On Wednesday, before I left Pennsylvania, I emailed my wife the 80 percent finished sequel manuscript. “I just want you to have a copy,” I messaged her. I didn’t say it in so many words, but she guessed why. We nodded to it after I returned. I’d had a chill. If anything had happened to … More Death and Social Media
So I’ve left my Dad in recovery in Pennsylvania from his August 9 heart failure. After two weeks there, it was time to leave: I could do no more, and I couldn’t stay forever of course. He looks excellent, and is in the (now calmer) hands of my mother and my sister. Having flown into … More An Airport Welcome
Recuperating, my Dad found The Winds of War mini-series on Netflix. Couldn’t resist it. We sat and watched the first two episodes together yesterday afternoon and evening. Based on Herman Wouk’s 1971 novel about Americans in Europe before Pearl Harbor and the U.S. entry into World War II, it was shown originally in February 1983. … More “Byron, have you ever been to Warsaw?”
In the spring of 1824, Washington Irving finished his Tales of a Traveller. While proofing it, he wrote to his friend Tom Moore. Here’s the opening part of the letter: Brighton, August 14, 1824. My boat is on the shore, And my bark is on the sea. I forget how the song ends, but here … More .@WashingtonIrving You Stink!
I discovered a little while ago via Facebook that my 12 year old nephew in Britain wants me to dump ice water over my head. I’m disappointed. By now, surely he knows his uncle would prefer the Patrick Stewart approach: However, it’s just a bit too early in the day to pour a drink here … More Here’s A Cheque/Check
With my Dad doing better than we’d expected, Sunday afternoon I took an opportunity to venture up to the Catskills to check our house, and use Monday to mow the lawn and deal with anything else that may have needed dealing with. I admit I could also have called it my “24 hours of tranquility” … More “Gimme a ticket for an aeroplane”
While proofreading it last year, one of my Passports story “checkers” had noticed the novel’s “friendships” undertone, and told me: These girls are so close and fond of each other…. It was excellent she caught that, because I framed that deliberately. It applies to men too. Friends as central in our lives is an important … More “She didn’t mean to pull a knife on you….”
As you may know, I’ve been visiting with my parents in Pennsylvania after my father’s “heart failure.” Things have been very tense, of course, at times, over concern for his health. But at other times I’ve also found myself (thankfully) in what borders on a comedy: • Dad: “God, I’m getting out of breath explaining … More The Doctor’s Office
I watched this on the plane over to the U.S. last week. Thoroughly entertaining, it even made me laugh out loud several times (embarrassing on a plane), and took my Dad’s illness – which was why I was flying to the States – off of my mind for a little while. As such, it deserves … More Quai d’Orsay
R. J. Nello 