The past week has been a bit of a roller-coaster for me. If you know me, you know I have plenty of stuff to keep myself busy and plenty of stuff I want to share – if only time and energy would permit. Whenever I can, I’ve spent my time authoring and producing content which I believe to be interesting, different, unique, valuable and of my own efforts (unless where specified, and that’s the exception rather than the rule). But since my recent choice to abstain from OzBargain because of their…

I really did rush through the first week of Orktober and I didn’t enjoy myself as much as I should’ve. For the second week I’ve paced myself more and enjoyed the process a hell of a lot more. It’s a fun competition but if it takes the fun out of painting minis that’s no good so lesson learnt for me haha. I’ve never owned a “weird-boy” ork until the most recent new one came along. Even though I like weird things I was never really drawn to the character. Dunno, wizards, warlocks, witches and…

Showery today with strong winds. Car washing. H.B1,B2 making 139 to date. Mike Reed leaves tonight. Cleared all the lab bins out. Insurance man came.

Imagination is the new moat.

I haven't had this old Ovation guitar out of it's formidable flight case for a couple of years. It was almost perfectly in tune out of the box but the electrics are a bit goosed. Hence the spray cans and some annoying fiddling about that I had to do. There were some slight improvements after a while. These are odd guitars. Tight and heavy. The plastic bulge of the back body shape makes them awkward to play standing up and/or sitting down. It's a very physical thing. The action is OK but ... it…

I think it's safe to classify both of today's photos as "standard Disneyland views". Nice enough, sure, but you probably won't call Aunt Marge to tell her all about them. (Call her anyway, she's lonely).Yep, it's no surprise that it's a photo of the Mark Twain. It looks pretty against that deep-blue sky. Daredevil ducks wait until the last possible second to scoot out of its way (while other less-brave ducks stayed safely out of harm's way). I'd say that this behavior does not set a good…

At the rock housesWhen I first went to school we were taught that the very first human homes were in caves and that these were clearly damp, dark, unpleasant places to live, soon superseded by tents, wooden huts, and other such shelters. Today, we have a great deal more knowledge of early human habitations around the world, from houses built on frames of mammoth bones to bark-walled dwellings. But along with this knowledge goes an awareness that we are in fact ignorant of the lives of many…

There are stages in layout construction where I have to make a list and push through the steps required to find myself able to enjoy the process once more…Moving from cardboard mock up to plastic rendition has taken five years on Defiance’s big brother - it is no surprise that this step is one that is to some degree, a necessary evil. I will enjoy what follows - for now, deliberate steps forward ensure focus is retained.I enjoy photographing my work throughout the creative process. Whilst…

When I worked full time, I used to envy full-time cruisers. Their full-time cruising lifestyle seemed very appealing, but I've come to embrace “commuter sailing”, which is balancing stretches at sea with time back home. After four months of sailing around Western Australia, it was good to be home again.Home does not mean an end to sailing, though. I could hardly wait to sail to Kangaroo Island, my favorite sailing destination. Autumn gave way to winter, with storms more frequent and seas less…

I went back to Rickmansworth yesterday and remembered several old High Street shops. Mac Fisheries I remember Mac Fisheries, it smelt of fish, all these fish laid out on slabs at the front of the store open to the street, a regular high street staple in the 1970s, I imagine jolly fishmongers in blue and white striped aprons doling out bright yellow haddock to housewives wearing hats, my Mum never wore a hat to go shopping, we'd get the bus down from Croxley and it'd drop us off right outside…

Power Cat 2026-10-15 es normal

I've been feeling prettt alright. My medicine has been doing it's job, so I'm honestly feeling way closer to 100% than I have in a long time. I hopefully found a new friend to hang out with some time soon. Tomorrow is commander night with another friend. I'm feeling plenty ready to get back to work tomorrow. My medical bills were honestly less expensive than I was expecting. I even wrote a fun new (spicy) fanfiction. I think I'm doing pretty good right now, just gotta relax, get more…

So this last weekend a bunch of us gathered in a cabin in central Wisconsin to record another season of The Meatgrinder. Now, I know you're saying "Trae, you guys haven't released Season 6 yet, but you recorded Season 7 already?" And yeah, that's the situation. Season 6 will be coming out soon though, so don't worry. At this point though the show really is secondary to the weekend itself. We're pretty much packed to maximum capacity in that cabin, and it's just nice to spend time with friends I…

Thursday 15th October 2026 Continuing this year’s exploration of the many new bus routes introduced around the country this year, saw me recently visit Peterborough and Southampton, as both cities have coincidentally just added a route numbered 26 to their local networks. And in both cases part of the route serves new residential developments so I’m guessing Developer Section 106 funding, as well as Local Authority Bus Grants, has helped kick start the services. Peterborough’s route 26 began…

Back to The Lugg, couldn't stay away for long - there was exploring to do. Clear water, ideal for a bit of fish spotting - loads of chub seen. Not ideal for the perch. Several size, colour and style lures but the perch were reluctant. Lots missed or bumped, and only two landed. But that didn't matter - I got what I was really after. Cracking, snaggy fight in the narrow river. A small river with pike - perfect!

