Prolific Immigrant

The following are some choice photos from the last few weeks. Enjoy!

This is where I like to breakfast on either Saturdays or Sundays. That’s Lulu and next to her on the bench is Anne, who I met the morning I took this photo. We had a pretty interesting conversation about women, the way we’re being portrayed and the feel of the ‘feminist movement’ in 2007. Anne pulled out the recent American Apparel ads, indicating how shocked she was to see them…because they’re basically nothing short of porn shots trying to sell cotton clothing.

The sun setting over Gaza. I took this photo the last time I visited, and getting this shot proved to be quite the production as my uncle and I were faced with a wedding procession and so couldn’t find a place for me to take it.

Luckily, we managed to get out from behind the group and take this photo. That same evening, I took photos of different beautiful shots in Gaza and my uncle was later ‘contacted’ by the local Gaza whatever-the-hell-they-really-are spy agency requesting he go in and speak to them about the “7urma” (a derogatory term referring to women) who was taking photos of Gaza.

Phone calls were made to the higher-ups indicating who I was, who my father and grandfather were and what my intentions had been (the shame of it all, really!) and my uncle didn’t have to go in. Disgusting.

This was a substance leeking out from a tree I ride past at least four times a week. I finally got off of Lulu and touched the thing – only to discover it felt like a marshmallow that had been left outside over night. I still have no idea what it is and so if any of you can offer a response, that would be great…

The field that Lulu and I hang out at and where I like to read on the weekends. There’s a gaggle of trees nearby that play broken telephone with the ocean. I took this shot because I couldn’t believe how fast the summer’s flown by and what had been vibrantly green the days before was turning this soft shade of yellow…

Aalya had spent a better part of the evening preparing paella for us; one with chicken and one with pork sausage. The evening itself was hilariously filled with discussions and challenges about / to pop-culture, celebrity influence, religious adornments and popular cellists.

These statues are by the NAC in Ottawa. I usually sit beneath them close to the water and watch the local boat tours fill up with tourists. The view isn’t all that great, but the people watching is.

At Di & Pierer’s wedding, the following are the photos of the table I helped set. I did it all by myself (!) and had a ton of fun letting the newlyweds relax before our ten-hour day began. The ceremony had taken place the evening prior and this was the day of the open-house. Di had been tied up with her wedding, her brother’s wedding on the East coast and her brother in law’s wedding on the West coast for the two months leading up to this day. Pierre and her were leaving for their honeymoon less that 48 hours later and it was our only time together in much too long. This same night, Di & I managed to steal out of the party for some alone time over a coffee. It was a beautiful day and an even more precious coffee time…

No one was allowed to bring wedding presents and so I purchased for Di’s art room this little lamp. Look at how sparkly and glittery it is! (Pierre was most excited about the beading…)

And this is the bride. Beautiful.

At one point during the day, I had to sit in the quiet room and relax without the noise. I’d had a relatively tough night the evening prior and you can see how exhausted I was…but the dress is still pretty.

I don’t really know what to tell you about this window, except that I fell in love with it immediately. The frame, the history and the sounds of the trees that filter through it take you out of Ottawa and into someplace…French, it would seem.

A little something I took at a poetry / live music evening in protest of the CSIS Security Certificates

One afternoon, I accidentally ran into this parade and managed a few shots (I think it was Caribanna, pardon my spelling if I got it wrong)

Some glam shots of Lulu

It was N’s birthday recently, and here she is front and centre

…at the party no one was as excited to have their picture taken as L

…except E, who lovingly flipped me the bird as I pointed and clicked

…and once again L & I, both of whom will rush toward any camera within a ten km radius

The day that N & I went riding at Captiva farms, I made her re-pose so I could take the following “And here she was signing her life away form…” shot

which was taken right before I found this animal. I shot it because I didn’t know what it was…a lamb? (It looks as surprised by me as I was by it…and listen: if it’s not a chicken or a horse or a pig, I’m not that great at figuring out what else it could be…)

…and our leader Graig, who should have been at the back of the line but somehow managed to trust N & I enough to leave us on our own. I eventually left the group and ran back to Ottawa with my horse. (I still haven’t found N!)

A day in the Byward Market with mama found me taking these shots

…before mama took this one-and-only-I-love-my-curly-hair shot of me as we waited to have dinner at the NAC

And finally: The Girls while T was in town. This is her condo that overlooks the Byward and this is all of us:

…where I found the world’s most precious Crack closet

…and we compared Crack

Et voilà , c’est tout pour aujourd’hui! (All photo sets can be found here, if you’re really curious to see all other shots…)