Brian Ruh
@brianruh.bsky.social
Independent scholar, PhD in communication and culture, occasional writer, always looking for a new project. I wrote a book on Mamoru Oshii’s films.
Although I’ve loved the Chronicles of Prydain since I was little, I’ve never read anything else by Lloyd Alexander. In an attempt to rectify this, I just started on Westmark. Unsurprisingly, it’s quite good as well.
November 23, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Although I’ve loved the Chronicles of Prydain since I was little, I’ve never read anything else by Lloyd Alexander. In an attempt to rectify this, I just started on Westmark. Unsurprisingly, it’s quite good as well.
I got an email the other day and thought again of this upcoming book.
Why would a donut place have protein drinks and be advertising “gains”? I’m really not sure, other than our current cultural obsession.
Why would a donut place have protein drinks and be advertising “gains”? I’m really not sure, other than our current cultural obsession.
November 23, 2025 at 1:18 PM
I got an email the other day and thought again of this upcoming book.
Why would a donut place have protein drinks and be advertising “gains”? I’m really not sure, other than our current cultural obsession.
Why would a donut place have protein drinks and be advertising “gains”? I’m really not sure, other than our current cultural obsession.
My collection finally has an endpoint!
November 12, 2025 at 8:49 PM
My collection finally has an endpoint!
Ok I’ll post my colorful sky picture.
November 12, 2025 at 3:13 AM
Ok I’ll post my colorful sky picture.
James Bond? I think any subsequent developments need to be based on the Takarazuka version.
November 11, 2025 at 3:06 PM
James Bond? I think any subsequent developments need to be based on the Takarazuka version.
But Marge, it works on any TK! Toby Keith, Tim Kaine…
November 10, 2025 at 2:39 AM
But Marge, it works on any TK! Toby Keith, Tim Kaine…
Ok, I’ll make a sign for a Fugazi song
November 8, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Ok, I’ll make a sign for a Fugazi song
They’re apparently offering a miniature Borg starship as well.
November 6, 2025 at 2:50 PM
They’re apparently offering a miniature Borg starship as well.
My county Democratic Party just sent out this email. It doesn’t really seem to capture the prevailing mood and makes me even less likely to want to have anything to do with them.
November 6, 2025 at 1:16 PM
My county Democratic Party just sent out this email. It doesn’t really seem to capture the prevailing mood and makes me even less likely to want to have anything to do with them.
A relatively inexpensive strap wrench. I’ve used it so often.
November 2, 2025 at 5:04 PM
A relatively inexpensive strap wrench. I’ve used it so often.
Now that it’s November, I’m ready for Christmas.
November 1, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Now that it’s November, I’m ready for Christmas.
My favorite Halloween candy? Bottle Caps.*
They don’t show up as often as I think they should.
* except for the grape ones - I always did (and still do) just throw those away
They don’t show up as often as I think they should.
* except for the grape ones - I always did (and still do) just throw those away
October 31, 2025 at 6:59 PM
My favorite Halloween candy? Bottle Caps.*
They don’t show up as often as I think they should.
* except for the grape ones - I always did (and still do) just throw those away
They don’t show up as often as I think they should.
* except for the grape ones - I always did (and still do) just throw those away
It wasn’t until I was working on my PhD that I heard much about the Young Lords. It was a presentation by another grad student in my program, who would go on to edit this book, among other writings.
October 31, 2025 at 12:01 PM
It wasn’t until I was working on my PhD that I heard much about the Young Lords. It was a presentation by another grad student in my program, who would go on to edit this book, among other writings.
New book checked out from the library. Maybe not exactly a good time, but it feels like necessary reading.
October 29, 2025 at 11:54 PM
New book checked out from the library. Maybe not exactly a good time, but it feels like necessary reading.
This is a great camera…
October 27, 2025 at 11:58 AM
This is a great camera…
Me trying to tell other people that what I really need right now is a second season of “Kageki Shoujo!!”
October 26, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Me trying to tell other people that what I really need right now is a second season of “Kageki Shoujo!!”
