Aurora Irrealis

Thunder in the Snow

2007-12-17T00:01:00.000-05:00

I saw lightning and heard thunder today, for the first time -- in a snowstorm.
It was astonishing to experience, once you understood the source of your wonder.

We've had a fierce downfall all today. The biggest and most dangerous snowstorm I think I've ever seen -- not that the accumulation is so fierce, but the blizzard. Actual warnings to stay off the roads.

I'm inexplicably sad today. Could it come from the unexpected disappointments of late? Or the finishing of a novel, the falling out of the grip of its spell, its fantasy, back to earth. Where aimlessness abounds. Where is the heroic redemption?

I have not been able to stay warm, I think that says it all.

Music for this post: Beirut.

berlin, meine Liebe

2007-09-20T21:16:00.000-04:00

I'm just come "home" to my hostel in East Berlin, smelling like an ashtray. can't remember the last time that's happened. Even the UK has gone smoke-free, it's unbelievable.

Had a most awesome night tonight with Deb and Seb. (Deb of Montreal/Smith Falls, Seb her Berliner boyfriend.) As part of the PopKomm event, there was an unbelievable lineup playing tonight at Postbahnhof that we paid merely 25 euros to see: Malajube, Menomena, Stars, Architecture in Helsinki.

All the bands were great, but Stars were... just...awesome. So melodic. I want to be Amy Millan. The guy (who is very short, good choice to become a rock star!) played a blow-keyboard! if that's what they're called.

For Stars and Architecture in Helsinki (who are crazy and fun), the last two bands, we were in the next-to-front and finally front row. Deb and I are both going to marry one of ArchInHelsinki's drummers. The same one.

So much to write about! Today I didn't get out til 3 (had work to do), but biked across Unter den Linden, giggling and completely please with myself for the bike plan. Biking in Berlin is such a pleasure, there are a lot of bike lanes and drivers are very watchful and respectful. It was a gorgeous and relatively warm day for a change: 20 degrees. Yesterday (Weds) I was freezing in Deb's apartment.

I stopped at the Brandenburger Tor, Reichstag, Potsdamer Platz, Siegesaule, Tiergarten, Zoo, KaDeWe. Got a half-liter of Heferweizen in a temporary biergarten by the Kaiser Gedachtnis Kirche (the half-tooth?), and had really good gelato (what is up with Berlin and great gelato?). Wandered down the street to KaDeWe, picked up some snacks at a market. Around 7pm, I biked back from West Berlin to East Berlin, glancing over my shoulder at the sunset as I whizzed through the Brandenburg gate. Such a pleasure, indeed.

possibly the best birthday ever

2007-06-11T23:03:00.000-04:00

I finally got a weekend off, after working 25 days (with only one day off).
And it's my birthday (or was, on Sunday).
So I got the hell out of dodge with my new, dear friend Carla. Friday night I went to a bbq and indoor pool party at my friend's place. Saturday afternoon, Carla and I left for la Mauricie region, and went canoe-camping for 2 days. It was gorgeous, glorious bliss. And I got 12 hours of desperately needed sleep.
Most people don't know this, but canoe-camping is almost as lazy as car camping. We paddled to the first campsite on the lake, set up the tent and cooked a long, slow meal over the fire. The next morning, we "brunched" from 10 til 3, and paddled out on to the lake to swim, sunbathe & play around the boat. We swam and drifted for about 2 hours. And of course we talked, and talked and talked.
The weather was glorious, and not too hot -- finally some sun! -- and the bugs were out, but not too bad and only really at dusk. We went swimming whenever we got too hot. It was actually pretty funny, to be just sitting in the boat in our bikinis, drifing on the lake, lost in conversation, and every so often a canoe with 2 guys in it would pass us, and try to start a conversation. I guess they don't see many women out doing this kind of camping...
And oh, to get lost, and ignore the outside world. Having no cell phone reception was something I cherished. I realized at one point with a jolt just how immersed in the present I was, and it felt awesome.
No schedule, no itinerary... just lazy camping.
Definitely one of the best things I've ever done with a birthday.

lolcats

2007-06-07T22:18:00.000-04:00

Something that never fails to amuse me over the last few days: cat macros, aka lolcats.
Start here, with Slate's essay on the subject.

Then start browsing here.

But my favourite, by far, is the walrus:

spring skiing

2007-04-05T10:58:00.000-04:00

I'm leaving for Spain, France and possibly Portugal or Italy in 3 days, yay! But in the meanwhile...

