neck of the woods

28 July, 2023

Algonquin Highlands, Ontario

We out here. Studying various ecosystems and evaluating their behaviour is a humble experience. There are loads of people who fantasize about time in nature, and don't necesssarily take the time to breathe it in. At some point, we'll all find ourselves outdoors with an empty mind. Fantasize about the existence of an environemnt that's thriving. The stories I had the chance to listen to about wildlife were so pure and made of magic, it leads to you believe in a utopia that's all around us. Getting to embark on a full-blown portage trek through the pouring rain, sleeping in my beautiful one-person tent with my millions of mosquito amigos, and learning from the best - an absolute honor to have my photo taken by, and inhale a cigar with a true veteran wildlife photographer.

Time and working on yourself will alleviate the mental wound. Allow it to diminish and heal into a stronger, better version of yourself. If you're like me, the memories won't ever leave you. Some of us try too hard to rip out the pages in our book, and it shows. In time, you will learn to live with it. Even if you're filled with some layers of charm, existential dread and dark humour.

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Purple Noon (1960)

I've always been fascinated with foreign films. They are wildly accessible, yet astounding when you come up on one you've been after for a while. I've obsessed over how there isn't the need of use of CGI, or massive budgeting to captivate an audience. You can simply connect with real humans and real-life problems. It can pose a relatable experience. Purple Noon tells the story of identify fraud with Alain Delon giving us a performance of a lifetime - imagine what it would be like to age when you've experienced being that charming? Romance, and the lust to live the international playboy life regardless of the lengths one must go through. This picturesque piece is well-equipped with stunning European visuals and rich culture. I was so engaged in this flick, I really didn't see that coming neither... The ending was nuts.

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Elif Batuman's The Idiot (2017)

Ivy League gals navigating their journey through everyday settings at Harvard. Relatable to Selin's overthinking, and the way she deconstructs her environment almost every time she's asked a question. The scene where she speaks with her counsellor about the topic of emails had some powerful impact on the reality of the inter web. The agony of youth, and a coming of age story that may not be everybody's cup of tea, but enjoyable to follow along with the school calendar year. . Takeaway: Jump in a lake with your loved ones and recognize insignificant subtleties.

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Six Days At the Bottom of the Ocean - Explosions In the Sky

This album has hollowed out my ears for a few years now. There's a feeling of complete emptiness when it starts up, that draws you to your surroundings and being still in your present moment. I listen to this band on hikes a lot. Although I enjoy my silence in nature, there's something that this group offers that enhances the wilderness as you venture through it. The break in the middle of the song is so pure, and it feels like I'm falling into the abyss of my whole life in slow motion.

Each of us can experience this emotional track differently. Looking forward to the new record and tour this year. Thank you to the post-rock quartet for everything. Take me out of here.

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Give Me A Call Sometime by Andrew W.G. Rees

It was a treat to reconnect with Andrew after all these years. The last time I had seen him, I was bagging his groceries and glorifying his band at the time. A poem about trust and confidence to a desired entity. Putting thought into the mind of another, serving the opportunity of pure, genuine love. How insane the idea may be to some, all the while when a writer knows their lust is flourishing from within. To anybody who shouts out with sincere intentions, and to those who never read 'em - Prost.

reader, you are extraordinary

28 June, 2023

Vancouver, British Columbia

What's your opinion on all this?

The year continues to float on as I find myself feeling endlessly inspired. That specific inspired when it's challenging to sleep, to eat, and to socialize with the normies. We can't all feel as ambitious as we once were, but we can definitely still seek inspiration from many directions. It takes courage, and a ton of experience, but I assure your curiosity, hopefulness and creativity lies ahead. Go fetch it, and watch this world change before your very eyes.

I'm not entirely sure why the internet proceeds to poke fun at a national tragedy, but I've been convinced to refrain from politics for a while now. I suppose various people grieve and cope in many different ways. However, over the past couple of years I have felt that if you have an opinion, it may be best left to the walls of your friend's house? It's never really been a habit of mine to utilize the world-wide-web to voice my thought process - yet, here we are - but it's intriguing to open your phone to a complete bar-fight taking place across the land. For the most part, it's bananas. But remember, the media can provide us such insight, education and guidance. Keep learning through the mist.

Summer is in full-force. Make the best out of the weather, wherever the weather. There's a distant feeling of the rebirth of summer from when you were young, and how much joy came about when your final school bells rang. Can you rehash that in some sense today? Remember what it's like to be a kid? At ten years old, everything is so fascinating and anything is possible. There's still some value in embodying that sentiment, although it attacks in many more forms, and a much busier work schedule. Take time to lay in the grass and watch stars. Think of the albatrosses and attend a beach clean-up. Work on your tan, and grab hold of every passing scent of salt in the air, you can.

