Uninhabited Spaces

Great, great poster. Rock on Canadian filmmakers!

I've recently discovered MGMT , a New York duo that produces sonic magic. Here's music to live by; to cry, dream, hope, and fall into oblivion with. Climb into the tub, shut yourself in your room, or get in the car and never stop driving...

For those Queen's University friends who live far away you might enjoy taking a peek at campus as it continues to undergo a massive multi-million dollar revitalization. University Avenue: peek here (gone is the double boulevard) Tindall Field: peek here (swapping the original Tindall behind Vic Hall with a parking lot and replacing the Mac-Corry parking lot with an artificial field) Queen's Centre: peek here (Jock Harty Arena is gone)and here (this used to be a whole block of houses just behind JDUC)

I started my first course of my Master of Education program last week. It's called "Comparative, International, and Development Education" and there are only 10 students in the class, including myself. Talk about intimate learning! I have to present a paper written my another author and lead a seminar, and then I have to present my own paper toward the end of the course. I have really enjoyed the class discussions so far--they are very intellectually demanding, quite intense and each class lasts 3 hours. I must confess I was anxious to begin graduate studies after being out of school for 12 years but it's been great so far.

400 years ago today Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec City. Bonne fete!!

Well, I am on day 2 of my new job. Please forgive the image duplication. This is the nicest photo I have of the building where I now work, Summerhill. Built in 1839 this is the oldest building on the Queen's campus. However, although Queen's had opened in March 1842 it did not purchase Summerhill until 1853, having moved around various rented spaces in Kingston. Prior to Queen's purchase Summerhill was used as a residence, school, and even rented accommodations known as "Sydenham Inn" for members of Canada's first parliament, who met across the street in June 1841 in the original Kingston General Hospital building (circa 1831). For those first 5 years (1853-1858) in the new permanent building Summerhill housed the entire university, being home to Arts & Theology, Law, Medicine, and the young college's professors and administration. Since 1867 the east wing has been the official residence of the Principal of Queen's, although it has not been occu...

Mark and I have begrudgingly returned from our week at our cottage in Provincetown, on the northern tip of Cape Cod. The town's motto is "Like Nowhere Else" and this was so very true. For decades, P-Town has attracted LGBT travellers because of its unique ambience and friendly atmosphere. It was amazing to see gay and lesbian couples everywhere walking hand-in-hand without a worry. It was a magic place, full of laughter, quaint beauty, and the vitality of the sea air. I am homesick for P-Town, a bubble of acceptance and creativity. More pictures from Cape Cod to come...

We are saddened to report that due to his increased level of violence and apparent thirst for murder we had no choice but to destroy patient "Gummie".

As of 10:45 Mark is attempting emergency surgery on one of the victims of the barbaric rampage of our patient, Gummie. We managed to capture and detain him for the time being. We are not sure what to do with him.

At 10:0 PM we went to collect the patient from the morgue but his body was missing. Luckily, our security camera took this photo of him in our central research laboratory. He has apparently risen from the dead and slaughtered our remaining gummy bear patients. It's a horrible scene, with gummy parts everywhere. We think we have unwittingly created a monster.

Despite our best efforts the patient expired from post-surgical complications. Time of death was 7:26 PM. We will arrange transfer from our facility to a nearby funeral home for a traditional gummy bear wake. Details to follow.

At 6:50 PM our gummy bear patient took a turn for the worse, as he started to reject his red ear and yellow foot. While of the same gummy species there are subtle genetic variances amongst the gummy races. To offset the rejection and associated pain, we are administering accupenture needles to try and stabilize him.

At 4:20 PM today Mark performed the world's first ear and foot transplant on a gummy bear. The parts were donated from bears who had been in tragic accidents. The patient is doing well and we expect a full recovery.

Well today is a banner day for corporate malfeasance. Here in Canada three former top Nortel executives were charged with fraud by the RCMP, and then the Mounties charged the founder of Royal Group Technologies and other executives with fraud. Meanwhile, in the U.S., two former Bear Stearns hedge fund managers surrendered to the FBI on charges of misleading investors, and nearly 300 have been arrested for mortgage fraud. Here come the movie rights!

