We woke up pretty damn early on account of the time change and headed over to the Saskatoon Farmer’s Market probably not much longer after it opened. We wandered around, looked at the vendors, and had some snacks. We had not very good (too dense) scones and an absolutely amazing croissant. It was so good …
Tag: 2017
Riley Goes to Saskatchewan Day 1 – June 2, 2017 in Saskatoon
On Friday June 2, I went to Saskatchewan for the third time in my life. Why I went is sort of a long story. The short version of that story is that I was supposed to be in Europe for most of May but had to cancel my trip. Saskatchewan became the alternative because my …
The Fate of the Furious (2017, F. Gary Gray)
It occurred to me after I watched this latest of the Fast franchise films that these movies have the Bond license: back when Sean Connery and then Roger Moore made Bond films, these films could be filled with the most ridiculous nonsense and nobody cared. In fact, people celebrated them. You put that crap in another film and …
At the Drive-In Live at Rebel, Toronto, March 29, 2017
When I was young, band reunions were thought of as really awful: just a bunch of washed up musicians trying to make money. But times have changed: reunions are now viewed as normal and often something to be cherished. I think I’ve changed too, I’ve grown up a bit. When I was young, I had …
RIP Chuck Berry
With guitar-based rock music decidedly out of fashion it is possible – probable? – that many people don’t understand how important Chuck Berry was to the music of the second half of the 20th century. But just because the electric guitar isn’t currently popular doesn’t mean it wasn’t the central vehicle for musical expression of …
Graham Greene and McCarthyism
In 1952 the British Catholic novelist Graham Greene attempted to visit the United States to meet with his American publisher, among other things. Greene had visited the US multiple times before and had even put a play on in Boston (an adaptation of his The Heart of the Matter, it was a disaster). He applied …
Fascism is Alive and Well in the United States of America
I must admit that I have been somewhat of a “Trump optimist” these last few months. I believed in his obvious, demonstrable incompetence at just about everything he does – except branding and self-promotion, obviously. (He’s been abetted in this incompetence by untold numbers of people if you’re wondering why someone who is generally incompetent …