Let's Make Some Art, Dammit

March 31, 2015. One last look at Ghent in the early morning light as I wait for my train to Brussels airport. Surprisingly I was able to get home in only two hops - direct to Montreal, and then to Moncton. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1C42tbP

March 30, 2015. Gave my presentation first thing in the morning, slept 6 hiurs, went out for supper and a walk in the rain, and shot this photo. 'Gravensteen' means 'Castle of the Counts'. gravensteen.stad.gent/ From Flickr http://ift.tt/1Cqj5hE

March 29, 2015. Ghent. Cold and rainy and very windy. Yeas, that's my one free day in the city. I made the best of it, walking around 6 km taking pictures.Tonight I have dinner (why do they eat so late?) and tomorrow, first thing, my talk. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1GEgJPj

March 28, 2015. I've been grumbing all day today about the logistics, but after finally arriving in this railway station I have to say Ghent is truly spectacular - complete with castle! I won't be here long at all but it was truly not to be missed. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1HcthLO

March 27, 2015. The hotel at Sausality where I'm staying is an old military base just under the Golden Gate Bridge. In the middle of the night the fog horns started, and this is the sight that greeted me in the morning. That's about all I say, as by noon I was on my way out of San Francisco. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1F2xQIA

March 26, 2015. A visit to the Muir Woods National Monument was on today's lunch hour schedule - we had a box lunch in the bus, and then wandered around the woods. Myself, i walked out as far as the fourth bridge and took the hillside trail back. I had some issues with the camera because of a very low battery but I made it work, I think. This is a lovely place; I'd love to be back one day during a rain when the woods are empty of people. For more on the forst see http://ift.tt/158ym95 From Flickr http://ift.tt/1EIj9HW

March 25, 2015. Douglas Gayeton gave the opening keynote at the Hewlett Grantees conference today, an interesting account of the intersection between lexicons and sustainability. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1HNPOyH

March 25, 2015. Douglas Gayeton gave the opening keynote at the Hewlett Grantees conference today, an interesting account of the intersection between lexicons and sustainability. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1HNPOyH

March 24, 2015. The last time I was in San Francisco it was December 31, 1999, and we watched the Millennium fireworks at the Embarcadero. I stood on the exact spot again and relived old memories. Before that, it was 1984 and Peter Prus and I drove here on a lark midsummer to have Chinese food in Chinatown, so I went there too. I could spend a lot more time in San Francisco, but alas I am here so rarely. It's nice to be back. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1CoFahS

March 23, 2015. Somewhere over Utah. I started the day in an Esso waiting for the bridge to open and ended it in a dodgy hotel in a suburb of San Francisco. In the middle was fractured sleep and airplanes. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1Be4nrj

March 22, 2015. Rainmen win in Charlottetown. We drove over the bridge to watch the game and were stranged on the way back - we didn't get home until 5:00 a.m. Good game though. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1GL7EC2

March 21, 2015. Here I am presenting to Blogging Spring. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1xosGXq

March 19, 2015. I'm using someone else's photo today because when I took a nice photo of dental implements this morning, I did not realize (yet again!) that the camera did not have a cared in it. The Sony Cybershot is a terrific point-and-shoot camera, but its failure to notify you when you don't have a card in it is really a significant flaw. So anyhow, dentistry went fine, I had a bunch of meetings, spin class, and this online talk with a bunch of students in Francois Desjardin's online class. Photo by Amy Beecham @amyb_teacher From Flickr http://ift.tt/1xa49Fk

March 20, 2015. Closed up the office before heading out on the road. Nice sunny day today with blue sky. The plants are beginning to perk up again (watering them also helps) and I'm eager to get on an airplane and get away from all this snow. I have a few more days to wait, though. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1Hd2PVx

March 18, 2015. "Happy Real Anniversary," said Andrea to me this morning. So here's the story. We were married on St. Patrick's Day, 1998. So we told everyone who came to our wedding party. But in fact we hadn't done the paperwork right and so were married in a very small follow-up ceremony the next day, March 18. So we have two wedding anniversaries. Because, you know, paperwork. Neither of us is particularly good at it. P.S. the photo is of yet more snow falling in Moncton, as seen from the parking lot at my office. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1F5rafa

