Let's Make Some Art, Dammit

December 29, 2015. After several days of serious relaxation, I got to work today. Andrea had painted the office walls, then I went to work converting a pile of boxes and stuff into a workable office. It's still in a very primitive form, but it's almost ready to move into and start getting stuff done. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1Pw2p0d

December 28, 2015. With the right framing, anything can look good. This is basically a ditch between two parking lots, the Costco on one side (where we restocked before the coming storm) and a furniture stor on the other. There are some nice bridges over it, but I couldn't get them into the picture without also including the parking lot or highway. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1ICBuia

December 27, 2015. We got the first real trace of winter today, a soating of ice and snow that left every surface white. It was over by the end of the day, ending in a multicoloured sky highlighting our garden sheds. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1ToDMBL

December 26, 2015. We went to see Star Wars today. It was exactly what I expected it to be (that's not praise). This is what the house looks like when we arrive home at night. I do love the lights. Next year I will put up Chistmas lights with a bit more expertise. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1NIRmP5

December 25, 2015. We had a quiet morning, then went for Christmas dinner at the Lac Leamy Casino with my mother and Bernie, my aunt Marilyn, Effice, and a bunch of other people (sorry, I still don't know everyone). We had to wait a couple hours for a table for eleven, but it was an excellent mean, no dishes to wash, and then to my astonishment I won $60 on the roulette wheel. It was one of the more enjoyable Christmases I've had in some time. Oh, and the barbershop singers were great. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1U9h68K

December 23, 2015. I got the lights uo, then we went to see James Bond today, which I thought was better than the critics allowed (they wanted to see a cartoon like Iron Man but what they got was a good taut spy thriller in the best tradition of Bond). After we stopped at the Loblaws on Blair Road to pick up vanilla beans and I marveled at the size and abundance in the store. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1YE9ixd

December 22, 2015. An Ontario classic farmhouse. I drove down the St-Albert Road after getting my snow tires put on. I was looking for a good phboto with the fog. You can still see the fog but the star of the photo is this beautiful old farmhouse. We did a Costco run and I put my newsletter on Facebook, and that was my day for the day. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1mzdHFE

December 21, 2015. Our local grocery store in Casselman. I stopped by to pick up fish and veggies after my eye exam. I didn't want to go too far because I still have summer tires on (appointment is tomorrow). And my pupils are all dilated so everything seems bright and fuzzy. Grey dull day today but in this light even a grocery store can look like a bright new monument. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1U3ADr3

December 20, 2015. This place never disappoints. It was a quick stop for a coffee and a photo on the way home from Riviere du Loup today. The truckload of rocks and tires has been safely delivered and I am home watching episodes of Fargo and puttering on the computer. I love love love the shades of blue in this photo. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1O2hXry

December 19, 2015. You can't see a lot at the moment, but the inside of the front porch is gutted and all the wiring is being replaced. It will look very different next time. After numerous emails and calls, I'm still waiting for a reply from Moncton organizers (City Council, MAGMA) to my offer to house Syrian refugees in it - I guess I'm not 'pure New Brunswick' enough to be allowed into the plan. This whole business of freezing out outsiders is exactly why I moved. The truck is a rental, I'm hauling my winter tires, about half a ton of decorative rocks, and a bunch of other heavy things I wasn't willing to pay movers to move. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1O0lgj8

December 18, 2015. In Moncton for the day for a half dozen meetings, to pick uo ricks and tires, and to inspect th renovations on the house. This is Jones Lake, just slightly frozen in the chill air and shrouded by a typical Maritime fog. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1O0k5jF

December 17, 2015. I woke up this morning in the Universal Hotel in Riviere du Loup, and looked outside and saw this. Not the sculpture, which I like, but the snow, which I don't. The roads were like skating rinks. No fun to drive. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1Oaepzg

December 16, 2015. Back on the highway, this time in a rented truck, as I drive to Moncton to retrieve tires and rocks and various other heavy items I was too cheap to pay movers to move. I also need to inspect the renovations on the Moncton house and pay the contractors more money. Anyhow, this is a very typical highway scene; it fascinates me, I think it's beautiful, and that's why I'm sharing a photo. This is somewhere off the highway between Quebec City and Montreal. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1OaerqW

December 15, 2015. I suppose it was inevitable that my days would start with a visit to Tim Hortons on my morning commute. Even when I was dirt poor, I would take some of the $5 or $8 per day that I had to live on and buy a morning coffee from a coffee shop. It was my one luxury. I still think of it as a luxury, the treat I give myself. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1Oaepze

