On a general writing/artistic break until the kids get older. Still a person who likes things and is delightful at dinner parties. Email: Michaelbtager1@gmail.com Website: michaelbtager.com Fav F&F: Tokyo Drifthttps://bsky.app/profile/iamragesparkle.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/iamragesparkle.bsky.social/post/3mrcxlipxj22mTotally forgot to post another of my favorite published pieces. I've totally forgotten how to social media (probably not a bad thing). Day 2: I Am David Attenborough, and These are My Nature Poems @havehashad.com https://www.havehashad.com/web_features/three-poems--68 [contains quote post or other embedded content]23 Jul 2026 13:39 +0000at://did:plc:u5245hcvb3eshhttpjlvanyx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrcxlipxj22mhttps://bsky.app/profile/iamragesparkle.bsky.social/post/3mrcx7hlpjs2mIf I were ever to get a vanity license plate, I've always thought it would read: VNTYLIC23 Jul 2026 13:32 +0000at://did:plc:u5245hcvb3eshhttpjlvanyx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrcx7hlpjs2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/iamragesparkle.bsky.social/post/3mr6p2ter6k26Might solve a mystery, or rewrite history... [contains quote post or other embedded content]21 Jul 2026 20:56 +0000at://did:plc:u5245hcvb3eshhttpjlvanyx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mr6p2ter6k26https://bsky.app/profile/iamragesparkle.bsky.social/post/3mr62kllvp227Today is the 2-year anniversary of my writing hiatus. In its honor, for the next week, I'm posting my favorite published pieces, in no particular order. Day 1: Scrapbooking at the Valhalla Hills Community Center with Helga Mulholland (Necessary Fiction) https://necessaryfiction.com/stories/MichaelBTagerScrapbookingattheValhallaHillsCommunityCenterwithHelgaMulholland/21 Jul 2026 14:49 +0000at://did:plc:u5245hcvb3eshhttpjlvanyx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mr62kllvp227https://bsky.app/profile/iamragesparkle.bsky.social/post/3mqrp6ptagc2qSometimes a famous person will follow me on here and I'm like, do you see something I don't? I'm amazing, no doubt, and also I don't know why I'm on your radar.16 Jul 2026 16:53 +0000at://did:plc:u5245hcvb3eshhttpjlvanyx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqrp6ptagc2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/iamragesparkle.bsky.social/post/3mqmgecjvqk2nNews that PlayStation is ending physical media isn't big news in and of itself, cause at the end of the day, it's still gaming. However, it's yet another harbinger of the impending capitalist apocalypse and how everything sucks just a little bit more every year.14 Jul 2026 14:32 +0000at://did:plc:u5245hcvb3eshhttpjlvanyx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqmgecjvqk2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/iamragesparkle.bsky.social/post/3mqmd7si3kk2sMy brother does some physical stuff. Odds of me throwing my back out almost immediately are high. [contains quote post or other embedded content]14 Jul 2026 13:36 +0000at://did:plc:u5245hcvb3eshhttpjlvanyx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqmd7si3kk2shttps://bsky.app/profile/iamragesparkle.bsky.social/post/3mqjropevss2jEvent Horizon and In the Mouth of Madness are peak Neill. I am here for the tribute. [contains quote post or other embedded content]13 Jul 2026 13:17 +0000at://did:plc:u5245hcvb3eshhttpjlvanyx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqjropevss2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/iamragesparkle.bsky.social/post/3mq4xzxzy4c2mI’ve gotten a few hundred followers in the past few months due to the parable. Welcome! I don’t post much these days for life being hella full & not having capacity & when I do it’s mostly pretty light. The world is heavy enough. I’m reading though & someday I’ll post again. Like a trash-Phoenix!08 Jul 2026 11:06 +0000at://did:plc:u5245hcvb3eshhttpjlvanyx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq4xzxzy4c2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/iamragesparkle.bsky.social/post/3mq2v4527fk2nBest pop culture thread you'll read all day. [contains quote post or other embedded content]07 Jul 2026 15:08 +0000at://did:plc:u5245hcvb3eshhttpjlvanyx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq2v4527fk2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/iamragesparkle.bsky.social/post/3mphfrfou222vThis feels gross.29 Jun 2026 21:13 +0000at://did:plc:u5245hcvb3eshhttpjlvanyx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mphfrfou222vhttps://bsky.app/profile/iamragesparkle.bsky.social/post/3mp4ubrluz22qSome advice to anyone working in HR. Please don't send an employee an unexpected meeting request at 9am in the morning, during a time of economic upheaval, with zero context. Unless, of course, you're trying to create heart attacks.25 Jun 2026 16:34 +0000at://did:plc:u5245hcvb3eshhttpjlvanyx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mp4ubrluz22qhttps://bsky.app/profile/iamragesparkle.bsky.social/post/3mp2vozstec2bAs a middle-aged man, stunted and broken by the patriarchy, I am literally incapable of crying more than once every 5 years +/-. On the rare occasion I’m able to access tears, I’m like, holy shit this is wonderful catharsis! Today was one such day. I am ready to receive validation and solidarity!24 Jun 2026 21:54 +0000at://did:plc:u5245hcvb3eshhttpjlvanyx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mp2vozstec2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/iamragesparkle.bsky.social/post/3mp2jmc6zl22eI've thought about this Simpsons "joke" every day for the last 30+ years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t28ZB1t6gg824 Jun 2026 18:17 +0000at://did:plc:u5245hcvb3eshhttpjlvanyx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mp2jmc6zl22ehttps://bsky.app/profile/iamragesparkle.bsky.social/post/3moxnhgvotc2zI've run into a couple Economists at parties and they all say the same thing: no one understands the economy, especially Economists. In other words: why not poets? :-) [contains quote post or other embedded content]23 Jun 2026 14:48 +0000at://did:plc:u5245hcvb3eshhttpjlvanyx/app.bsky.feed.post/3moxnhgvotc2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/iamragesparkle.bsky.social/post/3mony2bhmqk26Fellow white folks enjoying your Juneteenth holiday: spend some money at a black-owned business or something. Spend a moment remembering why you have the day off, mmkay?19 Jun 2026 18:31 +0000at://did:plc:u5245hcvb3eshhttpjlvanyx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mony2bhmqk26https://bsky.app/profile/iamragesparkle.bsky.social/post/3mol7so6zt22cKeep it coming, folks! Got some good nemeses within. [contains quote post or other embedded content]18 Jun 2026 16:12 +0000at://did:plc:u5245hcvb3eshhttpjlvanyx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mol7so6zt22chttps://bsky.app/profile/iamragesparkle.bsky.social/post/3mokxh2pnw22aAre you especially clever? Are you in front of a computer all day & would love some idle chit chat? If so, good news, because my DMs are open and ready for you to slide in. Please fill my mind with your inane and/or insightful banter. Prospective nemeses and bosom buddies encouraged to apply!18 Jun 2026 13:42 +0000at://did:plc:u5245hcvb3eshhttpjlvanyx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mokxh2pnw22ahttps://bsky.app/profile/iamragesparkle.bsky.social/post/3modepnrhek2kNo data to back this up, but I’m convinced that Michael Stipe can fight. For whatever reason, he gives me FAFO vibes.15 Jun 2026 13:18 +0000at://did:plc:u5245hcvb3eshhttpjlvanyx/app.bsky.feed.post/3modepnrhek2khttps://bsky.app/profile/iamragesparkle.bsky.social/post/3mnhrckj3q22xCan I get a round of applause for Kate Bush's album Hounds of Love? Is it 40 years old? Yes. Does it still slap hard? Most assuredly, a thousand times, yes! https://static.klipy.com/ii/d7aec6f6f171607374b2065c836f92f4/12/93/6YL28ErG.gif?hh=443&ww=498&mp4=TbZY6CzmR5FRe&webm=afYJKfiMN7rBFVnU104 Jun 2026 13:49 +0000at://did:plc:u5245hcvb3eshhttpjlvanyx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnhrckj3q22xhttps://bsky.app/profile/iamragesparkle.bsky.social/post/3mnfigpgo5224Which musician that your grandparents would love is near and dear to your heart? Personally, I stan Barry Manilow. Dude writes nothing but bangers and I'll die on this hill.03 Jun 2026 16:05 +0000at://did:plc:u5245hcvb3eshhttpjlvanyx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnfigpgo5224https://bsky.app/profile/iamragesparkle.bsky.social/post/3mnacu6a7mk27Recently I've been leaning into turning the video game difficulty way, way down. Life is hard, the world is hard, I don't need my relaxation to be hard.01 Jun 2026 14:42 +0000at://did:plc:u5245hcvb3eshhttpjlvanyx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnacu6a7mk27https://bsky.app/profile/iamragesparkle.bsky.social/post/3mn3v7ttpsc2wOnce, at an Os game, a friend introduced me as the funniest person he knows. That filled me with anxiety, so I responded "I'm more like the Mario Mendoza of humor" & ran away. Being baseball fans, they all found that quite funny. I've recently accepted that I'm situationally quite clever. Growth!30 May 2026 20:27 +0000at://did:plc:u5245hcvb3eshhttpjlvanyx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mn3v7ttpsc2whttps://bsky.app/profile/iamragesparkle.bsky.social/post/3mmtps3mews2tEvery so often I remember that Grove City College and "Clowns for Christ" exist and it makes me mad every single time. Like, it'd be funny if it weren't so detestable.27 May 2026 14:29 +0000at://did:plc:u5245hcvb3eshhttpjlvanyx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmtps3mews2thttps://bsky.app/profile/iamragesparkle.bsky.social/post/3mm5newmwqs2uPitch for a movie: The Nakatomi 12, a prequel to Die Hard done in a heist-movie "Assembling the team" style. Just Hans Gruber globe-hopping with his henchman/best friend Karl as they bring together the most murderous crew of thieves to ever pose as terrorists. 6 seasons and a movie!18 May 2026 19:47 +0000at://did:plc:u5245hcvb3eshhttpjlvanyx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mm5newmwqs2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/iamragesparkle.bsky.social/post/3mlxsx5enfk2tWhy in the world did I agree to DJ a neighborhood fundraiser with kids and all my parents friends & neighbors where no one will be dancing? I only know dance music, I’m not super confident in these friendships and I hate being perceived by…everyone. Damn you past-Mike!16 May 2026 12:11 +0000at://did:plc:u5245hcvb3eshhttpjlvanyx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlxsx5enfk2thttps://bsky.app/profile/iamragesparkle.bsky.social/post/3ml7fjal5bk25Went to the ER yesterday because kidney stones are the body being invaded by the devil. Gonna change everything about my life to mitigate that ever happening again.06 May 2026 19:07 +0000at://did:plc:u5245hcvb3eshhttpjlvanyx/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml7fjal5bk25https://bsky.app/profile/iamragesparkle.bsky.social/post/3mj3dz25ot22mI'm not naive, I'm idealistic. There's a difference.09 Apr 2026 17:39 +0000at://did:plc:u5245hcvb3eshhttpjlvanyx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mj3dz25ot22m