The Blog
Stranger Still
Stranger Still - Chapter 1: The Vanishing of Will Byers
Stranger Still

Extended show notes for the Stranger Still podcast.

Episode 1: The Vanishing of Will Byers | Support the show on Patreon

Stranger Still
Media Reviews
Read This: Surprised by Paradox
Media Reviews

This is a picture of “faith in its lived-in condition,” valuable for believers who tend towards either overconfidence or despair, and every messy point in between.

Media Reviews
Recaps & Comments
Tender moments from 'A Knight of The Seven Kingdoms' ranked
Recaps & Comments

Good people of Westeros, tonight let us sing, drink, and do good to one another, for next Sunday several of us shall surely die.

Recaps & Comments
Patreon Announcement
Personal Updates
Patreon Announcement
Personal Updates

This is an exciting announcement, please act accordingly.

Personal Updates
The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for An Age of Distraction
Media Reviews
The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for An Age of Distraction
Media Reviews

A review of The Common Rule by Justin Whitmel Earley.

Media Reviews
Short Essays
Unreality and Inhumanity on The Internet
Short Essays

That we trust ourselves to make accurate snap judgements about events we didn’t experience and have mediated to us through the viral groupthink of social media platforms is… laughable?

Short Essays
The Blog
Podcasts
Stranger Still - Chapter 1: The Vanishing of Will Byers
Podcasts

Extended show notes for the Stranger Still podcast.

Episode 1: The Vanishing of Will Byers | Support the show on Patreon

Podcasts
Paradox
Read This: Surprised by Paradox
Paradox

This is a picture of “faith in its lived-in condition,” valuable for believers who tend towards either overconfidence or despair, and every messy point in between.

Paradox
Game of Thrones
Thoughts on 'The Long Night'
Game of Thrones

The Battle of Winterfell was supremely entertaining, but what did it all mean?

Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones, Pop Culture
Tender moments from 'A Knight of The Seven Kingdoms' ranked
Game of Thrones, Pop Culture

Good people of Westeros, tonight let us sing, drink, and do good to one another, for next Sunday several of us shall surely die.

Game of Thrones, Pop Culture
The Fellowship of The Ring: Farewell to Lorien
Hope, Folklore
The Fellowship of The Ring: Farewell to Lorien
Hope, Folklore

”…things that once were needful for the wise to know.”

Hope, Folklore
Hope, Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones: Winterfell
Hope, Game of Thrones

Sure, maybe everyone will die, but here’s what I’m hoping for in the final season.

Hope, Game of Thrones
Support It: CxPC
Pop Culture, Christianity
Support It: CxPC
Pop Culture, Christianity

“…acknowledge, appreciate, and think rightly…”

Pop Culture, Christianity
Books
Area of Effect: Wisdom from Geek Culture
Books

When a magazine is full grown, it sometimes blossoms into a beautiful book.

Books
Patreon Announcement
Patreon
Patreon Announcement
Patreon

This is an exciting announcement, please act accordingly.

Patreon
Fun
One PhD Acknowledgements Page to Rule Them All
Fun

Now for something completely different!

Fun
 
 

Reading Middle-earth

I've taken up the burden of blogging through every chapter of The Lord of the Rings in hope of deepening my own and others' appreciation for J.R.R. Tolkien tale of hobbits, hope, failure, and consolation.

The Blog
The Fellowship of The Ring: Farewell to Lorien
Hope, Folklore
The Fellowship of The Ring: Farewell to Lorien
Hope, Folklore

”…things that once were needful for the wise to know.”

Hope, Folklore
The Fellowship of The Ring: The Mirror of Galadriel
Evil, Humility, The Fellowship of The Ring
The Fellowship of The Ring: The Mirror of Galadriel
Evil, Humility, The Fellowship of The Ring

The testing of the Fellowship reveals their own hearts and they’re not happy with what they see.

Evil, Humility, The Fellowship of The Ring
The Fellowship of The Ring: Lothlórien
Wonder, Rest, FotR, The Fellowship of The Ring
The Fellowship of The Ring: Lothlórien
Wonder, Rest, FotR, The Fellowship of The Ring

It’s no surprise then that Tolkien’s elves are identified by a solemn sadness. With their lifetimes of disappointments, losses, and pain, the elves cultivate the virtues of rest by necessity — being alive is exhausting.

Wonder, Rest, FotR, The Fellowship of The Ring
The Fellowship of the Ring: The Bridge of Khazad-dûm
Grief, The Fellowship of The Ring
The Fellowship of the Ring: The Bridge of Khazad-dûm
Grief, The Fellowship of The Ring

“You will have to do without light for a while: I am rather shaken.”

Grief, The Fellowship of The Ring
The Fellowship of The Ring: A Journey In The Dark
Fear, Faith, The Fellowship of The Ring
The Fellowship of The Ring: A Journey In The Dark
Fear, Faith, The Fellowship of The Ring

“This is a serious journey, not a hobbit walking-party.”

Fear, Faith, The Fellowship of The Ring
The Fellowship of the Ring: The Ring Goes South
Duty, Freedom, The Fellowship of The Ring
The Fellowship of the Ring: The Ring Goes South
Duty, Freedom, The Fellowship of The Ring

“We have come a long way with you and been through some stiff times. We want to go on.”

Duty, Freedom, The Fellowship of The Ring
The Fellowship of the Ring: The Council of Elrond
Quotations, Power, Evil, Hope, The Fellowship of The Ring
The Fellowship of the Ring: The Council of Elrond
Quotations, Power, Evil, Hope, The Fellowship of The Ring

50 pages of the most beautiful, pure, plotless exposition in literature…since Chapter 2: The Shadow of the Past!

Quotations, Power, Evil, Hope, The Fellowship of The Ring
The Fellowship of the Ring: Many Meetings
Hospitality, Rest, The Fellowship of The Ring
The Fellowship of the Ring: Many Meetings
Hospitality, Rest, The Fellowship of The Ring

There is no contradiction in Rivendell; the wise sing songs, feasts are necessary, and merrymaking is serious business.

Hospitality, Rest, The Fellowship of The Ring
The Fellowship of The Ring: Flight to the Ford
Joy, Wounds, The Fall, The Fellowship of The Ring
The Fellowship of The Ring: Flight to the Ford
Joy, Wounds, The Fall, The Fellowship of The Ring

This is why I’m convinced the greatest purpose of fantasy is to reintroduce us to a universe that sings, a cosmos.

Joy, Wounds, The Fall, The Fellowship of The Ring