#lake louise 2022

[pixelglam]

Happy New Year!

As we welcome 2025, I want to take a moment to reflect on how much simblr has meant to me since I joined in 2022. This community has been such an inspiring, creative, and supportive space, and I’m so grateful to be a part of it. From sharing my sims and builds to seeing all of your lovely creations, it’s been such a joy to connect with all of you.

Thank you for being here, for your kindness, and for making this little corner of the internet so special. Here’s to another year of storytelling, building, and sharing our love for this game! Wishing you all happiness, health, and plenty of simming in 2025. 🥂

Love, Amelie

PS. I haven’t been active since I spent the holidays in Banff & Lake Louise so I thought I’d share a few photos below.

[brokehorrorfan]

Speak No Evil will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on November 19 via Universal. Produced by Blumhouse, the 2024 psychological horror-thriller will first be available on Digital tomorrow, October 1.

James Watkins (Eden Lake, The Woman in Black) writes and directs, based on the 2022 Danish film of the same name. James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Aisling Franciosi, Alix West Lefler, Dan Hough, and Scoot McNairy star.

Special features are listed below.

Special features:

Audio commentary by writer-director James Wakins

Nuclear Families featurette

A Horrifying Crescendo featurette

The Farmhouse of Horrors featurette

After befriending a British couple with a mute son, Americans Ben and Louise accept an unusual invitation to bring their daughter for a weekend at an idyllic country estate. Yet when they discover their hosts are hiding sinister motives, Ben and Louise fear their family may be pawns in a disturbing plot.

Pre-order Speak No Evil.

[natures-moments]

Devil's Thumb trail view, Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada (Summer 2022)

[burlveneer-music]

My WVUD playlist, 1/11/2024

(Filling in on Java Time)

Vic Mars - The Obelisk Belbury Poly - The Path Peter Gabriel - Road to Joy (Bright-Side Mix) David Bowie - Lady Grinning Soul David Bowie - Cat People (Putting Out Fire) David Bowie - Loving the Alien (Single Remix) -M- & Gail Ann Dorsey - Space Oddity Metropolitan Jazz Octet - Changes (feat. Paul Marinaro) Filharmonie Brno, Dennis Russell Davies, Angélique Kidjo & Christian Schmitt - Philip Glass, Symphony No. 12 "Lodger": IV. Boys Keep Swinging Imany - Take Me to Church Dolly Parton - Wrecking Ball (feat. Miley Cyrus) Trevor Horn - Personal Jesus (feat. Iggy Pop & Lambrini Girls) Juliana Hatfield - Can't Get It Out of My Head Michele Thomas - Can't Find My Way Home Sleaford Mods - West End Girls The Fusion Syndicate - The Bottle (feat. Bootsy Collins, Brian Jackson, Carmine Appice & Fernando Perdomo) The Feelies - Sweet Jane The Gold Needles - Village Green Preservation Society Simple Minds - Colours Fly and Catherine Wheel (Live From Paisley Abbey) ABC - Poison Arrow (Live) Joni Mitchell - Help Me (feat. Celisse) (Live at the Newport Folk Festival, 7/24/2022) Brendan Perry - Sarabande (Live at The ICA) Scott Walker - Big Louise April Wine - Electric Jewels April Wine - Tonite Is a Wonderful Time to Fall In Love (Live) April Wine - Roller (Live 1982) Crack the Sky - Lady in the Lake Ana Frango Elétrico - Boy of Stranger Things

[claygoestothemovies]

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

After the most aggressive marketing campaign since the Crusades, SPEAK NO EVIL is finally here. More importantly, we never have to see the trailer ever again. As its own thing, it’s actually pretty fun! As a remake of SPEAK NO EVIL (2022), it fails epically.

The story follows Ben (Scoot McNairy), Louise (Mackenzie Davis), and their daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) as they go to visit some new friends they recently met while vacationing in Italy. After moving to London and having some marital difficulties, going to the county for a long weekend seems like just what they need, even if they barely know the people they’ll be visiting. Upon arriving, things become increasingly uncomfortable as their hosts display behavior that is, shall we say, a bit out of the norm.

As the villainous hosts, James McAvoy and Aisling Franciosi are nearly pitch perfect. McAvoy in particular seems to be having a blast with the material, and is far more sinister than the campy performance the marketing suggested, thankfully. Davis and McNairy do as well as they can in their straight man roles, and I wish I could have seen them dig to the depths that were asked of the performers in the original, but that’s not the movie we got. I was, however, impressed by the child actors! Dan Hough’s Art and Lefler’s Agnes were surprisingly nuanced for people their age.

The original SPEAK NO EVIL was one of my favorite horror films of 2022, and one of the bleakest movie watching experiences I’ve ever had (complimentary), so with America’s track record of diluting foreign horror when we do the inevitable remake, I was nervous to say the least. The experience of watching this remake was fascinating and maddening all at the same time. On one hand, I was really enjoying myself, even though I was fully prepared to aggressively hate it. On the other hand, when the film did the generic thing that I had been expecting ever since the project was announced, I was furious. James Watkins, director of EDEN LAKE, doing a neutered and defanged version of SPEAK NO EVIL was not exactly on my bingo card for the year.

If you aren’t familiar with the Danish original, you’ll more than likely really enjoy this. It doesn’t reinvent the horror movie wheel, and is about fifteen minutes too long, but it’s largely inoffensive. If you are familiar with the original version, you’ll probably want to walk out of the theater about two-thirds of the way through. Will I ever understand why we felt the need to do an American remake of a film only two years old that’s largely in English already? Absolutely not. Did it do exactly what I was afraid of it doing? One hundred percent. I don’t think it succeeds as a remake, and fundamentally misunderstands the material, but ultimately, the films are doing very different things, and I have to give it props for trying to distinguish itself, if nothing else. It’s worth a rental at least for McAvoy’s performance alone, but unlike the vacationers, maybe choose to sit this one out.

3.5/5

[fearsmagazine]

SPEAK NO EVIL | Trailer #2 & Poster

When an American family is invited to spend the weekend at the idyllic country estate of a charming British family they befriended on vacation, what begins as a dream holiday soon warps into a snarled psychological nightmare.

From Blumhouse, the producer of The Black Phone, Get Out and The Invisible Man, comes an intense suspense thriller for our modern age, starring BAFTA award-winner James McAvoy (Split, Glass) in a riveting performance as the charismatic, alpha-male estate owner whose untrammeled hospitality masks an unspeakable darkness.

Speak No Evil stars Mackenzie Davis (Terminator: Dark Fate, Halt and Catch Fire) and SAG award-winner Scoot McNairy (Argo, A Quiet Place Part II) as American couple Louise and Ben Dalton, who, along with their 11-year-old daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler; The Good Nurse, Riverdale), accept the weekend-holiday invitation of Paddy (McAvoy), his wife Ciara (Aisling Franciosi; Game of Thrones, The Fall) and their furtive, mute son Ant (newcomer Dan Hough).

Written for the screen and directed by James Watkins, the writer-director of Eden Lake and the award-winning gothic ghost story The Woman in Black, Speak No Evil is based on the screenplay of the 2022 Danish horror sensation Gæsterne, written by Christian Tafdrup and Mads Tafdrup. That film earned 11 Danish Film Awards nominations, the Danish equivalent of the Oscars.

Speak No Evil is produced by Jason Blum (Five Nights at Freddy’s, M3GAN) for Blumhouse and by Paul Ritchie (McMafia, The Ipcress File) and is executive produced by Beatriz Sequeira for Blumhouse, Jacob Jarek and Christian Tafdrup.

SPEAK NO EVIL – in theaters September 13th, 2024.

[whatisalife]

📍Banff National Park, Lake Louise (Sep 2022) 🇨🇦

By Phong Dinh

Instagram: @phongsphotos 

[tangledinourstrings]

Favorite First Time Watches of 2024 (Animation, Part 2)

31. Curious Alice (1971) directed by Dave Dixon

32. Nimona (2023) directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane

33. 大鬧天宮/大闹天宫 (Havoc in Heaven/Uproar in Heaven, 1961) directed by 萬籟鳴/万籁鸣 (Wan Laiming)

34. Barbie in the Nutcracker (2001) directed by Owen Hurley

35. The Monkey King (2023) directed by Anthony Stacchi

36. The Bad Guys (2022) directed by Pierre Perifel

37. Red Hot Riding Hood (1943) directed by Tex Avery

38. Witch's Night Out (1978) directed by John Leach

39. Rapunzel (2019) directed by Juan Pablo Machado

40. ベルトかいじゅう王子 (Beauty and the Beast, 1976) directed by 渡辺和彦 (Kazuhiko Watanabe)

41. Вій (Viy, 1996) directed by Леонід Зарубін (Leonid Zarubin) and Алла Грачова (Alla Grachyova)

42. La jeune fille et les nuages (The Young Girl and the Clouds, 2001) directed by Georges Schwizgebel

43. Снежная королева (The Snow Queen, 1957) directed by Лев Атаманов/Լևոն Ատամանյան (Lev Atamanov)

44. 逃猫ジュレ (Runnin' Away Gelée, 2016) directed by 株式会社ディー・エル・イー (DLE Inc./Dream Link Entertainment)

45. 哪吒鬧海/哪吒闹海 (Nezha Conquers the Dragon King, 1979) directed by 王树忱 (Wang Shuchen), 严定宪 (Yan Dingxian), and 徐景达 (Xu Jingda)

46. 少女ノスフェラトゥ (Nosferatu Maiden, 2017) directed by 谷口ちなみ (Chinami Taniguchi)

