It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Almost eight years, if my WordPress history is to be believed. A lot has changed since my absence from this blog, and a lot is the same. When I last posted, in 2017, Trump was president, and now, in 2025, to my indescribable horror, TrumpMusk is president again.

The Internet itself was also a different place back then; it was in its middle years. When I first started blogging, and writing, the Internet felt much smaller. I was a comparatively early adopter, an active participant in forums and webrings, and an avid fan of Weebl’s and Homestar Runner. Now, social media has replaced most forums, Twitter has fallen, the internet is glutted with content and misinformation, much of it AI-generated, and it, on the whole, is a lot less friendly. At least Wikipedia, which I maintain is one of humanity’s greatest achievements, is still here as a beacon of hope.

A lot has happened to me as well. Since my last post, I got married, adopted two dogs, earned my PhD in sociology from Brown University, and started work as a scientific editor. I also picked up juggling and have undertaken a serious study of Irish folk music in the form of bodhrán and tin whistle (both high and low). In all that, my writing has taken a backseat; sense Dark Aeons, I have hardly written any traditional fiction. My writing has instead taken the form of play-by-post roleplaying, primarily in the worlds of the Wildsea and Eclipse Phase.

But in these troubling times, and inspired by the fairly substantial number of books I read last year (more than a book a week; I doubt I’ll be able to repeat that feat!), I have decided to center myself by picking up the pen once more and writing seriously. I also plan to begin posting regularly to this blog (aiming for once a week) with my thoughts on the media I am consuming (books, movies, shows, video games), current affairs, and Irish folk music, as well as keeping the world at large updated on my writing.

Am I shouting into the void here? Possibly, but maybe some of you subscribers will take interest, and maybe some new readers will wander in here.

This is a long-winded way for me to say: I’m back and plan to start posting and writing once more. I’ll be expanding the website with new content slowly in the coming months, but for now, check out my updated works in progress page and the social media links on the right side. It’s good to be back!