February is rolling along as we head towards spring. The temperature are slowly improving, although it’s still around freezing at night. We’re receiving a good rain today, which we need as everything seems pretty dry. Will this start of turning things green? Will have to wait and see.
The Detroit Pistons won two more games this week, raising their to 40-13. As the NBA heads into their All Star break, Detroit is still in first place in the Eastern Conference’s Central Division, seven games ahead of second place Cleveland. I hope after the break they continue their winning ways.
The Michigan Wolverines (2nd in the NCAA rankings) beat Ohio State and Northwestern this week before they roared past UCLA 86-56 to up their record to 24-1. With first place Arizona falling yesterday, will Michigan become the new first place team? We should find out tomorrow. They have six more games before the Big Ten tournament.
Meanwhile, the Michigan State Spartans lost another game this week, falling to Wisconsin 92-71 and dropping their record to 20-5. Although they are currently ranked 10th in the NCAA rankings, they’ll likely drop a few places when the new poll is released.
“I’m out there to clean the plate. Once they’ve read what I’ve written on a subject, I want them to think, ‘That’s it!’ I think the highest aspiration people in our trade can have is that once they’ve written a story, nobody will ever try it again.”— Richard Ben Cramer. Compliments of https://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/72-of-the-best-quotes-about-writing
So who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on February 15th, the 7th Sunday of 2026 and the third one in February. (Compliments of https://www.onthisday.com/birthdays/).
Claude Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, French satirical novelist (The Skimmer); Friedrich August Wolf, German philologist (Prolegomena); Jens Baggesen, Danish writer and linguist (Labyrinth); Abraham de Amorie van der de Have, Dutch theologist and poet; Demetrius Vikelas, Greek businessman and writer (first President International Olympic Committee 1894-1896); Alfred North Whitehead, British mathematician and philosopher (Adventures of Ideas); Halford John Mackinder, British geographer (Britain and the British Seas); Bannister Fletcher, English architect and architectural historian (A History of Architecture); Sax Rohmer [Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward], English author (Dr Fu Manchu novels); Sidney Gilliat, English screenwriter (Night Train to Munich) and director,; Ypk van der Fear, Dutch writer (Reade Runen); George Mikes, Hungarian-British writer and humorist (How to Be an Alien); Ian Ballantine, American publisher (Ballantine Books); Piet van Aken, Flemish writer (Klinkaart, Het begeren); Radha Krishna Choudhary, Indian historian and writer (History of Bihar); Herman Kahn, American, writer and military strategist (Thinking About the Unthinkable); Norman Bridwell, American author and cartoonist (Clifford the Big Red Dog); Gérard Chaliand [Gérard Tchalian], Belgian-French writer and geopolitical expert (Revolution in the Third World, A Global History of War); Paul Ekman, American psychologist known for his work on facial expressions (Telling Lies, Emotions Revealed); Susan Brownmiller, American activist and feminist author (Against Our Wills); Gregory Mcdonald, American mystery writer known for “Fletch”; Jack Tinker, British theater critic for the Daily Mail; Jo Clayton, American sci-fi and fantasy author (Irsud, Maeve, Star Hunters); Ian Heads, Australian sports journalist, commentator and author who was rugby league’s foremost historian (Rugby League Week); Douglas Hofstadte, American academic and writer; Art Spiegelman, American cartoonist (The New Yorker, 1992-2002), Pulitzer Prize winning graphic novelist (Maus), and editor (Arcade; Raw); Matt Groening, American cartoonist and writer (Life in Hell; The Simpsons; Futurama); Chrystine Brouillet, Quebec novelist (Chère Voisine); Josh Marshall, American journalist and blogger (Talking Points Memo); and Miranda July, American writer, actress, and filmmaker (You, Me, and Everyone We Know;; Kajillionaire).
Any names familiar to you? There weren’t any for me this week. Whether you recognize anyone on the list or not, if today’s your special day I hope you have a great one!
My Work in Progress
Work slowly continues on Temples of Abydos as multiple external activities are consuming most of my time. Over the past week, there have been an additional eight chapter reviews, bringing the total to sixty-nine. As always, plenty of positive suggestions to improve my writing.
Here’s the next snippet:
The following morning, Ali joined Charles, Isabella, and Finley for breakfast at the Blue Restaurant and Grill inside the Kempinski Hotel. When Ali entered, his eyes bulged as a hand shot to his chest. “Have I died and gone to heaven? One day here would feed my entire village for a full week.”
