"It’s difficult to write about anything cheerful, because there’s all too little cheerfulness here. On the other hand, God doesn’t abandon us. The sun shines, the birds sing, and this morning we heard the bells sounding matins." - Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna Romanova

 

Happy birthday Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna Romanova

“It’s difficult to write about anything cheerful, because there’s all too little cheerfulness here. On the other hand, God doesn’t abandon us. The sun shines, the birds sing, and this morning we heard the bells sounding matins.”

Happy birthday Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova

 

How rude of me to forget Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna's birthday yesterday.

 Happy birthday Tatiana

Updated book list #5

 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
• All the Gallant Men by Donald Stratton

In progress:

• Killing the Rising Sun by Bill O'Reilly & Martin Dugard
• The Cay by Theodore Taylor
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling.
• 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
• Creature by John Saul
• 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
• Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
• When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt

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.