Second Quarter – 2026

It’s summer again, so accordingly here’s a summary.

Garden

I adopted a tree square—a small 1x1m patch of dirt surrounding a tree outside our condo. Without trying to dox myself, I’ll just say that the city provided a small pallet of flowers, some compost, and some mulch, and trusted in the citizenry to do the rest. Turns out… I think it might be okay! Some of the flowers were already wilting when I got them in the ground, but after a week of sun and some rain, they seem to be putting out new buds, which is exciting. Our main balcony is pretty shady, but the tree square gets lots of sun. Plenty of growth opportunity.

A blue cornflower and other flowers in a mulchy plot Cornflower blue

Some notes on tree square gardening:

I really need gardening gloves (this has since been addressed)
You can fit a lot in 1x1m. My mum gave me a few extra seed packs of various annuals, and encouraged me to go ham. The city-provided flowers are already coming into their own, and with these new additions, some strategic dead-heading, and some strategic self-seeding, I’m hoping for growth next year too.

Outings & learnings

On May 26, I took a bike repair workshop with les Affûtés, and learned just enough to hurt myself.

My bike on its back, and my greasy hand wip

The workshop comes at a good time, since I think my front tube has sprung a slow leak: it’ll hold up for a good 3-4 hour bike ride, but when I take it out of the shed a week later, the tire will be completely deflated. Unfortunate. Anyway, now at least I know how to remove the wheel, tire, and tube, and—crucially—put them all back together.

Accordingly, I’m back on my bike & bouffe bullshit… went to La patate rouge, completing my “iconic Montréal poutine” dance card, until someone introduces me to another proper greasy spoon. I’m open to suggestions.

A table setting with a poutine and a hot dog Un poutine & steamé

Media

It’s out there, and I consumed it!

The cover for Elder's Through Zero Through Zero

On May 29, Elder released Through Zero, another prog-metal banger—if I was a time signature guy, I’d be insufferable. “Capture/Release” is probably the standout, but I continue to be impressed/carried away by their ability to craft instrumental journeys alongside fellow Nick’s sparse but esoteric lyrics. Lyrics whose transcriptions are surprisingly hard to find… am I going to become a vinyl guy on top of everything else? Anyway, looking forward to seeing them on tour in October.

A rather inscrutable screenshot from Ramble Planet There's a lot going on here

I played through and finished Ramble Planet (h/t to Weird Fucking Games). Something in the design and writing felt like a triangulation of HHGTTG, Space Quest, and E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (the game). It’s a fairly light-hearted and generous exploration, no permanent setbacks that I’m aware of, with writing flourishes that feel alien, but thought-through. All this and visuals and UX that emphasize that alien-ness and unreadability. Really interesting! Strongly suggest that you play through with a guide.

Screenshot from South Scrimshaw Mystereez of ze deep

I also finally played through South Scrimshaw Pt. 1. It’s so captivating! Incredible world-building and emotional writing. Set aside ninety minutes and play through it like a documentary.

Horse-drawn wagons along a beach Clouds like sailing ships

And finally, speaking of documentaries, I’m continuing through my list of double features, and watched Sotte le nuvole back in April. Simply stunning photography, and a wonderful array of subjects.

That’s all for this round!

Ongoing meta-debates playing out in my head include: Should I post more? Should I offer places for direct feedback?

There’s simply no way to know.

♥🖖