I was browsing though my old UE folder on my hard drive, and came across this old set from 2007. This was from the March Toronto UE meet, at the time I was still fairly new with the dSLR (D70s), and just had a kit lens (Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 DX) and a couple primes available to me. So I sat down and re-editing some of them with new skills I've picked up.

This former foundry building was in the process of being converted into Condos when a small group of us managed to find a way into the construction site. By this point they're probably completed and lived in. I'll have to go back next time I'm in the city and find out.



( The Foundries )

Jane liked to keep a close eye on both of the men in her life. Unfortunately, they decided to switch places in the room.

When Hilary and I travelled through the southwest states during the summer of 2008, I remember one time she read the forecast for whatever city we were in (I think it was Vegas) and it read "Brilliant Sunshine". Isn't that a GREAT forecast? Not hot, not humid, not sunny... but BRILLIANT SUNSHINE!

Right now, I'm sitting under my brand spanking new (to me) Day-Light. It's that bright light that mimics brilliant sunshine that you can sit under for half an hour in the morning as light therapy -- it's supposed to energize you in the winter months and help you beat the winter blahs. YAY!

It's... brilliant. I'm actually squinting, and I'm not even looking right into it. It's amazingly bright, and that seriously cheers me RIGHT up. The first thing I thought of when I got up this morning (multiple times, actually, as I kept getting up between 5:30 and 7:00) was YAY I GET TO GO SIT UNDER THE LIGHT!! I was really looking forward to it. I'm actually dreading turning it off, because it's soooo dim and dark in here the rest of the time.

So this is just lovely.

***

Last night, my coworker, Sharon, phoned me, and we talked for two hours. She's the one who's son committed suicide last month. She found the body. She's a colossal mess. Really, my heart just breaks for her. I am glad she called; I'd been trying to get ahold of her for several weeks, but I didn't want to be annoying about it. So I just left it up to her to call me, and I"m glad she did. She told me she doesn't call too many people, and I understand that. I'm not one to call too many people either.

***

I have a TERRIBLE ringing in my left ear, and I had it all day yesterday, too. If it's not one thing, it really truly is another, isn't it? I hear the garbage trucks out front, too, and that's a huge racket. Ugh. I hate racket. I'm such an old lady! LOL

Grateful for:
-- this SAD light. I LOVE IT!
-- Eli taking his meds!
-- getting to finally talk to Sharon
-- tea
-- getting BBC Canada on my teevee, even though the EastEnders episodes are two and a half years old.

grandpa who were you???






( Read more... )

 

( more.... )

 

The Charlotte Browncoats, in conjunction with the Greenville, Blue Ridge and Columbia Browncoats, are please to announce that Charlotte, North Carolina has been selected as the site for the 2010 Browncoat Ball. We've hit the ground running on this one and have plans for a fabulous weekend of fun, action, history, culture and hospitality, Southern Style.

Friday afternoon and evening activities will include classes of all sorts, a Wash-o-saurus Luau, Music From The Black and a Midnight Pajama Party. Saturday's big fun kicks off with a Train Job Luncheon, and your choice of three fun-filled activity tracks: the Thrilling Heroics Whitewater rafting Track, Hard Burn NASCAR Track or Tour The Core - Uptown Tour. The evening will culminate in the Ball, complete with dancing to live music and a fabulous shindiggy buffet (there may even be some kinda hot cheese thing.) Night owls can continue on to the after-hours party!

We'll be posting links to our still-in-progress site soon, so mark your calender now - October 22-24, for the 2010 Browncoat Ball. We aim to misbehave!


Liberally cross-posted

The Charlotte Browncoats, in conjunction with the Greenville, Blue Ridge and Columbia Browncoats, are please to announce that Charlotte, North Carolina has been selected as the site for the 2010 Browncoat Ball. We've hit the ground running on this one and have plans for a fabulous weekend of fun, action, history, culture and hospitality, Southern Style.

Friday afternoon and evening activities will include classes of all sorts, a Wash-o-saurus Luau, Music From The Black and a Midnight Pajama Party. Saturday's big fun kicks off with a Train Job Luncheon, and your choice of three fun-filled activity tracks: the Thrilling Heroics Whitewater rafting Track, Hard Burn NASCAR Track or Tour The Core - Uptown Tour. The evening will culminate in the Ball, complete with dancing to live music and a fabulous shindiggy buffet (there may even be some kinda hot cheese thing.) Night owls can continue on to the after-hours party!

We'll be posting links to our still-in-progress site soon, so mark your calender now - October 22-24, for the 2010 Browncoat Ball. We aim to misbehave!


Liberally cross-posted

Video clip of Katee on The Big Bang Theory (3x09: The Vengeance Formulation)

( video clip under the LJ cut ... )

At Home:
Velvet Underground--Live at Max's Kansas City
The Xx--Xx
The Gossip--Music for Men

In the car:
Beatles--Mono Masters Vol. 2
Devo--Q:Are We Not Men? A:We Are Devo

The Phoenix:
Devo--playing the very same album LIVE RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!! It was fucking awesome!

