Hope Christmas Gets You To Me

I slept poorly last night. For some reason, I couldn’t get comfortable. I tossed. I turned. I had a headache; migraine or dehydration, I couldn’t tell. I yanked the sheets off the bed and, at one point, tossed off blankets, later having to recover them because I was cold. I know it’s a bad ideaContinue reading “Hope Christmas Gets You To Me”

A Favorite Podcast Ends

This week, a podcast I’ve listened to since (at least) 2008 drew to an end — Tuesday saw the release of the final episode of BBC Radio Scotland’s Scotland Introducing podcast. Every other week, deejay and writer Vic Galloway would play four tracks from unsigned Scottish bands. Some of the music was to my taste.Continue reading “A Favorite Podcast Ends”

Multitasking Laundry

Even in the midst of a pandemic, laundry must be done! I could have done it over the weekend. The rainy, dreary, chilly, gross weekend. Instead, I decided to do more to clean up my office, throwing out boxes of magazines I’d saved that I’d not looked at, not even thought about, in years. IContinue reading “Multitasking Laundry”

Making Cecil County Plans

The weather is looking good for the Fair Hill Scottish Games this weekend; Accuweather currently has a sunny and lightly breezy day with a high of 75 and a minuscule chance of late afternoon thunderstorms. When I was in Virginia a month ago, my mom asked me when I was going to a Celtic festivalContinue reading “Making Cecil County Plans”

2018: The Year in Review

Most every year I do this — go back through my blog archives and post a link to the first post I made each month. The results are random, to say the least; there’s no consistency. But about six of these are worthwhile. Which six? That’s for you to find out. 🙂 January: Winter Misanthropy:Continue reading “2018: The Year in Review”

An American Flag, Sewn in Scotland, Returns Home

In 1918, a troop ship carrying American soldiers to Europe was torpedoed off the coast of Scotland. Though many were saved from the waters by other ships in the troop convoy, the bodies of nearly 200 soldiers washed ashore on the island of Islay. What ensued was a recovery of the bodies by the island’sContinue reading “An American Flag, Sewn in Scotland, Returns Home”

Brexit and the Scottish Independence Question

This morning at work I listened to BBC Radio 4’s The World at One program. It’s a news program I’ve never listened to — usually, I listen to the BBC World Service’s Newshour — but I wanted to get a feel for what was happening on the ground in the wake of the Brexit voteContinue reading “Brexit and the Scottish Independence Question”

Celtic Festivals and Baseball Games

Yesterday I was in Mt. Airy, Maryland for the Mid-Maryland Celtic Festival. I attended two years ago, when it was the Frederick Celtic Festival. Same location — the Mt. Airy Fire Department Fairgrounds — just a slightly more accurate name. Two years ago, a sudden torrential squall developed mid-afternoon, and it was so thoroughly soakingContinue reading “Celtic Festivals and Baseball Games”

Link Round-Up: December 29

A couple of things that caught my attention today. Dear Steven Moffat: The Husbands of River Song – At work yesterday, a coworker asked me what I thought of the Doctor Who Christmas special. I found myself struggling for words. The ending worked for me, even though I recognized how emotionally manipulative it was. TheContinue reading “Link Round-Up: December 29”

Link Round-Up: December 21

Here are some things I read today that interested me. Do Christians And Muslims Worship The Same God? – Yes. Next question? (For more about this, see my link round-up for December 17th.) NPR 12 Days of Christmas Songs: ‘Christmas Time Is Here’ Is A Hymn for the Ages – As part of their “12Continue reading “Link Round-Up: December 21”