Nerd Church - If I Had £1million...

Money can't buy you happiness, true. But it can buy you the time, freedom, and resources, to be happy.

Plus, not having to worry about how you're gonna pay for stuff is guaranteed to help your mood. #JustSaying.

So, though I doubt it'll ever happen, I felt like doing some day-dreaming of what I would do if I had £1million.

I picked £1million pretty arbitrarily - mainly 'cos it's a nice round milestone number, and because it's a lot of money, but not so much that you wouldn't have to think about what you were gonna do with it.

Month In Review(s) - June 2020

June 2020. Somehow we're only half-way through 2020... which is... interesting.

We're still more-or-less on Lockdown here in Wales, though we're slowly easing things - so as of 6th July, we formed a social bubble with my brother, which meant we could hug him and everything.

Anyways, I had an OK month, although I did have a migraine, and hayfever, and a few bad Depression days... but I'm still here, still standing, still writing slightly rambley blogposts! 😊

Speaking of my blogposts - I once again posted zero reviews this month, and had one of my regular existential crises re: this blog.

(Not to be confused with my regular existential crises re: writing, Queerness, productivity, the meaning of life, etc. etc. etc.)

The typical, really: does my blog have enough bookish content? Can I even call it a book blog? Am I somehow misleading people by posting about other topics on here?

Nerd Church - Online Responsibility (All The World's A Stage)

I think one of the primary responsibilities we have in life is to not hurt people.

The thing is, not everyone agrees on what, exactly, that entails.

A lot of people don't think that that responsibility to not hurt people covers saying cr*p online, for example.

It may not hurt someone physically, but what we say online can have serious repercussions. 

And the more 'influence' we have - online or in the mainstream media - the more responsibility we have to consider the consequences of our actions.

The world is full of nuance and 'what ifs' and 'but what abouts' - I'm not going to deny that. It's the way things are.

But I think that, in general, you have the responsibility to think about the ramifications of your words before you say them (whether that's verbally or online or whatever.)

Nerd Church - Covid 19: Seriously, People? There's Still A Pandemic

(Warning: As you can probably tell from the title, this post discusses Coronavirus/Covid 19)

I swear to all that is, or may be, holy: VIRUSES DON'T GO AWAY JUST 'COS YOU GOT BORED.

Covid 19 is still a problem.

So people who are cramming their butts onto beaches? Or celebrating football wins? Or having massive brawls on the beach?

- What, exactly, is wrong with you?

Nerd Church - A Short Ramble on Father's Day

Happy Father's Day!

This post is gonna be short and ramble-y because I have a migraine and it sucks. 

I'll be fine in a day or two, but I need to write this post now, when I feel like I've been hit by a shovel, which is great timing. 😅

And sorry if this post looks a little strange - migraines affect your vision with obstructions (like blindspots/sunspots,) light sensitivity, and colour differences, so if things look a little odd, then it's because I physically can't see the post or graphics in the way I normally would.

I love my dad.

I know that, sadly, a lot of people have less-than-ideal relationships with their dad. A lot of people have no relationship with their dad. And a lot of people understandably don't want a relationship with their dad.

A lot of dads, likewise, may have mixed feelings about their relationships with their kids.

A lot of people have also lost their fathers, or their children, and that hurts.

So hugs all round, dearest nerdlets, hugs all round!

Nerd Church - Supporting Black People, Trans People, and Black Trans People

(Warning: this post discusses racism, Transphobia, and racist, Transphobic, and Transmysogynoiristic murder.)

Brief note before I start: 

Please, please, please remember that we are still in the middle of a global pandemic with Covid 19/Coronavirus - a pandemic that disproportionately takes the lives of People of Colour/BAME people.

Stay safe. 

KEEP SOCIAL DISTANCING - 2m/6ft apart if possible. 

Stay home when you can. 

Wash your hands A LOT. 

Wear a face mask if/when appropriate.

