Nerd Church - 5 Things I Learned From Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff (Without Reading a Word)

'Oh scream, America, scream. Believe what you see. From Heroes and Cons.'

We are in the middle of the 21st Century Breakdown.

Unfortunately, I don't think Green Day meant their apocalyptic concept-album to be an instruction manual. *laughs slightly hysterically*

Month in Review(s) - December 2017

Decemmmmberrrr!!!!!!!!! Wooo!!! XD (Yes, it's January - but let's face it, I never wrap-up on time.)

OK, so December for me was actually super-super-hectic, but it came with Christmas at the end, so I really can't be mad at it! Lol.

(I love Christmas. Sooooo much!!!! 😁 )

Nerd Church - 17 Becomes 18

So 2017 is ending. We tried, but in the end it followed 2016 into the sh**-pile of history.

But that doesn't mean we should give up on 2018. Because 2018 can do better. 2018 can pick itself up, dust itself off, and prove that doom and gloom isn't inevitable.

Nerd Church - The Gift of Christmas

Christmas is awesome. Christmas is love and hope.

I'm not gonna get all made-for-TV-movie on your butts, but whether you celebrate Christmas or not, there's something exceptionally beautiful about a time of the year dedicated to love, hope, kindness, and joy.

The world that we live in needs more things like that.

Nerd Church - How To Not Be a Jerk To Non-Drinking Guests

It's December - and nearly Christmas. 

This is the time of year that's traditionally filled with party-goers, many of whom will be drinking. But not all.

As a member of the non-drinking group for the last several years, I can tell you that these reactions are fairly typical:

• "But... WHY?!"
• *Stares at me for at least a minute without blinking*
• "I could NEVER do that!"
• "Oh come on, have some fun!"
• "Are you SURE?"
• "Are you like *takes step backwards* religious or something?"

Nerd Church - 10 Self-Care Reminders For When You're Extra-Busy, or Working Extra-Hard

Yep, this is both a self-care exercise and a blogpost. THAT is multitasking 😎

So sometimes, when we're busy, we forget to take care of ourselves - especially mental-health-wise. I'm officially the world's worst for this - I overwork A LOT.

So, here's a few things I have to remind myself of - and I hope they help you too!

Month in Review(s) - November 2017

November was one of those super-busy months where I barely had time to think!

As such, guys, I apologise if I've been a little more AWOL than usual.

I haven't had much chance to be social and all that - so, hi! I am still here! XD

Nerd Church - Break the Effing Cycle

I'm pi**ed off. I'm really pi**ed off. Because the only bank branch, of any type, left in my town, is set to close.

Why should that pi** me off? It's only a bank, right?

Have you lived in a poor area? Because I f**king do.

And when things leave, they don't come back. When things leave, they take jobs, money, chances...

When things leave, they take hope with them.

Nerd Church - Hands Held High

(Warning: This post discusses terrorism, racism/islamophobia, and media bias.)




The attack on a mosque in Sinai, Egypt on Friday killed over 300 people.

300 people.

Three hundred people.

Three. Hundred. People.

Nerd Church - Hate Pretending to be Love is Still Hate

(Warning: this post contains discussions of homophobia (inc. general queerphobia) and transphobia, in a religious context (gets a little controversial))




Note:

If you know who I'm talking about in this post, please leave it be. Myself and this person parted somewhat civilly and I don't have the energy to stir it up again.






Just to be clear: I don't mean to be offensive to Christianity in this post, I don't consider people like this to be genuine Christians.

There are people who hide behind the shield of Christianity in order to spread hatred and bigotry. Those people are not Christian.

This week, I cut ties to someone I thought was pretty cool, because they turned out not to be.

They thought it was OK to support the views of a 'Christian' blogger who wrote an open letter to the LGBTQ+ community.

This letter claimed to be loving. It claimed to be tolerant. Instead, it spread hate.

Month in Review(s) - October 2017

October was fun, yes?*

*I mean if you ignore the news and the garbage pile that is the world's current affairs. *desperate laughter* 😅

Nerd Church - Rinse, Repeat

I know I've said this more than once, but I'll say it again and again: hatred is poison.

Trump's hatred, ISIS' hatred, anyone's hatred.

I don't understand why human beings still cling to it.

Nerd Church - The Book Eater

Confession time: to me the term 'book eater' isn't exactly a metaphor.

Don't panic! I do not, in fact, actually chew, swallow, and consume books. There is no paper in my stomach (as far as I'm aware!)

But I taste books.

Not just books - words, sentences, paragraphs. All of them roll around on my tongue with their various flavours.

And for a long time, I figured everyone else was the same. It's only in recent years that the sneaking suspicion has crept in - other people don't taste words.

Nerd Church - Recovery...?

(Warning: this post discusses mental health problems, especially depression and anxiety)



I've struggled with depression and anxiety for several years now.

I was ill for quite a while before I started this blog, and Dora Reads has been running, in one form or another, for nearly three years.

Nerd Church - On Presumed Innocence, Believing Victims, and Keeping the Legal Balance

(Warning: this post discusses sexual assault, harassment, rape, and victim blaming.)



By now, you'll probably have heard of the whole Harvey Weinstein scandal.

Honestly, before this all started, I hadn't even heard of Harvey Weinstein.

But I now understand that he apparently wielded a butt-load of behind the scenes power in Hollywood and the film industry for a looong time!

The framing of a lot of the news stories has been against the accusers, although I've also seen things that are clearly slanted against the accused.

In most countries, there's a presumption of innocence until proven guilty.

I believe in this with my whole heart. Until the facts are established in a court of law, that person is innocent.

THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU DISBELIEVE THE VICTIMS.

You ALWAYS believe the victims, unless they are thoroughly disproved later (and this is rare - yes it happens occasionally, but it's RARE.)

Nerd Church - Kids and Gender Equality

Recently I've seen two TV programmes which really hammered home how much we still need to improve on gender equality in the 21st Century.

The first was the BBC's 'No More Boys and Girls' where plans were put in place to counteract negative gender stereotyping in a class of seven and eight-ish year-olds*



*yes, 'ish' because I really can't remember. They were smol, ok?

Month in Review(s) - September 2017

September was a mixed bag.

But then, that's life I suppose! Still, it was my birthday month, so there's that at least ;)

(I ate soooo much pizza and chocolate cake!!!! 🎂🎂🎂🍕🍕🍕😁)

Nerd Church - Dreamers, BE YOU!

This one's for the dreamers; for the writers, the bloggers, the vloggers, the artists, the entrepreneurs.

(This one's for all you rock and rollers, all you crash queens and motor babies... 😉😎)

#BannedBooksWeek | Nerd Church - On Censorship

24th-30th September 2017 is Banned Books Week, as set up by the American Library Association (ALA.)



I'm all for intellectual freedom my nerdlets; I'm against censorship in general.

Nerd Church - A Letter To My Younger Self

(Warning: this post contains references to suicidal thoughts and feelings, as well as brief references to grief, depression, abusive/toxic friendships, and the general randomness of my life.)



I'd been thinking of doing one of these things for a while - y'know the 'Hi little 15-year-old Cee, this is the advice I'd give you!' kind of things.

Then, between my birthday on Friday (no, I'm not telling you how old I am - it ain't happening,) and reading blogpost ideas by Jemma @ Dorkface, which suggested writing a letter to your younger self, I was like - IT'S A SIGN!!!!!!!!!*



*Yes, there was coffee. Also, my parents are hippies.