Montaillou – Life in a Medieval Village

I just finished Montaillou by Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie.  This took me over half a year to finish not because it wasn’t great, but because I have two young boys and thus free time is non-existent. I learned of this book in a Reddit post and quickly bought it as it is right up my…… Continue reading Montaillou – Life in a Medieval Village

Santa Claus, Ded Moroz, Christianity and the Solstice

It is 2:48 AM on December 24th – the morning of Christmas Eve.  To mark the cultural and religious highlight of the entire year across the Western world I thought I should post something about the holiday. My focus is the mythical figure known as Santa Claus in the West, Ded Moroz in the East,…… Continue reading Santa Claus, Ded Moroz, Christianity and the Solstice

Donald Trump and politics

The success of Donald Trump in the Republican primary is the direct result of eight years of the Republican hate machine.  He is the incarnation of Republican ideology in its purest form without any additives or sweeteners.  The Republican Party for the first time in a decade is taking a look in the mirror and…… Continue reading Donald Trump and politics

Privacy, presidential candidates and other things

It has been eons since I last posted in the blog.  With two young boys all free time is at a premium and so that only leaves the very early morning as free time.  In 2016 I’ve decided to change a number of things in my life such as: shedding distractions such as Facebook and…… Continue reading Privacy, presidential candidates and other things

Visiting Spanish Missions in California

It has been a long while since my last post.  This is directly due to to my second child and I’ve quickly learned that with only one child there is still free time, but with two all personal time no longer exists.  There is no time to read much about history, study more language, ponder…… Continue reading Visiting Spanish Missions in California