47. Destino (2003) directed by Dominique Monféry

48. Dance with the Seashells! (2023) directed by Théo Carme, Julie Fournier, Alessandra Rosamarino, and Anaëlle Saba

49. 世界名作童話 白鳥の湖 (Swan Lake, 1981) directed by 矢吹 公郎 (Kimio Yabuki)

50. I Am from Palestine (2023) directed by Iman K. Zawahry [Operation Olive Branch, Gaza Funds, Decolonize Palestine, eSIMS for Gaza, & arab.org]

51. Blood Bound (2023) directed by Lyly Hoang

52. Candy.zip (2017) directed by 見里朝希 (Tomoki Misato)

53. Chainsaw Maid Episode 0 (2010) directed by ていえぬ (Takena Nagao)

54. Girl X (2019) directed by ていえぬ (Takena Nagao)

55. MAID OF THE DEAD (2013) directed by ていえぬ (Takena Nagao)

56. The Name (2023) directed by Alexander Aguilar

57. Pandemonium (2023) directed by Lucille Rizzo, Louise Bailliet, Candice Loret, Olivia Gombault, and Lilou Martin

58. My Little Pony: A Very Minty Christmas (2005) directed by Vic Dal Chele

59. The Gruffalo (2009) directed by Max Lang and Jakob Schuh

60. Olive, the Other Reindeer (1999) directed by Steve Moore

[brookston]

Holidays 7.11

Holidays

Advice to the Lovelorn Day

All American Pet Photo Day

Bandoneon Day (Argentina)

Bean Day (French Republic)

Beh Deinkhlan (Meghalaya, India)

Bowdler's Day

Celebration of the Golden Spurs (Flanders)

Convenience Store Day

Day of the Bandoneón (Argentina)

Day of the Forest Fire Fighter (Mexico)

Day of the Five Billion (1987)

Drummer Appreciation Day

Duel Day

Eleventh Night (Bonfire Night; Northern Ireland)

Flemish Community Day (Belgium)

Hecate Asteroid Day

International EcoBrick Day

International Essential Oils Day

International Rhyming Day

International Richard Cheese Day

Ker Puja (Tripura, India)

Maritime Day (China)

Naadam (Mongolia)

National All American Pet Photo Day

National Cheer Up the Lonely Day

National Culture and Senior Citizens Day (Kiribati)

National Day of Remembrance of Victims of Genocide by Ukrainian Nationalists on Citizens of the Second Republic of Poland (Poland)

National Essential Oils Day

National Journalist Day (Chile)

National Maritime Day (China)

National Polyphenol Day

National Recovery Day

National 7-Eleven Day

National Swimming Pool Day

National Tree Day (Mexico)

Orangeman’s Day (Canada)

Reading Guilt Day

Relisha Rudd Remembrance Day (DC)

Robert the Bruce Day (Scotland)

711 Day

Srebrenica Memorial Day (UK)

Straw Free Day (Colorado)

Swimming Pool Day

To Kill A Mockingbird Day

The 12th Planet, by Zecharia Sitchin (Conspiracy Book; 1976)

World Benzodiazepine Awareness Day

World Fringe Day

World Independent Living Day

World Massage Day

World Population Day (UN)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Blueberry Muffin Day

Free Slurpee Day (7-11 Stores)

Hot Dog Night (Luverne, Minnesota)

International Raw Food Day

Make Your Own Sundae Day

National Mojito Day

National Rainier Cherry Day

National State Fair Food Day

Ramen Day (Japan)

Vegetarian Food Day

World Chocolate Day (Russia)

Independence & Related Days

Mongolia (from China, 1921)

Polarveinn (Declared; 2022) [unrecognized]

2nd Thursday in July

Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo begins (Vernal, Utah) [2nd Thursday thru Saturday]

National Tree Day [2nd Thursday]

Oregon Trail Days begin (Geris, Nebraska) [2nd Thursday thru Sunday]

Oxegen Festival begins (Ireland) [2nd Thursday there Sunday]

Throwback Thursday [Every Thursday]

Turkey Rama begins (McMinnville, Oregon) [2nd Thursday]

Weekly Holidays beginning July 11 (2nd Week of July)

Jim Thorpe Native American Games (thru 7.19)

National Parenting Gifted Children Week (thru 7.13) [3rd Weekend]

Festivals Beginning July 11, 2024

Big Stone County Fair (Clinton, Minnesota) [thru 7.14]

Capital Fringe (Washington, DC) [thru 7.21]

Corn Fest (Midland, Michigan) [thru 7.14]

CRAVE! Food & Drink Celebration (Spokane Valley, Washington) [thru 7.13]

Delta Chicken Festival (Delta, Ohio) [thru 7.13]

Dine Downtown San Jose Restaurant Week (San Jose, California) [thru 7.21]

Elsie Dairy Festival (Elsie, Michigan) [thru 7.13]

Gunnison Cattlemen's Days (Gunnison, Colorado) [thru 7.13]

Hot Dog Nite (Luverne, Minnesota)

Japan Expo (Paris, France) [thru 7.14]

King County Fair (Enumclaw, Washington) [thru 7.14]

Montana Governor's Cup Walleye Tournament (Fort Peck Lake, Montana) [thru 7.13]

NOS Alive (Lisbon, Portugal) [thru 7.13]

Ortigueira International Festival of the Celtic World (Ortigueira, Spain) [thru 7.14]

Pohoda Festival (Trenčín, Slovakia) [thru 7.13]

Pula Film Festival (Pula, Croatia) [thru 7.18]

Salute! A Festival of Wine & Food (Lawrence, Kansas) [thru 7.13]

Schubertiade Vorarlberg (Hohenems, Austria) [thru 7.14]

Slugburger Festival (Corinth, Mississippi) [thru 7.13]

South Carolina Festival of Discovery (Greenwood, South Carolina) [thru 7.13]

South Carolina Peach Festival Gaffney, South Carolina) [thru 7.20]

Toledo Cheese Days (Toledo, Washington) [thru 7.14]

Winnipeg Folk Festival (Winnipeg, Canada) [thru 7.14]

Yaga Gathering (Valkininkai, Lithuania) [thru 7.15]

Feast Days

Benedict of Nursia (Christian; Saint)

Bobbie Louise Hawkins (Writerism)

Boris Grigoriev (Artology)

Drostan of Dalcongaile (Christian; Saint)

E. B. White (Writerism)

Feast of Min (Ancient Egyptian harvest & fertility festival)

Feast of Theano (patron of vegetarianism)

Guru Rinpoche Day (Bhutan)

Hidulphus (a.k.a. Hidulf; Christian; Saint)

H. M. Brock (Artology)

Imamat Day (Nizari Ismaili Shiʿi Muslims)

James, Bishop of Nisibis (Christian; Saint)

James McNeill Whistler (Artology)

John of Bergamo (Christian; Saint)

Kronia (Festival honoring Kronos (Father Time) and Rhea (Mother Earth); Ancient Greece; Everyday Wicca)

Marie Lu (Writerism)

Martin Wong (Artology)

Millennial Fairy Olympics, Day 6 (Shamanism)

Molly Darton (Muppetism)

Naadam begins (Three Games of Men Festival; Mongolia) [thru 7.15]

Next Generation Captain (Muppetism)

Olga of Kiev (Christian; Saint & Widow)

Pancho Villa Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Pius I, Pope (Christian; Martyr)

Roy Krenkel (Artology)

Solstitium VII (Pagan)

St. Stephen of Hungary (Positivist; Saint)

Tinne (Celtic Book of Days)

World Population Day (Pastafarian)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Taian (大安 Japan) [Lucky all day.]

Premieres

Alice’s Medicine Show (Ub Iwerks Disney Cartoon; 1927)

Alphas (TV Series; 2011)

Bats in the Belfry (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1960)

Beechwood 4-5789, by The Marvelettes (Song; 1962)

Boyhood (Film; 2014)

Bringing Home the Bacon (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1941)

Child Psykolojiky (Fleischer Popeye Cartoon; 1941)

Contact (Film; 1997)

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (Film; 2014)

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (Animated Film; 2001)

Fleetwood Mac, by Fleetwood Mac (Album; 1975)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (US Film; 2007) [#5]

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Film; 2008)

Honky Tonk Women, by The Rolling Stones (Song; 1969)

Jesus Christ Superstar (Musical Play; 1971) [1st Stage Performance]

The Joke, by Milan Kundera (Novel; 1967)

The Kraken Wakes, by John Wyndham (Novel; 1953)

Little Cheeser (Happy Harmonies Cartoon; 1936)

Musashi, by Eiji Yoshikawa (Novel; 1939)

My Bodyguard (Film; 1980)

The Newlywed Game (Game Show; 1967)

Orange Is the New Black (TV Series; 2013)

Ordinary People, by Judith Guest (Novel; 1976)

Porky’s Pet (WB LT Cartoon; 1936)

School for Scoundrels (Film; 1960)

Shall We Dance? (Film; 1997)

Sharknado (Film; 2013)

Snowpiercer (Film; 2014)

Sorry Not Sorry, by Demi Lovato (Song; 2014)

Space Oddity, by David Bowie (Song; 1969)

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee (Novel; 1960)

Trainspotting, by Irvine Welsh (Novel; 1993)

Wild Over You (WB LT Cartoon; 1953)

Today’s Name Days

Benedikt, Olga, Oliver (Austria)

Oleg, Olga (Bulgariaa)

Benedikt, Dobroslav, Olga (Croatia)

Olga (Czech Republic)

Josva (Denmark)

Asko, Askur (Estonia)

Eleonoora, Elli, Nelli, Noora (Finland)

Benoît, Olga, Yolande (France)

Benedikt (Germany)

Evfemia, Evfimia, Olga (Greece)

Lili, Nóra (Hungary)

Benedetto, Emanuele, Fabrizio, Olga (Italy)

