iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 5h

I am on retreat for the weekend. It is marvellous (it’s been too long). Go do. ✝️⚓️ (about icons and the Transfiguration incidentally)

070

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Of course it is. Silly of them. I pray the Office at home. I pray the Office in church. Different Hours, different days,but definitely *MY* prayer life. If we believed faulty rationale then the 2,000-odd Hours prayed in common inSeminary weren’t part of my prayer life either. Faulty logic, say I.

030

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

oh boy, I had some of his vids on in the background as I work. Some similarities are STAGGERING! Very interesting though! Although I'm carefully guarding my own views because I'm grateful that despite my wandering in the desert I still came back to the Church. Your story would be good to hear! 😄

020

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I can imagine it. I had been celibate for 7 years and truly loved spiritual and liturgical formation I had before and during Seminary. But I understand what you mean, and ultimately it could have made me hard-hearted, or at best someone I am not. (No longer care for sex, you see, a spinster again.)

010

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Choral Scholarships 📍 St Michael & All Saints Episcopal Church Edinburgh Up to eight scholars will join the choir for the 2026–27 season, singing regularly on Sundays and other principal services. 16+, all parts, £1,000 honorarium. See: www.smas.church/music/ #Edinburgh #choir #music #Anglican

A poster using a photograph of five ladies singing in a traditional Anglican choir. They are wearing read cassocks with choir surplices on to. Behind them can be seen a beautiful altar with candles.

The text reads:

Choral Scholarships 26-27,
St Michael and All Saints, Edinburgh

For singers aged 16+ in all voice parts
Remuneration: £1,000

features a QR Code for more info

011

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Wow, fascinating read. Thank you! Resonates a lot with me. Was Seminarian for the FSSP (not a stone's throw from the SSPX), but thrown out after I was "outed". Interestingly,I too was recommended a "therapist", which never appeared. I'd love to talk to Palmquist one day,not that I agree entirely.

130

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Ahhh him! Well, Richard E Grant is old enough to know not to say that, but Rob Beckett *sometimes* looks as though his teeth are large. <cough cough>

000

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I’m not gonna watch it, nor do I know who’s on it, but all I will say is some people do have extra teeth. Or bigger teeth. (Yes, I like guys with big teeth. 🥵)

100

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I am sure of that. I was once chastised by an activist for praying for the repose of a staunchly conservative politician, who arguably hated gays and others. My argument was simple: if someone behaves like that, then they clearly hurt! But never meant to trivialise anything done either!

020

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

May you succeed in that call. And maybe tell my own church. So many extol the virtues of little booklets, but some nice tooled/gilded volumes wouldn’t go amiss.

011

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Rest eternal grant unto him O Lord! May he rest in peace, and may those who mourn be consoled by He alone who can give true peace. And I also pray for his murderer. I will not make an affront to anyone by trying to explain, because it just hurts.

120

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Indeed. I am fortunate that I have been subject to structured interviews for 25 years and that I was a trainer using competency frameworks… Long waffle to say that I know, and have been told, what parts/levels of the SEC criteria they will be assessing. So I’ve worked out some questions to answer…

110

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I tried to read his Acts for Everyone (?). I didn’t entirely get on with it, but I’m open to being proven wrong. One person I never thought I’d like, given sometime A-C tendencies, was J.I. Packer, but I do! And a lot. I think you might’ve had a hand in that. If so, thank you.

010

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Thank you so much. ❤️ I was just saying it feels a little like a job interview, but also a massive opportunity to talk about something I am passionate about. 😅

100

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

thank you. ❤️ It feels a bit like a job interview, because I know I’ve got a particular number of areas/things to cover. But at the same time I view it as a chance to talk about something I am passionate about. 😅

010

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

It’s all heating up. July to September saw delightful/productive meetings with a Vocations Advisor. Now I have been invited to Phase Two’s “Discernment Meeting”. A bit of interview practice, it’s also another going over of all the Criteria! 😅 Now, where’s my suit… <quakes in episcopalian> ✝️⚓️

2111

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

would he like to acknowledge how many Argentinians are of principally European extraction? No. Thought not.

001

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I very much agree with your 3/3 – Word and Sacrament – but also I fear their words! If it is a *powerful* worship experience, that presupposes mighty faith and as mighty worship acts from myself. And I still know myself to be pretty puny in both regards. It makes me feel ashamed, rather than Godly.

100

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

SANCTUARY: 📅 first Tuesdays Oct-Dec 2026 🕕 6pm–7pm 📍 St John's Episcopal Church, Princes St, Edinburgh. Join us for a new service with music, candlelight, and readings. Featuring jazz, gospel and roots music. www.stjohns-edinburgh.org.uk Please share widely. #Edinburgh #prayer #music #Anglican

text for a new prayer service, on the background of candles. Text reads as follows:

St John's
Scottish Episcopal Church

SANCTUARY

Tuesday 6th October
Tuesday 3rd November
Tuesday 1st December
6:00-7:00pm

Join us for our new service with music, candlelight, and readings.
Featuring jazz, gospel, and roots music.

stjohns-edinburgh.org.uk
St John's Church, Princes Street

022

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

on my wishlist; thank you! Though I’ll take paperback any day.

