Where the Walls are Soft…

I think it might be, because the smell outside my window smacks unmistakably of what can only be described as “Old Cat-Box”. Nasty analogy, I know, but there you have it. And the weather has finally been fine long enough for me to trust it.

Which may be a mistake…

This is Canuckia, after all. It could start to blizzard any minute. But, so far, so good - it was “Walk-About Weather” today, if ever I saw it, so off I went.

Does anybody remember The Pigman? For those that do, look what I came across on my Walk-About today…

The Cup

For those interested, my “Road of Life” is, apparently, the stretch of Wellington St. West/East from Gore St. all the way up to Pathways Retirement Home. Now you know. For those confused, you really ought to read Paul Zindel.

Okay, that’s enough “For Thoses”…

I found this on the last Walk-About…

…but didn’t get around to posting it before falling down the rabbit-hole for awhile there. This is my future home, you know, or one like it, if I ever make The Great Escape (not to mention, get a driver’s license and a truck to pull it with…). I wonder about the possibilities of mobile employment…? I’m gonna need to pay for gas, I think, as it may be difficult to conduct a proper getaway whilst hauling this thing behind me.

I didn’t really get much out of my Walk-About today… the egg salad at lunch didn’t sit particularly well, and usually the walk home will make that sort of thing better, but today not so much. Beer. Beer is the answer.

Kyla is off on her school trip to Toronto - left yesterday morning, walking on air all the way to meet up with her bus. She gets a luxury tour-bus ride there and back, a 4-star hotel (she packed three swimsuits because she couldn’t decide which to wear), a trip to the top of the CNN tower, the Science Center, shopping at the Eaton’s Center, and to top it off, tickets to The Phantom of the Opera…

…to which she will wear this.

…if she doesn’t chicken out, that is. She and another girl dared each other to “dress to the nines” for this shindig, but she brought a slightly-less formal outfit with her, in case they lost their nerve.

Again, Gramma & Grampa came through for this trip. I managed the cost of the bus/hotel/Phantom tickets, which came as a package deal, but she would have starved while there (not to mention lost out on shopping and sightseeing, which would have just killed her), if they hadn’t offered to help.

Of course, as luck would have it, her camera went in for repair last week, but Louie came through for her on that point, loaning her a camera of the same ilk, just one step up, and in a way cooler colour. She’s not going to want to give it back, I don’t think.

And speaking of cameras, my mom bought me Hilary for my birthday (no, it’s not my birthday), which I don’t generally like to celebrate (there’s something sort of embarassing about getting a lot of attention for managing to stay alive another year), but my mother always acknowledges it, and who am to take away her pleasure in buying me a camera I should not have bought to begin with, (I’m supposed to be paying down the debt, not adding to it…) since it makes her happy - LOL!

Oddly, I got a call from one sister and a brother as well, which was weird. Possibly even a first. Nice though; I was genuinely touched.

And there! I have run out of steam. I’m going to drink my beer, try not to buy cigarettes, and edit the sound on that “way late” commercial, now that I’ve had a lesson in the software I’m using. Still, I think it’s going to be a long rest of the weekend.

Note to self: Don’t forget to pick up kid at designated bus drop-off at 6:30 Sunday. I don’t suppose anybody out there might think to remind me…?

Random Song for the Day: “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head” - Dean Martin

… and the freezing off of certain appendages…?

That’s about how cold it was in the Sault yesterday morning.

March 31, 2007 - 7:07 AM

It looked so nice out, that I thought it would be a good time to go out on a Walk-About, and play with the Not-Crappy Cam I now have in place of the Crappy Cam. I planned on going down by the waterfront/Civic Center area and see what I could see, and I was out the door by 8 AM.

My Tree-Climbin’ Clothes

…Ripped-up ol’ Walk-About clothes…? Check.

…Shades, against the sun/wind causing my eyes to stream…? Check.

…Hankie, for when the shades don’t work…? Check.

…Medium Tim’s®, black, double-cupped, ‘cuz I am a Saultite, and Saultites don’t go anywhere without a Tim’s® in their hand… (not to mention, these are “Rrrrroll-Up-the-Rrrrrim to Win” Days)? Check.

…gloves…?

Duh.

Now, the Not-Crappy Cam (Fuji FinePix A400) has pretty much the same specs as the camera I drowned, but it seems to be a much better piece of equipment, considering all the buttons were in different places, and I couldn’t feel my hands. I consider myself (and Louie, the Not-Crappy Cam owner) to be extremely lucky that I didn’t fry this one with coffee, too; my hands were that numb.

It really is a good little camera, though - better than the drowned one in so many respects. I didn’t bother unpacking the tripod, and I know my hands were shaking half the time, but it seemed to compensate well. The R607 was a great one for blur, in my hands.

And the optical zoom seems better, too. Maybe it’s just that I haven’t had a camera to play with lately?

I love this building…

Wonder if they knew this was coming?

Normally, a walk to my Mom and Dad’s takes about 45 minutes. What with all the Walking-About and button-pushing, it was just coming up on 10 AM when I reached the east-end version of that “other” coffee-spot…

And I was cold enough to be ready for another coffee…

Oh, you’ve gotta be joking.

So, instead, I picked up donuts and knocked on my Mom and Dad’s door. And, after running my hands under hot water for 10 minutes… and drinking two pots of tea… and having lunch, and a nap on the couch, I played around with the zoom a little more.

…and admired the macro function, which did not bitch at me every time I didn’t manage to “half-press” the button.

Instead, it took a macro shot. Just like I wanted.

I napped a little more. I accepted a supper invitation, and ate a really good beef stew and dumplings.

And I took the bus home.

Random Song for the Day: “The Blinding” - Babyshambles

“I dunno…
I
think it
might be cheaper
to send
her to Art School.”It was, ummm…. “suggested” that I go back to my Walk-Abouts.

“But I walk everywhere!” sez I.

“You walk to get somewhere. You should walk to see something,” sez They. Firmly. “And take pictures.”

Aha! I see a way out of this…

“I fried my camera.”

“You need a camera? You can have my camera. Here take my camera.”

Gawd, I hate this. I’m not very good at “Gee, thank you; that’s very nice.” It tends to come out sounding more like, “I don’t need your steenking camera!” And you know what they say: “Pride goeth before the loss of a camera offer”, or some such drivel. One of these days I’ll have to try “Don’t look a gift-horse in the mouth” on for size. I smoothed things over by saying I would consider going on a Walk-About. Eventually.

“You should go back to church, too,” sez They. Firmly.

Which is why I found myself wandering up to the Locks yesterday, borrowed “Crappy-Cam” in hand. I hadn’t planned on going to the Locks, which, I guess, was kind of the whole point. I think I probably ended up there because I’ve never been there in the winter before.

“Sault Ste. Marie, ON Waterfront & Boardwalk”
Taken February 26, 2007 with Centrios “Crappy-Cam”

“Ice-Bound”
Taken February 26, 2007 with Centrios “Crappy-Cam”

“On Thin Ice”
Taken February 26, 2007 with Centrios “Crappy-Cam”

“Sault Locks Footbridge”
Taken February 26, 2007 with Centrios “Crappy-Cam”

And, tougher-looking by the second, Crappy-Cam Owner has the pink hair again. I think she looks pretty cool, actually.

Specifically the Great White.

I dunno… I think it might be cheaper to send her to Art School. She shows a lot of promise there, too.