He Is Risen!
I hope everyone is enjoying a restful, worshipful day. Easter is here! Christ Is Resurrected!
Enjoy time with family, celebrating Christ’s Resurrection—and the promise of His Return.
Happy Easter, everyone!
—TPP
Month: March 2024
SubscribeStar Saturday: Disco Elysium
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I recently picked up the “final cut” of Disco Elysium during the Steam Spring Sale at the amazing price of $9.99 (it usually MRSPs for $39.99). It’s a game I’d heard about since its release in 2019, but always with an air of mystery around it. It’s a roleplaying game, yes, but totally different from the typical fantasy-inspired roleplaying worlds of, say, The Elder Scrolls series or even the sci-fi roleplaying of Cyberpunk 2077 or Starfield (Ponty’s promised a review of CP2077, and I am quite excited to read it).
There have been non-fantasy roleplaying games before, to be sure, and even those that take place in the modern-ish world. Disco Elysium, however, is unlike any other game I’ve ever played, roleplaying or otherwise, and after just a few hours of gameplay—and having not even solved the first case yet!—I love it.
It also turns out the game can be had on consoles—and much more affordably than the default Steam price. Amazon has it on the Nintendo Switch ($25), the Playstation 4 (marked down $16.90 at the time of writing), and the XBox One ($24). If I’d known it was on the Switch I likely would have got for that console (and may still do so), but I think the game is meant to be played on the PC. That said, I can tell it’s quite console-friendly based on the controls.
What sets Disco Elysium apart from other games, I think, is that most of the game is dialogue—with your own mind. And not just one, unified mind, but your character’s entire nervous system. It is probably the closest simulation I’ve ever experienced to what goes on in my mind, although I’m not a drug-addled 70s-style super cop down on his luck.
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Phone it in Friday LVII: YouTube Roundup XIII: Bull Terrier Edition, Part V
My humble YouTube channel is doing well thanks to Murphy‘s popularity. She is a real ham—and about as big as one, too!
Here we have Murphy at dusk; ruling the roost; and getting agitated:
TBT^2: Spring Break Short Story Recommendation 2022: “Witch’s Money”
It’s SPRING BREAK, baby! Finally, at long last, yours portly has eleven glorious days (counting weekends) to recuperate from a rather brutal semester, before slogging through one more round of it.
I typically experience severe burnout about twice a year, and it has hit hard lately. I’m sleeping poorly, working constantly, and eating excessively. My overall health has suffered, and I need to shut down for a few days.
Shut down—and read short stories! Every year I offer up my Spring Break Short Story Recommendations, which will start up next week. But here is a little preview of a past story recommendation.
With that, here is 6 April 2023’s “TBT: Spring Break Short Story Recommendation 2022: ‘Witch’s Money’“:
Love Letters
Last week I read Taki’s Magazine for the first time in awhile, and I’m glad I did. The magazine’s owner and editor, Taki Theodoracopulos, wrote a piece entitled “A Love Letter to Love Letters,” about—in case it wasn’t clear—love letters.
I was on a letter writing kick a few years ago, as The Age of The Virus granted ample time to indulge in time-consuming hobbies. I am still a proponent of writing handwritten letters, though I have not written nearly as many lately.
Taki’s piece, however, quite eloquently explains the appeal of writing letters. While he focuses on love letters, his arguments apply to letters generally.
Open Mic Adventures LXXIV: “Red Mage”
I’m continuing on last week’s edition of Open Mic Adventures by featuring tracks from my upcoming fantasy album, Four Mages. This week I have “Red Mage,” which is the second track I composed for the album, but which I have programmed to be first due to its jaunty feel.
Monday Morning Movie Review: A Bucket of Blood (1959)
Thanks to Joe Bob Briggs and The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs, I’ve finally experienced some film inspirado. To celebrate seventy—yes, seventy (70)—years of filmmaking, Joe Bob and Darcy the Mail Girl hosted a special live edition of the show to honor Roger Corman.
For the uninitiated, Roger Corman is the king of the B movies. He’s made anywhere from 500-700 films; one source of the disputed figure is that Corman himself doesn’t know how many films he’s made! Casual fans most likely know Corman from 1960’s The Little Shop of Horrors, which was filmed on the same sets as this week’s film, A Bucket of Blood (1959). Tonally and narratively, the two films are very similar (as a fun aside, The Little Shop of Horrors was the first flick I watched on Shudder).
Lazy Sunday CXLIII: Food II
Yours portly loves food, and if my constantly fluctuating weight is any indication, I have a contentious relationship with it. Food for us fatties is like a narcotic to the addict: we know we shouldn’t eat so much of it, but it numbs us to the harsh realities of life. Conquering the hold food has over us is an eternal struggle.
