Monday, March 15, 2004. I glance out the window and see a light snowfall. Put the winter boots back on. No street shoes today... it might accumulate.
Snow on our driveway
(click on image for a larger, sharper view)Oops, forgot to put out the garbage. Monday is garbage day. Back inside, go to garage, open garage door, put out garbage, close garage door, go back inside, say bye to the guinea pig (everyone else is asleep), and head for the GO Train. GO Train stops outside of Union Station, and just sits. Announcer tells us there are switch problems -- we'll be delayed. After much sitting, we finally pull into Union Station on a different track than usual. By this time I need to use the washroom, so head into the station instead of my normal street exit on the west end. The old part of the station is a cathedral to railways. Love the grand old architecture. Took a pic of one of the large windows, a maple leaf flag, and a couple of passengers, replete with hockey stick.
Union Station
(click on image for a larger, sharper view)Head out of Union Station and along the taxi stands on Front Street, then up York. Right beside the Toronto Club, one of the oldest and most exclusive men's clubs where rich old fuds and politicians hang out, a couple of street people have made their home on the sidewalk.
"There but for fortune"
(click on image for a larger, sharper view)I walk up York to King where I head west one block to University and pick up a Starbucks Tall Mild to take to the office. Why can't Starbucks make lids without sipping holes in them? I have two coats to take to the cleaners because I accidentally slop coffee out on the next two long blocks up University as I finish the walk to work. I put my cam away so I can concentrate on trying not to spill coffee on myself this morning. Get to University and Queen and west one block to Simcoe. On the very day we're officially taking over Web Apps Production support from IBM, I see production support gear in front of my building. Coincidence? God being a cosmic joker?
Heavy Equipment, Simcoe Street
(click on image for a larger, sharper view)Frustrating day. A complex WebSphere/Java deployment into the new SunGard QA (Quality Assurance) environment is fighting me. Get some ideas and help from my teammates. Do the install all over again (third time) from scratch, and things go better. I get the login page, finally, just can't log in. Looks like my work is clean this time so back to the application area to check their code. Time to go home. Too spent to read, I decide to do grab shots out the GO Train window.
GO Train passing GO Train
(click on image for a larger, sharper view)Glad I'm shooting digital. Maybe 1 shot in 10 is worth keeping the way I'm shooting with it, but it's fun. Love the little Canon S45. Get home for a great meal and find that Marion and Trevor have already moved the spare computer and its very heavy desk from the upstairs office to the basement. Relax, surf, cull my day's images, post some of the better ones, and head for the bunk to read a bad mystery novel before falling asleep.
(16-Mar-2004, Revised 17-June-2004)
www.NorthernJourney.com -- gene@wilburn.ca