20091230 Umbrellas decor at the Place Alexis-Nihon

20091230. Umbrellas display at the Place Alexis-Nihon.

20091229 Nine musical

20091229. The musical Nine at the Cineplex Odeon at the Dix30 in Brossard. Some movies are best seen on the big screen in the movie theater rather than on the the TV screen at home.

20091228 Burden of Dreams: DVD of the Day

20091228. DVD of the Day: the documentary Burden Of Dreams about the filming of the movie Fitzcarraldo that we finished viewing before this. What a madman this director Werner Herzog was, actually pulling a 320-ton boat over a mountain! Without special effects or tricks! Movies are just not made like that anymore today!

20091218 Painting at Simons in St-Bruno, QC

20091228. Artwork in the Customer Service area of Simons in St-Bruno. Signed Y. Plante.

20091226 Ice Fishing in Brossard

20091226. Ice fishing (in french Pêche Blanche or White Fishing) has begun in Québec such as here in the Parc Léon Gravel in Brossard on the St-Lawrence river. Ice is about 8 inches near the shore here.

20091225 Digital Camera Chritmas

20091225. Seems that kids have cameras (digital, of course) more than ever today. 3 of these belonged to children and at the Christmas gifts unwrapping at Mérik's, they were used a lot! Before, during and after! I think the sentence most heard there was "Where's my camera!!!" The adult's cameras were used a lot also, including the one that took this picture plus a cell phone, plus at least two other cameras at Roch's in the evening, and on top of that a kind of Ipod was filming! LOTS of digital images to be archived!

20091214 Sauce Canneberges et Porto

20091224. Gigi was making cranberry sauce with Porto. Yum! In french Cranberry is Canneberge, but in Quebec we say Ataca, sometimes spelled Atoca. A word from the indian meaning... Cranberry! Joyeux Noël everyone!

20091223 Peter Gabriel: Play The Videos (2004)

20091223. DVD of the day: Play The Videos. Peter Gabriel's 2004 compilation of video clips. Entertaining stuff!

20071222 Ladder to Nowhere

20071222. Flashback to two years ago in Saint-François-du-Lac. Our record breaking year of snowfall started early. I had to remove part of the snow on the cornice. At one point, the ladder was just standing by itself in the snow! A ladder to heaven, or nowhere!

20091221 Weather girl Anouk Meunier at the Dix-30

20091221. Weather girl Anouk Meunier of the TVA morning show Salut Bonjour with Mr. & Mrs. Santa Clause at the Dix-30's skating rink. Saw she was there while I was at home and since it was on my way to the gym, I stopped by for a Starbucks coffee and to take a few shots. Her bit taken at 7h37 can be see HERE (link dead now).

20091220 Super 8 chez Costco

20091220. Found a new stash of Super 8 home movies in the garage. Went to have them converted to DVD at Costco in Brossard. Price is not too bad.

20091219 Mirrors at Simons in St-Bruno

20091219. Last minute Christmas shopping. At Simons in Saint-Bruno, it seems they went crazy for mirrors! Still, it has an artistic look to it.

20091218 Movie of the Day: Flirting (1991)

20091218. Movie of the day: FLIRTING starring a 1991 Nicole Kidman. Part 2 of an Australian trilogy. Part 3 never was produced despite the success of part 2.
Nicole Kidman, born in 1967, she was about 24 when she played in this move. Still, here she looks much younger, a woman in her late teens. The magic of movie making!
DVD from the bnq. We liked this teenage angst movie. Serious themes evoked. A good one. Won lots of awards.

20071217 Doll & Marbles in SFdL

20071217. Flashback to two years ago. In Saint-François-du-Lac on the day after a snowstorm I took a walk to the post office to get my mail. On my way back I took a few pics of the store front window of what is said to be a museum of antiquities. Closed for now for legal and financial reasons. This shot shows a doll with marbles. "Jeu de billes" means "marbles game". On the left is a "Pot de chamble" or "chamber pot" or "chamberpot", a pot to pee in during the night in the days when the only place to do that was outside in the "bécosse", a word that comes from the english "back house" or "backhouse", aka "out house" or "outhouse".

20091216 Reception area at Ernst & Young's Montreal offices

20091216. Waiting room area at Ernst & Young's Montreal offices, 800 blv René-Lévesque, 19th floor. Love the citrus water!

20091215 Movie of the day: Marathon Man

20091215. Movie of the day: Marathon Man starring a 1976 Dustin Hoffman. An unlikely story about a old Nazi looking for diamonds. I've seen better. Copy from the Brossard library.

