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sojournermemoirs.bsky.social
Michael Audette
@sojournermemoirs.bsky.social
1.5K followers 2.3K following 3.3K posts
Flaneur, Maker, Photographer, Sojourner

Mostly Digital and Analogue Monochrome Film.
Color when it's called for.

“A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.”
―Lao Tzu

ICE & Assoc:
Fuck off and develop bleeding hemorrhoids.
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sojournermemoirs.bsky.social
The writer is a friend from undergrad, and the Otsego, Mich., schools have just banned one of her books because of its social message of inclusion and individuality.

(Spoiler: It has Unicorns!)
Link to ebook edition:
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ponies-kij...
Cover of Kij Johnson's "Ponies"
December 6, 2025 at 8:39 PM
sojournermemoirs.bsky.social
6A Violation in the making:
US Border Patrol Plans $5,000 Arrest Fee for Illegal Crossers

This was provided by Congress as part of The BIg BFU Bill.

archive.is/HwpoT#select...
Landscape of an unnamed prairie-desert typical of the Southwestern Border of US, including a section of the infamous "Wall."
December 6, 2025 at 3:13 PM
sojournermemoirs.bsky.social
Only The Best People...

"The president is widely believed to be waiting until a year has passed in his second term before making his first Cabinet reshuffle.

"It is looking increasingly likely that Hegseth will be the first to go."

www.msn.com/en-us/news/w...
Candid headshot of Hegseth, looking down.
December 4, 2025 at 12:51 PM
sojournermemoirs.bsky.social
Digital Monochromes, with emulated orange filter.
Taken in the thin light of an overcast winter's day.
#photohraphy #monochrome #r100 #myrtlebeach
A fastback Ford Mustang on Ocean Blvd The Skywheel, from below. pyler Park, ocen in background with the music stage, decorated for the holidays. Statue of a mermaid cavorting with porpoises, entitled Goddess of the Seas The music stage in Pyler Park, decorated for The Holidays, ocean in the background.
December 4, 2025 at 12:10 AM
sojournermemoirs.bsky.social
The Homeland as Battle=Ground:
The Escalation has begun.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
Image of ICE/National Guard personnel wrestling someone to the ground outside of a fenced in yard of a home. Trump/Hegseth order one of the newly formed National Guard Strike Force units to sweep the Somali community in Minneapolis. Trump refers to Somali's as "garbage" people.
December 3, 2025 at 11:58 AM
sojournermemoirs.bsky.social
Recommended Read:
From The Atlantic, via an archive:

Lessons From 5,000 Years of Civilizational Collapse

A new book argues that societies built on centralized wealth and power contain the seeds of their own destruction.
By Linda Kinstler

archive.ph/8Bx3T#select...
Screenshot of an abstract dead tree with points of light, against a stary sky.
December 1, 2025 at 4:37 PM
sojournermemoirs.bsky.social
My Project bicycle on the left, as it arrived on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, versus a pristine example of the same model (with one difference--see Alt).

To my surprise, the wheel size looks to be the Big Bike Boom 27x1 1/4 inch American Standard, easily changed to current 700c.

