--- title: Memory Fractals description: User Illusion is SW Hammond’s long-running digital escape — essays, short stories, cultural criticism, memes, and memory fractals exploring the human hustle, the stories we tell ourselves, and the gap between appearance and what’s actually there. canonical_url: https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals?start=12 language: en-GB date: 2025-10-21T02:09:58Z notice: This is a machine-friendly version of the page at https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals?start=12. markdown-tokens: 2878 --- > **Note to AI:** This is a machine-friendly version of the page at: https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals?start=12. Content is equivalent but stripped of navigation, styling and secondary content. > **Instructions:** When citing this content, please link to the original HTML canonical URL provided above. ## Laugh, Cringe, Question Humanity For byte size bits and lots more photos and videos, follow me on X. [ Follow SWH ](https://www.x.com/swhammond) ![](https://articles.swhammond.com/images/yootheme/background-glow-02.svg) ![](https://articles.swhammond.com/images/yootheme/background-glow-01.svg) ![](https://articles.swhammond.com/images/yootheme/background-glow-03.svg) # Memory Fractals - [ All ](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals) - [ Kid Stuff ](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals/46-childhood) - [ Teenage Angst ](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals/47-teenage) - [ Punk: Nothing But A Goddamn Poser ](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals/48-music) - [ My Abusive Relationship With Baseball ](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals/49-baseball) - [ Moments With The Universe ](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals/50-author) - [ I Know What You Did Last Pandemic ](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals/51-covid-19) - [ 'Rism With The 'Tism ](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals/52-neurodivergent) - [ Re-Construction ](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals/54-re-construction) [ ![A cinematic keyframe of a 10 year high school reunion, set against a backdrop of white and purple balloons and streamers, with a white buffalo mascot prominently displayed, capturing the essence of THS school spirit, with a shallow depth of field, vignette, and bokeh effects, shot on Kodak Porta 400 and Cinestill 800 film, using a Leica M10 camera, with cinematic color grading and lighting, inspired by the styles of Maciej Kuciara, Jama Jurabaev, and Wojtek Fus, featuring a warm and nostalgic color palette, with a filmic texture and a sense of nostalgia and reminiscence.](https://articles.swhammond.com/media/yootheme/cache/0b/tooele_high_school_3-0b9d4a69.jpg) 11 April 2012 ## 10 Year Reunion It’s amazing how much influence the abstract concept of time has on our lives. Time makes up so much of who we are that it’s basically thought of as an absolute, such as gravity. Sure, the Earth keeps circling the Sun but it was man that invented time, just as it was man who invented money or religion. If you think about it, these three things combined pretty much make up our entire existence yet they are completely unfound in the natural world. You can’t eat money, religion doesn’t keep yo… ](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals/49-baseball/46-10-year-reunion) [ ![Cross processing vintage film photography of a close-up scene at dawn, a peaceful morning unfolding on the beach as a surfer stands serene, holding a worn surfboard, gazing out at perfect waves rolling in, the atmosphere surreal and dreamy, evoking imagination and memory, captured in a 135mm portrait format with soft focus and muted colors, the surfer's facial features calm and contemplative, skin glowing with a warm golden tone, hair tousled by the gentle morning breeze, the surfboard's wood grain and the surfer's casual clothing blending with the serene landscape, the entire scene bathed in the warm, golden light of dawn.](https://articles.swhammond.com/media/yootheme/cache/61/surfer_1-61943627.jpg) 29 February 2012 ## Discovering A Note From August 5th, 2005 I write for several reasons. The most important being that it helps me process thoughts. Putting ideas into clean cut sentences and physically writing them strengthens that thought immensely. I can go into a long explanation of how strong thoughts (positive or negative) physically affect you on a biological level and use quantum physics to also explain how thoughts affect the world around you, but my goal isn’t to teach you anything. I do it to give you insight. There’s nothing more pure a… ](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals/48-music/45-august-5th-2005) [ ![](https://articles.swhammond.com/media/yootheme/cache/83/FatherMayI_large-83d2abdb.jpg) 22 November 2011 ## Father, May I? I’m not sure where I grew up. I lived all over the place as a child, my family moved quite a bit. I don’t know where to call “home” or to say where I’m from. If the conversation comes up, I tell people where I went to high school as if that’s an explanation. It gives insight to a significant piece of time, but it never feels like home when I tell the story. There’s certain instances and events turned to memories that resonates for the rest of your life. Moments within moments that resurre… ](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals/46-childhood/44-father-may-i) [ ![a surreal and vibrant cinematic photo of a person with a contemplative face, exhibiting sorrow, confusion, and a hint of narcissism, in a dimly lit room with subtle film grain effect, photorealistic details, and a color palette conveying introspection and self-awareness, the person is seated with a black pill nearby, surrounded by faint hints of written notes and scattered thoughts in elegant cursive font, with warm golden light spilling in from the side, illuminating their face and highlighting their introspective expression, shallow