Leonora, Lore, Svens, Varaidotis (Latvia)

Kipras, Kiprijonas, Pijus, Šarūnė, Vilmantas (Lithuania)

Kjell, Kjetil (Norway)

Benedykt, Cyprian, Kalina, Kallina, Kir, Olga, Pelagia, Pelagiusz, Pius, Placyd, Sawin, Wyszesława (Poland)

Eufimia (Romania)

Milota (Slovakia)

Benito, Olga (Spain)

Eleonora, Ellinor (Sweden)

Lusia, Olha, Olusia, Olia (Ukraine)

Alvia, Helga, Livia, Olga, Olive, Ollie, Oliver, Olivia, Quentin, Quincy, Quinn, Quintina, Quinton (USA)

Benoît, Alenka, Olga, Olya (Universal)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 193 of 2024; 173 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 4 of Week 28 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Tinne (Holly) [Day 5 of 28]

Chinese: Month 6 (Xin-Wei), Day 6 (Bing-Zi)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 5 Tammuz 5784

Islamic: 4 Muharram 1446

J Cal: 13 Red; Fryday [13 of 30]

Julian: 28 June 2024

Moon: 29%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 24 Charlemagne (7th Month) [St. Stephen of Hungary]

Runic Half Month: Ur (Primal Strength) [Day 3 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 22 of 94)

Week: 2nd Week of July

Zodiac: Cancer (Day 21 of 31)

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 7.11

Holidays

Advice to the Lovelorn Day

All American Pet Photo Day

Bandoneon Day (Argentina)

Bean Day (French Republic)

Beh Deinkhlan (Meghalaya, India)

Bowdler's Day

Celebration of the Golden Spurs (Flanders)

Convenience Store Day

Day of the Bandoneón (Argentina)

Day of the Forest Fire Fighter (Mexico)

Day of the Five Billion (1987)

Drummer Appreciation Day

Duel Day

Eleventh Night (Bonfire Night; Northern Ireland)

Flemish Community Day (Belgium)

Hecate Asteroid Day

International EcoBrick Day

International Essential Oils Day

International Rhyming Day

International Richard Cheese Day

Ker Puja (Tripura, India)

Maritime Day (China)

Naadam (Mongolia)

National All American Pet Photo Day

National Cheer Up the Lonely Day

National Culture and Senior Citizens Day (Kiribati)

National Day of Remembrance of Victims of Genocide by Ukrainian Nationalists on Citizens of the Second Republic of Poland (Poland)

National Essential Oils Day

National Journalist Day (Chile)

National Maritime Day (China)

National Polyphenol Day

National Recovery Day

National 7-Eleven Day

National Swimming Pool Day

National Tree Day (Mexico)

Orangeman’s Day (Canada)

Reading Guilt Day

Relisha Rudd Remembrance Day (DC)

Robert the Bruce Day (Scotland)

711 Day

Srebrenica Memorial Day (UK)

Straw Free Day (Colorado)

Swimming Pool Day

To Kill A Mockingbird Day

The 12th Planet, by Zecharia Sitchin (Conspiracy Book; 1976)

World Benzodiazepine Awareness Day

World Fringe Day

World Independent Living Day

World Massage Day

World Population Day (UN)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Blueberry Muffin Day

Free Slurpee Day (7-11 Stores)

Hot Dog Night (Luverne, Minnesota)

International Raw Food Day

Make Your Own Sundae Day

National Mojito Day

National Rainier Cherry Day

National State Fair Food Day

Ramen Day (Japan)

Vegetarian Food Day

World Chocolate Day (Russia)

Independence & Related Days

Mongolia (from China, 1921)

Polarveinn (Declared; 2022) [unrecognized]

2nd Thursday in July

Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo begins (Vernal, Utah) [2nd Thursday thru Saturday]

National Tree Day [2nd Thursday]

Oregon Trail Days begin (Geris, Nebraska) [2nd Thursday thru Sunday]

Oxegen Festival begins (Ireland) [2nd Thursday there Sunday]

Throwback Thursday [Every Thursday]

Turkey Rama begins (McMinnville, Oregon) [2nd Thursday]

Weekly Holidays beginning July 11 (2nd Week of July)

Jim Thorpe Native American Games (thru 7.19)

National Parenting Gifted Children Week (thru 7.13) [3rd Weekend]

Festivals Beginning July 11, 2024

Big Stone County Fair (Clinton, Minnesota) [thru 7.14]

Capital Fringe (Washington, DC) [thru 7.21]

Corn Fest (Midland, Michigan) [thru 7.14]

CRAVE! Food & Drink Celebration (Spokane Valley, Washington) [thru 7.13]

Delta Chicken Festival (Delta, Ohio) [thru 7.13]

Dine Downtown San Jose Restaurant Week (San Jose, California) [thru 7.21]

Elsie Dairy Festival (Elsie, Michigan) [thru 7.13]

Gunnison Cattlemen's Days (Gunnison, Colorado) [thru 7.13]

Hot Dog Nite (Luverne, Minnesota)

Japan Expo (Paris, France) [thru 7.14]

King County Fair (Enumclaw, Washington) [thru 7.14]

Montana Governor's Cup Walleye Tournament (Fort Peck Lake, Montana) [thru 7.13]

NOS Alive (Lisbon, Portugal) [thru 7.13]

Ortigueira International Festival of the Celtic World (Ortigueira, Spain) [thru 7.14]

Pohoda Festival (Trenčín, Slovakia) [thru 7.13]

Pula Film Festival (Pula, Croatia) [thru 7.18]

Salute! A Festival of Wine & Food (Lawrence, Kansas) [thru 7.13]

Schubertiade Vorarlberg (Hohenems, Austria) [thru 7.14]

Slugburger Festival (Corinth, Mississippi) [thru 7.13]

South Carolina Festival of Discovery (Greenwood, South Carolina) [thru 7.13]

South Carolina Peach Festival Gaffney, South Carolina) [thru 7.20]

Toledo Cheese Days (Toledo, Washington) [thru 7.14]

Winnipeg Folk Festival (Winnipeg, Canada) [thru 7.14]

Yaga Gathering (Valkininkai, Lithuania) [thru 7.15]

Feast Days

Benedict of Nursia (Christian; Saint)

Bobbie Louise Hawkins (Writerism)

Boris Grigoriev (Artology)

Drostan of Dalcongaile (Christian; Saint)

E. B. White (Writerism)

Feast of Min (Ancient Egyptian harvest & fertility festival)

Feast of Theano (patron of vegetarianism)

Guru Rinpoche Day (Bhutan)

Hidulphus (a.k.a. Hidulf; Christian; Saint)

H. M. Brock (Artology)

Imamat Day (Nizari Ismaili Shiʿi Muslims)

James, Bishop of Nisibis (Christian; Saint)

James McNeill Whistler (Artology)

John of Bergamo (Christian; Saint)

Kronia (Festival honoring Kronos (Father Time) and Rhea (Mother Earth); Ancient Greece; Everyday Wicca)

Marie Lu (Writerism)

Martin Wong (Artology)

Millennial Fairy Olympics, Day 6 (Shamanism)

Molly Darton (Muppetism)

Naadam begins (Three Games of Men Festival; Mongolia) [thru 7.15]

Next Generation Captain (Muppetism)

Olga of Kiev (Christian; Saint & Widow)

Pancho Villa Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Pius I, Pope (Christian; Martyr)

Roy Krenkel (Artology)

Solstitium VII (Pagan)

St. Stephen of Hungary (Positivist; Saint)

Tinne (Celtic Book of Days)

World Population Day (Pastafarian)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Taian (大安 Japan) [Lucky all day.]

Premieres

Alice’s Medicine Show (Ub Iwerks Disney Cartoon; 1927)

Alphas (TV Series; 2011)

Bats in the Belfry (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1960)

Beechwood 4-5789, by The Marvelettes (Song; 1962)

Boyhood (Film; 2014)

Bringing Home the Bacon (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1941)

Child Psykolojiky (Fleischer Popeye Cartoon; 1941)

Contact (Film; 1997)

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (Film; 2014)

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (Animated Film; 2001)

Fleetwood Mac, by Fleetwood Mac (Album; 1975)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (US Film; 2007) [#5]

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Film; 2008)

Honky Tonk Women, by The Rolling Stones (Song; 1969)

Jesus Christ Superstar (Musical Play; 1971) [1st Stage Performance]

The Joke, by Milan Kundera (Novel; 1967)

The Kraken Wakes, by John Wyndham (Novel; 1953)

Little Cheeser (Happy Harmonies Cartoon; 1936)

Musashi, by Eiji Yoshikawa (Novel; 1939)

My Bodyguard (Film; 1980)

The Newlywed Game (Game Show; 1967)

Orange Is the New Black (TV Series; 2013)

Ordinary People, by Judith Guest (Novel; 1976)

Porky’s Pet (WB LT Cartoon; 1936)

School for Scoundrels (Film; 1960)

Shall We Dance? (Film; 1997)

Sharknado (Film; 2013)

Snowpiercer (Film; 2014)

Sorry Not Sorry, by Demi Lovato (Song; 2014)

Space Oddity, by David Bowie (Song; 1969)

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee (Novel; 1960)

Trainspotting, by Irvine Welsh (Novel; 1993)

Wild Over You (WB LT Cartoon; 1953)

Today’s Name Days

Benedikt, Olga, Oliver (Austria)

Oleg, Olga (Bulgariaa)

Benedikt, Dobroslav, Olga (Croatia)

Olga (Czech Republic)

Josva (Denmark)

Asko, Askur (Estonia)

Eleonoora, Elli, Nelli, Noora (Finland)

Benoît, Olga, Yolande (France)

Benedikt (Germany)

