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  1. To Stay Warm In Winter, Head To A Polish Restaurant

    February 9, 2012 by Gail

    dumplings, goulash, et al

    dumplings, goulash, et al

    Continuing my streak of food-centric posts, I present to you an impromptu dinner at a well-established Polish restaurant in my neighbourhood, Café Polonez. I’ve eaten here once before but I think I just had a bowl of goulash and a side order of dumplings, not mains like this. The plate in front of me is in the ‘hot sandwich’ section of the menu, but it might as well have been a main. Whoa. My fellow diner could only eat a quarter of her plate and took the rest home for lunch tomorrow, with enough to share.

    Those beer mugs are something, aren’t they? I got Alison to put her hand in for reference. I’d be tempted to sneak one home except I live around here. I’ll only consider it if I’m abroad! (Have you seen my cupboard? That’s how I got my Kölsch and Banks’s Bitter glasses.)

    now THAT'S a glass

    now THAT'S a glass


  2. But I’m Not 40 Yet, Telus!

    February 7, 2012 by Gail

    Telus guessed wrong

    Telus guessed wrong

    I’ve had Telus Mobility since I moved to Toronto in 2006 and this is the first time they’ve got my birthday wrong. The funny thing is I can never take advantage of my free day of local calling because I’m never here on my birthday, I’m in another country.

    Maybe I shouldn’t correct them, after all.


  3. Where Art Meets Science Meets… Food

    February 5, 2012 by Gail

    ArtScienceCamp2

    extra-terrestrials are friendly

    ArtScienceCamp2

    marshmallow structure

    Photos of Day 2 of #ArtSciCamp with marshmallows and people from outer space may mystify instead of clarify what on earth was going on during the unconference hosted by Subtle Technologies, but this article in Toronto Social Review should clear things up. [Update: Subtle Technologies has their blog post up now, too.] I’m still working on editing and uploading the batch, but I’ll slideshow the Day 2 photos by tag of what’s been added thus far:

    I joined the post-unconference dinner at Sambuca Grill on Baldwin Street, then had to dash to make a birthday party. I picked up some red velvet cupcakes along the way:

    red velvet cupcakes for the Birthday Girl

    red velvet cupcakes for the Birthday Girl

    Today I had dim sum with some wedding clients and I was so chuffed when they presented me with freshly-baked cookies that I completely overlooked photographing our dim sum dishes. It’s been absolutely ages since I had dim sum and I had every intention of documenting what appeared on our table with my phone camera, but this is all I got — the end of the dim sum parade:

    lucky tea

    lucky tea

    Sad, considering how much food we consumed! But see the cup of tea? I was told that when a stick from a tea leaf is floating vertically near the surface like that, it means good luck. If I were remotely superstitious, I’d be out buying a lottery ticket.


  4. Nightlights… And The Merits Of Being A Pedestrian

    January 27, 2012 by Gail

    King Street West (1)

    King Street West

    I draw some curiosity on the street when I use my camera phone to take pictures. I do this often walking home and people stop and try to figure out what I’m taking photos of, if it’s something picture-worthy. What might not be readily apparent to a stranger is that it takes very little to draw me in for a photo. However, I am always delighted when someone asks me why I’m taking a photo because it gives me the opportunity to share my enthusiasm for the tiny (and free) things in life that give me pleasure, eg. nightlights, the inherent freedom in walking and the freedom to discover while walking.

    King Street West (2)

    King Street West

    I am a detail-oriented person by nature, but noticing things can be practiced as well. Walking 28kms a week will make you notice things every day, especially if the route and weather changes often, and there’s a picture-taking device in your hand. It really does not matter what that device is — it can be your phone, a point-and-shoot, or a DSLR.

    King Street West (3)

    King Street West

    Trails of light can provide infinite photographic possibilities if you can hold very still — a real challenge in stiff wind. A light reflected in a puddle suddenly becomes interesting.

    King Street West (4)

    King Street West

    You experience so much more as a pedestrian than a driver. When you’re driving, distraction can be dangerous. Aside from intersections, pedestrians can be happily distracted and not endanger themselves.

    King Street West (5)

    King Street West

    I drive recreationally and to photo shoots, but there is no routine. If I had to commute by car every day, I think I would go bonkers. I’ll pay more to live in the city just so I can get to places on foot and not turn into a Point A-to-B-to-A automaton in a car.

    King Street West (6)

    King Street West

    Public transit is never perfect, but I’m all for improving the transit system as much we spend on improving roads.

