2023-10-13 22:12
I've been a Jimmy Buffett fan since I was a teenager in the early 1990s. Two of my all-time favorite Buffett tunes are Floridays, from the 1986 album of the same name, and Brahma Fear, from… Read More
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Writers Gon' Write
2023-07-02 18:25
This is an honest question - and maybe a bit of a rant - directed at modern conservatives. Seriously, what more do you want? I hear a lot of complaining and whining from conservative fa… Read More
2022-02-13 17:50
Most Bengals fans don't realize it, but I am personally responsible for the team's success this year. Reaching the Super Bowl for the first time in 33 years is a big deal. But then agai… Read More
2021-08-27 23:59
I've recently started writing for an online publisher called Medium. They host both free content as well as paid content, and as a writer, you can write for both. You can also submit article… Read More
2021-05-03 02:36
A couple of years ago, I wrote an arrangement of the song "I Dreamed a Dream," from Les Miserables. I've never actually seen the play (or movie), but who doesn't love this song? I recently f… Read More
2021-04-09 17:02
In May of last year, I posted an article about my thoughts on the arrest of George Floyd. I made 5 points in that article: 1) Among the videos I watched of the arrest, I did not think t… Read More
2020-12-31 15:45
This year sucked. Read More
2020-12-06 23:42
Everyone always talks about how you shouldn't let politics come between you and your friends and family. I totally agree. Politics is an important topic, and what you believe politically def… Read More
2020-12-03 00:01
Two of the most famous classical piano pieces are named after the moon. Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven was one of the first classical pieces I ever learned, back in high school. The other is… Read More
2020-11-07 22:50
My uncle is an old Buddy Holly fan, and he asked me to do a Buddy Holly song. I decided to do Oh Boy, because it's always been my favorite Holly tune. When I was in high school, M and I… Read More
2020-11-05 23:09
As of this writing, the 2020 election still hangs in the balance two days after Election Day as states finish counting ballots. In the interim, I've been thinking about how we could solve ou… Read More
2020-10-21 04:06
So, I wrote a seven- or eight-paragraph post about why I'm quitting social media, but I just deleted it all. Rather than ramble about how social media is destroying society and how I do… Read More
2020-09-24 22:57
So I wrote a book on the history of American political parties a few years ago called Washington's Nightmare - so-named because at the end of his presidency, George Washington warned America… Read More
2020-05-29 16:48
Sometimes during slow nights at work, I like to pass the time by watching YouTube videos. One type of video I like watching are police-related vids - high speed chases, dash cam videos, offi… Read More
2020-05-04 19:00
When I was a kid, I LOVED cartoons. I would wake up at 6:30 on Saturday morning JUST to watch cartoons. In fact, my whole Saturday morning was arranged around a strict cartoon schedule that… Read More
2020-03-30 04:16
I never intended, planned, or expected to be working on the front lines of a global pandemic. If you had told 25-year-old Scott that he'd be doing this at age 45, he'd have probably fainted… Read More
2019-11-06 01:47
I've been an Elton John fan for just about as long as I can remember. From the age of 9 or 10, I began listening to my own music and generally gravitated towards guitar-driven rock (Van Hale… Read More
2019-11-03 17:31
So in the early spring, I bought a book of Queen songs arranged for piano. I started learning Bohemian Rhapsody and very quickly decided the arrangement was lacking. So I decided to make my… Read More
2019-10-30 02:45
I know it's early in the season for this, but I figured I would announce this now. I've spent the fall arranging a set of my favorite Christmas songs for piano. And I've recorded those songs… Read More
2019-09-28 03:00
I'm thinking about shutting this blog down. No one really reads blogs anymore, do they? Unless you're famous, they're kind of pointless in this day and age.I never finished the series I star… Read More
2019-05-15 21:51
The United States needs a new constitution. We have the oldest constitution on earth (and it's not even close), and while some might see that as something to celebrate, I see it as a big par… Read More
2019-05-01 20:22
In recent years, a number of people and groups from across the political spectrum have called for amendments to the constitution on a variety of topics. This is nothing new. There have alway… Read More
2018-11-19 17:00
So I've gotten the opportunity to write a series for a podcast company called Wondery. I'll be honest: before this opportunity came up, I'd never listened to a podcast before. I actuall… Read More
2018-11-18 03:41
So, in years past, I've done various "10 Best" posts about music. Today, I decided it was time to do another one. It took me approximately 2.73 seconds to determine whose catalog to feature… Read More
2018-10-28 04:34
Hello old friends.Lately, I'm into candles. No, not newfangled electrical candles. Real life, honest-to-god drippy wax candles.I'm trying to get my ambiance going up in here.Yes, I have a mi… Read More
2018-06-20 19:01
