1. I try to hunt up simple, straightforward points where ideas make contact with reality in order to judge their truth or falseness. Preferably reality I can see for myself, or which is at least clear and concrete enough to be resistant to rhetoric. For instance, a question that occurred to me this week: has … Continue reading Flotsam: A Hodgepodge Ending in Lovecraft
Literature
Friday Flotsam: There’s Really No Through-Line for This One
1. As I understand the matter, modern corporations are descendants of the religious orders. The idea is that property does not belong to any particular member, but rather to the imaginary ‘corporate’ self. In the religious orders, this was to allow for a vow of poverty: yes, the abbey had a lot of property, but … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: There’s Really No Through-Line for This One
Flotsam: New Apartment, No Internet, and Rabbits
1. Last week I realized a nearly five-year goal and finally moved back out into my own apartment. I've been too busy setting up to settle in yet, but already I feel the enormous relief and joy of having my own space once again. 2. The chief downside, at present, is that I don't have … Continue reading Flotsam: New Apartment, No Internet, and Rabbits
Friday Flotsam: Mostly Alice
1. This week, as a much-needed relaxation (and to help with a ‘Batman’ fan-fiction I was writing), I revisited the Alice books. I’d almost forgotten how delightful they are. Just a wonderful romp of satirical nonsense, done in that delightful Victorian way. They’re also one of the best examples of capturing the feel of a … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Mostly Alice
Friday Flotsam: On Professor Tolkien and Related(?) Matters
1. I have been reading the letters of Professor Tolkien lately, mostly straight through, though sometimes jumping about when I want to find his views on something specific. Mostly I read it because I enjoy his company, as it were, and I feel as though I am getting to know him personally as a man. … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: On Professor Tolkien and Related(?) Matters
Thoughts on ‘The Andromeda Strain’
Just finished reading Michael Crichton's 1970 novel The Andromeda Strain (I don't know; felt in the mood for it for some reason). It's quite a page turner, and I heartily recommend it to anyone with a taste for hard sci-fi. The story has a US Military satellite bring an extraterrestrial microbe back to earth as … Continue reading Thoughts on ‘The Andromeda Strain’
Brief Thoughts on Pickwick
Recently I listened to The Pickwick Papers on my way to and from work/class. For those who don't know, this was Charles Dickens's first novel, which (if I recall correctly) he was assigned to after the original author backed out, and which was intended to accompany the illustrations of a then-famous satirist, who died almost immediately … Continue reading Brief Thoughts on Pickwick
Thoughts on ‘The Wind in the Willows’
Recently I had the great joy of reading The Wind in the Willows, if not quite for the first time (I had read it at least once before when I was much younger) then for the first time since I became able to fully appreciate it. You all probably know the story, such as it is, … Continue reading Thoughts on ‘The Wind in the Willows’
Tolkien’s Songs
This young lady has some of the best renditions of Tolkien's songs that I've ever heard. Not only does she have a lovely voice, but she puts just the right emotion and just the right tone into the music that brings out their poetic beauty and sense of longing and antiquity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZnPlBOZOvs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn1oeEmzFhQ … Continue reading Tolkien’s Songs
A Plug for Tom Stranger
I really love the work of Larry Correia, New York Times Bestselling Author, endlessly amusing and interesting blogger, International Lord of Hate, and man mountain. I first became familiar with him after stumbling across his opinion on gun control (summary: he has certain reservations about it). His Grimnoir Chronicles are some of my favorite recent … Continue reading A Plug for Tom Stranger
Serpent's Den 