9/24/17 review of book The Analysis of Matter, by Bertrand Russell

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the book The Analysis of Matter, by Bertrand Russell.

The thread gives a summary of the book, some context on my experience of Russell's work, and my opinions about Russell, Euclidean geometry, and post-relativity physics. The thread discusses concepts in the book such as the matter, space, and time; finding predictable effects in physics; and perception and physical theory. I discuss some of my own thoughts, after having read the book, about the history of physics in relation to this book, the history of Russell's works in relation to this book, and the idea of physics as a logically open system.

9/23/17 review of Denver Art Museum shows Mi Tierra and Common Ground

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of two 2017 shows at the Denver Art Museum -- Mi Tierra: Contemporary Artists Explore Place; and Common Ground: Photographs by Fazal Sheikh, 1989-2013.

The thread discusses and gives a lot of pictures of work by artists including Daisy Quezada, Jaime Carrejo, Ana Teresa Fernandez, Dmitri Obergfell, and Fazal Sheikh. The thread also gives links to the Denver Art Museum's web pages for both shows. Both shows were great. So its worth checking out the web pages and the featured artists.

9/21/17 "open letter" proposal to YouTube

Here is the link to a Twitter thread I wrote in September of 2017 as a kind of open letter to YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki about an idea I had called "Pay if you like."

I hesitated over whether to put this thread into this blog. I'm not really reviewing anything here. But I still think this idea is good. And I think it does take a look at YouTube at a really interesting moment in the platform's history. So much stuff is changing with YouTube right now. And I -- along with many other people -- spent a lot of the past couple years, starting in 2018, mostly, paying attention to all of that stuff. So it's interesting to see this attempt at conversation with the CEO of YouTube, before the platform started seeing all its changes.

9/20/17 review of Population, Capital, and Growth, by Simon Kuznets

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the essay collection Population, Capital, and Growth, by Simon Kuznets.

The thread gives a summary of the book and some context on my experience of Kuznets's work. The thread discusses Kuznets's idea of economics and epochs; the economic need for technological innovation and good political conditions; economic factors versus economic results; economic balances and interrelations; national economic differences; and the need to look more deeply into demographic factors for economic growth.

This book used to be available through W.W. Norton. But it looks like it is now out of print.

9/17/17 review of 2017 DocuWest International Film Festival

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of two documentaries I saw at the 2017 DocuWest film festival: Pioneers, directed by Erika Volchan O'Conor; and Blurred Lines, directed by Barry Avrich.

The thread discusses and gives a lot of pictures of work by the four artists who are the subject of Erika Volchan O'Conor's film -- Helen Chain, Jean Sherwood, Muriel Sibell Wolfe, and Eve Drewelowe. All these artists are worth learning about. The thread also gives a summary of Blurred Lines, which is basically about the big business of the blue-chip art world. Very interesting documentary.

I saw these films at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Sloans Lake theater in Denver, Colorado.

9/16/17 review of 2017 Jaipur Literature Festival in Boulder, Colorado

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the 2017 Jaipur Literature Festival in Boulder, Colorado.

The thread gives some background on the festival and summaries of the various panels I saw. The panels addressed themes like literary appropriation, literary collaboration, the immigrant experience in literature, literacy and civilization, oral history and civilization, and nationalism in today's world. The thread also lists some books I bought while at the festival.

Here is the link to the website for the Jaipur Literature Festival, which has events all around the world each year.

The 2017 Jaipur Literature Festival in Boulder, Colorado, took place at the Boulder Public Library.

9/10/17 review of film Patti Cake$, dir. by Geremy Jasper

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the film Patti Cake$, directed by Geremy Jasper.

The thread gives a summary of the film. It discusses the film's real and stylized aspects; the way it plays with some story conventions; its similarities to The Wizard of Oz, and its soundtrack. I also have a couple polls about Patti Cake$ and The Wizard of Oz in the thread.

I saw this film at the Landmark Mayan Theatre in Denver, Colorado.

9/4/17 review of the BRIDGE Act

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the BRIDGE Act.