Evfemia, Evfimia, Olga (Greece)

Lili, Nóra (Hungary)

Benedetto, Emanuele, Fabrizio, Olga (Italy)

Leonora, Lore, Svens, Varaidotis (Latvia)

Kipras, Kiprijonas, Pijus, Šarūnė, Vilmantas (Lithuania)

Kjell, Kjetil (Norway)

Benedykt, Cyprian, Kalina, Kallina, Kir, Olga, Pelagia, Pelagiusz, Pius, Placyd, Sawin, Wyszesława (Poland)

Eufimia (Romania)

Milota (Slovakia)

Benito, Olga (Spain)

Eleonora, Ellinor (Sweden)

Lusia, Olha, Olusia, Olia (Ukraine)

Alvia, Helga, Livia, Olga, Olive, Ollie, Oliver, Olivia, Quentin, Quincy, Quinn, Quintina, Quinton (USA)

Benoît, Alenka, Olga, Olya (Universal)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 193 of 2024; 173 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 4 of Week 28 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Tinne (Holly) [Day 5 of 28]

Chinese: Month 6 (Xin-Wei), Day 6 (Bing-Zi)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 5 Tammuz 5784

Islamic: 4 Muharram 1446

J Cal: 13 Red; Fryday [13 of 30]

Julian: 28 June 2024

Moon: 29%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 24 Charlemagne (7th Month) [St. Stephen of Hungary]

Runic Half Month: Ur (Primal Strength) [Day 3 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 22 of 94)

Week: 2nd Week of July

Zodiac: Cancer (Day 21 of 31)

[ifnowhynot]

Wines of the year, 2023

Given the nature of my work and the fine wine folk I am so lucky to rub elbows with on the regular, I taste thousands of wines each year. These are the ones I remember most fondly: the way they opened the world, the way they centred experience, and all the kind souls that shared them with me. 

I will remember 2023 as the year I really shed my ignorance and fell in love with Bordeaux and a year in which my partner and I continued our love affair with Jura Chards and Loire Chenins and entered into a new obsession with the great dessert wines of the world.

This list probably looks unhinged to the non-obsessed haha. Without having a social media outlet these last few years, it feels like some small gesture to the hardworking producers who crafted these works of art to be able to shout them out and thank them for their work. So here were the gems:

MY TOP 12 WHITES

Dom BELARGUS 2018 ‘Rouères’ Chenin Blanc, Anjou AOC, Loire

Dom STÉPHANE TISSOT 2018 ‘Les Bruyères’ Chardonnay, Arbois AOC, Jura

O'ROURKE FAMILY ESTATE 2020 'Twisted Pine' Chardonnay, Lake Country, BC

LA FRENZ 2011 ‘Knorr Vineyard’ Semillon, Naramata Bench, BC

PATRICK SULLIVAN 2020 Baw Baw Shire Chardonnay, Victoria, Australia

BIEN NACIDO 2020 Estate Chardonnay, Santa Maria Valley, California

CLOS DU MOULIN AUX MOINES 2020 Pernand-Vergelesses AOC 'Les Combottes', Burgundy

Dom BITOUZET-PRIEUR 2017 Meursault AOC 1er Cru Perrières, Chardonnay, Burgundy

M. CHAPOUTIER 2018 Hermitage AOC ‘Chante-Alouette’, Marsanne, Rhône

LITTORAI 2013 ‘Mays Canyon’ Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast, California

BINDI 2015 ‘Kostas Rind’ Chardonnay, Mornington Peninsula, Australia

RAMEY 2019 Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay, Napa Valley, California

MY TOP 10 REDS

Ch LÉOVILLE-LAS-CASES 1975 Grand Vin, Saint-Julien AOC, Grand Cru Classé Deuxième, Bordeaux

Ch LA TOUR DE MONS 1982 Margaux AOC, Bordeaux

Dom MUGNERET-GIBOURG 2020 Échezeaux Grand Cru AOC, Burgundy

HIYU 2017 ‘Aura’, Pinot Gris & Pinot Noir, Columbia Gorge, Oregon

TWO VINTNERS 2019 ‘The Waiting List’ Syrah, Yakima Valley, Washington

AGRI SEGRETUM 2018 Todi DOC ‘Marmocchio’, Sangiovese/Sagrantino, Umbria

TROON VINEYARD 2022 ‘Siskiyou’ Syrah, Applegate Valley, Oregon

CLENDENEN 2018 ‘Bricco Buon Natale’ Nebbiolo, Bien Nacido Vineyard, California

REINE PÉDAUQUE 1978 Savigny-lès-Beaune AOC 1er Cru Clos des Guettes, Burgundy

CA' LA BIONDA 2010 'CasalVegri' Valpolicella Classico Superiore DOC, Veneto

MY TOP 10 APERITIF & DESSERT WINES

PATRICIUS 2008 Tokaj Aszú 6 Puttonyos, Hungary

Dom BELARGUS 2018 ‘Quarts’, Quarts-de-Chaume Grand Cru AOC, Chenin, Loire

DONNAFUGATA 2015 ‘Ben Ryé’ Passito di Pantelleria DOC, Zibibbo, Sicily

ROLET 2010 Arbois Vin Jaune AOC, Savagnin, Jura

CASTELLO DI MELETO 2011 Vin Santo di Chianti Classico, Toscana

BARBEITO 20yo Malvasia 'Ribeiro Real', Madeira

COCKBURNS 1997 Vintage Port

Dom BERTHET-BONDET 2009 Château-Chalon AOC Vin Jaune, Jura

MARCEL CABELIER 2008 Château-Chalon AOC Vin Jaune, Jura

THUNEVIN-CALVET 1982 Maury, Vin Doux Naturel, Grenache, Roussillon

HONOURABLE MENTIONS:

BUBBLES

LELARGE-PUGEOT 2008 Quintessence Millésime Brut, Vrigny 1er Cru, Champagne

EGLY-OURIET NV Brut Rosé Grand Cru, Ambonnay, Champagne

RIVETTO 2016 ‘Kaskal’ Blanc de Nebbiolo Brut Nature, Barolo, Piemonte

PETER LAUER 1992 Réserve Sekt Riesling, Mosel

MOVIA 2015 Puro, Brda, Slovenia

LELARGE-PUGEOT 2008 Millésime Extra Brut, Vrigny 1er Cru, Champagne

R.C. LEMAIRE 2012 ‘Les Hautes Prieures’ Blanc de Blancs, Hautvillers 1er Cru, Champagne

MONMARTHE NV 'Les Grimpants' Blanc de Noirs, Ludes 1er Cru, Pinot Noir, Champagne

ANDRE CLOUET NV ‘Un jour de 1911…’ Brut, Pinot Noir, Bouzy Grand Cru, Champagne

Dom STÉPHANE TISSOT NV ‘BBF’ Blanc de Blancs Crémant du Jura AOC

Dom MANN 2014 Crémant d’Alsace AOC ‘Infiniment Fou’, Chardonnay

ALBERT BICHOT NV Crémant de Bourgogne AOC Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut

POMMERY 2004 Cuvée Louise, Champagne

LAURENT-PERRIER 2008 Millésimé Brut, Champagne

WHITES

France - Loire

Dom BELARGUS 2018 ‘Coteau des Treilles' Monopole, Chenin Blanc, Anjou AOC, Loire

Dom BELARGUS 2020 ‘Rouères’ Chenin Blanc, Sec, Anjou AOC, Loire

Dom BELARGUS 2019 ‘Gaudrets’ Chenin Blanc, Savennieres AOC, Loire

DAMIEN LAUREAU 2015 'Le Bel Ouvrage' Savennières AOC, Chenin Blanc, Loire

LUNEAU PAPIN 2010 ‘L d’Or’ Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie, Loire

LUNEAU PAPIN 2007 ‘L d’Or’ Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie, Loire

LUNEAU PAPIN 2006 ‘Excelsior’ Muscadet Sèvre et Maine AOC Goulaine, Loire

France - Burgundy & Jura

Dom HEITZ-LOCHARDET 2014 Chassagne-Montrachet AOC 1er Cru La Maltroie, Chardonnay

Dom BITOUZET-PRIEUR 2017 Meursault AOC 1er Cru Charmes, Chardonnay

Dom BITOUZET-PRIEUR 2017 Meursault AOC ‘Clos du Cromin’, Chardonnay

Dom BITOUZET-PRIEUR 2017 Puligny-Montrachet AOC ‘Les Levrons’, Chardonnay

Dom LATOUR-GIRARD 2017 Meursault AOC Cuvée Charles Maxime, Chardonnay

Dom DUREUIL-JANTHIAL 2020 Puligny Montrachet AOC ‘Corvée des Vignes’

Dom DEUX ROCHES 2021 Pouilly Fuissé AOC ‘Vieilles Vignes’

France - Alsace

Dom TRIMBACH 2007 ‘Clos Ste Hune’, Grand Cru Rosacker, Riesling

Dom WEINBACH 2012 ‘Cuvée Ste Catherine’, Pinot Gris

Dom ALBERT BOXLER 2014 Alsace Grand Cru AOC Brand, Pinot Gris

Dom TRIMBACH 2016 Alsace Grand Cru AOC Mandelberg, Riesling

France - Rhône

RAYMOND USSEGLIO 2017 ‘Pure Roussanne’ Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC Blanc

GRAND VENEUR 2004 ‘La Fontaine’ Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC Blanc, Roussanne

DOMAINE DE LA SOLITUDE 2021 Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC Blanc

Dom CHANTE CIGALE 2011 Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC Blanc

