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.
Guilty Pleasures: CONGO
You’d think that any movie based on a popular Michael Crichton novel would be a major hit. But the 1995 action/adventure film, CONGO—while it did kind of okay at the box office—suffered the vitriol of critics, and its Razzie nominations were numerous. Even so, I love this film, “deadly laser guns” and “mutant killer apes” and “talking gorillas” and “marauding hippos” and all.
Once Again I Say: WRITE WELL, NOT FAST
November is now upon us, and for many writers that means NaNoWriMo—or how many words can you write TODAY, or THIS WEEK, or THIS MONTH? The point I attempt to hammer home to ALL writers, novice and otherwise, remains valid in any month or year, and is contained in the above title.
My 2022 Halloween Playlist
These days I spend Halloween enjoying a horror movie marathon…three or four shockers, at least. I may scare the crap out of myself well into the night, assuming I can stay awake. Here is the likely playlist.
Throwback Thursday: Harry And The Predator—A Sad Ending
During his all-too-brief career—and life—actor Kevin Peter Hall was billed as “…the tallest man on stage and screen.” At over 7’2” the assessment was spot on. It also led to some memorable roles for this gentle giant from Pittsburgh.
“What Are You, Like, 80?” Lines From The Indiana Jones Films, Part Three
Actually, Harrison Ford will be 80+ when the fifth Indiana Jones film premieres next year. He was only in his mid-60s when he starred in INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL, the fourth film in the series, which followed a nineteen-year hiatus. Naturally, some “age” jokes were inevitable.
Throwback Thursday: Cheyenne—The Tragedy Of Fort Robinson
This story epitomizes the horrors visited upon America’s indigenous People. I first presented the post in 2019.
“This Should Be In A Museum”—Lines From The Indiana Jones Films, Part Two
The third film in the Indiana Jones series introduced film icon Sean Connery as Indy’s father and involved a quest for a Holy Relic. It also brought the Nazis back into the series. Here are some of the fun and compelling lines from this film.
Throwback Thursday: The Word Of The Day Is…Godzilla!
So why is an old guy like me so excited about the upcoming Godzilla movie? (GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS, release date May 31st.) Okay, I’m seventy-three (going on thirteen), and I’ve always loved monster movies, and I’ll still love ’em when I’m a hundred and three.
“Try The Local Sewer!”—Lines From The Indiana Jones Films, Part One
Next year, 80-year-old Harrison Ford will reprise his role as the intrepid archaeologist (“Indiana Jones and the Last Gasp?”) in the as yet untitled fifth movie in the popular series, which began at the dawn of time…okay, 1981. Here are some memorable lines from the first two.
Throwback Thursday: Myths And Legends—The Flannan Isles Lighthouse
File this one under “unsolved mysteries,” an incident that has confounded researchers, as well as ordinary people, for over a century. How did three lighthouse keepers on Eilean Mòr, site of the Flannan Isles Lighthouse, vanish one day without a trace?
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