Happy Bloomsday!

James Joyce in 1915

Happy Bloomsday everyone! Since James Joyce’s “Ulysses” is one of my favorite books of all time, I look forward to Bloomsday every year and dream of attending the Bloomsday celebrations in Dublin one day.

“Ulysses” is remarkable because it is so smart, clever and unconventional yet also one of the filthiest books ever written. It’s very naughty but intelligent at the same time, what more do you need? 😉

In honor of Bloomsday, here is one of my favorite excerpts from the book:

“My youth. Never again. Only once it comes. Or hers. Take the train there tomorrow. No.  Returning not the same. Like kids your second visit to a house. The new I want. Nothing new under the sun. Care of P.O. Dolphin’s barn. Are you not happy in your? Naughty darling. At Dolphin’s barn charades in Luke Doyle’s house. Matt Dillon and his bevy of daughters: Tiny, Atty, Floey, Maimy, Louy, Hetty. Molly, too. Eightyseven that was. Year before we. And the old major partial to his drop of spirits. Curious she an only child, I an only child. So it returns. Think you’re escaping and run into yourself. Longest way round is the shortest way home. “

If you are a fan of the book and haven’t seen the 1967 movie adaptation yet, make sure to do so. It is very true to the book and manages to adapt the stream-of-consciousness novel to a motion picture format surprisingly well:

My Weekly Blog Roundup: May 27 – June 2

It’s that time again! Here’s my weekly blog roundup:

On The Virginia Woolf Blog I posted Virginia Woolf’s Suicide Note to Vanessa Bell which discusses the contents of the note Virginia left for her sister, Vanessa, and how it differs from the notes she left for Leonard.

On The Civil War Saga I posted Female Soldiers at the Battle of Gettysburg which details the experiences of the five secret female soldiers, two Union and three Confederate, who fought in the famous battle. I plan on doing a lot more posts about the secret female soldiers of the Civil War because I am so fascinated by them and I feel they do not get the recognition they deserve.

On History of Massachusetts I posted Edgar Allan Poe Stationed at Fort Independence which describes Poe’s experiences at the fort in 1827 and the rumor that a story he may have overheard at the fort inspired him to write the “The Cask of Amontillado.”

The Virginia Woolf Blog now has over 50 fans on its Facebook fan page! Thank you for all the love! I’m thrilled to see there are so many Virginia Woolf fans out there and I’m glad you like my little tribute to her.

My Weekly Blog Roundup: May 13 – May 19

Hello! Here’s my weekly blog roundup:

On The Virginia Woolf Blog I posted Virginia Woolf’s Last Day  which discusses the events of the day Virginia Woolf decided to drown herself on March 28th in 1941.

On The Civil War Saga I posted The Alabama County That Tried to Secede From the South which explains how the northern county of Winston tried to secede from Alabama and the south in general in 1861.

On History of Massachusetts I posted Funerals and Wakes at Faneuil Hall which discusses the numerous high profile funerals and wakes held at the great hall over the years, starting with the founder of the building, Peter Faneuil.

I hope you are all enjoying the new home of my History of Mass and Civil War blogs. I think wordpress has a much more organized layout than blogspot and I feel that these blogs are now easier to navigate and are more user-friendly. Hope you agree!

My U.S. history blogs have moved!

My Civil War Days blog and History of Massachusetts blog have moved to historyofmassachusetts.org and civilwarsaga.com! Civil War Days has now been renamed The Civil War Saga to avoid being confused with the numerous Civil War reenactment sites also called Civil War Days. Please update your bookmarks and come check out the new sites!

My Weekly Blog Roundup: April 15 – April 21

Hello all! Here’s my weekly blog roundup:

On The Virginia Woolf Blog I posted Virginia Woolf’s Last Diary Entry  which discusses the last diary entry Virginia ever wrote and what it meant. The entry was written the day before her suicide and gives the reader a glimpse into her state of mind around the time of her death.

On Civil War Days I posted Paul Revere’s Grandsons Fought in the Civil War which discusses three of Paul Revere’s grandsons: Paul Joseph Revere, Joseph Warren Revere and Edward Hutchinson Revere and the major Civil War battles that they fought in.

On History of Massachusetts I posted John Hammond Jr Conducted Telepathic Experiments at Hammond Castle which describes the strange experiments Hammond conducted at his Gloucester castle for the Parapsychology Foundation in the 1950s.

My Weekly Blog Roundup: April 8 – April 14

Hi there! It’s time for my weekly blog roundup:

On The Virginia Woolf Blog I posted Vanessa Bell’s Reaction to Virginia Woolf’s and Vita Sackville-West’s Affair  which discusses Vanessa’s strange reaction to Virginia’s lesbian affair and the reason why the Bloomsbury group supported gay rights but didn’t approve of lesbians.

On Civil War Days I posted Abraham Lincoln Was Related to Paul Revere which explains how Abraham Lincoln and Paul Revere were related through not just one but three marriages in Lincoln’s family.

On History of Massachusetts I posted The History of Hammond Castle which discusses the Medieval-style castle in Gloucester and its former owner John Hays Hammond Jr. I’ll be writing a number of articles  about Hammond Castle and Hammond himself in the coming weeks due to all of the bizarre information I dug up while doing research for this article.

My Weekly Blog Roundup: April 1 – April 7

Hi again! Here’s my weekly blog roundup.

On The Virginia Woolf Blog I posted Lytton Strachey’s Failed Marriage Proposal to Virginia Woolf which describes when Virginia’s friend Lytton decided to propose to her in 1909 only to retract the offer the next day.

On Civil War Days I posted The Glowing Wounds of the Battle of Shiloh which discusses the wounded soldiers at the Battle of Shiloh and how as they lay in the mud awaiting medical attention their wounds began to glow in the dark.

On History of Massachusetts I posted The French King Who Lived Above the Union Oyster House which discusses when Louis Philippe I, who was a prince at the time but would later become King of France in 1830, lived in exile in Boston in 1797.

My Weekly Blog Roundup: March 25 – March 31

Hello again! Ready for my weekly blog roundup?

On The Virginia Woolf Blog I posted Virginia Woolf: Witness to the Blitz which describes Virginia’s experiences living under the flight path of German bombers in Rodmell as they took off from occupied Northern France during the London blitz.

On Civil War Days I posted Conjoined Twin Eng Bunker Drafted During the Civil War  which discusses how Eng Bunker came to be drafted by the Union army but his conjoined twin, Chang Bunker, was not.

On History of Massachusetts I posted Faneuil Hall Weathervane Stolen in 1974 which details the odd story about how the grasshopper weather vane on top of Faneuil Hall was stolen in 1974 and hidden in an attempt to possibly hold it for ransom.

I’m incredibly grateful for all the love and positive responses my newest blog, The Virginia Woolf Blog, has been receiving lately. Virginia is definitely one of my most favorite people to write about and I’m thrilled everyone is enjoying reading about her. I look forward to bringing you more interesting stories about Virginia and her life.