France - Other

LELARGE-PUGEOT 2016 Vrigny Blanc, Coteaux Champenois AOC, Chardonnay

Dom STÉPHANE TISSOT 2018 ‘Les Graviers’ Chardonnay, Arbois AOC, Jura

Dom STÉPHANE TISSOT 2019 ‘Patchwork’ Chardonnay, Arbois AOC, Jura

Dom DES MARNES BLANCHES 2020 Savagnin ‘Les Molates’, Côtes du Jura AOC

Germany

SELBACH OSTER 2007 Graacher Domprost Riesling Spätlese, Mosel

DR. BÜRKLIN-WOLF 1997 Ruppertsberger Gaisböhl ‘R’ Riesling Aisles, Pfalz

HEXAMER 2010 Schlossböckelheimer In den Felsen Riesling ‘No.1’, Nahe

DÖNNHOFF 2015 Wessburgunder Trocken, Nahe

USA

HOPE WELL 2015 ‘Improbable’ Riesling, Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon

ALEX GAMBAL / PETER WORK 2017 Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay, California

ST. ROMEDIUS 2019 Napa Valley Chardonnay, California

TROON VINEYARD 2022 Vermentino, Applegate Valley, Oregon

TABLAS CREEK 2014 'Esprit Blanc' Roussanne/Gren.Blanc/Picpoul, Paso Robles, California

EVENING LAND 2022 ’Seven Springs’ Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon

CHATEAU MONTELENA 2019 Napa Valley Chardonnay, California

ST. INNOCENT 2017 'Freedom Hill Vineyard' Chardonnay, Willamette Valley

DELILLE CELLARS 2021 'Chaleur' Blanc, Sauv Blanc/Semillon, Columbia Valley, Washington

LIÉGEOIS DUPONT 2021 ‘Le Blanc’, Marsanne/Viognier, Red Mountain, Washington

CHAPPELLET 2015 Napa Valley Chardonnay, California

PATZ & HALL 2016 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, California

Canada

O'ROURKE FAMILY ESTATE 2020 Estate Chardonnay, Lake Country, Okanagan

CAVE SPRING 2004 ‘Réserve’ Riesling, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario

TANTALUS 2020 ‘Old Vines’ Riesling, Okanagan Valley

PINARD & FILS 2021 ‘Nuance de Gris’ Frontenac Gris, Quebec

NORMAN HARDIE 2014 ‘Unfiltered’ Chardonnay, Prince Edward County, Ontario

Australia

LEEUWEN ESTATE 2002 ‘Art Series’ Chardonnay, Margaret River

TYRELL’S WINES 2013 ‘Single Vineyard HVD Hunter Semillon’

UMAMU 2010 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon, Margaret River

South Africa

KEN FORRESTER 2016 ‘The FMC’ Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch

HAMILTON RUSSELL 2014 Chardonnay, Hemel-en-Aarde

BOEKENHOUTSKLOOF 2007 Semillon, Franschhoek

Italy

DARIO PRINČIČ NV ‘Vino Bianco’, Friuli Venezia Giulia

SUAVIA 2017 ‘Monte Carbonare’ Soave Classico AOC, Garganega, Veneto

MARRAMIERO 2016 'Punta di Colle' Chardonnay, Colline Pescarese, Abruzzo

Other

LÓPEZ DE HEREDIA 2006 Viña Tondonia Reserva Blanco, Rioja DOCa, Spain

RAUL PÉREZ 2019 ‘Sketch’ Albariño, Rias Baixas DO, Spain

SOUS LE VÉGETAL NV ‘Octave’ Muscat, Samos, Greece

ALTAR ECO 2018 'Edad Media' Blanco, Chard/Chenin/Sauv Blanc, Uco Valley, Argentina

REDS

France - Bordeaux

Ch LE PUY 2010 Barthélemy, Francs Côtes de Bordeaux

Ch D’ISSAN 2009 Margaux AOC, Grand Cru Classé Troisième

Ch LANGOA-BARTON 2015 Saint-Julien AOC, Grand Cru Classé Troisième

Ch GRESSIER GRAND POUJEAUX 1983 Moulis-en-Médoc AOC

Ch FOURCAS HOSTEN 1983 Listrac-Médoc AOC

Ch CANTEMERLE 2019 Haut-Médoc AOC, Grand Cru Classé, Cinquième

France - Burgundy

Dom VINCENT LATOUR 2013 Meursault AOC 1er Cru Les Cras

CLOS DU MOULIN AUX MOINES 2020 Auxey-Duresses AOC ‘Clos du Moulin aux Moines’ Monopole

Dom BITOUZET-PRIEUR 2017 Volnay AOC 1er Cru Taillepieds

Dom BITOUZET-PRIEUR 2017 Volnay AOC 1er Cru Caillerets, Pinot Noir

Dom BITOUZET-PRIEUR 2017 Volnay AOC 1er Cru Clos des Chênes

Dom BITOUZET-PRIEUR 2017 Volnay AOC 1er Cru Pitures

ALBERT BICHOT 2018 Fixin AOC 1er Cru Clos de la Perrière Monopole

JEAN-CLAUDE RAMONET 2020 Monthelie AOC

France - Rhône

MICHEL COURTIAL 1986 Hermitage AOC, Syrah

ALAIN GRAILLOT 1991 Crozes-Hermitage AOC, Syrah

DOMAINE DE LA SOLITUDE 2020 ‘Vin de la Solitude’ Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC Rouge

MARTIN TEXIER 2021 'Cérouan Vieilles Vigne du Clau' Serrine

FRANCK BALTHAZAR 2020 Cornas AOC, Syrah

YVES CUILLERON 2011 Saint-Joseph AOC ‘L’Amarybelle’, Syrah

YVES CUILLERON 2016 Cornas ‘Les Côtes’, Syrah

Ch DE BEAUCASTEL 2001 Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC Rouge

XAVIER VIGNON 2010 ‘Cuvée Anonyme’ Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC Rouge

DOMAINE DU PEGAU 2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe AOC Rouge, Rhône

France - Other

Dom DES MASQUES 2020 ‘Syrahdictive’, Syrah/Viognier, Provence

J.L. DENOIS 2019 Pinot Noir ‘Grand Vin’, Limoux

Dom BOBINET 2014 'Amatéüs Bobi' Saumur-Champigny, Cabernet Franc, Loire

Dom BONNET COTTON 2022 Beaujolais AOC Cru Brouilly, Gamay, Beaujolais

Dom STÉPHANE TISSOT 2018 ‘DD’ Rouge, Arbois AOC, Pinot Noir/Trousseau/Poulsard, Jura

Italy

ROAGNA 2011 ‘Pajè’ Barbaresco DOCG, Piemonte

CASA RAIA 2018 Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Sangiovese Grosso, Toscana

È JAMU 2021 ‘Vertigine’ Canaiolo, Chianti, Toscana

CASA RAIA 2011 Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Toscana

CASTELLO ROMITORIO 2007 Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Toscana

MASI 1988 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG, Veneto

RIVETTO 2021 ‘Vigna Lirano’ Amphora Nebbiolo d’Alba DOC, Serralunga d’Alba, Barolo

ROCCHE DEI MANZONI 2015 Bricco Manzoni, Red Blend, Langhe, Piemonte

NINO NEGRI 2006 ‘5 Stelle Sfursat’, Nebbiolo, Sforzato di Valtellina DOCG, Lombardia

VILLA PAPIANO 2017 ‘I Probi’ Romagna Sangiovese Modigliana Riserva DOC, Emilia-Romagna

PLANETA 2013 ‘Santa Cecilia’ Noto DOC, Nero d’Avola, Sicily

FORADORI 2016 Sgarzon Teroldego, Alto Adige

SASSICAIA 2015 Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC, Toscana

Spain

ALVAR DE DIOS 2020 ‘Camino de los Arrieros’ Red Field Blend, Arribes

SIERRA DE TOLOÑO 2021 ‘La Dula Garnachas de Altura’ Grenache, Rioja Alavesa DOCa

SCALA DEI 2017 ‘Cartoixa de Scala Dei’ Priorat DOQ, Garnacha/Cariñena

LOPEZ DE HEREDIA 2007 Viña Bosconia Reserva Tinto, Rioja DOCa

COMANDO G 2018 ‘Bruja de Rosaz’ Garnacha, Sierra de Gredos

USA

HIYU 2019 ‘Moon Dog’, thirty different clones of heirloom Pinot Noir, Columbia Gorge, Oregon

MARGINS 2022 Counoise, Santa Clara Valley, California

GROUNDED WINE CO. 2021 ‘Steady State’ Cabernet Sauvignon, Oak Knoll District, Napa, California

BETZ FAMILY WINERY 2018 ‘Père de Famille’ Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, Washington

SKY 2015 Mt. Veeder Napa Valley Zinfandel, California

SKY 2015 Mt. Veeder Napa Valley Syrah, California

HOPE WELL 2019 ‘Sunday’s Child’ Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon

PURPLE HANDS 2021 Haakon Lenai Vineyard Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills, Oregon

LITTORIA 2021 ‘The Pivot Vineyard’ Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, California

DUMOL 2021 ‘Wester Reach’ Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, California

Australia

BONDAR 2020 ‘Rayner Vineyard’ Shiraz, McLaren Vale

ELDERTON 2018 Command Vineyard Shiraz, Barossa Valley

OCHOTA BARRELS 2017 ‘Fugazi Vineyard’ Grenache, McLaren Vale

Other

GARRAFEIRA 2011 ‘Sidónia de Sousa’ Baga, Bairrada DOC, Portugal

LE RICHE 2011 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Stellenbosch, South Africa

GREYSTONE VINEYARD 2020 ‘Ferment’ Pinot Noir, North Canterbury, New Zealand

BURN COTTAGE 2019 ‘Sauvage Vineyard’ Pinot Noir, Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand

GUT OGGAU 2017 ‘Atanasius’ Rot, Burgenland, Austria

SANTA RITA 1996 Casa Réal Cabernet Sauvignon, Maípo Valley DO, Chile

NICOLUZO 2013 Merlot, Corfu, Greece

HENRY OF PELHAM 2012 Baco Noir ‘Reserve’, Ontario, Canada

APERITIF & DESSERT WINES

Dom DES MARNES BLANCHES NV Blanc Macvin du Jura AOC, France

RABL 2017 Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese, Langenlois DAC, Austria

Dom BELARGUS 2018 ‘Layon’ Moelleux, Chenin, Coteaux du Layon 1er Cru Chaume, France

BARBEITO 10yo Sercial Reserva Velha, Madeira, Portugal

BODEGA DIOS BACO ‘Baco Imperial’ 20 Year Old Amontillado Sherry VOS, Spain

[musicisforthesoul]

The "YEG" Experience (Summer 2023)

This is Part 1 of my 2023 Year-End Blog Series. Hope you enjoy the read! :)

Having visited Edmonton in the Winter of 2022, I was very eager to go back simply for the fact that there were just so many fond memories made the first time I was there. From all food adventures and starting a shared food IG account (which really needs to be updated since it be lacking food posts lately…), to the super fun (but often painful) attempts at learning how to downhill ski, cross-country ski, and skate, and everything else in-between, it was the definitive highlight of 2022 for me. While it was an eventual goal of mine to one-day come back, career goals and aspirations took precedence over planning a trip to Alberta. Since starting a Master of Financial Economics at the University of Western Ontario in the Fall of 2022, it has been a constant grind of studying, completing assignments, writing exams, preparing job application documents, applying for (co-op) jobs, networking, preparing for interviews… all for the hard work and preparation to end with a ‘thank you for your interest in this role, but we have moved on with other candidates… don’t forget to fill out this survey about your application experience!”.  As futile as it felt to painstakingly rinse and repeat the job application process, only to have 9 out of 10 of your applications get rejected, there will always be an opportunity out there. Even if it may be 1 interview out of 99 rejection letters, that 1 chance can be the golden ticket for you to achieve great things… so take the opportunities you get and prepare for them as if its your last.

Aside: Although this blog post was not meant to be some sort of inspirational TED Talk, may this small little tangent be a light of inspiration for those who are dealing with similar circumstances. Please remember to never give up and keep giving it your all! Your hard work and dedication will be rewarded 😊

The ‘one’ opportunity I had led me to a summer internship at a company based in Edmonton. Killing two birds with one stone, not only was this an opportunity to build my career, but it also gave me the opportunity to visit Alberta… this time, in the Summer. And so, this began my 4-week Alberta Adventure: Summer 2023 Edition.

Week 1: Calgary Stampede

The first week in Alberta started with a visit to Calgary to experience the Calgary Stampede. It definitely felt like a bigger, better, more extravagant version of the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE). The shows were quite nice to watch (such as the motorcross, dogs how, and miniature horse show) but I suppose the most interesting thing was seeing an EDM concert in the evening. I guess I can check-off seeing a bunch of attendees wearing cowboy/cowgirl attire vibing to techno music from my bucket list.

Week 2: Banff

One thing to note whenever you plan to visit Banff National Park is to plan ahead, especially during peak times when kids are out of school or when families are booking their vacations. Case in point? Not having the foresight to book the reservations needed to visit Lake Louise and Moraine Lake… since personal vehicles are no longer allowed to visit Moraine Lake and parking is now super limited at Lake Louise (to preserve and protect the surrounding wildlife). Major major major shoutout to Jenny and Stephen (who will be mentioned a lot in this blog because they are the most amazing people ever) for dealing with my shenanigans and be willing to wake up at 3am to drive all the way from Calgary to Lake Louise so that I can at least see Lake Louise. You guys are truly the best <3

Day 1 was spent in Banff Town (or the Town of Banff), since we could not go to Lake Louise or Moraine Lake (since a reservation was needed and everything was already fully booked the day-of when checking for availability while trying to get into the national park). Nonetheless, it was still a fun experience to hike around Bow Falls, bask in the surroundings of Tunnel and Sulphur Mountain, and feeling like a tourist by buying good deals at the now-liquidated Hudson’s Bay in the town. The highlight of the day had to be relaxing in the Banff Upper Hot Springs after a day of hiking… Nothing feels better than relaxing in a natural hot spring after a tiring day. Definitely wished I could have experienced the hot spring in the Winter, but I guess all the more reason to come back again in the Winter!

Day 2 was action-packed, starting at 3am with the hopes of getting one of the limited parking spots at Lake Louise. Despite arriving as early as 6am, we probably nabbed the 3rd or 4th available spot… so, if you ever decide to drive to Lake Louise, go early! (otherwise, you might be waiting a while for people to leave) Our efforts to beat the crowd was rewarded with a stunning view of Lake Louise during sunrise.

In an attempt to find better views (and to enjoy the area while we were there), we decided to embark on a hike that was supposed to be somewhat quick, not too difficult, and would end with nice scenery to take pictures of. Instead, my small brain decided to take the trail that said “Louise” not knowing that it went the OPPOSITE DIRECTION of where Lake Louise was.

A 3-hour, 6km hike in the wet marshes without hiking boots later… we were back to where we parked the car filled with as much regret as the amount of water that seeped through our shoes. Despite this blunder, we still ended up hiking the short but nice Fairview Lookout trail, where it gave a beautiful view of Lake Louise and the historic Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.

Overall, ‘twas fun and rewarding visit to Banff National Park. Though the absence of snow may take away from the magical atmosphere of the Canadian Rockies, experiencing Banff in the Summer has its own unique charms filled with gorgeous sunsets and a plethora of fun and rewarding hikes.

Week 3: Chasing Summer

When Jenny had asked me a few months before my Alberta trip, whether I was interested in going to Chasing Summer, I didn’t even hesitate in my response. I simply said “Sure, I’m down” without even realizing what I was actually signing up for. Only after I got confirmation that tickets were bought and plans were being made, did I realize that I agreed to going to a 2-day EDM festival. Had I ever gone to rave before? Nope. Was I nervous about the experience? Not going to lie, yeah, I was a bit anxious. Do I have any regrets? Absolutely not. Would I do it all over again? Definitely.

Before the weekend of Chasing Summer, the rave crew got together to make kandi. Honestly, it was a fun night of making really unique and well-designed bracelets while also having the chance to get to know the people I would be raving with in a few days time. I really should’ve made more generic bracelets to actually give out since I swear, I put too much thought and effort that I felt obliged to keep most of the ones I made… the ‘SOJU’ one especially.

At this point, I was still a little nervous leading up to the weekend of the rave, but at least I knew who I would be going with… and knowing that they’re super chill and quite fun to be around, I felt quite at ease.

No blog is complete without some food pics. Here are some pictures of sushi taken from Ari Sushi the evening before the festival:

Day 1 of the festival arrives, and we all made our preparations. The theme of the day? Neon and black. After an hour or two of pre-drinking baijiu and vodka, we were ready to attend the festival.

The lineup for Day 1 included the likes of ARMNHMR, Gryffin, James Hype and Tiësto (the headliner). From when the sun was up to when it set, the atmosphere was electric. It really felt like how I imagined an EDM festival would be: people screaming, dancing, vibing to each and ever single beat and bass drop. The pre-drinking really did help as I don’t know if I would’ve felt the same vibes if I didn’t feel some sort of buzz. It definitely helped that we somehow ended up near the stage which made it all the more intense to be vibing while being blasted by the music in full force. I feel like the amount of cardio I achieved from one day of raving was equivalent to the amount I would normally get in a week… just pure jumping and dancing in sea of ravers who were looking for a good time. With the completion of Chasing Summer Day 1, I felt thrilled to do it all-over again the second day.

The theme for day 2 was Pastel and White. Compared to Day 1, I turned up my drinking game (since I opted out of doing weed or molly). In a 7-hour span, I left no opportunity to sober up as every chance I got, I chugged soju, Smirnoff Ice, or vodka, as if I was drinking water. It was probably smart not to chug the Baijiu since that thing burns you like any hard liquor would.

The second day was definitely a bigger blur for me given how particularly drunk and tipsy I was the entire time. Nonetheless, I know for sure that the vibes were at an all-time high with nobody slowing down even after an intense day 1. I probably can’t describe in words how amazing the experience was, but luckily the photos that were taken will hopefully suffice. As the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

To cap off a weekend of raving, we visited an alpaca farm before heading home!

What made this experience so incredibly memorable were the people I had the privilege of going with. To Jeremy, Amy, Josh, Jasmine, Johhny, Jenny, and Chuulie, thank you all for making my first-ever rave experience one that I’ll never forget. Feeding off all your energy and vibes, I had the time of my life dancing, screaming, and shouting to the electric lineup of ARMNHMR, Gryffin, Tiësto, and Zedd. Thank you for also being so kind and super fun. I know that I was simply a guy from Ontario who was ‘just visiting’ but you all made me feel included and for that, I’m eternally grateful. I hope that one day we can reunite, and you would allow me to join you guys again to dance and scream the night away at another rave/EDM festival. Miss you all <3

Week 4: Drumheller

The final week of my Alberta Adventures took me to Drumheller, the Dinosaur Capital of the World! Visiting the Royal Tyrrell Museum and the Hoodoos, it was stunning to see how pretty the landscape was despite being considered an area where things scarcely grow.

