Just a simple post to tickle your funny bone. Get ready to laugh. (Or groan, depending on what sort of humor you like!) What did the writer say when he glued himself to his book? That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. What’s the best college degree to become a successful fiction writer? Journalism! What do communism and an essay writer who plays no sport have in common? They work on paper, but not in practice….
My brother, Colin, posted about Pink Floyd a while back, though it was not a Tuesday post. While I consider Dark Side of the Moon one of the classic albums of all time, in many ways, I have always preferred Wish You Were Here. For those of you who are not familiar with Pink Floyd or with the history of the band, there is a story behind this album. The band, Pink Floyd, formed in London in 1965, and at…
It’s that time of year when my wife and daughter leave to visit her mother for the summer. Of course, I’m not exactly on my own, as older sons are both still at home. They don’t go anymore, as they both are old enough to have responsibilities now. One might think that with the lack of distractions I get lots done in the summer. While that usually is the case, it takes me a little while to get used to…
Writing is not an easy business. As with anything, it takes practice and dedication to improving one’s skill, and while I can not speak for other authors, I am always finding something new I’m doing wrong, things that I can do better, or habits in my writing that I try to avoid. Creative writing can be a completely different beast altogether. While a certain measure of research goes into any writing, much of creative writing comes from within. One thing…
I cannot imagine what anyone reading this must be thinking of with such a title greeting them! Surely, as everyone close to their mother must apprehend, There is more than a glimmer in any relationship with a beloved parent. So it is with my mother, who is everything a mother ought to be. Now mom is well aged to say the least, as she will turn 97 this year, and age and infirmity have robbed her of much of her…
As you may have noticed, it’s Friday (though soon to be Saturday). As I did not get to this post yesterday, I thought I would put it out now, for after all, better late than never! The Golden Pavilion, or Kinkaku-ji, is one of the most iconic buildings in Japan. Situated in the historic city of Kyoto, the Kinkaku-ji is a Buddhist temple set in a walking garden known as Rokuon-ji, which translated means “Deer Garden Temple.” While the site…
Though my brother spoke of the coming of spring, I have not seen anything of it yet. We are still cold and we are getting enough snow to bury us until June, as this photo from my front window will attest. As I spoke at some length about this in my last post, I will not bore you any further. But you can likely tell by my choice of image that I am eager to leave the winter behind and…
Anyone who knows me well understands that I do not like winter. When I lived in Japan, people would not understand when I told them, given they knew I was from Canada. Being from Canada is exactly what has made me so contemptuous of the colder months. There are some definite benefits to living in a colder climate, such as fewer venomous creatures, less extreme storms and the like, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. Thus, you will…
Going back to Handel for this Tuesday Tunes, though there is a reason I’d use this particular composer again. In 1738, Handel resented the opera Serse (Xerxes, based on the Persian king–the name is the Italian form) in London. The opera was, unfortunately for Handel, a failure, lasting only five performances, for various reasons we won’t go into now. After a revival in the 1920s, the opera rose to prominence and is now Handel’s most well-known. The opening aria from the…
In the summer of 1741, George Frideric Handel was presented with a libretto composed by Charles Jennens. The libretto was arranged entirely from portions of scripture, in particular the Old Testament, and became the lyrics for Handel’s famous oratorio, The Messiah. Many stories have been told about the composition of this famous piece. It is true that he composed the entire work in the space of about three weeks, and many have taken this as a sign that Handel was…