Finished

Well, I suppose this is the last day. It's been a crazy year full of everything. Walked on the soils of three countries, in three separate continents. Worked two different jobs, finished two semesters with high academic standing, met hundreds of memorable people, travelled to a new Canadian city, lost several people important to me (RIP), tried a whole menage of new foods, learned how to knit, picked a mango right from the tree and ate it, raised awareness for prostate cancer, organized a variety show for Pakistan Flood Relief totalling $2,000 to be donated via the Canadian Red Cross, completed an insect collection, participated in my first ever "International Suit Up Day", visited three new major cities (Addis Ababa, Amsterdam, Toronto), had a run in with hyenas, visited the area of origin of coffee, tried goat meat, ate one of the most well renowned international food dishes (kitfo), found a stick insect in the wild, observed orthopaedic surgery in an OR, caught a two pound fish in the river I've fished in luckless for the least ten years, met up with old friends, won a student election. 2010 was probably the best year I've ever had.

Finishing it up with a photo of my Mum. Who is the sweetest person I know and I love her to pieces. She's pictured here holding a bucket on our New Year's Walk to Ross Creek. I got a few really nice shots today, but this one is my favourite. The fact that Mum is carrying around a bucket is just a perfect indication of the kind of person my Mum is.

Thanks for following everyone.
I hope 2010 was great and 2011 will be greater.

PM

Bird

Still loving the backyard this year.

Perfecto

I don't think I want to leave this place.

Winter Wonderland

It came just a couple days too late unfortunately. Beautiful nonetheless

Just one more beach

The lines on this beach were perfect on Monday. I had to get a quick snap.

Boxing Day Walk

Another tradition in our home is taking a walk with Dad's friend from law school Fergus. We went to the same beach as Christmas day and I got a neat shot of the group walking ahead of me. For some reason it reminds me of an olden day Christmas scene.

Strange Christmas Sky

Dad, E and I went for a walk on a beach Christmas Afternoon around 2:00. We have no idea what made the beautiful yellow band beneath the storm clouds, but it certainly was beautiful.

Christmas Eve Walk w/ The Vanderweits

An Annual Tradition. This Year we went to an Old Growth Forest, however it had a lot of damage from our recent hurricane. My favourite thing I took a photo of, was a crack in a tree that a squirrel used to hide a kernel of corn. However, he used a fungus as a little seat while he pushed it on.

Tree is fully decorated

I think this might be one of the most beautiful trees we've ever had.

Reflections

I spent a couple days messing around a few of the ornaments. I that I had a macro lens to get a little closer, but I am still pleased with the quality of this one.

Poinsettia

A friend of the family brought the most beautiful poinsettia over for a Christmas gift. It has found it's spot appropriately right in the middle of the living room.

Tree is up

This Monday Ian and I spent all morning trying to figure out the lights on our Christmas Tree and this is the best that we came up with. It will look a lot better once we figure out the ornaments too.

Sunday Walk

Went out for a walk with my good friend Emily today. We went to Long Beach over North Mountain, which is my favourite beach ever. The shot i took almost looks like HDR but it's not. Just a really nice day for a walk.

Rediscovered

I found something I haven't seen in about a year while cleaning my room. It's some sort of echinoderm skeleton I found snorkeling off a small island in Cuba. I think it would be a good Christmas tree topper.

Tiner

Don't I have a beautiful sister?

Thursday - Ducks

So nice to be back on the river with the ducks. Still in a relaxing day dream, so happy to be home.
Quack quack.

Poor Ol' Willow

We lost our willow to 140km/h winds, luckily she didn't smash through the house. It's a big mess though.

Home Again

Can anything be more welcoming than a wood fire?

Procrastination

Instead of studying hypotheses and such, I played around with an Ethiopian scarf and my lights.

Victoria Park

I took a couple hours on my offday to wander over to Victoria Park.
It was a super choice.

