iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Arin @arinwrites.org · 01/10/2026

When I made an off-handed remark about my greying hair earlier today, my new GP (who is also greying, though much more uniformly) informed me that he is actually younger than me. I know I was bound to get here eventually, but...

An old man in a red spacesuit staring vacantly through his visor. He's Keir Dullea, aged up with makeup, in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 23/09/2026

"and windy" is probably understating it a little bit, but what do I know #hunkerdown #gsowx

A screenshot of the weather.gov current observations at PTI Airport in Greensboro, NC. It reports it is currently overcast and windy, with a temperature of 61°F (16°C), humidity at 93%, winds northeast at 120 MPH (gusting to 22 mph), atmospheric pressure at 30.18 in (1021.3 mb), dewpoint of 59°F (15°C), and visibility of 10 miles. The observations are from September 22nd at 10:54 PM EDT. Also, there's an image of a windsock against dark and moody clouds.

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 13/09/2026

Today was my rector’s last Sunday at my parish. It’s bittersweet, since I just moved here, but his retirement is very much-deserved. Also, touched pews. ⚓️

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 24/08/2026

⚓ (from "Love, The Law of Life" by Toyohiko Kagawa)

An excerpt: "Religion is not weak self-satisfaction. Would-be religious people who take selfish satisfaction merely in dressing up in their best clothes and going to worship on Sunday have no genuine religion. If that is what is called Christianity, then there is nothing else as weak as Christianity.

True religion, true Christianity, is nothing else than a means of life. It is the entrance of God's power into sinful souls. If it be not courageous, sturdy, and burning like a flame, it is not real religion. It must dare to rise bravely, though it must suffer, though it must be fated even to bear a cross."

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 22/08/2026

Please gaze upon my sweet baby cat.

A black cat covered by a crocheted turquoise/pale blue blanket looking over her shoulder with giant eyes. She is laying atop another pale blue blanket.

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 19/08/2026

I missed Black Cat Appreciation Day™? Well, partner, around here, every day is Black Cat Appreciation Day. But since I missed it, here's Michi, yesterday.

A black cat with an orange rabies tag sitting on a kitchen counter. Behind it is a barely visible black Yeti cup, a paper towel roll, and a black and silver refrigerator with an Episcopal Church calendar hanging from the side of it. On the far wall behind the fridge is a partial view of a lithograph of far future Vancouver, from the Mass Effect series.

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 16/08/2026

I've been telling people they belonged in Doom for years.

Text from Bluesky's trending topics headlined "Playable Donald Goofy" and subtitled "Fans react with excitement to Donald and Goofy joining as playable characters." There is no elaboration on which game they are going to be playable in.

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 03/08/2026

Saw some penguins today.

A small group of African penguins hanging out on some rocks. A couple are standing and one is sitting down.

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 02/08/2026

Is touching pews still cool? Anyway, did it this morning. ⚓️

A freckled right hand with a silver ring on the index finger, reaching out to touch the wooden pew ahead of it. There is also a digital watch on the wrist.

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 26/07/2026

Touching pews in Greensboro. 🥹 ⚓️

A right hand covered in freckles, reaching out and touching a wooden pew. There is a white Seiko watch with a black strap on the wrist. There are books in the pews.

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 23/05/2026

I had a similar thought. But it was about Data.

A ST:TNG title card reading "Fully Functional", above the starship Enterprise-D. IYKYK.

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 12/05/2026

(I can't remember which one it was, but it was *not* this one. But it should have been.)

A blue-text pop-up from the video game Elite Dangerous reading: "37,627 CR bounty claim awarded: Destruction of criminal [and famous American theologian who denied the Virgin Birth, among other things] Marcus Borg"

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 14/04/2026

God watching this like

It's Ichiban from the Yakuza series, smoking a cigarette and looking at his phone with intense interest. He's a Japanese dude with a light beard and a hairstyle best described as "involving a hair dryer on full blast".

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 09/03/2026

While I writhe and suffer from horrendous allergies (pollen and my father's dog, yesterday), I did one of these things. The nine games that have shaped me most, or are just favs of mine. (See alt text for details.) my9games.com

Starting from top left: The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (GB, 1993), Ridge Racer (PS1, 1994), Phantasy Star Online (Dreamcast, 2000), Shenmue (Dreamcast, 1999), The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (PC, 2004), Dwarf Fortress (PC, 2006), Elite Dangerous (PC, 2014), Gran Turismo 7 (PS4, 2022), UFO 50 (PC/Switch, 2024)

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 17/11/2025

I am still sick. But you have not seen my cat in a while, I realize, dear reader. So. Here you go.

