ArtScienceCamp photobooth

Wish I had more energy to post pictures from Day 2 of ArtSciCamp2, but I went to a birthday gathering afterward and now I’m about ready to pass out. The picture is from the photobooth I set up at ArtScienceCamp, which had some kickass props like space suits. More to come!

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swag table

Quick post as Day 2 is fast approaching and it will be a full day of activity. In other words, will need a proper sleep break…

A few photos from this evening, the rest will autoplay in a slideshow below:

Hart House

volunteers

Jen Dodd, Managing Director

science, meet art

mixing

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David having chemotherapy

(This is a really crappy picture that I took with my phone of David having chemotherapy in the fall of 2005. I never brought anything more than a phone camera with me into the clinic. It didn’t feel right to aim for “quality” pictures.)

I drove four cancer patients this morning because the Canadian Cancer Society is short of drivers right now. They’re always short, but there was such a demand on this particular day that the dispatcher practically begged me to drive. I first checked the weather forecast (because I don’t have snow tires), and mapped out all the addresses to see how many people I could take. My original number was five, but one patient’s appointment was either cancelled or she made alternative arrangements. Two of the remaining four patients were people I’d driven before, so I already knew where they lived. I set two alarms for this morning, and it took me an unusually long time (i.e., more than 30 seconds) to fall asleep because I was anxious I’d sleep past the four hours I’d had before the first hospital run.

I picked up Patient 1* at 6am. I knew I had the right house, I’d triple checked the number, I could see the lights on, but he wasn’t waiting outside like he said he would. I didn’t know what to do, so I waited. Then I knocked lightly. Then I phoned him. He said he was coming out. I can’t get annoyed — it’s his appointment after all, not mine. I’m just the driver. So I wait.

Eventually he emerged from the house, slowly but no more slowly than most of the other patients. I don’t have much time to get him to Princess Margaret Hospital but I try not to speed because I’ve already passed by one intersection accident nearby. During our conversation he admitted that he was dreading the MRI, really dreading it to the point where he was reluctant to leave the house. It wasn’t until I drove him home three hours later that he confessed just how much he’d been dreading it. He was in pain and had taken Tylenol to help him get through the appointment. At his previous MRI, they had to give him morphine.

Patient #2 actually lives very close to Patient #1 but I did not have the heart to combine their trips and take her to Mt. Sinai an hour and a half early. The appointment was already early (8:00), and I remember how badly she felt getting up early the last time I drove her. So I picked her up at 7:10 instead of 6:00, and she was very grateful. (They are always very, very grateful.)

I’d driven her before, so we continued our conversation sort of where we’d left off. I’m aware that I like to do this on purpose to promote the feeling that we aren’t having a one-off conversation, despite the fact that our connection is based purely on them being in treatment. I prefer a positive outlook, that they will recover and that we could bump into each other at the grocery store or on the street, even though drivers are trained to be discreet and avoid recognizing patients openly since people do not always disclose that they’re being treated in the first place.

Patient #2 is having chemo, so I’m dropping her off and not taking her home; chemo takes around five hours, depending on the drug and the drip rate. She’s the youngest patient of the day, and we chat about photography since she’s very interested in it. She thanked me again profusely when I dropped her off at Mt. Sinai shortly after 7:30.

Patient #3 lives in Etobicoke, but I was surprised at how little traffic there was during rush hour and arrived 15 minutes early. I found out later that she needed those 15 minutes — she was in a great deal of pain and was having other health issues plus side-effects from medication. I’d driven her last summer, but she was now using a cane and I noticed an alarming decline. She was also falling asleep in the car and had difficulty speaking.

I picked up Patient #4 enroute as she was having a procedure at Toronto Western Hospital earlier than Patient #3′s appointment at Princess Margaret. While in treatment, Patient #4 had slipped on ice and broke her shoulder, so she requested that I phone her enroute because it took her 10 minutes to put her coat on and tackle the stairs from her apartment. When I arrived, I was shocked to see a huge flight of wooden stairs at the back of the house that was the equivalent of at least three storeys. She told us in the car that she had to bribe taxi drivers to help her get her groceries up those stairs because she couldn’t carry anything with a broken shoulder, plus she was weak from the treatments.

After I dropped off Patient #4, I continued to Princess Margaret Hospital. Patient #3 was telling me something and in mid-sentence she stopped and clutched her mouth. I realized too late that I’d left the sick bags in the driver’s kit and it was in the back of the car. I was only a few streets away from PMH and she hung on while I grabbed napkins from the side door to give to her. I could tell she was doing her absolute best to ride the wave of nausea and not let it take over her. We made it to the hospital and she waited in the car while I found Patient #1, who was more than ready to go home after waiting for an hour and half after his MRI. He’d even set an alarm on his watch to wake himself up if he’d fallen asleep in the lobby. (I would’ve been none the wiser except that the alarm went off in the car.)

