And other aspirational poetry
I haven’t written here in a long time. Part of it is because I put my money where my mouth is and have been volunteering and working in whatever capacity I can to make the world a better place. Yay me. Part of it is because I’m working on another article on racism, and it’s emotionally taxing and hard. And part of it is because my writing is fueled primarily by unhindered rage and, well, Biden and Harris are in the White House so comparatively I just haven’t been that angry.
Don’t get me wrong, there have been moments, eg…
Disease, Democracy, and Athens
Today I gave a talk for saveancientstudies.org and Digital Hammurabi on the Plague of Athens. It was a great deal of fun to properly research outside of my actual field. During the talk interest was expressed in anything else I’ve written (yikes) and really the best place to route people was here. So without further ado, here is the transcript of my talk.
Introduction
The Athenian Plague is a historical event integrally interlaced with the political realities of the time. It proliferated as a result of tactical and political decisions of the time and it also affected these decisions. It is…
A review of the latest Mortal Kombat movie.
Spoiler Warning for Mortal Kombat 2021, but guys, seriously. Seriously.
I knew I needed this in my life since I saw the trailer in which Sub-Zero stabs a dude with a blood icicle.
And this isn’t the first time I saw a Mortal Kombat trailer and was like, “This is a movie that speaks with love to all the stupidest parts of my psyche.” Back in 1998, for reasons, I was in Hungary and … well … Nem beszélek magyarul. So, I didn’t have a lot to say to my cousins. Anyways, the trailer for Mortal Kombat: Annihilation came on…
Meanwhile, in the land of the Conspiratorial …
Some people inject hardcore drugs, others throw themselves out of planes, but I like to read the latest crazy from the Q conspiracists. And I do regret calling them “crazy,” because crazy implies they can and should be helped. I don’t know that I believe the Q conspiracists deserve anything but prison sentences since January 6th. But, here we are.
There’s a bit of a smorgasbord to choose from here. Or maybe one of those hashtag goals charcuterie boards one sees on pinterest. Do you want cured meat? Do you want olives? Maybe a cube of cheese. Take your pick…
Let me tell you what I think of everyone else on that rush hour train
I currently live in London and have done so since just before Brexit. I wore a safety pin on my jacket when attacks on non-white Londoners rose in the wake of Brexit. I did this not because as an American I was at risk, but because as a white person I wasn’t. London was not the worst part of Britain for racist and xenophobic attacks, but it is a city, and it takes all kinds. So, while I didn’t expect trouble, I didn’t not expect it.
One day coming home from work on a very crowded train I was standing…
Unless you think women aren’t people
Trigger Warning for discussions of abortion and terminal disease.
Additional Note: There are men who have periods and who can get pregnant. I am using she/her pronouns and the term “woman,” here for facility, but there are trans men and non-binary individuals who can and sometimes do get pregnant or menstruate, and they also need to have access to gynaecological and reproductive care in a safe and gender affirming environment. The LGBTQ+ are especially vulnerable when reproductive healthcare is attacked.
I’m really struggling with this because it’s deeply personal. And also deeply insulting. And if I’m honest, I don’t know…
Sometimes You Don’t Need to Calm Down
According to Freud, depression is just anger turned inward. And if internet memes are to be believed according to “the Buddha,” which may or may not be referencing Siddhartha Gautama according to the meme maker, “Anger is like drinking poison and expecting someone else to die.”
They’re not wrong. But they’re not right either. Anger has a purpose. Sometimes that purpose can be distorted or manipulated and certainly too much of anything is bad, but if you’re never angry then something is likely very wrong. Anger is like any other emotion. You are not always happy or sad or nostalgic…
Because we’re not all talking about the same thing
Just in general, I think we need to define a few terms and have a little conversation about what I’m going to call cultural colonialism. Well, maybe not define terms because all of this is based on individual perspective, but I feel like I need to be totally clear on what it is we’re actually talking about.
We’re not dealing with anything new. “Cancel Culture” itself is not new, and the conservative reaction to it is also … not new. All of this has existed for some time. This is just another iteration of the same themes.
The problem underlying…
And other important questions
If you know me, you probably know that I spend far too much time playing Elder Scrolls Online. Sometimes I spend far too much time playing Assassin’s Creed and other times I spend far too much time playing The Sims. And don’t get me wrong, there are major issues with Assassin’s Creed and definitely The Sims.
For instance, I estimate Ezio Auditore’s weight and height at around 190 to 200 lbs and around 6 feet. He’s a hefty dude. And he’s usually clad head to toe in armour and carrying at least one battle axe (at least the way I…
A meditation on lonely card games and stoic philosophy
Did you know that some 80% of solitaire games are winnable? I certainly didn’t. But evidently that is factual. Go ahead. Look it up. I’ll be here. Possibly playing solitaire. But the issue is that if you play solitaire as its rules demand, and if you are human, you are not necessarily going to make only logical choices, and even if you do make consistently logical choices, there is sufficient chance in solitaire that a winnable game may be lost.
Some of this gets into the genius of the now standard card deck — or really any card deck if…
