The Budding Twigs Spread Out Their Fan to Catch the Breezy Air
This week's newsletter has a lot of content awaiting you. I was busy this week with finals for my MLIS program, job interviews, and life-related-variety, but I still carved out some time to write.
Odin's thoughts, a Fallout interview, and more!
Welcome, all! This week's newsletter has a lot of content awaiting you. I was busy this week with finals for my MLIS program, job interviews, and life-related-variety, but I still carved out some time to write.
Chiefly, I'm excited to share an interview I conducted with an artist known online as "Spooky-Daggers" whose Fallout-inspired meme has become a new Internet sensation. But, first, a poem.
Lines Written in Early Spring
I heard a thousand blended notes,
While in a grove I sate reclined,
In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts
Bring sad thoughts to the mind.
To her fair works did Nature link
The human soul that through me ran;
And much it grieved my heart to think
What man has made of man.
Through primrose tufts, in that green bower,
The periwinkle trailed its wreaths;
And ’tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes.
The birds around me hopped and played,
Their thoughts I cannot measure:—
But the least motion which they made
It seemed a thrill of pleasure.
The budding twigs spread out their fan,
To catch the breezy air;
And I must think, do all I can,
That there was pleasure there.
If this belief from heaven be sent,
If such be Nature’s holy plan,
Have I not reason to lament
What man has made of man?
What did I work on this week?
Spooky-Daggers' Fallout Meme: Blazing a Trail from the Wasteland to the Web
Spooky-Daggers’ meme based on the new Fallout TV series went viral, sparking the delight of fans worldwide and capturing the attention of the studios behind both game and show. This is a feature interview I conducted with Spooky, and I'm so excited to share it and highlight a skilled indie artist!
And, since I binged the Fallout show, here's a review of the series for your reading pleasure.
Fallout is More Than Simply Okey-dokey: It's The Millennial Reality
Fallout is a television series for the modern Millennial: stressed, exhausted, and still saying "Okey-dokey" as we try to keep a roof over our heads.
After this, though, I delved into some heavier territory.
Evergreen State College Champions Ethical Investment and Student Activism
Evergreen College took bold steps toward social responsibility by becoming the first University in the U.S. to seriously move toward divestment from Israel. It makes sense that it would happen at Evergreen, as the move honors Rachel Corrie’s legacy.
Under the Microscope - The H5N1 Outbreak's Unsettling Spread from Birds to Dairy Cattle
The 2024 H5N1 "Bird Flu" crisis is expanding. Dairy cows provide a dangerous new space for viral mutations, and the CDC director in charge of the problem isn't sleeping so well.
Dangerous Oversight - How the House's KOSA Bill Threatens Free Speech and Privacy
The House's version of the Kids Online Safety Act remains a dangerous mess, threatening free speech and privacy under the guise of protecting minors.
And, in case you missed it last week, here is my article on the 45th anniversary release of ALIEN, which I had the plWeasure to watch in theaters.
What's happening in Odin's life?
Right now, everything that's not about my upcoming move is about job-searching. Hunting for jobs in the current climate is somewhat strange, especially for little-'ol homeschooled me. I've never been comfortable as a follower, and I've never been comfortable in hierarchies. I don't respond well to most systems of negative encouragement. I dislike standardized tests on moral and ethical grounds, but also lack the requisite experience with them to do very well at finishing them under time constraints (and, even when I do, I find the experience demeaning and stressful).
At the same time, I am reminding myself that this whole process is one of growth and learning. It is good to sail into uncharted seas; it is good to question reality, whether it is your own reality or the collective reality you exist within.
I want a job where I can find real meaning and have a positive impact on the world: I want to do good work. I also want to have good healthcare, and the resources to enjoy little trips and have coffees out with friends, and to hold safe those creatures and things I hold dear. I think that's what most of us desire.
Ahead, the tempest of the Summer looms, but there are also rainbows on every horizon. I anticipate the complexities... but I am searching for the faith I need to hold complexities as self-evident pieces of a greater truth: life is; life doesn't have to be any particular way to be lived and loved.
And now, what about all of you? Subscribers can use the comment feature to join the public discussion on these writings. Or, as many of you do, you can respond to this newsletter directly from your inbox by replying via email. I always love seeing your own thoughts and musings, and little tidbits from your wonderful lives.
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Until next time, dear friends... go easy. And, if you can't go easy, just go as easy as you can.
~Odin