The BRIDGE Act was a sort of immigration reform bill proposed in 2017 to help DREAMers who were facing adverse policy from the new White House administration. My thread is an open letter to Congresspeople in my state, Colorado, asking specific questions about the bill.

Obviously I never heard back from the Congresspeople -- both of whom, by the way, are really nice, but both of whom have quite honestly never responded to a phone call, email, or tweet I have sent them. And, as you'll see in future posts, I have reached out to Congressperson DeGette on more occasions than this.

I wouldn't say that anything about this thread is intelligent. If anything, it just documents that I was trying more and more, as the years went by, really to understand the process of policy making in the United States.

9/3/17 review of book The Kingdom of God Is Within You, by Tolstoy

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the book The Kingdom of God Is Within You, by Leo Tolstoy.

The thread gives a summary of the book and some context on how I came to read it. The thread discusses themes in the book, such as violence in organized Christianity an other social systems and the need for all-inclusive Christian love. And it discusses my disagreements with and criticisms of some aspects of the book.

9/2/17 review of film The Big Sick, dir. by Michael Showalter

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the film The Big Sick, directed by Michael Showalter.

The thread gives a summary of the film and some context on the star and co-screenwriter (with Emily V. Gordon), Kumail Nanjiani. The thread discusses the film's different levels and the core emotional dynamics. It discusses the love between Kumail and Emily. It discusses the family relationships in the film. And it discusses the performances in the film.

I saw this film at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema's Sloans Lake theater in Denver, Colorado.

8/30/17 review of book Dark Age Ahead, by Jane Jacobs

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the book Dark Age Ahead, by Jane Jacobs.

The thread gives a summary of the book and some context on Jane Jacobs and how I learned of Jane Jacobs and this book. The thread discusses themes examined by the book, such as cultural amnesia, technical/social competence, societal stagnation, society's prioritization of profit, overly trusting credentials, how to combat stagnation, the effects of the US War on Terror, and possible housing bubbles.

Here is the link to the Penguin Random House web page for the book.

8/27/17 review of the documentary Step, directed by Amanda Lipitz

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the documentary Step, directed by Amanda Lipitz.

The thread gives a summary of the film. It discusses the film's themes of family, motherly love, life in Baltimore following the shooting of Freddie Gray, family and economic struggles, and school teachers and staff. The thread also discusses my favorite person in the film, Blessin, in depth.

I saw this film at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Sloans Lake theater in Denver, Colorado.

8/27/17 review of book Seal of Approval, by Amy Kiste Nyberg

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the book Seal of Approval: The History of the Comics Code, by Amy Kiste Nyberg.

The thread gives a summary of the book and some context on how I came to read it. The thread discusses the book's exploration of social and ideological aspects of comic book censorship and their effects on small business. The thread also discusses how the book examines the comic book industry's decline in business. And the thread mentions some people I'd learned about from the book.

Here is the link to the University Press of Mississippi web page for the book.

8/22/17 review of book Toward a Theory of Economic Growth, by Simon Kuznets

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the book Toward a Theory of Economic Growth, with Reflections on the Economic Growth of Modern Nations, by Simon Kuznets.

The thread gives a summary of the book's essays and some contexts on Kuznets and why I wanted to read his work. The thread discusses Kuznets's analytical methods, and his ideas on economic components, national growth, science and innovation, social factors for growth, and international relations. The thread also discusses how my own experience sort of biased and hindered my understanding of Kuznets's ideas.

W.W. Norton used to publish this book. But, as far as I can tell, the book has gone out of print.

8/20/17 review of book Terminal Signs, by Bennetta Jules-Rosette

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the book Terminal Signs: Computers and Social Change in Africa, by Bennetta Jules-Rosette.

The thread gives a summary of the book and some context on Bennetta Jules-Rosette and how I came to read this work. It discusses Jules-Rosette's approach to semiotics. It shows how that approach can be applied to the stages of tech adoption in Kenya and Ivory Coast. It then discusses the aspects of that tech adoption in Kenya and Ivory Coast that the book examines. It also discusses how we could apply Jules-Rosette's theories to business, psychology, social media, and nonfiction literature.

8/17/17 review of book The Ascent of Man, by Jacob Bronowski

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the book The Ascent of Man, by Jacob Bronowski.