We got a foot of snow last night & this morning! Crazy, becuase spring had finally sprung.
So I had to ski into work today, to take advantage.

It's the most awesome feeling, to immerse yourself in such a white world for an hour, and the come down into the city, refreshed and alive, carrying your skis under your arm. The looks you get that say "wow, you're crazy", and you smile back to say "yes, and it's awesome".

The snowfall was the heaviest kind of wet snow, most ideal for snowballs. The snow under my skis was thick, creamy, and delicious. The flakes coming down yesterday were the largest I'd ever seen, as big as plums. So many branches had come down in Mount Royal park overnight, under the weight of the snow. (Sadly, the limbs with the most buds came down first.) Huge limbs, spanning the whole road, as if to say "go back home with your machinery".

The entire mountain is frosted white, every branch bearing snow. No plows have made it through, so the only colour is the sky, the treetrunks, and the underside of the branches. Absolute white, absolute peace, where yesterday there had been mud and the renewed decay of a winter's worth of organic matter.

bleary rain

2007-04-02T10:29:00.000-04:00

Weather like this makes me think of the West Coast, and how this time of year, 9 and 10 years ago, each of my grandmothers was dying.
The only consolation is that biking in light +5 drizzle is really exhilarating. City biking is a great way to feel alive.
I think I would be a different person if Erik hadn't taught me how to live so recklessly in Switzerland. The invincible shield of youth and calculated risk.

Yesterday, I packed 7 friends & 1 super-cool mom off to a Cabane a Sucre (sugar shack), which is a big Quebecois tradition. Being April Fool's day, we dressed like fools. Lots of fun, lots of meat, lots of mud, lots of tire, and a few goats.

Happy Birthday Aunt Helga!

2007-04-01T20:24:00.000-04:00

My Aunt Helga, who had a really bad fall in December, just told me that she was outside chipping today, practicing for golf season. She says her broken shoulder is all healed.

Oh, and: she had her accident December 15th, and was home from the hospital within a week.

She turned 86 today, nothing can stop her, and she's the most amazing person I know.

Facebook, the new drug

2007-03-31T00:00:00.000-04:00

This week I joined facebook. I think my real social life is about to be replaced by a virtual one. So far it's been exciting and handy and addictive.

I'm listening to the Stars.

I'm going to Spain on Easter Sunday, going hiking for a week and traveling for a second week. I can't wait!

And I just watched almost all the Heritage Minutes online! After joining the Facebook group.

I need to get some sleep. But these are wonderful days, wonderful weeks.

fruehlings erwachnung, weiter

2007-03-25T23:26:00.000-04:00

It's that day -- the day of spring, where I can go outside and *know* i'm not going to suffer the consequences.
I can wear just a t-shirt (with pants) while, say, hauling buckets of water from a river in Lanaudiere, on snowshoes, while taking care of a rustic beautiful cabin all by myself. (There was no cell reception up there. So refreshing.)

And knowing that, even if the melting crust of ice over the river breaks off and I fall in, and the unheated cabin is a steep snowslope + 100m away, nothing bad will happen. It's Spring. It's awesome.

seasonings

2007-03-24T17:57:00.000-04:00

I"m about to head up to my colleague's cabin in Lanaudiere (2hrs away) for a 24h break.
And look, outside my window, it's snowing. Unbelievable.
This whole past 2 weeks has been extraordinary. The spring is turning.
Well i'm off. :)

signs of the times

2007-03-05T02:24:00.000-05:00

Went out Friday night to the Nuit Blanche -- like a big late-night public high school dance, is what it felt like -- interesting, but vaguely boring just because it was so public. Good times, still. Best moment: standing on top of a huge snowpile (playing social coordinator on my phone) and watching my friends start dancing like idiots on the ground below.

New idea: open up a permanent silent disco where you can just groove to your own iPod (if you choose). A public dance space.

Today's inspiring moment: while running up the mountain, passing all the people sledding and realizing that they had torn down election posters as far as the eye could see to make improvized sleds. Sweet...

One km later we also found a huge mound of horsesh*t on a sign, piled right on the face of the liberal candidate. Now that the election is here, I don't care anymore... those neo-cons sure knew what they were doing, applying the hammer for a full 2 straight years before doling out the gifts.

the makings of a perfect day

2007-02-25T10:56:00.000-05:00

This week has been insanely busy, and richly rewarding. Pancake Tuesday (despite the turnout), fondue party Thursday night, 4 events Friday night, and a couple of satisfying tasks/connections accomplished.

