The year is drawing to a close. The holidays are close at hand. Soon thoughts will turn to fresh starts and new beginnings. But before we look to the future, we've chosen to first look to the past. So all this week we've been busy talking to people about regrets- those feelings of disappointment, sorrow and remorse over things that have already happened or been done. And because regret can be so emotional and so personal, we offered total anonymity to everyone that we spoke to. Some took us up on our offer, some did not. As a result, some of our posts and photos may look just a little bit different than what you may have seen here before.

As always, we invite you to join the conversation... do you believe in regret or is everything in life just a lesson learned? And if you're feeling brave, you may even want to share your own story about regret. That's what the comment section is there for! What do you think of today's anonymous confessions of regret?

DO YOU HAVE ANY REGRETS?
"I have a few. I know it's not very P.C. to say that you have regrets. You're supposed to say that you don't have regrets and that it makes you the person you are today and blah blah blah, but I do. I don't know that I could have done anything under the circumstances, but I do wish that I had done something different. 
My biggest regret is, the week before my brother died, I was sitting on the couch watching the Sopranos and I knew that he was high and I didn't say anything. And so I've always wondered if I had said something, if I maybe got him into rehab a week earlier, would things have been different." 

THAT'S A BIG WEIGHT TO HAVE ON YOUR SHOULDERS.
"It has been. But since he's been gone that's been a weight that I've carried. He didn't die of an overdose, he died of a heart condition related to the drugs, so a week....? His heart was already damaged. Intellectually I know that a week probably would not have mattered." 

"The other regret I have is not leaving my husband sooner. In that situation, I don't know that I could have. I didn't really have any other options. I don't know that it's a regret so much as I just kind of wish things had been different. I wish I would've left years and years and years ago, but years and years and years ago, I was a stay at home mom so it wasn't really an option." 

HOW DO YOU THINK THINGS WOULD HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT IF YOU HAD LEFT SOONER?
"I think the kids wouldn't have suffered as much. They've seen and heard a lot that they shouldn't have and I fault him 100% for that, absolutely, completely. I wish that they didn't and there's nothing I can do about that. But I think that it would have made it a little easier on them to not hear or see those things. Plus I'd be that much further along in my life. But again, it's one of those things I don't really know that I had any other alternative. I chose the path that I had to." 

THERE'S FEW CHOICES WHEN YOU HAVE SMALL KIDS AT HOME WITH DAYCARE COSTS TAKING MOST OF A PAYCHECK.
"Right. And my mom was gone by that point." 

IF YOU COULD GO BACK AND CHANGE EITHER ONE OF THOSE THINGS, BUT IT CHANGED EVERYTHING ELSE TOO, WOULD YOU?
"I don't know that I would with my brother 'cause I don't know that it would've changed much. I don't know that it would've prolonged his life by any significant amount. I think though, that if I could go back in time, I would've left my husband much sooner. Before it actually got really ugly. If I knew then, what I know now, absolutely I would go back and I would change it. I would've left him and it would've been hard, I would've struggled and the kids would've been young but I would've done it." 

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU LEARNED SOMETHING FROM EITHER OF THOSE SITUATIONS?
"With my marriage, I'm still learning. When my brother died, I lost myself for a bit and I think you and Mary Kay (Cosmetics...she became a consultant and was a high achiever) helped me to find myself again and then with the marriage, it happened all over again. He beat me down emotionally, so much, for so long that I am still recovering from that. I'm trying to learn my self worth and that I really shouldn't have tolerated that behavior from anyone. I absolutely won't now. I'm kind of getting to the point, and it hasn't been that long, but I really am kind of okay with being alone for the rest of my life if that's what it means. Because there's certain things that I'm absolutely, positively not gonna put up with. There's definitely things that are triggers. I curse like a sailor and I know that, but if a guy curses on a date with me, that's a red flag. If it's in anger, if I sense even the tiniest bit of anger, then I'm out. And I think I would've accepted that before like, "oh, that's just how it is", and that's (now) not anything that I wanna be a part of." 

YOU CAN TELL YOU'RE MORE COMFORTABLE IN YOUR OWN SKIN NOW.
"I definitely am, and I wasn't for a really long time and I was always on edge with everything.  Everything made me uncomfortable and unhappy and I just didn't enjoy it. I think I'm less willing to apologize for myself at this point. So I guess there's good to come from it." 

ANONYMOUS CONFESSIONAL
*DO YOU HAVE ANY REGRETS IN YOUR LIFE?
"Basically I just would have applied myself more in school and went on to college- really, culinary school. Food always was my passion and love. Still to this day [it] is. Maybe one day I will get back in the Food/Hospitality Industry.  My second regret is personal, my fault, just married the wrong person. But I'm glad to have my children from it. Don't know what else to say." 

IF YOU COULD GO BACK AND CHANGE THINGS, EVEN IF IT MEANT THE WHOLE COURSE OF YOUR LIFE MIGHT CHANGE, WOULD YOU?
"Yes I think I would. I have done well, but think I would."

*DO YOU HAVE ANY REGRETS IN YOUR LIFE?
"I don't have any major regrets, but there are things I wish I would have done differently. I think my biggest regret is not going away to college. I didn't want to leave my parents and my (then) boyfriend. I went to a local community college instead. I got a job right after. I could have gone away to a 4 year school, had the whole "college experience" and gotten a much better job. Who knows where I'd be today."

IF YOU COULD GO BACK AND CHANGE THINGS, EVEN IF IT MEANT THE WHOLE COURSE OF YOUR LIFE MIGHT CHANGE, WOULD YOU?
"Like I said, who knows where I'd be. My life is good. I am healthy and happy. I've been at my job for almost 20 years. But, if I would have done things differently things probably would have been a lot better- more money, more travel, more adventure, who knows?! So, I think I'd take the chance, yeah."