The thread gives a summary of the book, as well as some context on it and its relation to Kenneth Clark's Civilisation, as well as some context on how I came to read the book. The thread discusses the book's nonlinear approach to the history of science. And it gives some criticisms of the book's style.

8/15/17 review of The World of Fanzines, by Fredric Wertham

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the book The World of Fanzines: A Special Form of Communication, by Fredric Wertham.

The thread gives a summary of the book and some context on Wertham and why I read this book. The thread discusses how Wertham's anti-commercial viewpoints inform this book. It discusses Wertham's respect for fanzines. It discusses the positives and negatives of Wertham's research- and classification-based style. It discusses Wertham's sense of humor. And it discusses some of my disagreements with Wertham's ideas about zine makers.

8/13/17 review of march in Denver in solidarity with Charlottesville

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of a march that took place in August of 2017 in solidarity with the folks in Charlottesville, Virginia, who had stood and fought for equality.

The thread discusses the march and some speeches after the march.

8/31/17 discussion about tragedy in Charlottesville, VA

Here is the link to my Twitter thread discussion about the 2017 tragedy in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The thread aimed to address some things the mainstream media and folks on Twitter were saying about the events basically being symbolic of America's situation, but not being indicators of any danger. I disagreed and tried to demonstrate that the situation was pointing to the potential for other dangerous situations that we all needed to stay on alert for in America in the future.

8/9/17 discussion of Jessica Jung and her song "Summer Storm"

Here is the link to my Twitter thread discussion of Jessica Jung and her song "Summer Storm."

The thread gives some background on Jessica Jung, including her history with the group Girls' Generation and her fashion label Blanc Group. The thread goes into some depth about how I'd been inspired, when Jung left Girls' Generation and Zayn Malik left One Direction, to start writing a fanfiction, The Direction of a Generation -- which, by the way, I never finished. The thread also discusses some of Jung's other songs, as well as Malik's song "Pillowtalk."

8/6/17 review of album Holiday Night, by Girls' Generation

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the album Holiday Night, by Girls' Generation.

The thread gives some background on Girls' Generation. It also goes into some depth about my experience of Girls' Generation's music. The thread gives a pretty deep analysis of the music video for "Holiday." The thread then discusses some other tracks from the album, including "FAN," "Love Is Bitter," and "Sweet Talk."

8/6/17 review of book Black Paris, by Bennetta Jules-Rosette

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the book Black Paris: The African Writers' Landscape, by Bennetta Jules-Rosette.

The thread gives a summary of the book, some context on how I learned of the book, and some history about relations between Paris and Africa. The thread discusses some things that surprised me about the book and some things the book inspired me to think about more. The thread discusses Présence Africaine, African literature festivals, human rights movements, Africa's development and Paris as a publishing hub for African literature. And it discusses some great authors discussed in the book, as well as how those authors attempted to re-frame African literature.

Here is the link to the University of Illinois Press web page for the book.

8/4/17 review of book Seduction of the Innocent, by Fredric Wertham

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the book Seduction of the Innocent, by Fredric Wertham.

The thread gives a summary of the book, some background on the book and Wertham, and some context for why I read the book. The thread discusses some of the themes of the book. It tries to guess at personal reasons, like guilt, for Wertham exploring this topic. It discusses Wertham's and our society's fear of pop culture and high achievement. It gives some criticisms of Wertham, such as his silly views on Homeric poetry. It also examines Wertham's views on homosexuality in depth, as I don't think people really understand what he spoke about on that topic. It gives my opinions on conservative and liberal views on child psychology. And it discusses Wertham's often humorous and entertaining writing style.

7/30/17 review of book The Queen City: A History of Denver

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the book The Queen City: A History of Denver, by Lyle W. Dorsett and Michael McCarthy.

The thread goes into some depth on the context of the book and how I received the book (inherited from my grandparents after my step-grandma passed away). The thread discusses how the book explores issues such as civic administration, resources, and equitability. It discusses the book's humanist themes. It gives some criticisms of the book, including what feel like holes in the story. It also criticizes the book for not including some folks in Denver as fully as it could or should have.