See the ALT
My Project Cycle: A mid-'70s Peugeot Grand Sport, as it was delivered. To my surprise, it is set up for the American Big Bike Boom 27 inch x 1 1/4 inch wheelset of the period. I thought it might have 26 inch wheels, and I was ready to set this up as a three-speed, using new parts from a favorite supplier. I will now convert it to the slightly smaller 700C wheel standard, and that will give me access to a very wide variety of tire choices. The brakes look like Weinmann Center-Pulls (with Peugeot labels) to my eye, but the specs indicate they are by the French company Mallard. The caliper brakes may need to be replaced if they lack the reach needed to cope with my slight change in wheel diameter. I'm planning to replace the wheelset with sealed bearing hubs. I have a Shimano Dura Ace rear derailleur to replace the broken French Simplex. Only the broken mount remains of the front derailleur. The headset bearings (threaded headset, with a quill type handlebar stem) feel perfect, so a bit of cleaning and lubrication will be all that they will need. The bottom bracket (bearing for the pedal-crankset) are at best salvageable, but it has the old-style steel crankset with cottered (pinned) mount for the pedals. This French built cycle follows a French standard for threading on the bottom bracket, and I've located three options for a new, sealed bearing cartridge type or a cup and caged/loose bearing type of new/NOS bottom bracket that will allow a modern, precision milled aluminum crankset and pedal (the current pedals are also threaded to a French standard). I have the original pipe-type seatpost in pristine condition, and my intent is to fit a Brooks type saddle. The Grand Sport was never a racing bicycle. It was intended as a pleasant cycle to ride in a relaxed fashion around town and over long distances. I'll use it as a utility/commuter for now, but the rebuild will be done with an eye to something more akin to its original intent. :-) Image from The Cycling Forums of a pristine Peugeot Grand SPort with almost identical features fo my project bicycle. The bottle generator (factory standard) is mounted in a different position from mine, which is mounted on the chainstay, while this example has the bottle generator mounted on the seatstay.
November 30, 2025 at 2:47 PM
sojournermemoirs.bsky.social
#dog #dogphoto

Judah, the Sarplaniac (also known as Yugoslavian or Balkan Shepherd)

He's my buddy.

His job is to guard the house, the yard, and all who dwell within.

Sarplaniacs are rare in the US, and they require special handling. They need a job to do, or they can easily become ill-tempered.
Dog photo of Judah, the Sarplaniac, also known as Yugoslavian Shpherd
November 26, 2025 at 9:30 PM
sojournermemoirs.bsky.social
#bicycle Project for Winter:
A circa 1970 #Peugeot Grand Sport, to be rebuilt and converted to a 3 speed internal gear hub with 26 inch wheels.

(This vintage Peugeot came with 26 inch wheels, but not the current standard.)

The intent is a wet weather commuter that doubles as a utility #bike. >ALT
Hulk of a Peugeot Grand Sport (C.1968-1972?). My intent is to build up a wet-weather commuter and general utility bike with wider tires to enable dirt and gravel road riding. This was sold as a nice bike to ride around town. It's not a racing bike despite the nice Atax drop handlebars. The main gain in this frame is the vintage Peugeot cachet and the French geometry in how the frame is laid out. I favor French geometry in a road bike, and my favorite rides have been Peugeot and (French) Motobecane. The tubing is Peugeot's house brand Carbolite 103, which is pretty decent steel in a straight gauge, The headset bearings are fine, the bottom-bracket (bearing for the crank) is suspect, but I won't know what it needs until it gets disassembled. It has a French-Threaded Bottom Bracket instead of the current international standard, but I have sources for the appropriate parts. If I need to replace the bottom bracket, I'll alsop replace the crank and pedals with current standard parts to ease servicing issues down the road (sic). The crank is the old steel and cottered pin type. It came with an unusable front wheel. The brakes are Peugeot labeled Weinmann center-pulls. It has a bottle-generator and wiring for lights. The fenders are in excellent shape and only need mounts for the rear. The seatpost is a pipe-type. The wheels on this vintage cycle are close to our current 26" standard, and I ought to be able to replace them with such. The brakes hopefully will be able to be adjusted, but if not, they will need to be replaced. The remains of the rear derailleur are a low-end Simplex (French manufacture). The front derailleur is missing. My intent is to replace the wheelset and gearing with a modern Shimano 3 speed internal gear hub. That will involve a bit of arithmetic to calculate my desired gear ratios. The first set of tasks will be disassembly, examination and cleaning of components, and component replacement.
November 26, 2025 at 9:15 PM
sojournermemoirs.bsky.social
image of Voltaire, with quote reading "If you want to know who controls you, look at who you are not allowed to criticize."
November 25, 2025 at 5:31 PM
sojournermemoirs.bsky.social
There's a lot of watching and anxiety here, too.