As 2023 comes to a close and I reflect on the many great memories made this year (particularly during my trip to Alberta), I want to thank all the great friends that I was able to spend time with. To LJ, thank you for many sports talks and the one time we were able to play tennis… in the rain. To Jeremy and Amy, it was super nice to see you two again and thank you oh so much for the many fun memories! From being able to help out for the Delish Cup, to making kandi, to Chasing Summer and of course, the weeks of playing ultimate frisbee, a huge part of why my Alberta trip was amazing was because of you two! To Josh and Jasmine, thank you for being such kind-hearted souls and super fun people to be around! Playing ultimate frisbee and going to Chasing Summer will always be something I’ll cherish! To Johhny, thank you for your loveable energy and vibes and for making my first-ever rave experience one I’ll never forget (also thank you for keeping me alive when I was drunk out of my mind). Last but not least, to Jenny and Stephen, thank you so much for your amazing hospitality and the many great adventures we went on while I was in Alberta. Through all the good and sometimes not-so-good times, thank you for being such amazing amazing people. I hope to visit your new house one day!

With that, looking forward to what adventures await in 2024!

[nataliewallacerp]

Character File

Basic Information:

Full Legal Name:  Natalie Louise Wallace  Preferred Name:  Natalie Louise Wallace  Nickname: “Nat”, “Walls”, “Wallace” Age: Thirty-Three Birthdate: November 25, 1990 Birthplace: San Diego, CA Sex: Female Gender: Female Nationality: American Race: White Religion:  Atheist Relationship Status: Single

Physical Attributes:

FC: Brie Larson Height: 5′6′’ Weight: 120 lbs. Build: Slim Measurements: Chest: 34; Waist: 24; Hips: 35 Hair Color: Blonde Eye Color: Brown Voice Claim: Brie Larson Tattoos: N/A Marks: N/A Scars: [1] One, two inch vertical scar on left calf. Piercings: Right lobes and daith, Left lobes and helix. Clothing Style: Bohemian Blood Type: A+

Background Info:

Hometown: San Diego, CA Past Towns: Stanford, CA, Languages: English, French, Financial Status: Upper Middle-Class Educational History:  MD, MS Occupational History: Pediatric Surgeon, Lake Sapphire Hospital, 2022

Relationships:

Mother: Alice Margaret Wallace-Carpenter née Waller Father: Timothy Allen Wallace Children: N/A Romantic Relationships:      -Landon Wyatt; FWB: December 2018- January 2020       -Alec Watson; Dated: March 2014- November 2018      -Danielle Macdonald ; Engaged: August 2008- November 2012      -Emery Warner; Dated: November 2006- April2008

Personality:

Positive Traits: Charming, Thoughtful, Generous, Passionate, Altruistic Negative Traits: Indecisive, Impatient, Flighty, Secretive, Hesitant Likes: Moscow Mules, Playing the Harmonica, Rainy Sundays, Astrology, Poetry. Dislikes: Hallmark Movies, Claymation, Cigarette Smoke, Morality: Chaotic Neutral MBTI: ESFJ Ennegram: Type Three, Wing Four Temperament: Sanguine 

[kambahpeoplesmap]

Kambah Turns 50

Exhibition title: Kambah Turns 50

Artists: Louise Curham with the Kambah community, Southern Arts Collective artists, Kambah artists and Canberra artists interested in Kambah’s 50th

Partners: The intention is to partner with ArtsACT through Arts Activities Funding, the Southern ACT Catchment Group (umbrella environment group for south ACT) and other groups in the community such as Southfest, See-change Tuggeranong, the Diversity Hub, Lake Tugg Sea Scouts, Mt Taylor Scouts, the Lions Youthhaven, Communities at Work, the Tuggeranong Community Council, schools (Namadgi, Mt Taylor, St Thomas, Lake Tugg College) and businesses eg Amberley Eggs, Cafe Blanco.

Preferred dates: July-Aug 2024

Summary

An exhibition by Kambah artists and the Kambah community to mark 50 years since the first residents moved into Kambah in 1974. There will be celebrations across Kambah in July, Aug, including this exhibition. 

The exhibition uses the stairwell in the Tuggeranong Arts Centre and upstairs gallery 2 (the back gallery upstairs). Along with the gallery works, a feature of the exhibition is a series of public events in Kambah, focused on the nature parks of Urambi Hills, Mt Taylor, McQuoids Hill, and the Bullen Range Nature Reserve that surround Kambah. 

How will the exhibition come together?

A public call for artists to be involved in the exhibition will take place 6 months before the exhibition. A public call for works from the community will take place over the 2-3 months leading up to the exhibition. 

1. The stairwell - community call out for documents about Kambah

The community will use the stairwell to share their documents about Kambah. 

2. The gallery space - curated by grouping media, artists not just in Kambah but also those keen to reflect on Kambah. 

In this space, Kambah will be explored by format - photography in one section of the gallery, textiles in a section, drawing in a section and writing in a section. The artists will be brought together through the Southern Arts Collective and call outs through Canberra arts organisations. The artists may not all be from Kambah but they will be reflecting on Kambah. A public call for works will go out. 

3. Events across Kambah with a focus on the nature parks

The event program will include:

interpretive walks on the nature parks led by the parkcare groups

a tree planting on Urambi Hills

A walk around Kambah exploring the digital ‘Kambah Peoples Map’

art-in-unusual-places for ten days around Kambah including extending the flock of sheep in the landmark sculpture on Drakeford Drive

a talk about landscape and design of public spaces in Tuggeranong using Kambah as a case study. 

A note about developing 50th events with the community using TAC as a base

There is much interest in the Kambah community about the 50th. I have become aware of this through my 2023 exhibition ‘Kambah’ and my discussion with parkcarers, Scouts and other community leaders such as Taryn Langdon, Geoff Pryor and Liz Stephens. There is an opportunity to hold some meetings with the community to discuss ways to mark the 50th. There’s an opportunity to hold these conversations at TAC and to tell the Kambah community more about TAC and its programs. That is something to discuss further if it is of interest to TAC. 

About the content

This exhibition investigates life in Kambah 50 years after the first houses were built in the new suburb (gazetted in 1973, first houses 1974). It depicts places, life and atmospheres of Kambah. The artists involved include members of the Southern Arts Collective, artists who live in Kambah and Canberra artists who want to make work to mark Kambah turning 50. 

The exhibition builds on my 2022 exhibition Kambah. 

Artist bio - Louise Curham

In her art practice, Louise makes performances, photographic works, video and 16mm films and installations. She also draws whenever possible. Themes in her work include  decoding the ‘black box’ of contemporary technology and extending the life of old media through creative archiving. Her methods include hand processing super 8 and 16 mm film, making performances using old media and re-enacting early media art performance.

Louise loves the way old media draws attention to relationships, both the relationship with audiences and the performance of technology. At the moment, she’s thinking about the ecology old media needs in order to keep operating. That resonates with other work Louise does in practical land care and in thinking about her suburb, Kambah, a misunderstood suburb of the south of Canberra.

Since the early 1990s, Louise has presented exhibitions, public programs and community events throughout Australia and internationally. Her art has been supported by ArtsACT (2020, 2013), Bundanon Trust (2012), BankART1929 (Yokohama, Japan), UNSW Student Union (2002), Creative New Zealand (1995).

[alexchadwick-abts2030-uq-y2023]

Connection to Country: Aboriginal Artists’ Responses to Climate Change 

I chose to examine Aboriginal artists visual responses to climate change because environmental issues in Australia are inherently tied to systemic coloniality as well as more broadly endured socio-cultural impacts. Indigenous peoples “greater exposure to the impacts of climate change” can be explained both through their “deep connection […] to place and culture” and a “heightened vulnerability owing to entrenched disadvantages and injustices” (Blashki, Bradshaw, Gardner, & Gergis, 2023, p. 36). As such, I want to reflect on four artworks to understand the logic of place in Aboriginal artists’ responses to environmental degradation: Nici Cumpston’s Lake Bonney Barmera – place of large water (2022) (Figure 1), Judy Watson’s string over water (alkurrji kingkarri wanami) (2019) (Figure 2), Megan Cope’s Kinyingarra Guwinyanba (On Country) (2022) (Figure 3) and Brian Martin’s Methexical Countryscape Wurundjeri #3 (2012) (Figure 4). 

I find enormous value in Louise Gwenneth Phillips’ and Tracy Bunda’s Research through, with and as storying (2018), which I imagine as a cross-cultural handbook that informs my ongoing research. The authors come “two-gather” to provide a complex, critical framework to engage in alternative means of knowledge-building through the act of ‘storying’ (Phillips & Bunda, 2018, p. 1). Phillips and Bunda (2019) describe storying as “the act of making and remaking meaning through stories”, as “living and active rather than fixed, archived products” (p. 7). Here, marginalised voices are accentuated by considering intersectional standpoints and unconventional methodologies. As an Anglo-Saxon woman who lives on the unceded lands of so-called Australia, I approach this topic from a largely academic perspective that draws upon first-hand knowledge from the selected Aboriginal artists. I rely upon First Nations stories because I do not wish to make assumptions about, nor impose my own biases upon, an evolving and variable culture(s). However, I would like to take this opportunity to critically reflect upon my unique reception on these works to highlight my potential (mis)understandings. As I will attempt to express myself through a storying research framework, the following text will present as creative exploration. This will demonstrate the development of my understandings of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives.