7/22/17 discussion about my life

Here is the link to a Twitter thread I made in July of 2017 about my life at that point.

The thread discusses some stuff my family had been going through. It goes into some pretty good depth on my creative work at that time, as well as my recent move into a new space. It gives a lot of pictures kind of documenting my move and my art.

7/12/17 review of book In the Darkroom, by Susan Faludi

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the book In the Darkroom, by Susan Faludi.

The thread gives quite a bit of background on Faludi, who is probably one of my favorite social theorists. The thread gives a summary of In the Darkroom. The thread discusses some of the book's themes, such as family issues, transgender issues, the Jewish experience, Hungarian life, national identity, and coming to terms with one's past.

Here is the link to the Macmillan Publishers web page for the book.

7/9/17 review of documentary Letters from Baghdad, dir. by Sabine Krayenbühl and Zeva Oelbaum

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the documentary Letters from Baghdad, directed by Sabine Krayenbühl and Zeva Oelbaum.

The thread gives a summary of the film, which is about Gertrude Bell, a British woman instrumental in 20th-century Middle Eastern Diplomacy. The thread discusses the documentary's unique "acted out" style. It goes into depth about some of the incredible things Bell did. And it discusses some of the documentary's revelations about Britain's actions in the Middle East.

I saw this film at the Denver Film Society's Sie FilmCenter in Denver, Colorado.

7/9/17 review of film Pather Panchali, dir. by Satyajit Ray

(Image source: https://www.criterion.com/films/28021-pather-panchali)

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the film Pather Panchali, directed by Satyajit Ray.

The thread gives a summary of the film. It discusses the Neorealist and New Wave aspects of the film. It compares the film to some other films. It discusses the relationships of the siblings in the film. It also discusses characters I identified with in the film. And it discusses the backstory of the orchard in the film.

I saw this film at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema's Sloan's Lake theater in Denver, Colorado.

7/9/17 discussion about health benefits in Colorado.

Here is the link to a Twitter thread discussion I did in July of 2017 about health benefits in Colorado.

The thread compiles a few different articles about Medicaid-related healthcare difficulties in Colorado and the rest of the United States in 2017. The thread makes some criticisms of the bureaucracy of America's healthcare system, as well as the lack of access some people have to healthcare. It then frames some of Medicaid's issues in terms of other business models.

7/1/17 review of book Things to Leave Behind, by Namita Gokhale

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the novel Things to Leave Behind, by Namita Gokhale.

The thread gives a summary of the book and some context on Namita Gokhale. The thread discusses the book's sense of color, space, and lyricism, its beautiful language, modernism, and form, its viewpoints on culture and class, and its characters.

Here is the link to the Penguin India web page for the novel.

6/29/17 review of vol. 1 of The Outline of History, by HG Wells

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the first volume of The Outline of History, written by H.G. Wells and revised by Raymond Postgate.

The thread gives some context on the book and H.G. Wells. It discusses the book's exploration of the prehistoric world and human evolution. It discusses the book's themes and assumptions about history and civilization. It discusses how the book views history through individual leaders and successions of leaders. It discusses the book's examination of Asian history. And it discusses the book's prose style.

6/25/17 review of Denver Art Museum show The Western: An Epic in Art and Film

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the Denver Art Museum exhibition The Western: An Epic in Art and Film.

The thread gives a summary of and some context on the exhibit. It discusses and gives pictures of work by artists including Kent Monkman, D.H. Koerner, Andy Warhol, and Frederic Remington. The thread actually has a lot of discussion of Remington's works. The thread criticizes the show for being very uneven and for taking too many Western themes at face value. It discusses some interesting dialogues between film clips and other works of art. It also compares the show to other shows and other works. I probably went a little overboard in the comparisons.

Here is the link to the Denver Art Museum's web page for this show.

6/24/17 review of film Manifesto, dir. by Julian Rosefeldt

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the film Manifesto, directed by Julian Rosefeldt.

The thread gives a summary of and some context on the film. It discusses Cate Blanchett's phenomenal performance in the film. It compares the film with some other works. It also discusses the film as an "Everywoman" story. It discusses the sense of curation in the film. It discusses themes like old versus new, inner truth, and casting out old idols in art. It discusses the natural versus more contrived moments in the film. It discusses the film's newscaster scene in depth. And it mentions the classroom (Stan Brakhage) scene.

