It’s a new year! Last year I got back into doing New Year’s resolutions, and it went well enough that I’ve decided to give it another go. Just like in previous years, I’ve got a hearty list. And also just like in previous years, I’ll be grading myself with letter grades rather than pass-fail. That … More 2025 New Year’s Resolutions
I had a whopping EIGHT New Year’s resolutions this past year! I listed them all here in this post. Then I did a check-in (like midterms I guess) in this post. Now, the time has come to evaluate my results. So… how did I do? I’ll start with the overall attempt before jumping into individual … More 2024 NY Resolutions Wrap-up
It’s that time of year again; time for terrible movies that capitalize on a religious holiday while dropping all mentions of religion! A few years ago, I decided to start ranking supposed Christmas movies on how “Christmasy” they actually were. I repeated the exercise a couple years later. I recorded my results and analysis in … More Assorted Christmas Movie Binge, Year 3: Not Even Trying Anymore
Holy smokes! WHAT A GEM! I am so glad I embarked on this museum-visiting new year’s resolution adventure, because without it, I may have gone another 3 decades without having visited this awesome museum. I’ve lived in the DC area for most of my life, and yet, I can’t recall a single time that I … More Museum Review: National Postal Museum
I was in Leesburg recently for a wedding and had some time to kill. I’ve been in/through Leesburg dozens of times in my life, usually on my way to/from Harpers Ferry or other locations NW of the city, and I’ve been in/through Loudon County more times than I could count being that I grew up … More Museum Review: Loudon Museum
I was sitting in my church parking lot celebrating Octoberfest one sunny afternoon when a friend asked me how my museum -visiting New Year’s Resolution was going. “Oof, not well!” I admitted with shame. I started the year so strong, but hadn’t visiting a museum in a few months, dropping me way behind my goal. … More Museum Review: Josiah Henson Museum
Four star review, originally posted here on November 24th, 2024. Ah, good, reliable Anne Applebaum. Why do I keep reading her when everything she tells me is absolutely terrifying? I’m not entirely sure. I think it’s because she somehow still sounds calm and somewhat positive while telling me about how the entire world is burning … More Goodreads Review: Autocracy, Inc. by Anne Applebaum
Three star review, originally posted here on November 23rd, 2024. Dude, I don’t know. I just don’t know what to make of this book. Just… sigh… huh? This is my second time attempting to read a Neil Gaiman book (first was American Gods) that, at first blush, SEEMS like it should be right up my … More Goodreads Review: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Five star review, originally posted here on November 23rd, 2024. I decided to read this book after visiting the Josiah Henson museum in Maryland (museum review coming soon at helgawithouttheh.com.) I had never heard of this guy before, but a friend recommended the museum and I had some time to kill, so I popped in. … More Goodreads Review: The Life of Josiah Henson: An Inspiration for Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom by Josiah Henson
Four star review, originally posted here on November 23rd, 2024. Uh oh. Confession time: I fell behind on my book reviews and am trying to catch up on them all now. I remember having a lot of thoughts about this book, and yet… my memory is already pretty fuzzy. But here’s what I do remember…Hurston’s … More Goodreads Review: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Helga without the H 