I’m going to be in the presentation of A Christmas Carol put on by the Lafayette, IN Civic Theatre in December. I’ll be voicing Bob Cratchit, among other roles.
Please come see us if you’re in the area!
Please come see us if you’re in the area!
October 22, 2025 at 6:18 PM
I’m going to be in the presentation of A Christmas Carol put on by the Lafayette, IN Civic Theatre in December. I’ll be voicing Bob Cratchit, among other roles.
Please come see us if you’re in the area!
Please come see us if you’re in the area!
Just dropped my oldest off for an astronomy lab at the VOSS model. I’ve always thought it was pretty cool. stories.purdue.edu/purdue-art-t...
October 22, 2025 at 12:32 AM
Just dropped my oldest off for an astronomy lab at the VOSS model. I’ve always thought it was pretty cool. stories.purdue.edu/purdue-art-t...
Dang, I was hoping there’d be a Chicago show in there. Oh well.
October 21, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Dang, I was hoping there’d be a Chicago show in there. Oh well.
This book also reminds me of the time I spent studying in Japan. Like this photo of a memorial near Ōsu Kannon in Nagoya - I know where that is! And there is another chapter on Sōtō Zen nuns at Aichi Senmon Nisōdō (also in Nagoya) where I attended a lecture and was on a group tour.
October 18, 2025 at 2:27 PM
This book also reminds me of the time I spent studying in Japan. Like this photo of a memorial near Ōsu Kannon in Nagoya - I know where that is! And there is another chapter on Sōtō Zen nuns at Aichi Senmon Nisōdō (also in Nagoya) where I attended a lecture and was on a group tour.
I was just looking through my old copy of “Religion & Society in Modern Japan” (1993) and was reminded of how it includes the terms in Japanese in the side margin.
I really like this approach and wish more books did this. (Also, family names in caps is good practice as well.)
I really like this approach and wish more books did this. (Also, family names in caps is good practice as well.)
![We have mentioned above how in Japanese Buddhism not only sentient beings but also non-sentient beings possess the buddha nature. The custom of offering memorials for inanimate objects such as dolls or needles, or for victims of one's profession such as eels or whales, reveals the Japanese belief that such beings, whether animal or inanimate, have some sort of "spirit" (reikon) or "soul" (tamashii).
[霊魂 out to the left margin on this line]
Figure 1 is an attempt to categorize "spirits" on the basis of such memorial rites (or, more specifically, as the objects of memorial rites performed under the aegis of Japanese Buddhism).
Uenrei, [有緣霊 in the margin] the spirit of one who has some relations left in this world to perform the ancestral rites, is the normal, most common type of human spirit. Having lived a full life, this spirit has descendants who after its death will perform the proper rites. It will thus become an ancestral spirit who protects its descendants. As YANAGITA Kunio has shown in his work About Our Ancestors (1970), this is the "normal" ancestra. spirit of the Japanese.
The muenrei (spirit with no relations) [無縁霊 in the margin] is the opposite of It was believed that as a result, this kind of spirit could become vindictive (onryō) [怨霊 in the margin] and bring about misfortune to above, the muenrei of those who died as adults and those of those still living in this world. However, as we mentioned children and mizuko were traditionally handled differently.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:6odbrpimcsfdee7is7ziz2vv/bafkreidy5o4df2p2iyxopq5ktusuyzohlvzkujx2qyrdernl2xp77yfnve@jpeg)
October 18, 2025 at 2:00 PM
I was just looking through my old copy of “Religion & Society in Modern Japan” (1993) and was reminded of how it includes the terms in Japanese in the side margin.
I really like this approach and wish more books did this. (Also, family names in caps is good practice as well.)
I really like this approach and wish more books did this. (Also, family names in caps is good practice as well.)
Shirt from the band Ispíní na hÉireann. I want it, although I’m sure shipping and fees would be absolutely ridiculous.
October 15, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Shirt from the band Ispíní na hÉireann. I want it, although I’m sure shipping and fees would be absolutely ridiculous.