Author: Alex Diaz-Granados
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Tempus Fugit, or: How I Was ‘Persuaded’ to Sing a Solo at a High School Christmas Concert 40 Years Ago
Hi there, Dear Reader. It’s late morning here in Lithia, Florida on Tuesday, December 14, 2021. It’s a cool early winter day here in the subtropics. Currently, the temperature is 69˚F (21˚C) under cloudy skies. With humidity at 95% and the wind blowing from the northeast at 9 MPH (14 KM/H), the feels-like temperature is…
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On History: ‘Yesterday, December 7, 1941, a Date Which Will Live in Infamy’ – FDR Asks Congress to Declare War on Japan
Hi, there, Dear Reader. It’s mid-morning here in Lithia, Florida on Wednesday, December 8, 2021. It’s a chilly and gray early winter day. The current temperature is 66˚F (19˚C) under cloudy skies and there’s a dense fog advisory for the Fish Hawk area. With humidity at 97% and the wind blowing from the south-southeast at…
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On History: ‘Remember Pearl Harbor’ – 80 Years After
Hi there, Dear Reader. It’s late morning here in Lithia, Florida on Tuesday, December 7, 2021. It is a chilly day – for Florida, at any rate – and a grey, dimly lit one at that. Currently, the temperature is 68˚F (20˚C) under mostly cloudy skies and dense fog. With humidity at 100% and the…
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Musings & Thoughts for Monday, December 6, 2021, or: Melancholy, Movies, and the Weight of Memory
Hi there, Dear Reader. It’s early afternoon here in the Tampa Bay area on Monday, December 6, 2021. It’s a warm early winter day in west-central Florida. The current temperature is 77˚F (25˚C) under sunny skies. With the wind blowing from the south-southeast at 3 MPH (5 KM/H) and humidity at 80%, the feels-like temperature…
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On Movies: My Odd Saturday Night at the Movies was…Odd
Hello, Dear Reader. It’s early afternoon here in lovely Lithia, Florida on Sunday, December 5, 2021. It is a mild winter day, at least by the standards of the subtropical Sunshine State. Currently, the temperature is 79˚F (26˚C) under sunny skies. With humidity at 57% and the wind blowing from the east-southeast at 6 MPH…
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Musings & Thoughts for Saturday, December 4, 2021, or: Michigan School Shooter’s Parents are Arrested & Arraigned; Another Blu-ray Joins My Collection
Hi there, Dear Reader. It’s early afternoon here in my corner of west-central Florida on Saturday, December 4, 2021. It’s a lovely, mildly warm early winter day. The current temperature is 76˚F (25˚C) under sunny skies. With the wind blowing from the south-southwest at 3 MPH and humidity at 49%, the feels-like temperature is 75˚F…
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Movie Review: ‘The Umbrellas of Cherbourg’ (1964)
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg/Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (1964) Written and Directed by: Jacques Demy Music by: Michel Legrand Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Nino Castelnuovo, Anne Vernon, Marc Michel, Ellen Farner, Mirelle Perrey, Harald Wolff, Jean Champion Madame Emery: Stop crying. Look at me. People only die of love in movies. On December 16, 1964, 20th Century…
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In Memoriam: Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021)
Hi there, Dear Reader. It’s early afternoon here in my corner of west-central Florida on Saturday, November 27, 2021. It’s a chilly late fall day. The current temperature is 68˚F (20˚C) under sunny skies. With the wind blowing from the north-northwest at 7 MPH (11 KM/H) and humidity at 36%, the feels-like temperature is 67˚F…
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Thoughts of Thanksgivings Past, or: My Very Worst, Very Bad Thanksgiving Story of All Time
Hi there, Dear Reader. It’s late morning here in my corner of west-central Florida on Tuesday, November 23, 2021. It is a chilly – by Florida standards, at any rate – day. Currently, the temperature is 58˚F (14˚C) under sunny skies. With humidity at 68% and the wind blowing from the north at 11 MPH…
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Musings & Thoughts for Monday, November 22, 2021, or: Pondering a Wayward Relative’s Situation in the 2021 Holiday Season
Hi there, Dear Reader. It’s late morning here in my corner of west-central Florida on Monday, November 22, 2021. It is a gray and cool autumn day. Currently, the temperature is 68˚F (20˚C) under cloudy skies. With humidity at 96% and the wind blowing from the north-northwest at 6 MPH (10 KM/H), the feels-like temperature…