Mike Sirota's Blog – Swords, Specters, & Stuff
Welcome to My World
I started this blog in January 2012 for one simple reason: I love to write. I named it “Swords, Specters, & Stuff” because I especially love to write about writing, about books and movies in my favorite genres, about authors that mean a great deal to me. But there’s so much more than that, hence the all-inclusive “Stuff” in the title. It is “Stuff” that gives me carte blanche to write about anything, which is why you’ll see stories about special trips to Cooperstown, Sedona, and other places; about getting older; about baseball; about the otherworldly way in which I met my soul mate; about the loss of good friends, and so much more. Enjoy! And feel free to leave a comment.
Throwback Thursday: They Built It…We Came
Today—thank the Great Spirit—is Opening Day for my San Diego Padres, and pretty much every other team! A baseball-themed post seems appropriate, so here is one from a couple of years back.
Final Four Times Two? Awesome!!!
I can’t let this week go by without a giant WOW for our two basketball teams.
Pitch Clocks And Baseball? One Word: NO!
What are they doing to my game? Since you already know how I feel about the pitch clock, let me start this post with a story. I live and die with the San Diego Padres and have since their inception in 1969. I’m either watching a game, listening to a game, or at a game.
Throwback Thursday: A March Miracle—The Texas Western Basketball Team
In keeping with the season—that’s the Madness of March season—this post, which I first presented in 2020, is about a remarkable team—and its coach—that changed the face of college basketball forever.
Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen!
When Neil Sedaka sang this song back in the day, I was a mere juvenile (but not a delinquent). Now, I’m pretty sure Neil wasn’t referring to the NCAA Basketball Tournament, but I am, because—wonder of wonders—two of our teams are still dancing!
Throwback Thursday: “Suppose You Were An Idiot…”—Quotes From Mark Twain
You would have to be quite wise in order to be quoted as often as this literary giant. I first presented this post in 2019.
“Madness! Madness!”
The title of this post is an actual line of dialogue—the last in the film, actually—from the much-honored classic, THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1958). It is shouted by a character called Major Clipton as he observes men destroying one another during a World War II battle and is a strong commentary on the madness of war. But hey, it’s MARCH, the month where MADNESS has another meaning.
Throwback Thursday: Myths And Legends—The Island Of The Dolls
There is an otherworldly place not far from the heart of the sprawling Mexico City called La Isla de las Muñecas—the Island of the Dolls. It is located in one of the channels off Lake Xochimilco. For those of us creeped out by the “true” stories of Annabelle and Robert the Doll, or the fictional Chucky, this island can be a waking nightmare.
A Pair Of 7s…Is That Lucky?
Well, I sure hope so, because I’m turning 77 today. Holy crap, how in the name of Zeus’s butthole did that happen!
Throwback Thursday: Is It TERMINATOR 3 or TERMINATOR 6?
Is it “Hasta la Vista, Baby” for TERMINATOR flicks? Who knows? But this last entry was, well, MEH. This post first ran in 2019.
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