Author: admin

morning walks

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There’s something glorious about the Canadian Shield.

It seems almost immovable, grand on a scale that begs one to try and change it, but change it one cannot. Only in the most meager of ways.

It feels like a piece of me. It feels like home. Hard, but teeming with life. Gentle, but dangerous.

Unexpected depths. Untapped resources.

Like a good Canadian should be.

Target: 800 words
Written: 614 words, novella: The Mungk

Read: Brothers Of Earth, C.J. Cherryh
Comics: The Crow v2 2-5
Music: Ultimate Air Supply, Air Supply (why would I do this to myself? Must be a masochism day.)

temagami

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Today, I return to the motherland, children and dogs in tow.

I can’t wait. I need to reconnect.

Target: 800 words
Written: 600 words, novella: The Mungk

Read: Brothers Of Earth, CJ Cherryh
Comics: The Crow/Razor: Kill The Pain 0, Final, Lost Chapter, The Crow v2 1
Music: Ukelele Songs, Eddie Vedder

dogsittin’ 2

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Part of me thinks I should call in sick. Part of me would be glad to be away from the dogs for a bit.

But we’re leaving tomorrow, for a week, and I have shit to do.

Neither dogs nor work can stop me.

But they can sure slow me down, and turn the whole process into a zoo in the meanwhile.

Target: 800 words
Written: 1616 words, novella: The Mungk

Read: The Adventures Of Captain Hatteras, Jules Verne
Comics: The Crow/Razor: Kill The Pain 1-4
Music: Uh Huh Her, PJ Harvey

dogsittin’

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We have my sister’s dogs today and they are adorable, but they are… a lot.

They are much, much, much more active than our dogs, so we are now much, much, much more active.

At least for today.

Target: 800 words
Written: 270 words, novella: The Mungk

Read: The Adventures Of Captain Hatteras, Jules Verne
Comics: The Crow: Waking Nightmares 2-4, The Crow 0
Music: U2 18 Singles, U2

the cursing cursor

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It stares at me. Dares me. Five drafts down, and still shit.

Maybe it will never be else.

Just a pile of runny diarrhea, not even kind enough to be cohesive, splattered on the floor.

How long is ten thousand hours?

Can I training myself in the art of creating shit?

The art of defecation on the page?

These are the questions that spit at me in the mornings.

Are you nothing more than a diarrhea factory? Leaky housing for liquid shit?

Ain’t I hot?

Target: 800 words
Written: 374 words, novella: The Mungk

Read: The Adventures of Captain Hatteras, Jules Verne
Comics: The Crow: Wild Justice 1-3, The Crow: Waking Nightmares 1
Music: Ozzfest, Disturbed feat. Chester

remember me?

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I’m increasingly beginning to think I’m playing lute for the damned.

The seemingly unstoppable march of fascism, climate change, gun violence, bigotry, overpopulation, war, fucking microplastics…

At this point, I’m thinking I could write humanity’s single greatest work of fiction, and it wouldn’t matter, because humanity itself will be gone before my lifetime is out.

My lifetime might be tomorrow.

Armageddon might be tomorrow.

I have works of staggering genius in me, but I fear that neither I nor anyone else will live to see them.

Nor will I ever get my head far enough out of my ass to complete them.

Is it still fatalism if it’s true?

Target: 800 words
Written: 535 words, novella: The Mungk

Read: The Adventures Of Captain Hatteras, Jules Verne (it's nice to feel cold in this heat)
Comics: The Crow: Flesh And Blood 3, The Crow: City Of Angels 1-3
Music: Overrated, Mudmen (me?)

tim armstrong is my spirit animal

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Every time I hear him, whether it’s Operation Ivy, Rancid, Transplants or his own stuff, there’s just something so smooth about it. It hits me hard in the gut, sets up shop in the chambers of my hearts.

That’s the just way things are. That’s just the way it is now.

Tall cans in the air, motherfucker.

Target: 800 words
Written: 387 words, novella: The Mungk

Read: The Adventures Of Captain Hatteras, Jules Verne
Comics: The Crow: Dead Time 2-3, The Crow: Flesh And Blood 1-2
Music: Outside, David Bowie

what’s not to love?

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It’s Deadpool & Wolverine day for me, and I am stoked.

Not only is Ryan Reynolds one of my favourite comedy actors and fellow geeks, he’s also a good Canadian boy, which I appreciate.

Weirdly, I’ve never been particularly nationalist, but I like to support the locals, especially when they’re doing cool things (sorry, Bieber, Nickelback, you ain’t my cup of tea).

Anyway, excited. The first two were great, so I can’t wait.

Also, my second writing milestone was hit this morning, so a mini cigarillo is in order, and it’s nice enough to do it, so yay!

Target: 800 words
Written: 430 words, novella: The Mungk

Read: The Adventures Of Captain Hatteras, Jules Verne
Comics: The Crow 3-5, The Crow: Dead Time 1 (can I just say that The Crow is a seminal work in Gothic horror/romance?  Every time I've read it, it hits me - fucking angst, anger and love injected straight into my veins.  Absolutely gutting.  Absolutely beautiful.)
Music: Outcesticide, Nirvana

coffee

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I think it’s time. As is par for Saturdays anymore, the cats and dog had me up earlier than intended (not the big one, the little dog – the big dog is lazy as hell and sleeps longer than any of us most mornings. She’s wonderful.)

They’re all wonderful, really, but they’re even more wonderful after coffee.

As are most people.

At my best, I mostly want to be left alone; without coffee, I’m full misanthrope.

Is misanthrope a career path? If so, I want to be on that track. Especially before my morning brew.

Aspirations are weird, aren’t they?

Target: 800 words
Written: 435 words, novella: The Mungk

Read: The Adventures Of Captain Hatteras, Jules Verne
Comics: Caliber Presents 1, The Crow 1-2, A Caliber Christmas 1
Music: Out Of Time, R.E.M. (Jesus, I forgot what an incredible album this was - one of the greatest all time. I used to play it on repeat when it first came out, back when I was first losing my religion, literally.)

change for the sake of change

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I’m all for change; things change. It’s the only thing we can’t change.

But change for change’s sake, as pushed by tech companies and corporations filled with individuals who may have had a purpose at one point, but have now accomplished that task and are just trying to justify their existence?

Enshittification is a real thing, partially driven by greed, but partially, by idiocy and ego.

You design an app; it’s easy, it’s clean, it does what it’s intended to do and very well, all it requires is maintenance after that.

But then comes the lull. The people who built the app aren’t really necessary at that point; they’re really just there to fix bugs and security flaws. That means most of them can go. But they don’t want to lose their jobs, their prestige, so they start tweaking. This needs this unnecessary feature. What if we update the look?

Cornflower blue?

And next thing you know, the app is a mess, your users are disenchanted and the only thing you can do to keep them is to create more restrictive systems to try and lock them so they have no choice.

But all you had to do was maintain.

Someone should tell the bosses they are no longer needed. Coast, bitches. It’s fun, and it’s easier on everyone.

Target: 800 words
Written: 408 words, novella: The Mungk

Read: The Regiment, Farley Mowat
Comics: Postal: Night Shift 1
Music: Out Of Time, Blur