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I know: this pic is from "The Name Of The Doctor" from the Steven Moffat era. Its bleakness is plenty fitting for this post though. |
Sunday, October 12, 2025
Former writer admits what we all know: Doctor Who is DEAD
Friday, October 10, 2025
First question from a reader about Keeping the Tryst
Okay, someone just asked the very first question that I've been given about Keeping the Tryst. This is from a person has finished part one.
Here's the question: "What was the joke that you told your uncle?"
If you've been reading the book, scroll down past the spoiler space and you'll find the answer...
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The question pertains to the joke that Mom asked me to share with my Uncle Frank, who was Dad's brother-in-law, late that night after they got back from the hospital following Dad's accident earlier in the afternoon.
I had heard this joke at school earlier that afternoon. And I admit that at the time I thought it was pretty funny, though I hadn't grasped yet just how serious it really was. It's not a joke I would tell now, forty years later.
Here's the joke:
"What do you call Rock Hudson in a wheelchair?"
"Roll-AIDS."
This wasn't very long after actor Rock Hudson had died of AIDS. Hudson's coming forward about being infected with HIV was a revelation that sent shockwaves through American pop culture. And of course Rolaids is a popular antacid/heartburn medication.
Definitely an Eighties-era joke and like I said, it's not one I would tell anyone these days. But I fleetingly mention it in the book, it sort of adds to the scene that I'm describing: Mom and Uncle Frank returning after being at the hospital all evening, bringing cold hamburgers from Hardee's for my sister and mine's dinner. When I had told Mom the joke on the way back from school that afternoon she said she didn't like it. And now here was Mom wanting me to share that same joke with my uncle. It kind of underscores how dire the day had become just like that (Chris snaps fingers).
If any more questions come, I'll be sure to provide an answer (as best I can).
And if you want to read my book here's the page on Amazon where you can find Keeping the Tryst. Available in hardcover and for Kindle readers and apps.
Thursday, October 09, 2025
It's been a week since Keeping the Tryst was published...
...and I just checked the metrics. According to the report, the book has sold very well so far, considering that I'm a relative unknown (outside of this blog, various stunts over the years and the occasional op-ed piece). Right now it's holding at around #90 in the survival biographies genre, and hovering about #1200 among all memoirs in the Kindle store. Not bad at all for a newly-minted book author eight days in.
I've gotten some feedback from people who have bought the Keeping the Tryst hardcover. Every one has commented on how readable it is, despite the 537 pages length. The font size and the cream-colored paper are very easy on the eyes, and that the chapters are divided into so many sections also makes the book readily digestible and fast-moving. One person read the entire book in two days.
At the moment, I'm quite pleased about what's happened since its release. I'm hoping that there will get to be some word-of-mouth and that others will consider purchasing and reading it. I never expected to be a bestselling author right out the gate and that probably won't happen. But a lot of people over the years have said that my story is one that many would find not just interesting, but captivating. I believe them, enough so that I worked on this book on-and-off for over a decade. I've said that if even just one person found reading it to be time well spent, then my task as an author will be successful. Based on the figures I looked at earlier, the book has smashed through that target... and how!
Keeping the Tryst is available in hardcover edition and in Kindle ebook format.
Wednesday, October 08, 2025
I need to make more posts like this
So Game Wardens in Texas have arrested this guy, 39 year old Ethan McNeely from Oregon.He was crouched in the woods attempting to hunt squirrels with nothing but his hands and teeth near Lake Tawakoni Dam
Ethan insists that “I’m a primal predator, not a sportsman” and argued with the officers that “God-given claws and fangs” exempt him requiring a hunting license.
Ethan goes on saying “If I catch it with my molars, that’s between me and Mother Nature” while reportedly spitting out a mouth full of tree bark.
Game wardens have stated that while his hunting techniques are unique, there exists no game law that makes exceptions for “wannabe cavemen”.
Ethan was booked on charges of hunting without a license and disorderly conduct after he reportedly growled at the officers. He maintains that he’s being persecuted saying “they can cage me but they’ll never cage my inner wolf.”
Ahhh Oregon, the "Florida Man" refuge of the Northwest. But I suppose in an age when we're supposed to tolerate people "identifying" as everything from the opposite gender to kittens, we can forgive a man for assuming the role of werewolf.
The judge should dismiss the charges, on the grounds that this man has comedic value.