Coldplay's new album "Viva La Vida" will be released tomorrow. The title track is such a tremendously gorgeous noise. I have listened to it so much I am glad that it's digital, lest I wear it out (remember those days?). I used to rule the world/Seas would rise when I gave the word/Now in the morning I sweep alone/Sweep the streets I used to own/I used to roll the dice/Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes/Listen as the crowd would sing:"Now the old king is dead! /Long live the king!/"One minute I held the key/Next the walls were closed on me/And I discovered that my castles stand/Upon pillars of sand, pillars of sand/I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing/Roman Cavalry choirs are singing/Be my mirror my sword and shield/My missionaries in a foreign field/For some reason I can not explain/Once you know there was never, never an honest word/That was when I ruled the world(Ohhh)/It was the wicked and wild wind/Blew down the doors to let me in./Shattered windows and...

At 5:01 PM today it became legal for same-sex couples to marry in California. Among the very first to be married were the lovely couple in the accompanying photo Del Martin, 87, and Phyllis Lyon, 84, who have been together over 50 years. My friends, this is what it is all about.

Five years ago today marriage between same-sex couples became legal in Ontario . Still waiting for the collapse of our society. In the meantime, what a wonderful celebration of civil rights and genuine equality! My partner and I will be exercising our rights next summer, with family and friends gathered to witness and bless our marriage.

McCain demonstrates his...um...affection for Bush in one of the most awkward poses ever caught on film...

Well, I can finally announce that I will be starting a new job on July 2! My title will be Senior Campaign Officer and I will be managing and coordinating a number of fundraising activities of the Vice Principal (Advancement), and working with senior level staff, donors, and volunteers to acquire the University's largest gifts. The beautiful building in the photo is called Summerhill, where my new office will be. It was built in 1839 and is the oldest building on the Queen's campus.

The astonishingly bright folks at Queen's Human Media Lab have just announced the the world's first foldable paper computer , among other futuristic organic user interfaces. Wow!

Today was Mark's graduation from the Bachelor of Education program. We were joined at the convocation ceremony by Mark's mother, Joan, his Aunt Carole and a dear friend from Toronto named Jan. After the cermony was over we took a number of photos and then wandered downtown for a lovely brunch at Windmills. We then went over to Mark's Uncle Pat and Aunt Carole's for dinner. I am so proud of Mark and his accomplishment. It was a demanding year for him and he rose to the challenge with great gusto and commitment, earning the respect and admiration of his peers in his Artist in Community Education stream. I look forward to his further adventures in education.

Thought this image captured the state of my brain the past few days. I have a great deal of activity happening on one side while the other is waiting for my holidays and has already packed a suitcase. I seem to have a steady cacophony of thoughts related to the world at large, circling in the following order: earthquake, lapel pins, world food shortage, RFK, wedding, career, mom, Burma, primaries, Indiana Jones, planes, Iraq, school...

We had a wonderful 4-day trip to New York City the first weekend of May. As most folks know, I proposed to Mark under a blossoming cherry tree in Central Park. It was a romantic and memorable day for both of us. We rented an apartment in the Upper east Side with another couple, Ingrid and Edward. It was such a great decision as we basically lived like real New Yorkers, buying fresh baked goods every morning, and a good stock of groceries at Gristedes for breakfast and snacks. We also picked up bagels daily from Tal's , voted best bagel shop in the Upper East Side, and they were definitely worth it. They were less sweet than their Montreal counterparts but certainly just as good, especially when they were still warm. Our friend Ingrid is a "Sex and the City" fan so we just had to try out the goodies at Tasty D Lites , featured in the show a few times. A massive Woody Allen fan, Ingrid was also so excited when we stumbled upon Elaine's , a restaurant that has been the ...

I am so very pleased to announce that Mark and I are engaged!! The proposal happened beneath a cherry tree in Central Park in New York City on Saturday, May 4. No date is officially set but we expect the wedding to happen in June 2009. That's us just before the "big ask"laying on a blanket of cherry blossoms...