Sudden Insight

We clap and sing
Happy Birthday
And implore the birthday love
To blow out candles on a cake
They do
Snuffing out the dancing flames with wind and spittle
And the host serves the cake
And we eat
We eat cake, icing
And the birthday sneeze
Surely this practice can't be sanitary

First Landing

Jeff was kind enough to walk me through setting up my flight stick and throttle for Microsoft Flight Simulator tonight, and he also gave me a quick flying lesson. My first landing--an attempt at Leaf Rapids airport--was a near thing. I thought I was going to make it, but I came in a bit too high and too fast and ran out of runway, hitting some rocks and flipping my Cessna upside down. It was a survivable landing, but not elegant. 

My second try, captured above, was much more successful. True, I used up almost all of one of the runways at Edmonton International, but not only did I walk away from this landing, I was in a decent position to taxi to a parking spot. And flying with the sun in my eyes, no less! 

I really wish Dad could have seen both landings. He certainly would have laughed at the first! And I think he would have been pleased with the second. 
 

Sad Times for Leaf Rapids

Mom, Dad, and Sean, summer of 1976 or possibly 1977
at the Suwanee River campground near Leaf Rapids

I only lived in Leaf Rapids for seven years or so, but they were foundational years. In the 1970s, Leaf Rapids was a thriving community of great natural beauty, built on the Canadian Shield's bedrock and wound through several acres of thick evergreen forest. It was a place not just for humans, but birds, bears, wolves, and--alas--thick clouds of mosquitoes and sandflies. Fortunately, dragonflies the size of sparrows hunted the pests down to manageable levels. 

Once the Ruttan Mine closed down, though Leaf Rapids has been in steady decline. Population, services, amenities, even local government--all the essentials are in short supply, and as CBC reports, things are getting worse. 

Part of me realizes that with no base for an economy, it's probably pragmatic to move the remaining residents to Lynn Lake or Thompson. But neither of those places ever captured my imagination, nor, in my view, have the natural beauty and ineffable mystery of Leaf Rapids. It was a great place to be a kid. 

 I hope that Manitobans can find a way to save Leaf Rapids. 

Arnold's Path

A giant straddles the Terminator between light and shadow
Like Atlas, but actually Hercules
A Dutch treat from Austria, caught in a Matrix of illusion
A Julius Caesar, torn between worlds to rule
A Quaid/Hauser, lost in conflicting roles
A Kaminski/Brenner on both sides of the coldest war
A Danko, a Richards, a Slater, a Kimble, a Langston
A Trench-ant master, caught in a Fries frame
Doctor, President, Patron, Hood, and yet always a Self
The once and future King Conan Kalidor
Ahhhhnold, the T-800

Starter Words for the End of the World

XYLEM
GLYPH
MAMMA
IGLOO
OKAPI
FUZZY

My starter words
Betray me in the same way as
Our dreams for tomorrow
The fallen scoop of strawberry ice cream
Melting on the sidewalk at the fair
Sighs in resignation
While the child's tears
Evaporate on her sun-roasted cheeks

(Bad poem by me, bad "art" by Gemini.) 

Popcorn Sequence

Back in 2008, I tried to capture a photo of popcorn bouncing off my face. The effort failed. 
 

Never Get Too Comfortable

For a few days after the 2008 election, my corner office was equipped with the fancy furniture MLAs get. Naturally, it was soon replaced with standard worker drone furniture: 

Armpit Photo

Sean and Sylvia on February 28, 2009. 
 

Twin Peaks Shadow Box

 Tonight I filled a shadow box with a few of the Twin Peaks items I've collected over the years. 

I Feel Used, or Impersonal Trainer

While I've always suspected it was so, last night I probed Gemini a bit to see if any of my writing has been used to train LLMs. The last paragraph reveals the sordid details. Further investigation reveals everything I wrote for Lois Hole has been used as training data, too. 

If we lived in a more equitable world, I'd be fine with this, but I can't help but feel like under capitalism the tech bros owe the writers and artists of the world some compensation. Especially if they want us to keep generating new ideas . . . 
 

Eyes off the Prize

I'm pretty sure that's my cousin Darwin scarfing down some treats while I gaze seriously into the distance. I wonder what thoughts were running through my tiny brain at the time. Probably "I want a pastry, but I don't want people to know that, so I'll just stare the other way." 

I'm pretty sure this happened in Manitoba, but it's hard to be sure. One wonder's why there's a painting on the bed. Oh, there's wrapping paper in the background--it might have been someone's birthday. Not Christmas, I don't think, because associated photos appear to be set during summer. 

I still had blonde hair. Not for much longer, I don't think...
 

Uncle Gordon and Me

Among other Woods/Etsell losses in 2026, our Uncle Gordon Newton passed away earlier this year, and I just realized I haven't written anything about it until now. 

Here's Uncle Gordon with me in Leaf Rapids in the mid-1970s; this visit might have been the first time I met him and possibly Aunt Margaret, though I'm not sure if she came on this trip; she's not in any of the photos I have from this set. We doubtless spent some time fishing and camping, since that was the number one leisure activity in Leaf Rapids. 

Here he is with Mom and Dad, likely on the same day--all of them younger then than I am now. Time laughs at us, doesn't it? 

I was very fond of Uncle Gordon. He was superintendent of schools in Winnipeg for quite some time; he was very smart, erudite, and informed, and he had a voice I thought was quite captivating. Unfortunately, I probably only interacted with him in person perhaps a dozen or so times in my life, since for most of our time on Earth he lived in Manitoba and we lived in Alberta. Nonetheless, I'm glad that I was able to spend time with Uncle Gordon and Aunt Margaret; they were both very cool people. 

