Profile avatar
stanbeeler.bsky.social
Professor Emeritus at the University of Northern British Columbia. (English, Comparative Literature, Film & TV Studies)
705 posts 708 followers 592 following
Regular Contributor
Active Commenter
Posts 22 Comments 28

I just looked up the US term "Super Pac" and it sounds like an open invitation to political corruption. No matter how often I read endless reports of US politics (looking at you Bluesky)I don't think I will ever understand how it really works.

submitted 5 days ago • 0 comments

We have been watching the J.J. Abrams nostalgia crime drama Duster and like it. The action scenes are integral to the plot and not the self indulgent sort so common in contemporary film & TV. It has some concept similarities to Poker Face, but better writing. Duster's Soundtrack is accurate 1970s.

submitted 8 days ago • 0 comments

The drain in our kitchen sink stopped draining on Thursday so after my fruitless efforts with drano and a plunger Karin called the plumber. He snaked it out and raised the temperature on our hot water tank to prevent grease buildup. This is new, all other plumbers suggested a low heater temp.

submitted 9 days ago • 2 comments

When I was doing my MA many of my friends were Iranians who were studying in Canada. They could not go home because of the revolution and worried constantly about friends and family. I can see this cycle of anxiety repeating, but with less sympathy for civilian victims.

submitted 12 days ago • 1 comment

Today, Karin snapped a photo of me trimming Midna's nails with a Dremel grinder. This is just before she (Midna) decided that it was her turn to groom me and started to lick my ear. As the great cartoon character Lucy says: Arghhhh!

submitted 12 days ago • 0 comments

Merlin likes to play fetch.

submitted 12 days ago • 0 comments

Father's Day: In 1967 to celebrate Canada's 100 anniversary my father packed up the family and we took the train from Halifax NS, to Vancouver BC & back. (no sleeping car & about a week each way) Here we are, me, my sister, & Dad chillin' in Stanley Park. (Mom with camera, Socks & sandals fashion).

submitted 15 days ago • 0 comments

I don't believe in Duolingo, but I occasionally watch TV, Youtube & TiKToKs in languages that I have some familiarity with so that I can pick up some vocabulary & grammar (English or German subs). Yesterday, TikTok & Netflix decided I must be Dutch or South African and my feed was interesting.

submitted 15 days ago • 0 comments

Looking for a sports bag today & I found my old skydiving jump logs. Two summers 1975 & 1980, I tried to get qualified, but finances & girlfriends delayed my progress from static line drops. Oh well, 13 jumps is not so bad I guess. I still get a remembered thrill when I see FPV TikToks of jumps.

submitted 18 days ago • 0 comments

Now that we have a wildfire smoke problem I am considering a sports centre membership at my former Uni so that I can run on an indoor track during smoke days. The web pricing list is a confusing welter of monthly & per-visit prices that mix senior and regular pricing. Face-to-face visit, I guess.

submitted 18 days ago • 1 comment

Morbid Curiosity: Today the air is filled with wildfire smoke so I went to the BC Wildfire service and looked at the reports of fires near my home. They are still quite far away (100s of K), but wind spreads smoke. Here are some photos from the web site. Kiskatinaw River & Pocketknife Creek.

submitted 18 days ago • 2 comments

I have an old 2012 Macbook Pro that I use to plug Garageband into my Electric Piano and the battery died. I found one that would fit in my rescued parts drawer so I put it in & it booted up while plugged in. (Don't know if it will hold a charge.) Old Macs are so easy to work on!

submitted 19 days ago • 1 comment

Happy Midna 25 C and the beloved blue ball.

submitted 21 days ago • 0 comments

It is now the short sunny season in northern British Columbia and our air conditioner is struggling with the difficulties of a 3 story old house designed to maximize heat in winter. The ground floor & basement are cool, but our bedroom is warmer. Mopsy has a cooling coat for those warm nights

submitted 21 days ago • 0 comments

Karin and Merlin are back from the Burn's Lake dog competition. I see from his ribbons that he was awarded "High in Class." Why did I not get a ribbon for this when I was a high-school student in the 1960s? <somewhat rueful grin of an inveterate hippy child>

submitted 22 days ago • 0 comments

Karin has taken Merlin the Aus Shepherd to a dog show in Burns Lake ~200 K away from home so am home alone for Friday & Saturday. (Except for Axel, & their ferrets, Mopsy the Pug and Midna the German Shepherd) Poor old Mopsy is checking Karin's office, her recliner, & side of the bed and moaning.

submitted 23 days ago • 0 comments

Current news about Trump vs. Musk makes me think that Denys Arcand should have waited a few years before making Le Déclin de l'empire Américain...

submitted 24 days ago • 0 comments

I got my 2nd shingles vaccine today (shingrex) today. You have to wait two months between the paired doses so I put it in my calendar with a reminder for this morning. The tech who gave me the shot said that a lot of people forget that they need the 2nd dose.

submitted 25 days ago • 0 comments

Today's culinary experiment was nann & curried tofu (i.e. faux-chicken). The naan turned out fine, but my beloved non-vegetarian wife says tofu is not a good analogue for chicken. It was fine for me, but I have not eaten meat for decades.

submitted 27 days ago • 0 comments

I found this on the deck this afternoon. SInce it is the last day of May I don't know if it should be designated a June Bug or a Maikäfer. In any case I should probably hide it as Karin has a phobic reaction to all insects.

submitted 29 days ago • 1 comment

We started watching the new Netflix show, Dept. Q, last night. It is a fascinating detective thriller with enough local Scottish charm that initially I did not notice that it was another example of Nordic Noir in a UK shell. I started wondering why the protagonist's name was Morck (not from Orc).

submitted 29 days ago • 0 comments

Feeling irritable this morning. (Grumpy old man syndrome?) It took more than five tries to get the Google assistant to play music by Isao Tomita. Also looking at American politics makes me wonder if Musk will get to play Ernst Röhm in the unfolding doofheit-drama.

submitted 30 days ago • 0 comments