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| Monday, 21-Jul-2008 13:25 |
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Spring & Summer
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algae at Wolfe Island (July 4th weekend)
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farmhouse on Wolfe Island
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Santa Monica pier (July 14)
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overlooking the Santa Monica mountains
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I've moved over to picasa web. Yes, yes I know ... there is COMMUNITY here and I will still participate when I have some colourful or interesting images to share (like the ones I've posted today) but I find picasa web to be much easier and more flexible since it allows for video upload as well as static images. Feel free to catch up on the silliness that is my life, in my picasa album.
These are some of the shots I've taken over the past few months, both locally and when I went out west to present at a conference.
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| Sunday, 9-Mar-2008 15:04 |
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Happy birthday, Christina Jean Kelly!
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in 2004, at her baptism
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the birthday girl eats/wears her cake!
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me, Christina and her uncle Steve in the back
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all the kids, looking proper
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!!~silliness~!!
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me and Mom (note her 'new' curly hair!)
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Christina turns 4 years old today! 
We got hit with another whopping snowstorm so her party has been postponed until next week. I'll post pictures of the birthday girl then. I've posted a bit of a retrospective for now 
Updated March 15, 2008
Just when I got all the kids' names down and was able to match them with their siblings and parents, they add a new one to the bunch!  We tried a group shot like we did a few years ago with all the kids on the staircase: one "proper" photo and one silly-face shot.  We also tried a group shot of everyone using our camera timers but that didn't go over so well with my camera 
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| Friday, 7-Mar-2008 12:00 |
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Aim's take on the classic BLT - as a side dish!
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Comfort food!
Instead of a classic BLT, I made a bacon, kale and tomato side dish. Delicious!
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| Saturday, 1-Mar-2008 12:00 |
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dinner at sis'
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My sister and I joined forces to make dinner for her husband, my dad and his wife (and ourselves, naturally). My Dad brought over 3 of the 4 hairy munchkins, each of whom had their own little coat for the winter weather.
I was laughing at how big the snowbanks were in Francine's neighbourhood, so I did my due diligence by tackling one of them as a mountaineer.
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| Tuesday, 26-Feb-2008 12:00 |
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10 years since
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Linda Susan Herskowitz, 1953-1998
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It's been ten years since my Aunt Linda passed away and I'm feeling bittersweet. I think she'd be really happy to see how we turned out. She used to say to me and Francine, "I just love my nieces to pieces!" 
Every year for our birthdays and for Valentine's Day, we'd get the most elaborate, homemade, personalized cards made with puffy paint and colourful hearts. She knew exactly how to make us feel special for our big milestone days. 
She was born on Remembrance Day and her favourite day was Valentine's because she loved hearts.
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I know I'll always be learning my life's lessons, but in the last ten years since you've been gone, I've taken some pretty big steps in figuring out some of the big ones: how to be my own best friend, how to appreciate failure as a normal part of my ongoing development and not take it (or everything else) so personally, how to be there for myself and probably the biggest one of all - how to love myself and treat myself with kindness and compassion. I know you're proud of me. I am too. More relieved than proud, though
I know two people who have won the scholarship in your name at York University. You'd be so embarrassed to know how honoured these people were to win that prize because they knew how treasured you were and still are.
Life is good, Auntie Lin You are missed and loved and cherished every day.
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| Saturday, 9-Feb-2008 22:53 |
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15th Annual Indoor Triathlon
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This is the first time I've done this event in ten years, and after plantar fasciitis, a strained back, and getting sick with whatever cold is going around as recently as last week, I managed to do very well!
The race is based on time - however much you can do in each of the three sports in fifteen minutes. You go from swimming pool to stationary bike to track and everything is done indoors (hello, it's Canada in wintertime - it only makes sense that it's an indoor tri'!)
My Mom was my cheering section today, coming fully prepared with her new camcorder and capturing live footage of my performance in the pool and on the bike. 
Everyone's been super supportive of me while I've been training (fairly diligently) for this race. I'm happy to say that I did as well as I could under the circumstances, and I may just make this an annual event
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| Saturday, 19-Jan-2008 06:35 |
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SOUP
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It's freezing outside today and since I was in the mood to experiment, I tried a new soup recipe. This is President's Choice sweet corn and crab soup. I also recommend using fresh or refrigerated crab meat, if you can get it and adding fresh lime juice after it's all simmered. Yummy!