So here I have some classic posts about food (or the lack thereof):
- “The Joys of Fasting” – A post about the lack of food, and the mental, physical, and spiritual benefits derived from abstaining from eating.
- “Myersvision: ‘Ode to the PB&J’” – Audre Myers‘s ode to the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
- “McDonald’s: A Vision of Our Dystopian Future” – My analysis of the decline of the service industry.
Bon Appétit!
—TPP
Other Lazy Sunday Installments:
- Lazy Sunday – APR Pieces
- Lazy Sunday II – Lincoln Posts
- Lazy Sunday III – Historical Moments
- Lazy Sunday IV – Christianity
- Lazy Sunday V – Progressivism, Part I
- Lazy Sunday VI – Progressivism, Part II
- Lazy Sunday VII – Deep State
- Lazy Sunday VIII – Conservatism
- Lazy Sunday IX – Economics, Part I
- Lazy Sunday X – Economics, Part II
- Lazy Sunday XI – Walls
- Lazy Sunday XII – Space
- Lazy Sunday XIII – Immigration
- Lazy Sunday XIV – Gay Stuff
- Lazy Sunday XV – Work
- Lazy Sunday XVI – #MAGAWeek2018
- Lazy Sunday XVII – #MAGAWeek2019
- Lazy Sunday XVIII – SubscribeStar Posts
- Lazy Sunday XIX – Music
- Lazy Sunday XX – The Laziest Sunday
- Lazy Sunday XXI – Travel
- Lazy Sunday XXII – Reading
- Lazy Sunday XXIII – Richard Weaver
- Lazy Sunday XXIV – Education
- Lazy Sunday XXV – Techno-Weirdos
- Lazy Sunday XXVI – Small Town Living
- Lazy Sunday XXVII – Bric-a-Brac
- Lazy Sunday XXVIII – World History
- Lazy Sunday XXIX – The New Criterion
- Lazy Sunday XXX – Trump, Part I
- Lazy Sunday XXXI – Trump, Part II
- Lazy Sunday XXXII – Festivals
- Lazy Sunday XXXIII – Virtue Signalling
- Lazy Sunday XXXIV – The Desperate Search for Meaning Series
- Lazy Sunday XXXV – Corporate Grind
- Lazy Sunday XXXVI – Best of the Reblogs, Part I
- Lazy Sunday XXXVII – Best of the Reblogs, Part II
- Lazy Sunday XXXVIII – Best of the Reblogs, Part III
- Lazy Sunday XXXIX – A Very Dokken Christmas Series
- Lazy Sunday XL – Christmas Carols
- Lazy Sunday XLI – Food
- Lazy Sunday XLII – 2019’s Top Five Posts
- Lazy Sunday XLIII – Music, Part II: More Music
- Lazy Sunday XLIV – SubscribeStar Saturday Posts, Part II: The Search for More Money
- Lazy Sunday XLV – Techno-Weirdos II
- Lazy Sunday XLVI – Man Time
- Lazy Sunday XLVII – Winning
- Lazy Sunday XLVIII – Culture
- Lazy Sunday XLIX – Family
- Lazy Sunday L – The Best of Lazy Sunday
- Lazy Sunday LI – Just for Fun
- Lazy Sunday LII – Democratic Candidates, Part I
- Lazy Sunday LIII – Democratic Candidates, Part II
- Lazy Sunday LIV – Coronavirus
- Lazy Sunday LV – Animals
- Lazy Sunday LVI – Movies
- Lazy Sunday LVII – Christianity, Part II
- Lazy Sunday LVIII – Spring Break Short Story Recommendations Recap
- Lazy Sunday LIX – The God Pill Series
- Lazy Sunday LX – Music, Part II: Gigging
- Lazy Sunday LXI – The Tuck
- Lazy Sunday LXII – The South
- Lazy Sunday LXIII – Holidays
- Lazy Sunday LXIV – Grab Bag
- Lazy Sunday LXV – Rioting
- Lazy Sunday LXVI – Video Games
- Lazy Sunday LXVII – Phone it in Fridays, Part I
- Lazy Sunday LXVIII – Phone it in Fridays, Part II
- Lazy Sunday LXIX – Phone it in Fridays, Part III
- Lazy Sunday LXX – Phone it in Friday, Part IV
- Lazy Sunday LXXI – Road Trips
- Lazy Sunday LXXII – Forgotten Posts, Volume I
- Lazy Sunday LXXIII – Forgotten Posts, Volume II
