I’m in Japan, so most people think I chose this username (on twitter and as a web domain) because of Murakami Haruki’s “Wild Sheep Chase”, but actually that’s not the case. I have, of course, read the book, but I had an affinity to sheep before I’d done so. It all comes from a cycle ride in 1999. It’s probably not wrong to say that my father and I had
CW: suicidal ideation If you’ve read earlier blog posts of mine you’ll know that I had to take sick leave from work due to Panic Disorder and depression. I kept my tenured position as associate professor in a great university but was unable to work and underwent therapy and was prescribed various medications (these changed a LOT during the time as my psychiatrist tried to find the most effective combination).
[This was originally a twitter thread but as twitter could possibly die (at the time of writing, Nov 2022) I’m reposting it here.] I’m clearly not going to get around to writing a blog post so instead here’s my thread on Section 28 that was in place during my time at school. Relevant now because of the rising backlash to LGBTQ rights in the US, UK and many other countries.
Since last year I’ve had a somewhat manic interest in vampires. Specifically, because due to my depression I find focusing on reading very difficult, I’ve been watching a lot of vampire films. I’m not sure what first prompted my interest, but there’s certainly something psychologically intriguing about the idea of being immortal. The film that I think tackles this most clearly is Only Lovers Left Alive, where we can imagine
What a weird year, eh! For everyone! I think many of us will have similar stories about how 2020 has been for us. For me it was frustrating not just because of the pandemic (and the responses or non-responses by governments), but because the aim to social distance as much as possible meant that I paused my psychotherapy (counseling for my anxiety and depression) from March until now. I’ve still
For as long as I can remember music has been an essential part of my life. I play music myself (though I haven’t touched the piano all year this year because of my depression…), but mostly I listen to music. If I’m in the house and not sleeping, I’m probably listening to some music on my Apple HomePod. When I walk in the morning I often—though not always— listen to
“What”, I hear you ask, “are you talking about?” Surely you’re one or the other? Typical bisexual eh, can’t sit properly on chairs and can’t make up their mind!* I previously wrote (on coming out) that I sometimes identify as bisexual and sometimes as queer and that I’d write about that in a future post, so here is that explanation—as well as I can give it without becoming too academic.
In 2004 I helped, with a group of young Japanese researchers, to introduce Science Cafes into Japan. We weren’t the only people in the country to think about the idea, but we were instrumental in creating buzz and a network, and (in my case at least) advising others in creating their own Science Cafes. You can read an academic article comparing some models of Science Cafes here:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273904426_Sipping_Science_The_Interpretative_Flexibility_of_Science_Cafes_in_Denmark_and_Japan. Science Cafes were
Let me begin by clarifying, mild to moderate depression can very much have a strong element of feeling sad. Severe depression too. But it is so different from what we consider to be ‘feeling sad’ that it’s worth making the distinction. I should also caveat that what I write here is my experience of depression and it may not be the same as yours or those you know. When we
It still surprises friends back in the UK that Christmas isn’t a holiday in Japan. I can’t blame them. Christmas is so ingrained in our culture that, unless you’ve traveled the world a bit or have international friends, you’d just assume that Christmas is an important occasion everywhere. But, as you soon find out when you live here, Christmas is very different in Japan. Actually, a lot has changed in
It’s hip to criticize Starbucks. Starbucks is seen as the epitome of all that’s evil in the world, a huge multinational company that squeezes out the small local establishments, a place that doesn’t serve coffee so much as serves warm milk with a hint of bitter coffee taste. That’s not how I see Starbucks. For me it’s a safe space, and comes close to the ‘third space’ that it promised