I think Roseanne Barr is legitimately mentally disturbed. I don't know if she could actually be diagnosed with something from the DSM-5 or whatever, but there is something definitely not rig… Read More
2018-03-21 20:10
In 1999, UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) declared March 21 to be World Poetry Day. I never heard of it until this year.But I thought it was odd… Read More
2017-11-12 20:28
About 9 months ago, I wrote a blog post detailing why I consider myself a feminist. It was a way of explaining a new profile picture I had posted of myself:I won't repeat the points I made i… Read More
2017-10-21 20:24
Consider this teaching from Jesus's Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5:43-44 and Luke 6:27: "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy,' but I tell you, '… Read More
2017-10-20 02:34
I've been listening, for the first time in a while, to my Beatles collection, and since my brain never stops running, I've thought of numerous things I want to say about some of these songs… Read More
2017-10-08 21:48
It's been a while since I've written about Christianity, but I'm reading a book right now by a Jewish scholar about understanding the Jewish context in which Jesus lived and worked, and I've… Read More
2017-10-04 16:42
In this edition of Notes from the Cave, I'm going to be expressing strong opinions on current events. I'm also going to be using some cuss words and doing some name-calling. Read on at your… Read More
2017-09-24 18:24
This is something that is probably better suited to Facebook, but I hate Facebook and don't want to talk politics with 95% of the people I'm friends with there, so I'm putting this on my blo… Read More
2017-08-13 20:25
As any student of history, particularly medieval or ancient history, should know, total eclipses are a bad omen. The Assyrians were defeated by the Greeks 11 days after a total eclipse. The… Read More
2017-08-01 21:03
It was one year ago today that the piano came back into my life.Wow. Actually sat down and practiced the piano tonight. Strange but fun. pic.twitter.com/bPsdS6TJ8z— Scott (@BScottChris… Read More
2017-07-28 15:47
Here are my two most recent piano performances. Both of these are my own arrangements. The first is America the Beautiful and the second is My Old Kentucky Home. My performance on America th… Read More
2017-07-27 19:09
Opinions are like butts: everybody's got one and nobody wants to hear yours (yes, that's a modified form of the expression, which I did for the benefit of my spouse who thinks I'm gross whit… Read More
2017-07-10 00:41
Today I completed a project I first began thirty years ago.On June 12, 1987, around 12:30 on a Friday afternoon, I sat down with a tape recorder and started making a tape for my children.I w… Read More
2017-06-22 22:14
Focused as I am these days on music, both playing and writing, I don't talk much about my books, but I just got caught up on reading my most recent reviews on Amazon and I came across one fr… Read More
2017-04-20 19:35
Entering my 40s has had an unexpected influence on my hobbies and general interests. In no way have I made a conscious effort to be any different than I've ever been, and yet I've come to re… Read More
2017-04-03 16:21
I've started doing some arranging for the piano and one of the first pieces I did is a somewhat obscure Stephen Foster song called My Hopes Have Departed Forever. It's a really pretty piece… Read More
2017-02-25 02:49
So I recently updated my Facebook profile picture to the same one that's here on my blog, and my primary reason for doing so was simply because I think it's a good picture of me. But I also… Read More
2017-02-22 20:00
So I saw this post today by someone on Facebook:I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. He said deny me in front of your friends and I will deny you in front of my Father. Challenge A… Read More
2017-02-17 20:58
As the heading indicates, you don't have to be a Jimmy Buffett fan to enjoy this post because it's not about Jimmy Buffett songs as much as it is about Jimmy Buffett song titles.If you know… Read More
2017-02-15 22:25
Okay, so to be fair, some of you have undoubtedly heard some of these songs. But I'm fairly confident most of them are unfamiliar to most of you.Like other similar lists I've… Read More
2017-01-31 22:10
How does one stay informed and involved while simultaneously not feeling riled up and helpless all the time?I've been struggling a lot with this lately. I don't want to check out from social… Read More
2017-01-30 19:15
The Immigration BanI'll spare you a diatribe about how awful this is, or an appeal to America's melting pot identity, or a sad description of crying and dying children. All that stuff is tru… Read More
2017-01-29 02:28
I promised to post videos this year of my piano adventures, so here's me following through.This is an oldie but a goodie, a popular ragtime piece from the 1910s that became widely-known afte… Read More
2017-01-20 17:16
Eight years ago today, I wrote a blog post entitled "The End of an Error." The title was, perhaps, not particularly original, but it expressed perfectly how I felt about the Bush administrat… Read More
2017-01-17 20:20
What is the 2016 Playing List, you ask? It's a new list that I plan to post every January (I know, I know, you're super excited) of the piano pieces I completed in the previous year. A… Read More