Monday, October 06, 2025
"God must have needed a photographer, and He got the very best with Tim."
That was one of the very first thoughts that came to mind this morning.
My heart felt like it broke into a hundred pieces yesterday afternoon, upon hearing of the passing of my very good friend Tim Talley.Tim was many things to many people. I suppose the first aspect that comes to the minds of lots of folks is that he was an amazing photographer. For more than forty years Tim made his mark not just in Reidsville and Rockingham County, but throughout the Piedmont region. Tim was blessed with an incredible vision and sense of composition. The man worked with light the way that the finest sculptors work with clay. Tim came up with seemingly countless ways of staging photos and he would go to whatever lengths it took to pull them off. He also had a way of bringing out the best of his subjects. Everyone was beautiful in his eye and he knew how to capture and convey that with his camera. Tim had ways of pulling off the almost impossible... like when he coaxed my dachshund Tammy into sitting still when we did a photo shoot with him in 2017. I had told him that if he could do that then he was a better man than me... and lo and behold he did it!
If nothing else then the many thousands of portraits that he made, hanging in family living rooms throughout the region, attests to his talent.
Those who knew him best, though, will remember him for so much else.
Tim was a devoted husband to his wife Donna, and a father to his son Brandon. He absolutely adored Brandon's wife and their three daughters. When Tim finally retired some years ago, it was always with it borne in mind that he and Donna were going to move to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania so he could be closer to Brandon and his family.
And once Tim got situated in Lancaster County, he very quickly made friends among the people there, especially his Amish neighbors. I think Tim might have been the one photographer they trusted enough with his getting an occasional picture of them (but not for widespread publication, those were meant for his friends and family). Not long after relocating there, Tim became the driver of a tour bus, and he became much beloved for his knowledge, his sense of humor, and just the fact that he was a southerner driving visitors around "Amish Country".
Tim's good cheer and friendliness were absolutely contagious. His smile lit up everything... and every one... who came into his proximity. I don't think Tim ever met a stranger. And in that regard, he certainly became a role model for my own place in this world.
Tim had principles. He stood resolute upon them. I think it's safe to say that there were some people who didn't agree with those. But there was too much respect for Tim than to think any less of him for those. With Tim, you knew where he was positioned. And that had to be admired by all who knew him or knew of him.
Tim devoted his life to serving God, in whatever capacity that might be. God gave him a talent and Tim was determined to make the most of it. He truly was a brother in Christ who cared for all who came into his life, for however long or brief it might have been.
I think that most of all, though, what especially rends my heart right now, is that I have lost a true friend.
I had my photo taken by Tim several times. I also knew him from the Boy Scouts. He and I were adult leaders in Reidsville's Troop 797. In fact, that's where I first laid eyes on him, after seeing his work displayed around the area for years already. Once, a month or so before I graduated from high school, Tim and me and several other Scouts and Scouters made a long drive to camp in the North Carolina mountains for a weekend and to hike part of the Appalachian Trail. Tim made sure to bring a camera along to snap photos. He took to mountain hiking the way a fish takes to water. The troop also went camping a few times at Tim's place outside of Reidsville.
We were already friends. When Facebook came along that gave us more opportunity to keep in touch on a regular basis. Tim often shared some of his latest handiwork, and he was ever eager to demonstrate to his readers how he worked his trade. I learned a lot about photography from Tim and his informal academy. I believe a lot of people did, too.
Well, I could say so much, much more. All that I really know since yesterday afternoon is that the world has lost a tremendously talented man, a family has lost a husband and a father and a grandfather, two communities hundreds of miles apart have lost a respected citizen, and I have lost a wonderful friend.
Until we meet again, Tim. Thank you for being you. And I thank God that He let you be in our lives, for however brief a season it seemed.
Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Keeping The Tryst has been released!!
Saturday, September 27, 2025
Keeping the Tryst: The first copy has arrived!
It got here about thirty minutes ago.
As you can see Tammy approves! :-)
Keeping the Tryst arrives in hardcover and for Kindle ebook this coming Wednesday, October 1st, at 12:00 a.m. UTC. That's 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on September 30th. My friends and I are thinking of having a small release party counting down to the moment it publishes. Hey how many times do you get to say in your life that your first book is being published? :-D
Friday, September 26, 2025
An Elon student's very impressive op-ed about Queens merger
Last week my alma mater, Elon University, announced that it was merging with Queens University over a hundred miles away in Charlotte, North Carolina. Which was a proclamation that had me - and many others it seems - scratching their heads. What exactly is Elon's angle here? The last time that Elon made any significant branching-out was the law school in Greensboro some years ago. But that's vastly different from wholesale engulfing another higher-learning institution.