For me, Cumpston’s Lake Bonney Barmera - place of large water presents as an abstracted, apocalyptic landscape. The long-dead, scrabbly trees almost seem parched as they sink heavily into an expansive body of still water. Cumpston’s multimedia style combines the inherent realism of photography with the intimacy of hand-colouring, creating an eerie presence. Even as the horizon softly blazes, recalling devasting Australian wildfires, it seems almost hopeful too. Perhaps that is the call of flourishing lands, because there seems to be a forest just out of reach. Here, Lake Bonney Barmera - place of large water highlights the conflict that pervades the public sphere: while disaster lies around us, we can still see an attainable future. There still exists trees to be cut down and coal to be extracted. Yet Cumptson foregrounds the destruction of the present moment, the damage that her Country has survived. This immediacy demands the viewer to problematise their worldview throughout closer, more careful reflection. I relate to this image through a comparison of the land around my own home, whose unpredictable weather patterns often leave communities devastated after ‘natural’ disasters. I think this is a powerful strategy to approach the highly contested and emotionally conflicted issues of climate change. She offers an adaptable access point that individuals can engage with, inviting audiences to reflect on their own story. Yet this personal exploration remains mediated by the artist’s visual stimulus. This keeps one’s reception grounded by one’s relation to Cumpston’s worldview. As such, further critical analysis of the artwork should take into consideration the coloniality of Australian landscapes. 

Watson’s string over water (alkurrji kingkarri wanami) follows a different pathway: this artwork traverses the concept of memory as a link between matrilineal ties and lands. The artwork positions audiences underneath a rippling surface that emphasises the ephemerality of Country – from elusive fragments of open sky to sinuous string that delicately unwinds. This string reflects traditional Waanyi practices where hair follicles are rolled to absorb oils and subsequently woven. As such, the string holds the memory of ancestors. Watson’s creative inquiry into the role of memory extends to that of Waanyi Country, where she understands water as an inherent, enduring quality that will remember its original pathway (QAGOMA, 2020). Unfortunately, this phenomenon is not always allowed. These pathways are often forcibly displaced or altered: poisons from agricultural runoffs or mining effects water quality and imposed infrastructure redefines its form. I see this darkness within string over water (alkurrji kingkarri wanami) where deep hues seep into the work from the bottom right corner. Here, visual strategies animate dialogue around environmental action where she promotes a custodial approach: Country should be appreciated as a living entity to encourage active conservation and sustainable practices. This standpoint directly opposes Western perspectives surrounding environmental interaction, which ‘knows’ land as an inanimate object available for ownership.

In Kinyingarra Guwinyanba (On Country), Cope engages with the concept of memory in an alternative way: she participates in the ongoing, transgenerational storying of Country where she creates a sustainable, eco-activist project. Located near Myora, an intertidal area, Cope has secured numerous hand built sculptural “sea gardens” in an effort to heal Country (Cope, n.d.). Her work is grounded by the environmental degradation she stands witness to throughout Quandamooka Country (Stradbroke Island, Queensland), in particular the diminished population of oyster reefs. This is a direct impact of the extractive settler-colonial practices that were imposed after Australian invasion (ABC Arts, 2022). Where oyster reefs provide habitats as mineral-rich, carbon-capturing filtration organisms, large-scale depletion has had notable consequences on surrounding ecosystems (ABC Arts, 2022). As such, Cope has engaged in a radical approach to artistic activism: her living sculpture works as an innovative, functional habitat restoration project. Through caring for Country, Kinyingarra Guwinyanba (On Country) contributes to an ongoing storying of Aboriginal creative inquiry: where she foregrounds custodianship, Cope pledges resistance to the colonial project by regenerating ancestorial practices to offset the consequences of climate change. 

Martin’s highly theoretical strategy toward environmental action, as presented in Methexical Countryscape Wurundjeri #3, is grounded by an embodied, ‘methexical’ visual storying of Country: that is, the performative “reverberation of bringing something into being” (CLIMARTE, 2021). This artwork is made up of thirty individual hand-drawn canvases that depicts a ‘Bunggabi’ (tree) on Wurundjeri Country (CLIMARTE, 2021). I think it is interesting that the artist presented the work in charcoal, which typically dims its subject. However, I find this decision emphasises the sculptural forms of the land and emphasises its diverse ecological features. Here, Martin effectively transforms embodied knowledge into visual data to animate Country as a subject. I find Martin’s conceptual grounds difficult to engage with, which might speak to my limited perspective as a non-Indigenous person more than the difficulty of the philosophy. Yet I can grasp this idea when thinking about the nature of storytelling as animating something intangible. In Methexical Countryscape Wurundjeri #3, Martin relies on the visual embodiment of memory to story the land into being. As such, Methexical Countryscape Wurundjeri #3 presents as an immersive, intersubjective aesthetic experience. 

I have also drawn from Kombu-merri and Waka Waka philosopher Mary Graham’s Some Thoughts About the Philosophical Underpinnings of Aboriginal Worldviews (2008) where the author critically assesses the singular nature of Aboriginal ontology. She beautifully expresses the inextricable role of Country in human life, where she explains that “[b]ecause land is sacred and must be looked after, the relations between people and land becomes the template for society and social relations” (Graham, 2008, p. 106). I would like to approach my critical essay with her writing in the back of my mind as this underlying ontology can be seen to pervade each Aboriginal artists’ expression of Country. I also found this an important truth to live by, particularly in a time when many people feel disconnected from each other. We can look to heal our relationships by first healing the lands upon which we live. This perspective provides an alternative worldview to concepts born from the Anglosphere that are ingrained within white Australian culture and government. For example, the supposed limitless resource of natural environments that allows for endless extraction. This utilitarian language purposefully strips ecologies of the possibility, or inherent existence, of a meaningful relationship between people and place. As such, the model for social relationships is strictly functional. Graham’s text offers an alternative structure that foregrounds sensuous understanding of the land as well as our reciprocal dependence for existence. I find this concept of embodied knowledge is often brought up in discussions around Aboriginal artwork, which I think speaks to the depth of artists connection with their world. As such, I would like to turn to an important moment that influenced my understanding of Aboriginal cultural expression.

In January 2020, The Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) hosted a significant event in affiliation with their current interdisciplinary exhibition ‘Water’. The discussion panel, titled “Traditional Responses to Contemporary Problems”, connected Aboriginal artists Watson, Cope, and Wiradjuri woman Nicole Foreshew with Bundjalung and Kullilli host Daniel Browning. Their extensive dialogue took me on a journey to each artists homeland to examine the conditions of their Country in our collective, global climate emergency. Their acts of storying built a web of connection between the audience and each other through the intimacy of sharing and listening (Phillips & Bunda, 2018). This process foregrounded embodied knowledge and evolving relationalities by honouring sensational presence over cognitive perception (Phillips & Bunda, 2018). I found learning about this alternative way of being transformed my understanding of Aboriginal worldviews, as well as broader discourse around knowledge. Using this framework to examine the work of Aboriginal artists will allow for genuine insight into both their practice and intentions. 

[ticiie]

later that night

characters: Gino Caviezel, Justin Murisier, Marco Odermatt, Loïc Meillard, Mauro Caviezel (mentioned)

pairing: Marco Odermatt/Gino Caviezel, Justin Murisier/Mauro Caviezel (implied)

length: 617 words

author's note: due to the recent events in Lake Louise, I had to get this out in order to hopefully comfort my mutuals and myself a little. All the best to Mauro Caviezel.

The lobby is barely lit when they return, only the small lamps that stand on the coffee tables around the open spaced floor cast their warm light across the walls. Therefor Gino at first doesn’t take notice of the huddled figures lying on the sofas close to the window. Justin reaches them first and nudges Marco’s shoulder. He wakes up immediately, the pattern of the pillow printed to his cheek, hair standing up in every direction.

“How is he? Did you see him?”, Marco asks.

Gino doesn’t answer, instead he wraps his arms around Marco’s middle who quickly returns the hug. Up until now, Gino hadn’t allowed himself to cry. But when Marco places a kiss to the top of his head and runs his hand soothingly across Gino’s back, he can feel his walls tumbling down. The corners of his eyes start to burn. He doesn’t want the others to see so he buries his face in Marco’s chest, taking in the comforting scent of oranges and laundry detergent.

“It’s okay. I’ve got you.” Marco’s voice is hardly more than a whisper, stained by his own fight against the tears. Meanwhile Justin is talking to Loïc about what happened after the helicopter had left.

“They did a couple of tests on him and they wouldn’t let us see him. Then only Gino was allowed in his room because he’s family. I don’t know who he bribed but they eventually let me in the room as well. Mauro was conscious the whole time, the doctor said that’s a good sign. He doesn’t remember crashing though. They’ll take him back home on Monday for further examinations.”

With a sigh, he lets himself fall onto the sofa. Loïc sits next to him and Gino untangles himself from Marcos embrace but keeps one arm around his waist. He needs Marco’s steadiness or the waves might crash over him, pull him under where hope is lost and Mauro is damned to never fully recover again.

“Why were you sleeping down here anyways?”, Justin eventually asks, one hand fidgeting with the quilling of the pillow. Loïc and Marco exchange a look. “We were waiting for you. We figured you’d tell us more than Hannes and we didn’t dare to ask Vitus, he seems quite shaken still.”

None of them says anything for a while. The only noise that fills the lobby is the steady ticking of the grandfather clock that thrones in the corner next to the reception. Outside, the night lays calm. The snow and wind from earlier today have stopped, a thin blanket of fresh snow covers the tables and chairs on the terrace, glittering in the light that’s shining down from the upper floors. Gino sits down on the edge of the coffee table. The exhaustion that hits him comes without any warning; he feels as if the day had lasted at least a year. The images of Mauro’s motion less body flood his mind, of how he had stood up but staggered, with blood streaming down his face. Gino flinches at the memory and Marco kneels down in front of him. He places his hands on Gino’s cheeks and forces him gently to look at him. Gino’s eyes are glazed with tears.

“He’s going to be fine”, Marco whispers and Gino clenches his jaw but nods.

“Can we-“ Justin starts but breaks off. The others look at him and Justin blushes a little when he starts talking again. “I don’t want to be alone right now. Can we bunk together?” Loïc giggles and they all agree. It’s the least Marco and Loïc can do for the two men that are probably the most important people in Mauro’s life.