I saw this film at the Denver Film Society's Sie FilmCenter in Denver, Colorado.

6/24/17 review of book Hollywood Babylon II, by Kenneth Anger

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the book Hollywood Babylon II, by Kenneth Anger.

The thread gives a summary of and some context on the book. It discusses the book's sense of legend and storytelling. It discusses the book's themes of falling from grace and redemption. It mentions the book's photo essays. It discusses the book's visuals and pacing. It criticizes and praises the chapter on suicides. It discusses the book's theme of moral purity versus creativity. And it discusses some of the more surprising moments of the book.

6/18/17 review of film The Book of Henry, dir. by Colin Trevorrow

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the film The Book of Henry, directed by Colin Trevorrow.

The thread gives a summary of the film. It gives some context on why I went to see the film -- namely, Maddie Ziegler's performance. It gives some criticisms of the film, namely its occasional derivative feel and its patchy dialogue. It compares the film favorably to The Lovely Bones. It discusses some of the film's positive statements about women and mothers. It discusses some of the psychological aspects of the film in a lot of depth. It also discusses some of the performances I liked.

I saw this film at the Harkins Theatres Northfield 18 theater in Denver, Colorado.

6/17/17 review of film Funeral Parade of Roses, dir. by Toshio Matsumoto

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the film Funeral Parade of Roses, directed by Toshio Matsumoto.

The film gives a summary of the film. It discusses the performance by the actor Peter. It discusses the New Wave aspects of the film, as well as the film's occasional tendency to get derivative. It discusses how the film is innovative in its depiction of trans people, as well as how the film is pretty unique in mentioning film legend Jonas Mekas. It discusses the film's depiction of Shinjuku and of Tokyo's underground art culture, and how the film may have laid the groundwork for other Japanese films.

I saw this film at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema's Sloan's Lake theater in Denver, Colorado.

6/16/17 review of film Wonder Woman, dir. by Patty Jenkins

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the 2017 film Wonder Woman, directed by Patty Jenkins.

The thread gives a quick summary of the film. It discusses a lot of aspects about the film that I did not like. It also mentions some things I liked in the film, like Diana's defiance of conventions and the dramatic sense of the film. It discusses Diana's character arc and a little bit about Steve Trevor's character.

I saw this film at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema's Sloan's Lake theater in Denver, Colorado.

6/13/17 review of book Civilisation, by Kenneth Clark

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the book Civilisation, by Kenneth Clark.

The thread gives some context on both the book and Kenneth Clark. It discusses the major themes of the book. It discusses how the book has some conventional ideas and some innovative ones. It discusses the strong moments of the book. It discusses some quirky moments and touching moments from the book. It mentions some artists and works I'd learned of from the book. It shows a lot of pictures of some really great artworks that Clark's work analyzes.

6/11/17 review of 2017 Rocky Mountain Pinball Showdown

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the 2017 Rocky Mountain Pinball Showdown.

The thread gives some context on the event. It also gives pictures of and discusses pinball machines including Gottlieb's Genie, World Poker Tour, NASCAR, The Machine: Bride of Pinbot, and Doodle Bug. It also shows a picture of a giant-screen Pac-Man game and the copy I bought of Pinball Memories: Forty Years of Fun, 1958-1998.

Here is the link to the website for the Rocky Mountain Pinball Showdown.

6/11/17 review of trip to Las Vegas

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of a trip I took to Las Vegas in June of 2017.

I'd gone to Vegas on a business trip. But I'd ended up having some extra time for a little sightseeing as well. The thread gives some context and a fair amount of pictures. It mentions my ride on The LINQ's ferris wheel, a walk down Fremont Street, the Poker Hall of Fame at Binion's, a Betty White slot machine, and the Martin Lawrence Art Gallery.

6/11/17 review of book Thunder in the Rockies, by Bill Hosokawa

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the book Thunder in the Rockies: The Incredible Denver Post, written by Bill Hosokawa.

