Early January

I’m working out of Diamond’s offices this week — publishing deadlines. I happened to walk through the lobby area yesterday, and what did I find? A Christmas tree. Even though there’s only a small staff — less than twenty most days — on site, even though almost no one would see it, they still putContinue reading “Early January”

2020: The Year In Review

Do I need to say that 2020 was an awful year? Must I? Let’s watch a Carl Sagan video before I get to my annual review of the first post of each month. This is not the “Pale Blue Dot” video I was looking for. I went through my blog archives, I went through myContinue reading “2020: The Year In Review”

Christmas on Mars

This version of “Silent Night” performed on the theremin is magnificent. It also puts 1950s sci-fi B-movies in mind — not unlike Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, a long-time holiday favorite of mine — and so I wrote a new verse for “Silent Night”… Silent night, holy night.Mars attacks with laser light.Saucers flying through theContinue reading “Christmas on Mars”

Scenes of Recent Life

Some photos and commentary from the last two weeks. Last Friday, November 29th, marked the 50th-anniversary of the release of George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass. It’s also the day that Jem Roberts’ book, Fab Fools, was in my mailbox. This isn’t a book about the Beatles as musicians. It doesn’t concern itself with whenContinue reading “Scenes of Recent Life”

Cards in the Mail

In today’s mail, I received a package of Christmas cards from the National Cathedral. They’re asking for money. I get packages like this every year from charities like the Alzheimer’s Association and Colonial Williamsburg. This is the first year I’ve been on the National Cathedral’s list. It’s a little strange, yet also cool, that thisContinue reading “Cards in the Mail”

Gritty Leading the People

It was a week of publishing deadlines, and thirty hours after my last files went to the printer I’m still mentally exhausted. I did go to Books a Million again today to see what other gems I could find in their CD sale. (CDs, new and used, are 90% off as they are getting outContinue reading “Gritty Leading the People”