That's How I roll
Today on Twitter I confessed my undying love to the Internet and it turns out it loves me back. <3
Nemesis and the Isolation of Impulse’s End
Another amazing album name. Bam. I’m on fire.
I’m watching the Rage jubilee special and it’s made me acknowledge and regret - again - my isolation. Because look, they just played Britney Spears and now Spice Girls and I have nobody to turn to with an emotion communicated purely by facial expression and have them say “I KNOW RIGHT”.
Open Letter To The Unnamed
I am afraid that you are not as clever as you think you are, and indeed, as I once thought you were.
Several years ago I know I was backwards and stupid. I didn’t understand how to approach anything with a rational mind, to assess and critique it. I swallowed bias, dogma and opinion as fact.
At that time, the people around me seemed so different. They had strong opinions on subjects I didn’t even know how to research. They seemed so moral and worthy. I felt like a stupid little kid.
Now I’ve grown up a bit and I see that these people weren’t, as I thought, politically, culturally and critically aware; they didn’t explore and interrogate the world around them.
They had simply swallowed an alternative line of bullshit, one which is considered more socially acceptable among the intelligentsia and the liberal, but which is equally exclusive, cruel and capable of harm.
Not everything you say is wrong, but sometimes, you misunderstand so badly, or dismiss without engagement, and in doing so you reveal yourself to be as blind and gawping as those you strive so hard to distance yourself from.
So much hate, and much of it comes from you. So much ignorance, and much of it comes from you. So much negativity and useless words.
Every day I pull slightly further back from the world, because I would rather sit here alone and think things through quietly than listen to your pulpit thumping, which drowns out the voices of reason and compassion.
Winter Action Plan 2012
I’m currently at step three, and it’s mid-autumn. Help me.
- Tea
- Shawl
- Hoodie Level One
- Hoodie Level Two
- Hoodie Level Three
- Close windows
- Blanket
- Double Blanket
- Triple Blanket
- Hoodie Level One and Three in conjunction
- Hoodie Level One and Three in conjunction with Triple Blanket
- Heater
- Hot water bottle
- Give up and die
What is Brennamas?
Brennamas is an ancient pagan festival which has been reclaimed and commercially updated to suit modern tastes. The festival has its roots in the lunar calendar, and originally marked the first half-moon of the new year; for convenience’s sake, modern adherents have fixed the festival’s mid-point on January 14.
Brennamas 2012
Brennamas - the multi-day festival which coincidentally falls over my birthday - was pretty epic this year. Several pious souls shared with me their ritual scribblings, performed in honour of the festival spirit. Check ‘em out through the break.
Some things.
Here are some things.
You have adopted a dogmatic approach which deals only in extremes. You have closed yourself off to debate and discussion. You have lost the ability to be self critical, self aware, and open minded. You have become the very thing you hate - the espousal of an opinion which doesn’t need to be rationally justified because you are certain it is correct. You are on a crusade, now. You will lash out with violence at any target. I won’t rally behind your banner.
I have been indoors for four years.
I used to go outside a lot, and now I’m a shut in. Yesterday I went walking with three other adults, two kids, and even a baby. Nobody was wearing sunscreen but me. Nobody was burnt but me.
My skin is so pale its shade would probably be labelled “transparent” in a furniture catalogue. The burns aren’t actually that bad - no blisters, and only minor discomfort under clothes and hot water - but I am so colourless that the red is as lurid as if I had been touched with hot coals. I keep expecting the skin to smoulder, split, and scar.
After a few minutes thought last night I realised I have actually been more or less continuously indoors for four years.
Nicole and I are sharing an office for the first time
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Me (grumbling at something): Balls.
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Nicole: Balls!
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Me: Hairy balls.
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Nicole: So many balls.
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Me: All the balls. All the balls in the world.
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Nicole: Aw gross, why would you even mention that?
The Friend Zone & The Women I Fear
There’s been quite a lot of discussion on Twitter today about the friend zone, sparked off by a woman sharing a monstrous email from an apparent basket case she went on a date with.
It’s frustrating for men to be thought of as friends when they’re pursuing romance, and it’s frustrating for women to be thought of as romantic objects when they’re pursuing friendship.
30 Days of Games, Day 04: Your Guilty Pleasure Game
Another tough one. I don’t really… I’m just over that cultural cringe. Gamers are a really diverse group - gamers aren’t even a group; everyone games - and different people like different things. Who are you trying to impress by ruling out one type of game or another? Some clique on the Internet? It amazes me that grown adults care what other people think on matters of taste. Unless you have some genuine, moral justification (and not just an enormous chip on your shoulder), you really have no reason to think any kind of game is less deserving of attention than another. People are dumb. Learn about subjectivity: “I don’t like X” is not “X is bad”. Oh god, whatever.
I am just kind of guilty about how many hours I spend gaming (and reading, watching movies, staring into space, walking, eating, etc) when I should be doing my paperwork, housework, grocery shopping, and other less fun activities required to ensure my day to day existence. Procrastination forever!
30 Days of Games, Day 03: An Underrated Game
I sat on this one for a while because there are hundreds of underrated games released each year; sometimes, hundreds in a month. Who are we even talking about? Underrated in terms of sales, critical voices, or Mr Internet? Because I don’t give a shit what Mr Internet thinks.
30 Days of Games, Day 02: Favourite Character
Wait, just one? Seriously? But… do you mean my favourite character to role play, or my favourite narratively established character? The one I’d most like to bone, or the one I’d most like to be? The one who has had the most impact on my life, or the one I’m most like? Curse you anonymous and arbitrary list maker! I bet you just answered “Master Chief lol”!
I’ll cheat.
30 Days of Games, Day 01: First Game
Wow. Um.
We didn’t have a PC, so I didn’t fall into games naturally. We bought a Mega Drive when I was eight. I remember all that very clearly. But before that, I had played games. I knew what they were. I do not recall there being a time when I did not.
The earliest game I can remember playing is Alley Cat, on a PC running DOS at somebody else’s house. The house was in Canada, so that puts me somewhere between the ages of two and three.
It was pretty good. I’m gonna chase down the ROM.
It is okay to walk away
If you’re talking to somebody about a new scientific discovery, and they mention that angels or saints or fairies are an important mechanism in the process you’re discussing, you’re immediately aware that this is not a person you can have a rational discussion with, right? The introduction of something so entirely foreign and hostile shows that they do not understand the rules of the game.
Similarly, when someone responds to a challenge of their behaviour with an emotionally charged and insulting defence which leaves no room for contingent interpretations of morality, you are allowed to walk away from them.
You’re not losing. There’s no way to talk to such a person because their only goal is to Win. You can’t discuss, debate, argue, establish premises and reach conclusions to the benefit of both of you in that situation - you just sit around flapping your lips uselessly while the other person finds ways to undermine your self esteem.
I don’t know what to with all these irrational people, who are incapable of self-critique, since you just can’t open negotiations with them. I consider space travel our only chances of escaping them.