December 14, 2015. This is the railway bridge at Casselman, taken just after I picked up the new plates and registraton for the car. It was only 3:30 but already dimming. This railway runs fairly close to my house - you might wonder why I would choose to live near the tracks, but I like trains and the echo of the train whistle evokes images of camping and wilderness for me. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1lLSlou

December 14, 2015. This is the railway bridge at Casselman, taken just after I picked up the new plates and registraton for the car. It was only 3:30 but already dimming. This railway runs fairly close to my house - you might wonder why I would choose to live near the tracks, but I like trains and the echo of the train whistle evokes images of camping and wilderness for me. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1lLSlou

December 13, 2015. The last of the siblings. If I would have had to guess the least likely to survive, it would have been Polly. But now she's the grand old dame of the house. She still doesn't quite trust me after the move from Moncton, but she's found new favourite spots an has pretty much settled into her new role. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1RkN440

December 12, 2015. I was down to the Canadian Tire bright and early to get the safety check and emissions test for the car, all in preparation for registration ( I noted that New Brunswick has no emissions test requirement at all, which is typical of a province run by an oil company (or at least, that specific oil company)). I took a short spin in the country after, partially to take this picture, and partially just because. We went to see Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 2 in the evening, and both agreed that the negative reviews were overly dour. We quite enjoyed it, and especially that it did not have the typical revenge flick ending. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1P38AZA

December 11, 2015. Walking back to the train station after my meeting in Toronto. This little arrangement at the side of (I think) King Street caught my eye. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1P38AJc

December 10, 2015. A quick trip to Toronto and back for some meetings. End of the first day, as seen from my hotel room. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1O0INSS

Decem,ber 9, 2015. It's usually my head on that pillow, but this morning Alex decided it was his, which I guess makes him king of the hill. Or at least, lord of the pillow. Whatever. He's very glad I'm back. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1U5Me9L

December 8, 2015. We had the first day of the program workshop in the city today, and then I stopped to run some errands in Costco on the way home. So ordinary it's interesting. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1XXyrYG

December 7, 2015. Today started in the middle seat at the very back of the airplane flying from Berlin tro Frankfurt, but I made the best of it, and was actually able to get a fair bit done on the flight home. The best thing? Landing at 6:00 p.m. in Ottawa instead of after midnight in Moncton. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1U5Bmc9

December 6, 2015. A second day in Szczecin. It started with me finding the flash memory card with all the photos from berlin and the first day, which I thought I had lost. Good start. I also had more time during daylight hours and was able to range far and wide through parks, suburbs and... well, just parks and suburbs. It's probably a lovely city in the summer; it was quite pleasant on a warmish December day. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1Q1sS7c

December 5, 2015. Took the train from Berlin to the Polish city of Szczecin. It's an interesting port city on the Oder river. The bulk of the city is made up of apartment complexes, but there are nice parks and avenues, and overall looked like a quiet and pleasant city to live in. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1U5BoRg

December 4, 2015. After being inside the hotel for two solid days in Berlin, I managed to get out and catch the night market. Interestingly, I recognized the same booths and even the same vendors from last year. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1mbwtmk

December 3, 2015. I was pushed a little out of my comfort zone in this session on agile learning design, But not too far out; I've had experience, especially recently, and I kept it light. Pictured is Jasmina Nikolic, another member of the panel, in full flight talking about the duck-rabbit. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1OOzDWr

December 2, 2015. All day workshop todat. The theme was on designing a personal learning environment; I'm happy to say the participants did a great job; this is the result. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1OOxnyy

December 1, 2015. I left last night and spent most of the day flying or in airports as a 3-hour delay of the Air Canada flight bumped everything back a while, resulting in an evening arrival in Berlin. I had an unusual experience in the Munich customs hall - I was absolutely and utterly the only passenger in the place. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1SGFP3V

November 30, 2015. The office is slowly taking shape. The books are 2/3 unpacked. There is still a lack of plant life. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1QoemEP

November 29, 2015. So our Ottawa RedBlacks did not win the Grey Cup. We drove into Ottawa to join the 7,000 person strong viewing party at TD Place, parked at the Blair Road bus and waited for the bus. And waited. Other drivers assured us it was running. Wewaited. The bus never came. It was very cold. We went home and watched it on TV. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1Qoemov

ovember 28, 215. Spent the morning moving bixes in the living room to open out a bit more space, and the afternoon running errants, including a visit to Canadian Tire here in Casselman to schedule an emissions test and safety on the one day I have available to do these things. It's interetsing to note that they don't do emissions tests in New Brunswick. I wonder *cough* why. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1LFNmdE

