Randy Bachman - 13 October 2011

Randy Bachman - 13 October 2011, a set on Flickr.

Seen live at Southminster United Church, Ottawa, Canada! Promoting his first book, Vinyl Tap Stories courtesy of the Ottawa International Writers Festival.

Irshad Manji at the Mayfair - 21 Sept 2011

Irshad Manji at the Mayfair - 21 Sept 2011, a set on Flickr.

The author and newly-minted NYU professor returned to Ottawa for another interview by CBC News ancher Lucy van Oldenbarneveld at the Mayfair Theatre, courtesy of the Ottawa International Writers Festival.

While it wasn't Prof. Manji's first visit to Ottawa, or her first session with van Oldenbarneveld, it was the first time I'd ever been to a WritersFest event held with a police security detail.

We got plenty of long-winded answers to questions - which host and subject alike had fun making jokes about - but no more than that.

Planning to read her books at some point, though, along with the Qu'ran itself. Seems appropriate to add them to my literary "bucket list".

Counting Down to CAN-CON 2011

I've been meaning to get back "out there" in the convention and book sale circuit, and this convention newly revived was - is - part of an ongoing, improvised plan of solving that matter.

I'll be sitting on a few panel discussions telling tales and pretending that I have useful advice to give, but in reality, I'll be there to learn. From the other panellists, from the audience, from the rest of the CAN-CON 2011 organizers.

Two more days, and I'll see whichever of you cares to attend there.

Noticing the stats of late...

...and really, people?

Looks like a "who's who" of spammery that the traffic's been coming from this month.

Do you really think people don't pay attention to these things? Most of us bloggers have at least some degree of egomania about their site traffic.

Back to art photography for my next posting...

Wildlife of Ottawa - Ducks off the River

Wildlife of Ottawa - Ducks off the River, a photo by dwight_ew on Flickr.

Call it a target of opportunity. I don't get much chance to get visuals like this, really. And when the ducks let you get this close(with or without digital and optical zoom)...

CAN-CON 2011

I've been busy elsewhere for a fair while now. The day-job's been part of the reason for that, so have family-related matters, and a bit of stuff on my other blogs. If you've been following those other blogs, you've possibly already got a clue as to where this particular post is going.

But today is the day the situation's made clear:

I'm serving on the organizing committee - "ConComm" - of a local convention as a design consultant. The convention is CAN-CON 2011, the Conference on Canadian Content in Speculative Arts and Literature.

CAN-CON was revived last year after spending the previous decade in something like a coma. This is our second year back, and we're looking to build on the success of last year's revival. Our comics-related line-up is led off by Comics Guest of Honour Leonard Kirk.

But we don't stop there, including local writer/artists Jay (Kagigi the Raven) Odjick and Janet Hetherington.

Oh! I'll be sitting on a couple of panels as well!

If you should happen to be in Ottawa on the September 9th-11th weekend, I hope we see you there!

Company Names Down the Memory Hole?

Company Names Down the Memory Hole?, a photo by dwight_ew on Flickr.

When did chartered banks in Canada start finding it important to try to forget their full company names?

Winterlude 2011 - Fuller's Ghost After a Fashion

Winterlude 2011 - Fuller's Ghost After a Fashion, a photo by dwight_ew on Flickr.

Wishing that I could remember exactly who built this installation...

Skies, Then and Now

Irony found
in this fact:

I grew up in the Prairies
from Alberta
to Manitoba.
And so rarely
would I look up
at the skies
and the stars.

Despite watching
Adama and Kirk,
Rogers and Koenig,
I would not look
up at the skies
where, so the TV said,
their adventures
and trials played out.

Now, in Ottawa,
despite tales in the news
of light pollution
masking the skies,
I look up and see
at last, at long last,
Dubhe and Bellatrix,
Polaris and Rigel.

And still,
I do not quite
understand
what it is I see
at night, when
the skies are clear...
or at least...
clear enough.

A bit of catch-up

Well, some changes to the system...like whether or not I allow "backlinks" to this - and future - postings here on this particular blog. Or perhaps they were always here and I just didn't notice until now.

I was going to post some poetry, as a change of routine. Maybe later tonight?