March 17, 2015. My standard evening meal with salmon and vegetables. The powder is cayenne pepper. Yum! Notice the nose of a cat, right, waiting impatiently for his share while I take the photo. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1LqvucS

March 16, 2015. Snow day. Got a lot of (what was formerly called) paperwork done. Spin class was cancelled so I did a bit more work setting up the office. I damaged one of the drawer units getting it up the stairs (but it was pretty good weightlifting exercise). And from this I can see I need some greens and blues and other colours in the room. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1wSxQus

March 15, 2015. Because we haven't suffered enough this winter, we were treated to an all-day blizzard today. I meant to get a lot done, and I guess in a way I did, but mostly I played Civ and watched or listened to baseball online. After the last couple of weeks I deserve a couple of days off. From Flickr http://ift.tt/18u9YC9

March 14, 2015. Cat photos - what would 'photo of the day' be without them? From Flickr http://ift.tt/1GR2fgb

March 13, 2015. Cat photos - what would 'photo of the day' be without them? From Flickr http://ift.tt/1GR2fg3

March 12, 2015. Cat photos - what would 'photo of the day' be without them? From Flickr http://ift.tt/1GR2ffZ

March 11, 2015. Cat photos - what would 'photo of the day' be without them? From Flickr http://ift.tt/1GR2hVh

March 10, 2015. How often do you get to see the inside of elevator controls? If you're me, the answer is never! Until today. This is an elevator under repair (but still going up and down) in the CISTI Building. Too cool. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1B0WkwD

March 9, 2015. Still in Ottawa. This is on the main steps of the CISTI building, M-55, at the NRC campus in Ottawa where I'm taking a course on negotiation skills. Part of my unofficial MBA which comes as part of being a program leader. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1E7fMwi

March 8, 2015. Back in Ottawa, across the street from the old Ottawa Technical High School. Nice sht from the wide angle lens, but unfortunately behind a dirty window which could not be opened. Still, it's a pretty neat shot. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1A5W4wn

March 7, 2015. Back home. It's still cold. So Bart lingers on the hot air vent under the bench in the front hall way. What's in the Power Packer? Rocks, collected by Andrea over the years. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1E3Wist

March 6, 2015. 34 hours door to door from Riyadh, but I had a seven hour stopover in Paris, just enough time to dash into the city for a madcap three hour visit to some of the top attractions. It was my first time in Paris and yes, it was totally worth it. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1MgN3Jj

March 5, 2015. Last day in Riyadh and last day of the conference. I gave my paper today to a satisfying audience (some of the audiences have been tiny) and though I felt it was a bit choppy I received nice feedback. This afternoon I took a walk around the grounds for some photos, including this one, of the hotel. Nice place. Like staying in a king's palace. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1B7CTaa

March 4, 2015. Interesting lighting effect in this restaurant where we ate Arabian Food - this is actually a full colour photo. One more dayy in Riyadh - I give my talk tomorrow - and then it's time to head home. We did a panel today; there were 15 people in the audience. It's like the soccer games from Dubai I watch, you can see basically an empty stand and a cluster of about 20 people watching the game. I'd hate to think of what the season ticket prices are. At any rate, our talks - like those soccer games - are televised across the country. So I don't feel so bad. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1AJLACD

March 3, 2015. Still in Riyadh, at an evening celebration at the conference. Here I am in negotiations to get my luggage back. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1ADPFZ1

March 2, 2015. First full day in Riyadh. I went down to Qaṣr al-Maṣmak, the old fort in the centre of Riyadh, and wandered around the souks and buildings nearby. This isn't the fort; this is a mosque behind some of the reconstruction which takes up a large part of the site nearby. Luggage still has not arrived. From Flickr http://ift.tt/18HJKwz

March 1, 2014. I arrived in Riyadh without my luggage. On the bright side, I'm staying at the Ritz Carlton, pictured, so I'll be well taken care of. But for now, sleep. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1N8RHKM

February 28, 2015. Four hour layover in Pearson en route to Riyadh, where I finished off a 2,000 word paper for the conference (as per usual, I write papers at a consistent rate of 250 words every 15 minutes). This is the view from the lounge at Terminal 3, which I rarely see, and I get to see unusual airlines, like Canjet. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1BwIDe1