Dearest Rachel – Another day, another dip into my news feed. This one hits a little closer to home, as it touches on the topic of artificial intelligence, and the relationships we develop with it – quite literally, in fact. This is something I’ve come across that really makes me wonder where we’re going asContinue reading “DIY Catfishing”
Tag Archives: current events
Don’t Always Follow Leaders
Dearest Rachel – I mentioned yesterday about reading through my news feed as part of my body’s scheme to distract my mind from getting everybody up and out of the house to work on getting back into shape, particularly after a couple of days in a row in which I’d had a heavy meal atContinue reading “Don’t Always Follow Leaders”
Have We Lost Our Minds (Again)? Did We Ever Have Them?
Dearest Rachel – Despite the relative tranquility of our own personal lives, we were born into a world of utter chaos. The year of my birth was a particular annus horribilis; I can – and often do – imply the date by connecting it to the assassination of Martin Luther King (I have an alibi,Continue reading “Have We Lost Our Minds (Again)? Did We Ever Have Them?”
Off the Digital Wagon
Dearest Rachel – A couple of days ago, I started in on a letter to you about a recent discovery about myself and my reactions to those around me. I’ve gotten maybe a third of the way into it, and every time I re-read what I’ve written, I’m less and less sure if I canContinue reading “Off the Digital Wagon”
Rid of the Taxman
Dearest Rachel – This should probably be a letter for another two months from now, but it’s at the top of my mind at the moment, so I think I’ll tell you about it today. If nothing else, I’ve been having to do more about it over the last couple of days, so while there’sContinue reading “Rid of the Taxman”
Scorch Marks and Smoke Wisps
Dearest Rachel – Toni asked me the other day, upon realizing that the anniversary of your accident was coming up soon, if I was planning to do anything that day to honor it and you. Now, when I read that sentence after writing it, it makes it sound like she was asking if she couldContinue reading “Scorch Marks and Smoke Wisps”
Short on Time
Dearest Rachel – I’m short on time to talk with you today, honey; I’ll be walking with Lars, so I’ll need to come up with something to tell you about in the few hours between now and then, while also making sure I get a workout in and get over to the ‘office.’ Starting theContinue reading “Short on Time”
Power Dynamics
Dearest Rachel – So today had me waking up not with a dream as such (although I guess there were some images involved that illustrated my thought process, but stringing them together would be more trouble than it’s worth, for several reasons), but rather an insight of sorts. To be sure, it’s not an apple-on-the-headContinue reading “Power Dynamics”
Not Everything Can Be Fixed
Dearest Rachel – The last few results from Tuesday have come in, and the funny thing is, none of it really came as that much of a surprise. The news organizations and channels Daniel and I were listening to actually predicted the results as they’ve come in – although they did seem to hedge theirContinue reading “Not Everything Can Be Fixed”
Observing the Hangover
Dearest Rachel – Well, it’s over already (much to my surprise); and yet, it’s just begun, again. I honestly didn’t expect to be up this early in the morning after having been watching the returns with Daniel until well past midnight. You know well enough that I rarely do midnights; then again, this was aContinue reading “Observing the Hangover”
Any Topic But This
Dearest Rachel – Another day, another morning where I’d just as soon stay in bed. It’s gray and dreary out, despite the extra light provided at this hour by moving the clocks back in the wee hours of yesterday, and while it’s not exactly cold out – in fact, this is as warm as it’sContinue reading “Any Topic But This”
Bring Out Your Death Certificate
Dearest Rachel – You and Daniel would, on more than one occasion, give me grief about the fact that, compared to the two of you (which just shows that you raised him right, I suppose), I was – and still am – a pessimist and a cynic. When it came to events in the widerContinue reading “Bring Out Your Death Certificate”
Close the Whine Cellar
Dearest Rachel – Another insanely early morning (I fell asleep before ten last night, and found myself waking up at three; this whole circadian rhythm thing is beginning to be a self-perpetuating problem), and I step outside to discover the streets are slick with moisture. Evidently, it rained overnight, and I don’t recall hearing anyContinue reading “Close the Whine Cellar”
It Could Happen in Any Neighborhood, Now
Dearest Rachel – I’ve been meaning to write out the usual stipend to Twofeathers ever since the holiday weekend marked the turn from one month to the next. I admit that I’m nowhere near as faithful – or should I say punctual – as I was when it came to paying the mortgage to yourContinue reading “It Could Happen in Any Neighborhood, Now”
Needing Nothing
Dearest Rachel – The morning I woke up to was gray and dark; apart from the fact that a sufficient amount of time had passed that I was ready to get up (indeed, at nearly half past six, it was already later than usual for me), I could have easily slept in quite a bitContinue reading “Needing Nothing”
Do I Try to Keep Up?