Saturday: Examometer climbing

We're up to soils. She's about to blow

Yellow Belt

My Neighbour Ryan has been training for his Yellow belt in Tai-kwon-do. He just received it last night, I took this picture at about 12:30 in the morning. He's pretty excited, and I'm excited for him.

Chris got a baby rat

If only they were babies forever. That thing will be disgusting in four weeks or so.

Phew

After three weeks of not being able to call home, friends away from school, or anybody else. I finally got another phone :) It made life a lot easier. I appreciate it a lot more, and am glad that I was able to find an affordable phone.

Exam-0-meter

Study, study, study
Drawing by Mark,
F.I.N.A.L.S by Mark

When I grow up I want to be...

A cat. I would really prefer laying in sunbeams all day to anything else. Especially no exams part. That would be appreciated.

Thanks Rankin

Spreading out my notes to do some studying, I found a message left by a good friend Matt Rankin. I read this and cracked up. It was written on the bottom of my breadboard.

Birks

I bought some Birkenstock sandals on sale from down town. They'll be making a few appearances I would imagine in the near future.

Classes are finito

Thank the lord. I just want to get home.
I figured out today I have been home only 25 or so days in 2010.

Just a little homesick.

SU Party

The SU Executive organized a Holiday Party with an awesome turnout of over 100. This is my friend Jeff Cambell 'Hillbilly' who was working the bar that afternoon. Thanks HB!

Break on Through

Can't believe that it is the first of December already.
Cannot wait to get myself home.

Mo-less

Finished Movember today with a horrible moustache. I think I would have won 'worst moustache' again if there had been a competition. A little pathetic. It feels disgusting, and everyone continually asks me 'if I am doing movember'. I can't wait to shave at 12:01 tonight.

Melo-poo-pip-idae

This was Georgia's contribution to a wonderful study session of insect orders, these are her drawings of different coleoptera specimen. The test went really well (we wrote Tuesday)

Starting to feel like Christmas

Is there anything else to say? We decorated the residence with a Christmas Tree and it is absolutely beautiful.

Nothing like a day off - Saturday DTPD

I took today completely off work, and enjoyed some guitar and company of friends. It was super.

Dormancy Period

Thought that my venus fly trap died, but it turns out that it is in it's dormancy period because it is a perennial. Luckily I didn't throw it out.

Enough already

No more work please.
Thanks

Get me to a beach

Needed a beach, these are my free favourite rocks representing my three favourite places I have ever visited:
The one on the far left is a piece of Granite from the Scotts Bay, NS. The one in the middle from Lake Langano in Ethiopia, and the fossilized shell from the Guanacaste Coast of Costa Rica.

Retinol

This is a painting I prepared for a bonus project in organic chemistry that accompanies a write-up on the organic molecule retinol - a hugely important constituent in human vision.

Monday 22 - Cuttings

I love finding horticultural cuttings around, I admire these bushes next to my classes all year. I've got a bunch of cuttings in a bottle of Jager.

Retire the shoes

Had these boys for about three years. They've walked on soil in: Canada, USA, Ethiopia, Netherlands, Costa Rica and Cuba

It'll be tough to say goodbye

Sheeps

We had our first snow of the year today, in terms of substantial snow fall. But we got to see the sheep first. Happy little buggers.

Epic Cumming Hall

Who wouldn't want to go to a university this epic?

Tai-Kwon-Thursday

Got Ryan to demonstrate some moves to me when he got back from Tai-kwon-do HIIYAA

Moon Peering back

Caught my first decent shot of an almost full moon through some of the trees on campus

Blue Skies Ahead

Still getting some perfect blue skies in Truro, this one barred by a bit of cloud. Still nice though.

Monday Vegetation

I don't know what this ornamental is, but it is very beautiful.

Sunday at the Park

Made some time to get to the park again this week, absolutely perfect. There is nothing about Truro I like more than the park

Insect Collection Finished

Three months of catching, gluing, pinning, regluing, labeling and gluing has come to an end. Not touching it again.

Friday

Made a little time today to catch the sunset over the Salmon River. Such a beautiful place to go to school, but sometimes only at twilight.