The thread gives some context on the book, which is a history of the newspaper The Denver Post. The thread discusses some of the main characters in the book. It discusses the various management styles various editors used. It mentions the paper's role in the community. And it reflects on the time period in which the book was written.

Here is the link to the website for The Denver Post.

Some quick thoughts/Support me on Ko-fi!

Thank you for checking out my blog! If you like my work, please visit my Ko-fi page, where you can support by making one-time donations in increments of $3.

This blog is a table of contents for my Twitter threads, starting in 2012, and working through toward the present. I include links to the threads, as well as quick descriptions of the threads.

From time to time, I like to do a blog post reflecting on the time frame of the threads I've most recently posted to this blog.

Below are the Twitter threads I wrote from January through May of 2017. As you can see, my posting on Twitter was pretty spotty during the first five months of 2017. I only did about 30 Twitter threads, versus about 100 for June through December of 2017.

There are a number of reasons for this. First of all, I wasn't going to as many places in the first few months of the year. This was partly because my car had broken down and I was too depressed (really) to buy a new one.

We also had Car2Go, the distributed car-rental system/app, in Denver for a few years (service in Denver stopped in October of 2019). And when my car broke down, I started using Car2Go instead of buying a new car. This limited my range of action. But I actually still went places. But for the first few months of 2017, I still didn't go anywhere, even using car to go. It wasn't my car as much as it was my sense of depression and exhaustion.

I'd probably simply burnt myself out in 2016. But I was also suffering from a lot of bad sentiment in my community -- especially in Denver's art community where, for a number of reasons, I basically had enough people turn against me to make it impossible for me to continue interacting in that space.

But I think I spent a lot of early 2017 trying to make one last attempt to find a more acceptable foothold in Denver's art community. I made the attempt via Instagram -- which really is how folks in the visual arts community speak with each other. So I shifted to Instagram and off Twitter one last time. But by the end of May of 2017, when I realized I would never be accepted by Denver's art community, I essentially shifted off of Instagram and back onto Twitter once and for all.

At the end of May of 2017, I also ended my relationship with the art gallery I'd been helping in Denver. I'd helped them do a lot of good stuff and make a really important transition. But, at the end of the day, they'd ended up taking a lot of people on board who didn't want me around. The gallery didn't defend me. The people who didn't want me around won. And I just simply had to end my relationship with the gallery.

Just touching on social media for one last moment, though -- I should note that in April of 2017, I hit my high point of followers on Twitter. I reached over 1,000 followers on Twitter.

But it's kind of crazy -- that moment really marks what I mean when I say I had people in the community who were following me and trying to shut me down.

When I sent out a tweet thanking everybody for getting me over 1,000 followers, I got backlash -- and I got backlash from exactly the people I'd thought I would get it from. Suddenly, I got maybe a dozen or so random subtweets retweeted onto my timeline saying things like, "Only arrogant people talk about how many followers they have," or, "Oh, look at me, I have 1,000 followers! Like that even means anything," and all this stuff.

But not long after those subtweets, my follower count suddenly dropped -- by something along the lines of 150 followers. Just like that. And I basically stayed at around 850 followers until mid-2019, when I completely cleared out my profile of followed and following accounts.

But this hopefully just goes to show what I mean when I talk about having a group of folks -- somewhere, somehow -- following me and aiming to shut me down. This was a pretty concrete (online, lol) occurrence.

In April of 2017 I moved out of a place I'd been living in in Denver. For years I'd been living in apartment or shared-living-space situations. And I'd been tortured in all of them. But the final months I spent in the place I left in 2017 were sheer torture, almost an indescribable level of torture from the person who lived above me. I kind of took my level of activity down to a minimum just so I could survive (I'm not kidding) the torture I was experiencing from the person who lived above me (who was also, at that time, my landlord).

In April of 2017, my step-grandmother also passed away. I ended up a few days here and there in April and May helping my family take care of my grandma's final business.

I think I must have been depressed after my grandma passed away. But I was also sort of energized, as well. I realized that I needed to focus on my life. Who knows when any of us could pass away? I also knew my grandma would be disappointed in me if I let myself become inactive, now that I'd found ways in my life to be active. So I got focused on my life and activity again.

