Mom and Aunt Mary flew back to Michigan, and it hurts. It was great to have them here. Last night Aunt Mary made a killer batch of chicken & dumplings, just like I remember as a youngling. Family dynamics, people. Sounding real tough, eh? Bigger they are, harder they fall.

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A SHARP CHAINSAW IS A SAFE CHAINSAW: Vintage Chainsaw Collection. Hours and hours of enjoyment in this one.

Man, I’ve got a story for everything. For every link!

I learned how to use a chainsaw in the summer of 1992. I was a tree trimmer for Townsend Tree, who had a contract with Cherryland Electric trimming a 15 year cycle of powerlines. Every 15 years they’d come back around, and trim the overgrowth messing with the power lines. It was harrowing stuff. Falling branches, bald-faced hornets, swamp bogs, summer heat, concerned homeowners and ornery foreman.

Anyhoo, I learned how to sharpen a chainsaw blade that summer, and keep them tuned up and ready for action. Best part of the day was getting them ready. We used Stihl stuff. I remember that.

(Thanks for the link, Geoffrey Cecil!)

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LOOKING FORWARD TO MEETING YOU, MAN: Frank Chimero is coming to Portland! Great, great stuff. It’s been awhile since I dug around on his site, and man, he’s organized as hell, with all kinds of new stuff to enjoy. Dig in.

For the record: To anyone who fucks with Mr. Chimero while he’s in Portland, just know you are fuckin’ with the entire DDC enterprise. Hard fact.

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EITHER YOU GET IT, OR YOU DON’T: Dave Carnie talks about old skate zines. (via the Lewman super Tweet feed)

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ON THE PLAYER, KEEPIN’ SHIT MELLOW AROUND THE SHOP:

01. Neil Young - Unplugged
02. The Anomoanon - Envoi Villian
03. Bill Fox - No Shelter From The Smoke