Not Excused

Opinions differ on what influences people to a particular course (and whether free will even exists in a real sense). I incline strongly toward theories of it being a series of events and experiences—some unnoticed or apparently unconnected—that combine to create critical momentum. However, sometimes I look back and think that if I wanted to …

A Verse about Childhood

A reminder that they don't make nostalgia like they used to. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eVMWh71SmE You might wonder if there is some message behind my sharing this poem now... but I couldn't possibly comment.

From That Angle

I recently started playing Pine, which the developers describe as an “open-world action adventure game set in a simulated world that does not belong to humans”. What they don't describe it is a “third-person adventure game with a lot of platform jumping puzzles”. Which stoked my pondering of what people choose to prioritise, both when …

Happy Burpday.

The United Kingdom's National Health Service was launched seventy-four years ago tomorrow. Nearly three-quarters of a century of free-at-point-of-service healthcare. Which is something worth celebrating. I have many reasons to be grateful to the NHS. But rather than talk about their excellent endeavours to fix things that had gone wrong, I decided to celebrate them …

Pause to Reload

The gaming community (both roleplaying and otherwise) are divided on what makes a good or bad game. Having started playing Wolfenstein: The New Order a couple of days ago, I was reminded that perhaps the most important criteria for me is a subjective rather than objective one: context. Wolfenstein is first-person-shooter franchise set in a …

Early Days of a Better Nation

With Boris Johnson PM facing a vote of no confidence, the United Kingdom might move back toward decency and progress; which inspires flickers of joy. However, the decision lies in the hands of Conservative MPs rather than the nation; which inspires flickers of powerlessness. Fortunately—while the greatest power to make a better world lies in …

Sharp Spear, Crystal Mirror: Martial Arts in Women’s Lives by Stephanie T. Hoppe

Focused primarily on the specifics of martial arts practice but also showing how those experiences pervade other areas, Hoppe provides female perspectives on what is stereotypically a very male world. Hoppe interviews a broad range of female martial artists, seeking similarities and differences in how martial arts have shaped their lives and how their experiences …

Abuzz

My Phacelia Tanacetifolia commenced blooming over the weekend, which is a double joy: once for the purplality itself; and once for the sight of bees enjoying it. In addition to the beauty of the bee, they are a greatly important part of the ecosystem. Some bees bring even deeper joy: this larger one, for example, …

North Western by Jordan Elizabeth

Elizabeth interweaves the ageless trauma of rebuilding life after loss with a powerful evocation of rural US life in the 1800’s, creating a mystery driven more by emotion than cold logic. This is the sixth volume of Elizabeth's Echoes of New York series. However, while set in the same area, the narrative and characters are …

Health Potion

Whether I'm standing firm against the imperfect in my own situation or trying to ease the lives of others, I find cooking and eating a tasty meal is a great restorative. Given the world at the moment, it seemed like a good moment to share a recipe that I enjoy in case it might aid …