Over the New Year's weekend I got to spend some long awaited quality time with my honorary nephew, Darwin. In the course of snapping a bunch of pictures of the two of us it became pretty clear that Darwin was as fascinated by my iPod as I've been. Specifically, he loved the fact that he could see a live image of himself through the camera before a picture was taken.
Darwin was eager to reach for the screen and make faces. He even calmed down a couple of times when he was getting a bit fussy just by seeing himself on screen again. It was a lot of fun to play with him like this, and by the time our matching flat caps came out I was well on my way to having a complete album of the many faces of a 4.5 month old Darwin.
The fact that I don't get to see Darwin in person on a regular basis makes moments like this special, and it plays right into my documenting habits. I want him to know I've been around as he grows up, and who knows, it might be just the thing to convince me that I really want kids someday too. For now, I'm happy to have the pictures.
It comes and goes so fast, and after all of the pomp of the holidays, taking down the Christmas decorations only emphasizes how bland January generally feels. There's a new year upon us, but keeping that surge of optimism alive for more than a couple of weeks is difficult as everything returns to normal. It's not that things are so bad either, it's just sad to see all of that celebrating come to an end. I suppose that's what keeps it special. For now, back to reality.
I rang in 2012 with good friends, good food, and some much needed optimism. The new year is always an excuse to take inventory of your life and your future goals. At this point, I think I've done as much preparation as I could have to set myself up for what's sure to be another ambitious year.
Although I spent years in Regina going to film school, this was the first time I was ever there for New Years. The drive was actually reminiscent of heading back to school after the Christmas break. The cold weather, the repetitive prairie scenery, and the bumpy roads were vastly improved by the fact that I'm now making the trip in my Jaguar. It reminded me that four Christmases have gone by since my days in uni. Things have changed so much in what seems like such a short time.
With Dave gone our group has evolved. This was my first trip back to Regina since his passing and I think all of us were eager to create some new memories while casually refreshing our nostalgia. I got into town on the 30th, and my friend Tyler and I headed out to Boston Pizza for dinner and drinks.
A few schooners in and the conversations came easy. Feeling that the night was still young we decided to go spend some one on one time with Wendy and Darwin (Dave's girlfriend and son). It was a great start to the weekend and I took full advantage of my chance to snap some pics of Darwin and I.
For New Year's Eve Tyler, Wendy, Mike, Erin and I all went out for dinner. We had a reservation at Moxie's, and the food and atmosphere were top notch. It was a nice precursor to the evening spent back at Wendy's place.
The remaining hours of 2011 were lively and entertaining. Drinks were had, photos were snapped, laughs were shared, and celebratory cigars were smoked (away from Darwin of course). It was a small gathering, but a meaningful one. This is a good sign for the return visits on the horizon and the new plans ahead.
So as everything gets back into swing, Happy New Year! Here's wishing you and yours all the best in 2012! Let's make it a good one!
