Category Archives: Personal History

Musings & Thoughts for Monday, January 30, 2023, or: Insomnia Strikes Again, the Clock Ticks as My 60th Birthday Comes Nigh, and Other Concerns


Hi, there, Dear Reader.  It’s late morning here in Lithia on Monday, January 30, 2023, and as far as I can tell, it’s a nice – if a bit humid – Florida winter day. (Of course, by the time I publish this, it will be early afternoon; I’m a mostly accurate typist, but not aContinue reading “Musings & Thoughts for Monday, January 30, 2023, or: Insomnia Strikes Again, the Clock Ticks as My 60th Birthday Comes Nigh, and Other Concerns”

Tempus Fugit: Remembering Cheryl T- 50 Years Later, Part the Third


As I stood there, Cheryl gave me a quick hug, then stepped back a few steps, her eyes fixed on me. Then, without a moment’s hesitation, Cheryl straightened up and unbuttoned her pink sweater. Even though it was cold and her blouse was made from the same material as my shirt, she doffed the sweater and held it out to me.

I must have shaken my head or made another gesture of protest because Cheryl looked at me sternly and handed me the sweater.

Knowing that I didn’t speak English fluently but intuiting that I understood body language, Cheryl mimicked someone putting on a sweater. She did this once, twice, and when she saw that I was reluctant to don the sweater – I didn’t want her to get cold, either – she did the Marcel Marceau bit one more time. “It’s cold, sweetie. Please, Alex, put it on,” Cheryl said.

I wanted nothing more in the world but to please her – and see her smile again – so I nodded in assent, took the sweater from her hands, and put it on, clumsily and with some effort because I was cold and nervous. It felt soft, warm, and smelled lightly like lilacs – not exactly a manly scent, to be sure – and it was the nicest thing that had happened to me at Coral Park since the beginning of the school year.

Musings & Thoughts for Saturday, October 8, 2022, or: What’s on My Mind Today?


Things On My Mind, Saturday, October 8, 2022

Musings & Thoughts for Tuesday, September 13, 2022, or: Odds & Ends


Keep on Trekkin’ As I wrote in today’s first post for A Certain Point of View, Too, the U.S. Post Office came through and delivered my package with Star Trek: The Original Motion Picture 6-Movie Collection, the new 15-disc (seven 4K UHD Blu-ray discs and eight 2K HD Blu-ray discs) box set that presents (forContinue reading “Musings & Thoughts for Tuesday, September 13, 2022, or: Odds & Ends”

Musings & Thoughts for Sunday, August 28, 2022, or: Saturday Night Was a Mix of Thunderstorms, Wargames, and Loneliness


Well, here I am at my desk on a quiet, mostly sunny Sunday morning in August. Not quite silent, mind you, I’m listening to the digital copy of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Expanded Edition), which I have because I bought the CD album earlier this morning. (Amazon oftenContinue reading “Musings & Thoughts for Sunday, August 28, 2022, or: Saturday Night Was a Mix of Thunderstorms, Wargames, and Loneliness”

On Movies & Movie Collecting: Breaking News – ‘Maid in Sweden’ Has Shipped!


As always happens when I order stuff online – especially brand-new Blu-ray releases or big-ticket items like laptop (or desktop) computers – I get antsy whenever I check on the status of a shipment and it seems to be stuck on Not Shipped Yet. Especially when – as is the case with my pre-order ofContinue reading “On Movies & Movie Collecting: Breaking News – ‘Maid in Sweden’ Has Shipped!”

Tempus Fugit, Summer of 1972 Edition: Living in the ‘Here and Now’ in Sunny, Humid South Florida


“Time doesn’t really ‘march on’. It tends to tip-toe. There’s no parade. No stomping of boots to alert you to its passing. One day, you turn around and it is gone.” ― Heather Babcock This summer – this stiflingly hot, oft sad and depressing, and quite insane Summer of ’22 – is both my 59thContinue reading “Tempus Fugit, Summer of 1972 Edition: Living in the ‘Here and Now’ in Sunny, Humid South Florida”