Author Archives
Who am I? Can anyone really answer that question? I don't know who I am. I'm undefined.
My Interests? Are many and varied, and my posts reflect my diversity.
Will our interests correspond? Only you can answer that question. Or will you, like myself, remain undefined?
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May his soul find peace
Out of respect for the death of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Rafferty’s Rules will be observing a period of mourning. No blog posts will be published during this time. Normal activities will resume on the first Monday in May.
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Lost World of the Maya (Video)
This video is a National Geographic documentary about ‘pre-classic’ Mayan civilisation and the 800-900s AD collapse. Fair warning for non-subscribers — this is packed with ads!
Channel: National Geographic
Run Time: 44.24 -
Writing Exercise Responses (April 2021)
I’m moving house tonight and won’t have internet access for a while, so I’m posting this week’s Fiction Friday a day early.
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You might think that day would be forgotten, lost in the cacophony of days since.
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He is alive, though death would be better, I think. -
Prions — What Are They? (Video)
This video gives a brief description of prions and explains why they can sometimes cause disease.
Creator: Hussain Biology
Run Time: 5.21 -
One Horse: A Study in Memory
Trigger Warning: Disturbing content
I wrote this as a story, but I’ve been told it’s poetry, so I’ll post it in both categories and let you decide.
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Something Is Killing Me: FFS
Fatal Familial Insomnia is a rare genetic condition which, as the name suggests, is invariably fatal. This documentary interviews three families who are afflicted with FFS, and documents the efforts which are underway in the search for a cure.
Run Time: 42:18
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More Writing Exercise Responses (March 2021)
My new Kindle arrived the other day.
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Australia emerged from the pandemic relatively unscathed, with less than five hundred deaths.
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It was like books with special features and we were stoked. -
12-21 by Dustin Thomason: Dot Points
The writing in this book is good, not great, and the characters and tropes are a trifle cliché, but I enjoyed this book nonetheless.
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Writing Exercise Responses (March 2021)
Lust turned to confusion, then terror, as loud tremors announced the first impact.
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He did not wish for more time, though the opportunity to cause more mayhem would be welcome.
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Heimdall watched, eyes hard, as Loki lay, wounded and broken, on the frozen ground. -
Philip Gourevitch Interview (Conversations With History)
Harry Kreisler interviews Philip Gourevitch, author of ‘We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families’, on Writing, Reporting, and the Rwandan Genocide.
Run Time: 59:29
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Planning
“Johnson’s become a liability.”
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We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families by Philip Gourevitch: Dot Points
This is a must read for anyone interested in history, international politics or human rights, and I would venture to recommend it, even to those with no interest in these subjects.
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Restless Revenant
Intrigued, she carefully cracked open the cover, mindful of the brittle pages, so absorbed with her find that she never noticed the gently blown dust forming patterns in the air, or the increasing chill causing her skin to goose bump.
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The Middle Ages in 3 1/2 Minutes
A cute little Medieval History video
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Error 500
We’re alive, but not living, not really. We’re stuck in some endless play and can’t find our way from the stage.
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History Time: 1000AD -A Tour of Europe
Medieval History Documentary
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Isolated Scene February 2021
Snow freezes, seeping into your bones, swallowing sensation and suppressing your instinct to survive.
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The Pelican History of Medieval Europe by Maurice Keen: Dot Points
Some chapters were easier to read than others, but overall this was a rather heavy read.
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Random Snippet February 2021
When he woke in the woods in the dark and cold of night, he’d reach out to touch the child sleeping beside him.
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Seven Watchmen by Rudyard Kipling
Seven Watchmen sitting in a tower,
Watching what had come upon mankind,
Showed the Man the Glory and the Power,
And bade him shape the Kingdom to his mind. -
Sentry (Revised)
A small, unacknowledged, part of your heart despises the serenity, welcomes its transience, eagerly awaits the coming chaos. Before the war, in the world-that-was, you despised the cold spread of adrenaline. Now you crave the exhilaration and terror of combat, the struggle to eke out one more moment of existence.
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Recipe Roulette
I came across an awesome website while looking for recipes. It’s called Recipe Roulette.
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Sentry (Original)
You perch on the side of an overturned Coles truck, carefully scanning the crumbling homes and weed-choked footpaths for any sign of movement. The air is oppressively still, the silence palpable. Almost painful. Your ears strain for any hint of life. You desire movement and you dread it.
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Read in 2020
Virus: Day of Resurrection by Sakyo Komatsu * * * * ½ The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman * * * * ½ The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert * * * * On Writing: A Memoir… Read More ›
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Forgot to Post on Monday
It has been poined out by a regular reader that I forgot to post this week’s Miscellaneous Monday. Apologies for that. I had it all typed up. I simply forgot to post it. I shall do so now!
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Random Scene January 2021
The alleyway was damp and narrow. Slivers of sunlight filtered through drab stone buildings, creating shadowy alcoves, concealing the clandestine dealings of thieves and cutthroats.
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Resolutions
It’s that time of year again. A new year, and an opportunity to turn a new leaf.
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Sixty Seconds (Revised)
How much can change in sixty seconds? An idea. A thought. A text received. A text answered. A life can end. A life can begin. A proposal – the beginning of a lifetime together. Perhaps the apocalypse could happen in sixty seconds.
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Internet’s Back
In a classic example of the bad luck that seems to have become a normal part of my life, my internet died right after resurrecting this blog.
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My New Haircut
Just my luck that the bloody weather cooled back down after I had this done.
