1. Once again sick for much of this week. My cold went down, but a painful sinus headache remained, finally obliging me to go into urgent care to get an antibiotic prescription. So far it seems to be helping, so hopefully it’ll be gone before much longer. 2. Every Fourth of July finds me more … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Mostly Thoughts About America
America
Friday Flotsam: Crashes, Consolations, and Memorial Day
1. Had a car accident last weekend. No one hurt, thank God, and really not more than a fender-bender. Only, my fenders ended up much less bent than the other guy’s (he hit me, but no one really at fault; just a bad situation involving merging and unexpectedly stopped traffic), so I felt bad about … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Crashes, Consolations, and Memorial Day
Some Key Points of Our Country
Reading and thinking about history lately, it seems to me that a lot of Americans seem to gloss over certain key points about our country. We have a tendency either to forget the very peculiar circumstances of our own history and the consequent effects it must have had on our national development and mindset, or … Continue reading Some Key Points of Our Country
Flotsam: Twenty Years Later
1. I try not to talk politics much here. I don’t have the background or knowledge as yet to say anything really worthwhile about it. So don’t ask me for a rundown of how the past twenty years have gone and what we as a nation have to show for it all, though I don’t … Continue reading Flotsam: Twenty Years Later
RE-POST: Why I Love ‘Independence Day’
I missed this 4th of July's 'Independence Day' rewatch due to being sicker than paint, but here's my yearly post on why it's among my personal favorites. When Independence Day came out, it was a huge hit, but ever since then it’s kind of become the poster-child for the big, dumb, CGI-fueled blockbusters of … Continue reading RE-POST: Why I Love ‘Independence Day’
Flotsam: Snobbery, Revolutions, and the Fourth of July
1. Still in the 'awkward transition' phase regarding my new job, where I haven't even begun to do the actual job I've been hired for (which itself is a trainee position), and I'm still getting used to the new schedule and what is and is not an option now. I'm at least keeping regular writing … Continue reading Flotsam: Snobbery, Revolutions, and the Fourth of July
Ross’s Game Dungeon Does America
For this week's Saturday entertainment, I offer the 2018 4th of July (sort of) episode of Ross's Game Dungeon, where he reviews The Crew and takes a cross-country tour of the United States. I haven't kept up on the game itself in the intervening years, nor its sequel, so I don't know what the state … Continue reading Ross’s Game Dungeon Does America
Exceptionalism vs. Patriotism at the Everyman
Wherein I tackle American exceptionalism and try to explain why we need to give up on the idea: I don’t say this just because our system of government and society barely resembles that which existed at the nation’s founding (even allowing for the passage of time and development of technology). Nor because we have recently … Continue reading Exceptionalism vs. Patriotism at the Everyman
Yearly ‘Independence Day’ Tribute
Every year on the Fourth of July, I rewatch 'Independence Day,' and every year I re-post this summary of why it's among my personal favorites. When Independence Day came out, it was a huge hit, but ever since then it’s kind of become the poster-child for the big, dumb, CGI-fueled blockbusters of the late … Continue reading Yearly ‘Independence Day’ Tribute
A Reminder of What We Are Thanking Them For
Today is Memorial Day in the United States, where we honor the memory of the soldiers who gave their lives for our country. In the land that once was England, meanwhile, we are given an object lesson in what they laid down their lives to defend us from. Activist Tommy Robinson, who is known to … Continue reading A Reminder of What We Are Thanking Them For
Serpent's Den 