    King Street West (7)

    King Street West

    King Street West (8)

    King Street West


  5. The Distillery District On A Winter’s Evening

    January 20, 2012 by Gail

    twinkly

    twinkly

    I was in the Distillery District this evening to pick up prints at Pikto when I took these photos with my phone. A minute later I spotted a group of ladies trying to get a photo of themselves — presumably with the twinkly lights in the background — but had given up by the time I reached them. Hurrying a little, with my prints in one hand and a freshly-poured coffee from Balzac’s in the other, I caught up to the group and offered to take their photo.

    They responded with an enthusiastic “Yes, please!”, so I assembled them while one lady gave me her Canon point-and-shoot. I showed her how to take the camera off Auto and find the Night Portrait setting. Then I took their photo and showed them the results on the LCD.

    My explanation for what the camera was doing in this setting was completely drowned out by squeals of delight. I don’t think they listened to a word I said after that, they were too excited over how the the ambient light appeared in the photo.

    I had to laugh. It’s OK that they weren’t listening, it’s enough that they were excited over being able to take night photos.

    “I’ve never figured out what my camera can do,” the owner said.

    “Well, now you know one more setting… and you’re going to use it, right?”

    I can’t tell you how many times I’ve showed people how to use the night settings in their point-and-shoots. Whenever I walk home past the CN Tower, Chinatown, or City Hall. When I’m visiting other cities. When I’m in restaurants. It’s pretty frequent. And practically any camera over $20 has this feature, yet it has remained mysterious and invisible to most point-and-shooters. I’m oh-so-slowly working to change that, one group shot at a time.

    not bad for a phone camera

    not bad for a phone camera


  6. Walking Home: The Fake Polaroid Edition

    January 17, 2012 by Gail

    I walked home in rubber boots again today, waiting for a snowfall that didn’t happen — or hasn’t happened yet, since it’s just a matter of time before we get another one. The weather has been rather wonky the last few days, swinging from frigid on Sunday to practically balmy yesterday (balmy meaning having to ditch the scarf and gloves but not quite the coat). Today was blustery but a rain jacket got me home, not a winter coat. But enough weather talk…

    I took King Street home to drop off a roll of film to get developed at Toronto Image Works and prepaid it (ouch, the scanning doubled the price), thinking about the cost of photography in general and how far the cameras in mobile phones have come since their early days. There was once a time when people bought mobile phones and the cameras were merely an afterthought, a negligible value-add. These days, I think many people are buying iPhones for the built-in cameras and the apps made for them.

    It sounds ridiculous, but of all the iPhone users you know, how many people actually use it to make phone calls? Now, how many people use it to take photos? I’d say more photos are made than phone calls. But probably the same can be said for Android and Windows phones.

    And here I am to prove that point. After I dropped off the film, smarting from the thought that I just prepaid for 24 photos I haven’t even seen yet (pre-digital, this statement would sound absurdly obvious), I took photos in low light with my phone to see how it would perform. The first photo of the CN Tower was pushing the capability of the device, but the two below are quite decent.

    The Fake Polaroid effect was applied in Picasa, which I have not used for nearly eight (!) years when I switched from PC to Mac. You may recall that in 2004, Picasa was only available on Windows.


  7. Winter Walk

    January 16, 2012 by Gail

    Roncesvalles Village (17)

    Sorauren Park

    I had a productive weekend, which meant I was planted in front of a computer most of the time, but I did venture outside yesterday for a walk around the neighbourhood with an Americano to give my eyes a break from the screen.

    Weather: sunny but cold. All you need to do is bundle up and walk briskly and then you soon forget about it.

    There’s a derelict building next to Sorauren Park that I’ve wondered about; I’m sure if I dig around I can find out something about it. There are plenty of photographers who get a kick out of trespassing, but I’m not one of those. I’ll content myself with taking photos from the legal side of the fence with my phone camera.

    Wabash Avenue

    Wabash Avenue

    Wabash Avenue

    Wabash Avenue

    You can tell which car is mine because I would rather wait for the temperatures to melt away the snow than remove it myself.

    one lazy driver

    one lazy car owner

    More pics of my walk below:


  8. Poutine For The First Real Day Of Winter

    January 13, 2012 by Gail

    Cardinal Rule, Roncesvalles

    Cardinal Rule, Roncesvalles

    Winter officially began weeks ago, but today was the first real snowfall. I walked home after most of it melted away, but it turned to treacherous ice once evening took hold and I was further away from the city centre (where the streets are heated by steam).

    I think all that walking was negated by the bowl of poutine, but it was a welcome spot of warm comfort food mere blocks from my house. I may end up stopping by Cardinal Rule more often.

    Cardinal Rule, Roncesvalles

    Cardinal Rule, Roncesvalles


  9. Came Home In Autumn, Woke Up To Winter

    January 13, 2012 by Gail

    Came Home In Autumn, Woke Up To Winter

    hello snow

    There’s a skylight right over my bed, so I know what the weather is like as soon as I open my eyes. It’s a far cry from yesterday, when I was driving a patient in the early morning — it was pouring rain then and continued into the evening.