Yesterday, I went with my friend Alinka to Tremblant - for a lazy half-day of skiing.
I snowboarded, she skied. And pulled me over all the flats. (I'm never going without a skier again!) The weather was absolutely gorgeous -- not a cloud in the sky, strong sun, and only -12 (-20 with windchill! only!)

It's president's day weekend or something so there were a ton of Americans (mostly from Boston) around. Adults who are Beginner skiers (tourist skiers) can be really dangerous, especially when they operate in groups. So I decided, that's it. I'm staying away from the green runs today. nothing but Blues for me.
And so I did. Rode blues and maybe 4 black diamond runs, at Tremblant. Chasing someone is also the best way to improve. My game is at a whole 'nother level now, and i can be very satisfied with the 2006-07 season despite only 2 outings. The weather was completely gorgeous, the powder was pretty darn good (surprisingly little ice), and I rocked Tremblant.
I fell enough too, especially on ice patches. I have the whiplash this morning to prove it, and a bruised elbow. (and yes, i wore a helmet and i'm very glad i did so.) But there was enough powder that i didn't care.

But really, so many other things made the day perfect: the weather, Ali's laid-back company, eating chile in the lodge (sooo hit the spot). I helped a lost kid, Ali found $10 in her pants. On the way out of Tremblant village, we did a bit of shopping, bought candy-covered caramel apples. Gave bite of it to a cute british guy on the shuttle to the car, and we waved goodbye to him as he was hopping around in his longjohns, changing in the parking lot. We saw 5 deer crossing the road - beautiful sight. And the sunset was strong and sweet. Topped it off with indian takeout from Jean-Talon.

bad sex with via rail

2007-02-19T12:02:00.000-05:00

Just got back from a fun & relaxing weekend in Toronto for my sister's 30th birthday (happy birthday sarah!! how's the hangover, sweetie?) A long weekend of cupcakes, drinks, and shopping is not a bad recipe for fun.

On the trip back to Montreal with my good friend Erika, we chatted at high speed for 2 hours, ate cupcakes and then promptly fell asleep. Except that the airbags under the train were under-inflated, so we were jostled up and down for the entire ride. In a jackhammer/roller coaster kind of way. You just wanted it to be over with. Girls, you know what I'm talking about. Even my iron gut got nauseous.

Today Montreal is cold and beautiful. Lots of snow, lots of sun, plenty of cold.
Erika's sister and I dreamed up an Amazing Race-style game for her visit this week -- she is after all getting married in 3 weeks, and if anyone is going to do her justice, it's us. Stag/ette parties are called "enterrement de vie de garcon/fille" in French [lit: burial of boy/girl's life] in French. Snowstorms willing, it looks like we might just get buried this week.

Next up: Pancake Tuesday!

special metro edition

2007-02-12T19:07:00.000-05:00

ok. fine. the metro rocks.

Normally I say I hate taking the metro [translation: subway]. The air is stale, I get a bit claustrophobic, I become unnaturally germophobic, my legs complain (why aren't you walking), my brain complains (why aren't you getting any sunlight). I avoid it if possible.

However. The evidence to the contrary (of its suckiness) is mounting.
Just now, just just now, I picked up! yay! For the second time in 2 months, I have picked someone up on the metro. I'm developing a theory, but you'll have to wait for it.

How? Well, I finally found a use for those 5000 business cards I got in 2004. yaaay! Honestly, they make it so easy. None of that awkward number exchange. So smooth! And if the guy is going to be intimidated by the woman's intelligence (my card says "Research & Development" - ha!) -- well, you might as well get that out of the way up front.

p.s. I also had the most splendiferous weekend - gorged on sushi, stargazed in the park, got 12 hours of sleep, dithered, skied at sunset, partied, slept very little, went to Ottawa and skated the entire length of the Rideau Canal. And laughed a lot. It rocked. hee. :)

p.p.s. how to feel cool on the metro: listen to the new Arcade Fire album. as yet unreleased. oooooooh...

my precious

2007-02-10T14:45:00.000-05:00

I was walking home over the mountain last night (working off an a-volonté sushi dinner) and I noticed, for the umpteenth time this winter, how empty it is.

Four months from now, there will be plenty of people at that hour. But nights in the park are mine.

All last fall I ran up on the mountain at lunchtime. It was gorgeous, splendid, and largely deserted. A huge treat and a huge high, to elevate yourself out of the city for an hour, run wildly through the woods, and share the secret feeling with nobody.