*DO YOU HAVE ANY REGRETS IN YOUR LIFE?
"Oh yeah."

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR BIGGEST REGRET?
"I cheated on my wife. We were married 10 years. Don't really know why. I'd like to make up some great reason, but really I was drunk and stupid. Of course she found out and left me. No second chance. No marriage counseling. Nothing. Left and never looked back."

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU TALKED TO HER?
"Like Tuesday (laughing). I mean, we have a 14 year old son, so we still are in touch. But only about him. Other than that she wants nothing to do with me. It's been 5 years."

IF YOU COULD GO BACK AND CHANGE THINGS, EVEN IF IT MEANT THE WHOLE COURSE OF YOUR LIFE MIGHT CHANGE, WOULD YOU?
"Absolutely. It could only change for the better."

DO YOU HAVE ANY REGRETS?
"Definitely. I mean, I have tiny regrets like not taking a certain job offer or not taking a chance on something, but those are meaningless really. I mean compared to my biggest regret."

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST REGRET?
"I cheated on my husband."

DID YOU REGRET IT IMMEDIATELY?
"Actually no. I mean, I felt bad about it immediately- horrible actually. But I don't think regret came into it for a while. I mean, it wasn't like some random thing. I thought that I really cared about the other person and vice versa. I still think about him."

AND THAT TURNED OUT NOT TO BE TRUE?
"No. It definitely wasn't what I thought it was going to be. It wound up being nothing more than an affair. Something that I never in a million years thought I would even do."

WHAT DID YOU SEE HAPPENING?
"I guess I thought that we were going to be together. I should have known that relationships that start out that way never work. You can't build a relationship on a foundation of deceit. I mean, you can't try to build something with someone when you're still entrenched in something else."

DID YOU EVER TELL HIM (YOUR HUSBAND)?
"Oh no way! Not a chance. I would never. I don't think he would ever forgive me. Not that I deserve forgiveness. But, people make mistakes. I made a mistake and I definitely regret it big time. I regret that I did it, but I really regret that it has put a wedge there that can never be removed. Everything is changed forever now. There's no going back. That is what I regret most. I changed everything and I am left to live with it on my own."

SO IF YOU COULD GO BACK AND CHANGE IT, DO IT OVER, BUT YOU RISK IT CHANGING EVERYTHING ELSE SINCE THEN AS WELL, WOULD YOU DO IT?
"I would! I don't think there is anything that could be set in motion that would be worse than having to live the entire rest of your life with that kind of guilt and shame. I really can't imagine. So, yeah, if I could go back and change it I would. I never would have done what I did- not in a million years. I'd take it back a thousand times."

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST REGRET?
"As with many people, I have had a few, obviously some are bigger than others. I’d say my biggest was trying crack cocaine. I was already going down a bad road, doing coke, and was hanging with someone that would get the coke for me. Getting powder was getting to be difficult to do, so she had bought crack rather than powder. I remember being hesitant but intrigued. She put it into the pipe, had me sit in a chair, then lit it up for me as I inhaled it. I’d still say today, even after having done it too many times after then, that that was the best high I had ever felt with it. I chased that feeling for a long, long time. 
That led to me at first spending money on it as I had it, then spending money on it that I didn’t have to spend, then taking out cash advances on a credit card, then taking a loan from my 401K to not only pay back the credit card debt, but also to have money to blow on more.  It had gotten out of control then.
The crossroads of having to deal with it came from when I was taking money out of the joint account I had with my partner, sitting in a hotel, having the dealer bring more after each call, all the while my partner watching the money disappear from the account not knowing where I was. It was an ugly night. 
I sought help after that, worked to deal with “why”  I was doing that to myself. As for anything else I’d share on this, I found myself doing things I never imagined doing. I would be in dangerous places with dangerous people, spent money in ways I never imagined spending, and did things to make more money or to just get more drugs that I never thought I’d do. It is a powerful thing being addicted and can’t be taken lightly.  But I did learn that you can change yourself over and over again in life. That is worth learning about yourself."

SO DO YOU THINK SOMETHING POSITIVE CAME FROM IT?
"I do. I think a few things actually.  I feel like I have a much better understanding of overcoming addiction (I still can, in my head, try to justify doing it over 5 years later) for one, but most importantly, I feel that it led me to dealing with some deep rooted issues I had that I was trying to mask for years. Digging in and dealing with the pain, the shame, the mixture of feelings and understanding what I was running from,  that has led to a much better me I feel."

IF YOU COULD GO BACK AND CHANGE IT, BUT RISK CHANGING THE WHOLE COURSE OF YOUR LIFE SO FAR, WOULD YOU?
"That is a tough one. Money comes and goes, so I can’t stress over that anymore, but I do wish I hadn’t done all of that deception and hurt to my partner, family, and friends. On the other hand, the perspective that going down that rabbit hole has given me on life has, in my opinion, changed me for the better. I feel like I can really see people, no matter where they are in their life, for who they are and who they can be. Many of the people I met while I was doing that are not people I’d hang with or normally want to know. But as you get to know them, get to know their story, you learn that you can’t make assumptions about anyone."
 

This is the final day of our 'The Road Less Traveled' series. All week we have been talking with people who have, or at one time had, non-traditional, interesting, or just plain unusual professions. Some by choice, some by necessity- all of them have taken somewhat unusual roads in life. You won't find any teachers, plumbers, or auto mechanics here. Not that we don't love and value the fabulous teachers, plumbers, and mechanics in our lives... but that is a post for another time. If you need to get caught up, you can start with our introduction to this week's interviews. You can catch it here before you go any further. 


