoe, Pop Culture 
I suspect it started late last year, when we put in a bid on our first home. The process was a long, stressful one, and quite frankly, my wife and I became somewhat distant at times. I blame myself, really, for not being the man I should have been through the difficult time we had moving out of our apartment, living with my parents and, eventually, buying our house. I blame myself for not being the man that my wife, Jess, has fallen in love with over the past few months. He is kind, thoughtful and giving. He is always there for my wife and has enriched her life in ways I once only hoped to achieve. He is attentive, knowledgeable, but kind enough to take a break every now and then to give my wife some space... Continue Reading CATEGORY: Humor
TAGS: cheating, wife, pop culture Jun 11 You can go home again, but leave the car runningwdevoe, Pop Culture
Despite what they say, you can go home again. If you have parents like mine, however, you may not survive the experience.
In the course of purchasing what will be our first home, my family had to move in with my parents for a couple months. It really hasn’t been that bad, all things considered, and we really appreciate them taking us in while we’re homeless, but it has made me think of the vast difference between being a parent and being a grandparent. First of all, my five-year-old, Kevin, and his 18-month-old brother, Nathan — two of the most low-down, crooked and ill-tempered rapscallions that have ever lived — can do no wrong in their grandparents’ eyes... Continue Reading CATEGORY: Humor
TAGS: Pop culture, home, parent Jun 11 Of big pimpin’ and stuffed animalswdevoe, Pop Culture
On Valentine’s Day, I found myself standing outside of a public restroom with pterodactyl in my mouth.
In one hand was a diaper bag and a purse big enough to sleep five. In the other, a squirming one-year-old. My wife and six-year-old son were, as they say in polite company, “indisposed.” The pterodactyl, a large, black LEGO creation, did not have to go to the bathroom and was shoved into my mouth by the son who did. My younger son, Nathan, is unencumbered by barbaric things like public toilets. He soils himself when and where he pleases. I envy him. My son emerges from the men’s room and asks that I spit his toy into his hands. “It’s got your slobber all over it,” he says in disgust. He asked me to hold it so that it wouldn’t get dirty in the restroom... Continue Reading CATEGORY: Humor
TAGS: pimp, buckle, pop culture Mar 03 Another oldy but goody, this time with Christmas!wdevoe, Pop Culture
The following appeared in the Dec. 23 editions of The Spotlight. Why on earth it's taken me so long to post it on the Web escapes me at the moment. In any case, I hope you enjoy:
Shalom and welcome to a special Christmas edition of Pop Culture, America’s No. 1 resource for holiday-related family insanity. This year, the DeVoe-family Christmas will be a condensed one, as we are trying to purchase our first home (a Pop Culture for another day…or month, as it were) and, frankly, time and money are a little tight... Continue Reading CATEGORY: General Society
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