An absolutely dumb-as-rocks lookin' black cat named Michiko sticking her tongue out because, once again, she forgot about its existence. It's okay, Michi, it happens to the best of us. She has a plastic red bag hanging from her collar in front of a green tag with a pink one behind it and a silver bell next to the tags. Her collar is black and styled like a kimono with Japanese-style patterns. Behind her is a stereo from the 18th century on a dresser from the 17th century, and she's sitting on her human's lap, with their foot sticking out from beneath a pale blue blanket in the blurry background.

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 13/09/2025

A *great* way to convince people to turn off live-saving emergency alerts is to use them for meaningless, non-emergent junk like a "blue alert" two entire states away. I live in Charlotte, dude!

An emergency alert with the following text:
"Emergency Alert
BLUE ALERT: TIMOTHY CRAIG RAMSEY 26 yoa wm 5'11, 185 lbs is WANTED for AGGRIVATED ASSAULT of a law enforcement officer. Last seen on foot in area of MCCAYSVILLE, GA wearing GREEN TOP, DARK PANTS, DARK MOTORCYCLE HELMET. Subject considered ARMED and DANGEROUS, DO NOT APPROACH. If seen, CALL 911. CHECK local media and social media for updates."

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 11/09/2025

It is also not really an exaggeration to describe him as having been a living saint.

Judge was also well known in the city for ministering to the homeless, the hungry, recovering alcoholics, people with AIDS, the sick, injured, and grieving, immigrants, gays and lesbians, and those alienated by society. Judge once gave the winter coat off his back to a homeless woman in the street, later saying, "She needed it more than me." When he anointed a man who was dying of AIDS, the man asked him, "Do you think God hates me?" Judge picked him up, kissed him, and silently rocked him in his arms. Judge worked with St. Clare's Hospital, which opened the city's first AIDS ward, in order to start an active AIDS ministry. He visited hospitals and AIDS patients and their families, presided over many funerals, and counseled other Catholics such as Brendan Fay and John McNeill. Judge continued to be an advocate for gay rights throughout the rest of his life, marching in pride parades and attending other gay events.

Fr. Mychal Judge speaks to a man on the streets of New York City, date unknown. The man he is speaking to is a black man wearing a beanie, jacket, and dark pants. He has white facial hair. Fr. Mychal stands on the right of the photograph and appears as a white-haired man dressed in the habit and sandals of a Franciscan. The two are holding each other and Fr. Mychal is laughing with the man.

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 24/08/2025

Me waiting for someone to reply that Shenmue isn't a 90s game when it was actually released in Japan on December 29th, 1999.

It's Ryo Hazuki, infamously expressive protagonist of Shenmue. He's a Japanese lad with spiky black hair wearing a brown leather jacket and a t-shirt. In this screenshot he's standing in a traditional Japanese-style residence and staring intensely at something.

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 21/08/2025

I really needed sleep today, so I slept without an alarm and slept until 3:30 PM, aside from getting up to feed my cat around 11.

A screenshot from Dark Souls or Elden Ring or one of those games with fricked up little dudes, with yellow text in the style of those games reading "SLEEP SCHEDULE DESTROYED". The background is grim and grey, there are gravestones and stuff on one side.

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 13/08/2025

Agreed. I have held this sentiment since I was a child, but not because I'm especially cultured or had great role models back then. I got it from Doom.

Red text on a grey background from the first episode in the PC game Doom. It reads, "It stinks like rotten meat, but looks like the lost Deimos Base. Looks like you're stuck on the shores of Hell. The only way out is through."

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 09/08/2025

I pampered this grumpy-looking dork today. But I do that every day.

An adorable doofus of a black cat named Michiko, staring at the viewer atop a light blue blanket (which is in turn atop my lap, next to a laptop.) She is wearing a red collar and looking just slightly to the right of the camera with her giant light bulb eyes.

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 06/08/2025

Yesterday was her 6th birthday, also! This is what she looked like after she had been in the shelter for a year (a few months before I adopted her, four and a half years ago.) I went in planning to adopt her and she was the only cat among dozens who showed any interest in me. It was meant to be.