YOU HAVE SOMETHING OF A NON-TRADITIONAL JOB. WHAT IS IT THAT YOU DO?
"I work by day at a small company in their accounting department, but my true job is poetry. I write and I also run a small press called Be About It. We've been making zines since 2010 and just recently I've been putting together short writing collections by various indie authors."

HOW DID YOU GET INTO THAT?
"I think I've always been a writer, but I only really realized that this is what I was called to do a few years ago. I guess I had an epiphany when I was unemployed. I had a lot of free time so I started blogging a lot. Eventually I found a community with writers and cool internet people just by reading their blogs and using social media. Making a zine became regularly publishing, became putting on events and poetry readings.

DO YOU ENJOY IT?
"I love it. If I could do it all the time I would."

DID YOU HAVE ANY TYPE OF TRAINING OR SCHOOL FOR THIS OR DID YOU GO FOR SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT (OR NOT AT ALL)?
"I studied English Literature in college and I guess that helped with just being interested in reading and writing. But putting together a zine is pretty punk rock, you learn as you go along. I have learned so much since putting out my first issue of Be About It 4 years ago. I look at some of the old issues and I'm proud of them but it's interesting to see how far along my little magazine has come."

WHAT KIND OF REACTION DO YOU GET WHEN YOU TELL PEOPLE THAT THIS IS WHAT YOU DO? (THAT YOU ARE A POET, OR A INDEPENDENT ZINE PUBLISHER)?
"I don't know. I don't think people are particularly impressed. They might say something like 'oh that's cool' or 'oh that's nice', but my friends are into it and my family is supportive so that's really all that matters to me.

SO YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS SUPPORT THIS AS YOUR CAREER?
"Yeah I think my parents are proud of me and they want me to continue and get better at what I am doing. I think my dad in particular is expecting me to get famous and is constantly encouraging me to work harder."

IF YOU WEREN'T DOING THIS WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUD BE DOING?
"I'm not sure. Before I moved to the Bay Area I was working at an insurance company and didn't really know what I wanted to do with my life. I think if I wasn't writing, if I wasn't making things that I think are beautiful and things that I think are worth sharing and if I wasn't pushing myself, I think I would be pretty bored. I'm not sure what exactly I would be doing but I'm sure I wouldn't be satisfied with it -whatever it is."

WHAT IS THE STRANGEST THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO YOU IN THIS LNE OF WORK?
"People come up to me and I don't know them but they've seen me perform or they've seen me host a reading or seen me at a zine convention and it's kooky to me. But not in a bad way. It's just funny."

Alexandra Naughton is the founder and editor of Be About It zine/press, host of That Lit Podcast (http://thatlitpodcast.podomatic.com/), co-founder of Empath Lit (http://empathlit.tumblr.com/) and author of various short and long works online and in print. You can find some links to her work on her tumblr (http://thetsaritsa.tumblr.com/).
You can also buy her book I Will Always Be Your Whore [love songs for BIlly Corgan] here: http://www.amazon.com/Will-Always-Be-Your-Whore/dp/1940213916

WHAT DO YOU DO FOR A LIVING?
"I'm a screenwriter, movies mostly and some television as well." 

HAVE YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A WRITER?
"As far back as elementary school, like 4th, 5th, 6th grade, writing some peices for the class to perform. We did a couple of those in assemblies for the whole school and they went over really well. It took me to that feeling of "Wow, I actually wrote this stuff", people clapping and I thought that was cool. Then during my teenage years, and the more I got into my love of movies themselves, I just thought this could really be a career, to write. So I knew, even in high school, that I was eventually going to go to college and move to L.A. right after that. I was fortunate to know that early on, that that was what I wanted to do." 

HOW DID YOU PREPARE FOR YOUR WRITING CAREER?
"I went to Syracuse (University), the film and tv program there, Newhouse School of Communications. It's a pretty well known communications school around the country. They had a pretty good film (program), not like USC or NYU or that caliber necessarily, but it was definitely a good one. I took a bunch of production classes and writing classes. I came out of there with what I thought was a good base and moved to L.A. about a month after I graduated." 

WAS IT DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO MOVE YOUR LIFE ACROSS THE COUNTRY?
"Yeah but it was exciting! To move across the country and not have any family. I only knew two people out there at the time. I knew it would be a big transition and kind of unknown. I just embraced it though and thought "wow, this is California, Hollywood and the movie business. Let's just go for it!" It took some time, but I never hesitated about it." 

WHAT KIND OF OBSTACLES HAVE YOU ENCOUNTERED OR STILL ENCOUNTER? 
"It's the kind of business where people are kind of infatuated with movies, tv, how things get made, all the glamour, but it's a business like any other. It's become more corporate over the years in many ways, so I think the great challenge over time is, and very few people are fortunate to have it, longevity and to be able to roll with the changes. Twenty years ago there were probably 12 studios making 25 movies each in a year, something like that. Now there's 7 studios and they make maybe 10 movies each. Obviously, there's more movies being made by independent financing coming in, still plenty of movies being made, but the big movie studios are all owned by corporations now, and it's all about the bottom line. Some of the obstacles are just the sheer number of people trying to do what I do, or become successful at it like I am. Nothing's ever easy. You pour your heart and soul into a script, something that you love and it can take years to get made, or it never gets made for various reasons. You just have to have thick skin about that and not take things too personally and just realize it may not be this one, the next one or whatever. Just keep going and roll with the punches, where the trends go. As an example, more dramatic writers like myself tend to look at tv more as a place, the quality of television is so much better. Starting back with the Sopranos, Madmen, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead; all these shows. So a lot of movie writers are like "well, the movie theater has sort of shrunk, but tv is expanding". It's about going with the different currents. Not try to reinvent yourself, but be able to maneuver through and stay fresh. I'm a story teller by nature and whether it winds up being a movie or a tv show, a miniseries, whatever it ends up being, at the end of the day you're telling a story"

