Downtime Musings

Thursday, January 22, 2026 — Orlando, Florida

Today I’m giving the Gratitude Express Tour a brief rest stop. For those just tuning in, that’s my ongoing series where I thank readers of the Jim Garraty books — Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, and Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen — who’ve read and reviewed all three. Occasionally, I also tip my hat to the friends and early mentors who encouraged me back when I was a teenage staff writer trying not to drown in newsroom deadlines.

Since the number of three‑time reviewers is small enough to fit around a café table, the Gratitude Train is idling on a (hopefully temporary) siding until the next passenger hops aboard.

And because I have no desire to write about politics or the general emotional weather of 2026, I’m turning instead to the things that still spark joy: books, movies, games, and music — the cultural comfort food that keeps me grounded.

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What I’m Reading

This week, I returned to Stephen King’s 11/22/63 for the first time since its 2011 release. It’s King at his most ambitious: time travel, alternate history, a deeply human love story, and the kind of emotional gut‑punches he delivers with unnerving precision. Jake Epping, a modern-day English teacher, steps through a portal to stop the assassination of President John F. Kennedy — and, by extension, the cascade of tragedies that reshaped America in the ’60s and ’70s.

Hulu adapted it into a limited series, but the novel remains the richer, stranger, more intimate experience.

I first read it during the five years I spent caring for my mom before she died in 2015. It was one of the few long novels I could focus on during that exhausting stretch. I loved it, but the emotional weight attached to that time kept me from revisiting it until now. Opening it again feels like reopening a door I closed gently years ago.

I’m also reading The American Revolution: An Intimate History (2025) by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns — a beautifully illustrated companion to Burns’ six‑part documentary. It explores “the most consequential revolution in history,” a conflict still mythologized and misunderstood 250 years after the Declaration of Independence. It’s a reminder that history is never as tidy as we pretend.

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What I’m Watching

My TV setup is… let’s call it “architecturally whimsical.” As a result, I don’t watch much television these days. Still, I picked up The American Revolution: A Film by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein & David Schmidt back in November. I’ve only made it through the first episode — not because it’s dull, but because I tend to start things late at night and promptly fall asleep like a Victorian gentleman dozing off by the fire.

My TV setup is… let’s call it “architecturally whimsical.” As a result, I don’t watch much television these days. Still, I picked up The American Revolution: A Film by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein & David Schmidt back in November. I’ve only made it through the first episode — not because it’s dull, but because I tend to start things late at night and promptly fall asleep like a Victorian gentleman dozing off by the fire.

I did manage to watch James Gunn’s Superman (2025) recently, though not at night. I enjoyed it, even though Richard Donner’s 1978 classic still holds the crown. Gunn’s version has its charms and a few misfires, but it’s miles better than Man of Steel. And it has Krypto, which automatically earns it several bonus points.

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What I’m Playing

When I’m too tired or distracted to wrangle words, I retreat to Sea Power: Naval Combat in the Missile Age (2024, Triassic Games/MicroProse). It’s the perfect blend of strategy, tension, and “please don’t let that be an incoming missile.” There’s something oddly calming about guiding Cold War fleets around the world while the real one feels increasingly unhinged. It’s my version of meditation — just with more sonar pings and radar blips.

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What I’m Listening To

Lately, I’ve had Kiri Sings Kern on repeat. There’s a particular kind of emotional oxygen only Kiri Te Kanawa can provide, and her Kern interpretations feel like stepping into a warm beam of light. When the world gets loud, her voice cuts through the static and reminds me that beauty still insists on being heard.