20091214 Neil Young's Greendale

20091214. Movie of the day: Neil Young's 2003-2004 musical Greendale. It has some good bits, such as the actors lipsinging to NY's music, but it's for fans only. Better get the CD sountrack. Got this copy from the BNQ.

20091213 Goodfellas: Movie of the Day

20091213. Movie of the day: Martin Scorsese's 1990 motion picture Goodfellas, starring Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci. Without this movie, the series The Sopranos would not have been. Got our copy, a double-sided DVD in a snapcase, from the Brossard library. All Scorsese pictures are a must.

20091212 Marbles as Artwork by Francis Coupal

20091212. Marbles by Francis Coupal at Montreal's yearly pre-christmas event, the Salon des Métiers D'art, an arts and crafts fair.
http://www.metiers-d-art.qc.ca/smaq/
http://franciscoupal.wordpress.com/

20091211 Spanish Kosher Wine for Hanukkah

20091211. After sundown, it was Hanukkah, the Jewish holiday that takes place at about winter solstice. After supper, we chose this wine from Spain we had as our Wine Du Jour for our evening wine. By sheer coincidence, it was a kosher wine, blessed by the Rabbinate of Israel itself! I say coincidence, because I dint even know it was Hanukkah!
The label says
"Terroso Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 Kasher pour la Pâque et toute l'année. Kasher sous la supervision du rabbinat principal d'Israel."
Translation:
"Terroso Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 Kosher for Easter and all year round. Kosher under the supervision of the principal Rabbinate of Israel."
The wine was good, but it did have a lot of sediment in the bottom.
I learned it was Hanukkah only during our evening movie. And by another coincidence, that movie was Downfall, a German production about the last days of Adolf Hitler in his bunker in Berlin.

20091210 Pavillion Judith-Jasmin, UQAM

20091210. The UQAM's Judith-Jasmin pavillion. More with a Photosynth I created and that can be seen HERE.

20091209 Bicycle Helmet Cams

While the first major snow storm of the winter raged outside, I've been getting into a new research thread since I saw Sports Experts's latest flyer. It showed a bike helmet cam, the Gopro Helmet HD. But I had some qualms with it: No screen to see the images; the camera is not affixed to the helmet with the regular screw all cameras usually have; and I already have a camera, so why buy another one? So this is a bit of what I came up with: Cheapest solution I saw are do-it-yourself projects. One can be seen at http://www.sailingtexas.com/Movies/052506AustinVeloway/052506AustinVeloway.html. Just a plywood base affixed to the helmet. I wrote to the man and this was his prompt reply:

The bolt that holds a camera to a tripod is a standard American thread size. I just got one that size at my hardware store and mounted it in my bicycle helmet, then screwed the camera on it. Seems too simple, but it works.
A panasonic DMC LZ2 is what I used, they'll take movies. Now I have a DMC LZ7, a later model, and it works fine too.

Two other DIY projects I found are linked from http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/features/diy-bike-projects-anyone-can-do/. The first, at http://www.camerahacker.com/build/Bicycle_Camera_Mount.php, uses parts from a handlebar headlight. So it's not really a helmet cam setup. Not interested much since I already have such a thing (The Clampette). The other DIY project is at http://photojojo.com/content/diy/attach-a-camera-to-your-bike/. It's also for the handlebars, so I'll pass.

The cheapest setup I could find was something called The Happy Helmet Bike Camera Mount. The picture I posted above, from their website (Photojojo), is that contraption. For only $20US (plus almost half as much to ship to Canada!), I could get this versatile setup with straps that you can affix almost any camera to. So no need to buy a new camera. Best option for a first step.

Other options are more expensive, going into the hundreds of dollars because you have to buy a new camera that goes with the setup.
The most simple ones are one of the various GoPro models, such as the one I saw on the latest Sports Expets flyer. But the cameras themselves are kinda cheapo for my standards. What I imagined is a simple lens wired up to a camera body devoid of a lens. http://pointofviewcameras.com/ has the best selection of models of this type of camera I could find on the web, but there are others to shop about on the web for. Google it! They are also called bullet cams, lipstick cams, etc.... The lens can be affixed to practically any surfaces and is lightweight enough to be affixed to a bike helmet. But you'll have to dish out hundreds of dollars for these specialized gadgets. I guess one could spend about $1000, easy, on this! The only problem I have is that the body of the camera looks only like a simple metal box with a screen. It does not look like it's easy affixable to the bike handlebars like I'd like it to be, for easy control of the shutter and various buttons. A swivel screen model would be nice too but I don't see any. I guess with such specialized gadgets, you've got to customize yourself to some extent whatever you buy.