HOW MANY SCRIPTS WOULD YOU SAY YOU HAVE TO WRITE BEFORE HAVING ONE SOLD OR PRODUCED?
"There's not really a formula for that per se. Every once in a while, there's that rare occasion that some young kid right out of college sells his first script. That's like a lightning strike or a lottery win. I moved there in '89, I wrote maybe 6-8 different scripts, it took me 6 years to sell my first one in '95. And then I sold others, got hired to write things, supported myself as a writer without having to work any other jobs. I was making good money and all that Now people kind of know who you are. That's the first hurdle. Then actually getting a film made, took me almost 10 years until one of my films were made. Breach, it was called, came out in 2007. It was an FBI agent movie, a true story of a spy for the Russians who's an FBI agent. Chris Cooper's in it, Laura Linney, Ryan Phillipe. It takes time. It was all about perseverance, never giving up. Others have done it a lot quicker. One of my best friends is a writer named Craig Borden, who I went to college with who wrote Dallas Buyers Club, winning last years Oscar. He wrote the first draft of that twenty years ago. That was the journey that this movie took to get, finally, to screen. 

THAT HAS TO BE SO FRUSTRATING!
"It can be incredibly frustrating. A lot of people give up, a lot will say it's not worth it, but again you have to have the ability to kind of do anything to survive, to see things through. It is that kind of a business. I guess what I'm trying to say is that probably from afar it looks so cool, fun (and believe me I wouldn't trade it for anything), that having your job be a story teller as a career is amazing. But it is as frustrating and difficult and challenging and competitive as anything out there. So, it's not as glamorous as it seems." 

I CAN PRETTY MUCH GUESS THE ANSWER TO THIS, BUT WHAT'S BEEN YOUR PROUDEST PROFESSIONAL MOMENT SO FAR? 
(Adam won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special for 'You Don't Know Jack' in 2010)
"Clearly, the proudest moment was the whole You Don't Know Jack experience, for a lot of reasons. 
I met a guy when I was living in Venice Beach in the early 90's. He had come out from NY and was kind of an actor. He hadn't ever really written anything before but we got to be close friends and ended up writing together. Actually the first thing that I sold was written with my partner at the time. 
The thing about You Don't Know Jack, which again just from the whole experience of working with Al Pacino, Susan Sarandon, John goodman, Barry Levinson directing the film, all these incredible people I always admired from afar, to be working so close with them, to have them speaking my words and of course the success of the movie and the Emmy's. Of course, it was tremendous. But it was also the fact that it was really the first thing I'd done as a solo writer. I'd written things on my own years ago. But after that partnership had dissolved, it was like the first thing I had done being on my own. And then to have all the success come from that was the greatest." 

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE THAT SCRIPT?
"There was a producer that got to write (Jack) Kevorkian's life story. He sought me out. He was a fan of my movie Breach and knew I wasn't working with my partner anymore. He went to my agent and asked if I would be interested in it. I had followed Kevorkian's story, thought he was an interesting character and I personally believed in what he was trying to do. I didn't go out and find the project, it found me. We sold it to HBO. Then when I first met Jack Kevorkian in Michigan and started to interview him, I realized there was so much about this man that people didn't know. He was "Dr. Death" for all those years and just a creepy old man. But then if you get to know him, you'd know that while he was an eccentric, quirky, complicated guy, a little odd at times, he also (as portrayed in the movie), had his weekly poker game.  Just (ordinary) things about him that people wouldn't have thought. The whole You Don't Know Jack idea became more clear to me the more I got to know that he was such a character to dig into. 
Since then there are either stories that I'll find and go after and try to get the rights to or people bring it to me. Or an original idea. There's not just one way of getting a story." 

WHEN YOU FOUND OUT YOU WERE NOMINATED FOR THE EMMY, AND THEN OF COURSE, WHEN THEY CALLED YOUR NAME, HOW DID YOU REACT?
"It was incredible. The nominations came out in, I think, July, L.A. time around 5:30 or 6 in the morning. So it was really early there. We set the alarm, my wife and I woke up, we were waiting as they were announcing it. Immediately, calls were coming, it was a thrill in itself. It sounds cliché to say it's just great to be nominated, you never really think you're gonna win. There was another film that came out that year on HBO called Temple Grandin that Clare Danes starred in that was winning a bunch of awards. We were up against that movie for a bunch of things and they were kind of on a roll with some of the other categories they were winning. We knew Al Pacino was gonna win, he was just fantastic. Thought he was a shoe in, a slam dunk. So when they read my category and the five nominees, I never thought I was gonna win and I probably thought we had less of a chance then ever because the writers of that movie were winning other categories. Then to hear my name was just so surreal and a memory I'll have forever. Then just embracing my wife and some other people around me, going up on stage- it was a crazy thing. It still doesn't seem real sometimes."

OF COURSE YOU HAD A HUGE CHEERING SECTION HERE AS A PHILLY BOY AND GEORGE WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE!
"Yeah, I know there was a genuine feeling about that by people I knew growing up that I still have there. All my Philly friends and family, my Syracuse friends. To be able to share that with people, it meant so much to me. It wasn't something that just I was able to do, but to have some people be a part of it is what was so wonderful about it." 

IT REALLY IS INSPIRING, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE SCHOOL OR AREA YOU COME FROM HAS A "NOT SO STELLAR" REPUTATION, TO HEAR OF THE SUCCESS STORIES. YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY ONE BUT CERTAINLY IN THE RANKS. IT MAKES PEOPLE FROM THERE STAND A LITTLE TALLER. 
"I totally get that. That's a whole Philly thing too. We're always sort of the underdogs and that working class mentality that's engrained in all of us. That's never left me even after 25 years in California. I think that certain people from the area feel like "we won!" I feel like there's some connection to that that made the whole thing so gratifying." 

