It’s something of a running joke that I can’t leave a Zoom without recommending at least 2 books now. I used literature to fight my desire to venture out into the world, to haunt cafes or desolate curry houses. I’ve collected 12 of the best books I read in 2020, with little focus on ranking them or divulging which I think is “the book of the year.”
Read moreDo Not Weep for Prince Prospero: Catharsis and Respectability Theater
Respectability Theater is the illusory practice that those in power should be wished well and mourned lest something equally terrible befall you. But if we reject the perpetual double standard of respectability found in religious practice, are we so wrong in not wishing Prince Prospero well?
Read moreThe Transmutative Art of Mitigating Dissatisfaction
The thin veils covering how wretched reality is are tattered and bare as 2020 trudges on. Learning to mitigate and use the eternal dissatisfaction we face is the only way forward.
Read moreConfessions of an Accidental Non-Theistic Satanist
It’s likely unsurprising that with a website called Lucifer’s Larder that the primary author might be flirting with the Satanic. Allow Hadrian to explain why this admission is not as scandalous or terrible as some theistic interpretations might lead you to assume.
Read moreCapitalizing on LGBTQIA Capitalism: Pay Me
Rainbow Capitalism pops up every Pride to remind us that corporations care about queer people. If you want to be known as the sort of person who supports LGBTQIA people but have no idea where to start, might I suggest paying me to alleviate any guilt you’re feeling about allyship? My rates are reasonable, and competitive.
Read moreThe Careful Art of Playlist Curation
Generating playlists is a perpetually shifting and undefinable art that no algorithm seems to get quite right. Or it’s just the music that most appeals to Hadrian is connected broader theme than one AI can handle.
Read moreMan and the Wheel, a Saturday Spent in the Tire Shop
CW: transgender issues
An unexpected trip to the tire shop turns into a reflection on a divide in the concept of masculinity and the importance of properly changing your name on every account you use.
Read moreEmergency Rooms, Diaries, and Other Melancholy Tales
A lot’s happened since Hadrian’s last post. Here he tries to capture the nightmare of figuring out the exact right time to admit your partner that your gallbladder refuses to be ignored.
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