Happy Tolkien Reading Day!

Tolkien Reading Day takes place annually on March 25th, the anniversary of the destruction of the One Ring and the Fall of Sauron. In celebration of this momentous literary occasion, here’s an expanded update of my previous Tolkien music playlist “Hobbit Day 2021”. This takes us through the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and

The Rotting Horse on the Deadly Ground

As my fifty-first birthday approaches I’ve been waxing nostalgic and so, at the suggestion of my sister, have laboured long and hard putting together a retrospective metal playlist to serve as a soundtrack for the coming celebrations. I wanted it to sort of tell the story of how I became a headbanger thirty-six years ago

Though here we stand/In darkest night

I dreamt earlier this morning that I was writing these lyrics to music, to be sung by a choir. Though it was a simple tune, I couldn’t remember it upon waking, but I started jotting down as many of the words as I could recall as soon as I woke up, and I think I

The Crimes of the Nation Are Your Crimes, Too

The crimes of the nation are your crimes, too The sins of the fathers they hand down to you The blood that you wash from your hands leaves a stain As large and as lasting as all that you gain From wrongs that continue to this very day And you’re guilty as hell for still

Happy Tolkien Reading Day!

This post contains spoilers for both the book and film versions of The Lord of the Rings. March 25th is Tolkien Reading Day, because that’s the day J. R. R. Tolkien gave for the climactic event of his epic fantasy novel, The Lord of the Rings, when the One Ring went into the fire and the

Fear the Fearless

Those who rule through fear, fear the fearless Who, broken on wheels that break bones, but will never break vows Sing out the song that is a battle cry Resounding to the furthest reaches Of the human imagination, we soar On wings woven for us by some Reckless Daedalus out of a tapestry of dreams.

Join the Daylight Saving Resistance Movement!

For much of the United States, and for all I know, unknown regions beyond, Daylight Saving Time (or DST for short) begins today. And what pray tell is that, ye who live in saner countries may well ask? Well, never fear, I shall tell you. DST is a pernicious lie that was first suggested by

That Time I Got So Skinny So Fast I Was Afraid I Had Cancer

For most of my adult life I’ve had sit-down jobs. In fact, for almost a decade I worked as a customer service representative in a call centre, which meant that I was basically tied to a desk for 90% of my work day, not counting the hour I spent sitting down to eat my lunch,

Thousands gathered at Stonehenge to celebrate the annual winter solstice. — Stonehenge Stone Circle News and Information

Crowds came together for the biggest gathering at Stonehenge since the pandemic began. Thousands of people gathered at Stonehenge on Wednesday morning to celebrate the annual winter solstice. The event, which marks the first sunrise after the longest night of the year, saw 2,500 people visit the World Heritage site in Salisbury – the largest gathering at […]

Retrospective: The Fellowship of the Ring 20th Anniversary — In Their Own League

By Joan Amenn “A wizard is never late… nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.” -Gandalf the Grey The twentieth anniversary of “The Fellowship of the Ring” (2001) arrives this weekend, precisely on time for its fans to start their annual viewing marathon of the trilogy as a whole. Evaluated on […]