I’m relating these stories today in the hope that someone will read them and consider becoming a volunteer driver for the Canadian Cancer Society or any similar agency in your area that provides a driving program. I hope it’ll help people understand why the driving program exists and understand that public transit is not a viable option for many situations that cancer patients find themselves in while in treatment.

For example, rush hour: the TTC is packed and patients are, in many cases, too weak and slow to move quickly enough to keep up with the commuters. Their immune systems, which are already vulnerable and unable to ward off viruses and bacteria, can’t handle the exposure to the public and are highly sensitive to ordinary things like scents and food. I remember very clearly when David got food poisoning from eating spring rolls and it lasted for an entire month, during which he was constantly in the bathroom (I had to buy a padded toilet seat for him).

I know patients who take the TTC simply because they have to, and suffer for it. But for a driver to take even just one patient on one trip, that can make a difference in the patient’s overall health during a treatment cycle by not letting them be exposed to a multitude of illnesses. In my view, donating your time is more valuable than donating money, because it includes the human interaction in taking care of each other — non-patient to patient — that is lacking when making a monetary donation. People are skeptical about where funds are going these days, so my response to them is this: help people directly.

If you’re interested in knowing more about volunteer driving, do get in touch with me. I can pass along all the information you need to sign up.

* I feel guilty for using numbers rather than names, but I’m doing this for confidentiality

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This weekend I shoot my first unconference, which surprisingly should’ve happened a long time ago considering how much I love nerding out the commingling of art and science. But I’d only heard of this conference from a Couchsurfing friend who introduced me to the event, and the organizers of Subtle Technologies who needed a photographer.

I love shooting events, especially the ones that raise my nerd cred. Fashion shows? Meh. Give me theatre, opera, a kids’ concert, anything else before a fashion show, unless it’s centred around recycled materials or maybe space. Someone asked me once many moons ago what I’d love to do or be if I’d excelled in another area of study. My answer was I’d be a scientist. Biology, chemistry, physics — I’m fascinated by the esoteric nature of science. I just chose a different path, away from academia. It was no coincidence that at the time (January 2002) we were standing at the top of the Griffiths Observatory in Los Angeles.

But what is ArtScienceCamp?

ArtScienceCamp (#artscicamp) is an intense but informal gathering of artists, scientists, students, engineers, architects, designers, and many others. A Friday-night party is the venue for collaboratively creating a program of events to take place the next day. Everyone is encouraged to bring a crazy idea, a work in progress, or a vital topic for discussion, and to organize a session around it.

ArtScienceCamp is based on an unconference model that has taken off around the world, with events like DemoCamp, SciBarCamp, and many more. Successful Camp events bring together people who would not normally have conversations with each other, and create a space for surprising, serendipitous connections.

Friday 7:00pm – 10:00pm: planning session & party
Saturday 10:00am – 5:00pm: unconference events

ArtSciencCamp1 presentations included:

• Mass Collaboration in Science
• Scientific Imagery in Life & Art
• Design Charrette: Models for Community Art
• Rebranding Science
• Science Tarot
• Proteins Are Beautiful

This event is brought to you by Subtle Technologies and Hart House. Join the Subtle Tech mailing list to hear about our other activities.

So stay tuned for some interesting event photos — I’ve been told there will be structures created with marshmallows!

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Palais Royale, Doors Open Toronto 2008

I actually said it to someone this evening, but I truly believe it. I don’t think of paradise as a place, because everywhere I’d seen that I considered paradise wasn’t enough in the end. A door opened, it was an experience of paradise, then I wanted to go through another door to see what was on the other side.

For some people one door is enough, for the rest of us there are other doors. Call it restlessness, call it curiosity, call it whatever you like. I don’t think paradise can be found, it’s a creation.

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Goat Cheese, Walnut & Rosemary Savoury Cocktail Cookies

I actually made the cookie dough on Saturday, but I’ve only been baking it in batches because I like cookies fresh out of the oven. Also, this was the first time I tried this recipe and it didn’t turn out well…

I made a double batch, and WHOA! THE GARLIC! Can you see the amount down below? A tablespoon of fresh garlic in a single batch? I followed that part a bit dubiously, doubling it for the double batch, and the garlic ended up being overpowering. I love garlic, but man, the fresh garlic was beyond pungent.

