Category: Personal Thoughts
-

42 Years Ago, in a High School Not So Far Away (A Tempus Fugit Gig)
—
by
in Alex Diaz-Granados, Billy Joel, Blogging, Cold War (1945-1991), Computers, John Williams (Composer), Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), Life in South Florida, Personal History, Personal Thoughts, Personal Thoughts, South Miami Senior High School, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Tempus fugit, U.S. History42 Years Ago, in a High School Not So Far Away…. Late Morning, Tuesday, June 17, 2025 — Miami, Florida “It was only high school, after all—arguably one of the most bizarre periods in a person’s life. How anyone emerges well-adjusted is nothing short of a miracle.” — E.A. Bucchianeri, Brushstrokes of a Gadfly A…
-

My In-Between Day – June 16, 1983 (A Tempus Fugit Gig)
Afternoon, Monday, June 16, 2025, Miami, Florida “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.”― L.P. Hartley, The Go-Between 42 summers ago… June 16 fell on a Thursday in Anno Domini 1983. I don’t, of course, remember what the weather was like that day, although I recall that earlier that week, on…
-
Father’s Day Without a Father….
A Father’s Day Without a Father I don’t remember my father. At times, I think I glimpse a fleeting mental snapshot—a vision resembling an old photo slowly fading in a family album—of a dark-haired man holding the infant version of me in his strong, tanned, and hairy arms. The hopeful part of me likes to…
-

Summer Heat, a Writer’s Doubts, and Music as Medicine
—
by
in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Creative Writing, Depression, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), Melodies and Memories: Music, Songs, and Singers, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: Coda, Summer in FloridaAfternoon, Friday, June 13, 2025, Miami, Florida The subtropical sun is relentless today, casting its familiar heat over Coral Terrace. At 87°F (31°C) under mostly sunny skies, the humidity sits at a heavy 67%, making it feel more like 93°F (34°C). A southeasterly breeze at 14 MPH (23 Km/H) offers a little relief, though not…
-

Sunlight, Showers, and Storytelling: A June Morning in South Florida
Late Morning, Tuesday, June 10, 2025 – Miami, Florida Summer in South Florida is a study in contrasts—a daily performance where sunlight and shadow trade places with effortless unpredictability. For those of us who call this subtropical corner home, it’s a rhythm we know well: brilliant morning skies, the slow creep of humidity, and then,…
-

Reflections on Reunion: Coda’s Complex Characters and Themes
—
by
in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Blogging, Book Reviews, Books, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), Life in Miami….Again, Personal Thoughts, Pooja (P.J.) Gudka, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, UncategorizedMidday, Monday, June 9, 2025, Miami, Florida Greetings from South Florida, folks! I don’t have much news today. It was laundry day for me, and even though I was a decent multitasker as recently as 10 years ago, I have trouble finding a suitable balance between household chores and writing. Maybe I wouldn’t worry so…
-

Tempus Fugit: Recalling the Early Summer of 1975
Afternoon, Sunday, June 8, 2025, Miami, Florida I was 12 in the summer of 1975. I can’t say I had a terrible childhood; I lived in a nice house in Westchester (an unincorporated neighborhood in the Greater Miami metro area) with my widowed mother; a house, needless to say, that had a more placid, stable…
-

Sunday is…’hot sun day’ in Miami (Bonus: My Belated Entry to Kymber’s Get to Know You #67!)
Late Morning, Sunday, June 8, 2025, Miami, Florida It’s another scorchingly hot early summer day in South Florida, even though the sun has only been up a couple of hours on this first full weekend of June 2025. As I write this, it’s not even 9 AM, and the temperature is 83°F (28°C) under mostly…
-

Tempus Fugit: The Seventh Day of the Sixth Month…and Summer Memories from 1975
—
by
in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Coral Estates Park (Miami-area Neighborhood), Creative Writing, Family History, Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), Life in Miami….Again, Life in South Florida, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Summer 1975, Summer 2025, Summer in Florida, Tempus fugit, Things I MissMidday/Early Afternoon, Saturday, June 7, 2025, Miami, Florida “The summer stretched out the daylight as if on a rack. Each moment was drawn out until its anatomy collapsed. Time broke down. The day progressed in an endless sequence of dead moments.” ― China Miéville, Perdido Street Station It’s the seventh day of June – and…