Mike Riversdale

It's heading from the Wellington Interislander terminal on her/it's 3½ hour journey across the Cook Strait to Waitohi / Picton via the Marlborough Sounds  at the top of the South Island / Te Waipounamu On a calm day / night, with a clear sky, this is one of my favourite journeys anywhere on the planet - bound to be related to my younger self's dreams of Aotearoa.

Dave's, A Beautiful Journey through Assisted Death , is one of the most important, impactful, and insightful pieces of writing I have ever had the privilege to read. It's lengthy, but feels like it takes a few scant minutes to read, as he articulately recalls the journey his mother ("mom") takes to her quiet death. Before we continue I need to echo Dave's own responsibile content warning: This article describes a family’s experience with Medical Aid in Dying (MAID), including detailed discussion of dementia, end-of-life planning, and death. I've known Dave, at arms length, for many many years and have always respected his openness, courage, honesty, and principles. I can now appreciate where a lot of these wonderful attributes originate, his Mum, Dr Sarah Traister Moskovitz . It's not my role to copy-n-paste his words , I urge you to find the space from your daily activities, from the hubbub of work, to slow down and be with Dave. Be with his family and a...

I haven't looked closely but the metallic weirdos on railings along Worcester Street sure do look like they're straight off the Hereford Mappa Mundi , this one is (a) Blemmyae .

"Call that art, I could do that!" But you didn't. And even now that you've seen it you won't. Mind you ... this does seem a bit ... well, you know ... easy?

Kicking off series 2 of  Mike's Audio Summaries podcast in which I take blog posts and supporting web articles into Google's NotebookLM AI to create an audio "deep dive". Long time readers, friends, and family will know my time with a "wobbly brain" and some of the posts I have published over the years on mental health and specifically suicidal thoughts. This episode, Burnout & Suicidal Thoughts , is a positive, hopeful, and action orientated discussion on those subjects. Aotearoa New Zealand 1737 – Free call or text 1737 Lifeline – 0800 543 354 Youthline – 0800 376 633, free text 234  Samaritans – 0800 726 666 Suicide Crisis Helpline – 0508 828 865  What's Up – 0800 942 8787 (for 5–18 year olds) Kidsline – 0800 54 37 54, free text 5626 Anxiety New Zealand -  0800 269 4389 UK Samaritans 116 123 HOPELineUK 0800 068 41 41 CALM 0800 58 58 58 Lifeline (Northern Ireland) 0808 808 8000 Community Advice & Listening Line (Wales) 0800 132 737 (24/7) or...

The people that have been in my life, are in my life, and I hope will be in my life, are people that have a life outlook bigger than themselves. They are kind people that look to others with love and a helpful perspective. "How can I help?", "Oh, let me do that for you", or just do stuff without asking. No-one is perfect, sometimes we all have selfish moments, but the base is always there. These are the people that have been in my life, exclusively when I rack my memory. Until I met you. You are the most selfish, petty, inward, "me" / "I" focused human being I have ever had the misfortune to meet. Of course it's down to me to shift you out of my life, not a problem, and I won't think of you, miss you, or worry about you. You, of course, will do all that self centered thinking with the tiny 'me focussed' brain space you survive inside. Good luck, you will be a lonely person forever wondering why no-one has ever stuck with you. Act...

It's quite the memorial tbf. The movie Metropolis comes to mind, or even the book Atlas Shrugged (a nasty shitty book). It also has some big Marvel Universe Thor Valhalla vibes. The figures on the 1937  Citizens' War Memorial represent, Youth, Justice, Peace, Sacrifice, and Valour. Sure, why not. The woman with her breasts out (WTF? oh, it's an angel, of course it is) bending the sword isn't named, but I like to think of her as Marlene. The figures, based on the sculptor’s family, staff and friends, had intensely individual faces .. It was created by the monumental sculptor, well a monumental something, William Trethewey (1892 – 1956), who represents in this work everything I shudder about when it comes to the British Empire and those that colonised Aotearoa New Zealand. I took photos from all angles coz it deserves it out of sheer amazement.

I've a stack of Wellington Airport LoTR photos, this one is quite different to the standard shots.

I dunno who it's aimed at, the  Wellington Tramway Museum , it's pure quaintness and smells of weekend volunteers. I love it every few years, being on a tram rumbling past the US Marine Corps Memorial, Camp Russell  on the way to the beach. Sunset is the best time.

It's been a source of laughs, a place of catharsis, times to be brave and open, and all with a lovely regularity that I enjoy. I published my first post back in December 2004 which kicked of a number of years during which I posting daily. This faded to a dribble as Facebook and Twitter replaced the posts, and rushed back as I realised that social media is ephemera, useful for sharing but of no use keeping things. So, 20 years ... I'm not gonna link you to stuff here, it's all available in search, labels at the bottom, but maybe a follow the links in This Is My (Blog) Life .

