Blazing Pine Cone Posts

Tue Oct 31 2023 | I started my New Year's resolution two months early... | In Much Ado About Corona, AJ counsels Matéo: "You should always start your resolutions before the new year. That way you’re rocking and rolling by January first.” My New Year's resolution for 2024 was to launch the Blazing Pine Cone Patron Program. I decided to listen to AJ and launch it today, two months early. To find out what's coming in November for founding members, you can head over here.

Thu Oct 28 2023 | I've read this book 4x.... | I've read this book four times. It's all about how to achieve big goals in life without becoming sleep-deprived, overweight and dying from cancer. And, no, it's not about how to better organize your to-do lists. It's about having fewer to-do lists. It's about deliberately distinguishing "the vital few from the trivial many," eliminating "the non-essentials," and then "removing obstacles so the essential things have clear, smooth passage." You can read my short review of this "essential" book on BlazingPineCone.com or on GoodReads.com.

Thu Oct 26 2023 | My censored comment about Star Trek's "joy of diversity" | Recently, Canadian science fiction writer Robert J. Sawyer made a post on his blog about "the joy of diversity" — where he compares Canada to "the bridge of Kirk’s Enterprise writ large: everyone is welcome here and everyone is equal." But didn't Kirk actually despise the Klingons? In the sixth movie he tells Spock to let the entire race die off from ozone depletion. But such Trek trivia was not what irked me about Sawyer's post. I left a public comment explaining my view: "I agree with everything you wrote, except the part about 'everyone is welcome here.' Every race and ethnicity is welcome here (within reasonable numbers), but not every person. Should not any freedom-loving nation screen for and deny racists, fascists, terrorists, murderers, pedophiles or other sociopaths of low or no morals? Not all forms of 'diversity' are joyful, and not all forms of 'discrimination' are harmful."

Tue Oct 24 2023 | 1,900-year-old satirist explains (in two words) why Rome fell | Several chapters of my forthcoming novella, All the Humans Are Sleeping, are set in a metaverse simulation of ancient Rome. While researching Roman life, I came across this quote by Juvenal, a satirical poet from 100 AD: "Already long ago, from when we sold our vote to no man, the People have abdicated our duties; for the People who once upon a time handed out military command, high civil office, legions — everything, now restrains itself and anxiously hopes for just two things: bread and circuses." In other words, Rome became great because the people were in control of the government; and Rome fell because the people became distracted by free food and entertainment (bread and circus) instead of taking personal responsibility for how their society was run.

Sat Oct 21 2023 | "Seven Roses" (a short review of a spooky novel) | I recently finished reading Seven Roses by French-Canadian indie author L.L. Tremblay. It's a spooky novel about a girl who can talk to the dead — namely her childhood best friend (who gets hit by a truck in chapter one). You can read my review on BlazingPineCone.com or GoodReads.com.

Thu Oct 19 2023 | Homo sociopathicus, artificialis & spiritualis | Father Seán Ó'Laoire, PhD, isn't your typical Catholic priest. For example, in his June 28th homily he describes how humanity is approaching a "trifurcation point" where we'll be broken up into three groups: 1. Homo sociopathicus: "dedicated to war and chaos and the total control of all the resources of the planet (including the humans)" 2. Homo artificialis: "the cowardly and the sheep-like people who will be turned... into mindless robots programmed and hacked into total compliance" 3. Homospiritualis: "awakened souls who refuse to be hacked and who identify with their true God-nature" An outspoken critic of the new world order, woke ideology and hierarchical religion, you can hear more about Father Seán's views on life at SpiritsInSpacesuits.com.

Tue Oct 17 2023 | The hardest year of my life has come to an end | A year ago last Sunday, we held a memorial service for my wife, Nicole. As much as anyone would expect losing a spouse to be hard, I can only say I had no idea how hard. Swimming across an icy river in the middle of the Yukon winter sounds more merciful to me. At least, it would be over quicker (one way or the other). But, I've made it through the hardest year of my life, just as Nicole made it through 45 years of type-1 diabetes and 12 years of kidney failure. In commemoration, I've just released the full recording of the memorial service (it's taken a year of editing) which you can watch on YouTube. If you don't have time for the whole video, you may want to check out the two new music videos I added: "Lone Journey" (with permission from our favourite Canadian folk duet The Bombadils) and "Magic" (with permission from the American indie rock trio Ben Folds Five). Both songs capture the bitter beauty of our earthly sojourn.

Thu Oct 12 2023 | She lied to me | She's a liar. Or, at least, so very out of touch with the limitations of physical reality. Who am I talking about? My Muse! What did she say? Click here to find out.

Tue Oct 10 2023 | Why I spent Canadian Thanksgiving Day in my county jail | I'm typing this message, ironically, on a smartphone supplied to me by my lawyer, after spending Canadian Thanksgiving Day in my local county jailhouse. What have I been incarcerated for? Click here to find out.

Thu Oct 5 2023 | "I'm having a hard time going to work in the morning because..." | Andréanne Martin is a biologist with a Master of Scientific Translation degree and the administrator of a value analysis company in Quebec. She recently wrote me to say: "I was somewhat reluctant to read Much Ado About Corona. I wasn't too thrilled to jump into a story that was going to take me back to 'those days.' I lost friends, got kicked out of businesses for not wearing a mask, and was basically a pariah for a while because I didn't get vaccinated. It was a very lonely few years. But frankly, it's been so nice to read about characters going through the same thing, and your writing is great! Made me laugh out loud in some passages. I'm having a hard time going to work in the morning because I read during breakfast.... It really is a page turner, as many have said." Merci beaucoup, Andréanne! I hope sharing your experience inspires others who are reluctant to relive those surreal years of COVID tyranny to dive into their own copy of Much Ado About Corona.

Tue Oct 3 2023 | The Smartphone Burglar: How I’m saving my neighbours from tomorrow’s zombie apocalypse | Tomorrow afternoon, a viral video predicts that cell phones will emit a signal, activating the "safe and effective" nanotechnology which has been injected into billions of people... and turn them into zombies. Or something like that. To stop these unsubstantiated, far-fetched claims from ever happening, I've gone vigilante. See what I mean in my latest satirical article, "The Smartphone Burglar."