Author Archives: Mike

Fail on fail

Posted on 7 October, 2011 by Mike

Vancouver Sun, Ex-MLA queries Christy Clark’s cleavage. This is the stupidest “controversy” I’ve seen or heard about in eons — it’s light-years beyond the whole Obama birth certificate nonsense — but the single worst part about it, in my mind, … Continue reading →

Posted in Friggin' Politics | Comments Off

New York

Posted on 2 October, 2011 by Mike

When I first got off the train in Paris at Gare de Lyon five years ago, I felt like I was home. It was the sort of place that was immediately familiar, even though I’d never been there before. I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Photography, Travel | Comments Off

Soundcheck Sunday: Oliver Swain, “Big Machine”

Posted on 2 October, 2011 by Mike

“Who?” This guy: I first encountered Oliver Swain this past summer. Stephen Quinn was talking about CBC Vancouver’s series of lunchtime concerts — at which Swain played sometime in July — and played this track by way of introducing his … Continue reading →

Posted in High Fidelity | Comments Off

Learn something every day

Posted on 30 September, 2011 by Mike

At the bottom of the Nav Canada NOTAM query page is a box with red text that I’ve been curious about for as long as I can remember: Note: Under certain conditions being familiar with this section only, before commencing … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation | Comments Off

Soundcheck Sunday: Shawn Colvin, “These Four Walls”

Posted on 25 September, 2011 by Mike

The title track from the latest studio album (2006). One of the things I love dearly about Colvin is that she’s only inclined to record when she actually feels like she has something to say. This can be frustrating sometimes … Continue reading →

Posted in High Fidelity | Comments Off

Currently reading

Posted on 18 September, 2011 by Mike

Or, my tabdump for 18 September 2011, potentially of interest to some people I know read this blog: Don’t Come to the Dark Side: Acquisition Lessons from a Galaxy Far Far Away Fighting a Nuclear Armed Regional Opponent: Is Victory … Continue reading →

Posted in Aviation, Grim Meathook World, Riot Nrrd | Comments Off

Soundcheck Sunday: Shawn Colvin, “Wichita Skyline”

Posted on 18 September, 2011 by Mike

So it turns out we’re going to do a pair of tracks from “A Few Small Repairs.” This one’s been in my mind since last week, when we went out to Alberta (my first time back in two years) for … Continue reading →

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Soundcheck Sunday: Shawn Colvin, “84,000 Different Delusions”

Posted on 11 September, 2011 by Mike

It turns out there’s no video for this song. You don’t need one. I recently stumbled upon a (very small) poem by the Jodo Shinshu poet Asahara Saichi: 84,000 delusions 84,000 lights 84,000 joys abounding I have no idea if … Continue reading →

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Obligatory post

Posted on 9 September, 2011 by Mike

Herewith, a collection of links to articles that either helped shape or closely mirror the way I think about what happened a decade ago: David Foster Wallace, “Just Asking“: “What if we chose to regard the 2,973 innocents killed in … Continue reading →

Posted in Grim Meathook World | Comments Off

And thus my fall is much like my spring

Posted on 9 September, 2011 by Mike

This is what 11,921 miles and six weeks looks like: Once again, I have a staggering number of PNRs floating around in my iPhone and one hell of a lot of ground to cover over the next month and a … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel | Comments Off