Along with the seemingly unceasing construction that's been going on for as long as I can remember (I graduated in 1999), it's now coming inescapably apparent that Elon has a voracious appetite for real estate and that's not necessarily a good thing.
Current Elon student Alex Nettles has composed an extremely well-written, researched and articulated opinion piece that's been published on Elon's in-house news operation. "The Elon Empire: Why the Queens University merger shows deeper problems" is a nigh-on brutal intervention for the college's expansion ambitions. In it, Nettles argues that Elon is looking more toward its geographic footprint more than where it should really matter. Namely, increasing its endowment, which has become imperiled by current trends regarding enrollment at colleges nationwide. As Nettles describes it...
Elon has a fixation on qualifying its success with physical growth. Go on a walk through campus. You’ll see why tours are a big deal here. They have a lot of buildings to point to, like a guide in Greece pointing to ruins.
Outside of Richard W. Sankey hall, tour guides lead groups around, while gesturing at buildings. The steel frame of the Health EU building hangs in the distance. The construction site used to be an open field. Distant sounds of steel come close to disorienting the guide's extroversion. There is a legacy of physical growth as progress on campus.
This legacy can be traced with how much we spend. The Health EU Building will cost $60 million, the East Neighborhood Commons cost $19.7 million and Founders and Innovation Hall cost $31 Million. A rough estimation of $110.7 Million since 2022. For perspective, the most recent endowment statistic was $322 million.
So think about it.The endowment is our pool of money to shield a university from years of downturns. We’ve spent 34% of our 2023 endowment. The money didn’t come straight from the endowment, but it reveals a lot.
Well, it's just an enormously enlightening - and rather disturbing, if we are going to be honest - opinion piece. Mr. Nettles should be proud of himself for the work itself and much more so, having the courage to put the issue in the forefront of the administration's awareness. From one Elon columnist to another: bravo Alex Nettles!
Thursday, September 25, 2025
Thankful to God for my Tammy
Monday, September 22, 2025
Forgive me, for I have sinned (against good grammar)...
Sunday, September 21, 2025
Keeping The Tryst: "What is the deal with your name?"
Some people are asking about my name on my book Keeping the Tryst: "Robert Christopher Knight". Inside the book I'm almost always referred to as Chris, which is what I've answered to all my life. So where does "Robert" come from?
Okay, here it goes...My full name is Robert Christopher Knight. My dad was Robert Rankin Knight. Instead of me being a "junior" my parents gave me a different middle name. And I guess to differentiate Dad and I when someone was attempting to communicate with one of us, they called me Chris. And that's the way it's been for all my life: I've been "Chris Knight". I've very rarely been called "Robert Knight". One of my first teachers in college called me "Bob" early on and he was REALLY confounded about my preferring to be "Chris".
So, I'm Chris Knight. But whenever I've published something or run for office (which there will likely only ever be one time that I do that) I've done so as "Christopher Knight". Why? It's in the pages of my book. It's something I do in honor of what God has done in my life. Saul of Tarsus became Paul the Apostle. Just so, I took on a different name for my writing (and other stuff).
But the REAL reason why my name is "Robert Christopher Knight" on the cover and title page of my book?
I don't want to be confused with Christopher Knight who played Peter on The Brady Bunch.
Robert Redford passed away this last week
Saturday, September 20, 2025
What I'm feeling like after reading all the news lately...
Looking around, seeing all the anger and hatred, coming from all sides it seems of American culture. Feeling like I'm an outsider to it all, can't figure out where I fit in. Not that I'd really want to fit in.
What has happened since Charlie Kirk's passing has been especially troubling. I can't remember the last time I saw so many people rejoicing over the death of a man. Especially an innocent man.
How did we come to this? How do we overcome it?
Some people, it seems, want to hate others. And they are getting angry when they express that hatred and there come to be consequences of it.
(Why anyone would openly post on social media that they are delighting in the death of a fellow human being, I've no idea. As has been said, "The Internet never forgets." Some people are learning that the hard way now.)
