Category: TBT

TBT: 31 Days of Halloween Starts Today!

The Portly Politico1 Comment

Last year I did a daily film review, which I dubbed 31 Days of Halloween. Back then, YouTube Shorts were only one-minute in length, so I had to get to the point quickly (I did not always succeed).

Here’s the entire playlist from last year:

This year, I’ll be opening The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Halloween Countdown Calendar (that’s an Amazon Affiliate link; I receive a portion of any purchases made through that link, at no additional cost to you—TPP) each day in October and making a short YouTube video (or a “Short”) revealing what I uncover. That will be 2026’s version of 31 Days of Halloween (although I’ll try to toss in some short film reviews of flicks I missed last year, too).

I’ll try to open each “day” on the calendar on the actual day, so the videos might not be up at 6 AM EST like last year’s videos. That said, they’ll get up hopefully by lunchtime each day, although Thursdays might see later videos (I’m writing this post a few days early, so check the comments or tomorrow’s post for a link to the video if I haven’t gotten it done by the time you’re reading these words). You can check my YouTube channel, too.

With that, here is 1 October 2025’s “31 Days of Halloween Starts Today!“:

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TBT^2: Tarantulas and the Hygge

The Portly Politico3 Comments

It’s the first day of autumn, which means things will be getting chilly in another month—or, given we’re in South Carolina, another two or three months. Regardless, we’ll all soon be cozying up with chili and blankets and sweaters.

Let’s hope, however, that our furry-legged arachnid friends, the burrowing tarantulas, don’t decide to cuddle up with us! Fortunately, that’s unlikely in these parts, as tarantulas are mostly kept as pet, and even that’s a pretty small niche of pet owners.

I stumbled upon today’s post back during the heat of the summer, when I was dreaming of the hygge (if not massive spiders), so I thought I’d reblog it to commemorate the start of all. It turns out that it was exactly six years ago today that I lost reblogged this piece. It seems that the “toothsome” Patricia is still making tarantula content, too; kudos to her for sticking with her niche and making something cool.

With that, here is 24 September 2020’s “TBT: Tarantulas and the Hygge“:

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TBT^256: The Frisson of the Night

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My church recently partnered with my town and a number of other local churches to host A City Set Apart. The event started at 6 PM on Friday, 11 September 2026 and ended at 6 PM on Friday, 12 September 2026. For twenty-fours, volunteers ranging from local clergy to lay people read Scripture aloud.

I signed up for the 2 AM slot on Saturday morning. I set an alarm for 1:15 AM and blearily crawled into a hot shower. I had a cup of coffee waiting in the fridge, which I popped into the microwave before heading downtown. My assigned text was Micah 1-7 (the entire book), which I apparently breezed through, even though I didn’t think I was reading that fast, so my pastor then gave me Psalms 42-51. Reading Micah, which is a pretty hardcore book, at 2 AM over a loudspeaker with my voice bouncing off the brick buildings around town square was powerful.

It was also just cool being out at that time of night. A lady from our sister church read a large portion of Psalms (including the lengthy Psalm 119), and hearing her reading it at that hour, while still a bit sleep deprived, really made it “hit” differently. I could really hear the poetry of the text, and she read it with this impassioned voice—not stentorian, not melodramatic, but I could feel the conviction in her reading.

Later, the lanky reverend of the Presbyterian Church read the Gospel of Matthew. I stuck around until shortly after 3:30 AM, by which point he’d read through chapter 9 or 10. At that point, I was ready to get back to Dr. Wife and Nugget and try to get some sleep (I ended up dozing until nearly 11:30 AM), but his reading also brought the Gospel to life. I’ve read Matthew dozens of times and have heard large chunks of it read in services over the years, but something about hearing the Presbyterian reverend read it in his distinct voice opened my eyes and heart to shades of significance I’d never really absorbed in prior readings.

That’s all to say that it was a memorable event and I hope they do it again next year. I told Dr. Wife I’d opt for an early morning slot again, but something a bit more reasonable, like 5 AM. I got home and I was absolutely ravenous, so I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and drank a caffeine-free Diet Pepsi in the dark before getting back into bed around 4 AM. I thought Dr. Wife was out cold, but she told me later that she heard me crack open the drink and wondered what in the world I was doing—ha!

I keep using the phrase, “there’s something about,” but I’ll abuse it again here: there’s something about that time of night, the wee hour(s), that makes everything a bit more intense and surreal. Sometimes that’s a bad thing—the overly vivid nightmare, the baby crying in the night, the distant wail of a motorcycle as someone is up to something sinister. But it can be good, too: the prayer warrior on his knees, intercessing to Christ; the sumptuous midnight snack (or PB&J); the people of a town marinating their home in God’s Word.

