Tag: Travel
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Changing Cards, Changing Chapters
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in Autumn 2026, Autumn in Florida, Blogging, Family History, Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Life in Madison (NH), Life in Miami (1972-2016), Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), Life in South Florida, Life in the Tampa Bay area, Life in the United States, Miami-Dade Community College, Personal History, Personal Thoughts, Personal Thoughts, Semester in Spain Program, Semester in Spain Program – CCISChanging Cards, Changing Chapters Yesterday, I did something that should have been utterly mundane. I took my New Hampshire state ID out of my wallet and replaced it with my new Florida one. That’s it. One little plastic card came out; another little plastic card went in. And yet, for a moment, it felt weird.…
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Autumn, Amazon, and Four Hours of Sleep
Monday, October 19, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone! It’s a muggy, gray-shrouded autumn day here in Central Florida as a new workweek gets underway. We had a little rain yesterday afternoon and again early this morning, but as I write this, it’s 76°F (25°C) under mostly cloudy skies. The humidity is sitting at 74%,…
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Oh, the Places I’ve Been To (and Lived In)!
In my 63 years on Earth, I’ve been to many different places. Most of them, of course, were just brief visits or “passthroughs” in my life’s occasional meanderings. A few, like Miami, Bogota (Colombia), Sevilla (Spain), Tampa, Madison (New Hampshire), and (now) Orlando, were places I called “home,” even if at times this was more…
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Sunshine, Cold Snaps, and Small Victories
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Computers, Creative Writing, Florida Weather, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Lenovo – IdeaPad S340 15″ Touch-Screen Laptop, Lenovo C560 All-in-One PC, Lenovo IdeaCentre (PC), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), Life in the United States, Reunion Duology, Reunion: Coda, Royalties, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, Winter in FloridaFriday, February 6, 2026 — Orlando, Florida Hello there! We’ve made it to the end of another week here in beautiful Central Florida — a place where even the “cold snaps” feel like gentle reminders rather than punishments. As I write this, the sun is shining on a cool 49˚F (10˚C) morning. MSN Weather insists…
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A New Chapter Begins: From Miami to Orlando
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Creative Writing, Garratyverse, GoFundMe, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Life in Miami….Again, 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, Reunion: CodaMidday, Tuesday, September 2, 2025 – East Orlando, Florida Hello, friends. As you may have noticed from the heading, I’m no longer in South Florida. After decades rooted in Miami, I’ve relocated about 200 miles north to the Orlando area. The move wasn’t smooth—our first attempt on Saturday was derailed by trailer issues that left…
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🚚 Help Alex Find Home: A Journey from Miami to Stability
Life’s Uncertainties Strike Again Life doesn’t always follow a straight path. Sometimes, it throws us curveballs that demand courage, resilience—and a little help from those who care. Right now, I’m facing one of those moments. I’ve launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for an urgent move from Miami to somewhere I can rebuild—Orlando, perhaps,…
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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…
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From a Journalism Major’s String Book: – The New York Dispatch of a Rookie in Dress Shoes
Before the Garratyverse, before the novel-length narratives and thematic intricacies, there was a young columnist—23 years old, notebook in hand—stepping into the bustle of New York City with wide eyes and a press badge. My second semester at Catalyst gave me the opportunity of a lifetime: to attend the College Press Convention in the heart…
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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…