20091208 Black & Blue Screen of Death

Had to bring my desktop to a computer shop for a checkup. I've been getting the silent BLACK SCREEN OF DEATH. Not the Blue SOD. The Black SOD. Seems like a hardware problem.....or it could be related to the Trojan Horse problem I had lately........or to a driver problem..........who knows............Overheating? I did blow an aircan to clean the dust in my computer tower. It was VERY dusty! Still, the BkSOD cam back, along with a Blue SOD to boot! Running on my laptop for now. You know, maybe Google has something in their upcoming O/S, called Chrome. They say you'll have nothing but operating files on your computer. All other files, Word, Jpg, Mp3, etc, will be on-line. I've already begun working like this with some Word files I've hosted on Facebook. Could be the way of the future.

20091207 Pâté d'écureuil maison

20091207. We've got way too many squirrels in Brossard. Some are outright FAT! Here's a solution: From a 1979 wild meats recipe book called 200 Recettes de Gibier et de Poisson (200 fish and game meats recipes), here's one called Pâté d'écureuil maison (Home-made squirrel paté)! It was even created by a big hotel chef of Toronto! For many more squirrel recipes, all in English these ones, go to http://www.backwoodsbound.com/zsquir.html

20091206 Casio Privia PX-730 BK

20091206. To get in a festive holiday mood, we got for we got an electric piano at Costco! It's a Casio Privia PX-730 BK. The sound is pretty good! My tender half played piano decades ago, so she'll be a bit rusty when she'll start playing again. But I love to hear the sound of someone practicing! A good demonstration is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwJJm7X7-7U

20051205 Five seconds of Christmas light at F8

20091205. Fun with a camera and indoor Christmas lights in Brossard! 5 seconds at F8, resized by Facebook.

20091204 Longueuil to Montreal on my bike

On the Pont Jacques-Cartier bridge. Part 1 of 2 is embedded above. Part 2 is HERE.

20091203 Pezizoïd lichen in Varennes

20091204. Pezizoid lichen on Populus deltoides bark in the Parc de la Commune park in Varennes along the St-Lawrence river.

20091202 Ice Crystals in Brossard

20091202. Ice crystals on the edge of a Populus deltoides leaf in the Parc Béliveau park in Brossard.

20091201 Wine bottle label printed only in blue

20091201. A wine bottle label printed only in blue ink. Kind of unusual, I think. From Portugal. Liked it ok.

20091130 A Whitening of the Laurentians

20091130. A whitening of the Laurentians. Loftboutiques has changed it's name to Hôtel St-Sauveur.

20091129 Mont-Saint-Sauveur's half ski slope

20091129. Mont-Saint-Sauveur has created a half ski slope with artificial snow. Beside this snow on the mowed hay I walked up to where the ski lift takes them. This is the POV from where they start to go down. The long white poles are part of the snow making machines. I checked and was told that those over 55 get an over $200 rebate on a season pass here. No wonder. Most skier are younger than that. I'm afraid downhill skiing would be just too hard on my knees!

20091128 Rivière Du Nord in Piedmont, Laurentides

20091128. The Rivière Du Nord in Piedmont, Laurentides, QC.

20091127 H1N1 Vaccination done at last!

20091127. We finally did our civic duty and went and got the H1N1 flue shot. The vaccine has a white milky look to it. I didn't feel a thing!

20091126 Micheline Bertrand's Art Exhibit

20091126. Art exhibit of Micheline Bertrand at the Centre Multifonctionnel in Boucherville. http://www.michelinebertrand.com/

20091125 Squash For Squash Soup

20091125. Squash I picked. Cut up for squash soup.

20091124 Two bikes at the BNQ library

20091124. Two bikes at the BNQ library. I parked mine, the black one, when I arrived. When I left, this one was parked there also. A lady's bike. A bicycle love affair?

20091122 John Mayall in Montreal vid

This is part 2 of 6. See the other parts HERE.

20091122 John Mayall in Montreal

See my Facebook photo album of the show HERE.

20091121 Santa at Place Portobello in Brossard

20091121. Santa Clause in Brossard at Place Portobello. Just a couple of hours before I took this pic there were lots of children in line to see him!

20031121 Io Moth in Florida

20031121. Six years ago. This is the caterpillar of Io Moth (Automeris io) eating a palm leaf in Florida. Beware: Do not touch this one with your bear hands! The pins on it's back sting worst than nettle!

