Category: Summer 2026
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A Hot Florida Weekend and a Cold War Victory
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Books, Computer and Video Games, Creative Writing, Florida Weather, Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, MicroProse Software, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: Coda, Sea Power: Naval Combat in the Missile Age, Summer 2026, Summer in Florida, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series), Triassic GamesSunday, July 26, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone. It’s a scorching midsummer day here in Central Florida. We’re in the middle of a particularly brutal heat spell—official temperatures in the high 90s, barely any rain, and a stubborn drought that refuses to break. I’m in good health for a 63‑year‑old man, but even so,…
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Not the Path I Expected
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Brazil, Amazon Canada, Amazon Germany, Amazon Italy, Amazon Mexico, Amazon Poland, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon Sweden, Amazon UK, Audible, Audible Reviews, Audiobooks, Books, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Stefan (Steve) Lee, Summer 2026, Summer in Florida, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Summer of Two Movies, Writing and EditingFriday, July 24, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone. Here we are, at the end of another workweek and on the brink of another month’s end. As you might expect, it’s a stiflingly hot summer day in Central Florida. As I write this in the early afternoon, it’s 94°F (34°C) under mostly sunny skies. The…
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Heat, Humidity, and the Never Ending Pursuit of a Better Book
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Books, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Personal Thoughts, Reunion: Coda, Summer 2026, Summer in Florida, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, Writing and Editing, Writing as a CraftSunday, July 19, 2026 – Orlando, Florida It’s another oppressively hot and humid summer day in Central Florida. As midday approaches on this last day of the weekend, the mercury sits at 90°F (32°C), though the heat index pushes it to 101°F (38°C) under mostly sunny skies. In other words, a typical Florida mean‑season afternoon:…
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Taming the Subheadings: A Small Victory in a Sweltering Florida Summer
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There are days when writing feels effortless — when the words line up, the formatting behaves, and the software cooperates like it wants you to succeed. And then there are days like today, when the outside world is sitting at 95 degrees with a feels‑like of 105, and even my PC seems to be sweating…
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A Writer, Not a Programmer, Battles the Subheadings
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, 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, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Royalties, Summer 2026, Summer in Florida, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Summer of Two MoviesWednesday, July 8, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Happy Hump Day, dear readers! Well, here we are at midweek, and my little corner of Central Florida has apparently been set to “steam-clean.” As I write this, it is a torrid 92°F (33°C) under mostly sunny skies, with a heat index of 104°F (40°C)—the kind of number…
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A Quick Life Update from a Very Hot Spot in the Sunshine State
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, 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, Summer 2026, Summer in Florida, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Summer of Two MoviesTuesday, June 30, 2026 – Orlando, Florida “I believe someone made a grievous mistake when summer was created; no novitiate or god in their right mind would make a season akin to hell on purpose. Someone should be fired.” ― Michelle Franklin It’s another sweltering and – eventually – stormy summer day in Central Florida. The…
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The Summer Progress Journal: Where June Ends and the Work Begins
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Elizabeth Joan Owen, Elizabeth Joan Owen (Ms. Owen), Florida Weather, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, South Miami Senior High School, Stefan (Steve) Lee, Summer 2026, Summer in Florida, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Summer of Two MoviesMonday, June 29, 2026 – Orlando, Florida “I had turned away from the picture and was going back to the world where events move, men change, light flickers, life flows in a clear stream, no matter whether over mud or over stones.” — Joseph Conrad, Lord Jim June is about to hand the stage over…
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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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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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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…