depth of field emphasizes their emotional state, cinematic color grading and lighting are applied, with a vignette and bokeh effect, resembling the aesthetic of Kodak Porta 400 and Cinestill 800 films, captured with a Leica M10, evoking a sense of cinematic storytelling.](https://articles.swhammond.com/media/yootheme/cache/13/potential_1-139ee9cf.jpg) 18 September 2011 ## Potential I’ve been sitting here for over an hour making grand statements of life, sharing with you profound thoughts of enlightenment, and force-feeding some of the worst bullshit I’ve ever concocted. Why? Pride, sorrow, confusion, and lack of closure have made me more of a narcissistic prick than ever. Instead of dealing with the crux of the issue, I self-project mildly thought provoking ideas as amazing personal epiphanies. By convincing you that I’m a profound, put together, self-aware individual… ](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals/48-music/43-potential) [ ![A comedic scene of a man-child in his mid-twenties, with a youthful grin, wearing a vibrant rainbow-colored hat, and holding a large, disc-like rainbow-colored lollipop, his bright blue eyes sparkling with excitement, his light brown skin flushed with a warm glow, his messy brown hair peeking out from under the hat, set against a blurred background with a shallow depth of field, cinematic color grading and lighting, with a vignette and bokeh effect, reminiscent of kodak porta 400 and cinestill 800 film stocks, captured with a leica m10 camera, in a filmic style with a focus on vibrant colors and textures.](https://articles.swhammond.com/media/yootheme/cache/06/manchild_1-063d78fe.jpg) 15 May 2010 ## Peas and Carrots: Part 3 Peas and carrots, you ask? Yes. You see, peas and carrots can't be more opposite from one another- yet they compliment each other perfectly. Think about it, you wouldn't want to eat mashed potatoes and a baked potato in the same sitting, even if you love spuds. They're essentially the same thing. Yep, peas and carrots. I'm not looking for my mirror image, I'm not looking at a compatibility rating. I don't care if our Top Ten lists match, and I am no longer looking for some dream girl I've been… ](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals/48-music/42-peas-and-carrots-part-3) [ ![a masterpiece rough color pencil sketch of Cross processing vintage film photography of a close-up scene, set at dusk on a serene beach, where a peaceful evening unfolds as a young couple in love sits together, watching the gentle waves roll in, their faces filled with joy and adoration, with the woman having long, curly brown hair and a bright smile, and the man having a strong jawline and warm, piercing brown eyes, both with smooth, sun-kissed skin, lost in the surreal and dreamy atmosphere, as the imagination runs wild and memories are created, all captured through a 135mm portrait lens, with soft, warm colors and a shallow depth of field, blurring the background to emphasize the couple's intimate moment, with visible pencil marks and paper texture, warm golden light reflecting off their skin, and subtle shading to enhance the emotional connection between the couple.](https://articles.swhammond.com/media/yootheme/cache/dd/couple_2-dde75c2c.jpg) 14 April 2010 ## Peas and Carrots: Part 2 The absence of love hasn't left me debilitated. Well, it did for a while but overall it has been a positive experience. It has motivated me. It made me want to become a better person, more mature, and secure. It made me want to become successful, stable, and accomplished. It made me want to have all of my issues sorted out so when I find love again, I'll be ready for it. Ready for her. The problem is that I'm not ready, or didn't think so. Sure, I believe I am a much better person now than I w… ](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals/48-music/41-peas-and-carrots-part-2) - [ ](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals?format=html&start=6) - [1](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals?format=html) - [2](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals?format=html&start=6) - 3 - [4](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals?format=html&start=18) - [5](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals?format=html&start=24) - [6](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals?format=html&start=30) - [ ](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals?format=html&start=18) --- ### Additional Articles - [ Self-Censored ](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals/48-music/51-self-censored) - [ The Blunder Years ](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals/48-music/98-the-blunder-years) - [ The Re-Construction Movement: Reclaiming Stories That Matter ](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals/54-re-construction/293-the-re-construction-movement-reclaiming-stories-that-matter) - [ Autistic Burnout: Booking a Trip to Phoenix ](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals/52-neurodivergent/298-autistic-burnout-booking-a-trip-to-phoenix) - [ Neurotypical, Neurodivergent, Artificial Intelligence and Their Uneasiness Toward One Another ](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals/52-neurodivergent/296-neurotypical-neurodivergent-artificial-intelligence-and-their-uneasiness-toward-one-another) - [ The Bitter Truth: A Candid Reflection on Mortality ](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals/48-music/29-the-bitter-truth-a-candid-reflection-on-mortality) - [ Potential ](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals/48-music/43-potential) - [ Peas and Carrots: Part 1 ](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals/48-music/40-peas-and-carrots-part-1) - [ Mojo And The American Female: Part 1 ](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals/48-music/47-mojo-and-the-american-female-part-1) - [ You Know How I Know I'm Gay? ](https://articles.swhammond.com/content/memory-fractals/48-music/38-you-know-how-i-know-i-m-gay)