Some of you ask: why do I walk home through a huge deserted park at night?
Well, because I believe any potential rapist out there would be easily defeatible out of sheer mental incompetence. I mean, who wants to rape on a snowy winter's night, when it's -30? You'd lose your penis in the process. Honestly.

new year, new outlook!

2007-01-11T14:51:00.000-05:00

It doesn't have to be fun to be fun, man.

Thus spoke Barry Blanchard, last night. I went to see his mountaineering presentation at McGill. Awesome, stunning stuff. (I just read Into Thin Air last week, too, so I knew what the heck he was talking about.)

Barry's climbing partner said that to him during a terrible storm during and ascent. That's totally my philosophy about anything. It was a nice way to hear it echoed back.

I took a week off last week. Two weeks off over the holidays, actually. For the first time in 4.5 years; that was definitely nice. Time off to do some heavy thinking, which I did. I ended last week totally resolved, excited and ready for what was to come.

And this week has been an almost total deflation. A couple of fabulous things going on, like my friends, and last night's talk, and finding out a few more people think i'm fabulous (no time for modesty in the midst of this serious business!). But on the whole, the return to work has been less than spectacular. Not terrible, just a slow leaking-air sound.

I do not await better things, I will take the weekend to make better things come about.

christmas schmistmas

2006-12-25T16:40:00.000-05:00

Christmas this year had been green, great, and odd.
First off, there's not a speck of snow to be found for love or ready money.

During last night's Christmas service at church, I was alarmed when - for the first time ever - one of the attendants in long white robe whipped out a squirt bottle of hand sanitizer right before Communion. I guess cleanliness is still next to godliness. (sorry)

I got my dad and sister gifts that officially qualify my for the best.daughter/sister.ever sweepstakes. It was a great Christmas morning, my heart felt so full I thought I would cry. And we named the turkey "Stew".

The queen's message was, more than ever, jarring and weird. First of all, she was wearing my favourite colour of lime green; second, that surreal moment when her "friendly subjects of colour" kind of froze in a tableau around her and she addressed the camera directly. Third, the smile she cracked in closing when wishing everyone a merry christmas was sweet but kind of a ghastly surprise.

And then, there was the joke: yes, the queen cracked a joke. "I was reminded of a woman about my age who was asked by her grandson "granny, do you remember the stone age?" You could HEAR some of the camera people tittering!! She looked away from the camera for a moment, as if to ask them "why are you laughing?" and then got back on track about how old people have lots to teach their youngers. It was WEIRD! she cracked a Joke! and the crew laughed! And she reacted! And they didn't edit any of this out! (What must have happened on the other takes?!)

Does this mean she's hipper than us (gentle reader) - or that her PR machine has it in for her? In either case, god save the queen!

p.s. update on Helga: talked to her on the phone today. She's home from the hospital already, without having her fractures repaired, and -- even though her physiotherapist nephew warned her it might take a year to recover -- she's vowed it will only take 6 months and she'll be back on the golf course by summer. Sheesh. :D She totally rocks.

trapped in the bathroom

2006-12-22T10:47:00.000-05:00

I just got out of the bathroom at work. I was trapped there for half an hour (the door lock jammed). It was kind of fun. Ultimately though, I didn't have to McGyver my way out through the ceiling tiles. Slightly disappointed by that. They hammered on the lock until it broke, that's all.
Definitely only the kind of thing that happens on the last day of work before the holidays.
Definitely only the kind of thing that happens to me. :)

I knew I should have brought my climbing harness to work today!

Helga the Great

2006-12-20T12:05:00.000-05:00

If you were my great-aunt Helga, you would:

* be 86 years old, of hearty Norwegian stock, and living near Seattle
* be the matriarch of your husband's extended clan
* beat breast cancer in your 80s
* kick the ass of anyone who took your golf tee time
* have your car totaled in an accident (not your fault), walk away unscathed, and use the insurance money to buy a 2-seater red sports car

You would also:
* during a full-on regional blackout, attempt to get down to the parking garage, and fall, breaking 2 ribs, your shoulder in 2 places, and puncturing a lung, lying there until the super found you
* insist upon not getting an ambulance; insist your son come pick you up, despite the hour-long impediment of traffic during a blackout
* still insist on not calling an ambulance
* wait for hours in the hospital (because you didn't arrive in an ambulance)
* bounce back within an alarmingly small number of days (she's almost out of the ICU! She's 86!!)

