Bravest Thing (He Ever Did)

What? Another trip to the mountains? Yes, the rumours are true. We did some stealth camping, so to speak, in Banff. There were many reasons for going, and not going. We had the time, the camping food, and even the leftover $$ from our shortened camping trip earlier in the summer. It doesn't matter either way. I made a decision and we went. Seeing the mountains in the fall has been something I've longed for. It did not disappoint!  A few quick notes: - Banff is still busy in shoulder season. Of course it is. So we drove to find hikes with fewer people, including going to Kootenay and Yoho. - Lake Minnewanka is stunning. - Leaving at 4am is 110% worth it. - Calgary invades Banff on weekends. I'm talking miles and miles of cars backed up, trying to enter the park. Glad we were heading the other way at that point. - I was able to get some key ideas for a novel I'm working on. I'm excited for it! Enough chatter. Please check out our videos on the trip. Here's the fir

Just the videos. If I have time I'll do a write-up.  See all the highs and lows. The laughs and drama. The majesty and mistakes.

  Check out our epic morning of fishing. Thanks be to God! This felt good after a couple of rough years of not catching much. Tonight...we're eating fish.

One year ago I was sitting at Tim Hortons writing my adventure/survival novel: Escape to the Wild. Good memories. To celebrate this anniversary, pick up a FREE eBook copy. July 11th and 12th only. Don't forget to leave a stunning review when finished! 😁 https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0BJW14M7T - Canada https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJW14M7T - USA

We all know the story, are made hopeful by the story, are sick of the story. I speak of the Bud Light advertising fiasco. In it they put images of TikTok influencer (I need to take a shower after writing that phrase)  Dylan Mulvaney , dressed as a girl, on a can of Bud Light (formerly the #1 selling U.S. beer). Further, they had Dylan in a bathtub, dressed in lady's gear, blowing bubbles, laughing like a weird narcissist, and being all-together obnoxious.  The result? It was too much. They pushed it too far. "That's all I can stands, I can't stands no more!" said the common folk, like the scrappy Yosemite Sam rising in the air, higher and higher, with righteous indignation. It turns out targeted boycotts do work. Bud Light crashed. Billions in lost revenue. Dust on the blue boxes everywhere, beer gone stale, poured down the drain where it belongs. A lesson hopefully, maybe, probably not, learned. In my opinion this greatly affected the month of June. Named after o

The Church asks for our participation in the synod on synodality for synodal synodalness. Seeing as I'm now on summer vacation, and have hours to kill... in the words of beloved Susan of the parish council, "bless and amem." You got it. Looks about right. Dear parish community. Here are good reasons to read the IL: Sincerely, D. Millette A nice fire for S'mores. Groups of people love S'mores. I'd say this is accurate. Make sin okay Chase trads away Boomers infringe Now everything's cringe

Here is an evergreen list of a few things I’ve learned about self-publishing. By the way…there’ll be more books coming out later this fall! -         When plotting a story, really nail down the 5 milestones.       -           The M.C. must be active. Readers hate passivity. -           The M.C. should have some personal issues/struggles to deal with. -           Always have a punchable villain. Even if the villain is a concept or a horrible disaster. -           Write it all out. As quickly as possible. Your brain’s storytelling, when let loose, is far superior if allowed to go with the flow. Only edit after you are finished. The first time I started a novel I made the mistake of editing all my previous day’s work the next morning. Disaster! I essentially had to go back and re-write that first part. The brain’s natural flow is best. -           The writer must be disciplined. Treat it like a hobby, and it will pay as a hobby. -           Show - don’t tell - when writing. Th

Let's see how this has aged.  Remember Covid-19? That's an honest question. I forget about it for months at a time now. But back in the day, it was everything. Actually, getting every man, woman, and child vaccinated was everything. Job firings. Denial of medical care. Can't buy basic items at stores. At one point a poll revealed some truly disgusting results . 27% of Canadians wanted me, or people like me, jailed. 37% said I should be denied medical care. 44% said I should be banned from engaging in public activities. How did this age? Since March 2020, I have not missed a single day of work because of Covid-19 . Be it from myself or to care for a family member. NOT ONE! Let's just say the same can't be said of the vaccinated around me. Not by a long shot. And this doesn't even bring up the many days missed because of the...shot. Photo taken from Engage Ottawa

