Hi Friends!

In 2021 I watched 349 movies. What a disgusting number.

2021 was my full year of doing COVID screenings at the clinic. I’d have 1-2 shifts most days, where I’d watch movies and do crossword puzzles while waiting for people coming in for appointments or to pick up prescriptions.

In 2022 I got a new job, and had less “work” time to use for movie watching. I also didn’t want to watch as many movies. It was too much. I’d been smoking the whole pack for too long.

That number kept going down in each of 2023, 2024, (technically true), and 2025. At first the decrease was a rebalancing based on how much free time and energy I had with a new job, moving to the East end, getting a dog, etc. Now I’m intentionally working to break a bad habit. As we continue diving into 2026, one of my goals this year is to watch way fewer films. Yes, I like movies. But watching 100+ a year is just gluttonous, which is a sin, and we should at least try to do fewer sins.

I’m pivoting away from movies because, and I mean this sincerely, society needs me to stop.

My job will likely end next March, and so this year I need to figure out what my next step is going to be. What is going to be the fire inside me that I feel every morning when I wake up and get ready to face the day?

Every week, there are more and more stories about how our governments are underfunding public healthcare systems to make space for more and more privatization. That’s greed. That is also a sin. Maybe fighting back against that will be my fire. I know that if I want to join a cause more fully, whether that’s volunteering, re-training for a new career, or whatever, then I need to reorient my life. And so movies have gotta go. At least down to a reasonable number. For you and for me.

The title for this mix comes a talk called The Buddha’s Warning: How Tyranny Rises—and How to Resist It. In it, Brother Phap Luu tells a story about Thich Nhat Hanh saying that 60% harmony is all that is really needed in the community – It’s about accepting the friction that comes from being with others, and how we can’t abandon our relations because of small conflicts.

Anyways, here’s the link to the latest mix:

ANNOTATIONS

God’s Mom - Brava Ragazza I think there was an announcement on Exclaim about their album.

Slash Need - Worm They’ve been on my radar for a number of years because of their live shows, which sound like a lot of fun, but I will likely never find out and probably wouldn’t enjoy it anyways.

Devo - Gates of Steel (Live) Close personal friends. I think the live version has a bit more punch than the album one. Ideally someone would do a version that has even a little more to it. The hardcore covers are definitely faster, though they drop the electronics, which I think are essential.

Asobi Seksu - New Years Scott brought this to our attention about a year ago. I’m not sure where he heard about them from. You’d have to ask.

800 cherries - planc-tone This was in an Instagram Reel where the interviewer was asking a musician “This Album or This Album?” The older I get and the less time I spend keeping up with music trends, I’ve hit the point where I don’t know the new bands and I don’t know the obscure records they’re being inspired by. Very freeing.

The Bernhardts - Send Your Heart to Me In *my* heart this is an NTS discovery, but I have no proof of that. Of all the songs on this mix, it’s the one I’m singing to myself the most.

Miroque - Sky Cradle Also don’t know for sure. Possibly Instagram?

Arab Strap - Little Girls Close personal friends. I kept trying to fit in a song from their recent albums onto mixes, including the Karen Pirie theme song, but went and pulled from the classics instead.

Jess Sah Bi & Peter One - Katin Awesome Tapes from Africa re-released Jess Sah Bi’s solo album Jesus-Christ Ne Deçoit, and just worked my way back from there.

Bettye Swann - Little Things Mean a Lot I really thought this was on a Numero reissue, but I have no proof of that. Someone shared this on IG.

Michael Nyman - The Crossing Close personal friend. I’m a Michael Nymaniac.

Mount Eerie - I Walk Close personal friend.

Macha Loved Bedhead - Believe Numero are definitely doing reissues of them.

cktrl - kira Lis was playing this while I was reading on the couch.

John Cale - You Know More Than I Know A close personal friend. Also was in the recent Down Cemetery Road season.

Hiroshi Yoshimura - Adelaide Close personal friend. The song “Flora” got on my radar somehow, and brought me back to the album, and to this song.

While space allows, I’m stashing my recent mixes and annotations in a Google Drive folder, which you can visit here: The Archive

Andrew’s Fundraiser 2026

As always, here's the link to this year's fundraiser. The goal is a modest $2026, but I will increase it if we go over. It would mean a lot to me if you considered donating: tinyurl.com/550aday.

Even if you’ve already donated, please consider sharing it with your friends and family.