Sure, most nights I like to be long abed by 2 AM, but every once in awhile, those wee hours still have something to offer.

With that, here is 18 September 2025’s “TBT^16: The Frisson of the Night“:

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TBT^4: Remarkable Animals

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It’s been an animal-centric year for yours portly. Sweet Murphy crossed the rainbow bridge; Nugget is still going strong; and we’re likely adopting a puppy in a few weeks. The koi and other creatures are doing well—I even wrote an entire album about it (still 90% off with promo code koipond)—and our bird feeder continues to attract lots of birds—and lizards. I’ve seen a nasty skink slinking around, too.

That reminds me of this piece I wrote a few years ago, “Lament of the Lizardman“:

But I digress. It seemed apropos to reblog this series of posts about animals in all their glory.

With that, here is 11 September 2025’s “TBT^2: Remarkable Animals“:

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TBT^256: Road Trip!

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Yours portly is heading to see his older brother down in the Lowcountry this weekend, so it seemed like a good time to look back at this series of classic posts about road tripping around the Southeast and beyond. I’ll be back “on the soulless, boring Interstate Highway System”—specifically the particularly dreadful I-95—but there’ll be some good backroads, too.

I’ve got quite a bit of driving ahead of me. In a couple of weeks I’ll be presenting a couple of workshops at the South Carolina Independent School Association’s (SCISA‘s) annual teachers’ conference. I’ll be covering two topics: how to create a DIY garage band music program; and how teachers can make extra money teaching private music lessons. Naturally, I’ll be sharing the slides and resources with my paid subscribers once they’re done! But I’m looking forward to some open road and checking out the Upstate.

Yes, it seems September will see me all over South Carolina. I should write a book about that (that’s an Amazon Affiliate link; I receive a portion of any purchases made through that link, at no additional cost to you).

With that, here is 4 September 2025’s “TBT^16: Road Trip!“:

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TBT^256: Rebuilding Civilization: The Hunter-Gatherer

The Portly Politico6 Comments

Months ago I soft-pitched the idea for a piece to Feigned Flight Magazine about the Mongols, specifically related to a question their editor and founder, Michael, posed: did the Mongols really contribute anything enduring to civilization? And, no, we’re not talking about yurts or horseback riding equipment or techniques; rather, did they contribute anything that left an indelible imprint beyond a handful of technological innovations?

The historical record seems to indicate that, while the Mongols certainly had a significant impact—destroying some insane percentage of the world’s population, along with countless cities and towns—they never seemed to develop a culture of their own that would come to dominate other cultures. Instead—as is often the case with nomadic steppe peoples—they adopted the cultures of their conquered peoples.

Certainly, something similar could be said of the Romans—they largely adopted Greek culture as their own—but even before their conquest of Greece, the Romans had a highly sophisticated religion, government, etc. It seems that the Mongols had a world-historic figure in the form of Genghis Khan—and that’s it. His empire barely lasted a century beyond his death. Perhaps his most impactful descendant, Kublai Khan, is more noteworthy for how quickly he abandoned the life of the steppe for the soft silks of Chinese civilization (although it is said that he maintained a patch of Mongol grass and dirt on his palace grounds so he would stay tied to his homeland).

I don’t want to write off the Mongols entirely, but my (admittedly very) preliminary research seems to indicate that any “contributions” they made were really detriments to human development and flourishing. “Spreading the bubonic plague” isn’t exactly a “contribution,” more of an unfortunate side effect of hordes of horsemen thundering across Eurasia, leaving a bloody trail as they went.

If the Mongols accomplished anything, it’s that their swath of destruction brought about the fanciful “Pax Mongolica,” or “Mongol Peace,” a period from roughly 1250-1350 AD in which there was relative stability on the central Asian steppe. That peace allowed trade to flow relatively unmolested along the Silk Road (although the accounts of Marco Polo and others make it clear that it was still a very violent place). As I told my students in World History, though, it was “the peace of the graveyard”—it’s easy to pacify a wild land when there’s no one left alive to challenge you!

It is interesting to ponder, though: perhaps the real “contribution” of nomadic peoples like the Mongols is that they cause settled agriculturalists to better defend themselves. It also seems that the absorption of nomads into settled society injects some steppe vigor into established civilizations: the barbarians are uncouth, but they’re alive. Also, for all the independence of the Mongols and other steppe tribes, they had a codependent relationship with settled civilizations: the former depended on the latter for supplies via trading or raiding. It is interesting to consider, too, that once having tasted the fruits of civilization, many nomads opted for that life over the rough-hewn existence of the plains.