Rest in peace, Uncle Gordon. I hope my cousins Kathy, Barbara, and David are coping with their father's loss. 

Swooped Away

 

Don't Hide Dynamite in the Dryer

Years ago, I remember asking Dad if a clothes dryer would be a good place to store dynamite. I don't remember how Dad answered, but he was rather nonplussed and said something to the effect of "As long as you don't store it in our dryer." Or maybe it was "You shouldn't have dynamite," as if that was the most obvious statement in the world, which, yes, fair. 

Anyway, I always thought it would be funny if someone filled their dryer with sticks of dynamite just because they thought the police or CSIS or whoever wouldn't look there. 


 

Giant Killer Robots: Heavy Hitters

Earlier tonight, Jeff, Mike, Stephen and I engaged in a kind of cyberpunk gladiatorial combat by way of the board game GKR: Heavy Hitters. The arena: the ruins of a nuked city. The combatants: four pilots driving giant killer robots. This was only my second time playing the game, but it's as fun as I remember; both strategy and tactics are crucial, but luck, of course, plays a role too. I made a couple of dumb mistakes, but enjoyed an exciting go-for-broke last stand sort of maneuver that let me go out with some semblance of pride, if not a victory. (Indeed, I was eliminated.) Jeff eked out a one-point win over Stephen, but it was close all around. A fun night. 

 

Give Yourself a Present

A few years ago, Sean gave me this Twin Peaks print for Christmas or my birthday; I don't remember which. It was created by an Albertan artist, and it captures an iconic moment from Twin Peaks, one of my very favourite works of art. Last month, I finally took it in to have it framed. I picked it up yesterday and hung it on my wall today, and I think it looks gorgeous. 
 

Video: Taco Thursday Intruder

After dropping off one of Sean's long-delayed birthday gifts, I stopped at Taco Time to pick up dinner. A seagull boldly--one might even say insouciantly--landed on my hood, silently begging for treats. I say thee nay! 

Why do we have seagulls in a landlocked province? 

Burntwood River at the Golden Hour

 

One for Joy, One for Desire, One for Despair

More and more often these days, I'm stricken by dark melancholy. Fortunately, music helps, and for this particular shade of darkness, I play Keane's "Higher than the Sun." The lyrics and melody fan the dying embers of my optimism. 

There's a song to ease your fear; a song to take you far from here; one for joy, one for desire, one for despair

My Escape from New York blu-ray included some themed pins, so I used them to create a safe place for my metal Criterion Channel charter subscriber card. I figure it's appropriate, since the film has been on the channel. 
 

Father's Day 2026

If Dad hadn't passed away in 2018, I have no doubt that we would have been BBQing yesterday or today. I wish we were. Rest peacefully, Dad. 

EDITED TO ADD: 
Apparently Father's Day is June 21 this year. Better early than late. 
 

A Little Person with Some Little People

I found this just now while going through the folder of Mom's photos that I copied over from her iPad. I don't remember seeing this one before, but I definitely remember playing with the Fisher Price Little People Airport I'm seen unwrapping here. I can't say for certain, but based on my apparent age, the carpet, and the curtains, I'm guessing this was at our house in Thompson. 
 

The Brain of Colossus

 

"Colossus' brain is bigger than yours. It weighs 60 tons."

That Miniaturized Director I Like Is Coming Back in Style

I used Hero Forge to design and print a 28mm-scale David Lynch, complete with coffee and cherry pie. 
 

Taking Deep Space Nine and Voyager to the Next Level

In 2012, CBS released three episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation on blu-ray disc, with reach episode remastered in high definition. This was no mean feat, because the show was shot on film, but the episodes were edited on video, which effectively meant that any shots with special effects were, by their nature, restricted to standard definition. The producers of the blu-ray sets had to re-edit every episode from its original elements, an incredibly expensive and time-consuming process. 

To test the market, they released this disc, which included the remastered pilot, "Encounter at Farpoint," one of the series' most beloved episodes, "The Inner Light," and the Worf-centric "Sins of the Father." 

According to CBS, the blu-ray releases of seasons one through seven of TNG did not sell well enough to giving Star Trek: Deep Space Nine or Star Trek: Voyager the same treatment. Indeed, to this day, every Star Trek series except for those two has been released in high definition. 

But what if CBS had decided to forge ahead, once again releasing sampler discs before the season sets of DS9 and Voyager? What episodes might they have included? 

Doubtless they would once again include the pilots for the shows: "Emissary" for DS9 and "Caretaker" for Voyager. Both pilots are excellent, with plenty of outer space action to show off the remastered special effects. That leaves two more episodes for each series. 

Were I in charge, I'd choose "Duet" and "Far Beyond the Stars" for the DS9 sampler disc. While the episodes are light on special effects, they offer some of the very best dramatic storytelling the franchise has ever produced, and the great performances of the cast would look amazing in high definition. 

As for Voyager's sampler, I'd choose "Death Wish" and "Living Witness." "Death Wish" features an appearance by Q and Commander Riker while telling a compelling story about the consequences of immortality and the right to end one's own life. And "Living Witness" is simply one of Voyager's best episodes, giving us an alien perspective on the ship's adventures through the Delta quadrant. 

I want to believe that one day the business case will make sense and that someone will release DS9 and Voyager in high definition, maybe even sooner rather than later; physical media seems to be making a comeback.