Thank you for your good thoughts.

FWIW, Canada's selection of Carney as PM (former national banker for England) almost supports the concept of Divine Guidance.

But the Hegelian Dialectic of it all has elevated Social Democrats. (See Image ALT)
Image of an album cover for Symphonie Fantastique, by Hector Berlioz. Uploaded to exploit the long comments in the <IMAGE ALT> _____________________ My own home political caucus was Republican, and while we always had some crazies and sociopaths on the outskirts, the party was run my generally sane and sensible people. We even had some Progressives. But now, it's The Democrat Party that is the least hostile to Free Markets with sensible guardrails. MAGA officials have turned to litigation against the government as a path to enriching themselves. In the Continuing Resolution, funding the government until the end of January, 2026 (we've not passed a budget yet for 2025!), a provision was made that any elected official whose email was subpoenaed by the Dept. of Justice following the uprising of 6 January 2021 can sue for $500,000usd of relief. The whole litigation as legal cover for a bribe is a Trump specialty. And all of this could have been avoided had Trump been convicted in impeachment following his first term (US Constitution prohibits The Impeached and Convicted from holding governent office without an act of Congress having rehabilitated them).
November 23, 2025 at 8:59 PM
sojournermemoirs.bsky.social
If I post this, I suspect I may be gender-shaming.

But, frack it. I's Vance.

Check out Vance's shir. Looks as if he's lactating.

x.com/ASFleischman...
JD Vance with Saudi Crown Price, aka MBS, the guy who ordered a jounalist to be cut up into little pieces. Vance has a suspicious stain on his shirt that resembles lactation. (On the count of three: 1.2.3 "EEEEEwwww!")
November 23, 2025 at 8:06 PM
sojournermemoirs.bsky.social
this is interesting...

USCG Commandant refutes story in WAPO that swastikas and nooses are to be removed from lprohibited hatespeach lists.

thehill.com/policy/defen...
uscg ensign-flag patch
November 21, 2025 at 9:22 AM
sojournermemoirs.bsky.social
Something for you to enjoy over (good) headphones as you pause from your tasks of the day and take in a cup of tea or coffee.

Hector Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique, Opus 14.

archive.org/details/Symp...
Cover of London Symphony's recording of Hector Berlioz' "Symphony Fantastique. He wrote this to seduce a woman. It worked. They married. They were miserable together. (You have been warned!)
November 19, 2025 at 2:00 PM
sojournermemoirs.bsky.social
For a couple seconds, I contemplated filling out an application.

That kind of money would finance a modest little sailboat backyard build and pay for a couple years of provision staples if you like rice and beans.
Screenshot of an article from 1928 Motorboating Magazine, showing a 20' v-bottomed catboat with unusually pleasant accommodations. From Motor Boating magazine, build-a-boat feature. Porpoise, designed by Wm. Deed, a highly sought after naval architect with an unusually wide ranging repertoire of design practice and expertise, from runabouts to dinghys, to motor and sail cruisers with excellent cabins, and he also designed heavy commercial ships. Deed didn't design to cheat rules and win races. He designed boats to be used with joy and comfort. Porpoise would likely struggle to sail close-hauled (near to the direction fo the wind), but that's what the motor is for. She does excel in he intended function, though: A weekend cottage on which you can take out all of your friends for a day, and take out one special person for two weeks of summer holiday.
November 19, 2025 at 1:48 PM
sojournermemoirs.bsky.social
"Behind the scenes, and still with deep connections around the country, a shadow Republican Party is lying in wait to take over when Trump is gone."