010

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

9:36pm and didn’t even bother to knock on the door. Items just dumped on the (wet) doorstep.

010

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

A Commodore VIC-20 borrowed from a friend when I was about five years old. Then our proper first one was a real PC, the Commodore PC-20.

010

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

am I the only one who thinks Amazon is taking a liberty giving you a timeslot between 8pm and 10pm? For a start, folk, delivery or none, ought not to be marauding around in the dark. But also, I get up really early, weekends included. I want to be in my jim-jams (not asleep!) by 10pm. <grumbles>

010

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I never read the books,but something strange happened when watching the TV series. I watched the whole of the 1st series and liked it, and recall watching the last ep. of the 1st season and then the 1st ep. of the 2nd season back to back. Suddenly no idea what was going on! Completely lost interest!

020

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Oh it’s really good! ❤️ It’s an anonymous story from Russia about a pilgrim and The Jesus Prayer. I won’t say more because I don’t want to spoil it, but I’m sure you can get a cheap copy online. It has saved my faith before during a dark time. Highly recommended!

110

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I love it too, although I do say it “for me”. I can’t help combining the spirit of knowing my place from Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, with the joy that my Lord loves me and will have me, like the Good Thief. Regardless, meditative quality is sublime. Have you read The Way of A Pilgrim?

210

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

What is this “Forum” thing on Facebook? Anyone used it?

000

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Heavens! First the ridiculous idea of merging Scotland's 11 mainland territorial NHS Boards into two. And now Swinney wants to bring back the Regional and District Council structure (not seen since 1996). I'm sure nobody wants two-tier councils, and mergers remind me of a bumpy road in one sector.

000

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I hope I’ve misunderstood it, as a brief glance at the headlines says NATO welcomes it.

010

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Am I wrong in saying “well, that’s Denmark capitulated”?

110

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I’m curious who following these feeds: 👇 ✝️⚓️ ☝️…is in/around Edinburgh. Coffee could be in the running.

030

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Trump criticises AI slowdown www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cm... – Trump’s a dummy. Those AI models are probably more intelligent than he is. 😂 Joking aside, the fact that Anthropic is chary to release newer/advanced versions of its models doesn’t mean they’re buggy; it means they’re scarily advanced!

bbc.co.uk

Trump criticises AI boss who called for slowdown and says only guardrail needed is a 'smart president'

Stock markets fall in the US, Europe and Asia as Anthropic boss Dario Amodei says AI development should be slowed to "to reduce the risk that something goes seriously wrong".

000

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Sounds really interesting. There’s also speculative xeno-theology. I know heehaw about it except the debate is whether human Jesus died for Planet Zog’s sins or whether there’s a Zogian Jesus as well. It’s better when drunk. 🥴

110

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

am I wrong, or if you don't sign in to Google Maps does it refuse to allow you see all seven days of opening times?

000

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Our pear tree is old, maybe 50 years old, its pollinator long since dying to disease. Nevertheless it fruits every year, but strange, small puny things. This year it graced us with three windfall. The other jealous, wizened exemplars remain on high, but look at these beauties. Let’s eat, quick!

Three large, bulbous William pears. 🍐 Yellowy-green, ripe and ready for eating!

020

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

I flew to America five days after 9/11. The atmosphere at security/immigration (layover, Newark) was one of palpable fear and dread. And we the living. Pray for those who died, those who battled to save them, those who mourn, and those who have made and continue to make some very hard decisions. 🙏

030

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

oh Netflix, why on earth would I want DUNE Part 2, if you haven't given me Dune Part 1? I heard that I'm not missing anything though. 🎬🍿

001

Reposted by Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈

Helen @futurestand.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

A video statement from the RNLI chief exec about recent events and about the RNLI’s unchanging and single mission, to save lives at sea. rnli.org/news-and-med...

rnli.org

Statement from RNLI Chief Executive Peter Sparkes

Statement from RNLI Chief Executive Peter Sparkes regarding Channel activity.

37242

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Choral Singing Taster Day: Saturday 5 Sept 2026 🕥 10:30am children 🕑 2pm youth 📍 St John's Episcopal Church, Princes St, Edinburgh. We are starting new youth and children’s choirs and would love you to be part of it. No experience required! This Saturday! #Edinburgh #youth #choir #Anglican

033

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

The psychiatrist pointed me in the direction of a new term today: moral injury Quite relevant for persons trying to do their best in under-resourced public bodies. (Yes, I know it’s not quite the same as soldiers or whatever, but y’know…)

031

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

anyone know about Chocolatey Package Manager and want to explain it to me?

000

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I can’t see the coverage at the moment but cutting the number of mainland health boards from 11 to 2 is ridiculous. I hope it’s resisted vociferously and that Swinney is forced out. Inept.

000

Mark 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳‍🌈 @bolshevikbear.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Starmer? Damp squib, wet blanket. Sorry. Concentrate on international affairs? Is this Blair 2.0? 🙄

000