stillpoint

musings from Canadian author Cheryl Cooke Harrington ... home of The Write Spot

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

on second thought...

Over the years, friends have accused me of being a hopeless and, I admit, I do tend to look for the good in people and situations. Last week I tried looking on the bright side of the construction currently underway next door to my office. This week, I've changed my mind. Here's why...

The view from my office window, March 18, 2007
The view from my window then: red-tailed hawk

The view from my office window, September 18, 2007
The view from my window now: concrete block wall.
'Nuff said.


Sigh.

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Monday, September 17, 2007

end of a (fishy) era


Norbert the Betta splendens, R.I.P.
Norbert, the splendid , has been our office mascot at the day job for nearly five years. Content in his big bowl on the corner of my desk, he was always ready to interrupt his bubble nest building to play a game of mirror-mirror or charm visitors with a display of his magnificent blue fins and a flare of his gills.

Today, as always, feeding Norbert was my first task of the morning. But today, for the first time ever, he didn't come rushing out of his root hammock to greet me. Sadly, at some point over the weekend, Norbert the Betta swam off to fishy heaven. We're really going to miss the little guy.

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Friday, September 14, 2007

you can lead a cat to basket...



This is Sam.Sam


This is Sam's brand new basket.
(Note the cushy-comfy blanket,
thoughtfully scented with catnip, even!)
Sam's new catnip-scented basket.


And this is Sam investigating his lovely new digs.
Mmmm. Nip!
Sam investigates...


But this old cardboard boxtop is where Sam still prefers to nap.
(Note the abandonned nip-scented basket, sitting empty on the left.)I'd rather have my cardboard box, thanks.

What is it with cats and cardboard boxes, anyway?!

Sam will be napping aboard the and at , hosted this week by Hot(M)BC. You'll also find him wide awake and helping out at his other gig.

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Wednesday, September 12, 2007

not quite serendipity

Walking up the street yesterday afternoon, on my way to collect the office mail from the group mailbox, I was distracted from my blue-sky-and-fluffy-cloud-gazing by a sheaf of papers, fluttering in the gutter. Not your usual bit of junk mail litter, this was blue-lined homework paper, covered with neat, cursive script. I stopped to read from a brief, bulleted list:

Reasons why you might not hand in a completed assignment:
  • your computer crashed and you forgot to save what you had written

  • your brother fell off his bike and you had to take him to the walk-in

  • your mom was late picking you up from soccer practice
Sadly, the writer forgot to include the point that would prove, without a doubt, that good reasons do exist for failure to complete: "My notes are lying in the gutter on Anderson Ave!"


Still in the not quite serendipity department, we're enduring a major construction project on the lot next to our office building. I say 'enduring' because it sometimes feels as if the noise and disruption and dust will never end. The dust, especially, is driving us all to distraction. It coats the windows, creeps in through the tiniest cracks and leaves our desktops feeling gritty. Our cars, parked between our office and the construction site, look like rolling sandboxes. Ugh. The serendipity? They're building a carwash.

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Friday, September 07, 2007

intrepid (sort of) ...



the intrepid Sam

Here's the intrepid Sam, perched on his favourite chair on the balcony. From this vantage point, when sitting tall, he can see through the glass panel at the top of the rail and watch the kids, dogs, and squirrels playing in the park. His expression here might be mistaken for fierce concentration but, in fact, he's watching a flock of these ... and preparing to dive for cover if they come any closer.


soaring gull

Moments later he's belly-flat on the floor, whiskers a-quiver as he peers through the gap at the base of the guard rail. No chance to snap another photo. One gull swoops ever-so-slightly in our direction and the mighty Sam becomes a mighty blur... through the door, down the hall, and under the bed.

Funny how nap-attacks can happen all of a sudden like that.

Find more intrepid cats aboard the .

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Wednesday, September 05, 2007

bird-of-paradise



bird-of-paradise

Centennial Park, Etobicoke


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