A photo from early 2020 of a black cat named Michiko, staring off into space, in front of a yellow wall and white floor.

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 06/08/2025

Hi. This is Michi. 🥹

An exceptionally dumb-looking black cat named Michiko, wearing a red collar and with a green bell-shaped rabies vaccine tag. She is sticking her tongue out, either because she wants to channel the taunting Frenchman from Monty Python and the Holy Grail or, more likely, because she was licking herself and got distracted by something. She is standing on a blue blanket between my legs which are clad in plaid pajama pants. The dopest stereo 1995 ever saw is visible in the background atop an old dresser.

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 11/05/2025

Very important cat update

A doofy-looking black cat named Michiko, whose single brain cell has temporarily stopped functioning. She's staring at the ceiling with her mouth slightly agape. The angle makes her look especially stupid. Of note is that she did everything possible to prevent me from writing this alt text.

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 08/05/2025

Most useless prophecy ever.

A seagull (or a manifestation of the Holy Spirit, whichever you prefer) sitting atop a chimney, with a roof in the background. It's where the papal conclave is happening.

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 21/04/2025

The Holy Spirit is traditionally depicted as taking the form of a dove holding an olive branch. In Chicago, the Holy Spirit takes a different form

A seagull flying over the grass at Wrigley Field, holding an entire-ass hot dog that has a single bite taken out of it. Of note is that no condiments grace the hot dog.

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 28/03/2025

Man, the world just is not the same without Ryuichi Sakamoto.

Ryuichi Sakamoto with his cat on his shoulder, c. 1990. Sakamoto is a black-haired Japanese man raising his eyebrows and smiling slightly, with his hand on his chin. The cat on his shoulder has orange-brown fur and is looking down at him.

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 27/02/2025

In case you're wondering how my night is going, I just spent about 20 minutes searching Target's website for the deodorant I normally use, without success, and just now went to check and discovered I was searching for the wrong brand.

Shinya Arino, Japanese man with short black hair, is pictured laughing on his show GameCenter CX. Spliced beneath him is the text "It's okay" in pink lettering.

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 12/02/2025

Confirmed that this is true.

A black cat named Michiko sitting on a couch, mostly covered by a two-tone turquoise blanket crocheted for her by Arin's partner. She is looking up at the viewer as if curious about something. She wears an adorable red Japanese collar, with a wee little bell on the front of it.

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 25/01/2025

Without downloading any new pics, where are you mentally?

A pigeon standing on asphalt eating a pizza, using its hands. Yes, its hands. Did I stutter? The pigeon has hands.

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 08/01/2025

Please have this photo of some geese my partner took last month in the Netherlands. They were unusually nice and unbothered by her presence, just hanging out in the grass.

Some Greylag geese chilling in the grass near a stone path in front of a building and some shrubbery. The geese are white-feathered and have large orange bills. Three of the five geese (the first, second, and fifth from left) are sitting down, and two (the third and fourth) are standing.

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 01/01/2025

All my sins been warshed away.

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 29/12/2024

These are the kinds of choices you get in a Bethesda game.

A prompt on a website asking, "Do you want to go to our Dutch website?" The two possible choices are "YES, go to the Dutch website" and "NO, continue with the Dutch website".

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Arin @arinwrites.org · 23/11/2024

A lovely little book I only learned the existence of at this past Sunday's meeting for second year novices in the TSSF, and got today. A simple but beautiful office that (seeing as he wrote it, probably intentionally) evokes the heroic troubadour poems St. Francis was so fond of early in his life.

The soft cover of a book titled "The Office of the Passion of Saint Francis of Assisi", subtitled "The Geste of the Great King". It features a navy blue border and a red and gold decorative motif. Inside, a cream-colored panel displays the title and, above it, a medieval-style illustration. At the center is Jesus, standing within a red circular frame, wearing a white robe and carrying a cross. He is surrounded by ten robed angelic figures, all looking toward him. Above Jesus, a hand offering a blessing emerges from a red semicircle.

Two pages of the book. The left page features a medieval-style illustration of a Roman soldier, dressed in a white robe with a red cloak and holding a scroll. The text beside the soldier reads: "The Centurion, death scroll in hand, executes Pilate's sentence of crucifixion for the Hero."

The right page contains the heading "Little Office with Psalm Four" in red text. Below, the section is titled "Encounter with the Imperial Authority" and begins with "Our Father..." and "Glory Be..." before shifting to praises to be recited.

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