I've done a lot of things but I've done 9 things off my " It's later than you think " / " I've Never See Star Wars " list I've talked about the Poptart , Mills & Boon , and Footloose already, so here's the other 6. Walk The Southern Walkway (Wellington)  - 7/10 The Southern Walkway is an 11km walk along the Town Belt between Oriental Bay and Island Bay. The total walk can be completed in 4–5 hours depending on fitness and interest. [source: Explore Wellington - Southern Walkway Map PDF ] I can't remember when I did it, but I do recall it being a lot easier than I thought it would be. It's a perfect walk for a nice summer's day tbh, get amongst it! Watch a Bruce Lee movie - 4/10 It was Enter The Dragon ... hmmm, not sure I really enjoyed it tbh. A lot of slapstick noises with the fighting, the story was ok, and definitely felt of it's time. I can imagine it was very different back then, and Bruce Lee is, OK, but yeah, no...

I am both of the exotic and the mundane, of reality and fantastical, but mostly of the dream. I live in Aotearoa New Zealand because of a book. It was my Uncle's 'boys own adventure' book from the 1920s (I think) that included a chapter about Pelorus Jack , a Risso's dolphin that was famous for meeting and escorting ships through a stretch of water in Cook Strait from 1888 until his disappearance after 1912. The story wasn't particularly adventurous but, to my young mind, I was being transported to another part of the universe. A country that was so exotic, so amazing, so idyllic. I've lived in that part of the universe for more years than I've lived anywhere else.  Thankfully I still experience it with my 11 year olds eyes, so exotic, amazing, and idyllic. I also see it for the reality it is, it's struggles, attitudes, loves, victories, hates, loves, and differences. I am the luckiest person.

#BeKind It's a simple act, takes very little energy to perform, but a whole stack of courage and grown-upness to do. Being a cunt it so much easier. Being a dick takes no thinking. Being a tit is being in neutral gear. Being kind is remarkably rare, and yet everyone thinks they can do it at the drop of a meme. Try it, right now, be kind ... no, seriously, I'll wait ... if it's so easy to do, "I could do that whenever I wanted" ... try it, right now ... this post will be here when you come back ... Go on, be kind. I hope you were kind. But I don't think you were, right then, you didn't actually actively do anything did you? "FUCK YOU MIKE! Telling me what to do, go fuck yourself, fucking gonna leave a comment and tell you what I think about being kind, I could be kind whenever I want, not fucking for you to tell me what to do, you sick fucking bastard, bet you're in love with Cindy Arrdern, that shit for brains witch." Let loose, go on. Or, be...

I suspect I was an insect in a previous incarnation as I ❤️❤️ flowers, the colours are amazing. Of course this is merely a byproduct and what we enjoy has nothing to with us. Flowers are focussed on insects and insects are trichromats, meaning they are sensitive to UV, blue, and green. Insects are also particularly sensitive to edges (when one colour goes to another), and so flowers are both dramatic, and 'best' seen in UV for the actual patterns. All these other colours and shapes that we find so joyful are all happenstance. But still, flowers eh, lahverly.

Exponential is gonna make this world of humans very very different. What the fuck is " exponential change " Mike? I, you, and all humans are built to see change in a linear way. A wolf accelerating at a set rate is going to slowly catch us, but we know when, and therefore where (see how clever we are), so we get tricksy and make plans to not be there and then, hah, take that wolf! The wolf starts out at 1 kmh, but speeds up at 2 kmh. It's now at 3 kmh, but hang on it's still getting faster, now at 5 kmh. Christ this wolf is still going, 7 kmh. Meh, we can run at 10 kmh. It adds another 2 kmh, ok, it's catching up. 9 kmh, we're starting to worry and make plans. Wow, the wolf is now 11 kmh, probably a blur but s'ok as it is slower than a bike so maybe we use that. Oh noes, another 2 kmh, that's 13 kmh. A spurt from the wolf and it's now 15 kmh, and one more boost, up to 17 kmh. Within only 9 steps this damn wolf is now running at us at 17 kmh. We...

It looks a lot of faff, but his wooshing up and flying does seem like it would be awesome.

The setting sun peaks through and under the wharf.

A small, wooden, dark red painted bus stop with cutout to show the blue behind it.

Did you know that the Internet Archive has an ever growing archive of all of the open web? Every single page, where it's been allowed and has come to their attention, is being archived so that if the original disappears for whatever reason, you can still find a snapshot of it. To access this archive you use the Wayback Machine . This blog is safely stored deep within AND not just a one-off snapshot but many versions over the years. The blog's homepage has been saved 208 times between September 10, 2008 and October 6, 2024 (at time of writing this). Each post will have it's own stats, mostly one or two saves. The Internet Archive has saved my arse a number of times, but most recently it's been a source of images, but first, let me tell you a story. Back in the day this blog's web address was merely miramarmike.blogger.com ... in fact underlying it all, it still is. This was then mapped to blog.mikeriversdale.co.nz. HOWEVER, during a move down to Christchurch I had a...