The Baby Cat
When we first adopted our cat Kiwi, she was very small. Not surprising, because she was still at the tail end of the kitten phase. As she got older, though, she didn’t grow a whole lot larger. We realized that she would be, size-wise at least, perpetually kitten-sized. Even after her third birthday, we still…
Buckets
We are all holding a bucket. Every interaction puts an object in someone’s bucket. Sometimes what we put in is beautiful. Lovely. Radiant. Sometimes, we put in something ugly. Gross. Unspeakable. Some people place money in our buckets. Some place objects, base or noble. Some people put in food, or books, or gadgets. Some put…
Would the Ring turn something you’re holding invisible?
Of all the powers conferred by the One Ring, perhaps the most idiosyncratic and random is its ability to turn the wearer invisible. Why does it do this in the first place? Well, the real answer is because Tolkien wrote it as a ring of invisibility well before he knew what it was or what…
The Funeral Procession
Back when my now-wife and I were dating, her grandmother passed away. She invited me to come to the funeral, which was of course a bag of mixed emotions. I was sad for her and her family at the loss of her grandma; I was happy to be invited; and I was nervous because this…
The Waterfall and the State Religion of Iceland
Iceland’s early settlement and history was a bit messy and difficult, as might be expected when attempting to settle a land with little wood for fuel or building, low temperatures even in summer, and winters of near-perpetual darkness. The proto-country never developed central rulership. It did, however, have a governing body: a general assembly called…
The Pen That Got Away
I’ve written before on this site regarding my obsession with pens. This is the story of my favorite ever pen, the one that got away. For those who are unfamiliar with the high-end pen world (I know, ludicrous to think there would be such a person, but there’s no accounting for taste), Mont Blanc is…
The Drive Home
I went to college at Virginia Tech, about a three-hour drive from my hometown of Knoxville. As is true for most people, the transition from high school to college was exciting and scary all at once. At the end of my very first semester, the very last exam I had to take was Introduction to…
The New Republic
I was really into Star Wars when I was younger. Like, really into it. I watched all the movies, I read all the books, and of course I played all the video games. It’s a little hard to say whether my love of space flight sim games came from my love of Star Wars or…
The Contingency Employer
In an unfortunate turn of events, I found myself laid off while living in New Zealand. What’s a guy to do? That employer was my first job out of university, and I’d held that position for eight and a half years. I had never found myself unemployed before. Those who have been unemployed know how…
Axis and Allies
When I was in Boy Scouts (now just called Scouts), my Scoutmaster owned a game store. Not as in video games, but as in tabletop and board games. As you might imagine, his enthusiasm for such games rubbed off on his young charges. Although card games were perennially popular, one of the staples of our…
Loading…
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Follow My Blog
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.
Strange Tales for Strange Times 