The Myth & The Majesty

Well, hello there. Who else realized we're already 25% of the way through 2024 and thought, "Huh, I wasn't actually ready for that. How do I go back a couple months?" Yeah, I didn't think it was just me. So in the last couple of years, I've cut waaaaaay back on my internet presence. There was the general toxicity of The Face, the distraction of The Gram, the inanity of ... everything. I couldn't do it. And as such, this little project of mine also fell by the wayside. The thing of it is ... I've wanted to get back into it. I've missed throwing my little tidbits onto the internet here. This is more of a shout into the void than other platforms and an outlet for a quiet engineer that doesn't get a lot of chances to write anymore. Not to say there's anything of real substance. But the possibility is there. So let's see if I can give this a proper shot again, shall we? I'm in need of a hobby again, and on a day like today -- cold and ra

 No, no. I mean, "I'll talk." It's been awhile, and for that I'm sorry. Not, like, REALLY sorry -- I doubt very much I've been missed -- but a little. But let me tell you a little about my 2022 regardless. The fun actually began in 2021, as calendar days mean nothing to the universe at large. December 18th, to be exact. That day -- just a bit after noon -- I received a text message from the Tall One. Had an accident heading to the hospital may need you to find out where ********s dad lives and get my truck Yeah, not exactly the kind of thing you want to receive. Ever. Ever ever. And particularly not in text form. Over the next few minutes it became slightly more clear. Bad burns on his legs. Talk of heading to Denver. By the time I'd retrieved said truck and gotten to the hospital, they were packing him up for the flight down. It had been a bit of a freak accident -- a boiler, a can of primer, a spill, and thirty seconds that changed things drastically. St

I read A Christmas Carol every year. "Marley's Ghost", original illustration by John Leech from the 1843 edition Found on Wikipedia That's not entirely accurate. The last few years I've listened to it; Audible has a lovely version read by Tim Curry. This means that my brain does it's association thing and I get to picture the story as read by Long John Silver, because why not? The bottom line is that this year I listened to it over the course of a few commutes (by the by, I have a job in Spearfish these days, and what do you mean I don't write often enough here to keep you up to date? I know, I know...) and this year, for no clear reason, I found myself wondering so much more about Fred. For those who don't remember the story, Fred is Scrooge's nephew. We only learn a few things about Fred -- he is the son of Scrooge's only sister and his only living kin, he's not particularly rich or well off, and he is unendingly kind. We don't know h

or "Why my birthday actually scares me" Okay, so the alternate title doesn't really apply. My birthday doesn't scare me. As of now, I don't really fear aging and this year in particular it doesn't seem to mean much. (I was supposed to be going to space camp. Sigh. The full disappointment hasn't hit yet.) However, the sudden realization that my birthday is only a couple weeks away scares me, and it does this every year. Allow me to explain. I made you a chart. See, it has everything to do with the eventfulness of it all... Mind you, this only includes immediate family members -- no aunts or cousins -- and I only threw in the holidays where family gathering would normally occur (so Mother's Day is in there but I didn't count Halloween). The real catch? Those April and May events happen almost entirely in a 21-day period. In that single three week chunk, there are four birthdays, an anniversary, and a holiday. Then, just for fun, we

It was April and my sophomore year was wrapping up. I was in a relationship that was on the rocks, although he wasn’t yet aware of that little fact. I had applied – and been rejected – for an undergraduate research position. I had no idea where I was going to land for the summer; all I knew for sure was that I needed a job and I was not interested in staying in Sioux Falls. Remembering a conversation I’d had with an acquaintance earlier that year, I found myself searching for an email address. “Mr. Jensen: Hi, I’m a friend of Nate…” It would be the first of approximately four times I was that formal. Scott admitted to having a couple more spaces open for summer staff and agreed to meet me – after he got back from an Easter trip. A couple weeks passed before we met for a burger at Hardee’s; I brought my resume like I’d been taught. He didn’t so much as glance at it while we talked but gave me an application to fill out. Two days later, he was back in town to collect my appl

I don't know about you guys, but I'm learning a lot about myself these days. For instance, I'm perfectly happy to be alone ... for about nine hours after I wake up in the morning. Right about then I start getting twitchy, which makes for a lovely mood come supper time. I'm not sure what would cure this. Sleeping till noon? Nah, that causes too many other issues. Maybe an afternoon nap? Landscape aside from my first trip to Moab in 2013. I've learned that if I'm a millennial, I haven't completely committed. Case in point: twice this week I've tired of texting and just called the person I was chatting with. It was easier. I've learned that in the current climate, true crime podcasts are actually a better distraction than they are depressing. I've also learned that it's still nice to break things up with something completely different. (Need something short and sweet? Check out The Anthropocene Reviewed .) I've learned that I