Author: Alex Diaz-Granados
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From Versailles, With Love. Yours Truly, DJT
Thursday, June 18, 2026, Orlando, Florida For those of you who appreciate history—and historical irony—this one is hard to improve on. Do you know where Donald Trump—a man who, during his first term in the White House, reportedly had to be told why Pearl Harbor is a hallowed place as well as an important naval…
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Trump’s War Ends in America’s Worst Foreign Policy Defeat Since Vietnam
I have never thought that Donald Trump is fit to hold any political office, much less the Presidency of the United States. Nevertheless, his MAGA followers have said, time and time again, that he’s the greatest President in all American history. I disagree vehemently with that assessment. Instead, I believe that he’s the worst President…
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Thoughts on a Hot Summer Afternoon: June 2026
On days when the heat settles over everything like a bright, shimmering veil, summer seems to speak in its own language: slow afternoons, sun-warmed memories, open windows, and the bittersweet feeling that every golden moment is already becoming a story. The quotes below capture that season in all its radiance—its ease, its longing, and its…
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You Are Already Moving
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Blogging, Books, College Life, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Life in Bogota, Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Life in Madison (NH), Life in Miami (1972-2016), Life in Miami….Again, Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), Life in South Florida, Life in the Tampa Bay area, Life in the United States, Love, Sex, & Relationships, Miami-Dade Community College, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Personal History, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Sevilla (Seville), Spain, South Miami Senior High SchoolTuesday, June 16, 2026 — Orlando, Florida I don’t usually build blog posts around WordPress’ Daily Writing Prompt, but today the universe nudged me. Sometimes it leaves a note on the kitchen counter, and this one had my handwriting on it. Today’s Prompt:What is something you wish you could tell your 20‑year‑old self? Mid‑June in…
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The Art of the (Re)Deal, Deluxe Edition
The Art of the (Re)Deal, Deluxe Edition A sardonic poem with upgraded irony They marched from the chamber with triumphant appeal,Declaring they’d mastered the Art of the Deal.Peace papers signed, cameras flashing like stars,A victory composed of footnotes and memoirs. The war would be ending — a headline to savor —Though the fine print suggested…
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Happy Flag Day! (And Happy 251st Birthday to the U.S. Army!)
Sunday, June 14, 2026, Orlando, Florida Hi there, Dear Reader! Today — smack in the middle of June — is Flag Day, marking the day in 1777 when the Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes: thirteen stripes, thirteen stars, and one very ambitious “new constellation.” It’s also the 251st birthday of the United States…
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How Pop Culture and Music Inform the Garratyverse
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in A Bridge Too Far (1977 film), Alex Diaz-Granados, All the Things You Are, All the Things You Are (Kern and Hammerstein), Amazon, Billy Joel, Classical music, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, John Williams (Composer), Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Ludwig van Beethoven, Melodies and Memories: Music, Songs, and Singers, Movies, Music, Music & Concert Specials, Pop Music, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Star Wars, Superman: The Movie, The Summer of Two Movies, West Side Story – Original Broadway Cast (1957)How Pop Culture and Music Inform the Garratyverse If you spend enough time inside the Garratyverse, you eventually notice something: Jim Garraty’s world doesn’t just contain pop culture and music—it breathes through them. Songs, films, TV shows, and the cultural noise of their eras aren’t background decoration. They’re emotional weather systems. They shape memory, mood,…
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Florida Summer Has Entered the Chat
Here we are, 12 days into Summer 2026—at least if you subscribe to “meteorological summer,” which starts on June 1. The traditionalists will point out that summer doesn’t officially begin until 4:24 AM Eastern Time on Sunday, June 21, but Central Florida clearly did not get that memo. Outside, it already feels less like early…
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Music Album Review: ‘West Side Story – Original Broadway Cast Recording’
West Side Story – Original Broadway Cast Recording (1957, 1990 CD Reissue) Label: Columbia – CK 32603 Format: CD, Album, Reissue Released: 1990 Genre: Classical, Stage & Screen Style: Soundtrack, Musical West Side Story has generated several indispensable recordings, but the 1957 original Broadway cast album remains the most historically revealing of them. Released shortly…
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The Duet That Never Was: Revisiting Jim and Marty’s Unfinished Song
Wednesday, June 10, 2026, Orlando, Florida When I wrote Reunion: A Story in the fall of 1998, I wanted to give my protagonist, Jim Garraty, a connection with Martina Elizabeth “Marty” Reynaud that reached beyond the unspoken love he feels for her in the novella. It could not, of course, be openly romantic; otherwise, Jim’s…
