31 years on this Earth.

 Happy birthday to me.

Updated book list and college sports #4

 Completed:

• The 9/11 Commission Report
• Columbine by Dave Cullen
• Caught in the Revolution: Witnesses to the Fall of Imperial Russia by Helen Rappaport
• World War I: The Definitive Visual History
• World War II: The Definitive Visual History
• The Romanovs 1613-1918 by Simon Sebag Montefiore
• The Vietnam War: The Definitive Illustrated History
• The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra by Helen Rappaport
• The Race to Save the Romanovs by Helen Rappaport
• The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
• The Last Days of the Romanovs: Tragedy at Ekaterinburg by Helen Rappaport
• What If? and What If? 2 - A series of essays by historians on what might have been.
• Citizen Soldiers by Stephen Ambrose
• Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
• America Before by Graham Hancock

In progress:

• All the Gallant Men by Donald Stratton
• The Civil War: A Visual History

On the docket:

• The American Revolution: A Visual History
• The Savage Wars of Peace: Small Wars and the Rise of American Power by Max Boot (A book I bought between 8th and 9th grades in July 2003 but never actually read.)
• Dark History of Russia by Michael Kerrigan
• Killing the Rising Sun by Bill O'Reilly & Martin Dugard
• The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett M. Graff
• 1453: The Holy War for Constantinople and the Clash of Islam and the West by Roger Crowley
• War and Peace (abridged) by Leo Tolstoy

The 2020-2021 basketball season is winding down. Iowa State finished the regular season with a 16-9 overall record and a 12-6 conference record. They start the Big 12 tournament next week in the 4/5 match-up. Not bad for a team that started three freshmen all but two games and had no post size or depth all year. Here's hoping they can win a few conference tourney games followed by a decent NCAA run.

Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna painting while wearing a basket on her head.

 

Beautiful pencil sketch of A.N. by Ngaladel

 

Source: https://www.deviantart.com/ngaladel/art/A-N-387852311

Fiesta Bowl Champions

3rd ever 9-win season

1st ever New Years' Six bowl

Most conference wins in a season

1st place in the Big XII

We're all gonna make it.

Me in real life.

Another Dmitry Shmarin painting.

 Source: http://shmarinart.ru/en/gallery/gallery/conversation_painting/pictures/svjatajarus

Dmitry Shmarin Painting

    Recently I was watching this video on The Romanov Royal Martyrs YouTube channel and in the video there were brief glimpses of a lovely painting by Dmitry Shmarin (I hope I'm spelling that right). I can't for the life of me find anything more about this painting. I've included screenshots below.

   It's a beautiful painting and I'd like to know more about it.

Happy 125th Birthday to Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna Romanova

Born November 3/15, 1895

 

Updated book list #3

 Completed:

• The 9/11 Commission Report
• Columbine by Dave Cullen
• Caught in the Revolution: Witnesses to the Fall of Imperial Russia by Helen Rappaport
• World War I: The Definitive Visual History
• World War II: The Definitive Visual History
• The Romanovs 1613-1918 by Simon Sebag Montefiore
• The Vietnam War: The Definitive Illustrated History
• The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra by Helen Rappaport
• The Race to Save the Romanovs by Helen Rappaport
• The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
• The Last Days of the Romanovs: Tragedy at Ekaterinburg by Helen Rappaport
• What If? and What If? 2 - A series of essays by historians on what might have been.
• Citizen Soldiers by Stephen Ambrose
• Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

In progress:

• America Before by Graham Hancock
• The Civil War: A Visual History

On the docket:

• The American Revolution: A Visual History
• The Savage Wars of Peace: Small Wars and the Rise of American Power by Max Boot (A book I bought between 8th and 9th grades in July 2003 but never actually read.)

"Virtue with the crown on it is a greater enemy to the world revolution than a hundred tyrant tsars."

The above quote was made by Vladimir Lenin upon hearing the news of Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine's murder by the Bolsheviks on July 18, 1918, the day after the murder of her sister, Empress Alexandra. Today, November 1, is her birthday. Happy birthday Holy Martyr Elizabeth Feodorovna.