Escarpment waterfalls
Originally uploaded by Noisypond.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Catching a ride
Catching a ride
Originally uploaded by Noisypond.
I wasn't quite ready for this moment when it happened, but it's still a fairly good pic, IMHO.
Monday, October 23, 2006
For all the girls out there - and Kevin ;->
I'm quite sure these side effects weren't supposed to include laughing one's a$$ off as I just did ... but I'm sure you will enjoy this.
Poor objectified men ...
Credit to online buddy Care for the link!
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Winning Smile
Winning Smile
Originally uploaded by Noisypond.
Introducing Tanish ... one of the lovely people I shared my Thanksgiving with this year. Isn't he gorgeous????
Forest in the fall
Forest in the fall
Originally uploaded by Noisypond.
This was atop "Old Baldie", a portion of the Niagara Escarpment near Kimberly, ON. It was absolutely gorgeous there.
Thistle bloom
Thistle bloom
Originally uploaded by Noisypond.
I like this picture because it's kind of pretty, but its thorns are also very clear.
One of the most adorable babies ever
One of the most adorable babies ever
Originally uploaded by Noisypond.
Candles on a sill
Candles on a sill
Originally uploaded by Noisypond.
I like low-light photography ...
Melanie, Luisa, and Cindy
Melanie, Luisa, and Cindy
Originally uploaded by Noisypond.
Hanging out with Mel on her birthday!
Catching up
So it’s been another long while … after this much time, it’s kind of overwhelming to compose that first post back … so much has happened. Of course I’ve been composing posts in my head all this time … just didn’t get them typed or submitted.
So overview/stream of consciousness:
We had an issue at work. About $50 million dollars in contracts depending on this technology to function properly. An entire group of people to be laid off in B.C. if one of the contracts was not to be renewed. I was involved in managing the issue. 10 – 15 hour days under considerable stress for about 5 days. No biggie. Kept my cool, was still able to smile and joke and laugh (while doing a pretty good job, based on the feedback). My job was being the central point of contact, getting whatever resources we needed (you need a network guy? Let me make a call!), and – most importantly – ordering the food that kept everyone working. The latter responsibility was pretty easy until the weekend. However, once Saturday/Sunday hits, and you’re working through lunch AND dinner, finding places open in downtown
The guys that I worked with are the best. Really great people. I feel like we bonded, like war buddies. I want to give them a hug or buy them Christmas presents. We truly were all in it together.
In the end, the resolution was a kicker. In the groin area. But at least it was fixed. A day and a half later I realized how overtired I was. Normal frustrations left me in tears I couldn’t stop. Sooooo not normal for me (Mom, for clarification: the thirtysomething me). Realized it was fatigue and stress – it wasn’t really unexpected – and so took the next two and a half days off, with full support and understanding from my boss and colleagues. They’re amazing that way.
In a way, it sucks to be a girl and to cry uncontrollably when you're tired or even angry. On the other hand, I'm kind of grateful that my body/psyche held together as long as it needed to in order to get the job done, and then, when it was safe, refused to hold in that stress or soldier on any further. Sometimes I think the people who don't cry actually have it worse - the stress and fatigue continue to build up and then when it eventually manifests itself, it's long and painful and prolonged, and often they don't even know what's causing it.
So the first two days I spent sleeping and reading. Serious sleepage – about 14 hours each day. (again, soooo not normal for me – I’m normally far too excited about all the cool things I could be doing instead to sleep any longer than 8 hours, if that). Feeling good again now, though still a little bit tired. Actually, to be honest I was probably burning the candle at both ends before the work issue, so this has been like a mini-vacation. All I lacked was the beach!
This weekend was also my friend Melanie’s birthday. I suggested I take her out to dinner and/or to a movie. But what did we end up doing instead, at her request? Driving to the nearest Costco! LOL
I don’t normally shop at Costco. I’m a single female living in
Anyway, I somehow managed to spend over $100 at Costco (don’t get excited – no hemorrhoid medication or K-Y Jelly for me, just discounted books, some Cetaphil facial cleanser, and a pretty 2007 calendar). Then we wandered over to the BestBuy next door, where I proceeded to drop another ~$100 on CDs. (It would have been more if Melanie hadn’t staged an intervention, bless her.) I hope to write more about them later as I have time to listen to them.
Okay, time to head out to the gym to try to work off all that takeout food!
Monday, October 09, 2006
Old Baldie in the Fall
Old Baldie in the Fall
Originally uploaded by Noisypond.
If you have been checking out my blog lately and wondering why there have been so few updates, it has been because I took last week off work and travelled around southern Ontario (alone and with friends Nancy and Melanie). The objective? To see some beautiful fall scenery AND capture it with my camera.
For the first few months after I bought my camera, I just used all the automatic settings. Then I started an introductory photography course, and started using the manual settings. The quality of my photos when I made this change nosedived (nosedove?). Crap. But I've been practising with determination, and now my photos are back up to speed, and I would rather have the control that the manual settings provide me rather than what might happen with automatic settings.
There are tons more photos yet to be posted - stay tuned! (Some of them have already been uploaded at www.flickr.com/photos/noisypond). But again, more to come.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Rowing at "Head of the Trent"
DSC_0081
Originally uploaded by Noisypond.
Annual rowing regatta at Trent University. It's the biggest sports event of the year for my alma mater - and the first time I've ever watched any of it. But hopefully not the last! :)
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Coriolanus
Yesterday, with friends Marianna and Aamer, I went to the Stratford Festival to see the last performance of the play Coriolanus, starring Colm Feore.
I’ve been thinking about this play all day today.
