I was just a month out from my seventh birthday when HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS released their album, SPORTS in September of 1983. As a kid growing up on this new thing called "MTV" (Music Television), a cable network that had just hit the two-year mark a month prior, Huey Lewis & The News became my first rock band. At the same time my young mind was absorbing the sonic stylings and visual accompaniments of artists like Michael Jackson and Duran Duran, Lewis and his crew became my gateway drug into a larger world filled with "The Heart of Rock & Roll" - guitar, drums, bass...

Last week, the world was introduced to the newest neighbor on SESAME STREET, a Writer from Puerto Rico named Armando - or 'Mando as the folks on the 'Street quickly dubbed him. The introduction of this new character is part of a focus on Hispanic Heritage and Diversity that plays a key role in the forthcoming 44th season of the iconic series on PBS KIDS. Mando (Ismael Cruz Cordova) joins Maria (Sonia Manzano), Luis (Emilio Delgado) and Muppets Rosita and Ovejita (Carmen Osbahr) as part of SESAME STREET's bilingual community. This week, my adventures took me to the famed Fontainebleau hotel in Miami Beach, where I joined my fellow PBS KIDS VIP (Very Involved Parent) Ambassadors at the 2013 PBS Annual Meeting. There, I spent some time with Mando and Rosita... and just may have found the answer to that age-old question: "Can You Tell Me How to Get to SESAME STREET?"

If you're reading this midday on May 13, 2013... just know that I'm currently sitting in the aisle seat of a Boeing 737 en route to Miami. Thanks to internet magic, The Rock Father website continues posting new content even when I'm away, and that's just another example of technology at it's finest. This week's adventure is taking me to the PBS Annual Meeting. It's my first trip 'as' "The Rock Father" - and only the third time since becoming a parent nearly four years ago that I've actually gone away on business... or been away from my family.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

As The Rock Father, it's my wife... the mother of my two daughters... that is truly the backbone of this family. I've noted this before, but I could never do what she does. She works full-time outside of the home to support our lifestyle, to provide for our children, and to support my crazy adventures. She's a great Mom, and while our little ones might not fully appreciate just how much she does (yet), the smiles on their faces each night solidify the fact that all is right. 

This is one of those situations where I get very conflicted. On the surface, there's a start-up company looking to crowdfund a project that they believe in. The intentions seem good, the product solid, and the market is there. Underneath, the problem is that I don't particularly like the product, it'll be obsolete quick, and I wish that the market wasn't there. TEK RECON, which launched it's Kickstarter this week, is being touted as "The First Real-Life Video Game," and was called a combination of "Nerf and Halo" by CNET. It's guns. It's kids. It's tech. So many problems...

Last month, the team at Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS) invited kids and fans of their TRANSFORMERS line to help in crafting an all-new character through their "Fan Built Bot" promotion. Round One has completed, and the Second and Final Round of Voting is now in effect. This all-new character will be revealed at the summer's San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC), after which it will become a permanent fixture in the world of TRANSFORMERS with a place in the TRANSFORMERS: Thrilling 30 line of toys in 2014.