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| Thursday, 17-Jan-2008 12:00 |
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In Memory of Raoul Santos Sioson
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(L-R) Jason, Raseema & Raoul
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Charity Ball, 1996 (from a collage on my wall)
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I met Raoul in undergrad. I always picture him smiling and joking because he was a joker - always making us laugh. He was genuine and kind-hearted and truly cared deeply for his friends and family.
He was an engineering student, so by virtue of his program of study, he divided his time diligently between studying and partying
Raoul was the type of friend who would be your go-to guy for any sort of social engagement that required an escort. If none of my girl friends wanted to go to a particular club or attend a certain event, Raoul could always be counted on as the guy who would say yes and you'd know that a good time was guaranteed.
I remember one time Raoul and I concocted the idea of amaretto slushies - made with freshly fallen snow from the backyard. We made sure to use the fresh white snow, don't worry
Raoul was my date to the senior year Charity Ball when Raseema drank too much and needed to be taken home early. He left me there at the venue to find her and make sure she got home in one piece, but then returned for me before the night was over.
When the scent of Drakkar Noir first became popular in the 90's, he got so excited from the positive reaction that women would give him for his scent, that he wound up buying this knock-off spray for his car called, "The Drake" Raoul loved that red sports car of his. It was his chick-magnet And once, I accidentally and totally unintentionally - threw up in it. It was Halloween 1998 and a group of us from university (girls and guys) wanted to go out dancing. All the girls ended up bailing on me, so it wound up being me and "the boys" - Warren, Giuliano and Raoul.
They teased me that, "If you're going to go out with the big boys, Amy, then you're gonna have to drink like the big boys!" After a night of dancing and drinking piddly apple ciders with him and the boys - I am almost certain that somebody at the club spiked my drink when I carelessly left it unattended while I danced. I went from feeling totally sober to out of control within a matter of minutes - and I am not a big drinker by any means. Raoul made sure I got home safely that night and he kept tabs on me for the next 18 hours of hell that I endured the aftermath of whatever I ingested that night. But yeah ... I threw up in his car. Not surprisingly, he sold that car not too long after... 
We (Raseema, Raoul and I) went to a Janet Jackson concert together when the Velvet Rope tour came to Toronto. He danced his little rump-shaking wiggle the whole time and we three had a blast.
Raoul died a year ago on this day from a sudden heart attack while playing ultimate frisbee with his recreational league. He was 34. I didn't have a chance to say goodbye but I have fond memories of him and I know his many friends feel the same sense of loss and disbelief at his not being with us anymore.
I thought I'd share a photo from an event we attended together with friends for our mutual friend's stag and doe party.
You are so deeply missed, Raoul. Save an amaretto slushie for me and I'll join you for a drink when it's time for us to meet again
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| Friday, 4-Jan-2008 12:00 |
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cube with a view
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the southern view out our dirty windows, 1st thing in the a.m.
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the southeast view: City Hall and Nathan Phillip's Square
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the skating rink at Nathan Phillip's Square
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I'm soon to be moving from my humble cube downtown to another office at the northern end of the city. The thing I'll miss most about being on the 21st floor of this downtown building is not the fully automated washrooms - although I admit, one does get accustomed to automatic bursts of liquid soap shooting out during handwashing, or the paper towel dispensing just the right amount when drying - but it's the view.
Ahh, the view. I'm in the middle of everything and I face south towards lake Ontario. I'm next to the supreme court and kitty-corner to City Hall. Today, I watched the ice skaters at Nathan Phillip's Square, saw the snow and clouds hide the tip of the CN Tower and caught a beautiful sunset as I left.
Enjoy the view.
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| Tuesday, 1-Jan-2008 20:58 |
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Happy New Year!
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It's a picturesque start to 2008.
Wishing everyone peace, health and joy for the New Year
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Hello, Aim in TO. Good to see you again. We were back in Toronto again this summer, made our way to Quebec city, and then up to the upper Maine coast before heading south to Boston. Back through New York's finger lakes region, we crossed into Ontario to access the crossing at Port Huron, Michigan to head home again. Sorry we didn't stop to say hello. 
