Category: Personal Thoughts
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RIP, Rob and Michele Reiner
Monday, December 15, 2025 — Orlando, Florida Two years ago today, I arrived in Madison, New Hampshire, after leaving Lithia, Florida. That anniversary should have been a quiet marker, a private reminder of how far I’ve traveled. Instead, I woke to devastating news: Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, were found dead in their Brentwood…
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Musings and Thoughts for Sunday, December 14, 2025
Sunday, December 14, 2025, Orlando, Florida It’s a warm and sunny day in my small corner of Central Florida. The temperature – as I write this – is 77°F under mostly sunny conditions, but since we’re in the subtropical zone and there’s a lot of humidity in the atmosphere, it feels like 83°F. It’s also…
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A (Laundry) Day in the Life
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), Life in South Florida, Life in the Tampa Bay area, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Tempus fugit, The Jim Garraty ChroniclesSaturday, December 13, 2025, Orlando, Florida Time flies faster than a rollercoaster at Universal Studios—or so it seems. Can you believe we’re already skidding into mid-December, with just twelve days left on the countdown to Christmas 2025? I’m still trying to wrap my head around that one, and my coffee hasn’t quite caught up yet.…
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The Chronicles, the Coda, and the Chaos
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Books, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Stefan (Steve) Lee, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, Writing as a CraftWednesday, December 10, 2025 – Orlando, Florida Now that most of my belongings are finally here in Orlando instead of languishing in a warehouse in South Florida, I can turn my attention—at least in theory—to other priorities. Chief among them are the omnibus edition of The Jim Garraty Chronicles and making sure the Audible release…
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An Even Briefer Note from the Author
Monday, December 8, 2025, Orlando, Florida This is just a quick note to let you know that I am back home from Miami, and I retrieved most of my belongings. I woke up at 2 AM, though, so I’m exhausted. See you tomorrow!
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A Brief Return to Miami on Pearl Harbor Day
Sunday, December 7, 2025, Orlando, Florida Sunday, December 7, 2025, marks the 84th anniversary of a significant day in history, and coincidentally, I find myself headed to Miami. The purpose of my trip is to finally retrieve my belongings—my cherished books, CDs, collectibles and movies—that have been waiting for me in South Florida. While I…
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A Brief Note from the Author
Saturday, December 6, 2025 — Orlando, Florida Hi, Dear Reader. I may not be writing here tomorrow or Monday. I’m heading back to my hometown of Miami on a trip I’d rather not take, but one that’s necessary: reclaiming the belongings I was forced to leave behind. Among them is my newer laptop, so I’ll…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Behind the Curtain – Marty’s Origins
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Audiobooks, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Creative Writing, Garratyverse, Passage of Time, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, South Miami High School in fiction, South Miami Senior High School, Stefan (Steve) Lee, The Jim Garraty ChroniclesBehind the Curtain: Marty’s Origins Ever since the day I first sent my novella, Reunion: A Story, out into the world back in 2018, the questions started coming. Sometimes they arrived shy and quiet, like old friends at a backyard barbecue, and other times they landed with surprising directness. Most often, it was a fellow…
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Another Workweek, A New Month, and Another Season
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Blogging, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Stefan (Steve) Lee, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, Winter in FloridaMonday, December 1, 2025 – Orlando, Florida Another Monday, another new workweek, another new month—and, meteorologically speaking, another new season. (It’s also rent day, though thankfully my landlady is considerate and understanding of my circumstances. Compared to the steep payments I made during my ten months in Miami, this arrangement feels far less onerous.) It’s…
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A Thanksgiving Musicale
Today is Thanksgiving 2025! It’s the first recurrence of the occasion since 2023 when I celebrate the holiday with other folks. Last year, I spent my first Thanksgiving back in Florida by myself; today, I’ll at least have the company of my current landlady in Orlando. I don’t have time to write a proper post,…
A Certain Point of View, Too 