Two strange towns, two very different moods, and two shows that reminded me why television is at its best when it gives us characters who feel human, even when everything around them is deeply weird.
Category: The Arts and Pop Culture
The Arts and Pop Culture
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Darth Vader: How Fear Turns Good People Wrong
The recent May the 4th celebration got me thinking a lot about Star Wars again. I kept seeing posts, memes, reels, lightsabers, dramatic music, and people saying “May the 4th be with you” as if we had all collectively agreed to become Jedi for the day. It was funny, but…
The Arts and Pop Culture
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What is “May the 4th” be with you? The Story Behind Star Wars Day
The other day, a friend messaged me after seeing my Instagram status and said, “What on earth is ‘May the 4th be with you’… is that some kind of inside joke?” And honestly? I felt like I had been waiting for that question my whole life. Because once you explain…
The Arts and Pop Culture
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Project Hail Mary: What the Film Got Right (and What It Missed)
I remember exactly when I read Project Hail Mary. I had picked it up because I liked The Martian, but I didn’t expect to enjoy this one as much as I did. What stayed with me wasn’t just the story, but the science behind it. Astrophage, Tau Ceti, the Eridians… it all…
The Arts and Pop Culture
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Magneto vs Wolverine: Who Are We Really?
I recently watched all the X-Men movies again, and it took me back to the first time I discovered that world. I think X-Men was actually what introduced me to mutants and superheroes in the first place. The first comic book I clearly remember reading was an X-Men comic, and…
The Arts and Pop Culture
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What Drivers Really Look Like on the Motorway: A Small Study No One Asked For
AbstractRoad travel gives a small but interesting view into human feelings. During a motorway journey of about 65 miles, I carried out a simple observation from the passenger seat to look at the faces of nearby drivers. Drivers were grouped by whether they appeared to be men or women, and…
The Arts and Pop Culture
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Train Dreams
Spoilers ahead! As a self-confessed cinephile, I’ve watched a lot of films over the years. Some of them I forget almost immediately. I might remember that I watched them, but not much else. Others stay with you long after the credits roll. There are films I gave no thought to…
The Arts and Pop Culture
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Getting Back to Reading!
I went through a phase where I just didn’t read. I still liked books. I still bought them occasionally. I just never finished them. By the time the kids were in bed and the house was quiet, my brain was tired. Reading felt like another task instead of something relaxing,…
The Arts and Pop Culture
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Odd and Beautiful!
There’s something very reassuring about being “normal.” Normal people wake up at reasonable hours, eat sensible breakfasts, maintain well-behaved hobbies, and rarely insert sharp objects into their own eyes. But if history has taught us anything, it’s that the people who changed our understanding of the world were rarely tidy,…
The Arts and Pop Culture
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The Night That Created Frankenstein: Storms, Genius, Tragedy, and Why I’m Finally Ready to Watch the New Netflix Adaptation
Every once in a while, a story rises quietly from the corners of literary history and taps me on the shoulder. Lately, it has been Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, especially now that Netflix has released a new adaptation starring Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi. I see it everywhere. Numerous bloggers have spoken…