The other problem was that I skimmed the lines too quickly and read a tablespoon instead of a teaspoon of rosemary. WHOA ROSEMARY! I chopped up two tablespoons — again, rather dubiously — but didn’t check it over and the cookies had a second overwhelming flavour.

It’s not a complete loss, however. I didn’t throw the dough away because the goat cheese was expensive and I wondered if letting the dough sit for a couple of days would make a difference. It sort of did — tonight’s third and final batch wasn’t nearly the garlic-and-rosemary-fest that batch one and two were, but still, I would probably either tweak this recipe or try another before I take these cookies anywhere.

Source: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/foodwine/2013380803_xmascheesecookies10.html

Makes about 40 cookies

1/2 cup (about 4 ounces) fresh goat cheese (chèvre)
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
1 tablespoon minced lemon zest
1 teaspoon very finely minced fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarse-ground black pepper
1/4 cup salted butter, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (about 2 1/2 ounces) chopped walnuts
Garnish: 2 tablespoons additional goat cheese

1. With an electric mixer, cream 1/2 cup cheese, garlic, lemon zest, rosemary, salt and pepper together in a mixing bowl. Add the butter and mix in well. Add the flour and mix the dough for about 30 seconds. Add the nuts and mix until ingredients are just evenly combined.
2. Divide the dough in half and shape into logs, about 6 inches long and 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, twisting the ends, to help firm the dough. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours or in the freezer for about 30 minutes to further firm the dough. (The dough can be kept frozen for up to one month; remove from the freezer to temper overnight in the refrigerator before slicing.)
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees at least 20 minutes before baking.
4. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly spray pans with cooking spray.
5. Cut the dough into 1/4-inch-thick rounds and place about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Divide additional goat cheese, crumbled among cookie tops. Bake until lightly golden at the edges, about 14 to 16 minutes. Cool on the pan.

Copyright 2010 by Kathy Casey Food Studios® Liquid Kitchen™ (www.kathycasey.com)

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Haliburton cottage trip

… or maybe I shouldn’t speak so soon, since we may very well get it. Did I just jinx us?

This photo is from the Christmas cottage trip to the Haliburton region at the end of 2008. This looks more like the weather we get the end of January around here than what we have now, but I’m not complaining! This is just fine. I’ve been wearing rubber boots to walk home more often than not because of the mud. It’s not even winter slushy, it’s just muck. But I’ll take it — I don’t have to shovel it or scrape it off my car.

Today was even warm enough that I could do some car maintenance without freezing my fingers off. I was supposed to volunteer for The Brides’ Project at the National Bridal Show this afternoon but they had enough volunteers, so I took the opportunity of daylight to replace my headlight that had blown out last night when the roads suddenly became icy. (Last night was a MESS — cars sliding everywhere, buses couldn’t make it up hills, and there were some people at the Chinese New Year party who were stuck in traffic because vehicles had skidded and blocked entire lanes.)

I noticed it just north of Bloor: I was a few hundred metres past the intersection when I tried to brake at a crosswalk and my car kept sliding. I was going slow enough that I didn’t rear-end the taxi in front of me, and luckily there was an empty lane beside me, so I just turned the wheel to slide over to the next lane and came to a slow stop. Others weren’t so lucky; there were cars all over the place.

Anyway, I replaced the headlight bulb, the windshield wipers, and put in winter windshield fluid (Rain-X, because we seem to be getting more rain than snow these days). If this were a regular winter, I would’ve had to tackle those things one item at a time and duck into my car in between to get the feeling back in my fingers.

I wonder what February will be like?

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fortune cookie: now is the time to try something new

We ushered in the Year of the Dragon with homemade bao and other Chinese food, mini-dragons, and setting money on fire. A typical Saturday night at Marin’s

More on Chinese New Year:
http://www.herongyang.com/chinese/festivals/chinese_new_year_spring_festival.html

Food gets the limelight as per usual at Gail At Large:

tea eggs

go bao or go home

another yummy veggie dish

rice and noodles featured prominently

yeah yeah, we know okonomiyaki isn't Chinese (it's Japanese) -- we'll still eat it!

Burning money:

the burn

one way to warm up in the winter

And the aforementioned mini-dragons:

enter the mini-dragon

fierce mini-dragon

this dragon even plays the tambourine!

The photo album is best viewed as a full-screen Flickr slideshow, or you can view all in the smaller slideshow below:

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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

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

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

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

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

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

King Street West

King Street West

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sad doggie

I have to work really early tomorrow morning, so I’m just posting an unseen pic from my Vancouver trip last month while I continue to bulldoze through my mountain of photo editing and then hit the sack.

Poor Darcy looks so sad and left out of all the fun. Sad doggie needs some attention, stat!

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