Answering the siren call of our old friend, the web log!
I've been spending a lot of time on personal homepages, blogs, digital gardens, and the like, and finding myself very inspired. It turns out a lot of folks want to embrace the halcyon days of the pre-uber-mainstream-over-commodified web, and are rejecting social media and algorithmic-recommendation for hand-rolled homepages and good ol' web logs! I strive to be in their good company.
So I'm back here, opening the windows, shaking out the sheets, and freshening up a bit. I've also jump-started my own blog, Scraps of Poetry and Madness, moving it over to the Micro.blog platform in an experiment that's turning into a bit of an infatuation.
I am also in the middle of some longer-term projects. In December 2023, inspired by Daryl (who Talks Games), I've been tackling my video gaming backlog - though so far that's mainly meant making a lot of lists and plans and then getting overwhelmed by self-imposed restriction and just playing whatever I want anyway. But I did finally beat Breath of the Wild!
Another project I'm working on is plodding my way through the Godzilla franchise. Over the years, I've seen a lot of the movies, but there are many I haven't, and so I've following a meandering path through the big guy's filmography with frequent detours to other kaiju movies and the like. And with Minus One and The New Empire, whether I'm at home or at the theater, if I've watched a movie lately, there's a good chance there's been a giant lizard in it, up to some sort of shenanigans.
So it's a particularly nerdy season my life. And a season of hunkering down with things that I've historically lusted after from afar, hoping that one day I'd finally have/take the time to engage with and appreciate them. Now is that time! And I am!
Because outside the friendly confines of this nerdy house, it's scary out there, and the clouds are only getting darker and more menacing. I'm not burying my head in the sand, but I am circling the wagons, keeping my loved ones close, and making my space as comfortable and safe as I can. Here in the US, and in the world in general, I feel like all the instability and darkness we've experienced lately is only going to grow more chaotic and unpredictable, especially as we approach the US presidential election. Before we know it, it will be the fall, and for the first time in my life, I'm not looking forward to it. No amount of autumn rain and beautiful leaves make me feel any more secure about what the final months of year will bring. It might be a very cold winter.
But until then, and beyond, I'm huddling close with the people (cats are people too) in my life, and making them listen to my endless prattling on about nerdy things. It's better than obsessing over the news.
And you're here too! Welcome! Pull up a chair, and let me tell you why the first American Godzilla movie might not be as bad as it's reputation makes it seem...
Wait! Where are you going??