The Adventures of Captain Imperfecto

You are here: Home »  Jack's Shadow, a Halloween story The boys goofing around in the van. October 13 2016 *could be intense for some October 26, 2016 The sterile hallway reaches end-to-end, which must be 200 feet. Every 5 feet, there's an iron door. Each door is fortified to hold back a hideous, sick-minded, or evil person. The facility isn't something you can Google. Other than the locals who are hired to run the place, not many people realize the heinous and brutal death that has occurred by some of those locked in those rooms outside this town of 5,000 souls. "This door," she said, pointing, "is where we keep Jack." A woman said to a group in the hallway just outside the quiet from the inside room. Dana is a tall and skinny woman. She is wearing a plain blue polo shirt and khaki slacks. Her tour seemed as simple as a museum guide, but the people with her today are not tourists. They are some of the brightest scientists, doctors, and F.B....

You are here: Home » Channel to Channel Nico standing on the 6th floor balcony with views of the ocean (Oct 9, 2016) October 12, 2016 I was inside my hotel room, sitting on the king-size bed. The bed was soft yet firm and comfortable. The top of the mattress was covered with a white down comforter, and I was surrounded by plush oversized pillows. I was basically sitting on a cloud of comfortable ecstasy. My hotel room is situated on the 6th floor on oceanfront property. The balcony had sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean. The breeze was soft and firm. The forced air would push through the open sliding glass doors, and a whizzing sound could be heard as the air poured through the ivory color privacy curtain. The curtain would sway inside like Superman's cape before being sucked back out. I lay back on my king-sized bed and cuddled under the covers. The roaring sound of the ocean surf pounding the flat sandy beach filled the room and gave me a natural high. I was in pa...

You are here: Home »  Negotiations Christopher (left) Champ and Nico. Celebrating C's 7th birthday. September 14, 2016 Negotiating with my sons is something I vowed not to do. I am their father, and they shall do as I say. That's a bible verse, I think? That kind of thinking is always great in jest. Still, the reality of the situation may dictate that I directly negotiate with them to devise a good compromise. I know what you're thinking. "No good parent should negotiate with their kids," I promise you if you don't judge me, I won't judge you for not admitting to other parents that there was a time you negotiated with your kids to have a little peace. Or negotiated so you could finish your favorite television show. You could negotiate to get them off the floor of some unknown department store where the little guy or girl is causing a ruckus.  So you do everything in your power to be nice and negotiate with the little tyke because you don't ...

You are here: Home »  Earned It Brotherly Love. August 2016 August 31, 2016 My dad's sister died. It wasn't unexpected. At least, I don't think her death was. Sadly, I hadn't talked to her in many years. She was 73 years old. Her death at that age is an anomaly for women in my family, where most women have been known to live into their late 80's and into their early 90's. She did suffer from dementia, however. A contributing cause for sure. Her passing was made worse news for me when the notification was made via her daughter's Facebook "wall." I guess death notifications posted on Facebook are the new normal and shouldn't shock me. But it did. As the hours after her death notification passed. I began to think about how her death affected me. I wasn't crying. I didn't feel upset. I only felt sad that my cousin lost her mother. But I had a nagging feeling overtaking me of despair as her death caused me to reflect on my own...

You are here: Home »  Living the Dream Christopher (left) and Nico during a photo shoot. July 2016. August 17, 2016 This happened the other night. I am still trying to figure out what happened or who it was. I know the figure was as tall as my oldest son. I thought it was one of my lost twin daughters. Whether real or not, it's fun to dream and hope that the people you love are somehow a part of you, even when they are gone. I just wanted to write about it.  One of the great things about acting is that I could be someone else briefly. And if you don't act, we can get lost in the movie. I could be Jack on the Titanic (but stay alive in the end) or a goofy anchorman in a San Diego news television studio who can play the wicked jazz flute or pick a Star Wars character, any character, and forget about life for a while. And if movies aren't your thing, being a police officer allows having many careers encapsulated in one. Vice, K9, marine unit, aviation unit, and ...

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...