I’m no longer working as a librarian. I resigned from my position because my moral and ethical qualms. I’m not entirely innocent; my mistakes were adding up in my boss’s view. In the end, I couldn’t enforce the policies as strict as he wanted because doing so violated my Christian convictions. After about 26 years…
Category: Finds and Ramblings
West Virginia, Librarians, and Obscenity
A bill passed from West Virginia’s House of Delegates and to the state’s Senate. The bill removes protections from public libraries, schools, and museums, holding librarians and curators possibly liable for displaying or distributing ‘obscene matter to a minor’ when the child isn’t accompanied by a parent or guardian. Which, I must add, is the…
Looking Back on 2023: Another Year of Anime Writing
Time for my usual, end-of-year indulgent reflection. So its another new year, and I’m still alive and writing, which is more than I can say about a pair of friends. The past several years has seen a lot of death around me, from library patrons to family members and to friends. I had spoken with…
6 Ways to Date Like a Samurai
Okay, the title of this article is a bit misleading. Samurai didn’t date as we do; they had arranged marriages. But there are many stories of samurai romances and dating in Japanese folklore. Although samurai were warriors, until the Edo period, they were expected to balance their war-skills with softer skills like flower arranging and…
My 2023 Horror Film List, Snacks Provided by TokyoTreat
When I saw TokyoTreat had a Halloween box, I didn’t hesitate to request one. October is one of my favorite months because of the shift to autumn, at least when the weather behaves, and the spooky season. It’s the first month since March when I feel better. Heat makes me feel terrible. So to celebrate,…
Yes, Public Libraries Censor Manga…Sometimes
I live in a rather conservative region–the type of region that professes to follow Christian values while many people have a brood of kids, all with different last names, and where people have no qualms about shooting someone for theft. You know, possessions are more important that a life after all. To be fair, there…