It's been a historic day in the United States and certainly, the effects and enthusiasm are being felt here in Canada. We can't do anything but abide by the decisions of our closest neighbors and sometimes, we're dismayed and frustrated by the decisions the people of the US make. However, in this past election, those same people who unfortunately graced us with George W. Bush learned from their mistakes and have showed us they're ready to make a go of creating a better world. I wish I could say I had been in Washington, D.C. on the day of the inauguration. I wish I could say I saw the whole thing on TV. Unfortunately for me, I was working. At least, though, I'll always remember what I was doing at the time, because I wrote about it. On to describing this picture... I work part-time at one of the photolabs in the city. It's not because I don't make enough money doing other photography jobs, but it's all to do with my OCD. I can't stand to have someone else colour-correct my photographs. It drives me crazy when my slight-blue tinged photos come out looking decidedly yellow. In the course of working at this lab, I have seen countless pointless and odd photographs and today was no exception. This woman brought in a dozen or so images of her shoes. "For insurance purposes," she said. Here I am, a shoe lover (I own almost 50 pairs and have become a shoe snob) and I'm expecting to see some pretty expensive shoes. Maybe some Manolo Blahniks, a few Jimmy Choos, or maybe even some Christian Louboutins! I got flip-flops and gross, falling apart plain old black leather boots, all photographed on berber carpet with the cheapest digital camera possible. One day, I'll quit that job. And then I'll go buy more shoes. Location: Home, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

The Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus) or - outside Asia - African Monarch is a common butterfly which is widespread in Asia and Africa. It belongs to the danaine ("Crows and Tigers") subfamily of the brushfooted butterfly family Nymphalidae. It is believed to be one of the first butterflies to be used in art. A 3500 year old Egyptian fresco in Luxor features the oldest illustration of this species. The Plain Tiger can be considered the archetypical danaine of India. Accordingly, this species has been studied with in greater detail than other members of its subfamily occurring in India. The Plain Tiger is a medium sized butterfly with a wingspan of about 7–8 cm. The body is black with many white spots. The wings are tawny the upper side being brighter and richer than the underside. The apical half of the fore wing is black with a white band. The hind wing has 3 black spots around the center. The hind wing has a thin border of black enclosing a series of semicircular white spots. Background color and extent of white on the forewings varies somewhat across the wide range; The male Plain Tiger is smaller than the female, but more brightly colored. In addition, male danaines have a number of secondary sexual characteristics. In the case of the Plain Tiger, these are: .The male has a pouch on the hindwing. This spot is white with a thick black border and bulges slightly. It is a cluster of specialised scent scales used to attract females. .The males possess two brush-like organs which can be pushed out of the tip of the abdomen. The range of the Plain Tiger extends from Africa and southern Europe, eastwards via Sri Lanka, India, and Myanmar to China and Sulawesi. It is a very common species.