vLog – Clear Lake Manitoba 2024 – Reflections on the Water
Earlier last week I spent a few days at Clear Lake in Manitoba for some relaxation and writing time. The time was spent taking walks, taking a few pictures, having a burger, and eating some ice cream. In between that stuff, I wrote and just relaxed.
This year for our 2024 holiday, we’re did more of a staycation with plans for an away vacation another time. However, this trip to Clear Lake was a way to get away from it all and get some distance from the rat race.
Enjoy!
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From my old man’s garage, October 8, Canadian Thanksgiving 2023.
Just showing off some cool beer can art that caught my eye and also a brief message about making a little bit of coin while, more importantly, helping the environment.
And, yes, you have to be over 18 to watch it. I don’t want to be a bad influence on the younglings even though the content is harmless. Alcohol, you know?
vLog – Thanksgiving Beer Can Video 2023
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Just looking out onto the lake, thinking of some things and sharing them with you.
It’s good to take time to reflect on one’s self, take inventory, improve on what needs improving, be thankful for that good thing which has been achieved.
Reflect.
vLog – Reflections at Cherry Hill 2023
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Coronavirus is on the rise, and with it now growing inside Canadian borders, various precautions are being taken that are affecting many areas of life. Old routines are gone, new ones are being formed. Strange timing because I was in the midst of a planned routine change already so it’s kind of a double change-up for me in that regard.
We’re finding our footing in this new paradigm where we all need to band together to see this through as healthily as possible, both domestically and the worldover.
I’m not sure what the next few weeks are going to look like as things ramp up. I also don’t know what the next few months will look like after Canada peaks with this thing.
Forever ago, I used to own the APFuchs dot com domain name. I can’t remember what happened, but I forgot to renew it or something fell through or whatever and I lost it. When I went to re-register the domain, at the time, it took me to a lady’s site which was all in German. Sigh. So, in a pinch, I came up with the CanisterX dot com domain and used that ever since. (For the meaning of the Canister X name, please go here.) Unfortunately, to this day, the dot com that bears my namesake is still unavailable but, being the proud Canadian that I am, and after talking it over with author Melinda Marshall, it was decided I should get a dot ca domain, and so I did.
APFuchs dot ca is now mine and the web domain redirects here.
Why have two domains leading to the same site? The short answer is search engine rankings. The dot ca works to my advantage because I’m in Canada so it helps with Canadian searches. It also helps simply because it has my name in it. And, lastly, it’s just nice to have my name back. Regarding keeping the Canister X name, I’ve done so much marketing and linking with it that to make it disappear would be foolish.
That said, for the interim, the APFuchs dot ca domain will link here to the blog. In the future, it might get its own site, one that will have a link to this blog but won’t be a blog itself. It’ll just be an on-line presence used more as a brochure than something with regularly-changing content. The Canister X blog is for that, so we’ll see what the future brings.
As for today, before writing this blog post I posted a new essay to Patreon about how to write well every time. It’s worth checking out, especially if you’re a writer. For the rest of the day, the plan is to work on a freelance project or two then see where I’m at after that.
Today is Thanksgiving here in Canada and there is a lot to be grateful for. In fact, there is always something to be grateful for whether it’s Thanksgiving or not. Today will be spent visiting and eating and taking it easy (oh, and doing Inktober, too). Having a break is a good thing and will fuel creativity for later.
I want to wish my fellow Canadians a Happy Thanksgiving. Pause and breathe and take a moment to reflect on all you have, especially on the things that matter most like friends and family, acquaintances, and anyone who has crossed your path that has been a blessing to you in some way.
Snow usually hits Winnipeg around the end of October. This year it has come early. In fact, it’s snowing as I type this. Those white patches in the photo above are snow. Rumor has it a storm might hit this weekend. No matter. Since it’s Thanksgiving in Canada this weekend, I’ll be safe inside eating turkey.
The arrival of snow means it’s time for me to start getting my winter productivity plan underway, which is a variation on how, and what, I’m working on now.
I’m hoping this winter season is an opportunity to catch up on releasing books that should have come out while I was ill and, possibly, create some new ones. The next step in the process is to sit down and ponder timelines then break those general timelines down into smaller steps so deadlines can be adhered to. (My newsletter is a great place to keep up to date on timelines and work being done.)
Stay warm.
– APF
Ps. Tomorrow, a new chapter of my ongoing creature feature serial novel, Gigantigator Death Machine, hits Patreon! Don’t miss out.
Aside from being a major Tragically Hip fan–and aside from being a fan of Gord’s solo album of which this poetry book is named after–this book got to me. You know, deep down heart stuff. It’s about life, it’s about Canada, it’s about observation, it’s about asking questions that may or may not have answers.
That Gord. Man, he knows how to string words together, both poetically and lyrically. This book contains both the lyrics from Coke Machine Glow as well as other poetry. Gord’s way with words is such that the subject matter of each piece is relatable in some way, whether overtly or subtly, depending on what’s going on in your life. He is also the master of putting together what are at first glance unrelated statements, but upon thinking about them you realize they go perfectly together and beautifully compliment each other.
I’ve always been an advocate Gord Downie can put any set of words to music, and the lyric portion of Coke Machine Glow proves the point. Even the stuff that didn’t make the album easily could have, so now I’m curious why he chose what was made into song and what wasn’t.
Coke Machine Glow is an amazing and touching poetry book. It came with the CD way back when I got it a decade and a half ago and has remained one of my favorite books and albums since.
