[Rather than reading one installment at a time, you can download Volumes of past
postings, 12 per Volume. For details, go to the bottom of this page.]
My Personal Blog
Rules for Submitting Comments
Rex on English and Writing
Each month, around the 19th,
I post a 6–8-page
essay on a substantive topic to my
personal blog. To get
started, I suggest you read the first posting, from December 2009,
, 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:
- Signs of Life: Part 35 — Australia and Virginia
- Travel – Around the World in a Daze: Part 2, South Korea
- Oh, the Things that I have Learned: Part 2
Here are the essays posted thus far, with the most recent listed first:
- #172 March 2024:
Oh, the Things that I have Learned: Part 1
- #171 February 2024:
Travel – Around the World in a Daze: Part 1, Milan
- #170 January 2024:
Signs of Life: Part
34 — Australia
- #169 December 2023:
Odds and Ends –
Part 3
- #168 November 2023:
Travel – Driving to Michigan
- #167 October 2023:
Signs of Life: Part
33
- #166 September 2023:
Covid and Me
- #165 August 2023:
Travel – Memories of
Hawaii
–
Maui and the Big Island
- #164 July 2023:
Signs of Life: Part
32
- #163 June 2023:
My One Time Wwoofing
- #162 May 2023:
Travel – Memories of
Guatemala, Part 2
- #161 April 2023:
Travel – Memories of
Guatemala, Part 1
- #160 March 2023:
Signs of Life: Part
31 — the Czech Republic, Germany, and the UK
- #159 February 2023:
A Little Bit of
Sports and Recreation
- #158 January 2023:
Travel – Memories of
Costa Rica
- #157 December 2022:
Signs of Life: Part
30 — Norfolk, UK
- #156 November 2022:
What is Normal
– Part 11. Electrical Power
- #155 October 2022:
Travel – Memories of
Paris, France
- #154 September 2022:
Signs of Life: Part
29 — Germany and the UK
- #153 August 2022:
A Little Bit of
History
- #152 July 2022:
Travel – Memories of London and Norfolk
- #151 June 2022:
Signs of Life: Part
28 — Germany
- #150 May 2022:
Odds and Ends –
Part 2
- #149 April 2022:
Travel – Memories of
Prague & Eastern Germany
- #148 March 2022:
Signs of Life: Part
27 — Frederick, Maryland
- #147 February 2022:
Oh the Things that I have Written
- #146 January 2022:
Travel – Memories of Beijing, China
- #145 December 2021:
Signs of Life: Part
26 — Germany and elsewhere
- #144 November 2021:
A Little Bit of Music
- #143 October 2021:
Travel –
Memories of Normandy, France
- #142 September 2021:
Signs of Life: Part
25 — Germany and Austria
- #141 August 2021:
Odds and Ends –
Part 1
- #140 July 2021:
Travel –
Memories of The Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
- #139 June 2021:
Signs of Life: Part
24 — San Francisco
- #138 May 2021:
My Formative Years –
Part 3
- #137 April 2021:
Travel –
Memories of Hong Kong
- #136 March 2021:
Signs of Life: Part
23
— Switzerland
- #135 February 2021:
My Formative Years –
Part 2
- #134 January 2021:
My Formative Years –
Part 1
- #133 December 2020:
Travel –
Memories of Finland
- #132 November 2020:
Signs of Life: Part
22
— Switzerland
- #131 October 2020:
School Days: Part
2
- #130 September 2020:
Travel –
Memories of Russia
- #129 August 2020:
Signs of Life: Part
21
— the Northern Neck of Virginia, USA
- #128 July 2020:
School Days: Part 1
- #127 June 2020:
Travel –
Memories of Chile
- #126 May 2020:
Signs of Life: Part
20
— Edinburgh, Scotland; London, England; Beijing, China; and more
- #125 April 2020:
The REALLY BIG Picture
- #124 March 2020:
Travel –
Memories of the US Desert Southwest
- #123 February 2020:
Signs of Life: Part 19
— Edinburgh, Scotland
- #122 January 2020:
Football, Aussie Style
- #121 December 2019:
Travel – Memories of
Yorkshire
- #120 November 2019:
Signs of Life: Part 18
— Japan
- #119 October 2019:
Washington D.C.
- #118 September 2019:
Travel – Memories of
New Mexico
- #117 August 2019:
Signs of Life: Part 17
— Texas and Utah
- #116 July 2019:
My Experience with Airbnb
- #115 June 2019:
Travel –
From Adelaide to Washington DC
- #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:
— My take on 40 years of committee participation, and
how successful committees can and should work.
- #27 February 2012:
— Life in a planned American city.
- #26 January 2012:
- #25 December 2011:
— Some tips on how to take advantage of a
word processing program.
- #24 November 2011:
— The advantages of having some
basic foreign language skills when traveling.
- #23 October 2011:
- #22 September 2011:
What is Normal
–
Part 4: Dates and Times
- #21 August 2011:
- #20 July 2011:
— A look back at my 187-mile hike along the Thames
Path in England.
- #19 June 2011:
- #18 May 2011:
- #17 April 2011:
- #16 March 2011:
What is Normal
–
Part 3: Money
- #15 February 2011:
— 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:
— A look back at all those times I'd stood in line or
taken a number and waited my turn.
- #13 December 2010:
— I discuss
automobiles, still and video cameras, the written word, a digital data
preservation strategy, and my right-hand gadget.
- #12 November 2010:
— I discuss the
telephone, television, the internet, and
recorded music.
- #11 October 2010:
— My love of books.
- #10 September 2010:
— My experiences in setting up an allowance for my son.
