Mine In Mono

A personal weblog written by Robert, a Christian, aspiring minimalist, inveterate notetaker, budget audiophile and paper airplane mechanic.

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  • Sacred Alaska Is So Much Further Than Lincoln Nebraska

    My wife and I just finished watching the 2024 documentary Sacred Alaksa. The film was shown during family ed night at our parish a few weeks ago, but I was celebrating my brother’s birthday and couldn’t make it. I was disappointed not be to able to attend and resolved to see the film in short order.

    “Sacred Alaska” is an award-winning documentary that offers an intimate look into Native Alaskan culture and spirituality. It showcases the profound influence of Orthodoxy, introduced by Russian monks in the late 18th century, on Alaskan society. The film highlights the unique way Alaskans have woven their indigenous beliefs with Orthodox traditions, deeply influencing their worldview. Central to this is the concept of learning to become a “real person.” Through beautiful cinematography and powerful storytelling, “Sacred Alaska” underscores the profound, sacred bond between the Alaskan people, their faith, and the formidable landscape they call home.

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  • I Don’t Know

    The occasion of Ozzy Osbourne’s death should not have been surprising. In fact, it wouldn’t have been surprising if the legendary metal singer had died twenty years ago. It was something of a miracle that he lasted this long, given the state of his health for the last few decades (who would have thought Prince Nelson Rogers would repose before the Prince of Darkness). Osbourne played his final show though—just weeks ago—which was by most accounts an impressive affair, and then exited this world gracefully as if he’d done what he came to do.

    Recent events have provided the perfect opportunity for a reminder about Black Sabbath doom metal disciples Castle Rat and their new songs. Castle Rat’s upcoming album The Beastiary already has two publicly available tracks, “Wolf I” and “Wizard.” The tracks represent growth in complexity from those on their debut album as well as a more polished sound. On “Wizard,” guitarist Franco “The Count” Vittore finally gets to stretch out with an epic solo that brings to mind 80s metal maximalism.

    Castle Rat – The Beastiary
    King Volume Records | Bandcamp

    The Beastiary is set to release on September 19, 2025.

  • Laura Groves – Sky At Night

    Though Laura Groves “Sky At Night” was released as part of her album Radio Red in 2023, it may be my favorite “new to me” song this year. Groves delicate bedroom chamber pop is at once melancholy and curious. Her vocals bring to mind Natasha Khan’s Bat For Lashes project for which she was once a backup singer.

    This isn’t an “official” video, so it’s pretty simplistic, with pattern overlays, retro technology, color washes and Groves herself serving as the main visual interests. The song itself is the draw here. It’s one of those rare tracks that I can just rewind and listen to over and over.

    Laura Groves – Sky At Night (YouTube)

  • Friends of Mt. Athos

    I enjoyed this trip through Mt. Athos from the lense of an outsider. Of special interest to me were the descriptions of the icons, their history and their presence.

    I expected I was the only person in the space, until I sensed another presence emanating, inexplicably, from the icon of St. Anne. Her face was blackened from centuries of devotional candles. The instinct of an art historian might be to accurately date it, or even to clean it. This was a welcome thought that put me safely in the driver’s seat of this encounter. But then all such ambition evaporated, and it felt more like the icon wanted to clean me. I looked into Anne and Mary’s blackened faces. With enough prayer and candle smoke, I suppose every icon is on its way to becoming black.

    The story of the the Gatekeeper icon is one of those wonderous Orthodox tales of which I am so fond. The combination of the material and the spiritual lodges powerful concepts in my mind.

  • I had a lot of skepticism about the Spinal Tap sequel, but I’m more inclined to see it after watching the trailer. Those guys just inhabit the characters so well.

  • A New Reading Partnership

    I was starting to get down about the fact that my read-it-later digests from Matter were causing crashing errors on my Kindle. The issue has been pretty consistent lately and I don’t have much hope of getting help since it’s not really a supported integration. A few years ago, I enjoyed the Kobo and Pocket sync, but Pocket was far from my favorite app. Now that Pocket is dead, I didn’t have much hope for another option.

    The news that my O.G. favorite read-it-later service, Instapaper, is building a Kobo integration was a wonderful surprise today. I could definitely see myself moving back into the Kobo ecosystem, especially now that I can’t back up my Kindle purchases and Amazon can revoke my access to them at any time. In addition, I always want to reduce my reliance on Amazon in any way that makes sense.