LASTLY, WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW THAT WE SHOULD BE LOOKING FOR IN THE FUTURE?
"I have quite a few things going on right now that seem to be getting closer to happening. I'm doing a movie about Hank Aaron and his breaking of the home run record in the '70's. Kind of based around the year leading up to home run chase. It's not like him as a young man, it's him as an aging ball player about to turn 40, the weight of the world on him, the death threats if he broke Babe Ruth's record. As a big baseball fan, I got to meet Hank Aaron a couple times. I interviewed him as I was writing the script. So we're putting that movie together." 
"There's an eight part mini series I'm working on about John DeLorean (of the DeLorean car fame). It'll take the audience through the hey day of Detroit, when the car industry was in its peak, in the 60's. Then through the 70's when GM was the biggest car company in the world. The guy was this young hotshot, rising through the ranks. He decides to start his own car company which is of kind of unheard of, living this glamour is life. He gets in so much trouble with the car, ultimately. He ended up getting arrested for some cocaine deal which he was trying to use to raise money to help save the company cause it was failing. He ended up not getting convicted but it ruined his reputation. He was just his iconic figure in America that people are curious about." 
"The other thing I'm working on, would be the first thing I'm going to direct. I've been working with the Grateful Dead actually. I've always been a big Grateful Dead fan. 2015 is their 50th anniversary so they have a lot of things going on to celebrate the anniversary. I wrote a movie, it's not a biopic about the Grateful Dead members; it's not like the Jerry Garcia move or anything like that. It's a completely fictional story set in present day. The soundtrack to the movie will be all Grateful Dead songs and the characters from the songs. The actors won't be singing songs, you'll hear them in the soundtrack. I'm using all those songs and threading the story and it gets drenched in the Grateful Dead mythology and all the themes that people have taken from that band all these years. It's to be a very modern, present day story. The goal of this movie is to make all dead heads take a journey down memory lane and that they'll appreciate it. Plus it's a way to introduce their music to a young audience who aren't as familiar. They know the name, have a T-shirt but this will really introduce the music in a unique way. It's very exciting for me and could be as thrilling as anything I've ever done if I can pull it off. That's on the front burner. Hopefully, those will be some of the things people will be seeing from me sooner than later." 

To read more about and to continue to follow Adam Mazer, go to his IMDB page: 
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0563240/

WHAT IS IT THAT YOU DO FOR A LIVING?
"Right now I actually have 2 careers that I am balancing. I am a Music Director at a Methodist Church in Southwest Florida and also a Human Cannonball! Most weeks I am at a large 1,000 member church creating, rehearsing, and producing our Worship Services, a 5-concert Performing Arts Series, and various church and community musical events. And when I'm not doing that I am traveling around the country getting shot over 100 feet out of a 4,000 pound cannon--oh, and raising 3 kids all under age 5!  (I'm not really sure which of those jobs is more dangerous...)

HOW DID THAT COME TO BE YOUR PROFESSION (THE CANNONBALL PART OF COURSE)? 
"I attended the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL, pursuing a degree in Music Performance. My main instrument was the trumpet but I have always played piano on the side. I was working as a part-time music director at two Tampa area churches and going to school full time. Then I got a wonderful opportunity to join the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus when they were designing a new show in Tampa. While touring with Ringling I met my wife and became best friends with a husband and wife Human Cannonball act. After a few years I bought a cannon from them and ran away again--to join another circus! That took us all over the world and then by (yet another) sheer coincidence I ended up back in Southwest Florida directing a music ministry in Punta Gorda, FL. Now I have the best of both worlds: watch the kids grow up while working at the church, and take them on really neat vacations to watch their Dad get shot out of a cannon in front of audiences of thousands!"

WHAT TYPE OF TRAINING OR SCHOOLING IS INVOLVED FOR THAT?
"My music profession required years of study and personal practice. To be honest, the cannon is not much different. The biggest difference is that my cannon training was more of an apprenticeship. I had to learn trampoline, trapeze, and some basic balance skills in order to have the body control and spatial awareness required to control myself when being hurtled through the air at a speed of 60 mph! There was a lot of training in mathematics and a LOT of practice.  My first year of training was spent out of the cannon and when my teacher thought I was ready I actually practiced with about 100 shots out of the cannon before my first public performance. So in my opinion no matter what you are doing in life the motto is always "Proper practice prevents poor performance."

WERE YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS SUPPORTIVE OF THAT CAREER CHOICE?
"I have always been involved in music so it was very natural for my family that I would pursue that as a career.  The cannon was another story. Most of my family thought I was crazy but I have always been headstrong and somewhat entrepreneurial. My mother said that I had the drive to do whatever I set my sights on doing, so she was confident that I would be careful and diligent no matter what. So far so good."

WHAT KIND OF REACTION DO YOU GET WHEN PEOPLE FIND OUT WHAT YOU DO? 
Disbelief. I usually have to explain exactly what it is and then convince them that I'm being serious. The easiest conversations are at gas stations when people typically point with their jaw dropped and I just say, "yeah, it's exactly what you think it is." Some people want to know how it works--which is a secret. But probably the most asked question is "what does it feel like." I always respond the same way: it feels like getting hit by a bus. Your body goes from 0 to 60 mph in about a quarter of a second. That puts a force on your entire body equal to about 9 times the force of gravity. It's an exhilarating experience but it is so much fun. You have to be in really good physical shape and definitely be careful. Just one mistake could be the difference between walking away or being a pancake. It's fun but also very serious business."

