Nerd Church - It's My Birthday! (And I'll Cry If I Want To)

...Not that I'm particularly aiming to. But I'll give myself the option!

Yes, the day this post is published (15th Sep, unless I pushed 'Publish' instead of 'Schedule' again! 😅) is my birthday!

While I'm hoping to have fun and enjoy myself today... I have had some mixed feelings in the days leading up to today.

See, for my entire life, my birthday has been a few days before my grandfather's.

Month in Review(s) - August 2019

August was not as hot here in the UK!!!!! 

Thank whatever deity, divine power, or cosmic entity that may be listening!

Don't get me wrong, there were still days which were officially too hot. But there were less of them. *sighs happily*

Unfortunately, I spent most of August with a cold.

Because I'm one of those people who will catch every virus imaginable after a galandular-fever-like illness screwed my immune system over when I was 16. Good times.

Nerd Church - Caffeinated Current Events: We're Really F**ked (Like, More Than We Were Before)

I'm full of coffee, so let's try to figure out the state of the UK, shall we?

I don't know if you've been paying attention to UK politics lately, but it basically goes a little something like this:

Our Prime Minister is somehow Boris Johnson. 

Because we apparently haven't suffered enough yet.

Nerd Church - Escapism, Reality, the Power of Stories, and Brigsby Bear

Films, books, media, stories.

They’re how we talk, communicate, connect with each other, with the world around us, and how we understand ourselves. 

At least, that’s true for me, maybe it’s not for you.

Or maybe you just think it’s not the way it is for you 😉

...when I was making the graphic I somehow wrote 'realism' instead of reality but *shrugs* same diff I suppose! 😅

There’s an amazing, adorable, and, in places, heart-breaking, film called Brigsby Bear.

I love it.

It’s one of those films which rips your heart out, hands it to you, and then is like ‘look! This is what your heart looks like! Look at all the blood and gunk and stuff!’ (Metaphorically, of course.) 

It’s hard to talk about Brigsby Bear without either a) getting spoiler-y, or b) descending into fangirling to such an extent that all I’m doing is making a series of inarticulate noises.

Nerd Church - You're Capable (I Promise)

There will be times in your life, dearest nerdlets, when you feel like you're not capable of understanding something, or learning to do something, or actually goddamn doing the thing - whatever the thing may be.

But you ARE capable!

I know, I know - so easy to say.

(Except it's not - for me, it's def. not.)

Image by Shahid Abdullah from Pixabay

I love bad puns in visual form, ok? 😅 I couldn't resist.

I don't mean that all you have to do is decide you wanna be a rock star, and then, if you want it bad enough, it'll magically happen.

Life doesn't work like that.

If you don't play any instruments, you won't wake up tomorrow as a rock star. Simple as.

But that doesn't mean you're incapable of being a rock star. It'll take a lot of work, a lot of luck, and a lot of blood, sweat and tears, but you can do it.

...Or it might still not happen.

Comics Wrap-Up - It's A Beautiful Thing When Boy Meets Boy

It's Thursday, and that means it's time for superheroes and all the comics-y goodness! Woo! 😀

Month in Review(s) - July 2019

July was too goddamned hot.

I'm not built for anything past 23C, and it hit, like 31C.

I know to some of you who live in hotter places than the UK, that's nothing but... it's really not nothing to us!

I'm not a nice person when I'm hot - I'm grumpy af and just want to make the world suffer.

Also, I live in Wales. Summer is traditionally one big rain shower - WTAF with this heat?!

Nerd Church - Do We REALLY Value the ART?

I love Fine Art, and have done since I was a teensy babbi.

(Which slightly confused my parents who were expecting a child rather than an art, music, and literature lover, but anyways...)

I'm not so much of a fan of Modern Art, though, 'cos it tends to be either ugly or pretentious af - or sometimes both. Lol.

Nerd Church - Casual Homophobia: A Thousand Cuts

(Warning: this post discusses several instances of homophobia, and the feelings caused.)

I use the term homophobia here as a catch-all for all types of bigotry against LGBTQ+ people.



When I was very, very, small, someone I love - an adult - said something that stuck a tiny dagger into my heart.

They said, "...it shows being Gay as something natural. Which it's not."

And a teeny-tiny voice in my small child brain said, 'But what about me?' and then I stamped it down very, very, hard.

Partly because I didn't know what I meant. What about me? What was I?