2017-01-16 19:56
Only 8 posts on Serene Musings in 2016. Pretty pathetic blogging by yours truly, and for that I'm sorry. Maybe I'll be better in 2017, but no promises. In any case, here's my rea… Read More
2016-11-09 20:20
In the wake of Hillary Clinton's devastating loss in the presidential election yesterday, I have decided to disconnect from social media indefinitely. I've deactivated my Facebook acco… Read More
2016-11-09 20:20
In the wake of Hillary Clinton's devastating loss in the presidential election yesterday, I have decided to disconnect from social media indefinitely. I've deactivated my Facebook acco… Read More
2016-11-09 20:20
In the wake of Hillary Clinton's devastating loss in the presidential election yesterday, I have decided to disconnect from social media indefinitely. I've deactivated my Facebook acco… Read More
2016-11-09 20:20
In the wake of Hillary Clinton's devastating loss in the presidential election yesterday, I have decided to disconnect from social media indefinitely. I've deactivated my Facebook acco… Read More
2016-11-09 20:20
In the wake of Hillary Clinton's devastating loss in the presidential election yesterday, I have decided to disconnect from social media indefinitely. I've deactivated my Facebook acco… Read More
2016-11-09 20:20
In the wake of Hillary Clinton's devastating loss in the presidential election yesterday, I have decided to disconnect from social media indefinitely. I've deactivated my Facebook acco… Read More
2016-11-09 20:20
In the wake of Hillary Clinton's devastating loss in the presidential election yesterday, I have decided to disconnect from social media indefinitely. I've deactivated my Facebook acco… Read More
2016-11-09 20:20
In the wake of Hillary Clinton's devastating loss in the presidential election yesterday, I have decided to disconnect from social media indefinitely. I've deactivated my Facebook acco… Read More
2016-11-09 20:20
In the wake of Hillary Clinton's devastating loss in the presidential election yesterday, I have decided to disconnect from social media indefinitely. I've deactivated my Facebook acco… Read More
2016-11-09 20:20
In the wake of Hillary Clinton's devastating loss in the presidential election yesterday, I have decided to disconnect from social media indefinitely. I've deactivated my Facebook acco… Read More
2016-11-09 20:20
In the wake of Hillary Clinton's devastating loss in the presidential election yesterday, I have decided to disconnect from social media indefinitely. I've deactivated my Facebook acco… Read More
2016-11-09 20:20
In the wake of Hillary Clinton's devastating loss in the presidential election yesterday, I have decided to disconnect from social media indefinitely. I've deactivated my Facebook acco… Read More
2016-11-09 20:20
In the wake of Hillary Clinton's devastating loss in the presidential election yesterday, I have decided to disconnect from social media indefinitely. I've deactivated my Facebook acco… Read More
2016-11-09 20:20
In the wake of Hillary Clinton's devastating loss in the presidential election yesterday, I have decided to disconnect from social media indefinitely. I've deactivated my Facebook acco… Read More
2016-11-09 20:20
In the wake of Hillary Clinton's devastating loss in the presidential election yesterday, I have decided to disconnect from social media indefinitely. I've deactivated my Facebook acco… Read More
2016-11-09 20:20
In the wake of Hillary Clinton's devastating loss in the presidential election yesterday, I have decided to disconnect from social media indefinitely. I've deactivated my Facebook acco… Read More
2016-11-09 20:20
In the wake of Hillary Clinton's devastating loss in the presidential election yesterday, I have decided to disconnect from social media indefinitely. I've deactivated my Facebook acco… Read More
2016-11-09 20:20
In the wake of Hillary Clinton's devastating loss in the presidential election yesterday, I have decided to disconnect from social media indefinitely. I've deactivated my Facebook acco… Read More
2016-11-09 20:20
In the wake of Hillary Clinton's devastating loss in the presidential election yesterday, I have decided to disconnect from social media indefinitely. I've deactivated my Facebook acco… Read More
2016-11-09 20:20
In the wake of Hillary Clinton's devastating loss in the presidential election yesterday, I have decided to disconnect from social media indefinitely. I've deactivated my Facebook acco… Read More
2016-11-09 20:20
In the wake of Hillary Clinton's devastating loss in the presidential election yesterday, I have decided to disconnect from social media indefinitely. I've deactivated my Facebook acco… Read More
2016-08-10 17:08
Back on May 1st, I opted out of the discussion of this year's presidential race. Not because I don't have plenty of opinions, but because I care too much and felt that following and be… Read More
2016-07-31 20:30
A few facts about Answers in Genesis and the properties they own and operate in northern Kentucky: * Answers in Genesis rejects key scientific facts as established by archaeology, cosm… Read More
2016-05-27 07:38
I've come to the decision to sit out the rest of this campaign season. I know this will come as a great disappointment to all my readers who have come to rely on my insight in determining wh… Read More
2016-04-29 17:02
