Aero-aesthetics

I have spent a lot of time in airports in the past 2 and a half months and I have spent some of this time wondering why they must be so uninspiring and stress-inducing in their aesthetic.  Today, however, I am heartened.  Here is a new airport (opened officially today in fact) which is open, spacious, and bright. I was particularly pleased to find sufficient personal space built into seating so that one loses that sardine feel so common in airports.  
And then, this is from the plane I just arrived in moments ago.  Rather than the usual "behind the iron curtain" aesthetic, this one had gently coloured lights that gradually turned from light to intense, from pink to purple to blue to green and then back again. Exhausted, sick and still 4 hours from home, this Hello Kitty pink phase made everything seem a little more manageable for this little traveller.  Thank you to the aero-aesthete who designed this.

Interesting Roof

The roof of this old house has a really satisfying interestingness about it.

Snow from above

More snow falls in Ottawa this morning. And it's very pretty. At least I think so. Maybe because I don't have to shovel it. But I like walking in it. These are short sentences. Very short. Will stop. Now.

Stapler

They just don't make staplers like this anymore.

Tim Tams

Last night, M and D initiated me into the world of Tim Tam cookies.  Prior to last night I knew not of their existence nor of the legendary Tim Tam Slam or Tim Tam Straw.   You know you have great friends when they send you off into the world with a couple of  "emergency" cookies to protect you from evil and/ or ennui.  Bless them.  Here is photo evidence for M and D than I have not encountered evil or ennui today.  But I feel a little safer knowing I have them just in case.  

Signs of Spring?

Famous Five

Ottawa received over 80 cms of snow in the past five days and I was passing banks that were several feet taller than me. If you were Heidi height and standing on Wellington, this is what you'd see. But the snow was pristine and the sky was bright and blue and I had one of the nicest walks.

This is one of my regular stops on my Ottawa constitutional. In an exam, one of my students once referred these women as the Fab Five instead of the Famous Five. I think she was onto something. Today was the first time in all my visits that I was the only visitor at the monument and I was glad to have them to myself for a few minutes and re-energize my inner-Albertan. As it happens, last night I was dusting my home office and noticed the quotation from Nellie McClung that I'd taped over my computer years ago: "Never retreat, never explain, never apologize--get the thing done and let them howl."