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Has anyone gotten a haircut at Aveda by one of the student hairstylists? Experiences? Thoughts?
I need some layers and am tempted by the cheapness of it. Worth going?

Thanks in advance!

If this isn't appropriate, delete, but he was a great musician and great guy, and known enough in Toronto/GTA.

Jacksoul frontman Haydain Neale dies of lung cancer at age 39

By Nick Patch (CP) – 1 hour ago

TORONTO — Jacksoul frontman Haydain Neale was remembered as an "amazing individual" and a "joyful presence" as stunned colleagues learned of his death from cancer on Monday.

Neale, the frontman for the Juno Award-winning group, died Sunday at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto at age 39, after a seven-month battle with lung cancer, the family said in a release Monday.

( more behind the cut... )
met him a couple times, him and his daughter....very kind, humble...crazy talented musician.
so sad....RIP.

Hiho,

Here are my twitter thoughts from 23:00 last night to 23:00 tonight.

Today, gurudata...

• 00:33 has never watched Top Gear before. Ok, I now see why people who don't normally like car shows make a big deal about this one. Funny stuff! #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter. @replies have been removed

CU,
Andrew

Like this?



In the downtown area. I already bought this from Friendly Stranger. I also checked this store on baldwin and that place in front of Village By the Grange.

Hi Toronto,

I need to find a new place for January 1 and feel like I'm hitting a wall with the usual methods (Craigslist, kijiji, viewit). Also, it's my third apartment hunt in the past two years, and I'm frankly kind of tired of the whole apartment hunting game. I'd like to just pay someone to find my perfect apartment for me... does anyone have any recommendations for how to go about this, and how much such a service might cost ?

Alternatively, does anyone know of a fabulous 1 bedroom, within a 20 min walk to Yorkville, on the market for January 1, under $1500, that's not a shoebox-sized condo ?

cheetos covered in strawberries yogurt.

Update!

Yesterday while coming home I noticed a handyman's van parked in the grounds of the building so being the new local busybody I went looking for him to get some more info.

I told him what happened with the police and the council and the police must have got onto it.The handyman said he wasn't the owner but had just landed the contract to completely renovate and restore the entire building!! It was happening soon but in the meantime he had to just maintain the security of the building, and move the fireplaces which had been dragged about the building back to the rooms they had been pulled out of! I got his number to alert him in future to any break-ins or vandalism.

However, the building being restored "Soon" could be anyime considering it's been boarded up for three years. With the local paper coming to do a story on it today that might shed some more light.

Student film production is looking for an apartment/condo which looks like it would belong to a single female in her 20s. Ideally the bedroom has lots of open space for film equipment. Applicants please send your contact information and any photographs you may have. You can contact me through sending a private message. Filming is this Wednesday.

Some more pics from D*Con, all joker/harley-centric with a little Ivy for ya. If I took your pic, let me know!

According to Deadline Hollywood, the Producers Guild of America announced today that Joss Whedon will be honored with its prestigious 2010 Vanguard Award!
He joins other famous recipients including George Lucas, James Cameron and John Lasseter.

If his speech is anything like his Bradbury award speech (inserted below), I can't wait to hear it!

My weekend was enlightening. I like that word. To me, it means showing you the things you had a feeling were in the room, but weren't sure of, and now you know for sure of their existence.


Boiled down to points:

• I don't mind travelling alone, but I will never go somewhere without at least two plans in place.
• David Kaye's voice on every rock station I found. mmmmmmmmMMMDavid Kaye.
• Alex can and does cuddle. As long as he can watch JLU at the same time.
• Phil now expects me to have a song recommendation for him every time I come up. This time it was Ke$ha's "Don't Stop," although he dug the Wheezer song, too.
• Chris...is awesome. Nobody else in the planet can get away with talking to me like that, other than elfgirl13. Also, he appreciates that I'm there to hear what no one else wants to hear. Plus, riding around in his Firebird rocks.
• Cat and Gord left a ton of condoms in my room. Like the food and booze I went out and bought for my Box Social, they were not used
• I really am the Sailor Mercury of the TF Con staff. Nothing to say worth hearing, goofy attack mode, and I wear too much blue.
• BUT at least I'm not General Techno. "TWO COMPLETELY SEPARATE FACTIONS!!"
• Daniel came to the Box Social via Skype video. I love that guy.
• Colin continues to crack us all up. There was a skinny George Lucas look-alike at the Antique Toy Show. "Sir, are you into Star Wars? Check THIS out!" and hands him the new flier. Steph was ON THE FLOOR.
• Steph taught me the CLEAN way to have dreds. What do you think, new look for spring?
• I bought a Slag for $25 CND...until I saw the huge glob of epoxy on it. Took Steph and his tattooed/muscled/earringed self with me to get my money back. No problem. (They had a Sandstorm for $40 but I didn't trust them after that.)
  
