I am not a morning person, though my body always tries to tell me that I am. When I was working for a big corporation that shall go unnamed, I had a friend who had worked shifts for many years and he used to speak about how he had difficulty sleeping. I sympathized, but I did not have any experience, so I could not do much empathizing with him. Somehow in the years since, my own sleeping has suffered to…
Writing. What a funny business. As I have often told my wife, writing anything can be a chancy endeavor. Of all the books I have written, I recall exactly one where the writing seemed to go smoothly, and even that one did not start out easily. I usually start out okay, get bogged down in the middle–sometimes several times–and though I try to finish strongly, I often wonder if I have written complete trash. I do not recall ever making…
Those who have been following this blog may have noticed a lack of activity lately. For that, I will take the blame upon myself, for my two partners have recently found themselves in situations that do not allow them time to contribute to the blog. Until that changes, I am the guy. Though I have proven in the past that I struggle a little when it comes to blogging, I will give it the old college try! For today, I…
Image by Mike Singleton from Pixabay For today’s version of Trivia Thursday, I offer a selection of trivia for Jane Austen fans. As some of you know, I create variations on her most famous work, Pride and Prejudice. The following list is not confined to that novel, but rather explores the author’s influences and the times she lived in: Anonymous Authorship During her lifetime, Jane Austen did not take credit for any of her creations. The title page of her first novel, Sense…
The New Year is now upon us, and events are moving faster and propelling the world to the future. It is not my purpose to bore you with my opinion of those events, for we all know what they are and you know what they say about opinions. I have long thought that the chances were high that 2025 would be a significant year for several reasons, and I hope on a personal note that it is, for I have…
Photo by BoliviaInteligente on Unsplash Happy New Year to everyone. Let me start by wishing a not so fond farewell to the dumpster fire that was 2024. Rather than dwell on the year that’s now behind us, I want to suggest a few tunes to help welcome the new one. Let’s start with one of the few U2 songs I can listen to without cringing: Next, I want to lighten the mood with a catchy Bruno Mars tune: How about a live performance…
Image by Sabrina Belle from Pixabay I have a confession to make. As the years pass, Christmases from the past hold even greater meaning for me. Every memory shines bright, unmarred by flaws. Though some must have been less than perfect, I cannot recall them and feel no shame in admitting it. Some of them, however, are more vivid than others, for various reasons, often humorous. I remember vividly the year my father, in what he probably thought was a fantastic idea, brought…
From me to all of you, a Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year. As the holiday season can be hectic at times, it can be difficult stop and catch your breath. The season is a wonderful time, when everything seems a little brighter, the world seems a kinder place, and even if that is only my perception, I still appreciate it. It is important, in my opinion, to keep in mind the true reason that we…
Photo by Elliott B on Unsplash With Christmas a mere six days hence, wouldn’t it be entertaining to explore a few Regency Christmas trivia and traditions? I’m glad you agree with me! Here we go, in no special order: 1. Christmas Trees Were Not Yet Common The Christmas tree we know and love was not popular in the Regency era. It did not come to England until Queen Victoria’s reign, due to the fact that her husband, Prince Albert, brought the tradition with…
As this Tuesday Tunes post is conveniently a week before Christmas, it seems a good time to post about the season. If you know me, then you know that I am a sucker for piano music. So let’s combine these both for today’s post! To be honest, I don’t really know anything about Daniel Blomberg, but I stumbled across some songs on YouTube. He has several really nice arrangements of well known Christmas hymns that I fell in love with…