Sign in

Mike Leipe

@mleipe.bsky.social
221 followers 501 following 462 posts

"Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is an absurd one." - Voltaire Ottawa, Canada

PostsRepliesMedia
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
"But if you don't doubt yourself, how can you ever learn?" - @susiedentwords.bsky.social, "Guilty by Definition"
000
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
"When you are cured, the world cheers; when you are dying, it mourns. But when you are simply maintaining, the world is at a loss." A thoughtful and helpful reflection on living with stage four #cancer. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
theguardian.com
I have stage four cancer – there will be no cure, but death isn’t necessarily imminent: this is how it feels to live in the long middle
When you are cured, the world cheers; when you are dying, it mourns. But when you are simply maintaining, the world is at a loss
000
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
This piece on the very real angst of living with cancer well beyond your sell-by date hits home for me. "They’re not struggling because they feared death, but because they’d already made peace with it, only to have the map each created to arrive there taken away." ottawacitizen.com/news/when-yo...
ottawacitizen.com
What happens when you don't die on time?
Hélène Campbell was supposed to be long dead by now. She emptied her bucket list, bank account — and at 34, is left to wonder: “What next?”
000
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Seven years ago today, on February 23, 2019, I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, which despite radiation, surgery, and chemo later metastasized to my lungs twice. Today I celebrated my #cancerversary by doing this for 3.5 hours with a group of good friends. #hope
Me at the bottom of the chair lift at Sommet Edelweiss near Wakefield, Quebec.
010
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
"[C]hange doesn't stop just 'cause you're standing still" - @karinslaughter.com, "We Are All Guilty Here" An uncomfortable book, but your best always are for me. Thanks.
000
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
Good to see that someone's keeping Oscar warm over the winter! 🇨🇦🥶🎹
The Oscar Peterson sculpture outside the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, surrounded by snow and clad in a toque and scarf.
000
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
"Ever notice how dumb luck seems to follow smart people around?" - @johnsandford.bsky.social, "Shock Wave"
000
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
Okay, so maybe the Rideau Canal Skateway can live without my presence today. 🥶
Ottawa area weather on January 24, 2026, showing the current temperature as -29 degrees Celsius.
000
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
"The real world does not conform to the mathematical tidiness of simple scenarios" - @adamjkucharski.bsky.social, "Proof: The Art and Science of Certainty" Great book so far, thanks for writing it.
173
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
Despite this, it was a ton of fun starting the ski season with a bunch of friends up at Camp Fortune this morning. More snow, please!
Weather conditions in Chelsea, Quebec the morning of Friday, December 5, 2025, -22 degrees Celsius!
020
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
Our cottage neighbours, on whose property this stands, think it's funny as hell. I think it belongs on the cover of a @stephenking.bsky.social novel. #creepy
A tree with a bunch of old shoes nailed to it.
140
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
Got some book-loving friends here from Denmark and giving them my standard rant about my love of @johnvaillant.bsky.social's work - are any of them available in Danish, do you know?
220
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
5+ years into Stage IV colorectal cancer, I still get, "but you don't look like you have cancer!". I continue to assert that cancer is not so much a battle as a grind, not something you fight but something you endure. Thank you, @briannaabbott.bsky.social / @wsj.com. www.wsj.com/health/termi...
wsj.com
A New Reality for Terminal Cancer: Longer Lives, With Chronic Uncertainty
Stage-four cancer patients are living longer, challenging the idea of what it means to have and survive cancer. “The science just needs to stay a step ahead of me.”
060
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
"A confident, precise prior that is contradicted by precise information from the world should result in a radically changed posterior probability" - @tomchivers.bsky.social, "Everything is Predictable" One of those delightful books that will change how I live in this world. Thanks.
141
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
If you're in the Ottawa area tomorrow and looking for musical Canada Day festivities, I'm playing with Rothwell & Moffatt at Gemmill Park in Almonte. We're on from 4:30 - 5:15, but plan to arrive earlier and stay later to hear the other amazing acts, too. www.mississippimills.ca/explore-and-...
mississippimills.ca
Canada Day | Mississippi Mills
010
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 21/06/2025
The view from my workspace last evening. Some jobs are worth commuting to.
My musical friends Steph & Jeff from Rothwell & Moffat, during last night's gig at the Britannia Yacht Club here in Ottawa.Sunset from my place on stage during last night's Rothwell & Moffatt gig at the Britannia Yacht Club here in Ottawa.'Last night's Rothwell & Moffatt gig at the Britannia Yacht Club here in Ottawa.
040
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
I met @damedenisemina.bsky.social once and as I recall she didn't look anything like Raymond Chandler. It turns out, however, that she can absolutely write like he did. Loving "The Second Murderer", thanks for writing it.
120
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
Brian Wilson RIP. Few human minds have held as much talent, or put it to such joyous use. www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdt0...
youtube.com
GOOD VIBRATIONS (HD) THE BEACH BOYS
YouTube video by PhilGoodFactor1
010
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
"We're all different. Every day. That's the point." - @gregghurwitzbooks.bsky.social, "The Last Orphan"
040
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
I suspect that if this snow person had elbows, they would be up. 🇨🇦 #ElbowsUp
A patriotic snow person in Ottawa, Canada, on April 14, 2025.
010
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
"[T]he problem with people who think they're above the basics is they're the ones who get the basics wrong" - @brookmyre.bsky.social, "The Cracked Mirror" Stellar book so far, thanks for writing it.
040
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
Delighted to have Vera, Chuck, and Dave dropping by today, especially given that four years ago the odds of that visit happening were microscopic.
030
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
Travelling around my riding of Nepean this week I've seen signs for the Conservative candidate everywhere, but so far only one for @mark-carney.bsky.social. What's up with that, @liberalca.bsky.social?