She's amazing, she's incredible, she's Helga. She's my mom's aunt and one of my favourite people on earth. Just wish i could visit more often.

casa del popolo

2006-12-18T00:32:00.000-05:00

Tonight at Casa, we met for xmas goodbye drinks at 8. At 9, a "show" started. Loud, screechy, isolated sounds, both electronic and organic. And by organic, I mean: the guys was playing his housekeys. Then we were asked to contribute (monetarily) to the making, so that we could continue to talk amongst ourselves.

So we moved to the couches in the back and giggled our stifled asses off. Cathy actually said "this music is making me aggressive", which is astonishing coming from her. Most precious was the second artist, who used his grandfather's synthesizers (recently inherited) to shake out a slow, then unrecognizably fast, then slow, rendition of "Girl from Ipanema". wow, intense. Genevieve nearly died.

Best of all, I got to ask the night's money man (the guy asking us to contribute) if he knew how much the brownies were selling for. He replied "I love being mistaken for someone who works here." To which I said "No, I know you don't work here. I just wanted to know about the brownies."

They must have hated us. I may get stopped the next time I cross over into Mile End.

in attendance (in order of exit): Mike, Beni, Gen, Janius, Cathy, Saya & friend Ken.

my hair smells like hotdogs

2006-12-16T23:12:00.000-05:00

Random mutterings:
The kids at the Creepy Christmas Themepark were roasting wieners over the fire.
"hair scent: roast pork" was never on my life's to-do list.

Today was officially the most depressing day of the year to go to a mall. Somehow I thought a visit to H&M would be worth the agony. For the first time ever, it wasn't. That's why it's called "Hit&Miss". Just stay away from the malls, people.

It has been a highly entertaining few weeks. Starting with the 1400km, 4-day odyssey Sarah and I took along the historic trails of Quebec. Seeing waterfalls in November does the soul good.

And then came the Christmas parties: 2 for work, and more at friends' houses. Last night was the official office Christmas party. Much fun was had in various forms, and I've been working through a mild hangover on 4 hours sleep for the rest of today. I'm not drinking again for another week.

So tonight I had an impromptu comfort night -- I ran into my neighbour Ali and she ended up making me dinner, after which we watched the Sound of Music over candy cane ice cream. Evenings like this make me feel special indeed.

But on the other hand, my dear Aunt Helga lies fractured since yesterday in a hospital bed near Seattle. Send up a few prayers for the greatest, most awesome 86-year-old matriarch, will you?

jesus murphy

2006-12-04T22:45:00.000-05:00

ok, i have a lot more important recent things to talk about. but i feel the need to say this right now...

Anyone watch Newsworld tonight at 10:40pm? Rex Murphy had a serious hard-on for Stephane Dion! My god: "The party chose the one man who has been there through tough times" and "the Liberals showed that courage counts, tenacity counts, and... Character Counts". Alleluia.

p.s. This was not the almost-universal reaction Saturday night in the wake of the Liberal leadership convention. At the party I was at, I mean. It was: "oh god, how disappointing. Another Conservative minority government."

oh, heck

2006-10-25T15:11:00.000-04:00

Why not just run with the picture theme?

"developing" styles

2006-10-24T14:58:00.000-04:00

This picture reminded me of something I saw a lot but barely registered while I was in Guatemala a few years ago:

The women dress in Mayan fabrics, but the men dress more or less in "western" dress: always jeans, and a short-sleeved shirt. (It's very rare to see a man in "native" clothing; I'll have to post a photo of one...)

This picture is "compelling" because the kids here are dressed exactly like adults. It's eerie, only in contrast to how kids in the "northern" world. The boys actually look like really small Guatemalan men to me.

Hmm, what's the word for how people dress? sartorial culture? Fascinating, in part because it's often so subliminal. Speaking of which, my favourite fashion blog: theSartorialist.com I actually have a physiological reaction every time I load up this blog: I relax, and a little bit of icy chi courses through my veins. I can feel it, I swear.
It hits my mental funny bone, kind of like taking a Cosmo quiz, getting a massage, or looking at surfing photos.
Maybe it's a Pavlovian reflex? But really, it's the Sartorialist himself -- the stamp of his laid-back, beneficent enthusiasm, and the spell he casts.

somethings completely different

2006-10-24T11:39:00.000-04:00

Super cool photos I ran into last week:

From the NYTimes' article on Things to do in Montreal:

And... dancing witch doctors!