November 27, 2015. Looking outside the door of the Cooperators insurance company in Casselman at the tracks. One more task completed (and a coupe of new ones generated - getting stuff done is like playing whack-a-mole). This is right where the tracks cross Rue Principale. Cold, windy, rainy day, probably the last day before the snow. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1OlcRHw

November 17, 2015. Arrived in Paris. The city was still under siege from the attacks of the 13th. Monuments, including the Arc de Triomphe, pictured. I deliberately stayed away from the targeted areas and toured the area around the Louvre and the Chapms-Élysées. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1MUr61B

November 26, 2015. This is what's left of the sundial erected in honour of Arthur E. Covington outside building M-55 at the NRC. As you can see, the sundial itself is completely missing, apparently ripped out of its moorings. I know I've seen this before, so it only happened in the last year or two. Covington was honoured for his pioneering reserach and lifetime dedication to the study of radio emissions from the Sun. His memorial deserved a better fate. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1jmzgah

November 25, 2015. This is the scene outside my car window from the parking lot where I took part in a conference call. This was in between getting my health card applied for and my driver's license applied for. Still to do: getting the car registration changed over (a four step process). Sigh. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1PdVf1v

November 24, 2015. Long day. Exhausted. No time to recover after a lot of travel. This is the night light beside my bed - the last thing I thought of today was that I needed to take my photo of the day. Worry about uploading them later; just get the shot in. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1PdVf1r

November 23, 2015. Back at the NRC campus in Ottawa, wandering between my office in M-50 and the cafeteria in M-55. These oak leaves caught my eye, as they always do. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1PdVedT

November 22, 2015. It was cold and rainy and windy in Paris, so I wandered through the Aeroville mall for a bit. Then in the morning, it's back to the airport, this time to fly Air Canada to Ottawa. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1PdVdXD

November 21, 2015. I was up bright and early - but not so early as I expected, since the Air France flight scheduled for 6:55 was rescheduled to 12:30. This is a quick photo outside my hotel window before departing. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1jmzhuZ

November 20, 2015. Papa Youga Dieng and I were invited to visit the new ALECSO building in Tunis. No, this isn't it - this is a building we drove by. The new ALECSO building is still being finished. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1jmzhuV

November 19, 2015. As part of our cultural activites we of the OIF conference toured Sidi Bou Said, the north tip and hill of Carthage. I really appreciated this tour as it was a part of Carthage I hadn't seen at all on my previous visit, and indeed, didn't know existed. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1jmzezm

November 18, 2015. Arrived in Carthage, uo first thing in the morning, and in for a full day of meetings today. Didn't really see the outside world at all. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1Hr57CB

November 16, 2015. I gave a keynote to a SSHRC conference on imagining the future at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa and took some time out to sneak a listen to the orchestra practicing in mid-afternoon. Evening: flight to France. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1LCxsRe

November 15, 2015. I've settled into my new pattern of commuting from Casselman to Ottawa. It starts in the morning with a coffee at Tim Hortons. This week they had a country display at the drive through - celebrating steak or something, I think. So long as there isn't any straw in my coffee, I'm happy. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1LCxsR8

November 14, 2015. This is a mural inside Oscar Romero airport in San Salvador, El Saalvador. I remember when Romero was assassinated by the junta in 1980. It was the moment, I think, that people recognized the illegitimacy of the government and the need for peace. Romero went to givce mass knowing he would be assassinated, but did so in any case. His courage is justly recognized these many years later. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1XjJN8R

November 13, 2015. After giving my talk in Guayaquil, I wandered downstairs to another part of the complex and crashed a trade show, enjoying samples of delicious coffee and chocolate from, among others, the good people at Maquita . From Flickr http://ift.tt/1XjJKKu

November 12, 2015. I tool a walk along the waterfront in central Guayaquil today. Guayaquil strikes me as clean and progressive. It has a unique feel, with the buildings overhanging the sidewalks to provide shade. This is the waterfront, looking toward Barrio Las Peñas. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1RTp30V

November 11, 2015. A full day on the Galapagos islands. I took a boat over from Santa Cruz to Isla Isabela and from there a smaller boat to Isla Tintorinos to see, among other things, this penguin. First world problem: I was an hour early for my boat to Isla Isabela because my phone did not change time zones automatically. No matter. Beautiful sunrise. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1NPpjit

November 10, 2015. The Galapagos Islands are not what we would call beautiful in a conventional sense. They are dry piles of lava with cacti and scrub brush, the shores lines with mangrove swamps. But they are endlessly fascinating, which is why it was worth a mad dash from Guayaquil to catch just a glimpse of Darwin's finches, blue-footed boobies, and giant tortises. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1MaIQr8