Thinking Out Loud on the Homefront: New Voices in an Old Genre

Earlier this year I read a bunch of books in a row that left a mark on me that was significant enough to write some sort of quasi-review. Then the summer months arrived and I spent what seemed to be every waking moment running around with my kids getting them from place to place. What little time was left for myself was spent outside doing some sort of yard work or inside trying to catch up on house cleaning.

Thinking Out Loud on the Homefront: A Cautionary Tale

If you've been a reader of mine in recent weeks, you've come to expect me to give you my thoughts on how a novel can relate to my life or to our current world. Some of the more relatable tales recently have been A Man Called Ove, How to Stop Time, and Dark Matter, among others.

Monday morning I finished Nick Clark Windo's "The Feed" and found myself longing for spring to finally show up so I could truly embrace the beauty of as little technology as possible during the day. The Feed is Windo's first thriller, and thrill me it did!

Thinking Out Loud on the Homefront: Choices and More Choices

The other day I finished a book and was inspired to write about it. Not long after that, I picked up another novel and it had the same effect. In other words, here is another review/what this book means to me column. Please remember, what follows is opinion...and keep in mind individual tastes are subjective.

After I read Matt Haig's How to Stop Time and was reminded of how life's little moments actually give us life, I dove into Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. The former came out earlier this year, while the latter was published in 2016 (and was also on one of my reading recommendation lists).

Thinking Out Loud on the Homefront: Keeping an Open Mind

As I wrote in this space last time, I've challenged myself to read 52 books this calendar year. Since last time, I have completed two and a half books, which means my pace slowed a bit. Part of that was because I was sick, and part of that was because I spent some recuperating time at home at the same time as my kids were on mid-winter break. That led to less time spent on pages.

Thinking Out Loud: I'm Positive That I'm Optimistic.

Hello, again, everyone. It's certainly been awhile since I graced this virtual space. Silly me; I thought the school year would offer me extra time to do what I wanted. Alas, there is but one day per week when something is not planned or scheduled, so all that extra time - even for this stay-at-home dad - was a pipe dream.

Howie Balaban: Earth 2059

Twice in my career, when I was fortunate enough to be working full time, I took a famous song (Pinball Wizard) and a popular song (Let It Go) and rewrote them for something that fit a current event of that particular week or month. I'm going to try to do it again here.

Howie Balaban: Thinking Out Loud - Everyone's Got an Opinion And...

A lot has happened since any of my thoughts last appeared in this virtual space. ComicCon descended upon San Diego. Congress held a vote. Trump tweeted a ban. Please note, the order in which I listed these things was not unintentional.

Avid readers of niagaraswatercooler.com will be well aware, by now, of my personal affinity for pop culture and all that goes with it. True fans will probably also know how little I think of the current state of American politics. While I've never truly written my feelings and thoughts out, they have been alluded to once or twice.

Thinking Out Loud: Perfection is a Rarity

Last time I graced this space with my thoughts I talked about movies. I'm going to do the same thing this time, only shift the focus.

Let's get to it, shall we?

For years Hollywood has found some of its greatest source material from the written word. According to the American Film Institute's list of the Top 100 Movies, three of the top 10 were based on previously written novels. On the more contemporary IMDB.com, four of the top 10 ranked movies by Internet users were adapted from already published works.

Thinking Out Loud: Happy Birthday, Mel Brooks

Comedy legend Melvin Kaminsky marked his 91st birthday this week. To me, he is a hero and an icon.

To most of you, he is simply Mel Brooks.

Howie Balaban: Thinking Out Loud: Avoiding Widespread Panic

For the record, I am beginning to write this hot take of a column at approximately 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon. About 6 hours ago, the automated call system used by the Medina Central School District called my house and my cell phone to alert me (and every other district parent) that the district had been put on lockdown as a precautionary measure.

Thinking Out Loud: What the Heck is Going On?

If my grandfather were alive today, he would have recently celebrated his 96th birthday. This is the same grandfather I have a picture of in my home office. In it, I'm just a few weeks old, and he's just a few weeks from leaving us. It's truly a touching shot.

Thinking Out Loud: Here We Go Again

Thursday night, about an hour or so after filing my latest "On the homefront" submission for this website, my wife turned to me while we were watching The Big Bang Theory and said the United States had launched an air strike against Syria.

Thinking Out Loud on the Homefront: Here We Go Again

For the first time in recent memory I spent Saturday without jumping through too many hoops. I wasn't cleaning non-stop, wasn't cooking something, wasn't running hither and yon. I woke up, had a cup of coffee, and leisurely checked my social media feed.

Thinking Out Loud on the Homefront: Oh, the Things We Do

Hello again. It's been far too long since I graced this virtual space with some thoughts. I'm sure the bosses are thrilled. But they know life happens while you're making plans. Right? I think that's the phrase. Anyway, let's get to it, shall we?

For all you parents out there, I have a question:

Thinking Out Loud on the Homefront -- Changing Perspectives

Frequent readers of Niagara's Water Cooler know that my wife and I have three children. Many of my posts regard the trials and tribulations of being a stay-at-home dad to those children.

This one is a combination of that and my forays into more standard column writing, which I've done in the past when given the opportunity in printed mediums.

Like the last time I wrote a strict opinion piece for the NWC, I am sure it will have a reaction. What that reaction will be, I can't say. I'd be especially curious what fellow parents think.

Let's get to it, shall we?

Balaban Thinking Out Loud -- Post-Election Hangover

Normally, I write about being a stay-at-home dad and the joys it brings. Today, I'm trying to do  something different.

I'm giving my post-election take on the country.