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Meatballs (1979)

A family household tradition since the early dawn. I remember being very little and finding a bootlegged VHS tape with this title written on the tag. I wasn't then, and still don't really know now writing this - why they named it that. But, this film captures the most traditional aesthetic of summer camp out there. This was the movie that introduced me to the legend that is, Bill Murray, and I still stay engaged from start to finish. Later in life, I find out it was shot a few hours away from home, and the writers hailed from a local University. Hell, the rival campground is a direct take on our local college! Fight me on that. From Spaz's moves on the dance floor, to Fink's hotdog eating contest, it's a picture to preserve.

I pray this tradition still remains constant in the right hands... But it just, doesn't, matter.

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Carl Watt's I Just Wrote This Five Minutes Ago (2022)

A guidance and reflection on some incredible and noteworthy poetry across the board. Carl Watts discusses his path through his career, and the various methods and practices taking place in surrounding poetry world. How valuable it is to create, regardless of experience and motive, and how it can be perceived from the peanut gallery. I enjoyed learning from a good pal, and getting heavily into different forms of poetry leads me to have hope in our neighboring artists.

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Hollow Coves - These Memories (2017)

The realest. Hug some type of body of water when you can. I find myself reflecting a lot. Sometimes that happens to occur during the sun while it sets... And maybe this track happens to be nursing my eardrums. When the two collaborate, it enhances a special moment in time. A feeling that won't quite flutter away. The calmness of this song captivates that one perfect memory in your life that just won't go away. Embrace that. For many of us, we couldn't care less and would happily hit that 'next track' button.

the light, the void, and everything

7 June, 2023

Detroit, Michigan

American Hardcore is alive & well.

My car got punched in a Whole Foods parking lot with a Police cruiser a few spots away. This place can get pretty entertaining! I remind myself to always carry a can of gasoline on these road trips from here on out. There is great value to embark on adventure completely solo, because you meet so many people from all over and you're practically forced to engage somehow, someway. I've kept a travel journal close-by for years now, and I've been able (and fortunate) to reach so many incredible destinations and situations.

Pure bliss is defined by hearing Feel the Lightning echoing outside onto the patio, stomping out the butt-end under the string lights, at one of your favorite venues in the world. A translucent moment, where I déjà vu'd myself walking into those mornings throughout my sophomore college years. To end up... here. It's mystical, and I feel the emotion.

Speaking of déjà vu - my data stopped working. I know this feeling all too well...

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Audrey (2020)

An exciting look into the life and career of one of the most iconic cinema figures to date. This was incredibly interesting to me, as I had longed to learn more about Audrey. There are so many of her films that go unnoticed to the modern age, and one of which that became my all time favorite over time. Such an elegant actress, who was respected in the spotlight but not always showered with the most love from her spouses. Audrey is a wonderful depiction of a wonderful woman, and the challenges she constantly faced.

I just adore how smooth and effortlessly Hepburn forever was on the screen. She then went on to be proactive in so many causes she cared about so dearly. The love that she didn't receive, she converts into unconditional love to put forth.

A few of us could learn a thing or two from this...

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Andrew O'Hagan's Mayflies (2020)

The story of the lads, just like you remember with your friends growing up. The trouble you found yourselves in, and the careless feeling of living in the exact moment. The book begins with the ignition of a lifelong friendship and returns 30 years later with their grown-up selves, and the impact of reality. Discovering identity, relationships, morality and their gloomy future ahead. I loved this book because it felt so real. The conversations and experiences are ones that I too, have shared in my twenties. Perhaps some foreshadowing lies ahead. They attend a bloody Smiths concert in Manchester in this novel, what is there not to love about it?

"Custom-built for the clear-eyed young."

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Sleeping With The Witch - Dax Riggs (2010)

The Austin Chronicle deemed this record as 'gritty punk-blues,' and that nails it. Riggs' Louisiana upbringing is demonstrated through his writing. This song hollows out your eardrums and allows you to just slump in your seat and chill out. I love how the backing vocals accompany the instruments in a perfect harmony - this track is mixed so well, and I never want it to end. Broom poetry from his early sludge-metal days.. Do you think pronouns for a Witch are always He He He?

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If by Rudyard Kipling

If gives a man hope. This poem is immaculate to recite when you're wandering through life's mysteries and obstacles. It allows you to be humble and courageous, simultaneously. I feel that this is for every Father out there to pass down to their child. It speaks such faithful volume, and a great use of language throughout. I discovered this gem while talking to a local in a distant pub, and I'm happy it was transferred over. Surely, the written recipe for man to live with dignity.