YOU HAVE A SOMEWHAT UNUSUAL JOB. CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IT?
"While I suppose my day job is rather conventional, on nights and weekends I get to rock out as Captain Swirly! I Provide quality entertainment for kids of all ages in the form of magic tricks (or "mystic deeds" as I like to call them), and balloon animals that'll make even a cynic smile!!!"                               
 HOW DID YOU GET INTO THAT? 
"I got into magic around ages 9-12, but then drifted out of it as a practicing magician. About five years ago I felt in need of a hobby and picked it back up. At about the same time, what is now South Street Magic had opened up in Philadelphia, and I became friendly with the awesome, supportive, helpful Philly magi there. As my new journey began, with their help and encouragement, the hobby became a part-time job!

ARE YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS SUPPORTIVE OF YOUR JOB? 
"My friends and family are amazingly supportive of what I do- not just because they get entertained along the way- but because they realize that I am invigorated by sharing moments of wonder and amazement with others. I am especially grateful for how supportive Steal Your Face (Philly based Grateful Dead tribute band featured here) has been in allowing Captain Swirly to be a part of their musical magic universe!                

WHEN YOU TELL PEOPLE WHAT YOU DO, WHAT IS THEIR REACTION?
"When people find out I do magic, especially kids magic, they often have a "how do you do it?" reaction. It's not about magic tricks- but about putting up with an audience of birthday party excitement-fueled children! Honestly, I love an audience of loony kids. With children's magic it's not so much about the conclusion of the trick or effect-when the magic happens, it's the trip getting there! A magic show is when kids are actually encouraged to act up and act out ! Like adults, it gives them a break from the rules of reality."

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU COULD OFFER ANY ADVICE TO PEOPLE WHO MAY WANT TO PERSUE A SIMILAR CAREER?                    
"My advice to anyone interested in the magical arts is to spend time with other practitioners of the craft.  Unfortunately, brick and mortar magic shops are rare. We are lucky to have one here (South Street Magic) that also presents three live shows every weekend ! I can't begin to tell you how much I've learned from watching the talent on that stage! Also, many treasures are to be found in the mind-blowing amount of magic books out there."

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'D BE DOING IF YOU WERENT DOING THIS?
 "I like to think that if I wasn't being Captain Swirly, I'd perhaps find an outlet in writing. I say that because revisiting magic as an adult, I really enjoy structuring routines, especially the scripting part!"

 While Captain Swirly's forte is family magic he is available to make any event a little swirly. He can also be seen most weekends emceeing shows at South Street Magic in Philadelphia.  

SO HOW DID YOU GET INTO THAT LINE OF WORK?
“We were starving. I was with my sister and she decided to get into it. I didn’t want too, but she finally brought me there when I was 19 because she couldn’t handle doing it alone.” 

DID YOUR FAMILY OR FRIENDS KNOW WHERE YOU WERE WORKING? WHAT DID THEY THINK?
“I was by myself most of the time. The only friends I made were people I would meet in the clubs on the weekend. I used to go there every weekend to meet people so they would let me sleep at their home. Most of the time I had sex with them, but not the same way as during the week. My mother knew but always pretended she didn’t know or understand. My father knew too and he actually sent some of his friends to my sister and me. My little brother just found out a few years ago. He cried. And my other older sister was actually jealous. She was married and she thought that it would be something to experiment with. She also thought that the fact that I was doing it (working) with the third sister would make us closer than she and I were. So she was jealous of that relationship. That was the only thing she cared about. The sister who brought me there still lives in Belgium. She still does it a few times a month to have extra money. She has a daughter and she wants her to have everything she needs.”

DOES YOUR SISTER’S DAUGHTER KNOW WHAT SHE DOES?  
“No. She’s only 4.”

I DONT KNOW HOW MUCH YOU SHARE THIS WITH PEOPLE, BUT WHEN SOMEONE DOES FIND OUT, WHAT IS THE TYPICAL REACTION? IS THERE ONE?
“When I start a relationship, I feel like I have to tell the boyfriend. They usually cry or feel sorry for me. After a few months, it always winds up coming up, usually when we argue. I’ve been told “you were a whore, you should be happy just to have a boyfriend”. My friend’s reactions when I have talked about it was something different. They are proud of me. They say that I made out great and that I can be proud because I got out of it. I got out of prostitution, of drugs and alcohol. And that I am a teacher, a good teacher today. 
My family hates me though. They say I think I am better than them because I got away. They are mad at me when I don’t want to be with them, or drink with them or if I tell my brother not to drink so much. They make fun of me. They treat me like I am from another world.” 

SO, WHAT MADE YOU STOP?
“I didn’t want to start in the first place. Any free time I had between customers, even though I was on drugs, I kept reading and studying. I read history books, math, english, etc, I desperately wanted to keep my brain alive. Girls were laughing at me all the time. Pimps and customers would make fun of me too sometimes, because I was “different”. I have always been a dreamer and I always thought that I would be someone in life.  I knew I did not belong where I was. It was not my world. I hated everything. I was losing myself. I was spending all that money that I didn’t want to keep on cocaine and speed, “ecstasy”, alcohol, make-up and clothes. I felt like that was a useless life. So one night I was crying, I didn’t say anything to the other girls, I stole money and got a taxi. I ran away to a guy I knew’s home. I stayed there a while and even tried to join the army. My test results were good, but they didn’t want me anyway. I guess because of the troubles with the police that I had had before. So finally I ran away to the south of France. I worked in restaurants. I got to be a manager. Since then I have met good people who helped me to get back, to get into school (to become an art teacher). I studied French and Art History. I like to teach kids that have a sad life.” 

DO YOU WORRY YOU WILL EVER GO BACK TO THAT?
“Sometimes, when I have problems with money, I think about it. Sometimes I even miss those moments. Like the pain is home. Like I was made for that. If I feel weak, I will think that I really want to get back there because pain seems easier than being happy. I don’t understand when things work out well. It’s like I am always waiting for something bad to happen. If it doesn’t then I feel like I want to hurry and destroy it myself. That way I know that I am ready for the pain.” 