 

Once again, the rights and lives of Black people, Trans people, and Black Trans people, are under threat.

I'm privileged in that I'm a White Cis woman. 

And after all the media attention has died down, I will still be a White Cis woman, and Black people will still be Black, and Trans+ people will still be Trans+.

Nerd Church - Paul Robeson and His Beloved Wales

1920s London. An unlikely meeting that would forge an unbreakable bond.

I figured, given the ongoing racial injustices and prejudice against Black people, that now was a good time to talk about and highlight a Black hero of the (mainly White) Welsh miners: Paul Robeson.

Some of the details are a little disputed - it's become its own mythology over the years - but I've tried to go with the consensus, and there're resources at the end of the post if you're interested to learn more!

(And yes, she's talking about Wales again!)

Image of Paul Robeson: Geoff Charles (1909-2002)/Wikimedia Commons

Paul Robeson was a Black American actor, singer, athlete, and political activist - including Civil Rights and Socialist activism. 

He is also a national hero here in Wales, especially among the older generations.

Month in Review(s) - May 2020

(Warning: this post discusses the Coronavirus/Covid 19, and references the death of George Floyd)

May 2020... who wrote this film?!

Obviously, globally, May was a dumpster fire. 

(And Black Lives Matter. George Floyd deserves justice. If you disagree, you can eff off.)

Nerd Church - Power and Privilege In 2020

(Warning: This post discusses 2020. 

Which means it discusses:

- Coronavirus/Covid 19, and the death statistics

- racism

- racist murder (inc. murder of Black people by the police)

- Transphobia

- Transphobic murder

- Homophobia/Queerphobia

- Donald Trump

...I think that's everything. 2020, everyone.)

Well... it's been a week, right?

Unfortunately, if there's one theme to this week, both here in the UK and over in the USA, it's this: The more power and privilege someone has, the more they will abuse that power and privilege.

Nerd Church - The Writer Diaries: One of My Side Characters Is Pouting!

I can't get the side characters from my Work-in-Progress (WIP) to do what I want!

I know, to people who don't write fiction that probably doesn't make much sense. 

Surely, I, as the author, am in control? *laughs in writer* HELL NO!

Sorry to break this to you, but authors have extremely limited control over their characters. 

Essentially we write down what they're doing to the best of our ability... and attempt to cut out any scenes where they're doing sh** they shouldn't. With mixed results.

Nerd Church - For Those Of Us Feeling Overwhelmed Right Now

(Warning: this post discusses Covid 19/Coronavirus, and references Anxiety and mental health problems)

This post isn't a magical solution to feeling overwhelmed, but hopefully it'll help a little.

Disclaimer time: I'm not a medical or mental health professional. I'm someone with my own personal experiences of Depression/Anxiety which may or may not be helpful to you. Always do what's right for you, k? K.

Sometimes it can be hard to keep moving forward. It can feel overwhelming as f**k, let's be honest. 

But to make it less overwhelming?

You have to take everything one step at a time - as goddamn irritating as that can be, sometimes. 

Month In Review(s) - April 2020

(Warning: this post discusses Covid 19/Coronavirus, and Anxiety)

April 2020.

Um... yeah... 

(I know it's the 13th of May - I'm disorganised, and you all know this.)

OK, plus side: I had fewer panic attacks this month!

I mean, I still had panic attacks, and a butt-tonne of Anxiety, but I had slightly less of it! Woo!

(Small victories, dearest nerdlets, small victories.)

Nerd Church - How Are You Bored...?

(Warning: this post references Coronavirus/Covid 19, and Lockdown)

"Bored!" I kicked the carpet with my heel. "Bored!" I kicked it with my other heel. "Bored!" I switched back to the first heel.

...That's the last time I can remember being plain bored. 

I think I was eight. I definitely wasn't older than ten.

Don't get me wrong - I've been bored of things plenty of times. Teachers, mostly. 

(School is good and something you should go to and all that - but my school sucked. On many levels.