- Lazy Sunday LXXIV – Forgotten Posts, Volume III
- Lazy Sunday LXXV – Forgotten Posts, Volume IV
- Lazy Sunday LXXVI – Forgotten Posts, Volume V
- Lazy Sunday LXXVII – Rural America
- Lazy Sunday LXXVIII – Space, Part II
- Lazy Sunday LXXXIX – SCOTUS
- Lazy Sunday LXXX – Big Ideas
- Lazy Sunday LXXXI – Education, Part II
- Lazy Sunday LXXXII – Universal Studios
- Lazy Sunday LXXXIII – The Mountains
- Lazy Sunday LXXXIV – Halloween Hijinks
- Lazy Sunday LXXXV – Elections
- Lazy Sunday LXXXVI – Questions, Part I
- Lazy Sunday LXXXVII – Questions, Part II
- Lazy Sunday LXXXVIII – Questions, Part III
- Lazy Sunday LXXXIX – 100 Week Review
- Lazy Sunday XC – Questions, Part IV
- Lazy Sunday XCI – Questions, Part V
- Lazy Sunday XCII – Christmas
- Lazy Sunday XCIII – 2020’s Top Five Posts
- Lazy Sunday XCIV – My Favorite Things
- Lazy Sunday XCV – The Best of Lazy Sunday
- Lazy Sunday XCVI – More Movies: Movie Reviews, Part I
- Lazy Sunday XCVII – More Movies II: Movie Reviews, Part II
- Lazy Sunday XCVIII – More Movies III: Movie Reviews, Part III
- Lazy Sunday XCIX – Romantic Music
- Lazy Sunday C – Valentine’s Day
- Lazy Sunday CI – Obituaries, Part I
- Lazy Sunday CII – Obituaries, Part II
- Lazy Sunday CIII – Begging
- Lazy Sunday CIV – Time
- Lazy Sunday CV – Grab Bag II
- Lazy Sunday CVI – Adventures
- Lazy Sunday CVII – Easter
- Lazy Sunday CVIII – Spring Break Short Story Recommendations 2021 Recap
- Lazy Sunday CIX – Pillow Talk
- Lazy Sunday CX – Inspector Gerard Reviews
- Lazy Sunday CXI – Bric-a-Brac II
- Lazy Sunday CXII – Responsibility
- Lazy Sunday CXIII – Short Stories
- Lazy Sunday CXIV – More Movies IV: Movie Reviews, Part IV
- Lazy Sunday CXV – Memorable Mondays
- Lazy Sunday CXVI – Delays
- Lazy Sunday CXVII – More Movies V – Movie Reviews, Part V
- Lazy Sunday CXVIII – More Movies VI – Movie Reviews, Part VI
- Lazy Sunday CXIX – Summer Camps
- Lazy Sunday CXX – Animals, Part II
- Lazy Sunday CXXI – MAGAWeek2021 Posts
- Lazy Sunday CXXII – MAGAWeek2020 Posts
- Lazy Sunday CXXIII – Murphy
- Lazy Sunday CXXIV – Bible Posts
- Lazy Sunday CXXV – More Movies VII – Movie Reviews, Part VII
- Lazy Sunday CXXVI – Joy, Part I
- Lazy Sunday CXXVII – Joy, Part II – Music
- Lazy Sunday CXXVIII – Civilization
- Lazy Sunday CXXIX – Friends, Part I
- Lazy Sunday CXXX – Friends, Part II
- Lazy Sunday CXXXI – Friends, Part III
- Lazy Sunday CXXXII – Milestones
- Lazy Sunday CXXXIII – Inspector Gerard
- Lazy Sunday CXXXIV – Friends, Part IV
- Lazy Sunday CXXXV – More Movies VIII – Movie Reviews, Part VIII
- Lazy Sunday CXXXVI – More Movies IX – Movie Reviews, Part IX
- Lazy Sunday CXXXVII – More Halloween Hijinks
- Lazy Sunday CXXXVIII – Friends, Part V
- Lazy Sunday CXXXIX – More Movies, Part X – Movie Reviews, Part X
- Lazy Sunday CXL – More Movies, Part XI – Movie Reviews, Part XI
- Lazy Sunday CXLI – Thanksgiving Stuff(ing)
- Lazy Sunday CXLII – More Movies, Part XII – Movie Reviews, Part XII
- Lazy Sunday CXLIII – More Movies, Part XIII – Movie Reviews, Part XIII
- Lazy Sunday CXLIV – More Christmas Carols
- Lazy Sunday CXLV – Christmas Cheer
- Lazy Sunday CXLVI – 2021’s Top Five Posts
- Lazy Sunday CXLVII – More Movies, Part XIV – Movie Reviews, Part XIV
- Lazy Sunday CXLVIII – The Gemini Sonnets #1 and #2
