One of my recent personal study projects has been outlining the Constitution. One picks up on so much more and retains so much more when one has to actually write something out or summarize it point by point. **My chief impression is how odd it is that we continue to use and hold such reverence … Continue reading Wednesday Politics: Some Constitution Impressions
Thoughts
Friday Flotsam: Miyazaki, Shakespeare, and Lame Pulps
1. I am shamefully behindhand when it comes to the work of Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki; so far Spirited Away is the only one I'd seen. A week or so ago, I took a step to remedying this by seeing Whisper of the Heart, an intensely charming, thoughtful little film about adolescent love blossoming … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Miyazaki, Shakespeare, and Lame Pulps
Saturday Flotsam: ‘Virginian’ and Male-Written Romances
1. Had bad insomnia this week, which seems to have messed with my immune system and my cold is back just as the last symptoms were fading away. At least it seems to be pretty mild in its new bid for mastery, so I'm hoping it won't get in the way of anything, but it's … Continue reading Saturday Flotsam: ‘Virginian’ and Male-Written Romances
Friday Flotsam: Hodge-Podge
1. Intellectual Key Stone: Wealth is not money; wealth is what you own or can produce. 2. In 1856, the anti-Catholic Know-Nothing Party only carried Maryland, which had been founded as a Catholic colony, when it ran Millard Fillmore, the first major Presidential Candidate to have had a meeting with the Pope. History is weird. … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Hodge-Podge
Wednesday Politics: A Summary of My Political Views
It took me a while to settle on a political ‘name’ for myself that I liked. I'm not a Conservative, since most of what I would have wanted to conserve has already been destroyed (and I differ from most American Conservatives on a lot of points). I don’t like ‘Reactionary’ because it makes it sound … Continue reading Wednesday Politics: A Summary of My Political Views
Friday Flotsam: History, Economics, and RIP Carl Weathers
1. From my Classical History course this week, I learned that during the First Punic War a certain Roman consul wanted to attack the Carthaginian fleet, but the augurs warned him that it would be a disaster. The sacred chickens weren't eating, and that was a bad omen. The consul replied, "They won't eat? Let … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: History, Economics, and RIP Carl Weathers
Wednesday Politics: On America’s Military Record and Its Consequences
"America has never lost and will never lose a war" says Patton in the opening speech of the classic film. This, of course, rang sadly ironic to audiences in 1970 as the Vietnam War wound down, and is even more so today, though as someone pointed out, even at the time it required Patton to … Continue reading Wednesday Politics: On America’s Military Record and Its Consequences
Saturday Flotsam: ‘Alan Wake’ Writing, Twilight Zone, Epiphany
1. I meant to get to bed early last night, but the Fruits Basket post had been hanging over my head for weeks and I reached the point last night where I simply wanted to get it done! So, now it's up and I can move on. Hence also why this is a Saturday Flotsam … Continue reading Saturday Flotsam: ‘Alan Wake’ Writing, Twilight Zone, Epiphany
Thoughts on ‘Fruits Basket’
Fruits Basket tells the story of the romantic adventures of a rice ball in a basket of fruit. Said rice ball is a cute, sweet, slightly ditzy teenager name Tohru Honda, while the basket of fruit is the Sohma family; an ancient, ultra-rich aristocratic clan with a tendency to extreme good looks and a strange … Continue reading Thoughts on ‘Fruits Basket’
Saturday Flotsam: Recovering from Christmas, John K. King’s, and the New Year
1. Christmas week flew by in a haze of family engagements and with little to no progress. I'm trying not to let that bother me too much, as it is Christmas. 2. Though it occurs to me that learning how to feast properly is as much a skill as learning how to fast, and in … Continue reading Saturday Flotsam: Recovering from Christmas, John K. King’s, and the New Year
Serpent's Den 