Ahoy! Summer vacation season may be coming to a quick close, but many travelers longing to get away book cruises any time of year. First time cruisers can easily feel overwhelmed by such a daunting trip, especially if they’ve never sailed before. If I hadn’t had a veteran cruiser with me, I still might beContinue reading “Cruise Tips By a First Timer”
Category Archives: Entertainment
A Personal Jesus for Your Easter Basket
The Easter Bunny may have hopped off your lawn by now, but the celebratory joy, hope, and peace that define the holiday don’t simply disappear one calendar day later. In Catholicism, Easter is 50-day season, encouraging continued rejoicing in the power of Jesus’ resurrection and God’s love. Many Christian reflections will remind you that althoughContinue reading “A Personal Jesus for Your Easter Basket”
Winter’s Strain on Romance
In literature, figurative language is widely used to build connections for the reader. Imaginative and flowery language help readers to make comparisons and engage with the text. Likewise, metaphors and other figurative devices allow writers to deliver strong emotions and express their message. Because song lyrics are essentially poetry, music also makes great use ofContinue reading “Winter’s Strain on Romance”
Sand and Romance
Waves are crashing behind a couple who kiss underneath the moonlight while a cinematic love song swoons in the background….. Unless you’re Danny Zuko or Sandy Olsson and preparing to go back to Rydell high school and tell your friends all about those “summer nights,” the romantic scene above is likely one you mostly seeContinue reading “Sand and Romance”
What is the Reflex?
Songs are a form of poetry, but sometimes poets don’t want to disclose the themes and meanings behind the words. As a result, the audience must decipher themes and take the songs as they are. Fans of Duran Duran (aka Duranies) likely know that the band is not fond of explaining meanings or giving backgroundContinue reading “What is the Reflex?”
Do You Know Your ’80s Music Duos?
We’re not talking famous duets with the likes of McCartney and MJ, Nicks and Petty, or Queen and Bowie. We’re talking famous, and not so famous, dynamic duos who took the synthpop world by storm in the 1980s. Do you know your Wham! from your Pet Shop Boys? Your Eurythmics from your Roxette? Take theContinue reading “Do You Know Your ’80s Music Duos?”
The Gaze of Love
The sense of sight is so precious, not just because our unique eye colors are beautiful, but because sight opens up the world in front of us and brings it to life–reality. In the world of literary analysis and criticism, perspective matters. Critics deconstruct texts, look for symbols, ascribe meanings, focus on arrangement of language,Continue reading “The Gaze of Love”
In the Year 2023
“In the year 2525…will man still be alive?” Okay, how about in 2023? Life hasn’t seemed “normal” since Covid, but technology has advanced, war rages, natural disasters keep brewing, and politics is insane. Are we still alive? In 1969, duo Zager and Evans were on the airwaves with their one-hit wonder, “In The Year 2525Continue reading “In the Year 2023”
Two Times Over
When listening to individual artists, music lovers can typically notice how specific themes and sound styles are echoed across several songs from a particular artist. However, it is not often that artists have two songs with nearly identical titles. For example, in 2021, OneRepublic released their fifth studio album, Human. Nowhere in the media didContinue reading “Two Times Over”
On Our Own
“If you want something done right, you may as well do it yourself!” How many times have you thought this sentence or said it out loud? The sad part is that it’s true. Sometimes we can only trust God and ourselves. You might think that the start of November instantly means that the Halloween seasonContinue reading “On Our Own”
Confessions of a Classic Soul 