- Lazy Sunday CXLIX – The Gemini Sonnets #3 and #4
- Lazy Sunday CL – The Gemini Sonnets #5 and #6
- Lazy Sunday CLI – More Movies, Part XV – Movies Reviews, Part XV
- Lazy Sunday CLII – Romance
- Lazy Sunday CLIII – Behind the Songs, Part I
- Lazy Sunday CLIV – Behind the Songs, Part II
- Lazy Sunday CLV – Péchés d’âge moyen Posts
- Lazy Sunday CLVI – More Son of Sonnet
- Lazy Sunday CLVII – Ponty’s Posts, Part I
- Lazy Sunday CLVIII – Ponty’s Posts, Part II
- Lazy Sunday CLIX – Scrambie Eggs
- Lazy Sunday CLX: Fine Arts Festival
- Lazy Sunday CLXI: Easter II
- Lazy Sunday CLXII: Spring Break Short Story Recommendations Recap 2022
- Lazy Sunday CLXIII: Friends, Part VI
- Lazy Sunday CLXIV: Friends, Part VII
- Lazy Sunday CLXV: Friends, Part VIII
- Lazy Sunday CLXVI: Friends, Part IX
- Lazy Sunday CLXVII: Friends, Part X
- Lazy Sunday CLXVIII: More Movies, Part XVI: Movie Reviews, Part XVI
- Lazy Sunday CLXIX: More Movies, Part XVII: Movie Reviews, Part XVII
- Lazy Sunday CL: More Movies, Part XVIII: Movie Reviews, Part XVIII
- Lazy Sunday CLI: Frederick Ingram, Part I
- Lazy Sunday CLII: Frederick Ingram, Part II
- Lazy Sunday CLIII: MAGAWeek2022
- Lazy Sunday CLIV: More Movies, Part XIX: Movie Reviews, Part XIX
- Lazy Sunday CLV: More Movies, Part XX: Movie Reviews, Part XX
- Lazy Sunday CLVI: More Movies, Part XXI: Movie Reviews, Part XXI
- Lazy Sunday CLVII: School, Part I
- Lazy Sunday CLVIII: School, Part II
- Lazy Sunday CLIX: More Movies, Part XXII: Ponty’s Worst Films, Part I
- Lazy Sunday CLX: More Movies, Part XXIII: Portly’s Worst Films, Part I
- Lazy Sunday CLXI: More Movies, Part XXIV: Ponty’s Worst Films, Part II
- Lazy Sunday CLXII: More Movies, Part XXV: Portly’s Worst Films, Part II
- Lazy Sunday CLXIII: More Movies, Part XXVII: Ponty’s Worst Films, Part III
- Lazy Sunday CLXIV: More Movies, Part XXVIII: Portly’s Worst Films, Part III
- Lazy Sunday CLXV: More Movies, Part XXIX: Ponty and Portly’s #1 Worst Films
- Lazy Sunday CLXVI: More Movies, Part XXX: Midweek Myers Movie Reviews, Part I
- Lazy Sunday CLXVII: More Movies, Part XXXI: Midweek Myers Movie Reviews, Part II
- Lazy Sunday CLXVIII: Video Games II: Ponty’s Picks
- Lazy Sunday CLXIX: Even More Halloween Hijinks: The Musical
- Lazy Sunday CLXX: Cozy Time
- Lazy Sunday CLXXI: Veterans Day Posts
- Lazy Sunday CLXXII: Myersvision, Part I
- Lazy Sunday CLXXIII: Thanksgiving Week Posts
- Lazy Sunday CLXXIV: Solo Cover EP, Part I
- Lazy Sunday CLXXV: Solo Cover EP, Part II
- Lazy Sunday CLXXVI: 2022’s Top Three
- Lazy Sunday CLXXVII: Review[s] of A Christmas Carol (1951)
- Lazy Sunday CLXXVIII: The Worst of 2022
- Lazy Sunday CLXXIX: More Movies XXXII: Portly’s Best Films, Part I
- Lazy Sunday CLXXX: More Movies XXXIII: Ponty’s Best Films, Part I
- Lazy Sunday CLXXXI: More Movies XXXIV: Portly’s Best Films, Part II
- Lazy Sunday CLXXXII: More Movies XXXV: Ponty’s Best Films, Part II
- Lazy Sunday CLXXXIII: Péchés d’âge moyen Picks
- Lazy Sunday CLXXXIX: Arizonan Sojourn, Part I
- Lazy Sunday CXC: Portly’s Best Films, Part III
- Lazy Sunday CXCI: Ponty’s Best Films, Part III
- Lazy Sunday CXCII: The Beach
- Lazy Sunday CXCIII: Walks
- Lazy Sunday CXCIV: Paintings
- Lazy Sunday CXCV: Arizonan Sojourn, Part II
- Lazy Sunday CXCVI: Hono[u]rable Mentions
