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 more to it than that, which is why I included “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.
Report From The Quarantine Cave 2.0
It’s July already, and this freaking coronavirus shows no sign of letting up. Truth be told, it’s only getting worse, and with no vaccine in sight it appears that we’re in this for the long haul.
Dual Guilty Pleasures Depict Nasty Alien Invaders
I don’t usually write about multiple Guilty Pleasures in one post. But the sci-fi/action films, BATTLE: LOS ANGELES (2011) and BATTLESHIP (2012) have much in common, so this seemed to make perfect sense.
Murder In Kiwi Land: The Brokenwood Mysteries
Spending most of our time indoors these days, my bride and I have discovered a number of great shows from around the globe on some of the streaming services. One of our absolute favorites (on Acorn) is the detective drama, THE BROKENWOOD MYSTERIES. The only negative I can say about it is that there are only twenty-four episodes, and we’ve seen them all. Waaaa!
The Fly: An Exercise In Barf-Baggery
Until recently I had not watched the excellent 1986 remake of THE FLY in many years. This is my excuse for forgetting that I should not have viewed the film so close to dinnertime. Appetite gone!
Guilty Pleasures: The Mummy (2017)
This Tom Cruise-fueled reboot, THE MUMMY, is a serious contender for the guiltiest of my Guilty Pleasures. It lost a chunk of change for the studio, and it has an anemic 16% rating on Rotten Tomatoes due to its brutal reviews. And if that’s not enough, the film garnered eight Razzie nominations, with one win for Worst Actor—yep, Tom Cruise.
Curious Possessions III
With seven-plus decades in the rearview mirror I’ve had plenty of time to collect a whole lot of “stuff.” Here is a look at some more “Curious Possessions” floating around my domicile.
The Lord Of The…Dust Bunnies?
Report from the Sirota Quarantine Cave: Jacqueline and I are doing fine. We’ve both been “sheltering in place” since she got back from a trip to Utah in mid-March. I suppose we’re more cautious than most, but hey, when they refer to “high-risk groups” they’re talking seniors (check) and people with underlying health conditions (double check).
The Dragon That Ate Alaska
Okay, I’m embellishing here. But in the 2009 creature feature, WYVERN, a mythical dragon chows down on the quirky residents of a small town in northern Alaska in order to feed itself, as well as to bring some tasty morsels to its soon-to-be-hatched young.
A Few Laughs…Why Not?
Not much to laugh about these days, so for a break from all of the bad news, here is a rather outrageous scene from THE 22nd GEAR, the third book in my “Bicycling” trilogy. The setup: my protagonist, Jack Miller, has ridden his mountain bike onto a world where lesser gravity is making it difficult to keep his feet—and his bike tires—on the ground. As he seeks help, he encounters three, uh, rather unique life forms on the road.
“Goonies Never Say Die!”
Never has that iconic line from the 1985 comedy/adventure, THE GOONIES, been more true than last week. Stage and screen star Josh Gad (THE BOOK OF MORMON, FROZEN), a huge fan of the film, succeeded in facilitating, via Zoom, a virtual reunion on YouTube with just about all of the original cast members.
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