Hear the sound of the pouring rain Comin' down like an Armageddon flame A shame, the ones who died without a name I've never been one to stay current with the music scene. When I was in college, I only became familiar with popular songs of the day when I went to the bars with … Continue reading Track 2: “Holiday” by Green Day

In addition to the usual packing - which was no mean feat, considering our journey would take us past the Arctic Circle, then within 1,300 miles of the North Pole, then back to somewhat temperate climes (our last port was London, where it was a sizzling 32°C) dictating many, many layers be packed - I … Continue reading Outbound – Getting Jasper Through Security at MCO.

In a way, I feel like Rip Van Winkle. I flew over 4,000 miles across the Atlantic in order to feel far enough away from the relentless Florida sun, and I am quite certain my heart has not made the return trip. (If someone finds it unattended at Heathrow, please PM me, it comes in … Continue reading #MyVikingJourney 2019 – Preface

Who is the god of memory, and why does he hate me so? Turns out it's a goddess, not a god, and her name is Mnemosyne. I should have known - the Greeks had one for everything. Or, perhaps I did know, and she made me forget. (Fun fact: while the river Styx is the most … Continue reading Mnemosyne’s Playlist: Introduction

‘Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.’ - The second Mrs. de Winter, Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, 1938 As a student in a U of I Cinema Studies class, I wrote a paper several years ago about how the massive, forbidding estate of Manderley - imbued with sinister, passive-aggressive shadows of the … Continue reading Last night…

Week One 11 a.m. today marked the completion of my first week as a Floridian. After spending the first 30 years of my life in the Midwest, curating a wardrobe capable of adapting to the ever-changing weather, (we have four seasons, just not the ones you might be familiar with: warm, hot, stupid hot, chilly … Continue reading The 1,000 mile journey

My self-imposed deadline has come and gone. And no, I didn't meet it. Oh, so you weren't going to ask about that? Well fine then. No, I don't want to hear an "I told you so", either. Surprisingly, my world didn't come crashing down about my ears because I didn't finish my manuscript. (Seriously, this … Continue reading A dream of spontaneous publication.

Welcome to the first post in my Opine section! I’m hoping this becomes well-populated, mainly with book and film reviews, but, you never know…I might post the odd rant here about current events. Today’s post will cover a book on loan from a friend. Death: A Life, “the shocking new memoir from Death” by George Pendle, … Continue reading Review – “Death: A Life”

Music at the moment: 'Release Me' by Two Steps From Hell. Damn, if this doesn't make me want to run up a hill with a sword screaming "Winterfell!" Dammit. And I promised myself I wouldn't let my blog go stale this year. BUT! I have physical ailments to blame, ha! Not my fault. See, every so … Continue reading Shingles and pneumonia and thrombophlebitis…oh my!

The first draft of this post is being penned, rather than typed. I had my computer open for all of five minutes before I decided I'd rather feel the flow of ink, than the click of keys. (But I soon got over it, as you're currently reading this on some sort of screen, not paper. … Continue reading Hostis de auctor.