  What did I learn? That some things are dead...and some can live on in other people...and that I will never let myself be waylaid by jackassery again. But I've said that before. Let's see if it sticks.

Thanks to everyone who responded so positively to my post!This is a NICE lj community!



I called the police about the damage to the mansion and they said they cannot make a report of it unless I'm the owner of the property and therefore the victim.

WHAT!


I called the council and they said the building is privately owned but they cannot notify the owner unless I put it in writing to the council that there has been damage to the property.

WHAT!

So I called the local newspaper and they are sending a photographer round to my place to interview me and to take some pictures and to find out just who is letting this magnificent property rot.

Stay tuned!

Cut off for international Christmas cards getting to various locales in time is December 1. So, if you still want a card leave your address in a comment at my previous post (it is screened, the comments on this post are going to be turned off... I'm trying to keep the info in one place).

another where to find.

im looking for a metal bender action figure. you know, from futurama.
has anyone seen these lately? theres a store on queen st (at vanauley) near spadina that used to carry a lot of futurama stuff, however i was in there yesterday and their collection has sadly diminished. also, they are really expensive. they resell toys that i have seen at toys'r'us at ridiculous prices. anyways. i havent gone back to silver snail yet, but last time i was there, they didnt have them.
any leads?

Hubby has taken the day off to go get his H1N1 shot.

He called to say he had gotten his wristband after 45 minutes of waiting.

He then had a 2 hour wait until he could get his shot, but at least he could wander for that 2 hours and not stand in line.

After hearing Toronto and London radio stations talk about empty clinics, it was a bit humourous to hear hubby talking about lines. But at least he is finally going to get his shot. :)

A mostly film-filled week.

Last Monday went to Chalker's Pub to hear the Sisters of Sheynville play yiddish swing klezmer. The piano player is a friend of a friend, and the performance was a lot of fun.

Tuesday was the U of T East Asian Film Club, which was showing Three Kingdoms, yet another huge scale battle film about the "kingdom" period of China. This style of film has become very popular over the past few years, maybe because the Chinese government approves of the subtext that China was better off once it became a single country. The club is terrible at notifying people when they are putting on showings however, I usually only get an email two days beforehand. And they wonder why only a few people are turning up.

Wednesday was a Hot Docs night with Christian. This months film was October Country, one year out of the life of a, to be frank, trailer trash family. They're aren't really bad people, but they have no money in a poor part of the rural US with little opportunity to get out of the holes they are in. Bleak, but compelling in a "glad I'm not them" kind of way.

Thursday was Science Night. The U of T Space and Astronomy club had a lecture by Dr. Hilke Schlichting of the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics. She's looking for small (under 1 km in size) bodies in the Kuiper Belt, a collection of ice and rock out past the orbit of Neptune. Anything out that far under 10 km in size is too small and dim to see with telescopes, so she's been using transits. If you look at a star long enough, there's a tiny chance that such a body will past between it and you and then you can see the star's brightness change. These transits would take about 0.3 seconds, and the chances of seeing one are very small, so you need a vast amount of data to hope to find any.

That's where things get really clever. The Hubble Space Telescope uses what's called Fine Guidance Sensors to orient itself in space. The FGSs are little telescopes that lock onto stars and constantly monitor them (40 times a second) to fix the orientation of the telescope. There's 14 years worth of this data, and she managed to talk NASA into giving her access to it. So far she's discovered one body (less than a kilometer across), and continues to hunt for more. Got to talk to her and some of the club execs at the pub night afterwards, which was great.

Friday was Cinematheque, and Panic in the Street, a noir-ish thriller set in New Orleans about a discovery of a murdered man who happens to be carrying the plague, and the search for his killers before they infect the city. A young Jack Palance (who seems to be about eight feet tall) is the bad guy, and the film was directed by Elia Kazan (On the Waterfront). Ran into Charles there, and greatly enjoyed the film.

Saturday was the SF Book Club meeting, at which I was presenting Douglas Adams' Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul. I figured that there would be plenty written up about this book, as Adams is such an influence on SF, but found that there is actually very little critical work on him (something that the librarians at the Merril Collection found surprising as well). Maybe because he's a "funny" author he's judged not worth serious attention. (I put "funny" in quotes there because as my brother points out, while Adams tells a lot of jokes one gets the impression that there's seriousness underlying what's he's doing). That evening it was over to Irwin and Lisa's for Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars, which is a lot better than the Easter bus-in-the-desert special.

Finally, yesterday was brunch at the Hot House with Paul and Susan and Rebecca (Charlene and Hayden and Wesley couldn't make it due to Wesley being ill), which was great as always. In the afternoon was a string quartet I like, and in the evening this month's Plasticine Poetry event at the Central.