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My Personal Blog

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Rex on English and Writing

Each month, around the 22^nd, I post a 4–8-page essay on a substantive topic to my personal blog. To get started, I suggest you read the first posting, from December 2009, Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it’s Off to Blog We Go, as that sets the tone. After that, feel free to jump around as you like. Note that some essays are part of a series. The titles of these are grouped at the bottom of this page.

Some essays in the pipeline are: Travel: From Adelaide to Washington DC, 40 Years on; My Experience Traveling with Airbnb; Signs of Life: Part 17.

Here are the essays posted thus far, with the most recent listed first:

#114 May 2019: Signs of Life: Part 16 — St. Croix
#113 April 2019: Law Enforcement in the US
#112 March 2019: Travel – Memories of Abu Dhabi, UAE
#111 February 2019: Signs of Life: Part 15 — Norway
#110 January 2019: My Time in Maine
#109 December 2018: Travel – Memories of Prague, Salzburg, and-Munchen
#108 November 2018: Signs of Life: Part 14 — Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy.
#107 October 2018: Living in Chicago
#106 September 2018: Travel – Memories of Puerto Rico
#105 August 2018: Signs of Life: Part 13 — Croatia.
#104 July 2018: A Little Bit of Religion
#103 June 2018: Travel – Memories of Sacramento, Tahoe, Reno, & Napa Valley
#102 May 2018: Signs of Life: Part 12 — Vienna, Austria, and Seoul, Korea.
#101 April 2018: These United States
#100 March 2018: Travel – Memories of The Dalmatian Coast
#99 February 2018: Signs of Life: Part 11 — US states of Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana, and Korea and Japan
#98 January 2018: Having a Plan B
#97 December 2017: Travel – Memories of The Hill Country, Texas, Y’all
#96 November 2017: Signs of Life: Part 10 — Hawaii
#95 October 2017: English – Part 7: Adverbs
#94 September 2017: Travel – Memories of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao
#93 August 2017: Signs of Life: Part 9 — Barcelona, Spain
#92 July 2017: What is Normal – Part 10. Automobiles and Driving
#91 June 2017: Travel – Memories of Jordan
#90 May 2017: Signs of Life: Part 8 — France, Finland, California, Croatia, England, Korea, and Washington State
#89 April 2017: Oh, the Things that I have Eaten
#88 March 2017: Travel – Memories of Southeast England
#87 February 2017: Signs of Life: Part 7 — Italy, Jordan, and France
#86 January 2017: Travel – Airports
#85 December 2016: Travel – Memories of Cornwall and Devon
#84 November 2016: Signs of Life: Part 6 — Various countries
#83 October 2016: A Little Bit of Astronomy: The Moon
#82 September 2016: Travel – Memories of Poland
#81 August 2016: Signs of Life: Part 5 — Various countries
#80 July 2016: It's all Greek to Me
#79 June 2016: Travel – Memories of South America
#78 May 2016: Signs of Life: Part 4 — Australia
#77 April 2016: English – Part 6: Verbs
#76 March 2016: Travel – Memories of Switzerland
#75 February 2016: Signs of Life: Part 3 — London and Yorkshire
#74 January 2016: Accidents and Incidents
#73 December 2015: Travel – Memories of Germany
#72 November 2015: Signs of Life: Part 2 — London and Yorkshire
#71 October 2015: What is Normal – Part 9. An American in Australia
#70 September 2015: Travel – Memories of Austria
#69 August 2015: Signs of Life: Part 1 — London and Yorkshire
#68 July 2015: Confessions of a Canine Companion
#67 June 2015: Travel – Memories of Mexico and Central America
#66 May 2015: What is Normal – Part 8: Public Holidays
#65 April 2015: Travel – Memories of Asia
#64 March 2015: A Little Bit of Royalty
#63 February 2015: Travel – Memories of the Eastern Bloc
#62 January 2015: Sockets, Plugs, and Cables
#61 December 2014: Travel – Oh the Places I have Stayed
#60 November 2014: English – Part 5: Adjectives
#59 October 2014: Travel – Memories of the Benelux Countries
#58 September 2014: Abbreviations and Acronyms
#57 August 2014: Travel – Memories of Japan
#56 July 2014: Technology, Revisited
#55 June 2014: Travel – Memories of Australia
#54 May 2014: What is Normal – Part 7: What's in a Name?
#53 April 2014: Travel – Memories of Ireland and the UK
#52 March 2014: A Little Bit of Mathematics