I also inherited about one-third of my grandparents' book collection. This in itself inspired me, as suddenly I had a lot of my grandpa's and grandma's intellectual lives in my house. They had tons of great books! And some kind of silly and narrow-minded ones. So I was inspired by the prospect of reading the books. And that energized me throughout the second half of 2017.

I also think that my life was stabilized by mid-2017 with my job situation. I had a steady, okay-paying consultant gig throughout 2017. That was supplemented at times by other consultancy gigs throughout the year. So I felt like I was doing okay economically. Getting financially stabilized by mid-2017 helped me out a lot in terms of feeling comfortable coming back to Twitter more consistently.

But this isn't to say that I didn't do anything in the first five months of 2017. In fact, another reason I wasn't doing threads consistently on Twitter was that I was spending almost every single day in February on March doing posts in a blog where I transcribed by old paper dream journals online. I kept a dedicated paper dream journal from 2004 to 2010. I logged thousands of dreams during that time. A bulk of my transcribing efforts -- getting those dreams online -- took place in early 2017.

I also did quite a bit of research for some amateur novels I'd been thinking of writing. While I ended up not writing or completing some of those novels, I did complete one, Summer Azure, in December of 2017. I actually did hundreds of pages of note-taking for that amateur novel -- which is one reason I'm so proud of it.

So I wasn't very active on Twitter in the first five months of 2017. Nevertheless, I hope you find the 30 or so threads I wrote during that time to be interesting or entertaining.

Thank you again for visiting my blog!

6/4/17 discussion about my life through mid-2017

Here is the link to a Twitter thread I wrote in 2017 about my life.

The thread is long -- 114 tweets, when Twitter had a 140-character limit. But it really is pretty much my life story. I was trying to explain a lot of things to a lot of people (at this time, I had 1,000 followers).

Reflecting on this thread over the years, I'd thought I'd written a tirade. But, quite honestly, rereading this thread (in January of 2020), I realize I'd written a reasonable, even-handed, logical -- albeit wordy! -- summary of my life and feelings up to that point.

5/29/17 review of Hollywood Babylon, by Kenneth Anger

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the book Hollywood Babylon, by Kenneth Anger.

The thread gives a summary of the book and some context on Kenneth Anger. The thread discusses the book's themes, style, tone, and form. It discusses how the book made me care more for some of Hollywood's old celebrities. And it discusses some celebrities I hadn't really known about before.

Here is the link to the Penguin Random House web page for Hollywood Babylon.

5/28/17 review of novel The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the novel The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold.

The thread gives a summary of the novel, as well as some of my own context for reading it. I gave a pretty harsh criticism of the novel's cosmogony, themes, drama, heteronormativity, staid qualities, sense of self-repression, and techniques of sexual scapegoating through xenophobia.

Here is the link to the Hachette Book Group's web page for The Lovely Bones.

I checked this book out from the Denver Public Library in Colorado.

5/25/17 review of Taiwan, marriage equality, and Jolin Tsai

(Image source: https://sentinel.tw/taiwan-through-prism-marriage-equality/)

Here is the link to a Twitter thread I wrote following Taiwan's 2017 marriage equality decision. The thread discusses that decision. But it also takes an opportunity to show how Taiwan's leading pop star, Jolin Tsai, has promoted LGBTQ equality through her songs and music videos. The thread gives a lot of links to Tsai's MVs.

5/23/17 review of film Alien: Covenant, dir. by Ridley Scott

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the film Alien: Covenant, directed by Ridley Scott.

The thread gives a summary and context for the film. It discusses some of the risks the film took, the form and dramatic style of the film, the film's sense of weirdness, some favorite characters, and some criticisms I had of the film.

I saw this film at the Regal UA Denver Pavilions in downtown Colorado.

5/20/17 discussion of Ajit Pai

Here is the link to a Twitter thread I wrote following the 2017 appointment of Ajit Pai to be head of the FCC.

The thread gives a summary of Pai's ideas and what sympathies I had with them. I was also criticized for my views by someone else on Twitter. I actually agreed and agree with those criticisms as well.