DO YOU HAVE ANY WORDS OF ADVICE FOR SOMEONE WHO MIGHT BE WORKING IN A SIMILAR SITUATION? 
“Yes! So many… [If you are already doing it] don’t take too many drugs even though it seems easier when you are on drugs. Keep your brain safe. Don’t take your eye off of the light at the end of the tunnel. Don’t stop believing you are somebody. Do not give up your dreams. Don’t listen to what people say. Just keep yourself safe and keep your mind on that. Life is full of surprises, and tomorrow may be different. You don’t have to be who people want you to be. [If you’re doing this because you think you have to] keep your money. Save what you can. Don’t spend it all on drugs. Have a goal to get out and keep it. And don’t listen to people that say you’re not beautiful, because “whore” is just a word. You are beautiful, you just don’t know it… one day, you’ll open your eyes and see. 

WHAT IS THE STRANGEST THING THAT HAS HAPPENED TO YOU IN THE LINE OF WORK?
“My pimp, the second one, was a woman. She acted like my mother. I believed it and I did everything she wanted me to. She knew my weaknesses and she used them. I once had to have sex with a customer and my sister at the same time. It was... weird. It made me angry and sadder than I have ever been. 
Another time a man tried to put me in the back of his car and lock me in because he wanted to keep me, to make me his wife. I’ve had people who wanted me to pee on them, call them daddy... some wanted to hurt me and wanted me to beg them to stop... but I couldn’t. Someone else had to come in and stop them because I couldn’t even feel anything at that point- only hate. One day though a man paid 500 euros to bring me to the room and he just said to me, “chose the music you want, put it on, and just relax. We wont have sex. This is your hour, do what you want. I won’t touch you.” Because in this world, even if everything is crazy and fucked up, there is still always going to be some beauty.”

The Road Not Taken 
(Sometimes cited as The Road Less Traveled)
By Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, 
And sorry I could not travel both 
And be one traveler, long I stood 
And looked down one as far as I could 
To where it bent in the undergrowth; 

Then took the other, as just as fair, 
And having perhaps the better claim, 
Because it was grassy and wanted wear; 
Though as for that the passing there 
Had worn them really about the same, 

And both that morning equally lay 
In leaves no step had trodden black. 
Oh, I kept the first for another day! 
Yet knowing how way leads on to way, 
I doubted if I should ever come back. 

I shall be telling this with a sigh 
Somewhere ages and ages hence: 
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— 
I took the one less traveled by, 
And that has made all the difference.

As children, we often dream about what we would like to be when we grow up. Perhaps you wanted to be a baseball player, or a ballerina, or President of the United States. Chances are, you are none of these things today. The truth is, despite our childhood dreams, the circumstances and situations of our lives often get in the way, and those childhood career dreams often become just that... dreams. 
*They say the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry... 
The things we dream of, wish for, and even plan- no matter how carefully, sometimes may still go wrong. 

Sometimes we start out on the path that we always dreamt of, only to find that it wasn't really the right road for us after all. So how is it that we wind up doing what we do? How do the teachers wind up teaching? How do the policemen wind up policing? 
Sometimes we work hard and study and strive to be what we think will make us happy, what we think we will be good at. Sometimes, we fall into a profession- a family business perhaps. Sometimes we arrive at our profession out of necessity. We take a job that fits our life and our needs of the moment. And then, life rolls on. And before we know it, years have passed and this is what we do. 
And sometimes we wind up in the strangest of places, with a job that we never thought we would have, doing things we never thought we would do. And while we all need the plumbers of the world, the teachers of the world, and the mechanics of the world, there is something fascinating, riveting, about people whose jobs are out of the ordinary, outside of the box. 

This week we have the pleasure of bringing you into the lives of people who have or have had jobs that are just a little different than your supermarket cashiers or your gas station attendants. Please come back every day this week and meet people just like you, working at jobs that are a little unusual, uncommon, or off the beaten path. No matter how unusual, or how far removed from what we do their jobs are, at the end of the day we still all face the same questions, doubts, struggles and joys that come with a day's work. 
Hardly have I met in my life someone who did not at one time or another question the road that they were on- the path that they had chosen. Sometimes a career is everything. It defines you. It is, essentially, who you are. And other times, a job is just a means to an end. Something we do to pay the bills and sustain us while we wait for that precious 5 o'clock hour when our "real life" begins. 
So, which one are you? Are you happy that way? Remember, it's never to late to change the road you're on.... So while we wait for our first interview, tell us, what do you do for a living? What did you hope to be when you were a kid? 

*The best laid plans... is a line adapted from a Scottish poem written by Robert Burns in 1785. It was later further adapted and served as the inspiration for the title of John Steinbeck's 1937 novel, Of Mice and Men. 

What type of business is Naturally Sweet?
"Naturally Sweet is a wholesale distributor of Happy and Healthy Products, Inc. We sell all natural, gluten free, fruit bars, healthy snacks and whole grain flavored popcorn to retailers which include colleges, health food stores, hospitals, fitness centers, family entertainment centers, delis and grocery stores just to name a few."

How did you get started?
"We started the business in July, 2013. We were looking for an opportunity to run our own business. We decided to investigate franchises since the business models are proven and structured. We used a broker who helped us find the right prospects, coached us on how to do our due diligence and lead us through the process. This particular franchise met our criteria and appealed to us on many different levels."

What obstacles have you faced in starting a business?
"Can't say there are too many obstacles but we need to overcome objections from retailers who may not be interested in carrying our products for various reasons: price point, lack of space, not familiar with product or brand, seasonality of the frozen fruit bars. We stress the value....it's a high quality, wholesome and healthy snack; it's larger than the other bars on the market. The first ingredient is fruit and once they sample the product - that usually seals the deal.  We educate our potential customers on the new revenue stream it may become, the target market and importance of that market and the value of  the high level of customer service we provide. To boost their sales we also provide a small branded freezer which also overcomes the objection "I don't have a freezer"."
 