It is a very dark play, violent at times, but there are also moments of humour and tenderness that balance it. Feore played the role of Coriolanus with an energy and athleticism that surprised and mesmerized me. He was amazing. Martha Henry plays the role of Volumnia, Coriolanus’ mother, with dignity, wisdom, and perfection of timing and expression.
In many ways, Coriolanus is a political play. It was fascinating to see the character of Coriolanus remain essentially unchanged in his naivete and pride in refusing to play politics (or to appeal to the common people, whom he scorns), while the masses, easily manipulated by expediency or by Coriolanus’ political enemies, change from one extreme to the other. There are some real and fascinating arguments for and against democracy in this work. Lots to think about. And I know there would be so much more meaning to glean if I saw/read it again.
I hope you had a chance to see it.
Marianna in Stratford
DSC_0061
Originally uploaded by Noisypond.
Showing off branches of a tree they say grows only in Kazakhstan. Ha! :)
Thursday, September 21, 2006
First TSO concert of the year
I went to my first TSO concert tonight ... so cool. Beethoven 2nd and 6th Symphonies, plus 5 beautiful songs by Mahler. Visited goosebump territory several times. The drums in the 6th Symphony were Mr. Fidget's (Aamer's) favourite. ;-> They were awesome.
I loved watching the orchestra play together, particularly the violins. From where I sat, the light glinted on every bowstring, and the near-unison in the motion of the bows reminded me of seeds sprouting as through fast-motion film. You might not know what I mean; it's crazy analogy that I can't really articulate well. But if I could show you ... nah, I'd probably still be the only one who saw the similarity! :->
Anyway, Beethoven = cool.
Kitlers
Again, thanks to Andrea ... this one proves that you can find anything on the Internet, including cats that look like Hitler ("kitlers"):
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Blogging the bump
Okay, so if you work with me or have seen me at all this summer, this will be old news. But for everybody else, BIG NEWS!!! I mean really big news!!!! (That I finally have permission to tell!!!!) My sister-in-law, Lisa, is expecting - TWINS!!!!! A boy and a girl will make their world debut in February. Joe and Lisa are so excited, and I am thrilled at the chance to be an auntie!!!
Here's a photo of Lisa + bump on August 24th:
And another from today:
The bump is growing nicely!!!!
You may congratulate me on my auntie condition at any time. :)
Soya field
Soya field
Originally uploaded by Noisypond.
This is how I imagine Provence must look like.
Wind turbines
Wind turbines
Originally uploaded by Noisypond.
Today I went to Shelburne, Ontario to check out these wind turbines. Actually, there are too many wind turbines to count. They're spread over quite a wide area. At one time I counted up to 30 turbines in every direction. Very cool. Or hot. I guess it depends what you use that energy for.
They are minimalist, but massive. Sometimes you hear a faint sound, like the sound of a jet passing far above you. Pretty sure it was a wind turbine, though. :)
Took tonnes of photos today, but was experimenting with the manual controls. So most didn't turn out. But this is okay because I learned a lot.
Newly-planted trees and shrubs
Newly-planted trees and shrubs
Originally uploaded by Noisypond.
We went to contribute, and went away feeling like we’d been given a privilege.
Lorie and I each got up at an insane time for a Saturday morning to arrive at the tree-planting location for 9:00. Okay, okay, we didn’t get there until 9:30 … but they truly didn’t seem to mind. Then once we got there, we were promptly directed to the nearby town of Erin where we could try to find a public washroom before we started our work. Unfortunately, the only place that seemed to suit our requirements was the quaint (and divine-smelling) Holtom’s Bakery (established 1946). And you can’t just use a public washroom without buying something from the place of business, can you????
Let me tell you, on a Saturday morning around 9:45, Holtom’s Bakery is the place to be! The apple fritters were still so warm that the large chunks of apple seemed to melt in your mouth.
But Lorie and I were in the area to save the planet – or at least help it a little – by planting trees. So we hustled back to the farm.
There, Amy from WeCARE and Heather from the Credit Valley Conservation Authority (two very cool/fun twenty-somethings) filled us in on what we were doing. The farm had a little stream that basically looked like a ditch. In the spring, meltwaters would fill this stream and eventually flow south as part of the Credit River. The surface of the ditch was mostly covered in grass that had been meticulously mowed by the landowner. We were planting trees and shrubs to shade the water as it flows past (to keep it cool and therefore hospitable to fish and their eggs). There had been a variety of trees and shrubs provided to us for planting. All are indigenous to this part of Ontario. Some shrubs, like the elderberries, would provide food and habitat for birds and other animals.
Shortly after Lorie and I arrived, Amy found a teeny tiny salamander among some of the potted shrubs. She was really great about showing it to all the volunteers and explaining – in a really interesting and engaging way - its distinct ecological requirements. I of course ran to get my camera.
In total, 133 trees and shrubs were planted, wood chipped, and watered that morning. It was really great to be out in the country. Lorie and I agreed that because we were digging and planting, we felt more connected to nature than we would have done just by hiking or camping. Afterward, Amy BBQ’d up some hamburgers and sausages for all of us, and we sat in the grass, enjoying the feeling of accomplishment. At one moment, we heard a trilling sound coming from the wooded area across the road. Amy identified it immediately as a tree frog. (I’d heard the sound before and assumed it was a bird – this is one of the nice side benefits of hanging around people who know more than you do!) We all stopped to listen – and became aware of so many sounds of nature (crickets chirping, birds singing, etc.).
Before I knew it, it was time to go home – but not before agreeing with Amy and Heather that we would try to coordinate more efforts in the future!
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