Category: Life in Miami (1972-2016)
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All Aboard the Gratitude Express! Next Stop – Betsy Matteis
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Books, College Life, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), Life in South Florida, Miami-Dade Community College, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, South Miami Senior High School, The Gratitude ExpressThe Gratitude Tour Continues – Stop #7: Betsy Matteis Hi, everyone, and welcome aboard the Gratitude Tour Express. Today, our train is rolling north to Woodstock, Georgia, where my longtime friend Elizabeth—Betsy—Matteis has made her home. Of the seven Gratitude Award recipients so far, Betsy is the one whose story with mine stretches back the…
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A Friday in October: Narration, Delivery, and Memory
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Audible, Audiobooks, Autumn in Florida, Beatriz Diaz-Granados, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Family History, Garratyverse, Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Stefan (Steve) LeeFriday, October 17, 2025 – Orlando, Florida Here we are again—another workweek winding down, the weekend just over the horizon. It’s a nice, somewhat cool (for Florida, anyway) autumn morning in my corner of Orange County, and I’m settling into another day in the life of a working writer. Yesterday afternoon brought a welcome update…
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Music Appreciation: My First Encounter with Berlioz’s ‘Symphonie Fantastique’
🎼 A Fever Dream in Five Movements: Remembering My First Encounter with Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique One of the most memorable experiences from my college years—now four decades ago—took place on a rare cool afternoon in South Florida. I was sitting in my Humanities class at Miami-Dade Community College, where Professor Jay Brown, a talented musician…
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July 19: Remembering My Mother Amid Political Turmoil
Afternoon, Saturday, July 19, 2025 – Miami, Florida It’s a quintessential summer day in South Florida—sunny skies, no thunderstorms looming, and a heavy, palpable heat that clings to everything. At 91°F (33°C) with humidity hovering at 64%, the “feels like” temperature is a sweltering 101°F (38°C). For anyone who doubts the effects of climate change,…
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The Last Smile
Afternoon, Friday, July 18, 2025, Miami, Florida “Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speakknits up the o-er wrought heart and bids it break.”― William Shakespeare, Macbeth Today isn’t a good day—not because it’s a “sad anniversary” sort of day, though it is that too—but because daily life feels unusually heavy. I’m overwhelmed by…
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On Writing and Storytelling: My Answer to ‘How Do You Get Inspired?’
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, College Life, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), Life in Miami….Again, Life in South Florida, Miami-Dade Community College, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: CodaHow Do You Get Inspired to Write? They say inspiration strikes when you least expect it. I say—it sneaks up on you like a friend who knows where you hide your best snacks. This post isn’t about formulas or foolproof strategies. It’s about the long and winding path my stories take from flickers of memory…
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Scattered Thoughts on a Sweltering Afternoon
I’ll admit it: today, I struggled to find a good topic for this post. It’s July in South Florida—hot, heavy, and maybe a little uninspiring. But I showed up anyway, because the habit of writing matters, even when clarity doesn’t come easy. So here it is: a mosaic of musings from a Thursday afternoon in…
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July 2025: Heat, Grief, and Writing-Related Stress
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Anxiety, Blogging, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Going Full Circle: Back to South Florida I Go, Hurricane Andrew, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), Life in Miami….Again, Life in South Florida, Life in the Tampa Bay area, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Summer 2025, Summer in FloridaWednesday Afternoon, July 9, 2025 – Miami, Florida Hi, everyone. Historically, July has never been my favorite month. Aside from the nearly six years I spent living in Colombia (1966–1972) and a more recent 10-month stint in New Hampshire, July in Florida usually means oppressive heat and humidity—weather that makes retreating indoors feel more like…
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The Distance Between Then and Now: Seville, 1988–2025
Midday, Tuesday, July 8, 2025, Miami, Florida In the fall of 1988, I participated in the International College of Seville/College Consortium for International Studies’ Semester in Spain program. I lived and studied there for 12 weeks, immersing myself in the country’s history, government, culture, and (por supuesto) its language. At my home institution, Miami-Dade Community…
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3,000 Miles from Home: A Column from Spain
Originally published in Catalyst – February 2, 1989Written in Seville, Spain – November 1988By Alex Diaz-Granados, Columnist SEVILLE, Spain (CCIS Program)One of the most important aspects of an extended trip overseas, especially for young collegians studying abroad (like us here in Spain), is mail from home—and no ritual is more important than the daily search…
A Certain Point of View, Too 