    Not today. The walk home is going to be messy!

    Xena checking out the new white world

    Xena checking out the new white world


  10. Non-Goals For 2012

    January 10, 2012 by Gail

    Wellington Street

    seen while walking home on Wellington Street

    I actually had a New Year’s Resolution for 2011, just one: to go on a date. My first thought was that I blew it, I don’t remember any dates, but after some thought I would say it was open to interpretation. My second thought is that if *I* am not aware that it’s a date, then it’s not a date

    Moving right along…

    On my way to Montreal for New Year’s, I started digitally jotting down a bunch of notes for a Year in Review for 2011, which got me to thinking about things I’ve been doing in 2011 that I want to continue into 2012… which I promptly forgot about until the other day when I read the same over at Chookooloonks, and there Karen links to Erin doing the same. I’m sure there are others.

    There are goals and then there are things you want to maintain, the non-goals, but still rather important — after all, they were once goals, and if you drop them, then they end up in the goals list again. We’ve all said it before, with a pang: “I used to do such-and-such…”

    Anyway. I resolve to continue in 2012:

    1. Walking home at least four days per week. I adhered to that average from June 29 until mid-November when I went to England and it became inconsistent due to travel and then a compromised immune system in mid-December and then more travel. Since last week, I’m back to my walking routine. My newest route is 7kms.
    2. Reserving the word ‘awesome’ for when it truly is, which is not every other sentence.
    3. Not owning a TV, microwave, coffee pot, or dishwasher. Why not? Because it means I cook instead of nuke, drink less coffee, take a time-out to hand-wash dishes and listen to the news instead of reading it, and if I owned a TV I would watch it mindlessly. It’s also the same reason my futon couch is never in a couch position. My apartment only has beds. I’m much more productive this way.
    4. Keeping up the trip average. (At least one overnight stay is the criteria of a trip.) Until last year I maintained an annual trip average of 12-14, and in 2011 I dipped slightly below with 11 trips. (I just counted 15 trips in 2010, so maybe I should adjust that average.) The hardest part was working every single day from September 6 to November 15 without a break and feeling like I was losing my mind, reaching nearly the end of the year with only seven trips, but then I caught up by going on four in six weeks. I know some people think this trip average is crazy, but it was never a conscious goal. These numbers became the average over the course of years and knowing what keeps me happy and motivated and inspired. Travel (the process, not just the destination) plays a huge role in my worldview and perspective on life. I would never give that up completely, not even for a photography business. There are currently 79 photo albums in my travel collection on Flickr.
    5. Meeting new folk in new places. Travelling solo means I make conversation with the ordinary citizen on the street, on the bus, waiting in line somewhere, and it’s no big deal. It opens up a cultural exchange, without an agenda.
    6. Meeting new folk in my own city. I’ve done pretty well last year to maintain a social life, considering I have two jobs. Still, I meet new people all the time at weddings, events, through volunteering, circles of friends, shooting assistants, other photographers, scouting locations, with clients, patients, musicians, you name it. Sometimes it all becomes a blur, so I review my Toronto collection in Flickr (currently 101 photo sets), to remind myself that yes, I didn’t just work!
    7. Keeping my cat healthy and happy. I’m down to one pet now, after a horrible 2011 of losing Beano and having both cats go through the discomfort and expense of veterinary treatments. We were at the clinic far too much last year. Don’t ask me how much I spent. Now that Xena’s on daily heart meds and only has five teeth left, hopefully she (we) will sail through 2012 without seeing the vet.
    8. Driving cancer patients for the Canadian Cancer Society. Even though I don’t like waking up early, I’ll do it for patients. They are always very grateful.
    9. Keeping up my four websites. Most people don’t have a website, but I have four under my name (actually, there’s a fifth but it’s kind of a portal to the others and I don’t count the Tumblr), and even with major time constraints I have somehow managed to keep them all updated, although one is rather static and informational (ImageLegacy.com), and two are photoblogs (gailatlarge.net and ImageNation). But gailatlarge.com will be 10 years old this year, of which I am most proud because I never thought I would be able to maintain it this long!
      I’m also webmaster for another two websites, one for income and the other for charity. The capitalism and socialism balance each other out nicely, ha. I would link to the former but I have to revamp the site (I just found out today there’s new management). Believe me, even *I* don’t know how I manage to maintain SIX WEBSITES.
    10. Maintaining my sanity. It was a bit touch-and-go at times but I managed not to lose it in 2011, let’s keep it that way for 2012.