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On Writing Lily

So I’ve mentioned before my project that I call the “Lily Project”, over at https://lovelylilylives.com.  It is a work of serial fiction, about a sixteen year old girl who has lost her memories and is trying to make her way in the world with that significant handicap – or is it a blessing?  It’s told from her perspective, as if she’s writing a diary.  I’ve been writing her for over a year now, with nearly daily entries, and quite honestly, it’s the one thing I’ve been able to stick with… Read More »On Writing Lily

Why I Will Not Date Selfish American Women

I am a man (though who knows what that means anymore).  I am in my mid 40s.  I live in America.  I haven’t dated in ten years.  And I will never date an American woman again. And this whole recent kerfluffle about Roe vs. Wade just solidifies why. So, before I start, let me say a few things about what I’m not saying.  I’m not saying I’m an “incel”.  I don’t like that word and I don’t take it.  Particularly with the word “involuntary”, it has a connotation of someone who… Read More »Why I Will Not Date Selfish American Women

Nobody Cares Anymore

I have a confession to make.  Well, is it a confession?  I guess it’s something you didn’t know that you will in a few seconds. I hate misspelling, mispronunciation (with caveats), and bad grammar. What I particularly hate is that no one seems to even care about misspelling, mispronunciation, and bad grammar.  To the point where it’s to be found quite regularly in YouTube thumbnails and ad copy.  It’s like no one bothers to do proofreading anymore. In fact, one time I had the absolute temerity to correct someone’s Japanese pronunciation… Read More »Nobody Cares Anymore

I Deleted Facebook

I deleted Facebook today. I’ve been on Facebook for 15 years now – I first got on it in 2007.  It’s been a huge part of my life for that entire time.  And it’s generally been nothing but a drain on my mental health. The final tipping point was a direct result of my violating one of my cardinal rules – never friend a coworker.  Oh, don’t get me wrong.  I make sure that people know what they’re getting into when they friend me.  And I keep my personal and… Read More »I Deleted Facebook

The Three Japanese Cultures

Hi!  It’s been a while since I posted here, so I have a lot to say.  Truth be told, I don’t really think I’m fond of the blogging method of expressing myself, but I haven’t come up with anything better yet.  I’m working on it, though!  First, an update. The Lily project (https://lovelylilylives.com, in case you didn’t know) is almost a year old now!  In that time, the story has progressed from a sweet but confused girl who didn’t know who she was, to a sweet but confused girl who… Read More »The Three Japanese Cultures

Japanese Hurts

I honestly don’t know how to say what I want to here, so I’m going to start with the title and move out from there.  That seems to work for me, sometimes. I have completely stopped my study of Japanese, and I don’t know if I will ever start again.  Quite frankly, I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to start again.  Because everytime I engage with Japanese or Japan in any meaningful way, it hurts.  A lot.  And I haven’t quite figured out why. Maybe I feel like I’ve… Read More »Japanese Hurts

An Intolerable Situation

I don’t have a title for this blog yet.  So I’m going to write it and then title it as the last thing I do before posting.  If I can remember. I mentioned in my last post that this whole war situation is particularly stressful for me.  It is difficult because I was programmed as a child to fear exactly this kind of war.  And it is astonishing to watch such a war play out in real time, in a world where it’s very difficult to keep images from the… Read More »An Intolerable Situation

Why Christians Annoy the Snot out of me

Earlier, I wrote a post about why I won’t debate with atheists.  Read the post if you want to know why, or don’t.  I stand by it. But recently, I’ve begun to feel the same way about talking to Christians about theology. A few days ago, I had an interaction with some Christians.  Let me be clear – I’d never met them before.  In actuality, they knew absolutely nothing about me except that I don’t like most Christian worship music and that it’s one reason I don’t go to church. … Read More »Why Christians Annoy the Snot out of me

Confessions of a Serial Failure

This post may not be the best one I’ve ever written.  It won’t be the greatest, won’t get a hundred thousand views, hell, won’t get a hundred.  But it’s probably going to be the one that is the most personally impactful to me, because I finally understand something about me that I didn’t before.  And I’m going to share it here. I am a serial failure.  Everything I’ve tried has failed.  Including this blog.  And now, I think I know why. In my life, I have had exactly one of… Read More »Confessions of a Serial Failure

Being Human

Some weeks, months, years, are more difficult than others. The last couple of weeks have been more difficult than most.  I will not go into deep detail, as that is not necessary.  I will simply say that the feelings of isolation and alienation became acute to the point of overwhelming, and I have realized that these have been the defining characteristic of my personality for many years.  That is enough to contextualize the rest of this post. There is, however, a fact that does help.  I have a human body.… Read More »Being Human