Me: Why do they even call them clutch bags? Them: Clutch bags? Me: Yeah, that poster over there at the department store mentions “clutch bags” being on special. Does it involve a transmission of some sort!? Them: Isn’t it because you clutch it? Me: Pardon? Them: Clutch it… as in, hold onto it? Me: … Them: … Me: Well don’t I feel foolish. Them: Yeah, well you should. By Ruben Schade in Sydney, 2026-10-15.

Some days, you just need to escape "the office" and go to watch the countryside pass by from the top deck of a vintage bus. A couple of weeks ago, I had such a moment, but it handily coincided with an event at the Transport Museum, Wythall. Off I toddled, and spent the day riding around on old Brummie buses, enjoying a workshop tour, and some nice grub. Just what the doctor ordered, or at least I'm sure he would, if I'd asked him. There's not much more to say, other than there are more photos…

Etched and sketched into the spider web recesses of our brains are all kinds of cold storage items and garage sale knick-knacks we don’t really use anymore. But once in a while it’s fun to reach back, back, way back, and discover that our creaky treasure chests are holding bits of buried gold. Realizing you still remember old phone numbers gives a great smile-and-sunshine vibe. Lips curl, eyes twinkle, and memory reels start whirring on the rusty projector as you remember dialing those digits,…

I have been rewatching Community lately. For the most part, the show still hits. If I ever get around to writing that book of essays about television I must remember to write one about the insane series of storylines that closed Season 3 and gave way to the gas leak season (which still had its moments). Related: I am still slowly making my way through Jessica Helfand's Screen: Essays on Graphic Design, New Media, and Visual Culture which I first mentioned last month. It's a bit of a slog, but…

A song that reminds you of a particular friend. I’ve known this person since I was 15. I met her through a mutual friend. We are still friends today and have been through the full gamut of life experiences. Ohh and for a while we were married. Louise and I met as teenagers, married at 21, and have now been divorced for mumble mumble (16?) years. We’ve been through a lot both as a couple and as friends, and I’m so glad she’s still part of my life. It’s telling that, the night my younger sister…

Once I get going it always seems like I got something more to say. The blog now is this place for me to record. The journal gets me going. Writing the blog lets me feel the nature of this unfinished story. How today it crossed over on itself and I had to go to Muni Coffee. So here I sit. I have not been in awhile. But I did write a little toot on mastodon. #today so beautiful out so I walk to a coffee shop not been to in awhile. We are so blessed in Siem Reap to have all the choices. It’s warm…

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The next HWC: AP is just one week after the last one, instead of the usual fortnightly schedule. See you there! Visit BurgeonLab.com for the latest content (XML feeds are not updated in real-time). Topic-specific feeds are available. Thanks for keeping feeds alive! 🤓 Reply to this post by email or use other methods.

Something I didn't mention that made the last couple weeks even more annoying than I already mentioned is that our AC broke at the beginning of a heatwave! I kept trying to blow air past frozen cold packs and convincing myself it was making things better but it didn't. On Friday we got a new AC installed and now it feels like a proper Autumn outside. I don't even mind the irony because I love this weather so much! Our old busted AC getting lifted off the roof I probably already mentioned that I…

A child, Bela, starts to see a weird creature around the house — “Other Mommy”. The creature talks to her and keeps asking to enter her heart. Soon, her parents and friends of her parents start seeing the thing, and they set about trying to banish it from the house. To my shame I don’t know if I have ever read a full on ‘horror’ novel before. Perhaps my imagination is just too bruised and battered to fully get into it but how can something be scary when you are just sat reading a book in a cafe…

Just two this time, from 10 and 5 years ago. 15 years ago was the month Eli was born, and I’ll spare him blogging newborn pictures. But here we have an amazing stormy fall morning looking at the enormous Eastern Sierra scarp from across the Owens Valley. And five years ago was when I first really clued into Inland Northwest fall color. This image from Montana’s Yaak River is a sleeper favorite which has been on my gallery website for some time, but I don’t think it’s ever made it onto the blog…

Its really Wednesday afternoon. Almost evening. Its one of the days where the puppies seem lazy. Sleeping for some reason right by our door. My wife is out doing the things she likes. Rest of the family is still here. No idea when they will go home. So I just hide out. Its our bedroom here for me. Its the only room with an AC in it and I just will sit and vegetate after the nice walk, yoga, and food. I also enjoy writing whatever. The diary things always seem on the surface to me. A casual…

I was feeling good when I headed out to do the evening cat feeding, so of course, I stayed out longer. As I was feeding the cats, Colby actually wanted attention. So much so that I got him, and was finally able to dose his ear. Just one. The one with the wound behind it … Continue reading Our 2026 Garden: a surprise harvest – and I got him!

Above? The Overlook for Grand Prismatic, the largest hot spring in the States. This was the first upward hike on the trip where I questioned my fitness more than once. But folks were doing it with babies in backpacks so I minimized complaint. Earlier that morning we did the free tour of the Old Faithful Inn and highly recommend it. Takes 45 minutes and sheds light on the architecture and construction of the historic landmark that sits right next to the famous geyser. (I also highly recommend…

My wife's cousin sent a wedding invitation last April inviting us to the Grand Canyon for the nuptuals. Lindsey and I had been talking about planning a trip out west with the kids at some point and this seemed like the best opportunity to make it happen. It turns out that October in the west/southwest is the slow season, so we were able to pull off a 9 day, 3,000+ mile road trip with the kids. Colorado We left in the early hours of a Saturday morning with the hopes of making it to eastern…