I’m glad that Ben is speaking up about the benefits of cognitive behavioral therapy. He sounds very tuned in with the mind + body connection.

The montage features many of my favourite things – dogs, punk rock, video games and sepia toned driving scenes.

And one of their few videos: Freedom

The Nils were one of those bands that just hit me right in the heart when I heard them. Melodic, poppy, working-class music that was too good to be true and yet overlooked. Destined for greatness, they were the underdogs who never broke through.

The Montreal Mirror wrote a great retrospective of the band in this article which documents the tragic demise of lead singer Alex Soria.

Check this NPR feature on the posthumous album ‘Next of Kin’ & do listen to the song “Love to Hate”.

Kinda made me think of a time way back when I was at a Buddhist centre as a young pup and found it difficult to connect with the other practitioners due to feeling a bit out of place since I was the youngest one in the room. This was purely as a result of my “anti-conformist”, “not wanting to hang with the old hippies mechanism” firmly rooted in my distrust of anyone my parents age.

I saw the centre as a “Cool Club” where due to my lack of life experience, level of practice and general young foppishness, I’d never fit in.

One day, one of the other attendees of the program came over and started talking to me and then once I loosened up a bit, asked why I didn’t stick around after the sessions and went off on my own. SNAP. It hit me. I was the one projecting that I was too “cool for their school” and my insecurities just got the best of me; keeping me from enjoying some meaningful conversations and connections with other practitioners.

I’d encourage you to notice when you start to run off from the ‘Cool Kids’ and examine what it is you are feeling and thinking in these moments. Chances are it’s just your ego getting the worst of you.

Oh and to the kid who made this homemade video for this song and didn’t get a good grade in their media studies class – I think you did a great job on it so *ppptt* to your teacher!

Sir Ben Kingsley STOMPS into the shoes of Minor Threat’s Ian MacKaye from Mean Magazine on Vimeo.

It’s such a visceral feeling when the first few riffs of a ‘CLASSIC’ song tug away at your core… Such is the case with ‘Celebrated Summer’. Whoa – that took me back really far down memory lane. Late night skate sessions behind the seniors residence – trying to teach myself to ollie and doing all I could to escape from my parents and my homework. Hanging out with Tobi, Tracey and Wendy – going to gigs and trying to make a difference with the short-lived East Coast ‘Punx for Peace’.

Love and hate was in the air, like pollen from a flower
Somewhere in April time, they add another hour

I guess I’d better think up a way to spend my time
Just when I’m ready to sit inside, it’s summer time
Should I go fishing or get a friend to hang around
It’s back to summer, back to basics, hang around

Getting drunk out on the beach, or playing in a band
And getting out of school meant getting out of hand

Was this your celebrated summer? Was that your celebrated summer?

Then the sun disintegrates between a wall of clouds
I summer where I winter at, and no one is allowed there

Do you remember when the first snowfall fell
When summer barely had a snowball’s chance in Hell?

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