There I sat in the far back row of a dark theater house. The energy flowing through the hall quite papable and filling me with much anticipation. As the curtain opened and the stage lights danced on the colorful sets, a group of talented young actors took to the stage with the fervor of seasoned professionals! I was immersed in what can only be described as a kind of a movement, a revolution if you will of a new and highly polished children's musical theater.

My workmate's son came to collect him from work the other day while his own car was at the garage. Nothing unusual in that you would think, why shouldn't he? Well from the reaction of my colleagues I thought that he had turned up in an exotic sports car so I trailed outside to have a look. There sat not the exotica I was expecting but a 1966 Chevrolet Sportvan, customized as 'The Mystery Machine' from the Scooby Doo show!

We've all sat down around the television on a Saturday night and watched the many horrific performances at the audition stage of The X Factor. But for every 10 disasters there is one hidden gem that appears from behind the clouds to shine a light on the panel of judges and show star potential.

(Have you ever known anyone who thought his or her dog could talk?) Charlie sat at the table and looked over my brother's shoulder while he read the paper. In fact, whenever we sat at the kitchen table, Charlie sat in a chair just like a human, with an intelligent look on his face, and seemed to follow the conversation. He always looked at the speaker and seemed engrossed in the conversation, hanging on every word. I suspected that he wasn't as smart as he appeared, but John said he was smarter than he looked and questioned my intelligence.

When I went to San Francisco, I put my leather-bound suitcase under the backseat of where I sat and looked out the side window. I couldn't afford a berth; it was three times the amount of the economy coach ticket.