December 2007 Archives

My sister gave this lovely decoration to my fiance for Christmas. Thanks, Jenn - it's gorgeous, and it'll look great next year at Christmas.  I love the single red ball in the mass of silver ones.

Mookie, right after she woke up. She's 18 years old this year. That's very old for a cat - according to this, she's equivalent to 88 years of age in a human.  She's cranky most of the time, but I like her anyways.

Another shot of the city from my sundeck. I love the look of the Toronto skyline at night - it looks like something from "The Matrix" in this shot. Taken with my new Canon Rebel XTi, with a 20 second exposure at f/9.

Taken with my new(!) camera - a closeup of one of the many ornaments on our Christmas tree.  I know that it's almost New Year's Eve, but I'm having fun taking pictures around the house - I don't want to venture outside yet - it's too soon after Christmas.  Maybe tomorrow I'll go outside and see what this baby can do.

My sweetheart bought me a new camera - a Canon Rebel XTi - for Christmas.  So, of course, I had to try it out.  This is an attempt to do something that she did in one of her shots - here - and it turned out wonderfully.  She spoils me, and I love her to bits.  I'm a very lucky guy.

While waiting at the vet's the other day, for my sweetie's pug to get her eyes checked, I noticed something interesting about the examination room.  I don't quite know what it was that caught my eye, but I just kept looking at the room.

They're rare, but they're not expensive.  They're not the best game system, technically, but they're the best selling.  There's something special about the combination of things that go into making a Wii, but this little boy doesn't care what it is - he just REALLY wants one.  Taken at the Eaton Center on the Saturday before Christmas.

We had a Christmas gathering this year - all of my family, plus her parents. Thirteen people sitting down for dinner, all at once. And on the morning after, this is what we faced - the dirty dishes of the night before. It was a fun party, and it was wonderful to have everyone together. I hope that all of you reading this have a Merry Christmas.

George looked on helplessly as Martha threw herself at Raul.  She was shameless - rubbing herself up against her lover, oblivious to the distress she was causing in George.

All day long she sits and stares at the ground.  She looks sad, doesn't she?

Some of the many ornaments my lovely wife has put on our tree.  (She actually used 10 strings of 100 lights on the tree - we don't need any other illumination in the living room when it's plugged in!)

The view from my sundeck.  I'm done with the snow now - can we have summer?

Yes, we got dumped on here in Toronto by Mother Nature.  A storm from the US has wandered it's way through the area, and the streets are full of snow.  It must be winter or something.  This poor guy was clearing snow from in front of stores on Queen Street East, and he didn't look too pleased about it.

Another interesting old building - this one at Queen and University.  It's funny, how even the design of the windows and safety ladder on the roof provide the cues you need to realize this is an old building.

Some of the lights at Nathan Phillips Square.

After a snowstorm, I found these keys, hanging from a pole.  Apparently, they had been there for almost a week by that time, hung up by some kind soul after they were found near a local club.  You can see the rust forming, even from that short a time.  I wonder how long they'll be up there.

I loved the contrast of the dark roof and the clear blue sky behind it.

I love the Swarovski Christmas tree that they set up in the Eaton Center every year.  It sparkles, glitters, and spins.  Tourists and shoppers love it too, as evidenced by the large numbers that are always around taking pictures.

I love architectural detail on old buildings.  I spotted this detail across the street as I walked to the streetcar stop the other day.

Still in the crepes place - apparently, Nutella is quite the favourite spread to put on (in?) crepes.  I can't stand the taste of the stuff, myself, but it was amusing to see all the bottles lined up in the restaurant.

I had crepes today for lunch.  I never used to know how they made crepes - then I watched one of the guys here make them.  They pour the batter and spread it out in a circular motion, then separate it from the pan and flip it.  Bang - there's your crepe.

Abandon all ignorance, ye who enter here.  The library in our area is in a wonderful old building.  After the snowstorm on Saturday night, we went out for a photowalk and I had to get a shot of it.

You can tell that they spend a lot of time playing together.  Both are bundled up against the cold - the dog by its fur, the little girl by her clothes.  I bet they have a lot of fun.

It was very cold when I took this picture.  I was wearing gloves, a hat, and a scarf, and STILL, I was cold.  So, it made me think - what do you have to wear, when your job consists of standing in a drafty tent, with an open front, selling hotdogs and sausages for 3 bucks a pop?

Taken from the River Street Bridge.  I never realized how much the bridges shake when a streetcar goes by till I tried to take this shot while bracing the camera on the bridge itself.

Okay - it's only the facade that's curved.  But it still looks great, doesn't it?  I love the glow from the windows at night in this shot.

In the warmer months, these are filled with plants and flowers.  It struck me as a little sad that they were empty.  Taken on John Street south of Queen.