Every year it's a struggle to get a great, really unique shot at Ottawa's annual tulip festival. At a cetrain point, after thousands and thousands of tulips, they all start to look the same. here's my effort this year. i'm pretty pleased. the petals of this tulip had already started to fall off, leaving a view of the insides that is a little different from the usual "from the top" angle.

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9:00 PM

While fluorescent lights are the bane of my existence at work, these dandies were delightful (seen at Montreal's Nuit Blanche, February 27, 2010 at the Palais des Congres). Now wouldn't the world be a much better place if all fluorescent lights were multi-coloured? I think so.

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9:58 PM

This past week, I was photographing fairies at work. For those of you who don't know, here is a little history:

"The Executive Correspondence Unit (affectionately known as XMSC) has caught Olympic fever. A couple of the Unit’s Olympic addicts, Erin-Ann Pantalone and Christine O’Connor, got the ball (or the puck) rolling when they suggested that everyone wear red or Olympic gear to celebrate opening day on Friday, February 12. They then surveyed the office to see what everyone’s favourite Olympic sport was. Things really grew to Olympic proportions when someone suggested that the XMSC fairies should be geared up for the Games. Vanessa Laurin,one of the Unit’s English writers is creativity personified. She crafted the fairies back in December—each representing one of the Unit’s employees. These were done out of paper scraps and pipe cleaners to hang on the XMSC Christmas tree. Knowing that the XMSC Olympics were gaining momentum (and building morale), Vanessa set to work…on her own time…sewing tiny red jerseys for the team. She also created all kinds of Olympic paraphernalia—everything from tiny skates and skis to stadium-style benches for the fairy participants to sit on while waiting their turn at events or cheering on their colleagues. Here’s hoping that the athletes representing Canada in Vancouver will somehow benefit from a sprinkling of fairy dust too!"

There are 2 aspiring photogs in XMSC so I was designated "Event photographer" for the Opening Ceremonies. I also did all of the portraits of the athletes. You can see my photos in these 2 albums:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=143305&id=295991593007

http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=143331&id=295991593007

You can also become a fan of the fairies on Facebook! They have their own fan page here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Slightly-Creepy-Fairies/295991593007

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12:24 PM

Last night was the opening celebrations of Winterlude. I wasn't even planning on going, but I'm so glad I did! I have got to say, these were the BEST fireworks I have ever seen in Ottawa. There was tons of stuff going on at the Museum of Civilization, and after the fireworks there was a DJ spinning outside in a bubble. Yes, it was pretty darn cold, but still lots of fun!

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7:06 PM