Our first camping adventure of the 2024 season was the May 24 long weekend at Presqu’ile Provincial Park. On our way there, we stopped to get a picture of the wind turbines up by Highway 115, as it was on our way.

The weather was cool enough to keep the mosquito’s at bay, but not too cool so to make our trip enjoyable.

At the end of April, I made the decision that the new Pentax WG-90 was going to be my daily point-and-shoot companion. This might seem odd given that there’s a camera built right into the cell phone which I also carry with me every day, but to be honest, the phone is lacking in several important aspects which I will go over in my comparison, and as I strive to live more intentionally in each moment, I believe the phone is something I might not wish to have with me at all times anymore.

Growing up, I came to appreciate awe inspiring celestial events; peering into the sky, wondering if I should ever be so fortunate in life. One of these is the solar eclipse; an event that rests at the foundation of ancient myths and legends and has even woven itself into the very fabric of the world’s religions. Some people go to great expense and difficulty to place themselves in places in the world to catch a glimpse of this event, only to have their plans undone by cloud cover.

In past years, I would use my blog to share my choice of income tax software and the reasons why. In the present day of income tax season in the year 2024, I find I cannot use any of the government’s recommended income tax preparation software for reasons that are both philosophical and of personal privacy and liability concerns.

I will start with the fact that my income tax is, or should be, a simple affair. I earn an income, and must pay the provincial and federal government taxes based on the tax bracket of my annual earned income less any deductions that are allowed. The taxes I owe the government are an affair between me and my government; there should be no reason for a third party to be involved. If I am owed money from the government, that means I have overpaid on my taxes and have given the government an interest free loan over the past year; if I owe the government money, it means I have underpaid my taxes and enjoyed an interest free loan. It seems to me our society has been brainwashed into believing that getting a return is the optimal outcome in this affair, though I also believe this is a sales and marketing tactic by companies that provide apps, software, and services to sell to those people who have a poor relationship with and a poor understanding of their own finances. Whatever the case may be, it’s our government who sets out the rules on how these taxes are to be calculated, and so the burden of responsibility is on them to provide me with whatever tools I need in order to calculate my tax burden. I should not have to pay or turn my information over to any third party in this.

I’ve been on a musical journey lately in rediscovering some of my country’s greatest musicians. Music has always been my first love in life. I found myself in front of the disarray of compact discs at my local Wal-Mart, and I found Leonard Cohen’s greatest hits. I was amazed at the beauty of his take on this style of folk music which was popularized by Bob Dylan. Except Cohen’s music is, to my ear, much better than Dylan’s. Less self indulgent, speaking more from his soul.