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‘Acts of Kindness’ Category

  1. A Taste Of Japan

    July 19, 2008 by Gail

    This week I’ve been finishing off the candies that the Japanese tourists gave to me for tourguiding them around Toronto before we all flew to Vancouver on July 5. I’ve never had candies quite like this before, but only the first package has English on it so the second package remains a mystery. One thing I appreciate about the Japanese is the care they take for presentation (eg., sushi), and these little boxes of confection are no exception:

    "Please enjoy traditional taste of KYOTO." *wink*

    “Please enjoy traditional taste of KYOTO.” *wink* (click on the pic for text notes)

    it looks like chalk, has a texture like chalk, and tastes a bit like...

    When I first saw the “DO NOT EAT” silica packet included in the plastic packets I wondered if the chalky contents were edible. It looks like chalk, has a texture like chalk, and yes, tastes a bit like chalk. Not terribly so, but make sure you’re not thirsty when you dig in.

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    Posted in Acts of Kindness, Food + Drink | 2 Comments

  2. Play Me a Song, Mister Guitar Man

    February 2, 2008 by Gail

    play me a song, mister guitar man

    I went to a BFO reunion today. It was, in a word, hard — for all sorts of reasons. I brought my camera and had planned to take more photos, but I only took this one. Aside from a bit of motion blur (James was playing, after all), it didn’t turn out too badly.

    It’s been quite the Saturday. I dropped Philip and his gear off at his new place before I went to BFO, and afterwards I drove up to North York to deliver my HP laser printer which I’d sold to someone through Craigslist. We ended up having a very interesting four-hour discussion, most of which was standing up until he offered to cook something for me. An unexpected way to conduct a transaction, but the food was tasty and the conversation was a welcome turn from the gut-wrenching afternoon. (Grieving obviously hasn’t killed my appetite.) Thanks, W.

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    Posted in Acts of Kindness, Loss | No Comments

  3. BEST PRESENT EVER!

    January 31, 2008 by Gail

    BEST PRESENT EVER!

    (I ruined my own surprise today, by accident. More on this in a bit.)

    Thank you, Siobhan! I’m sorry Canada Post took so long to deliver it, but it is no less appreciated and it’s still a happy surprise!

    Illustration by Relentlesstoil.

    (more…)

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    Posted in Acts of Kindness, Art, Aviation, Gail at Large | 1 Comment

  4. Mmmmm…. Marzipan!

    January 24, 2008 by Gail

    marzipan is my weakness!

    I just got these tonight and look how many I scoffed already! Someone who’s staying with me flew in from Germany tonight, and my request was for marzipan. You’d think it’s been ages since I’ve had any, but it’s been only a couple of months since Iris sent me a batch of marzipan through the mail.

    I have to hide the rest of this box in the freezer before I eat it all in one sitting. Out of sight, out of mind and all that. At least, I hope so! (I’ll call it my fortitude indulgence since I have to wake up early to get The Old Bean to the vet.)

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    Posted in Acts of Kindness, Food + Drink | 3 Comments

  5. Fresh Off The FedEx

    December 29, 2007 by Gail

    fresh off the FedEx

    I picked up my Christmas present from my brother today… and excellent timing, too, as I’m getting around to editing the Stanley Park Christmas train videos with the kids in Vancouver. There’s also a big digital pile of videos that haven’t been edited at all. And, of course, there are lots of Toronto Short Film Projects coming up!

    For quick editing, I use the super-cheap and basic Quicktime Pro. If I want to use transitions and certain effects, I use iMovie but it’s sluggish and drives me bananas. It’s a bit of a last resort. For short film editing, I’ve been using Adobe Premiere Pro on our producer’s PC, but I’ve been told Premiere Pro isn’t going to be supported on the Mac so it’s not really an option anymore.

    I went to the Apple store a week and a half ago and nearly bought this and Leopard — it’s a good thing I didn’t!

    Here’s some trivia about FedEx I only learned last year, something I’ve never noticed before LarimdaME pointed it out to me when I was in New York City. We were taking photos at the rooftop garden of at 230 Fifth when we came down to the lobby where there was a drop-off box and he showed me that there’s (purposely) an arrow between the E and X. See?

    I’ve been looking at that FedEx logo for donkeys years. I’m no good at those stare-hard-enough-and-see-a-deer pictures, so it’s no wonder I never saw that!

