No pun intended, but the elusive leopard has been closer than we had ever imagined. Surprisingly enough, it has taken a liking to our neighbour’s garbage bin – not quite an acacia tree, but looking comfy nonetheless.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
How many escort vehicles does it take to transport a President?…
My short attention span wouldn’t allow me to count all of them. I kept getting sidetracked…mini-vans? Was that a pick-up truck with a camper on the back? And, why would they need a utility trailer?
No wonder they had to close so many streets and highways in and around Ottawa. I can’t imagine there could be any less traffic congestion during regular rush hour!
Little did I know that I may be on the verge of greatness with my trend-setting choice of vehicles - the black, stealth-like, incredibly intimidating mini-van. If President Obama ever makes a visit to the GTA, I’ll be ready for the call to duty. Now where do I pick up some of those cool red and blue flashing lights?!
(Video attributed to J. Stanton. Link to video on YouTube )
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Nostalgia – back to nature in a tree house
I was reading a post on Environmental Graffiti and saw this very cool treehouse (concept hotel) created by a Swedish design company – Tham & Videgard Hansson.
Difficult to see? Intentional. It is camouflaged with the surrounding forest using mirrors on the exterior walls. Couldn’t you just imagine hanging out there as a kid. How to get up there is easy - a rope ladder or bridge. And, it is large enough (4m x 4m x 4m) for a bed, kitchenette, bath and living area. The demographic? My guess – the kid in all of us
(image from designboom)
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Awareness…it’s the first step…
In order to put things into perspective, we often need to break it down into numbers that are easily understandable. I was researching something online this evening and came across a thought-provoking video.
A woman by the name of Donella Meadows published a document in 1990 called State of the Village Report that looked at the world as it might be if the total global population had been reduced 1000.
According to Miniature Earth Project website, the video was produced based on her original text, with some updates using a global population of 100 persons and more recent data. They have noted that the data should not be considered as “accurate”, but rather a ”tendency” as statistics can change frequently. Either way, it’s a provocative look at our world.
Found this link on Vimeo, but you can also view it from the original Miniature Earth Project video link on their site. Check it out…
Monday, February 2, 2009
Jour de la Marmotte
I’ve decided that Groundhog day should be a statutory holiday. If spring is around the corner, wouldn’t it be great to have a day off to enjoy the last remnants of snow – skiing, snow shoeing, skating outdoors, or even do some spring cleaning? If we have another 6 weeks of winter, then I might want the day off to plan a vacation to someplace sunny and warm! And, if Super Bowl Sunday happens to land on the previous day, I could use the day to clear some cobwebs – a totally different kind of spring cleaning!
It really is crazy isn’t it? We’ve put so much pressure on a creature that could care less about when spring will arrive. In fact, it’s only reason for popping his head out of his warm and cozy den is to see if his basic and primal needs can be met…food and well, sex. Yup, procreation is higher on his list than weather predictions. It’s not surprising when his predictions are a little less than stellar. He has other things on his mind!
The poor little marmot (woodchuck, groundhog, whatever you want to call it) sees the light at the end of the tunnel and is bopping away, listening to Mick Jagger belt out “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” on his iPod. He pops his head out and lo and behold…he is greeted by the stares of thousands of people, all with anxious looks on their faces, their blood vessels ready to pop as they hold their breath a few seconds longer! What? Not again!! Crazy voyeuristic humans!! Give a guy a break and…a little privacy, if you don’t mind!
And then I think…did these people really take the day off to be in Wiarton or Punxsutawney to watch ‘it’ all unfold. Could they possibly be taking a sick day, maybe a mental health day? Or, are they just out-right playing hooky?
It’s time to make it a real national holiday, but we’ll toss the English name and in honour of 'Groundhog Love' (different than 'Muskrat Love'), we'll give it the much more romantic-sounding :
Jour de la Marmotte!
Ou-la-la. It’s sounds so…je ne sais quois…maybe French!? Love is in the air…and it smells like spring-time, or maybe winter. It could be spring-time, no winter… Whatever…I’m off to do some spring cleaning because there are way too many cobwebs today.
À bientôt
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