What makes your business different from others of it's kind?
"We are a very small business that can give a lot of attention to our customer's needs. That sets us apart from many other distributors and wholesalers. Our products also have the appeal of being healthier which has a wide audience these days. People are more conscious of what they eat. Our Fruitfull frozen fruit bars have no added sugar and just basically contain fruit...it's the number one ingredient. How can you beat that? They are  low calorie and contain either no fat or are low fat and have no preservatives. Parents would rather have their kids snacking on treats that count as a fruit serving, as opposed to sweet snacks with empty calories. Also, we are a one stop shop for vendors and can supply several different types of snacks. We are a turn key package for them!

WHAT IS THE NAME OF YOUR BUSINESS?
"Seafood of Buckingham Valley, Inc."

WHAT TYPE OF BUSINESS IS IT?
A fresh seafood market."

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED?
"I started my business in 1992 when I got tired of being a truck driver and always on the road. A friend told me about a crab place where the lady was looking to get out. So I went in and offered her some money to buy her place and she agreed."

WERE THERE ANY OBSTACLES TO GETTING YOUR BUSINESS STARTED?
"Yes, the main obstacle was that the lady I bought the business from did not have any right to sell it, but that was quickly resolved. Then I needed to learn about fish, because although I have been eating it since the 1970's I didn't know much about the fish market or anyone down there."

WHAT MAKES YOUR BUSINESS BETTER OR DIFFERENT THAN OTHERS OF ITS KIND?
"I believe my market is better and more successful because I personally go to the fish market every morning at 3:30 and hand pick my fish. And since I have been doing it for 22 years now, I am able to get better pricing as I deal a lot with the direct vendors and no middle man."

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR THOSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO GO INTO BUSINESS FOR THEMSELVES? 
"If someone were to come and say that they would like to get into the fish or seafood business or even retail of any kind, I would tell them to think long and hard because it is a lot of long, hard hours and sacrificing of your life. You have to be available 24/7, because no one will ever care for your business the way you will."

DOES YOUR BUSINESS HAVE ANYTHING SPECIAL TO OFFER THIS TIME OF YEAR?
"The holiday's at our store are a very busy time of year and it is what carries us through the winter months.  As for specials: I don't believe in them since our prices are always the lowest around."

ARE YOU WILLNG TO OFFER SOMETHING TO PEOPLE WHO VISIT YOU THROUGH OUR SITE?
"Sure. We will offer 5% off of any order that comes from finding us on this site. Just mention the code "One Unified" when you place your order."

Seafood of Buckingham Valley is located at:
 1489 Durham Road 
Buckingham, PA 18912 

Find them on the web at: 
www.buckinghamseafood.com

HOW LONG HAS LENEGHANS BEEN IN BUSINESS?
"Since 1994 here on Frankford Ave., 1992 on Red Lion rd (Sandmeyer Ln.) and 1987 on Frankford ave. (relocated to Tyson and Brous)."

ARE YOU THE PROPRIETOR OF ALL 3 LOCATIONS?
"No, just this one. My father in law had started the business when he came over from Ireland. He worked at a few bars and saved up enough money and bought his first bar. So he had the boys working for them and then the boys went out on their own and bought Red Lion Rd. and then this place. Then they separated in '96, me and Tony got this place, Kevin and Maureen got Red Lion rd. And the other brother is out of the business now." 

THAT'S PRETTY COOL TO STILL HAVE A FAMILY BUSINESS, LET ALONE A CHAIN!
"Yeah, we're still around and he's (father-in-law) still around!" 

WHAT DO YOU THINK KEEPS YOU IN BUSINESS?
"I think we have a lot of loyal customers that have been around for a long time. Some customers that come in here have been here since we opened the doors 20 years ago. I think that really helps. Although the neighborhood is changing, we still have a good group of people that still keep us afloat." 

WHAT OBSTACLES WOULD YOU SAY YOU'VE HAD OVER THE YEARS?
"Just the change in clientele, the neighborhood. We've pretty much had a lot of the same employees. Employees that have worked for us for a long time. We don't go through a lot of them. So, yes, the biggest obstacle is the neighborhood." 

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE THAT WAS LOOKING TO START THE SAME TYPE OF BUSINESS?
"Buy outside of the city of Philadelphia. They're tough with the taxes. Like, they charge a 10% tax on every drink that's supposed to go to the school district. Which we know it's not going there. That's our profit there, it would be our profit, but now we pay it out. The bar business isn't the same as it was 20 years ago, even 10 years ago."

TAXES GOING TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT? REALLY!? THAT'S WORKED OUT WELL.
"Yeah, that's what we have fought for a lot of years. We could never get any answers. And then it ended up costing all of us bar owners so much money to keep fighting it, we stopped and just started paying (the tax)." 

DO YOU RUN ANY SPECIALS?
"We do run specials at certain times. $2 shots of wild turkey, $1 Jell-O shots. We always have $.80 PBR mugs.  

ANY SPECIALS FOR ONE UNIFIED READERS?
"Anyone that mentions One, Unified will get a free drink (good one time only)." 

LASTLY, WHY DO YOU THINK YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE SO LOYAL?
"I think because my employees are very good and because they like me and my husband. They've gotten to know us over the years. The customers will even rat on some of the employees. That's gotta say something. I think we're like one big family.  It's a family atmosphere. Some people don't have that at home. It's kind of nice that you get it here." 

Leneghan's Crusader Inn is located at:
 7412 Frankford Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19136
Visit them on Facebook at Leneghans Crusader Inn