Dearest Rachel – I’ve told you numerous times in the past three and a half years that I’d prefer not to talk about current events with you. Aside from the obvious fact that nothing that’s happening on this tiny little mud clod in of much concern to you at this point (apart, hopefully, from Daniel,Continue reading “Do I Try to Keep Up?”
The Cruelty of the Spotlight
Dearest Rachel – As much as I am loathe to, even as it feels like it’s unavoidable, I guess it’s appropriate, on this day of all days, for me to talk about politics. It is, after baseball, the national pastime, especially every four years – which is where we are now. We aren’t as physicallyContinue reading “The Cruelty of the Spotlight”
In Every Direction At Once
Dearest Rachel – There are days when, as I sit down in front of the computer to write to you, I find myself dealing with writers’ block, even with – possibly even especially when – considering the events of the day or so past. Some days, there just isn’t much of interest going on; thereContinue reading “In Every Direction At Once”
Docsplaining
Dearest Rachel – It should hardly come as a surprise that I haven’t watched any episodes of Doctor Who since your passing. There were, as you’ll recall, plenty of times in those last couple of years where, although it was fun enough for me to hunt them down online and collect them for you, gettingContinue reading “Docsplaining”
Not All Sweetness and Light
Dearest Rachel – It’s been a while since I talked to you about earworms; frankly, it’s been a while since I focused much on any topic other than my travels. Let’s face it, on a trip like this, there’s rather a lot of that to talk about, to the exclusion of almost everything else. EvenContinue reading “Not All Sweetness and Light”
Prison Planet
Dearest Rachel – There have been moments in our lives where we managed to forget that conflict – well, perhaps I shouldn’t sugarcoat it, and just call it ‘war’ like I ought to – is the natural state of the world collectively, just as sin is the natural state of individual mankind. When we wereContinue reading “Prison Planet”
Overclocking the Mind
Dearest Rachel – I probably did myself no favors by stepping on the scale last night. Ever since pulling that calf muscle on Friday, I’ve been relatively indolent, at least on a physical level. In a way, that’s to be expected; I don’t make a habit of working out over the weekends as a generalContinue reading “Overclocking the Mind”
Which Kaiju?
Dearest Rachel – As the only child of an only child, without brother or sister, and only relatively distant cousins in your life, I tend to fancy whatever attention you have directed toward this tiny crumb of dirt floating like a mote of dust in the vast emptiness of space is focused on myself, Daniel,Continue reading “Which Kaiju?”
Fallout From the Fourth
He who goes forthwith a fifth on the Fourthmay not go forth on the fifth Anti-drunk-driving PSA, as quoted in Reader’s Digest Dearest Rachel – No, this is not meant to be taken literally, as I’m sure you would have guessed by now (not that I have any clue how you keep track of timeContinue reading “Fallout From the Fourth”
Matin-tide Prayer
Father God – I know You heard my thoughts while I stood in the shower this morning. I wonder what Your thoughts were in return; were they along the lines of “well, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?” or “where have you been, My son?” as if you didn’t know. Time was, I used toContinue reading “Matin-tide Prayer”
Three ¡Alarma! Fire
Dear Rachel – The irony of this letter is that, while the mix tapes we sent each other back in the day included songs from each of the albums from which I’m referencing, I’m not touching on them at all today. You see, this letter isn’t about our relationship with each other, but our (inContinue reading “Three ¡Alarma! Fire”
Peering Through the Fog
Dearest Rachel – I promise to keep comments on current events to a relative minimum going forward, but right now, that’s most of what’s going on. This is bigger than much of what we’ve dealt with personally throughout our lives: to not address what’s happening, even though it’s on the other side of the world,Continue reading “Peering Through the Fog”
Bill, Melinda, and What Constitutes ‘Enough’
Dearest Rachel – Normally, I wouldn’t comment on current events in these letters. What happens in the wider world was of little concern to us even when we both were here; how much less so, now that the world itself is no longer a concern of yours. But I had to pause when I sawContinue reading “Bill, Melinda, and What Constitutes ‘Enough’”
Letters to Rachel 