The Art of Total Commitment

| March 19, 2011

I could paint a poem on your back With a Chinese brush and India ink. And then, with a razor or pin or sliver of bamboo And a stolen hotel towel (to daub the blood and excess black), I could make it Permanent. I have seen this done before in my dreams. But You would […]

A Steampunk Love Story – For a While Anyway

| March 4, 2011

A couple days ago this little gem caught my eye, a beautifully rendered short animated film written and directed by Andrey Shushkov titled Invention of Love. Subtitled, “A love story from the world of gears and bolts,” it serves up bittersweet in a neat little package.

Bush Skills Don’t Come Easy

| February 25, 2011

Growing up with a burning interest in living safely and well outside of the comforting arms of “civilization”, I spent a lot of time learning and mastering my skills one at time so I knew they wouldn’t fail me when I needed them to live. More than half a century worth of winters down the […]

Some Gritty Feel Good Music

| February 16, 2011

On those rare occasions when I find myself on the road alone, singing helps keep me alert. This first song has always been one of my favourites, probably because I’ve spent way too many years of my life being part of the solution instead of part of the problem. Anyway, settle back for a dose […]

The Stanfields

| February 12, 2011

Until yesterday, when they found me serendipitously because of driving while listening to CBC Radio, I had never heard of these guys. The Stanfields are a band that plays out of Halifax, Nova Scotia, described by Q104 Radio as, “The bastard children of AC/DC and Stan Rogers”.

Toe Tapping Darkness

| February 6, 2011

Just yesterday I was found by this uplifting little ditty by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and played it today to Mrs. LFM who, like me, had never heard it before. We both agree, what’s not to love?

A Little Known Piece by Robert W. Service

| January 19, 2011

I’ve always been a fan of Robert W. Service, he known best by the world for such great works of frontier poetry as The Shooting of Dan McGrew and The Cremation of Sam McGee. Service said, “The only society I like is that which is rough and tough – and the tougher the better. That’s […]

Meet the Town of Helm

| January 5, 2011

Among the most famous folk stories ever written down are those that involve the people who live in the remote Polish town of Helm (sometimes spelled “Chelm”). Famous or not, there will still be some of you who have never heard of the place, let alone its impressive inhabitants, so I’m about to fix that. […]

A Group Worth Watching

| January 4, 2011

In another one of those moments of serendipity I’m famous for, a few days ago I discovered Aston, an Australian group that does incredible covers of pop songs using traditional classical instruments. This is NO circus trick! Not only are they unbelievably talented, they’re hot by every definition of the term, and make it obvious […]

Freedom of Expression

| December 19, 2010

Where Mrs. LFM and I call home, a lot of people live inside of antiques. Many of the houses hereabouts have passed their first century which makes them slightly older than me. One of the houses we are professionally involved with protecting from the Dread Prophet Murphy is a massive pile atop a hill in […]