The Adventures of Captain Imperfecto

You are here: Home »  Life Train Nico (left) and Christopher enjoying ice cream at the beach. July 2016. August 4, 2016 What train are you on? Are you on the train to nowhere in particular or on the train to fulfillment and self-gratification? The decision is yours to make. Sure, people can mentor you, give you direction, guide you, and give honest, constructive criticism, but in the end, the train is yours to choose. I had help when deciding to hop on the train toward fulfillment because I had two young sons who depended on me to help them when their mother died. Although my family would have loved my children if we weren't around, I knew that no one could truly love my kids the way I could. The love I would bestow on them should carry them into a lifetime of happiness and confidence. Well, that is my hope, anyhow. When I chose my train, I was responsible for filling it with people and the necessities I needed to make life better. I had to shed myself on the negativity...

You are here: Home »  Closer to Happiness Nico (left) and Christopher enjoying a Coke and a smile on 4th of July. July 6, 2016 I almost forgot. My birthday is only a few days away, in July. My birthdays aren't significant for me anymore. When I was growing up, there were only a few milestone ages I was looking forward to reaching that made birthdays fun: Thirteen. When I became a teenager. Fifteen, when I could get my learner's permit. Eighteen, because I could do things without my parent's permission. And twenty-one, because everyone else made a big deal about turning 21. Most people wanted to hit 21 to legally drink Budweiser. And yet they did that before 21 years old. Now that I'm another year beyond 21, my favorite years are the ones now behind me. Even the bad years. Hint: The passing years are like cars in a rearview mirror going in the other direction. You will never see those years again and yet look fondly upon them. We understand how fleeting time i...

You are here: Home »  Summer Time Blues Nico (front) and Christopher hanging out on Father's Day. June 27, 2016 "Mr. Fusaro, we need to talk to you?" Those are the words I didn't want to hear when I answered the phone call from the lead counselor from my boys' summer camp facility. "Which one did it? Christopher or Nico?" "Christopher. He bit another student on the arm. The bite broke skin, and there was a little bit of blood." "How is the other child feeling?" "He's good. The parents just left camp with him for the day. But he will be back." "Well, I can assure you I did not raise my son to be a vampire. And we just aren't into cannibalism." "We didn't think so. Can you come in? We'd like to talk about discipline." I can't believe this. My son is that kid who bites other kids! Can I blame the dog for teaching him bad manners? I'm not a bad parent. Maybe he's ju...

You are here: Home »  Searching for a Hobby. Nico (front) and Christopher are sitting on old railroad tracks! Fathers Day 2016 June 22, 2016 My guys, my dudes, make life enjoyable for me and, hopefully, others who encounter them. My sons are my hobby because they require all my attention. I wish I had another hobby to go along with them, however. Boating was a hobby that I once enjoyed until I traded in my regular-sized boat for a bigger boat, sinking my hobby like the Titanic. Former boat owners say, "The happiest time in a boat owner's life is the day they buy and sell it." The bigger the boat, the bigger the mechanical problems. I used to go to the shooting range and fire rounds at targets. As a police officer, I must hone my skills in the practical safety of using any firearm. That was a good hobby until carrying my gun felt too much like work. When you calculate the expense of buying shooting targets (only to shoot holes in the paper) and buying ammo ...

You are here: Home »  Genuine Christopher (forward) Nico to the rear of dad, at Chili's. June 15, 2016 Genuine is the word I can use that describes my kids, Christopher and Nico. Of course most 6-year- old and 8 year-old kids have genuinely honest opinions. But I’m combining their age so at the total age of 14-years old, they are wise about how they view the world. “Daddy, did they die?” My 6- year-old asked me. He was referring to the news about the mass shooting in Orlando, Florida.   He saw the breaking news story while walking inside my bedroom. He heard the police sirens emanating from the television and wanted to see why the police cars were in my room. “Yes buddy, lots of human destruction going on,” I told him as I hurriedly changed the station. “Why did you change the station? I want to see.” “Because Christopher you’re too young to understand adult problems. Enjoying being   a kid before that becomes harder too.” “But I unde...

You are here: Home » Ticket to Heaven, a short story. The boys are getting so big. (Christopher left, Nico, right.) I entered this short story into my first competitive contest. I didn't win, so I will publish it here. - cf June 9, 2016 I shifted the steering controller of my fighter plane hard to the left. I wildly pulled the stick to the right, hoping I got enough zig-zag to thwart the attacking, relentless enemy plane. The G force of the plane made me dizzy. I squeezed my muscles to prevent blood from rushing to my brain. I know through my training that if too much blood is drained from my brain, I would black out. "I'm okay, I'm okay," I shouted. I was only reassuring myself since I was the lone occupant in this cockpit. I needed to think, but my adrenaline created such extreme tunnel vision. I have to focus and get away before I die!  "Fly forward, fly forward," I shouted. "Keep focused!" The plane darted south and upward...

You are here: Home » Breakup Anthem, part II Nico enjoying some KFC and caught him off guard before the picture!   June 1, 2016 *This blog is not a reflection on anyone that I know, including not a reflection of myself or my current situation. It was just a thought I had after talking with a few people regarding their own situations. It was 1400 words so I broke it into 2 parts. This is part II" - cf You need to stop throwing a tantrum and viciously complaining that I hurt you, when all you do is hurt me, with your words, without any regard for me, or my feelings. You want to snap at me because you think I haven't done enough for you. Frankly, I have done too much for you. Only a child would seek out what he or she lost without giving much thought of what he or she once had. I will no longer take the blame for your insecurities and watch you toss my good times away to satisfy your inner child. Grow up I didn’t raise you. Stop searching for the pas...

You are here: Home » Memorial Day Thoughts of my Dad Christopher graduating from Kindergarten. Class of 2028. May 26, 2016 My dad served in Vietnam. He didn't volunteer to go. He was drafted when he was just a kid. Can you imagine what it must have felt like to be an 18 + year old kid and hearing the rumblings from the news of a war brewing and being told that you may be forced to go? How scared must my dad have been? After all these years, can you believe I never even asked him if he was? That's pretty damn selfish of me. When you're sent to war against our will, given a gun, and told to kill, what does that do to a man? All those kids who were sent off to war and land they more than likely never heard of to fight a person they never would have met in their lifetime must have been a nightmare. Being a father now, I would be petrified for my children to be carted off overseas into battle without them actually volunteering to go. When I was 18, I was told I had...