5/18/17 discussion of Robert Mueller and the FBI

Here is the link to my Twitter thread I wrote following the 2017 appointment of Robert Mueller as special counsel in the Trump-Russia investigation.

This thread gives some of my own context on Robert Mueller, whom I'd seen at a Colorado Civic Engagement Forum event hosted by Aaron Harber in 2015. In the thread I apply some of Mueller's ideas about the FBI's priorities to current conditions in the United States.

5/17/17 review of 2017 Google I/O conference

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of Google's 2017 I/O conference.

The thread gives some background on Google I/O, as well as the context of my own interest in the conference. It discusses topics from the conference such as smart homes, smart manufacturing, AI, the Kotlin programming language, Google Lens, and YouTube. I also mention some of my own questions after having seen the presentations.

5/14/17 opinions of Comey, US, and Russia issues

Here is the link to my Twitter thread discussion of some 2017 political sentiment regarding Russian influence on US politics.

The thread is basically my reaction to a lot of the rhetoric both Democrats and Republicans were using ahead of the investigation into Russia's influence on the elections. While I no longer have the same position on the Hatch Act that I had in May of 2017, I feel like I still pretty much agree with most of what I say here.

5/13/17 review of film The Circle, dir. by James Ponsoldt

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the film The Circle, directed by James Ponsoldt.

The thread gives a summary of the film. It gives my criticisms of the film's structure, as well as some of my gut-reactions to the film. It discusses the elements of suspense the film, some interesting themes in the film, and the personality of the film's main character. I also went to this screening not long after the grand opening of the Alamo Sloan's Lake theater's opening. So the thread talks about that, too.

I saw this film at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Sloans Lake Theater in Denver, Colorado.

5/8/17 review of MCA Denver African Diaspora in the Americas project launch

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of a May, 2017, event at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver, to launch the African Diaspora in the Americas project.

The thread discusses how this project was part of the Biennial of the Americas, and it gives some background on that. The thread discusses and gives pictures of work presented by Cleo Parker Robinson Dance to celebrate the project. And it shows some art I saw while at the MCA Denver that day, including work by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Sierra Barela.

Here is the link to the MCA Denver's website.

Here is the link to the website for Cleo Parker Robinson Dance.

Here is the link to the website for the Biennial of the Americas.

4/26/17 review of The Ultimate Nintendo Guide to the NES Library

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of The Ultimate Nintendo Guide to the NES Library, 1985-1995, edited by Pat Contri.

The thread mostly gives a quick background on the book and some photos from the book.

4/25/17 review of President Barack Obama's University of Chicago panel discussion

(Image source: https://theundefeated.com/features/president-obama-university-of-chicago-first-public-appearance/)

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of a 2017 speech and conversation President Barack Obama gave at the University of Chicago.

The thread discusses some of the themes President Obama and the panelists touched on, such as young voter participation in mid-term elections, awareness, engagement, and understanding.

4/8/17 review of documentary City of Joy, dir. by Madeleine Gavin

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the documentary City of Joy, directed by Madeleine Gavin.

The thread gives a summary of the documentary, which is about a center in the Congolese city of Bukavu that teaches rape survivors to become community leaders. The thread spends a lot of time on the story, which is harrowing, but also hopeful and inspiring. The thread also gives an in-depth summary of a post-screening Q&A Eve Ensler did. A lot of great information from Ensler.

I saw this film at the Denver Film Society's Women + Film Festival in Colorado.

4/7/17 review of film Girl Flu, dir. by Dorie Barton

(Image source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4218538/)

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the film Girl Flu, directed by Dorie Barton.

The thread gives a summary of the film. It discusses the mother-daughter relationships in the film. It discusses the theme of menstruation. It discusses the complexities of the relationships and the unique experiences of women. And it mentions some of the performances I like.

I saw this film at the Denver Film Society's Women + Film Festival in Colorado.

4/6/17 review of documentary Hungry, dir. by Patty Ivins

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the documentary Hungry, directed by Patty Ivins.

The thread gives a summary of the documentary, which follows three female chefs: Dakota Weiss, Pink Delongpre, and Sarah Kirnon. The thread also mentions a Q&A after the film's screening.

I saw this film at the Denver Film Society's Women + Film Festival in Colorado.