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 idea … Continue reading Hope Christmas Gets You To Me
Tag: Scotland
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
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. I … Continue reading Multitasking Laundry
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 festival … Continue reading Making Cecil County Plans
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
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’s … Continue reading An American Flag, Sewn in Scotland, Returns Home
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 vote … Continue reading Brexit and the Scottish Independence Question
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 soaking … Continue reading Celtic Festivals and Baseball Games
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. The … Continue reading Link Round-Up: December 29
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 “12 … Continue reading Link Round-Up: December 21
If I could live anywhere in the world, where would I live? I think about the question from time to time. If I found a job that could support me there or if money were no object, where would I go? Believe it or not, I have two answers, one which is slightly more realistic … Continue reading Transatlanticism
Yesterday, Scotland voted on its independence from the United Kingdom. Early this morning, the ballots were counted. By a margin of 400,000 votes, Scotland voted 55-45 to remain within the UK. I collected my tweets from last night, which showed history as it happened — the vote totals as they came in (retweeted from the … Continue reading Scotland’s Independence: Final Thoughts