So here I am, watching all of this unfold, the mistrust and the paranoia that's enveloping America.
What most readily comes to mind, and this really is how I'm feeling, is MacReady's line from the 1982 film The Thing:
"ALL RIGHT, CUT THE BULLSHIT!!!"
Apologies for the full quote, but that honestly is how it is right now.
Thursday, September 18, 2025
A special preview of Keeping The Tryst
So since we're in the home stretch leading up to publication, I thought I'd share a bit of it. What you're about to read is the opening to chapter five, which spans the course of a year between my being ten and eleven. A lot transpired in that period of time: some good but some of it not so pleasant. These first several paragraphs though convey one of the happier memories of my childhood. And it delights me to share it now...
There is a scene in the movie Citizen Kane where Mr. Bernstein mentions how sometimes a person will remember an occurrence without understanding why that particular memory is so vivid. He recalls how long years earlier he saw a girl in a white dress, carrying a white parasol. Bernstein saw the girl for just a fleeting moment, and she didn’t see him. But he confesses that there hasn't been a month that he hasn’t thought about her.
My “girl with a white parasol” moment happened on July 26th, 1984. And I doubt there has been a week since that she has not come to mind.
It was the summer after fourth grade. And it had been a grand one in my little world and beyond. Summer vacation began with a solar eclipse three hours after school let out. Between that and the start of fifth grade were two trips by my family to White Lake, the premiere of Ghostbusters, a Star Trek marathon, the race between Reagan and Mondale, the music… the summer of ’84 was on fire!
The family was at peace, that summer. I wasn’t in fear of anyone, and that felt good.
In the midst of all this my parents and sister and I took a trip north to visit our cousins. We left on Friday afternoon and made it to Virginia Beach late that night. The next day Dad drove us across the harrowing Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel. A few hours after taking the Cape May ferry to the southern tip of New Jersey we arrived in Point Pleasant, just in time for dinner with Bill and Mary.
We stayed with them until Wednesday. Then we left for somewhere that Mom and Dad said would be a place we would never forget: Amish Country.
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania was unlike anything I had ever expected to see. “Plain” folk were going about in their simple clothing and riding their horse-drawn buggies. We passed by a barn that was being built. All of this and more, a place that was incredibly out of time with the rest of the world… and I loved it!
“Is this just for the tourist trade?” I asked my parents. They insisted that the Amish really did live this way and had been for hundreds of years.
It was just before noon, following a morning of going on a guided tour of the area and being taught about the Amish and their culture. We decided that we needed lunch. We pulled into a McDonald’s parking lot. The four of us went inside and got in line.
And that’s when I saw her.
She was a little Amish girl. She must have been about ten, like me. Wearing a long blue dress and a white bonnet and black boots. She was waiting to be served at the counter also. And it was just such a strange juxtaposition, seeing a girl dressed like that in line at a modern fast food restaurant.
She was soooo incredibly cute. My heart began doing things it had never done before.
And then our eyes met one another’s.
She smiled at me and said “Hello.”
I had never seen anyone so beautiful.
“Hello,” I said clumsily.
She smiled again.
The Amish girl picked up her order. She said goodbye and with a whirl of her dress she was headed toward the door.
I watched her leave. I waited, hoping she would turn back around and smile one more time. At just the last moment she did and waved at me.
Encountering that Amish girl was the greatest thing that happened to me all that summer. And more than forty years later, I still think of her.
It was the noontide of my childhood. But I could not know that yet.
Keeping The Tryst drops on Amazon at 12:00 AM UTC on October 1st. That's about 8 PM on September 30th in Eastern Standard Time, if I'm figuring it right.
Thursday, September 11, 2025
A poem that comes to mind right now
"The Wrath Of The Awakened Saxon"
By Rudyard Kipling
It was not part of their blood,
It came to them very late,
With long arrears to make good,
When the Saxon began to hate.
They were not easily moved,
They were icy — willing to wait
Till every count should be proved,
Ere the Saxon began to hate.
Their voices were even and low.
Their eyes were level and straight.
There was neither sign nor show
When the Saxon began to hate.
It was not preached to the crowd.
It was not taught by the state.
No man spoke it aloud
When the Saxon began to hate.
It was not suddently bred.
It will not swiftly abate.
Through the chilled years ahead,
When Time shall count from the date
That the Saxon began to hate.