020
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
"Karla's Choice" was a delightful opportunity to spend a few evenings rediscovering George Smiley and my all-time favourite literary world, something I'd not expected to experience again. Thank you, @harkaway.bsky.social, for this exceptional book - it felt like returning home after a long absence.
130
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
How cool is finding a Rush reference in the funnies?
A comic from today's Ottawa Citizen with a character named "Bytor the Snow Dog".
110
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
Happy Pi Day!
A freshly-baked lemon meringue pie.
020
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 10/03/2025
It was a pleasure and an honour to join Gene, River, and Cassie at January's Ottawa Bike Minds event to talk about how we've all used cycling to help us overcome obstacles in our lives. bikeminds.ca/2025/01/28/o...
bikeminds.ca
Overcoming Obstacles
After exactly five years since our last in-person event, BIKE MINDS returned to the physical stage on Tuesday January 28, 2025 in Ottawa, in the cozy, intimate setting of the Ottawa Bike Café. Here…
051
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 16/02/2025
"Get your mind off wintertime, you ain't goin' nowhere" #ThanksBob
A car covered in snow.A person in front of a snowbank after shovelling the driveway.
040
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
I know you're not supposed to play favourites with your kids, but the one who gave us a year of Disney+ for Christmas just might have moved up a notch in the will the moment I discovered that I can now watch @karinslaughter.com's "Will Trent". 😉
051
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 09/02/2025
Yet another perfect day on Ottawa's Rideau Canal Skateway.
The starting point of Ottawa's Rideau Canal Skateway, with the National Arts Centre, the Parliament Buildings, and the Chateau Laurier in the background.
040
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 02/02/2025
Almost finished @andrewrsorkin.bsky.social's "Too Big To Fail", about the 2008 financial crisis. Enjoying it, but I'm realizing that I have very little understanding of finance and financial markets. Can anyone here recommend one or more layperson-level books that will enlighten me in this space?
000
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 01/02/2025
At least the sun was shining... #skiday #brr
The weather in Chelsea, Quebec, at 8:24 am on February 1, 2025, showing a current temperature of -19 degrees Celsius, -25 with windchill.
000
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
I'll never forget hearing "Broken English" for the first time at 18, that voice like she'd been gargling with broken glass sending a chill down my spine. Still one of my favourite albums. Such a tremendous talent.
010
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
The original plan was to hit the ski hill this morning but that's not going to happen... 🥶
Ottawa weather forecast for January 20, 2025, showing a current temperature of -19 degrees C.
000
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
Such a treat to see this again, for the first time in almost three years.
Distance marker at the south end of Ottawa's Rideau Canal Skateway, Jan. 16, 2025.
030
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 12/01/2025
It's open!
Ottawa's Rideau Canal Skateway, January 12, 2025.
010
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
One of the upsides of a -27 degree windchill is that the lift lines at the ski hill are nice and short. 🥶
010
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 21/12/2024
I love this.
140
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 15/12/2024
Anyone know where I can buy a lump of coal to put in the stocking of the person who chose this year's Christmas jigsaw puzzle?
000
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
When my cousin moved to Mexico she said, "now you can come visit, get away from the winter". Today, up on the ski hill for the first time this season with half a dozen friends, I thought, as I've thought so many times since then, "why would anyone in their right mind want to get away from *this*?".
Camp Fortune ski hill on opening day for the season.
050
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
I don't use Spotify very often; in fact, it appears, only when my Multiple Personality Disorder is at its most intense. 😵‍💫
My top songs for 2024, from Spotify.
000
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 01/12/2024
Such a treat to skate outdoors again!
Ice skating on the outdoor rink at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa.
150
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
That's my Friday evening plans set. Maybe it's because I'm a bassist, but I've generally been more interested in the stories of the guys at the back of the stage than the ones in the spotlight and on the covers of magazines. www.docnyc.net/film/billy-p...
docnyc.net
BILLY PRESTON: THAT'S THE WAY GOD PLANNED IT - DOC NYC
NYC PREMIERE Mega-talented keyboardist and songwriter Billy Preston was often referred to as "the best musician in the room." Stylistically influenced by
020
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
Delighted to see @johnvaillant.bsky.social here! Nobody tells a true story better than this guy - check out his "The Golden Spruce", "The Tiger", and "Fireweather" for proof of that. Now I can finally leave that other platform... 😉
110
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
Yes!
Camp Fortune announces opening day target of December 6!
010
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
That's the Christmas baking done.
A plate of Christmas baking.
010
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 23/11/2024
"How to ACTUALLY Make America Healthy Again", compliments of @stevemagness.bsky.social and @bradstulberg.bsky.social. Grateful to have the Growth Equation around to help us keep it real over the coming four years of madness. I definitely recommend their newsletter! thegrowtheq.com/how-to-actua...
thegrowtheq.com
How to ACTUALLY Make America Healthy Again
There is no denying American health is in trouble. Forty percent of us are ​obese​. More than seventy percent are ​overweight​. America ranks last among comparable countries in ​life expectancy​. Our ...
170
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 16/11/2024
Barring some meteorological miracle, that's my cycling season done. Glorious day for my last ride of the year, not a cloud in the sky and unseasonably warm. Looking forward to March already. Now bring on the snow, will ya? ⛷️
020
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 06/11/2024
"Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard." - H.L. Mencken
000
Mike Leipe @mleipe.bsky.social · 23/09/2024
One of the highlights of our cottage season - the Lyndhurst Turkey Fair!
Turkeys at the Lyndhurst Turkey Fair, Sept. 21, 2024.An amusing sing at the Lyndhurst Turkey Fair, Sept. 21, 2024.A mobile chicken coop at the Lyndhurst Turkey Fair, Sept. 21, 2024.
010