Consider these two scenarios:Scenario 1: Your 9-year-old daughter enters a public women's bathroom in the mall somewhere in the southern United States. As she walks in, she sees a pers… Read More
2016-02-02 18:00
With the results of the Iowa Caucuses in, I figured it was time for me to chip in with my thoughts and predictions on this year's election cycle. (If you don't want to read all this, y… Read More
2016-01-12 00:38
Guess what? It's time. Yes, yes, time for another in-depth look at my personal reading list for the previous year. What more could you want out of life? Just try to h… Read More
2015-12-11 23:16
I am pleased to announce the publication of my first novel, Walkabout.As most of you know, I have previously published a number of non-fiction and short fiction books on Amazon, but this is… Read More
2015-11-16 02:02
It's been a bad year for blogging. I'm not sure why my productivity in this regard has slacked off so much. Perhaps it's because I've been working on novels again this year, and… Read More
2015-07-28 20:11
Most people who know me well know that I'm an anti-gun guy. I won't deny it: I hate guns. Unfortunately, I live in a country where that puts me in a distinct minority, and that's not likely… Read More
2015-07-26 06:37
Does this picture offend you? I can't imagine why it would. This picture is of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, pointing assertively to heaven, reassuring us that he has gone th… Read More
2015-07-18 20:33
A lot of people - mainly Republicans - seem worried and perplexed by Donald Trump's apparent popularity right now. (Democrats, of course, are just sitting back, shaking their heads, sa… Read More
2015-06-26 16:45
Earlier today, I had the misfortune of reading the following tweet from an Alabama evangelist because it was retweeted by one of my evangelical Christian friends (not really a friend, an old… Read More
2015-02-13 16:17
So I do a lot of things - I raise two girls, I husband like crazy, I edit company newsletters, I take high-quality radiographs, I do laundry and dishes, I grocery shop, I take care of the tr… Read More
2015-02-08 14:39
Dear Scott: Hey there kid, it's me writing. Me, your older self. We turned 40 today. Can you believe that? Remember when the guy next door turned 40, and his family hu… Read More
2015-01-22 15:32
Having just mentioned him two days ago in my 2014 Reading List (I read two books by him last year), I learned late last night that my favorite Christian scholar and theologian, Marcus Borg… Read More
2015-01-21 02:03
It's that time of the year again. That's right, time for me to reveal my previous year's reading list. This has become a January tradition here at Serene Musings and given the do… Read More
2014-12-21 16:52
So in case you've been living under a rock, or otherwise pay very little attention to me, I recently published my 9th book on Amazon.com. It's a history of American political parties… Read More
2014-11-29 17:58
So I have pretty much kept my opinions to myself on this whole Ferguson thing, which (you're probably thinking) is rather unusual for me. But I finally decided it was time for me to br… Read More
2014-09-11 01:52
George Bush, the 41st President of the United States1. George Herbert Walker Bush was born in Massachusetts in 1924, but grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut. His father, Prescott Bush, w… Read More
2014-09-05 15:24
Yesterday at work, I heard someone talking about his future plans for retirement. I don't know how old he was, but probably about 60. He commented that he would like to retire at… Read More
2014-08-27 15:14
What?? Two NFTCs in one week? What's gotten in to me? In any case, I'm working in the family room this morning because Sophie gets upset if she can't be up my ass 24/7, and she's… Read More
2014-07-10 01:35
I saw this quote today and just had to share. "The problem is not wealth. It's wealth without a conscience. The problem is wealth that is untroubled by the fact that some people are inordina… Read More
2014-06-24 18:38
For those of you who don't know, I've started riding my bike again this year, and I am really enjoying being back on it again. It has felt nice to conquer my fear of it after the littl… Read More
2014-06-19 23:01
The White House website has an interesting interactive page where you can go and look at how and where your federal tax dollars are spent. Since people are always complaining about pay… Read More
2014-06-09 02:24
It's been a bad few months if you're a Serene Musings fan. And since there are SO many of you, that makes for a lot of unhappy people. Thankfully, here's a Notes from the Cave fo… Read More
2014-05-06 17:35
Emily Dickinson has always been one of my favorite poets, and this is one of my favorite poems by her. I was thinking of it today as I biked past a wide open field, so today seemed lik… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
Okay, so if you haven't heard the hubbub, here's what happened: at the Academy Awards the other night, Ellen DeGeneres, who was hosting, pointed out Liza Minelli in the audience and said: "H… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States1. Born in Staunton, Virginia, in 1856, Thomas Woodrow Wilson was a child during the Civil War. His father's parents had lived in… Read More
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