Welcome to Monday’s News on the March – The week that was in my digital world.
Something (1969) – The Beatles
Commentary by Nancy (The Elephant’s Trunk) at Observation Blogger
My modest readership includes a few Beatles devotees, so I wasn’t surprised to see the beautifully George Harrison-penned song Something become a popular topic of discussion. One comment that stood out came from my friend and fellow blogger, Nancy, whose blog, The Elephant’s Trunk, I read almost daily. In response to the song Something Nancy shared that it was her wedding song. That certainly got my attention and I responded, “I can’t even begin to fathom the deep emotional connection you must have with this song.” Below is Nancy’s beautiful account of how Something was used at her wedding, which she graciously allowed me to share with all of you:
Nothing but sweet memories whenever I hear this song, which we both agreed on. However, my dad was very old school and insisted we have a live band instead of a DJ for the reception. The band was not a professional wedding band, just a bunch of older guys from the post office where dad worked who got together and jammed. When I heard their cover of Something, I nearly cried and threw one of my very rare hissy fits. This happened days before the wedding so we had time. I told my dad we could hire his friends for the reception with one exception: we had to play the actual recording of the Beatles doing Something for my wedding dance. Dad didn’t like it but knew better than to argue. We compromised and everyone was happy in the end. If I hadn’t stuck to my guns, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life.
The Roman Conquest of Britain | Julius Caesar’s Invasion | Part 1
Video discussion at The Rest is History
While recently listening to Brown University professor Glenn Lowry’s podcast with fellow cohort John McWhorter who teaches at Colombia University, the latter spoke about his proclivity to listen to The Rest is History podcast presented by historians Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook (see image left). So I checked it out and was impressed to say the least. I have since delved into many of their presentations; two series in particular one about Martin Luther: The Man Who Changed the World and the second – today’s featured topic The Roman Conquest of Europe. I don’t foresee my enjoyment of their podcasts waning any time soon.
Julius Caesar saw the Britons as brutal savages. Yet the Romans romanticised their lack of civilisation, deeming them as untainted by Mediterranean luxury. In 55 BC, after sending scouts along the Kentish coast, Caesar launched an invasion of the island as part of his Gallic Wars campaign. After a disastrous first attempt marred by storms, the “menacing horde of barbarians” of the English Home Counties asked Caesar for help and he returned with a bigger, stronger army to support their prince. Will this campaign succeed?
The Matterhorn // The Most Recognizable Mountain in the World
Video presentation at Mediocre Amateur
Apart from history presentations I have also been devouring high-end adventure ones about ultra-marathon running and mountain climbing in particular. My latest foray here was this video about ‘free-climbing with Alex Honnold’ which was insane. Now on to today’s latest adventure – The Matterhorn (image left) located in Switzerland one of the best-known mountains in the Alps. This video had me on the edge as well.
When I was young some of the first mountains I heard about were Everest, K2, and the Matterhorn. I think I recognized the Matterhorn before I knew the name of most my local mountains. I only recently looked into climbing the Matterhorn. Up until a few years ago I thought it’s pointy summit was unobtainable. Crowds, costs and technical skills made the peak seem out of reach. I had heard that long lines up the Hörnli Route could turn a day out into a horrible 20 hour nightmare. People I spoke with who had climbed it claimed that route finding after the Hörnlihütte was impossible without a guide….
That is all. Thank you for reading.
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
Happy to be a part of your post today, Matt. 😊
It’s just such an unforgettable story you shared about one of your most cherished memories. Thanks.
My pleasure, Matt.