#51 February 2014: Travel – Memories of Scandinavia
#50 January 2014: The Cost of Bad Weather and Natural Disasters
#49 December 2013: Travel – Memories of Italy
#48 November 2013: English – Part 4: Pronouns
#47 October 2013: Last Writes — Leaving an audit trail for your executor and/or loved ones
#46 September 2013: A Little Bit of Kulcha – Part 4 — Gardens, Theme Parks, Parliament Houses and Capitals, National Parks and Historic Places, and some Odds and Ends
#45 August 2013: A Little Bit of Kulcha – Part 3 — Museums and Art Galleries, Libraries, and Aquariums
#44 July 2013: English – Part 3: Nouns
#43 June 2013: A Little Bit of Kulcha – Part 2 — Royal Hangouts and Military-Related Places and Things
#42 May 2013: A Little Bit of Kulcha – Part 1 — Ancient Civilizations and Old Sites, and Religious Places and Artifacts
#41 April 2013: Standards – The Secret Life of a Language Lawyer — A look at some everyday standards and conventions
#40 March 2013: What is Normal – Part 6: Weights and Measures
#39 February 2013: The Big Move — preparing and selling a house, finding another one, and moving.
#38 January 2013: Starting your Own Non-Profit
#37 December 2012: Symbols and Marks
#36 November 2012: English – Part 2: Pronunciation
#35 October 2012: A Little Bit More American Civics — The Congress, Presidential Succession, The Supreme Court, and the Flag
#34 September 2012: A Little Bit of American Civics — The Constitution, Presidency, Vice Presidency, and Cabinet
#33 August 2012: What is Normal – Part 5: Numbers and Counting Systems
#32 July 2012: Are You Getting Enough Vacation?
#31 June 2012: English – Part 1: A Potpourri
#30 May 2012: Shooting and Editing Home Video
#29 April 2012: Electronic Mail Etiquette — Some of my pet peeves and observations about people who use email
#28 March 2012: How Committees Work — My take on 40 years of committee participation, and how successful committees can and should work.
#27 February 2012: Living in Utopia — Life in a planned American city.
#26 January 2012: Travel – Packing and Preparing
#25 December 2011: Making Good-Looking Documents — Some tips on how to take advantage of a word processing program.
#24 November 2011: A Little Foreign Language Goes a Long Way — The advantages of having some basic foreign language skills when traveling.
#23 October 2011: Starting Your Own Business
#22 September 2011: What is Normal – Part 4: Dates and Times
#21 August 2011: Teaching English as a Second Language
#20 July 2011: A Walk along the River — A look back at my 187-mile hike along the Thames Path in England.
#19 June 2011: Just Me and MiniMe: Traveling with Technology
#18 May 2011: Planning for Success
#17 April 2011: Travel – FAQs
#16 March 2011: What is Normal – Part 3: Money
#15 February 2011: Talk is Cheap. Write it Down — I explore what I perceive to be the four stages of turning a dream into reality and why many people don't have what it takes to go beyond the first one or two stages.
#14 January 2011: Waiting My Turn — A look back at all those times I'd stood in line or taken a number and waited my turn.
#13 December 2010: Technology, Unplugged – Part 2 — I discuss automobiles, still and video cameras, the written word, a digital data preservation strategy, and my right-hand gadget.
#12 November 2010: Technology, Unplugged – Part 1 — I discuss the telephone, television, the internet, and recorded music.
#11 October 2010: Books by My Bed — My love of books.
#10 September 2010: Making Allowances — My experiences in setting up an allowance for my son.
#9 August 2010: Confessions of an Obama Volunteer — My involvement in the 2008 US Presidential election.
#8 July 2010: What is Normal? – Part 2: Writing Systems
#7 June 2010: Australia and the U.S. – A Contrast — A comparison of the following: politics and government, law enforcement, taxation, education, and changing light bulbs.
#6 May 2010: Travel – Fly Me to the Moon — My flight log after 40 years of air travel.
#5 April 2010: The Road to US Citizenship
#4 March 2010: What is Normal? – Part 1: Getting Started
#3 February 2010: Where’s My Damn Gold Watch? — A look back at my first 40 years in the workforce.
#2 January 2010: Travel – Home Stays
#1 December 2009: Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it’s Off to Blog We Go — The introduction to my blog.