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    Posted in Acts of Kindness, Unabashed Geekiness | 2 Comments

  6. Little Buddha With the Big Belly

    May 11, 2007 by Gail

    a little Buddha with a big belly

    reaching into his pocketView larger.

    On Wednesday, I returned to the corner where I took this picture the day before. I printed it off at home and brought it with me to work to give to the man on the street corner at lunchtime. I had no idea if he was going to be there again, but there he was.

    I promised I would bring the photo, but since we couldn’t communicate in English I didn’t think he would be expecting me to return. Yep, he was surprised all right! He had the biggest smile on his face and gave me the thumbs up. I loved the way his face wrinkled like a paper bag; he reminded me of the old men in my family. I would’ve taken a picture of his reaction, but I was too busy shaking his hand. I thought, ‘That’s enough.’

    Then he reached into his pocket and took out a small plastic baggie. He pulled out this little Buddha and gave it to me.

    I was so touched! I surprised him, and he surprised me.

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    Posted in Acts of Kindness | 4 Comments

  7. An Untold Story

    May 4, 2007 by Gail

    an untold story

    It wasn’t for me. It was, presumably, for a homeless person who frequents this bench.

    One reason why I always carry a camera with me is because it makes me look at things I otherwise wouldn’t give a second glance. Suddenly the world becomes full of these untold stories. I moved the bag a little to take a photo with the names of the people who left it, but I decided to post this one instead.

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    Posted in Acts of Kindness | 1 Comment

  8. Happy Easter, from Kermit

    April 6, 2007 by Gail

    Happy Easter, from Kermit

    My boss strikes again! She gave me a big snowman full of chocolate at Christmas, and then left chocolate eggs for Easter. Mmmm… chocolate=productivity!

    I brought Kermit to work on Thursday along with my bags so I could go directly to the airport after work.

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    Posted in Acts of Kindness, Working Life | 1 Comment

  9. Week 1, 2007

    January 5, 2007 by Gail

    thanks for the scarf, Holly Yvonne, it's very versatile

    Thanks for the scarf, Holly Yvonne, it’s very versatile!

    I wanted to take a break from editing the Cuba photos to send knitting kudos to Holly, who crafted this scarf of scarves for me!

    Actually, it’s not cold enough in Toronto right now to use it (I was happy to have it in New York the week before Christmas, though!), but I’m sure given time…

    Does the first week back at work after the end-of-year holiday break feel brutal, or is it just me? I was so disciplined in Cuba: getting up early, going to bed early, go-go-go all day, lots of energy, and now I feel like a slug. Or, more accurately, a working slug. It was a short week, yet Friday couldn’t come soon enough! It’s not that I want to accomplish Great Things over the weekend, rather, I’m aspiring to do a whole lot of nothing. Or, at least, no planes, trains, or automobiles — very little other than enjoying being at home, editing photos, and catching up on correspondence. For the past year, my writing (to people) has dwindled to a shameful trickle, and that’s something I know will change this year. That, and making (social) phone calls.

    I have a good feeling about 2007.

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    Posted in Acts of Kindness, Gail at Large | 3 Comments

  10. Dear David: Month 12

    December 20, 2006 by Gail

    our first self-portrait

    Dear David,

    Remember when I took this photograph? It was spontaneous, our first portrait together, October 4, 2004. You were so amazed by this picture:

    “I can’t believe that’s me, Gail! You took 10 years off me!”

    You were wearing your favourite shirt: a black linen Cuban number, which — come to think of it — was so out of place in your aviation-themed wardrobe.

    You said until you’d met me, you’d thought of yourself as an old man. I remember when you said it; it saddened me that you perceived yourself this way. Because I just thought you needed some adventure in your life, and a co-pilot who’d put her hand on your knee now and again. You agreed wholeheartedly, as I recall.

    When you took me on our first outing — the Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour — and I pinched your bum in the darkness, you knew it was a done deal, right? I think you even yelped, and wore a huge perma-grin on your face despite the fact we were in the murky depths of a coal mine and the tour guide was narrating a grim story about child labour. Nobody understood why you were smiling.

    I think that weekend caught both of us off-guard. In a good way.

    (more…)

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    Posted in Acts of Kindness, Letters to David, Widowhood | 5 Comments

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