- #9 August 2010:
— My involvement in the 2008 US
Presidential election.
- #8 July 2010:
- #7 June 2010:
— A comparison of the following:
politics and government, law enforcement, taxation, education, and changing
light bulbs.
- #6 May 2010:
— My flight log after 40 years of air travel.
- #5 April 2010:
- #4 March 2010:
- #3 February 2010:
— A look back at my first 40 years in the
workforce.
- #2 January 2010:
Travel
–
Home Stays
- #1 December 2009:
— The introduction to my blog.
Series: Travel
- #171 February 2024:
Travel – Around the World in a Daze: Part 1, Milan
- #168 November 2023:
Travel – Driving to Michigan
- #165 August 2023:
Travel – Memories of
Hawaii
–
Maui and the Big Island
- #162 May 2023:
Travel – Memories of
Guatemala, Part 2
- #161 April 2023:
Travel – Memories of
Guatemala, Part 1
- #158 January 2023:
Travel – Memories of
Costa Rica
- #155 October 2022:
Travel – Memories of Paris, France
- #152 July 2022:
Travel – Memories of London and Norfolk
- #149 April 2022:
Travel – Memories of
Prague & Eastern Germany
- #146 January 2022:
Travel – Memories of Beijing, China
- #143 October 2021:
Travel –
Memories of Normandy, France
- #140 July 2021:
Travel –
Memories of The Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
- #137 April 2021:
Travel –
Memories of Hong Kong
- #133 December 2020:
Travel –
Memories of Finland
- #130 September 2020:
Travel –
Memories of Russia
- #127 June 2020:
Travel –
Memories of Chile
- #124 March 2020:
Travel –
Memories of the US Desert Southwest
- #121 December 2019:
Travel – Memories of
Yorkshire
- #118 September 2019:
Travel – Memories of
New Mexico
- #115 June 2019:
Travel –
From Adelaide to Washington DC
- #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
Series: English
Series: A Little Bit of ...
- #159 February 2023:
A Little Bit of
Sports and Recreation
- #153 August 2022:
A Little Bit of
History
- #144 November 2021:
A Little Bit of Music
- #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: Autobiographic Essays
- #172 March 2024:
Oh, the Things that I have Learned: Part 1
- #166 September 2023:
Covid and Me
- #163 June 2023:
My One Time Wwoofing
- #159 February 2023:
A Little Bit of
Sports and Recreation
- #153 August 2022:
A Little Bit of
History
- #147 February 2022:
Oh the Things that I have Written
- #144 November 2021:
A Little Bit of Music
- #138 May 2021:
My Formative Years –
Part 3
- #135 February 2021:
My Formative Years –
Part 2
- #134 January 2021:
My Formative Years –
Part 1
- #131 October 2020:
School Days: Part
2
- #128 July 2020:
School Days: Part 1
- #122 January 2020:
Football, Aussie Style
- #110 January 2019:
My Time in Maine
- #107 October 2018:
Living in Chicago
- #104 July 2018:
A Little Bit of Religion
- #89 April 2017:
Oh, the Things that I have Eaten
- #74 January 2016:
Accidents and Incidents
- #68 July 2015:
Confessions of a Canine Companion
- #41 April 2013:
Standards
–
The Secret Life of a Language Lawyer — A look at some everyday
standards and conventions
- #39 February 2013:
The
Big Move — preparing and selling a house, finding another one, and moving.
- #27 February 2012:
— Life in a planned American city.
- #14 January 2011:
— A look back at all those times I'd stood in line or
taken a number and waited my turn.
- #13 December 2010:
— I discuss
automobiles, still and video cameras, the written word, a digital data
preservation strategy, and my right-hand gadget.
- #12 November 2010:
— I discuss the
telephone, television, the internet, and
recorded music.
- #11 October 2010:
— My love of books.
- #10 September 2010:
— My experiences in setting up an allowance for my son.
- #9 August 2010:
— My involvement in the 2008 US
Presidential election.
- #5 April 2010:
- #3 February 2010:
— A look back at my first 40 years in the
workforce.
Series: Signs of Life
- #170 January 2024:
Signs of Life: Part
34 — Australia
- #167 October 2023:
Signs of Life: Part
33
- #164 July 2023:
Signs of Life: Part
32
- #160 March 2023:
Signs of Life: Part
31 — the Czech Republic, Germany, and the UK
- #157 December 2022:
Signs of Life: Part
30 — Norfolk, UK
- #154 September 2022:
Signs of Life: Part
29 — Germany and the UK
- #151 June 2022:
Signs of Life: Part
28 — Germany
- #148 March 2022:
Signs of Life: Part
27 — Frederick, Maryland
- #145 December 2021:
Signs of Life: Part
26 — Germany and elsewhere
- #142 September 2021:
Signs of Life: Part
25 — Germany and Austria
- #139 June 2021:
Signs of Life: Part
24 — San Francisco
- #136 March 2021:
Signs of Life: Part
23
— Switzerland
- #132 November 2020:
Signs of Life: Part
22
— Switzerland
- #129 August 2020:
Signs of Life: Part
21
— the Northern Neck of Virginia, USA
- #126 May 2020:
Signs of Life: Part
20
— Edinburgh, Scotland; London, England; Beijing, China; and more
- #123 February 2020:
Signs of Life: Part 19
— Edinburgh, Scotland
- #120 November 2019:
Signs of Life: Part 18
— Japan
- #117 August 2019:
Signs of Life: Part 17
— Texas and Utah
- #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
Series: Odds and Ends
Downloading Volumes as PDF Files
[Left-clicking on a Volume entry opens that file; right-clicking should allow
you to save the PDF to your own device.]