Just so nice ...

I was more than pleased this past week to attend the celebration of marriage for two nice people, Alex Mongeon and Victoria Alexander. Victoria is the same amazing young lady who has been part of the young lives of her first cousins -- my grandsons Tyler and Nathan. I stood in the backyard to watch the ceremony on a lovely, sunny day. I was happy to see two young people moving along in their lives and to take in all the good things that go along with it. Weddings are nice to bring people together. It was so nice just to see other people being so nice. After all the crap on social media, all the angst of the pandemic and all the other uncertainties in this world, this was nice. 

Best wishes

 Our newsroom is losing our "new media" reporter.  Eden Suh is moving on to a new position in Toronto after being our new media specialist for the past year. I didn't put a lot of stock in things like Twitter, Tic Toc and other new media stuff, but Eden helped drive  a whole lot of new internet traffic to our websites. I guess that's why so much emphasis is being put on social media these days. I just know she was a good reporter. And a nice person. Was happy to grab a beer this week and give Eden our best wishes. 

Fourth shot ...

 Can't explain why but it looks like the COVID-19 situation is not improving in Ontario. So I am glad I went and got my second booster -- which is my fourth vaccine shot now. I am not qualified to say that I needed the shot, but the experts with the Ontario Science Table and NACI - the National Advisory Committee on Immunization are saying its the right thing to do.  I am glad we have experts out there.

COVID-19 vaccine: Canadian Immunization Guide - Canada.ca

Shooting photos

 Part of the job in the newsroom means having to scoot out to grab an urgent photo every now and then. That's what happened last week when the PM was in town. The main story was happening in the afternoon, but Mr. Trudeau was also scheduled to take a nature hike and meet with environmental students in the morning. So I had to tag along on the hike and grab some photos on the pool basis. That means I get access to shoot photos, but I have to be willing to share them in case other Canadian media companies wanted a shot or two. 

Summer Weekends

 Last weekend was a good one in Sudbury and brought back fun memories. It was the annual Northern Lights Festival Boreal, a big music party at Bell Park. Hard to believe it was the 50th anniversary. I got a kick of going there and that's good because I had to work and take photographs. It was nice to see people out having a good time enjoying the beautiful weather and the great music. It had been so long since I had heard live music I had to stop a few times just enjoy the sounds.

Stinky men's room!

There have been a few times in recent months when I wondered if I had been infected by COVID-19. Thanks to the Rapid Access Tests -- which I am told are not fully reliable -- I believe I have dodged that bullet. Now I am not qualified to make any declarations on COVID (very few of us are!) but I know that I have not experienced the range of symptoms others have talked about. I did an interview recently with a woman who told me how she had lost her senses of taste and smell. She no longer enjoys the taste and aroma of a refreshing cup of coffee. I would miss that so much. Anyhow, I must admit we have a situation here at work that challenges my sense of smell at least once a week. 

Our office here on the fifth floor shares one bathroom with a couple of other offices. And yes, at least once a week I am reminded that I have a very good sense of smell. Sadly it is the men's room that does that.