I admit it, I'm a "Gleek!"

The problem with television these days is that most shows follow the same old, worn out themes. Most sitcoms are terrible save for a few like Two and a Half Men, How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory and although I haven't seen it I've heard good things about Modern Family. Television network dramas are pretty dull especially the crime/law shows. I do like the few episodes I've seen of The Good Wife, but the Law & Orders and CSI's have just gotten boring. With Lost & 24 ending their runs the shows I seem to enjoy most are the reality shows. Survivor, Amazing Race, American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, Top Chef and even Project Runway. I enjoy them all. But to me no show stands out more this season than "Glee." It's fresh, funny, topical, well acted, well written and the music numbers are really terrific! The actress who plays Rachel (Lea Michele) is absolutely fantastic. Her voice is incredible. It's the one show these days that Kristine, myself and Jordan will all sit down and watch together. That's saying a lot. Pulling Jordan away from the computer or video games is always a challenge, but he too enjoys Glee. Of course it's not for everyone but I'm just an old drama geek at heart. Much of my high school days involved drama. I performed in such shows as Inherit the Wind, Godspell, Bye Bye Birdie and many more. In many ways I can relate to the talented young students on the show. But most of all Glee is just fun. So that's it. I'm a "Gleek" and proud of it!

Family Vacations

It's funny how something as simple as planning a summer vacation can turn into a major headache. For years we've been wanting to travel to France where my wife's best friend own's a home in Provence, the South of France. Last Fall we set up some tentative dates. But when we realized the trip for the four of us would cost about $10-12,000 we decided to put it on hold. OK then why not a cruise to Alaska? So I booked a couple of cabins on a cruise which cost about $4000. That was OK but once we realized with airfare, excursions and hotel for a few nights in Seattle all of a sudden that jumped to about $7000... too much. OK then why not an all inclusive resort? I checked Jamaica, Mexico, & Florida. We found a Club Med in Port St. Lucie, Florida that seemed pretty good. A week for the four of us for about $2800 and with airfare about $4400. Jordan was way excited about this one. But then Kristine said why don't we just plan something on our own that's not inclusive? With a son in college, money is always tight and since we do want to save for the Europe trip for when Matthew and Jordan graduate in two years, we decided to plan a less expensive trip. Now the plan is to fly up to Seattle spend a few days there and a few days in Vancouver. Believe it or not this trip on our own will be a lot less expensive than a cruise or all-inclusive beach resort. So we won't be going to Europe or cruising to Alaska. We won't be going to an all-inclusive resort or dude ranch (yep we checked those out too.) What matters most is that the four of us will be together and that is what's important!

Chelsea & Amber

Stunning moments inside a San Diego courtroom yesterday when convicted sex offender John Gardner admitted to killing two San Diego teenagers, 14 year old Amber Dubois and 17 year old Chelsea King. These two horrific crimes occurred more than a year apart but they are forever linked. Amber was taken from in front of Escondido High School in February 2009 and while efforts to find her continued for months, the general consensus, at least inside my newsroom, was that she was a runaway. Many more months passed and sadly it seems the public forgot about Amber.

Just weeks ago in March 2010 Poway High teenager Chelsea King was reported missing. Her car was spotted at a Rancho Bernardo parking lot at a community park popular with joggers. Days later her body was found buried in a shallow grave. Within days convicted sex offender John Gardner was arrested and charged with raping and murdering Chelsea. Shockingly after his arrest authorities came across the body of Amber Dubois buried near the Pala Indian reservation. Up until yesterday it was a mystery how authorities suddenly were able to find Amber's body. As it turns out Gardner offered up that information to prosecutors in exchange for them not being able to use it against him in court.

While prosecutors say they had plenty of evidence to convict Gardner for the rape and murder of Chelsea King with special circumstance (making Gardner eligible for the death penalty,) they were unable to come up with any independent evidence linking him to Amber. This put San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis in a tough spot. If she were to prosecute Gardner for Chelsea's death seeking the death penalty it would forever leave the Amber case officially unsolved.

In discussing this with Chelsea's parents they decided to offer a plea deal to Gardner. He confesses to the rapes and murders of Chelsea and Amber along with an attempted rape last December in exchange for avoiding the death penalty. Gardner agreed.

I have mixed emotions about this deal. While I've never been a strong proponent of the death penalty, there are times I feel it's adequate. This was one of those times. However, since seeking the death penalty for Chelsea would have meant a lack of closure for Amber's parents, I feel the deal was a proper call.

The Dubois and King families will forever live with the horrors of the deaths of their daughters, but now can move on with their lives. For the Kings it means avoiding a prolonged death penalty case. They will now be able to focus on raising their teenage son and work towards a new law protecting the public from convicted sex offenders. For Amber's parents it means total closure, knowing the monster who killed their daughter will spend the rest of his life in prison.

As a professional journalist these types of stories are the most difficult to cover. Day in and day out we must report the facts detailing these horrific crimes. I've covered way too many of them over the years.... Jahi Turner, Matthew Cecchi, Danielle Van Dam, Laticia Hernandez... and many, many more whose names I've forgotten. But I will never forget the names of Amber Dubois and Chelsea King, two young women who won't get the chance to grow up. Sad times indeed.

Missing Him

Hard to believe, but I haven't seen my older son Matthew now for four months. He's is winding down his second year at Chico State. It's so strange when we get older how we adjust to separation. I love Matthew today as much as the day he was born, but sometimes I kind of forget I have another son. It's sort of like out of sight out of mind. The adjustment at home from two boys to one was extremely difficult for Kristine and I. But after more than a year and a half it seems pretty normal just having Jordan home. Having Matthew home is now the exception not the rule, so when it happens it's more of an "event." We are all so looking forward to having him home for the summer. He's a terrific kid, kind, funny, thoughtful... his mom and I raised him well. Whatever he decides to do in life I'm sure he'll be successful. Miss you Matthew.