Cycho Librarian

The other day a friend of mine responded to my comment that I missed David Tennant as the tenth Doctor Who, saying that there was something very meta about that because I could be a doppelganger of David Tennant. However, after thinking about it some more I'm wondering if David Tennant might be my doppelganger. So much so that I've started searching my belongings for a pocketwatch engraved with Gallifrean symbols . Consider-- both Cycholibrarian and the tenth Doctor: Are tall and skinny. Have a tendency to run their hands wildly through their hair while thinking, and don't seem to care about the resulting mess. Prefer to wear Chuck Taylor All-Stars (even with a suit). Have a tendency to talk very quickly about things no one else understands. Have been known to bellow "Allons-y!" and other non-English phrases for reasons only clear to themselves. Have very expressive faces, especially when  grimacing about Very Important Things. Move so fast that others f...

There is a magic in the rising moon, Across the sea the siren voices call, The mountains pull the wand'rer from his room, And forests make no lord so fit a hall. Beneath clear skies we huddle round the flame, Laughing until our hands and souls are warm. New faces fast become our ancient names Known to us all before the world was born. This is my blessing and my greatest fear: To see it all and never stop for rest. I think and new frontiers 'fore me appear, And pathways spread beyond each undimmed crest, Until I feel my heart will burst its bonds With all the possibilities and songs.

This morning I had another of those "small world" moments that seem to come so frequently in our hyper-connected world. I'm involved in a public art project for Columbus's bicentennial next year to create original pieces for the carillon bells at my church, and one of the composers who I've shown around the tower friend requested me. Even though I had never met her before this project, I come to find out that she's already friends with two other friends of mine. This is the point where most people just laugh and make a joke about how Columbus is really a pretty small town. But I've thought about this before and I'm not sure that it's so much that Columbus is a small town, but that we are all connected a lot more than we think. Think about how many times this has happened to you: you're at a party, maybe not even in your hometown, and you fall into conversation with a stranger. That person happens to know someone where you're from or whe...

When I studied Greek, and in particular the Odyssey , one concept that always stuck out to me was νόστος , a Greek word meaning the return to one's home, usually after a long time away. As with most translations, this doesn't do the word justice. So much more is tied up in that word than just coming home: the longing for one's home, the comforts of home, the end of a long journey. For me it was always best summed up by book 13 of the Odyssey . After 20 years away from Ithaka, Odysseus is left on the shore of his homeland, and hidden by a mist brought by Athena to hide him from his enemies. At first Odysseus doesn't recognize the island, and when Athena, disguised a shepherd, tells him where he is, he doesn't believe her. Finally Athena reveals herself and lifts the mists, showing Odysseus the familiar landmarks of his home, and Odysseus falls to the ground and kisses the earth. This is, to my mind, a perfect description of what it's like to come home after a l...

Ten years ago we all received an unimaginable shock. Everyone responded to this differently, but for me there have always been two main outlets when I'm dealing with something that extreme: music and writing. After September 11, 2001 I tried to put what I was thinking and feeling into words, really just for myself. I've carried the result around in a portfolio ever since, and it seems fitting to share on the tenth anniversary. New Phoenix I saw them once before— Atlasian pillars thrusting up against the dome In the futility of concrete, Pretending that the day begins And ends because we said so. So this is what we’ve wrought, O Beautiful for Pilgrim’s Dreams— The roar of our invention still echoes down the canyons. Thine Alabaster Cities Gleam a little less Now stained by human tears. Who were we to tempt the sin of Babel? The peoples of a thousand tongues Thrown all together in one place As though the color green were Word enough To reunite the sons of Abr...

One of the more interesting side-effects of the divorce is that I am now car free. The reactions I get when I tell people this are, frankly, kind of amusing. Almost always there’s some look of horror, an expression of sympathy, questions of how I can possibly survive without a car, etc., etc. The way I ended up here is really very simple: we only had one car, she needed it, I didn’t. I was already riding my bike pretty much everywhere I needed to go. I have one bike with a crate and a trailer, so transporting groceries and so forth wouldn’t be much of a challenge; and in the worst case scenario, my new apartment is an easy walk from stores, restaurants, and a bus line. So really, it’s not that big a deal. In fact, one of the most interesting things about being car free is how surprisingly easy it’s turning out to be. “But Nick,” you say, “sure it’s easy for you. You’re cycho!” Okay, I grant you that I already ride my bike a lot, but contrary to what some people tell me, you won’t...

Hi there. It’s been a while, I know. When I look at the last post date I have another one of those 20/20 hindsight moments and think, well of course I stopped writing then, that’s probably around the time things started to really go downhill. Not that they were great before that… By the time you all read this I’ll be divorced. In the grand scheme of things it’s probably not that big a deal. One of the things that’s struck me as I’ve gone through this and let people know is the number of friends who have already been through this but I had no idea. So that’s a positive to know that things do work out on the other side. But right now, from in the thick of things, it really sucks. As divorces go, this one is pretty straightforward. We had no children together, thank goodness, and my stepdaughter is an adult. No property to speak of. Massive debts, but those are easily split depending on whose name they’re in. I’ve found a nice place, moved out, and am starting to develop new rhy...