Author: Alex Diaz-Granados
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October Reveries
“When you get homesick, it’s not something missing, it’s something present, a visit. People and places from far away arrive and keep you company for a while.” ― Erri De Luca, God’s Mountain Thirty-three Octobers ago, I was on the other side of the Atlantic, 4,362 miles from where I live now and 4,329 miles…
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Music Album Review: ‘The Essential Glenn Miller’ (2005)
He was neither an outstanding soloist nor showman nor an original composer. Instead Miller’s personality combined idealism with a formidable work ethic in a soul that was deeply musical. – Mike Plaskett, in the liner notes for The Essential Glenn Miller Boy, the way Glenn Miller playedsongs that made the hit parade…. – Charles Strouse…
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On Music: My 10 Favorite Songs by Glenn Miller
“One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.” ― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship Boy, the way Glenn Miller playedsongs that made the hit paradeGuys like me we had it madeThose…
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On Music: But…But…I LIKE Oldies!
When I was in my early teens – way back in the late 1970s – I knew that in a world where Funk, Soul, R&B, Pop, Hard Rock, Soft Rock and Disco were the dominant music genres, I was an odd duck. Even as a child growing up on two continents – I was born in…
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Musings & Thoughts for Tuesday, October 26, 2021, or: Of Reading Lists and Weighty Matters
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in A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump’s Testing of America, Alternative History (Alt History), And the Last Trump Shall Sound: A Future History of America, Apollo Expeditions to the Moon: The NASA History – 50th Anniversary Edition, Blogging, Books, Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker, Harry Turtledove, I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump's Catastrophic Final Year, Life in Florida, Personal Thoughts, The Napoleonic Wars: A Global HistoryAbout My October TBR List Well, with November 2021 not that far away, it’s time to check how I am doing with my To Be Read list for October. Unfortunately, Dear Reader, I haven’t made much of a dent on that TBR list. Of all the books I’ve started reading this fall – starting last…
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Old Gamers Never Die, or: Reliving the Liberation of Europe with MicroProse’s 1987 Classic War Game ‘Crusade in Europe’
Back in the late 1980s, when I was still a journalism student at Miami-Dade Community College in South Florida, I used to go to the nearby Miami International Mall to do a bit of shopping. My favorite places then were Waldenbooks and a software retailer called Babbage’s.[1] Before 1987, most of my trips to the…
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Book Review: ‘The Odyssey of Star Wars: An Epic Poem’
The Odyssey of Star Wars: An Epic Poem Written by: Jack Mitchell Illustrated by: Jessica Benhar Publisher: Abrams Image, an imprint of Henry N. Abrams Publishing Date: September 28, 2021 Spirit of learning, angel of the Force, In grief, in longing for your tender touch, I call you to my side: let sorrow cease, Let…
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Musings & Thoughts for Thursday, October 21, 2021, or: Remembering Arbetter’s – Hot Dog Nostalgia Strikes Again!
Hello, Dear Reader. It’s early afternoon on Thursday, October 21, 2021. It’s a warm “autumn” day here in west-central Florida. Currently, the temperature is 84˚F (29˚C) under mostly cloudy skies. With the wind blowing from the east-northeast at 6 MPH (10 KM/H) and humidity at 36%, the heat index is 86˚F (30˚C). Today’s forecast calls…
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On Films & Film-Watching: Chills, Thrills, and Creepy Things that Go Bump in the Night
October is, of course, the month that ends with Halloween. Since that holiday is only 11 days off (as I write this), it’s a good excuse opportunity for me to tell you about my favorite horror films and TV miniseries. Of the 414 Blu-ray titles – including ones that I have multiple versions of –…
