Let's Make Some Art, Dammit

January 31, 2015. It's hard to belive there was no snow on the front lawn a week ago, but there it is. This is a photo of Andrea shoveling the sidewalk in front of the house. The City is supposed to clear the sidewalks but they are very slow and unreliable. They have old equipment (which I saw being repaired on the sidewalk during the blizzard) and they are understaffed. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1Lx0ENg

January 30, 2015. This is the furnace, fully repaired and purring happily like a kitten with cream. You can also see the rest of the basement, which as you can see is unfinished. I have ambitions, but the basement has a roof height of about 6 and a half feet - not really good for everyday use. Why couldn't they have built it one foot deeper? From Flickr http://ift.tt/1CIVY2M

January 29, 2015. A deep blue sky and icicles - winter's back. The two-day storm dumped several feet of snow on everything, and these icicles are the inevitable result. The house is nice and toasty, not because the furnace is working (it isn't) but because snow insulates well and the heaters are efficient. Worked at home defining deliverables all day; project meetings tomorrow and then the weekend. Feeling good about myself. P.S. the soffit you see upper left and the roof that holds it was rebuilt and installed by me several years ago, and is holding quite nicely thank you. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1LnQDSy

January 29, 2015. Another snowy day outside, another day without a working furnace inside. These heaters were supplied by Enbridge to help keep us semi-warm while waiting for replacement heat exchanger. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1LnNd2a

January 27, 2015. It's cold in the house today as the furnace picked today, of all days, to quit. As you can see, there's a blizzard outside the front door. The guy from Enbridge, pictured, found the problem, but with everything closed we'll be a couple days without heat. We have electric heaters on, though, and with sweaters and wooly socks we should be OK. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1zsszdR

January 26, 2015. I never really watched Friends while it was on TV, but now Netflix has ten seasons available, which should occupy me for a while. Hence, 'Central Perk', which gives me the title of today's photo, taken at Café Codiac, where I get my morning coffee every day, usually in that same red mug. Today I went to the office expecting an open day but had 6 hours of meetings. But I've dedicated this week to closing out some longstanding issues, and they'll be settled by accord or by fiat. Either way is good with me. I need to get back to the business of making great educational applications. P.S. notice the squeaky clean appliances and floors? That's how you brew outstanding coffee. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1zR5vFh

January 25, 2015. Up a bit early today to drive to Charlottetown to see the Moncton Miracles on the road against the storm. After a 120-111 win, we drove home happy. Best day in a week. Maybe more. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1BbA5EY More photos here .

Jabuary 23, 2015. I needed friendly cats - I bought this picture at a Christmas market in Berlin - because today was a sick day. Which meant only three meetings, dropping off at the dentist, and a run to Costco. I also forgot to put a card in the camera, had a headache all day (I wonder whether I'm still suffering from being kicked in the head) and am running on 1/2 speed. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1CFetoW

January 24, 2015. Still under the weather, staying in all day. I had enough energy to turn my mind to the office upstairs again (notice the paint samples on the wall). I set up the bicycle on the trainer, set up the Wireless TV to play the Miracles basketball game (which as of the half they are trailing badly), and of course, a new signed José Bautista poster on the wall. Put in half an hour or so on the bike, worked up a sweat, and maybe that will chase the last of the ill health away. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1yeju13

January 22, 2014. Moncton Miracles Stanley Robinson lines up a shot in a losinge ffort against Saint John. Good game, way too many missed free throws. As for me, I've had a cold and a sore throat all day. Feeling miserable. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1yUZqrv

January 21, 2015. A nice clear day with a deep blue sky, cold and frozen. This is the pond on the road near my office. This time of year we'd normally be hip-deep in snow, so I'm happy we have just a trace, with ice. Relatively quiet day today, spin in the evening, forging ahead one inch at a time. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1Chvllc

January 20, 2015. I went to Mapleton Park at noon to check up on the ducks - I last saw them before the deep freeze of the last couple weeks and I was worried about them. I'm happy to report that they are thriving . I also encountered this little fellow, who scampered alongside the trail beside me for a while before climbing a tree and chattering at me. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1zveE68