20091120 Willow leaves on pavement in Brossard

20091120. Willow leaves on pavement in Brossard.

20091119 Montreal from JC bridge & SH island

20091119. Montréal as seen from the Jacques-Cartier bridge on Sainte-Hélène island.

20091118 Christmas at the Dix-30

20091118. Christmas decorations are up at Brossard's Dix-30 shopping complex. This is as seen from the Gold's Gym Prestige there. My lady is already enrolled at that gym. I enrolled too today, but with an opting out clause because I plan to go there only for the winter months. Tried a Spinning class today for the first time ever. It's pretty intense, but I liked it!

20091117 Sun Through Stained-glass Window

20091117. Stained-glass window chez Ginette. This time of year the angle of the sun is just right!

20091116 Île à Hylas & Île à Light in SFdL

20091116. Two island in the Rivière Saint-François river in Saint-François-du-Lac: Île à Hylas in the foreground & Île à Light. Snow can come anytime now. Nature is ready. Humans too, like it or not!

20091115 Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Puzzle

20091115. We finally finished The Beatles' Sgt Pepper 1000 pieces puzzle tonight! Took not too long a time to do, bits at a time. Less than two weeks. A fun one this one. Not your classic puzzle nature scene. Next up: an Anthology montage 12" X 36" 1000 pieces puzzle.

20091112 Montreal: Downchild Blues Band & Guests

The band is composed of: Donnie Mr. Downchild Walsh guitar, Chuck Jackson lead vocals, Michael Fonfara (of Rhinoceros fame) on keyboards, Pat Carey tenor sax, Peter Jeffrey(?) trumpet, Mike Fitzpatrick drums, Gary Kendall bass.
From their website: "Its time for Canada to celebrate it's own legends of Blues! And when one thinks of blues music in Canada, the first name that springs to mind is DOWNCHILD. Its been 40 years since Donnie Mr. Downchild Walsh and his late brother Hock, formed the renowned group that would be the inspiration for the world famous Blues Brothers. DOWNCHILD plans to celebrate this anniversary in style, with some very special friends - including blues brother and movie icon DAN AYKROYD. Opening on the tour is COLIN LINDEN who will be performing both solo and then with the band. JAMES COTTON, WAYNE JACKSON OF THE MEMPHIS HORNS as well as JONAS, BOB WALSH and NANETTE WORKMAN will make guest appearances along the way."


Part 1 of 4. Includes the Colin Linden opening act and Dan Aykroyd's introduction to the Downchild Blues Band and the beginning of their set at Montreal's Metropolis venue.


Part 2 of 4. Includes more of their set at Montreal's Metropolis venue, with guests Bob Walsh, Jonas, and James Cotton.


Part 3 of 4. Includes more of their set at Montreal's Metropolis venue, with guests James Cotton, Colin Linden, Nanette Workman & Dan Aykroyd.


Part 4 of 4. Includes the conclusion of their set at Montreal's Metropolis venue, with guests as quoted below.

I also took some pictures, such as this one:

My Facebook picture album is HERE.

20091113 Jacques-Cartier bridge's anti-suicide fence

20091113. Jacques-Cartier bridge's anti-suicide fence. Was built a few years ago when they did a refab of the sidewalk. I love the sleek linear look to it.

20091112 The Montreal Metropolis Venue

20091112. The Montreal Metropolis venue. We went to see there The Downchild Blues Band! They played with many special guests this time for their 40th anniversary tour.
From their website: "It’s time for Canada to celebrate it's own legends of Blues! And when one thinks of blues music in Canada, the first name that springs to mind is DOWNCHILD. It’s been 40 years since Donnie “Mr. Downchild” Walsh and his late brother Hock, formed the renowned group that would be the inspiration for the world famous Blues Brothers. DOWNCHILD plans to celebrate this anniversary in style, with some very special friends - including blues brother and movie icon DAN AYKROYD. Opening on the tour is COLIN LINDEN who will be performing both solo and then with the band. JAMES COTTON, WAYNE JACKSON OF THE MEMPHIS HORNS as well as JONAS, BOB WALSH and NANETTE WORKMAN will make guest appearances along the way."
I'll be posting videos on Youtube and creating a photo album on Facebook later. No time for that today.

20091111 Expo 67's USA Pavilion

20091111. The St-Lawrence river between Notre-Dame island on the left and Ste-Hélène island on the right, as seen from the Jacques-Cartier bridge. Featuring the sphere of Expo 67's USA pavilion, the world's biggest buckyball !

20091109 Snow Geese, Overhead Shot

20091109 Snow Geese, riviere Richelieu, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. Overhead shot, cropped.