Author Archives: charlieforbes9

Sturgeon departs. What now?

When news broke yesterday morning that Nicola Sturgeon was tending her resignation as First Minister, most in Scotland were caught off guard. This didn’t arrive after some great scandal – though the political heat had certainly risen in recent months – but was rather hastened by Sturgeon’s inner sense that it was time for herContinue reading “Sturgeon departs. What now?”

Movie Mondays – TraumaZone

There’s a prevailing trend in documentary making these days where the narrator becomes part of the story in a fusion of self-promotion and naked bias. Personally, I blame Super Size Me (2004). I feel a hot take brewing, but while that’s still on the boil it’s a return to inertia’s much-neglected Movie Mondays. For thisContinue reading “Movie Mondays – TraumaZone”

My New Companion // A Eulogy

I’ve been navigating empty spaces lately. Tracing the outlines of where someone once was, wearing their clothes and sifting through paper trails. Grief of this kind is akin to shuffling around in a pitch-black room, feeling the contours of unknown furniture with outstretched hands and piecing together a mental map of the new confines ofContinue reading “My New Companion // A Eulogy”

Book Club – Crash

There are a lucky few books that make it to print, and fewer still that will outlive their authors as cultural milestones. Of this rare handful some will set out grand ideas, while others may one day come to be regarded as bold leaps in literature that expand the bounds of language and expression. ThereContinue reading “Book Club – Crash”

And There They Were

Last month I managed to steal a weekend away to the Highlands. The weather was balmy for March, with summer feeling as though it had arrived early. Not a cloud in the sky, taps aff, etcetera. The trip seemed blessed by the sun itself, a well-timed getaway destined to be plenty of fun. The journeyContinue reading “And There They Were”

Inner Ears vol. 1

Welcome back to inertia. We return to you with a new musical feature titled Inner Ears, a fresh freeform feature where our contributors serve up some piping hot music recommendations. Based on what’s been streaming through our own headsets, hopefully you find some artists, albums and genres here to plug into that you’ll dig asContinue reading “Inner Ears vol. 1”

Book Club – How Late It Was, How Late

A comedy of errors without much to laugh about, 1994’s How Late It Was, How Late was a second-hand purchase of mine bought on a whim. It stuck out in the Scottish Literature section like a sore thumb as the title rang the bells of familiarity in my head. Counting out my loose change toContinue reading “Book Club – How Late It Was, How Late”

The Call of the Void

I’ll preface this post by saying that none of this constitutes any qualified opinion or advice regarding mental health. I’m mainly putting this out to raise awareness and give people an idea of the lived experience of a misunderstood mental illness. For resources from charities, health bodies and psychologists, please see the bottom of thisContinue reading “The Call of the Void”

Snakes and Ladders | Part II

If you have found yourself here without reading Part I, you can find that here. Thatcher set out creating her game a year after she came to power in 1980, the year when her Tory government passed its landmark ‘Right to Buy’ legislation through parliament. The new law granted anyone living in a council houseContinue reading “Snakes and Ladders | Part II”