January 19, 2015. Today is 'Blue Monday', so named because it's the most depressing day of the year - dark, dreary, and a good two months from the end of winter. But it wasn't so bad for me - a couple of good meetings, a spin class, and getting some stuff done in between. But I have to get those negative influences out of my life - things like Twitter and Facebook threaten to drag me down into the mire of gossip, innuendo and hate. From Flickr http://ift.tt/15ohjSS

January 18, 2015. Good game today against defending champs Windsor. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1sRWhGk

January 17, 2015. With the announcement that Target will be closing we went down to clean them out of Teriyaki tuna and a couple other things nobody else has. It wasn't much. I wanted to get a broom and a sponge mop, but they only had flimsy plastic implements. I feel badly for the employees but not for Target - they have good stores and products in the U.S., but here in Canada they thought they could sell us trash, and they paid billions to learn they couldn't. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1Au2bec

January 16, 2015. Wrote a post this morning, spin class at noon (that nearly wiped me out), email and catchup this afternoon, and a basketball game in the evening. A lazy day. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1uaJ8Jf

January 15, 2015. Long day, tired. Where would photo-a-day be without cat pictures? Annoyed with people in general today. I'm sure it will pass. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1Al8AIA

January 14, 2015. Good discussion about the harvester and data structures this morning, then drove back to Moncton this afternoon, pausing only to take this photo of the Saint John River on the way back. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1E0EHB7

January 13, 2015. We held our LPSS program workshop in Fredericton over the last two days. This is most of the program team - Susan, Heather, and Patricia are all missing (maybe others too). Some really good session and great discussion. We're located in five different cities, so the occasional get-together like this is essential. The rest of the time we eat, work and sleep distance. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1DWbyXS

January 12, 2015. Workshop in Fredericton. Got out after dark. This is in front of the hotel, a tree in the snow with a forest behind it. From Flickr http://ift.tt/14N72ix

January 11, 1015. Drove to Fredericton this afternoon. About half way, the Canaan River crosses the highway, and a few kilometers down from that we find the hamlet of Cole's Island. So I turned off a bit to capture the winder scene in the failing light of the afternoon. Tonight: football. Tomorrow: workshop in Fredericton. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1C51UB0

January 10, 2015. Saturday. The usual run to get coffee and groceries, with a basketyball game tonight. Played Civ the rest of the day (yeah, I'm that lazy). This is Victoria Park in the bright blue cold the day after a snowfall. Truly spectacular trees. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1C3RzVM

January 8, 2014. Coldest day of the year, dropping to -24 in the evening. This is a tree outside the office. Meetings. Spinning. Catching up on email. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1BHSFZ4

January 7, 2015. Downtown Moncton as viewed from across the river in Riverview. Another freezing cold day, there was a mist rising off the water. Busy day, full of errands, meetings, and getting ready for next week's workshop. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1xGXaSl

January 6, 2015. Freezing cold again today so I wasn't outside much. This is some tofu on display in Costco - I like tofu - especially in hot and sour soup, or with Szechuan sauce - but I didn't buy any. I also liked the bright yellow design of these boxes. They made me feel happy. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1DhphLk

January 5, 2015. The temperature started cold and kept dropping through the day, with a strong wind just for fun. I fear for these ducks. They are puffed out and have found a bit of moving water. But the coming cold snap could be really hard on them. But there's nothing I can do, really, other than take their picture. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1DbXOuo

December 4, 2015. The snows came over night, then the freezing rain, then the basketball team from Charlottetown. The Storm prevailed over a deleted Moncton squad, while the hometown Miracles were more than accommodating, shooting only 32% from the floor. No sugar-coating this one. It got pretty hard to watch by the end. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1rVct96

January 3, 2015. Back in Moncton. Freezing cold day today, a good day to stay indoors (but of course I went out for a coffee). Ice, no snow yet, but that will change. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1D7FNgU

January 2, 2015. We hit the town before driving home today. This photo was taken at the coffee shop in the surprisingly well-designed Spring Garden Place - it's a little downtown mall that uses skylights and mirrors to create a really open and airy indoor atmosphere. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1F0hLq3

January 1, 2015. Woke up this morning to see nothing but white outside the window as a snow squall greeted the new year in Halifax. The roads were even more slippery that they look, resulting in us staying in most of the day, except to see the Hobbit (IMAX, 3D) in the late afternoon. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1BtX3bT