Well, if straight was the natural... then I was straight? Right?

Month in Review(s) - June 2019

June kind of flew by!

Partly because I was super-busy! Which is also why I (once again) posted less here than I wanted to.

I did manage to post a review though! Woo! I can still call myself a book blog! (Lol.) 😅

Nerd Church - The Writer Diaries: Turns Out, People Are Interested

I've never really had much confidence in my writing.

Like, objectively I know that people read this blog but... it always surprises (and delights,) me when someone comments, shares, etc. (Hint hint. Lol.)

Likewise, I'm always on edge about the fiction I write - it can't be something someone'd be interested in reading, right?

At the same time, not writing would be like not breathing. Unthinkable.

It's literally who I am - I breathe. I read. I write.

Nerd Church - Anxiety: Worrying About Sh** I Actually Don't Care About

(Warning: this post discusses Anxiety (which you probably figured out) and Depression)


If you're worried about paying the bills when you've got no money in the bank, that's logical.

Likewise, worrying about a friend who's been going through a tough time, or feeling anxious before you give a speech, is totally understandable.

Anxiety, though?

Anxiety blows the normal sh** out of proportion, while adding some completely illogical sh** t'boot.

Mini-Review! - Dat's Love and Other Stories by Leonora Brito

Title: Dat's Love

Author: Leonora Brito

Genres: Anthology, Short Stories, Contemporary(-ish,) Historical Fiction

Amazon: UK - USA

Month in Review(s) - May 2019

May was another month of ups-and-downs.

Such is life - we just keep moving after all!

Things are starting to kind of improve depression-wise, if you squint and turn your head a bit, so... that's good!

Nerd Church - The World's Exhausting Expectations of Women

Who the hell is it that's making 'the Social norms' anyway?

Cos I think we all need to have a few words with them.

I mean, the amount of stuff we're expected to be and not be doesn't make any goddamn sense. The 'shoulds' and 'shouldn'ts' are ridiculous.

(In a broad sense, I mean - I'm sure there's stuff you actually should do, like eat and sleep and go to the loo, and stuff you shouldn't like arson, theft, murder, voting for Donald Trump, etc.

There's exceptions to most generalisations.)



Women, for example, get a raw effing deal.

Just looking at ads and articles aimed at women can sometimes be goddamned exhausting!

Nerd Church - Game of Thrones: No-One's Very Happy, Which Means It's A Good Compromise

This post has Game of Thrones **spoilers** EVERY GOD-DAMN-WHERE! Ok? Ok.

It's best to get the spoiler warnings outta the way. 😉

Also, y'know this is Game of Thrones, so general WARNING for potentially distressing content.

Nerd Church - The Writer Diaries: Patchwork Writing and Whatever Works For You

Some people are 'plotters,' some people are 'pantsers' - and I write in patchwork.

For those who don't know, writing fiction is generally split into two camps by the people who split things (whoever they are - I'm not sure anyone's ever met them) - plotting and pantsing.

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Month in Review(s) - April 2019

April - well, April didn't have any work-related nose-bleeds, for a start!

Thanks to everyone for asking if I was ok, etc, last month - honestly I think you guys were a lot more worried about it than I was 😅

On the one hand, April had Easter and chocolate and spring flowers, and all that awesome stuff!

Y'know, lots of fun stuff to enjoy and smile about! 😊

Nerd Church - The 9 Most Annoying Things That Have Been Said To Me About Being A Second-Generation Vegetarian

I was raised Vegetarian.

So even as Vegetarianism and Veganism has become more main-stream, I've been sat here in a unique kind of space, that not many people get to see.

Image by nugroho dwi hartawan from Pixabay

I've spent my entire life as a Vegetarian.

Which, especially when I was younger, before it became popular, did create some tensions... not least because nothing used to be labelled with a 'V' or whatever.

Nerd Church - Happy Easter (or, Let's Respect Each Other, Yeah?)

Happy Easter/Pasg Hapus dearest nerdlets!

Image by Couleur from Pixabay

One of the most enduring symbols of Easter is eggs, dontcha think?

Chocolate eggs, painted eggs, eggs with chicks breaking out, eggs just randomly decorating everything!

But I've been noticing some egg-hate lately.

And I don't mean from Vegans - that's a whole different set of issues related to a different set of moral questions - nope, I mean from people who don't know much about history.