“Where is your village? Will we be able to visit?” Isabella buttered a warm croissant and set it on the plate next to her tea.
Ali waved a hand in a northwesterly direction. “It is not too far from Cairo. Sometimes the desert encroaches on the buildings as the sand shifts.” He laughed. “At one point, my ancestral home was no longer in the village, which created many difficulties.”.
“Finley laughed. “What happened?”
“My father, may the gods protect him from all evil, is the chieftain, although I do not know how much longer he will walk the earth. Tradition passed down through generations requires the chieftain to always reside in the village.” He is a very sagacious man—at least he was, but his mind is somewhat depleted. However, now he is in his ninetieth year. To solve the problem, he purchased a second house—this one in the middle of the village. So when the parameters of the village shifted one more, he moved back into the ancestral home. Either way, he always remains within the village, no matter what the desert does.”
Charles smiled. “I hope we meet your family while we’re here.”
“That is my plan.” Ali glanced toward the ceiling. “However, I do not want to tempt fate nor upset the guards. As you would say, we will play this by the ear.”
“I’d like to visit the warehouse you chose for our base.” Charles ran a hand over his blue cotton shirt and black trousers. “As you can see, I’ve shed my fancy travel clothes.” He laughed. “I see you have too, Ali.”
“I wore the fez and Bedouin clothes just to make an impression with Isabella and Finley.” Ali looked down. “This suit is more my style, but like you, I will wear something more suitable for our excursion. You are much more presentable now for me to take around Cairo. It is most inadvisable to be showing any wealth—it will mark you as a person for the thieves.”
“What about us staying here?” Isabella glanced at Charles. “Should we change hotels?”
Ali shook his head. “Many foreigners visit Cairo each year and stay in the best hotels without any known difficulties. It is when you travel around the city that bad things might happen. After today, Jabari or one of his team will be with us whenever we leave the hotel.”
“What about today?” Charles pursed his lips.
“Ah. He is busy making arrangements.” Ali patted his left shoulder. “Howsoever security is needed, I am armed.”
Charles finished his coffee. “Are we ready to go?”
“If you do not mind, Professor, I would like one more of these delicious pastries—or perhaps two, if they are not too filling.” Ali patted his taut stomach. “I must ensure my body has the proper food to keep me functioning at my normal high levels. Besides, I do not think I have tasted anything so good.”
Everyone laughed.
“I had the hotel put a hamper together to take with us.” Isabella smiled. There should be plenty of pastries, fruit, and sandwiches to tide us over.”
“Perfect.” Ali took a large bite of his pastry and washed it down with a cup of tea. “Two minutes shall pass when I am ready.”
At last, they stood and left the hotel.
Ali led them to the same vehicle he used the night before. “Our chariot awaits.”
Once everyone climbed inside, Ali tapped the dash. “We are at peace today. Our conveyance will take us where we want to go.”
As promised, the engine fired on the first try without the black smoke.
He pulled out of the parking spot and plunged into the traffic without a glance at other vehicles.
While some drivers blew their horns, most just gave way to another Cairo driver.
“It will take much longer to reach the warehouse than coming from the airport. Traffic is very bad, so I must go slow. However, the warehouse is exactly what we will need to prepare for our excursion to Abydos.”
“How is the money holding out?” Charles attempted to keep his hand away from the panic strap, although he did grab it from time to time. He kept working imaginary brakes whenever he thought they might collide with another vehicle.
“Your benefactor was most gracious with his funds. I have used no more than half of what he sent. Of course, I shall inform you right away if I need more.”
“Excellent.” Charles glanced at Isabella. “I shall let him know in due course. After our visit to the warehouse, I’d like you to take us on a drive around the city and point out some of the tourist spots. We will want to visit some of them before we head to Abydos.”
“Yes, Professor. When would you like to put the charms of Cairo behind us?
“How soon can we be ready?”
“If I am not so mistaken, we could depart the day after tomorrow. If it is permitted, I would like to take Isabella and Finley to the nearby pyramids.”
More next time.
This brings us to an end for another week. I hope you found something of interest. If you have any suggestions for a topic you’d like to read about, please let me know. Until the next time, thank you for reading and hope you drop in again.
© Copyright 2026 Randall Krzak. All rights reserved
Work continues at a good pace on Vendetta, the sixth novel in my Bedlam series, finishing chapter twelve and posting it to the two online subscription writing sites I use. There were another nineteen reviews this week, bringing the total to 181. As always, plenty of suggestions to improve my writing.