Let's Make Some Art, Dammit

December 31, 2019. We could take the 401 to visit relatives, and suffer through the misery, or we could take the northern route through Algonquin Park. In theory it's an extra couple of hours - but as Bill points out, it's never just 5 hours on the 401; there's always some source of misery. https://flic.kr/p/2i8r3qX

December 30, 2019. We took a quick walk in the park to get freezing rain pictures, then drove toward Fergus to visit Bill, Shirley and family. The ice wasn't that thick in Orillia, but there were some pretty spectacular scenes on the road. The roads themselves were good, though, rewarding us for waiting. https://flic.kr/p/2i8ndTE

December 29, 2019. With the forecast for freezing rain, we decided to wait it out in Orillia. Instead, we took a walk in the park along the lake, looking for interesting things like this nest. https://flic.kr/p/2i8n55c

December 28, 2019. Arrived in Orillia and visited Mariposa Market downtown - seemingly the most popular store in Orillia today. Worth a visit. https://flic.kr/p/2i8pztS

December 16, 2019. Back in the office today; this is a view from the road just outside our building. Back at the ethics paper, which will One Day Be Done. https://flic.kr/p/2i1xPUm

December 14, 2019. I spent most of the day working on my ethics paper, and also a couple of hours reviewing a paper. Evenings these daya I play No Man's Sky, which for me means working on my base/city I call Trantor. It may be the largest city in NMS, but it's hard to find. You have to get to Budullangr galaxy, then get to the Galactic Hub. It's near there, in a region of space called the Downes Federation. https://flic.kr/p/2i1xCXg

December 15, 2019. I cleaned up the basement and prepared the cycle after a bit of a hiatus, because it's time to get back on the bike to prepare for next summer's cycling season. https://flic.kr/p/2i1yJQC

December 13, 2019. I'm on to winter food now - a warm and nourishing broth of egg noodles, vegetables, tuna, gumbo soup mix, and ghost pepper for bite. It was back to the ethics paper today, which is slowly taking shape. https://flic.kr/p/2hZEuBa

December 12, 2019. I took a day off from the ethics paper to write a proposal for a May conference (a Canadian conference, so I don't get booked onto an Air Canada Rouge nightmare). Back home to play No Man's Sky. These are my various travel mugs. https://flic.kr/p/2hZBNDL

December 11, 2019. It's hard to see but there's a vigorous snowfall taking place. This is the Chateau Laurier as seen from the Rideau Centre in downtown Ottawa. We took the LRT downtown while waiting to have snow tires installed. I also checked in at the office to determine that the internet is now working again, so it's back to the usual routine tomorrow. https://flic.kr/p/2hYjL8P

December 10, 2019. I tought for a while wondering why we must always build buildings above ground, creating the need for ramps (which are always awkwardly constructed) and decided it must be because of snow, which would otherwise melt into buildings. This was a quick trip to the bank in the morning during a day spent working on (you guessed it) my ethics paper. https://flic.kr/p/2hYohjZ

December 9, 2019. This is the view of the back yard from the downstairs bathroom. I'm up early and ready to work from home (due to the internet outage in the office). It was another day spent working on my ethics paper (by now a Major Project). https://flic.kr/p/2hYjwDp

December 8, 2019. Sunday means errands as we ventured into the city (still on summer tires) for a Costco run. Other than that, I'm still working on my ethics paper. https://flic.kr/p/2hYjtFF

December 6, 2019. Before I went to Brazil our TV went zzzzzzzt and died. Today the replacement arrived. We set it up, and while the cats were not impressed by the disruption, Lexi at least approved. https://flic.kr/p/2hVWciq

December 5, 2019. The 'NRC' logo is there to prevent people from trying to walk through the plate glass in our lobby. The view is of the back of the wreath hung over them. The good news ended there, as I came back to find out that internet on the 'black' network is out. That said, I can work from home until it's back up again. https://flic.kr/p/2hVQgvq

December 4, 2019. I spent the day working on my Ethics paper, trying to create a nice video of it. I say 'trying' because I learned the hard way that OBS will only support a certain number of image slides. This is in the evening, just before bed. It's the latest of my Senators Mugs, bought at the airport, to replace yet another lost Senators mug. https://flic.kr/p/2hVLzaY

December 3, 2019. Back from Brazil, taking a rest day before working again. This is Andrea's chair, and sitting pretty on Andrea's chair is Lexi, who knows where to find the softest chair in the house. https://flic.kr/p/2hVQ1PM

December 2, 2019. This is what greeted us when we landed in Toronto. After a layover, I got into my 10:10 flight to Ottawa. After a three hour delay we managed to take off. Back home now. Cats are very happy. https://flic.kr/p/2hU5ymV

December 1, 2019. Arrived in Sao Paulo early in the morning, had breakfast, stayed at the 'Fast Sleep' in the airport, sleeping most of the day, then caught my flight to Toronto in the evening. I had thought about taking my 13 hour layover and visiting the city, but decided to play it safe. This the the view from a short walk I took outside the airport. https://flic.kr/p/2hU7Q1Q

November 30, 2019. The day after the conference livia Nery celebrated two things - the successful completion of the conference she organized, and her birthday. This is at the celebratory lunch. Before lunch I went for a walk around the hotel in 40 degree weather taking pictures, and after I was taken for a quick tour of the city centre, which I really appreciated. I was in bed by 5 p.m. in preparation for my 2:00 a.m. departure. https://flic.kr/p/2hU8JNp