We’re back to the story with this chapter, so that’s a relief. We’re back with Bilbo and the dwarves. This is really a transitional chapter, so there isn’t a lot to talk about. Up until now, the dragon has been the big threat. But, with the dragon gone, there are still plenty of problems. First,…
I need to start this chapter with a little rant. This is my least favorite chapter in the book. That’s because it is the only chapter that doesn’t have anything to do with Bilbo, aka The Hobbit. Any way you look at it, this is Bilbo’s book. The narrator may be third person omniscient, but…
I think we’ve been living with a mistake, but I don’t know who to go to so that it will get corrected. Look at this: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ. Do you see it? It’s near the end. It’s the X and the Y. They should be flipped around. It’s crazy, right? This is something so basic we learn…
I hate thinking about myself and talking about myself. That may sound strange coming from someone who has spent the last six months chronicling his divorce and depression, but it’s true*. It makes for a weird dynamic in therapy. Therapy is all about me, but I’m always trying to change the subject. When I fail…
I was surprised when I first started seeing a therapist. The experience was completely different than I expected. That’s a little bit odd given how many therapists there are. It appears to be a booming business, which must mean that many people go to see therapists. But what actually happens in therapy remains a closely…
The title of this chapter pretty much covers it. Smaug is not at home. This is a lucky break for the company. They are trapped in the tunnel by the back door, as the door has been destroyed, so their only option is to go down to Smaug’s lair and explore. Of course it isn’t…
We had to get through eleven chapters and almost two-hundred pages, but we finally get to meet the dragon, Smaug. It’s totally worth the wait. There is a lot to this chapter, pompous dwarves, brave hobbits, treasure, tunnels and a bird, but really it all comes down to the dragon. The chapter opens with the…
Before I was dealing with my own depression, I knew people who were depressed and I often wondered what it was like. I know the definition, a persistent low mood or loss of interest, but that doesn’t really say much. At least it never helped me understand it. Now that I have a pretty good…
The teaser trailer for The Last Jedi was released today. It has one huge problem. It is promoting a movie that is a sequel to The Force Awakens. And The Force Awakens was a really bad movie. It wasn’t, “I like the originals better,” kind of bad or the, “I’ve seen better,” kind of bad. It…
I’ve been asked whether I’ve thought about hurting myself a lot in the last six or seven months, always by medical professionals. The short answer is no, I haven’t thought about it. And that’s the honest answer for why I’m being asked. They want to know if I’m a suicide risk, and I am not suicidal. …