Series: Travel

#112 March 2019: Travel – Memories of Abu Dhabi, UAE
#109 December 2018: Travel – Memories of Prague, Salzburg, and-Munchen
#106 September 2018: Travel – Memories of Puerto Rico
#103 June 2018: Travel – Memories of Sacramento, Tahoe, Reno, & Napa Valley
#100 March 2018: Travel – Memories of The Dalmatian Coast
#97 December 2017: Travel – Memories of The Hill Country, Texas, Y’all
#94 September 2017: Travel – Memories of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao
#91 June 2017: Travel – Memories of Jordan
#88 March 2017: Travel – Memories of Southeast England
#86 January 2017: Travel – Airports
#85 December 2016: Travel – Memories of Cornwall and Devon
#82 September 2016: Travel – Memories of Poland
#79 June 2016: Travel – Memories of South America
#76 March 2016: Travel – Memories of Switzerland
#73 December 2015: Travel – Memories of Germany
#70 September 2015: Travel – Memories of Austria
#67 June 2015: Travel – Memories of Mexico and Central America
#65 April 2015: Travel – Memories of Asia
#63 February 2015: Travel – Memories of the Eastern Bloc
#61 December 2014: Travel – Oh the Places I have Stayed
#59 October 2014: Travel – Memories of the Benelux Countries
#57 August 2014: Travel – Memories of Japan
#55 June 2014: Travel – Memories of Australia
#53 April 2014: Travel – Memories of Ireland and the UK
#51 February 2014: Travel – Memories of Scandinavia
#49 December 2013: Travel – Memories of Italy
#26 January 2012: Travel – Packing and Preparing
#17 April 2011: Travel – FAQs
#6 May 2010: Travel – Fly Me to the Moon — My flight log after 40 years of air travel.
#2 January 2010: Travel – Home Stays

Series: What is Normal

#92 July 2017: What is Normal – Part 10. Automobiles and Driving
#71 October 2015: What is Normal – Part 9. An American in Australia
#66 May 2015: What is Normal – Part 8: Public Holidays
#54 May 2014: What is Normal – Part 7: What's in a Name?
#40 March 2013: What is Normal – Part 6: Weights and Measures
#33 August 2012: What is Normal – Part 5: Numbers and Counting Systems
#22 September 2011: What is Normal – Part 4: Dates and Times
#16 March 2011: What is Normal – Part 3: Money
#8 July 2010: What is Normal? – Part 2: Writing Systems
#4 March 2010: What is Normal? – Part 1: Getting Started

Series: English

#95 October 2017: English – Part 7: Adverbs
#77 April 2016: English – Part 6: Verbs
#60 November 2014: English – Part 5: Adjectives
#48 November 2013: English – Part 4: Pronouns
#44 July 2013: English – Part 3: Nouns
#36 November 2012: English – Part 2: Pronunciation
#31 June 2012: English – Part 1: A Potpourri

Series: A Little Bit of ...

#104 July 2018: A Little Bit of Religion
#83 October 2016: A Little Bit of Astronomy: The Moon
#64 March 2015: A Little Bit of Royalty
#52 March 2014: A Little Bit of Mathematics
#46 September 2013: A Little Bit of Kulcha – Part 4 — Gardens, Theme Parks, Parliament Houses and Capitals, National Parks and Historic Places, and some Odds and Ends
#45 August 2013: A Little Bit of Kulcha – Part 3 — Museums and Art Galleries, Libraries, and Aquariums
#43 June 2013: A Little Bit of Kulcha – Part 2 — Royal Hangouts and Military-Related Places and Things
#42 May 2013: A Little Bit of Kulcha – Part 1 — Ancient Civilizations and Old Sites, and Religious Places and Artifacts
#35 October 2012: A Little Bit More American Civics — The Congress, Presidential Succession, The Supreme Court, and the Flag
#34 September 2012: A Little Bit of American Civics — The Constitution, Presidency, Vice Presidency, and Cabinet

Series: Signs of Life

#114 May 2019: Signs of Life: Part 16 — St. Croix
#111 February 2019: Signs of Life: Part 15 — Norway
#108 November 2018: Signs of Life: Part 14 — Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy.
#105 August 2018: Signs of Life: Part 13 — Croatia.
#102 May 2018: Signs of Life: Part 12 — Vienna, Austria, and Seoul, Korea.
#99 February 2018: Signs of Life: Part 11 — US states of Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana, and Korea and Japan
#96 November 2017: Signs of Life: Part 10 — Hawaii
#93 August 2017: Signs of Life: Part 9 — Barcelona, Spain
#90 May 2017: Signs of Life: Part 8 — France, Finland, California, Croatia, England, Korea, and Washington State
#87 February 2017: Signs of Life: Part 7 — Italy, Jordan, and France
#84 November 2016: Signs of Life: Part 6 — Various countries
#81 August 2016: Signs of Life: Part 5 — Various countries
#78 May 2016: Signs of Life: Part 4 — Australia
#75 February 2016: Signs of Life: Part 3 — London and Yorkshire
#72 November 2015: Signs of Life: Part 2 — London and Yorkshire
#69 August 2015: Signs of Life: Part 1 — London and Yorkshire