BREAKING: Shit sucks

Plus, two tracks of the week, a playlist, and the signs as BC municipalities.

This image is unrelated to the rest of this newsletter. I just liked it. Credit goes to @trail_cams on Twitter.

Happy Aquarius season! It’s the time of year to embrace innovation, forward-thinking, being a little weird with it, that sort of thing. Oh, what’s that? Elon Musk did a Nazi salute? Mark Zuckerberg is talking like the weird incel we all knew he was already? Donald Trump pardoned 1,500 J6ers and is funnelling billions into AI infrastructure and is attempting to deny birthright citizenship? And basically every US elite who once treated him like a pariah is cool with him now? Well at least he pardoned the Silk Road guy. Anyway! You ever smoke a menthol? They’re lovely. It’s like smoking a breath mint. Jesus Christ!

Sometimes it feels like all this shit isn’t even worth writing about, for a lot of reasons. Firstly, what do I have to add that’s new? Basically nothing. Everyone’s said everything there is to say about whatever current events, especially all the Trump stuff. Second, as much as it sucks to say, it’s hard to care much anymore. In 2017 I was all in on the Donald Trump hate, and surely I still hate the guy, but I feel exhausted. I still have a lot of fight left in me, but I feel like my energy is better spent in other places where I can make a better impact than sounding like a Krassenstein brother replying to a Trump tweet in 2018 like “You should go to jail, sir!”

Besides, I’ve also got Canadian politics to think about. There’s going to be a Liberal party leadership race that it seems Mark Carney is poised to win (I called it a while ago for the record) and then a federal election that Pierre Poilievre is almost certainly going to win. I’m not looking forward to living in a Conservative-run Canada again, and I would love to see Poilievre lose, so I’m certainly going to put some energy into doing what I can in that regard. Poilievre feels like a much more immediate evil to deal with in my own life, considering I’m Canadian, not American. I put all this energy into caring about US politics, which does impact me and my loved ones in many ways, but I’ve gotta be honest with myself and say that Canadian politics does matter a great degree more in an immediate sense for me.

Side note — God I love the name Mark Carney. When it comes out of my mouth I sound like fucking Shoresy. I’m like the least accented white Canadian there is, being from Vancouver and all, but saying that name makes me sound like I have a god damn northern Ontario accent.

Anyway. Much to think about. I’ll probably have a lot of thoughts on Canadian politics in the coming months. Stay tuned. If you’re one of my many non-Canadian subscribers, maybe you’ll learn a thing or two about our ridiculous Reddit-ass country.

Tracks of the week

Been enjoying this George Daniel track lately. He’s so much more than the drummer from The 1975! He’s also Charli xcx’s fiance (reportedly maybe husband?) and he’s a producer and an electronic musician to boot! What can’t the guy do?

Would love to go out and dance to this. Tove Lo is on the track just saying shit in Swedish. It’s cool. Go listen to it.

Okay and a bonus because I’m feeling a little crazy. Image by Magdalena Bay is already a great song but this version with Grimes is really cool. I’m sorry!!!! Grimes is a really good musician!!!! I know she’s stupid as shit but I can’t deny her music is good.

Also I’m putting together a playlist of Sam Smart certified bops if you want to follow it on Spotify. It’ll include stuff I mention here, on Twitter, and just other stuff I like. There are no rules. Check it out. I’ll update it regularly.

The signs as municipalities in British Columbia

Aries - Ucluelet

Taurus - Prince George (I’m sorry)

Gemini - Castlegar

Cancer - Comox

Leo - Vancouver

Virgo - Fort St. John

Libra - Peachland

Scorpio - Grand Forks

Sagittarius - Salmo (Shambhala is Sagittarius-coded)

Capricorn - Trail

Aquarius - Osoyoos

Pisces - Saanich