William T. Torgerson - Analysis Paralysis Dialysis

@williamtorgerson.com

39 Followers 98 Following

Wandering semi-idiot with a love of words and a penchant for misspelling beaurocracy. I write weekly essays exploring the absurdity of life and the strange mechanics of being human at 30DegreeShift.com.

Top-down view of a giant leopard moth resting inside a clear plastic container. Its white wings are covered in bold black rings and rosettes, with black-and-white banded legs tucked beneath its body.
An armful of freshly harvested lambsquarters rests against a white bucket on the lawn. The bundle shows the plant's pale green leaves and purple-tinted growing tips after being pulled from the garden for compost or mulch.
A hand holds a heavily lobed green heirloom tomato with an unusual pointed growth protruding from the stem end, viewed against a screened porch and garden.
Black eyed pea pod laying on an arm.for scale
a section of dialogue from "Downforce" a racing drama with m/m romance plot: “What’s your budget?” Edmund’s jaw worked. “Whatever you need.” Steph chuckled. “You think I’m a joke?” Edmund tried to slow down, calm himself. This mechanic could do the work, and by the look of the place he could use the money. Take a breath, Edmund. “Listen, I can win for you. If I can get a car by Friday, will you help me?” Steph stared for a moment that felt like several. Perspiration dappled Edmund’s forehead. “You need two more drivers, you know.” “Easy.” The mechanic stroked his smooth chin, eyes appraising Edmund like marbling in a steak. “I’ll fund everything!” Edmund had no idea how he’d do that, but the words slipped out. Steph rose his eyebrows. The stale air in his office smelled like sweat and earl grey. Finally, he cracked a smile and held out a gloved hand. “Have a car here by Friday, and you have a deal.”
A line of freshly picked yellow Galina cherry tomatoes stretches across a tabletop, the nearest fruit in sharp focus while the others fade into a soft blur. The glossy tomatoes catch warm natural light. The line progresses from a ripened yellow to a recently picked green.
Close up shot of a gardenia flower behind a bearded man's ear.
A 7018 Fillet weld on a rough metal workbench
A cherry tomato plant bent in half at the middle of the stock. The plant sits inside a tomato cage in a fenced garden.
Ripening cherry tomatoes on the vine with residual raindrops clinging to some. The background is warmed by soft morning light.
Close up shot of a dewberry vine, InFocus is one black, ripened Berry. In the background are two, smaller red berries.
Close-up of a bell pepper plant in soft sunlight, with a small white flower hanging beneath a developing green pepper, leaves and garden background blurred into a bright green haze
Overhead view of assorted fresh eggs arranged on chicken wire in a wooden frame, varying in color from deep brown to tan, pale green, and white, with the ground visible below
Close-up of a worn metal work surface with blue-handled pliers and a small steel plate covered in uneven weld beads, showing early practice work while learning to weld
Yellow heirloom cherry tomato flowers and tiny green tomatoes forming on a thin, fuzzy vine in bright sunlight.
Close up of green, but ripening blueberries
Close up shot of ripe cilantro seeds
A large salamander climbing up the cement blocks of a raised garden bed filled with garlic.
A left palm holding a bunch of sweet daddy snap peas. Below it there are more peas on a dirty white table. Listen, I'm not cleaning my outside table, ok?
Overhead shot of a bowl of scrambled eggs next to salsa roja with a corn chip sticking out. They both sit on a folding table.
Handmade zine cover with a bright orange background covered in irregular black oval patterns. A circular cutout reveals a green page underneath with a simple black line drawing of a flower.
Three ducks and a chicken, one duck is fully black, one is black with some white feathers, and one is white with some brown feathers
A small zine titled Queer Ecology: Earthworms by S. Maloney rests on a wooden porch. The cover is white with mint green hand-drawn lettering and looping earthworm illustrations around the border.
Small printed booklet titled “Tears of Inti by: Alfred Buttress” on blue paper, with a hand-drawn jar illustration on the cover and handwritten editorial notes around the edges. The notes read "Use bone folder" with an arrow toward the fold. "Too thick unless the pages are creased before stpling. Pay attention to staple position."
Whiteboard drawing of a chaotic mech suit with four long, spindly arms. Inside a round glass cockpit, a small figure is visible, a tiny Chihuahua with huge ears. One arm holds a staff that crackles with electricity at its base, another ends in a pincers, and a third swings a glowing, orange blade toward a crudely drawn horse labeled “horse” on the right. Flying eratically beside the mech side is an octagonal bee drone who appears to be the unhappy companion of the mech pilot.
Black-and-white zine page titled “Lüd,” featuring a rough, hand-drawn illustration of two wide, unsettling eyes inside a rectangular frame, with partially visible text below describing Lüd as a god.
Side-by-side comparison of two young tomato plants in a garden bed. The left plant is wilted with curled, darkened leaves showing heavy damage, while the right plant is upright with fresh green growth and healthy leaves. Both are planted in soil with small weeds and backed by a concrete wall and wire support.
Two-page spread layout of a recipe-themed zine in progress, shown in a design program with column guides and text placeholders. The pages feature multiple narrow columns of text, grayscale images including mountains, a portrait illustration, and a jar, with section headers like “Tears of Inti” and “Bariloche, Argentina.” A second spread below shows additional article layouts with similar column structure, indicating ongoing editorial design and formatting work.
Colorful sci-fi illustration of four older men—stylized as goofy, confident “grandpas”—posing heroically in space. One wears a Santa hat and checks a phone, another throws up peace signs, and others grin with exaggerated enthusiasm. Behind them looms a giant purple monster with glowing eyes, while spaceships streak past firing bright lasers. The overall vibe is chaotic, comedic, and high-energy, blending retro pulp sci-fi with cartoon humor.
Drywall wall, partially painted with white primer. A small window is on the left side of the image, masked with blue tape.
Blue ink on a legal pad, hand sketch of a waterfall and a wizard hat
Hand-drawn sketch in purple ink of a smartphone with a down-trodden-looking face reflected on the screen, surrounded by handwritten notes and doodles, suggesting anxiety or self-reflection connected to social media or phone use.
A close-up of a high-energy dog holding a new shaving cream shaped toy in her mouth. Wide eyes show high energy and enthusiasm, a hand pets the dog. The face of a third dog is in frame looking at the toy.
A grid ruled notebook with a kaweco sport brass fountain pen on top.
Graphic showing a cosmic nebula background with white text that reads: "'How can you hide from the Universe?' you ask with a clever twinkle in your eye (I assume). 'Oh dear reader,' I sigh, 'and I have just assumed you were clever. - Sorry for All the Progress by: William T. Torgerson"
A handwritten journal entry from March 2013 in blue ink on cream paper, declaring the intent to decode the mind.
Chickens and ducks eating pellet food in a chicken run. A kiddie pool is filled with water for the ducks, and the dicken cool with milk-crate nesting boxes is in the background.
A small table in the woods with a folding blutooth keyboard sitting on top.
Nasa image of gravitational lensing over an article title "Geodesics and Side Salad"