We used to hide maths homework inside our PSE (Personal Social Education) booklets - because apparently LSD was a big threat to the teens of the mid-to-late 00s. (Spoiler: it wasn't.) 

Also we had to colour in the pictures of drugs for some reason? Like this is gonna put us off in any way? (Don't do drugs, dearest nerdlets, k? K.)

Also the teacher I had for PSE told us way too much about the various times she 'ran away with [man] to [location] and it all went wrong and I ended up stranded in [location - not necessarily the 1st location]' We honestly didn't want to know. 

We were hiding maths homework, dearest nerdlets. Maths. Homework.)

Nerd Church - I'm SO Tired

(Warning: this post references Coronavirus/Covid 19 and Lockdown, and discusses mental health problems and Anxiety throughout.)


I'm so tired.

Like, SO tired.

Part of that is probably due to an existential tiredness related to the Lockdown and wanting things to go back to 'normal' - whatever normal is.

(Stay Home though, dearest nerdlets - STAY HOME PLEASE! It's so important!)

Nerd Church - Covid 19: Why Are People Like This?

(Warning: this post discusses Coronavirus/Covid 19 and lockdown/quarantine throughout. It also discusses Donald Trump and medical misinformation. It also gets kinda rant-y.)



What is wrong with people? 

I mean... does anyone know?

As I sit here, still on full lockdown in the UK, my neighbours have gone out. Again.

If you read this blog/follow my Twitter (thank you, I love you!) you may know that I have Problem Neighbours™.

What started as some sloppiness with letting their 2 dogs out has morphed into a general disregard for the people around them (...and they have 4 dogs now.)

Nerd Church - Oliver Queen, You Have Saved This Girl's Life

(Warning: this post discusses Depression and low self-esteem/self-worth, as well as referencing suicidal thoughts and feelings.)



Oliver Queen, you have saved this girl’s life.

People who’ve read this blog before will be aware that I credit a lot of things for saving my life – from fanfiction to meds, from blogging to Fall Out Boy. With what feels like millions of other things in between.

I mean all of it. Completely.

When Depression sinks it’s teeth in so deep that you think you are the worst creature to ever draw breath – that, in fact, you’re probably hogging oxygen from someone who deserves to breathe it more – you need more than just one thing to rescue you.

Nerd Church - Watching 'Orange Is The New Black' In Lockdown

(Warning: this post discusses Coronavirus/Covid 19, and prison, and references drugs and death.)


You know all those shows that you just don't get around to for whatever reason? 

Orange Is The New Black was one of those for me.

So what better series to start when we can't go out, than one where they can't either, y'know? 

The UK is in Lockdown - we can only go out for specific reasons, which does currently include 1hr exercise, provided we practice social distancing, so we're better off than some.

Month In Review(s) - March 2020

(Warning: This post discusses Coronavirus/Covid 19 (b/c March 2020) and related stuff like lockdown and Anxiety)



...Maybe the first rule of March 2020, is that we don't talk about March 2020.

But then, I'd totally break that rule in half and throw the pieces in the air like confetti anyways, so here we are!

Nerd Church - A General Message of Positivity For Anyone Struggling With Their Mental Health ATM

(Warning: this post discusses Covid 19/Coronavirus, and mental health problems/general mental health)


I think we could all do with some positivity right now.

We all need to take care of our mental health. You don't need to have a mental health problem in order to be struggling with your mental health.

We all need to take care of ourselves.

So here's one of my famous (notorious? infamous? who knows,) pep talks, with the hopes that it'll do some good, somewhere.

Nerd Church - The Writer Diaries: Aesthetically Confused

(Warning: this post discusses the affects of Anxiety)


If you hang around bookish and/or writerly corners of the Interwebs, you may've seen random-a** collages related to books, individual characters, or writing projects.

Or maybe you haven't - in which case you probably don't know wtf I'm talking about. But trust me, they're out there.