I discovered Kinky’s “Más” this morning on a music subreddit, after spending most of the night with fever, sneezing, and coughing as this flu bug peaked. Chasing one last tissue, one extra dose of medicine, always one more something that never quite satisfied, the song caught me and held me, its repeated más echoing my restless state.ContinueContinue reading “Más: Futility in a Catchy Beat”
Tag Archives: personal-reflection
In Memoriam: Edith Mary Tolkien (1889–1971)
On November 29, 1971, Edith Mary Tolkien slipped quietly from this world when she was eighty-two, leaving behind a life woven into the fabric of her family and the imagination of Middle-earth. To the world, she may have seemed the quiet wife of J.R.R. Tolkien, but her life was more complex than any simple label.ContinueContinue reading “In Memoriam: Edith Mary Tolkien (1889–1971)”
The Hobbit That First Opened My Door to Middle-earth — Celebrating the 48-Year Legacy of Rankin/Bass’ Hobbit
I met Bilbo Baggins when I was thirteen years old, standing in the hallway of DeRidder Junior High. The library door carried a poster that stopped me in my tracks. A curious, round fellow stood in his front doorway, pipe in hand, sending smoke rings lazily into the air. The art looked like watercolor washedContinueContinue reading “The Hobbit That First Opened My Door to Middle-earth — Celebrating the 48-Year Legacy of Rankin/Bass’ Hobbit”
Observing an Anniversary: Ralph Bakshi’s The Lord of the Rings (1978)
I first stepped into Tolkien’s world through a boxed set of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings sometime in the mid-70s. Taking on the larger-in-scope-and-theme Lord of the Rings was daunting, but I made it through and was captivated by the characters and the story. Today I’m marking the 47th anniversary of a film that left a mark onContinueContinue reading “Observing an Anniversary: Ralph Bakshi’s The Lord of the Rings (1978)”
Egg Sandwiches, Elementary School, and Timeless Memories
There was a time when joy came in the form of an egg sandwich. My friend Alan used to bring them to school, still warm from his mother’s kitchen, wrapped with care inside a reused plastic bread bag. When he peeled it open, the smell hit first: that mix of fried egg, hot oil, andContinueContinue reading “Egg Sandwiches, Elementary School, and Timeless Memories”
Veni, Vidi, Scripsi 