All interesting points to consider and mull over—and hopefully turn into a more structured essay!

With that, here is 28 August 2025’s “TBT^16: Rebuilding Civilization: The Hunter-Gatherer“:

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TBT^16: Chapel Lesson: Listening

The Portly Politico4 Comments

Today is the second Chapel of the new school year, and the first devotional I’ll be giving as the Chaplain! My plan is to play a saxophone rendition of the hymn “Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling” and to tie that into my brief devotional.

That being the case, I thought I’d look back at this little devotional from a chapel way back in 2022, one that I’ve reblogged several times since then. It’s message is one we all need to hear regularly—especially me!

With that, here is 21 August 2025’s “TBT^4: Chapel Lesson: Listening“:

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TBT: First Day of School 202[6]

The Portly Politico2 Comments

Yesterday was the first day of classes for the 2026-2027 academic year. It is the first “first day of school” I have not attended in fifteen-ish years.

Instead, today is my first day of the school year. I’m now the part-time Chaplain for my school, and I only go in (usually) once a week, on Thursdays, for the morning Chapel service. The new headmaster will be covering today’s Chapel, so I won’t give my first devotional until next week.

It’s a little surreal being “back-to-school” in this new role—and without truly being “back” all the time. But I love it so far.

I had to attend a few of the back-to-school trainings and professional developments, and while my school is incredibly mild with that stuff compared to public schools, it was a confirmation that leaving full-time classroom teaching was the right move. Admin was scrambling to finalize the master schedule (in part because there is a new schedule this year), and one colleague had a substantial, last-minute change to his teaching load (fortunately, I was able to give him all of my materials for the course, so he should be good to go). Everyone is magically expected to be ready for this week, and it’s a testament to the kind of miracles teachers pull off that most of them probably were!

Avoiding that kind of chaos is pretty sweet. I’ve had a small dose of it, as the time for Chapel kept shifting around as the admin continued to make tweaks to the new schedule, but I’ve found that being proactive and trying to nail down details with them in writing and in advance goes a long way in the CYA department. Also, I don’t really have to work anymore, so I have ultimate outcome-independence. Being able to say, “no, I don’t think I will” is pretty liberating, albeit counterintuitive to an innate people-pleaser.

Well, here’s to doing the fun part of education with almost none of the baggage. Woooooooooot!

With that, here is 18 August 2025’s “First Day of School 2025“:

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TBT^65,536: Back to the Grind 202[6]

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Teachers at my school reported back this past Tuesday. While I am no longer teaching full time, I also had to go in for a day of professional development and training. Unlike my full-time colleagues, I am not present for the various registration days, when kids come in to get their textbooks and what-not.

It’s a tad surreal, but I’m not complaining; I rather like working from home most days. I’ll soon be sharing my weekly chapel sermons/devotionals here, so stay tuned.

One thing that will be an adjustment is not putting together tests, quizzes, handouts, slides, and the like. I was compiling all of my materials for World History for the teacher who is taking that class on this year, and it was a massive folder. The sweet lady who is taking over my Music Ensembles—she is an accomplished singer-songwriter and will do a great job—and I have been coordinating on how to prepare for concerts, etc. I created a Google Drive folder for her with lead sheets and tabs and what-not from the past fifteen years, and it ran to 800+ files. Granted, some of those are *.doc files that I then converted to PDFs, but that still comes out to around 400+ unique files—quite a bit of music.

It’s kind of wild to consider how much sheer content a teacher, especially a history (and, apparently, music) teacher produces. One of my former colleagues and friends once compared us to content creators: we’re basically churning out multiple fifty-five-ish-minute podcasts or YouTube videos every day. I’ve likened it to being an overworked cruise ship entertainer without access to the buffet: you’re giving several performances a day. In education, though, the cruisers are more weekenders out of Orlando with Carnival, not a five-night voyagers on a classier line like Royal Caribbean.

Well, here’s to seeing what this new role and school year hold. Classes resume on 12 August 2026—in six days—and then we’re off!

With that, here is 7 August 2025’s “TBT^256: Back to the Grind 202[5]“:

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Lazy Sunday CCCXCIX: Cruise Haiku

The Portly Politico4 Comments

On the last night of our cruise I jotted down some haiku in a very nice journal Dr. Wife purchased for me. I’ve featured what I would consider to be the most “cruise-related” haiku over the past couple of Mondays, although I have some more that will be featured in something or somewhere approximately “whenever.”

In the meantime, here are the two installments of Cruise Haiku in case you missed them:

Happy Sunday!

—TPP