The wild winds weep And the night is a-cold;Come hither, Sleep, And my griefs infold:But lo! the morning peeps Over the eastern steeps,And the rustling birds of dawnThe earth do scorn.--From "Mad Song" by William Blak...
 The refit of Xanadu continues without help from Rush, Olivia, ELO, or Coleridge. A box of disappointment arrived today. I ordered it last week. I should've known better than to order through P. Andora Co. How did I come to request this deli...
The good ship Xanadu, as I'm currently calling it, complete with stately pleasure dome and caves of ice but no sign of Olivia Newton John, possesses no dearth of dings demanding attention. Yesterday repairs to the vessel consumed most of the day. I d...
The sunbeams are my shafts, with which I killDeceit, that loves the night and fears the day;All men who do or even imagine illFly me, and from the glory of my rayGood minds and open actions take new might,Until diminished by the reign of Night.--From...
 Chained to a rock at last. Fortunately, I don't see any eagles descending--at least not until the lender demands the monthly pound of flesh. We moved up (i.e., escaped) from the rental apartment, where the neighbors allow their dogs do thei...
O Nature! I do not aspireTo be the highest in thy choir, -To be a meteor in thy sky,Or comet that may range on high;Only a zephyr that may blowAmong the reeds by the river low;Give me thy most privy placeWhere to run my airy race.-"Nature" by H.D. Th...
Wellington confirmed that the French cavalry was the strongest on the European continent during the Napoleonic era.The heavy cavalry mounted frontal charges during battle to break enemy infantry or route their cavalry.The medium cavalry performed cha...
I've got Accidental Pirates on my mind because I dropped in on Les Freres Corses this week. They're not bookworms by any stretch of the imagination. I don't think they've ever even read a chapter book from beginning to end. Accidental Pirate...
 The sequel to Accidental Pirates has been sent to the publisher for consideration. Chris and Kenny are thrown into a kingdom in turmoil facing treachery within and enemies without. Chris has been drafted to replace the blood mage - and he f...
Viewless essence, thin and bare,Well nigh melted into air,Still with fondness hovering nearThe earthly form thou once didst wear,--From "Death Chant" by Sir Walter ScottWhat is more thin, bare, and well nigh melted into air than time? Although time m...
Thus began the game of Combat Infantry Western Front by Columbia Games. This was the second playing of the first scenario. The first time through, the Americans smote the Germans with a great smiting. The first reason for that was that the dice favor...
I finished reading Fred Saberhagen's Ardneh's Sword a few days ago. As with the earlier work in the series, Empire of the East, I stopped about 75 percent of the way through to read another book. I needed the palate cleansed before I could go on, bec...
When icicles hang by the wall, And Dick the shepherd blows his nail,And Tom bears logs into the hall, And milk comes frozen home in pail, When blood is nipp'd, and ways be foul,Then nightly sings the staring owl, To-whit! To-who!—...
 Speaking of Accidental Pirates, I was on The Spaceman and the Hafling podcast/show Saturday. We recorded yesterday; the show should go up on youtube in a couple weeks. Naturally, I will post a link when I get it.I finished reading Sharpe's...
 Again, one of my stories in Cirsova Magazine made the Tangent Online Recommended Reading List - for 2025 this time: Reviewed by Seraph“Drown Melancholy” by Stanley WheelerIt is unclear whether this is a case of inspiration being f...