Troy | August 1, 2016
Introduction by LFM: I first met Troy Zwicker when I joined what was then called the Bridgewater Fencing Club, now the South Shore Duellists, in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, back in the last century. I came to know him as among the most aggressive épée fencers I’ve ever crossed steel with, and it was at that […]
Randy | June 30, 2016
This morning, and for reasons too convoluted to recount, I remembered an interview I watched back in my long lost childhood on a CBC Television show called Take 30. The interview was with Margaret Powell and was conducted by Adrienne Clarkson. Margaret Powell’s notoriety at the time arose from her memoir titled Below Stairs, based […]
Randy | June 25, 2016
Just yesterday, my friend the Esteemed Cowboy John laid down this challenge: I used a word today that I simply love, and honestly don’t use enough. I don’t think it is used enough period. It is “feckless”. So I challenge my friends to USE this word today. Either in text or spoken. It is actually […]
Randy | April 20, 2016
“A man cannot understand the perfection and imperfections of his chosen art if he cannot see the value in other arts. Following rules only permits development up to a point in technique; to advance further the student and artist must learn and seek other knowledge. It makes sense to study other arts as well as […]
Randy | April 15, 2016
Plying my trade(s) in rural Nova Scotia exposes me to all manner of ordeals and sights you just can’t unsee. Oh, the panic that can’t be unpanicked! Case in point, the photos that follow taken last week on departure from a client’s premises. I’d say they are located in a typical area of woods and […]
Randy | April 1, 2016
This poem is born of actual events, and is offered with apologies to those hopefuls among the distaff who may have fallen for it in the past, and feel ill done by at its clear exclusivity to the sensibilities of your male counterparts. Please know, you are not forgotten. Apologies too to Groucho Marx whose […]
Randy | March 25, 2016
“Sport Fencing”, will frequently be the inroad for many in pursuit of a broader exploration of the Blade Arts. While in its development it has veered decidedly toward being an athletic pursuit more than a combative one, Sport Fencing undeniably imbues the serious practitioner with a sound grasp of footwork, timing, distance, quickness of wit, […]
Randy | March 20, 2016
My Esteemed Friend Peter Thompson turns sixty years old today and shows no signs of improving the mood of his enemies by requiring that they attend his wake in the spirit of, “If you give the people what they want, they’ll come.” The poem that follows speaks from some inside knowledge on my part that […]
Randy | February 24, 2016
Operating our security consultancy out of rural Nova Scotia, our average day is best described as what you might get if the logistical and operational realities of All Creatures Great and Small and The Sandbaggers had a kid. In this family business, a gap on one’s dance card doesn’t take long to close, so our […]
Randy | December 29, 2015
On this Long Winter’s Night, I offer, for your consideration, The OceanMaker. After the seas have disappeared, a courageous pilot fights against vicious sky pirates for control of the last remaining source of water: the clouds. ~ mightycocunut.com As a former aviator and student of aviation history, I enjoyed the recognizable but apocalyptically modified airframes […]