rinsemiddlebliss

White abstract glyphs on black background

rinsemiddlebliss

"At the mercy of the geography"

The New Year's Eve walk

by AK Krajewska

Every year on New Year's Eve, Paul and I go for a walk that, generally, goes up a big hill, then down, and ends with sunset at the beach. This was his tradition before it was our tradition and it's shifted a bit over the years. Early on, I only joined him after he came down Twin Peaks and we took... Continue reading (735 words)

Yellow-orange sunset light, mostly obscured by clouds, reflects on the wet sand as white capped waves recede from the bach. Two gulls stroll in the foreground.

Ideas aren't easy

by AK Krajewska

Ideas require a feeling of ease. Execution requires application and effort. The effort of effort is easy to perceive. The effort of attaining ease is difficult to perceive, especially from the outside. It's not true that ideas are easy, but it's an easy mistake to make. Continue reading (1664 words)

Black and white abstract drawing of double spirals of various sizes all crowded together in a dizzying way. Ink on paper. Own work.

Yule nap time

by AK Krajewska

I'm so tired. Are you tired? I think we were probably meant to hibernate or at least sleep a lot more this time of the year. I think it would be restful to neither read nor write any words for a little bit... Continue reading (654 words)

Closeup photo of a glass octopus ornament hanging on a Christmas tree

What's a hero?

by AK Krajewska

In her introduction to the The Odyssey, translator Emily Wilson examines Odysseus' status as a hero. In the narrative, one of his interlocutors ask Odysseus if he's a pirate, which he denies although he doesn't deny the violent and treacherous acts attributed to him. What it meant to be... Continue reading (1446 words)

Cropped close-up of ancient Greek Amphora depicting Achilles, who dismounts chariot to kill Eurymachus.

The state monopoly on violence

How it works and how it stops working

by AK Krajewska

If you enter into a contract with the Mob and fail to deliver the goods, they will send a representative around to break your knees. If you enter into a contract with an organization following the rule of law in a place where rule of law obtains and fail to deliver the goods, they will attempt to... Continue reading (1291 words)

Snufkin scares the crap out of some policemen with the help of the Groke who is standing right behind him.

It's peak Turrell skyspace viewing season

Go see The Three Gems by James Turrell at sunset

by AK Krajewska

Right now--the next two weeks--is the best time to go see The Three Gems, the James Turrell skyspace in San Francisco. The skyspace is like a little adobe house with a round hole in the roof through which you look at the sky. It's designed so that if you look at the sky as it's changing color... Continue reading (562 words)

A photograph a sunset over the Pacific Ocean. The sun appears to be cut in half by a cloud. A line of pelicans flies over the water. Own work 2024.

Artificial wombs

A brief history of ectogenesis

by AK Krajewska

A conversation about uterine replicators in Lois McMaster Bujold's work made me curious about the history of the idea of artificial wombs. When do exo-wombs first appear in literature? And when do they first appear as a positive idea? I worked backwards from Bujold to the first mentions I could... Continue reading (845 words)

Pen and ink drawing of ribbons and signs with the words: hand, hand grenade, mushroom!!! cigarette, elevator, vitamins

Plein air in San Francisco

Hills and the ocean

by AK Krajewska

It's been an exhausting week. I feel out of words because I've used up all my words doing my job which is a job about words. I'm also exhausted because I cope with anxiety about the state of the world by working extra hard. I'm pretty good at my job and generally it makes me feel in control--and... Continue reading (573 words)

Closeup of a watercolor painting with brown-green hills, violet and orange sky.

The consolations of philosophy

by AK Krajewska

Boethius wrote The Consolation of Philosophy in 523 while in prison awaiting execution[1]. In it, Philosophy, personified as a woman, visits him in his prison cell and talks him down from his despair. She explains where true... Continue reading (1155 words)

Four book covers of the books The Consolation of Philosophy, The Unaccountability Machine, Stories Are Weapons, and The Dispossessed.

Yes on K

Turn the Great Highway into a great park

by AK Krajewska

I live in San Francisco and I am voting Yes on proposition K. Prop K would turn the Upper Great Highway into a permanent ocean-side park. The Great Highway is already closed to car traffic on weekends, which is how we know it's really lovely to have it as a park. The experiment started around the... Continue reading (1481 words)

Photo of a person in a full-sized snowy plover costume wearing a sash that says Yes on K. They are waving at the viewer while walking on a road. There are adults and children dressed in costumes on either side, and a fog-shrouded beach in the background.