One of the many moose statues scattered around Toronto, this one at St. Clements School, uptown Toronto.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
A wet dog and soccer parents
As I was leaving Sunnybrook dog park today I met up with a couple who were leaving at the same time. I recognized their dog as he'd been playing with mine for a while in the park. They asked if I was their son's soccer coach. Sure enough, I recognized this nice couple who I hadn't seen for quite a years.
As we were getting our dogs to our cars, we talked about our dogs, and they said they had recall problems with their dog (like mine) and it had ran off a while back from this parking lot. They only got it back after it had found another dog of interest. I said I got a little worried about Kooper at regular parks (not officially off-leash, fenced parks) and said once he got bored of other dogs and we were in a regular park, it gets very difficult to get him back.
We said our goodbyes and I began the tricky process of taking the leash off Kooper and closing the (station wagon) trunk. I noticed there was another dog in the parking lot and sure enough it was too big a temptation for Kooper. He leapt out of the trunk and went to say hello. As I approached, he ran off down the nature trail toward another dog. From there he quickly noticed the stream and started exploring the soft ice along the bank of the stream. I noticed the water was moving quickly and began to really worry. He was oblivious to my calls and ran further upstream as I approached. I couldn't get very close as the bank was steep and the ice, I'm guessing, too thin to hold me. The game continued and sure enough he got too close to the edge and slipped into the stream. I'm not certain how deep it was, but I was fearing the worst. He was obviously very surprised when he fell in, but luckily it only took a couple of tries over about 10 seconds and he jumped out and ran up the bank to the trail and met up with another dog. I grabbed him and walked back to the car. He didn't seem cold at all and for him it appeared his adventure was just another walk in the park. I hope he learnt a lesson.
As we were getting our dogs to our cars, we talked about our dogs, and they said they had recall problems with their dog (like mine) and it had ran off a while back from this parking lot. They only got it back after it had found another dog of interest. I said I got a little worried about Kooper at regular parks (not officially off-leash, fenced parks) and said once he got bored of other dogs and we were in a regular park, it gets very difficult to get him back.
We said our goodbyes and I began the tricky process of taking the leash off Kooper and closing the (station wagon) trunk. I noticed there was another dog in the parking lot and sure enough it was too big a temptation for Kooper. He leapt out of the trunk and went to say hello. As I approached, he ran off down the nature trail toward another dog. From there he quickly noticed the stream and started exploring the soft ice along the bank of the stream. I noticed the water was moving quickly and began to really worry. He was oblivious to my calls and ran further upstream as I approached. I couldn't get very close as the bank was steep and the ice, I'm guessing, too thin to hold me. The game continued and sure enough he got too close to the edge and slipped into the stream. I'm not certain how deep it was, but I was fearing the worst. He was obviously very surprised when he fell in, but luckily it only took a couple of tries over about 10 seconds and he jumped out and ran up the bank to the trail and met up with another dog. I grabbed him and walked back to the car. He didn't seem cold at all and for him it appeared his adventure was just another walk in the park. I hope he learnt a lesson.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Nadia
I work in a shared executive office, which means there are many different companies sharing common facilities, but otherwise not related at all. It's a weird kind of feeling, because you see the same people on a regular basis but they're not colleagues - it's more like a neighbourhood ! I've been here for over 5 years and seen many different companies and people come and go. I've causually met a few people over the years, but late last year, I started to make a point of getting to know more of my neighbours.
I walked into the office this morning and walked by one of the larger, multi-person corner offices and the morning light coming in was beautiful. Nadia was sitting at her computer and the lighting and the colour of her sweater just stood out ! I hadn't met Nadia before today so I dropped off my stuff in my office and returned to her office to introduce myself and see if I could take her picture.
I set the camera up before I approached her so I wouldn't be fumbling with the settings while I was introducing myself. As I asked if I could take her photograph I could tell she wasn't that comfortable with the idea, but she laughed a little, so I snapped a few shots before she had time to worry about a pose - I really like the result.
As she recognized my English accent, we quickly talked about our backgrounds. Nadia is originally from Pakistan, moved to Saudi Arabia, then the UK and has now been here in Canada for 5 years - she calls herself "a global soul". We agreed that the Canadian winters are a little harsh but the morning sun on her face was cheering her up.
This is the first "stranger" I've met at the office. It's an unusual situation, where someone is a stranger one minute, you introduce yourself, learn their name and little about them,and then they're part of your life.
Funny we didn't talk business at all.
Nadia is #39 in my 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at www.100Strangers.com.
I walked into the office this morning and walked by one of the larger, multi-person corner offices and the morning light coming in was beautiful. Nadia was sitting at her computer and the lighting and the colour of her sweater just stood out ! I hadn't met Nadia before today so I dropped off my stuff in my office and returned to her office to introduce myself and see if I could take her picture.
I set the camera up before I approached her so I wouldn't be fumbling with the settings while I was introducing myself. As I asked if I could take her photograph I could tell she wasn't that comfortable with the idea, but she laughed a little, so I snapped a few shots before she had time to worry about a pose - I really like the result.
As she recognized my English accent, we quickly talked about our backgrounds. Nadia is originally from Pakistan, moved to Saudi Arabia, then the UK and has now been here in Canada for 5 years - she calls herself "a global soul". We agreed that the Canadian winters are a little harsh but the morning sun on her face was cheering her up.
This is the first "stranger" I've met at the office. It's an unusual situation, where someone is a stranger one minute, you introduce yourself, learn their name and little about them,and then they're part of your life.
Funny we didn't talk business at all.
Nadia is #39 in my 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at www.100Strangers.com.