- Lazy Sunday CXCVII: Easter III
- Lazy Sunday CXCVIII: Spring Break Short Story Recommendations 2023
- Lazy Sunday CXCIX: Ponty and Portly’s #1 Picks
- Lazy Sunday CC: Myersvision, Part II
- Lazy Sunday CCI: Myersvision, Part III
- Lazy Sunday CCII: Myersvision, Part IV
- Lazy Sunday CCIII: Myersvision, Part V
- Lazy Sunday CCIV: Myersvision, Part VI
- Lazy Sunday CCV: Myersvision, Part VII
- Lazy Sunday CCVI: Intergalactic Nonsense
- Lazy Sunday CCVII: Stories
- Lazy Sunday CCVIII: Original Music, Part I
- Lazy Sunday CCIX: Original Music, Part II
- Lazy Sunday CCX: MAGAWeek2023 Posts
- Lazy Sunday CCXI: Greatest Hits Recap
- Lazy Sunday CCXII: Ponty Week 2023
- Lazy Sunday CCXIII: D.C., Part I
- Lazy Sunday CCXIV: D.C., Part II
- Lazy Sunday CCXV: TJC Deep Cuts
- Lazy Sunday CCXVI: Weird Piano Music
- Lazy Sunday CCXVII: Cinema
- Lazy Sunday CCXVIII: Monarchy
- Lazy Sunday CXIX: Sandwiches
- Lazy Sunday CXX: Skeletons
- Lazy Sunday CXXI: Myersvision, Part VIII
- Lazy Sunday CXXII: Myersvision, Part IX
- Lazy Sunday CXXIII: Festivals II
- Lazy Sunday CXXIV: Two Cryptid Tunes
- Lazy Sunday CXXV: Ghostly Doings
- Lazy Sunday CXXVI: Veterans Day Posts II
- Lazy Sunday CXXVII: Indie Musician Rants
- Lazy Sunday CXXVIII: 2023 Releases
- Lazy Sunday CXXIX: Civilization Series
- Lazy Sunday CXXX: Chapel Lessons, Part I
- Lazy Sunday CXXXI: Chapel Lessons, Part II
- Lazy Sunday CXXXII: Christmas Concert Reviews
- Lazy Sunday CXXXIII: The Best of 2023
- Lazy Sunday CXXXIV: Best Ponty Posts of 2023
- Lazy Sunday CXXXV: Best Myersvision Posts of 2023
- Lazy Sunday CXXXVI: YouTube Roundup Roundup I
- Lazy Sunday CXXXVII: YouTube Roundup Roundup II
- Lazy Sunday CXXXVIII: Firefly Dance Tracks, Part I
- Lazy Sunday CXXXIX: Firefly Dance Tracks, Part II
- Lazy Sunday CXL: Firefly Dance Tracks, Part III
- Lazy Sunday CXLI: Days Off
- Lazy Sunday CXLII: Murphy Vids, Part I
SubscribeStar Saturday: Sartorial Decline
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People are not dressing well anymore.
I’ll include myself in that assessment. When I first started teaching, I wore a coat and tie every day, although I’d shed the coat pretty quickly. On Fridays, when teachers were allowed to wear jeans, I’d make myself wear a tie if I wore jeans, as a compromise (that also used to be my stage look—jeans, sports coat, tie).
Since The Age of The Virus, everything has loosened up. I happily wear polo shirts—tucked in!—to work most everyday, aside from the six weeks of frosty winter we sometimes get in South Carolina. Fiddling around in an un-air-conditioned football pressbox in August is far more pleasant when I’m not wearing a long-sleeve button-up with a goofy tie.
Indeed, teachers can now wear jeans, so long as they are of a darker hue, any day of the week. My female colleagues avail themselves of this privilege fairly shamelessly. As I descend elegantly into middle age, I’ve adopted the uniform of my people: five-pocket workman’s slacks with a tucked-in polo or short-sleeve button-up shirt.
What has stirred my sartorial ire is not form-fitting jeans or polo shirts, but the prevalence of pajamas—yes, outright pajamas—among the general population.
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The Portly Politico 