I need some subs, bruh. Don't be cringe and just smash the button. Skill issue much? Cries aggressively. I imagine that's what I sound like with what I'm about to say. That is, I ask/encourage you to do something for me...  Go to my YouTube channel and SUBSCRIBE to it. That's right, I'm now a teenage YouTuber who gauges success in life by likes, subs, and number of comments. Not really. Well, not at all, actually. But it would be helpful to me. Some recent offerings: Creating a log bench with the boys: The ultimate brother-takes-down-brother video: CLICK HERE Cuteness overload: CLICK HERE Checking in on two amazing churches: Fun trip videos:  And so much more. Cooking, cuteness, bushcraft, exploring... lots of topics. Sound good? JUST CLICK HERE to subscribe. Thanks, bruh...

I need to clear the air on something, as well as issue an official apology.  In March of 2022, I released my first book, Disconnected: The Broken Path . The launch went well, and I even released a sequel later in the year, Escape to the Wild . Unfortunately, I got more than a little ahead of myself. At the time, in my new-author enthusiasm, I started calling out author J.K. Rowling. On a since-deleted post on Facebook I stated: "Who is this J.K. Rowling guy? You think you're pretty good? I'm taking you down!" I then added a picture of the current book rankings of the day (where, admittedly, my book was outselling J.K. Rowling's books). I thought nothing of it until I was served notice of potential legal action earlier this year. It turns out that:           A) J.K. Rowling is not a male, but a female.          B) J.K. Rowling is not amused when women claim to be men, and vice versa.           C) J.K. Rowling is a billionaire.          D) J.K. Rowling gets ver

 

One year ago, on the feast of St. Joseph, I hit publish on my first book. What a thrill that was! And what a ride it's been. Since then I've learned more than I ever thought possible, which is to say, I've probably learned 1% of what there is to know about book writing and publishing. A few takeaways:      - Writing a book is harder than it looks.       - Writing a book is one of the most enjoyable things I know.       - The formatting/cover aspect is like slamming your head against the wall until you pass out. But when you do finally come back to sanity...you slam your head against the wall again until you pass out.      - Selling a book is the hardest thing to do on the face of the planet.      - Local is best.      - It's all addicting. When July rolled around and I finally had more free time, I jumped into writing a second book. The entire process repeated. More time to immerse myself into a story. More time to create. More time to slam my head against a wall until

Here's a bit of nostalgia. Remember those Chuck Norris lines? The ones where he is, well, Chuck Norris. Someone posted on the Book of Faces recently with the line: Some of the responses were pretty hilarious. Death once had a near-Chuck Norris experience. When Chuck Norris left for College, he told his dad he is the man of the house  now. They built a bridge to honor Chuck Norris. They had to change the name because no one ever crosses Chuck Norris. He once killed two stones with one bird He once threw a boomerang   but it was too afraid to come back. Chuck Norris was bitten by a cobra; it was touch and go but the cobra is expected to make a full recovery. Chuck Norris was born May 6, 1945. The Nazis surrendered on May 7, 1945. When Chuck Norris went skydiving his parachute didn't open. Next day he took it back and got a refund. He had a staring contest with the sun, the sun lost. Chuck Norris won an argument with his wife……. Twice. Fun fact.... ...Chuck Norris once upper cut a

Disconnected: The Broken Path Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1778052509 USA: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1778052509 Escape to the Wild Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1778052533 USA: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1778052533

A player for the Buffalo Bills crumpled yesterday following a seemingly routine play. Cardiac arrest. CPR. Doctors. Defibrillation. Ambulance. All in front of a national audience on Monday Night Football. I will not say I know why he collapsed. Some are quick to say it was the vaxx. Maybe. But I also know of a 20-year-old player for the local Nipawin Hawks (hockey) who once blocked a shot in the chest, the same location that the football player got hit. This young man got up, then promptly collapsed. He died later in hospital. It's a tragedy. Sadly, it happens. Rumours are that the NFL wanted to keep playing the game . Something to the effect of: "Hey boys, take 5 minutes to collect yourselves, then we're back out there." People are jumping all over the NFL for this. Though the NFL denies this to be the case (note: they're not the most honest organization to ever walk this earth).  Not fun. I sympathize. Years back I was called to an emergency staff meeting before

Jude loves being Fr. Webb. Fr. Webb loves saying Mass. Therefore, Jude loves saying Mass. Occasionally Jude convinces his brothers to serve for him too. Here is, The Mass of a Three-Year-Old ...