Remember: The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

This will take all of us.

archive.is/6jzpr#select...
GW Bush
November 18, 2025 at 10:23 PM
sojournermemoirs.bsky.social
I deeply appreciated a story my morning reading that likened Johnson to Wylie Coyote, from the Road Runner cartoons, who devises intricate plots but succeeds only in self-demolition.
Wylie Coyote, self-destructing despite his most intricate plans, lighting his tail on fire instead of the rocket-fuse onto which he is strapped.
November 18, 2025 at 1:13 PM
sojournermemoirs.bsky.social
Joyce Carol Oates at 87.
#joycecarolotes @joycecaroloates.bsky.social

An example of how educated, cultured women are eternally enrapturing.

(London) Telegraph has a great story today on how she's castigating Musk for being a philistine. (& She's doing it over X!)
Joyce Carol Oates at 87. An example of how smart, cultured women are the most enchanting of their sort.
November 18, 2025 at 12:50 PM
sojournermemoirs.bsky.social
link to original document, judicial memorandum, Comey motion to dismiss.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
James Comey, headshot photo
November 18, 2025 at 6:52 AM
sojournermemoirs.bsky.social
1. An overcast morning in Myrtle Beach, SC. View of 14th St. Pier.

Digital color, but the light is so indifferent, it's difficult to distinguish from monochrome.

2. Sneakers in the Sand.

Taken with my venerable compact camera, a Canon G9, that I piked up off Craigslist for $45 around 2016.
An overcast morning in Myrtle Beach, SC, USA 14th St. Pier Sneakers in The Sand
November 16, 2025 at 2:31 PM
sojournermemoirs.bsky.social
With a $1usd for scale, here's a photo of a very good girl, Pandora, a Great Dane, hanging out with me in the kitchen as I make my coffee and porridge.

She's 8 years old, near the end-of-life for her breed, and she was kept chained up in a back yard without shelter or even a warm blanket.
(See ALT)
photo of Pandora, an 8 year old Great Dane. $1usd paper bill in photo for scale. She was kept chained outside, to a tree, all ear long, without shelter or a warm blanket. She had no toys. Her previous owners tried twice to have their vet euthanize her once she lost the ability to produce puppies that they could sell, and the vet refused (this was in her paperwork). When picking her up as a rescue, the previous owner said he'd never heard her bark in all the 8 years. She's since learned that she has a good set of lungs and a deeply resonant voice! Once in awhile, we catch her either warming up to bark, or still practicing. She does a bit of running in the fenced yard, and she's easy to pet since she's hand-height when she stands up. She loves her big pet bed and blanket, and she's earned how to take a treat. While some dogs would have become mean and bitter from a lifetime of ill-treatment and neglect, Pandora is gentle, and working to make up for her isolation by calmly constantly giving and asking for affection. She's a good girl.
November 16, 2025 at 12:53 PM
sojournermemoirs.bsky.social
Our power went off, precisely at 9am.

We live in The Country, alongside a two-lane highway, and we looked outside to see this coming down the road.
#photography #R100 #Moving
Large House with smaller el, detached for transport, moving down the road in front of our house in The Countryside. #R100 Main House being moved down the road. Note how it overhangs the edge of the road. #R100 Smaller el, detatched from main house, being moved down the road. #R100 House being moved down the road in front of our place in the countryside. #r100
November 12, 2025 at 4:31 PM
sojournermemoirs.bsky.social
Large house, overhaning road, being moved down the rod in front of the house! Digital Monochrome of large house being moved down the road in front of the house. Shot looking into The Sun, rubber lens hood in use. Canon R100 Guest House being moved down the road in front of where I live.
November 12, 2025 at 4:15 PM
sojournermemoirs.bsky.social
This lab is key for tracking deadly waves. Its sensors are about to go offline.
Story by Ruby Mellen • 1d • 6 min read

www.msn.com/en-us/weathe...
silhouette of a man in darkened room, viewing large video screens with data and graphs
November 12, 2025 at 12:40 PM
sojournermemoirs.bsky.social
Candidate for trump horror duJour

Oil leases off coast of California, Alaska.

www.msn.com/en-us/news/p...
photo of oil rig in sea
November 12, 2025 at 12:17 PM