He's Just Not That Into You
I came home from shinny (hockey) last night and my wife was watching He's Just Not That Into You on-demand on The Movie Network (TMN). I watched a little and found some parts quite interesting and quite funny (although I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be funny), but then some other parts just didn't do it for me.
A daily photo blog I follow is Daily Dose of Imagery. Today's posting (yesterday's photo) is entitled not that into you with a well captured simple moment on the subway.
A daily photo blog I follow is Daily Dose of Imagery. Today's posting (yesterday's photo) is entitled not that into you with a well captured simple moment on the subway.
Concert and Album Lists
If you look on the right column, you will notice that I have added two new lists.
The first is a list of upcoming Toronto concerts that we recommend (or are going to). We figured this would be a better way of adding new concert announcements as we heard them, rather than posting a new blog post every time.
So keep checking the list for new recommendations and of course, keep checking Ticketmaster, Live Nation and your favourite band websites for other dates. I also follow my favourite bands on Twitter, Facebook or MySpace to hear announcements as soon as they are available.
The second list we've added are for upcoming (and recent) album releases. Dates are not set in stone as album release dates are often changed, but it gives an idea of what we can look forward to in 2010.
The first is a list of upcoming Toronto concerts that we recommend (or are going to). We figured this would be a better way of adding new concert announcements as we heard them, rather than posting a new blog post every time.
So keep checking the list for new recommendations and of course, keep checking Ticketmaster, Live Nation and your favourite band websites for other dates. I also follow my favourite bands on Twitter, Facebook or MySpace to hear announcements as soon as they are available.
The second list we've added are for upcoming (and recent) album releases. Dates are not set in stone as album release dates are often changed, but it gives an idea of what we can look forward to in 2010.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Paula
I stepped out at lunch today to try and grab a snow flurry shot (didn't get one), but I ended up meeting Paula as she was walking her dog Molly. As you can probably guess, her hat got my attention - I love seeing people where bright colours in the winter !
We talked about dogs a little bit and I found out there are a few off-leash downtown dog parks. We also talked a little about photography - Paula just got a a new Canon dSRL (5D Mark II I think, lucky her), but she said she found it a little challenging taking photos while walking her dog - I agreed with her on that one ! She also told me about the Toronto Photo Walks (torontophotowalks.ca/) group on Flickr - I may join them on Saturday in the Beaches ! Hoping to connect with Paula on Flickr.
I'm so glad I stopped Paula and asked for a photograph, much more rewarding than a picture of the snow.
Paula is #38 in my 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at www.100Strangers.com.
We talked about dogs a little bit and I found out there are a few off-leash downtown dog parks. We also talked a little about photography - Paula just got a a new Canon dSRL (5D Mark II I think, lucky her), but she said she found it a little challenging taking photos while walking her dog - I agreed with her on that one ! She also told me about the Toronto Photo Walks (torontophotowalks.ca/) group on Flickr - I may join them on Saturday in the Beaches ! Hoping to connect with Paula on Flickr.
I'm so glad I stopped Paula and asked for a photograph, much more rewarding than a picture of the snow.
Paula is #38 in my 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at www.100Strangers.com.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Hart House
I was picking up our tickets for tonight's performance of High Fidelity at Hart House Theatre at lunch today. If you don't know, Hart House is one of The University of Toronto's oldest buildings. I just loved the stone walls and wood paneling everywhere. The lighting today was just beautiful. I'm sure I'll be returning for future photo shoots.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Jully Black
On my walk home today I stopped in at HMV to check out a few new releases (always released on Tuesdays theses days). I noticed Jully Black's new album at one of the listening posts and put the headphones on to listen to track 1 - Running which is listed as her single. Pretty decent track - as I remove the headphones, thh same song is playing on the storewide audio system.
Kensington
As you may know, I have a daily photo blog called 365inCamera.
I was planning on visiting Kensington Market this afternoon for my daily shot (although I ended up finding something pretty interesting on the walk there and didn't make it all the way to Kensington).
I had a quick look at my Flickr comments in the morning and noticed one from a Sha_sha2008 (a Flickr member I didn't recognize). I had a quick look at her photostream and noticed her shot of Kensington Market in her Photo Content Winners set on her home page.
I was planning on visiting Kensington Market this afternoon for my daily shot (although I ended up finding something pretty interesting on the walk there and didn't make it all the way to Kensington).
I had a quick look at my Flickr comments in the morning and noticed one from a Sha_sha2008 (a Flickr member I didn't recognize). I had a quick look at her photostream and noticed her shot of Kensington Market in her Photo Content Winners set on her home page.
Mysterious noises
When I got home from my late night ultimate game last night (this morning), I went downstairs for a snack and to wind down. I noticed a high pitched buzzing went I entered the family room and then tried to find the remote to watch a little TV. Our universal remote was not in its usual spot and its screen was blank - the (rechargeable) batteries were run down. So I fished around for various remotes and did a manual power on for a few components. I grabbed the universal remote as I wanted to recharge its batteries, but the buzzing noise was getting very annoying so I started to walk around trying to isolate the mysterious sound. The noise sounded a little like one of the pot lights ready to blow. But no, that wasn't it. I wandered over to the downstairs bathroom and the noise seemed to be a little louder. I opened the utility closet door in the bathroom and thought the sound was coming from the natural gas pipe. I walked back into the family room and also checked the gas fireplace, the noise was there too. I checked in the furnace room and the noise was there too. But I still couldn't isolate it. I put the remote down and did another check, but the mystery continued. A went back to the family room and went over to the TV and audio components and bent down a little to see if I could hear any better. Sure enough, the noise was coming from the universal remote, the batteries were run down enough so they couldn't power the screen, but apparently not enough to cause the remote to emit an annoying high pitched buzzing sound.
Monday, January 18, 2010
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