Scanned and posted here, and here, and more here, and more here again.

They're from the albums of a mysterious RAF officer posted in Iraq, Egypt, and Nigeria between the wars. And they're absolutely fascinating. Lots of the photos are aerial shots, too. Check them out! Hopefully they will get the exposure (and preservation) they deserve.

sweet water

2006-10-20T10:59:00.000-04:00

This article in the NYTimes makes me pine for whitewater rafting.

When Mr. Henkel’s paddle snapped halfway down the river, he reached for a backup without missing a stroke. When the floor of the boat tore loose, he hopped out and put it back together while standing chest deep in the water. “Lean in!” he shouted while deftly steering the raft down a chute to intentionally pinball off a boulder at the bottom and spin sideways in the thundering wash of a 12-foot waterfall.

sigh... :)

post of the week

2006-09-28T16:31:00.000-04:00

Things that make me smile:
The Best of Craigslist

Post of the day

Mr. T

2006-09-22T17:47:00.000-04:00

Does this ever happen to you?
You think of a celebrity, often from the 80s, and *BAM*, 2 days later, you find out they have a reality show/new album/recent arrest. It's happened to me recently: Boy George, Cyndi Lauper, David Hasselhoff, Joey Lawrence...

And now: Mr. T.

Sure enough, he's got a reality show starting next month. (This according to wikipedia.)

And so while your appetite is whetted, but not yet satisfied, here is Mr. T singing "Treat Your Mother Right (Treat Her Right)"

It's supposed to be from his video, a vintage 80s production, called:
"Be Somebody or Be Somebody's Fool".
And yes, it was targeted towards children.

Happy Friday!

p.s Here's the summary of the video from wikipedia:

In 1984, he made a motivational video called Be Somebody or Be Somebody's Fool. He gives helpful advice to children throughout the video; for example, he teaches them how to understand and appreciate their origins, how to dress fashionably without buying designer labels, how to make tripping up look like breakdancing, how to control their anger, and how to deal with peer pressure. The video is roughly one hour long, but contains 30 minutes of singing, either by the mob of children accompanying him, or by Mr. T himself. He sings "Treat Your Mother Right (Treat Her Right)," (video available here) in which he enumerates the reasons why it is important to treat your mother right, and also raps a song about growing up in the ghetto and praising God.

chomsky

2006-09-22T17:39:00.000-04:00

So has anyone else been paying attention to Hugo Chavez's recent rampage through New York City?
Jon Stewart had a riff last night on how Danny Glover met with the Venezuelan president in Harlem yesterday. After Chavez called Bush "the devil" in front of the entire U.N. General Assembly earlier this week. Thereby managing to upstage the visit of the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Nice work, Hugo.

Furthermore, as the NYTimes pointed out today, Mr. Chavez's regret that he had never met one of his favourite American authors, now deceased, was a little premature. Because Noam Chomsky is not dead.

The NYTimes actually called Chomsky up and sent over a photographer, just to make this point.

Hee. this makes my week.
No, wait, this & the next post I write.

the end is not nigh

2006-09-19T00:57:00.000-04:00

the end is not nigh. My remarks were taken out of context. If that apology is good enough for the pope, it's good enough for me.

Insomnia again. What better way to kill the time than to record what I"ve been up to recently?

I spoiled myself this weekend and spent hours soaking up the last rays of summer. Paddling against the wind into the waning summer sun in the last hours of the season, yesterday afternoon, was so sweet.

Anyway, not that we've had much summer since early August. The last 4 days were its return and end. Biking, rollerblading, and finally kayaking down by the Lachine canal. It was close to bliss. Blisters aside.
I also stopped by the wave behind Habitat 67 to check out the surfers. So tempting to jump in and just ride the current (to my probable death).

Tonight I went to my German class and had my first hockey game of the year. Fortunately/unfortunately, I'm the best player on the team this year. I got the first penalty (an accident, I swear). Good fun but brutally tiring, especially when you're alone out front.

In the final minutes, I ran the puck up and took a long shot, which the defense (the very one who played the role of nemesis the entire game) caught between her knees(!). No, I'm not talking about the goalie.
Three seconds later I was somehow on my belly, being pulled along the ice by said nemesis, with my stick (and the puck) lodged between her thighs. And she was skating backwards. It was quite the surreal moment. Not like I was trying to extract my stick, at least not while she still had the damn puck!

goats made me do it

2006-09-16T05:17:00.000-04:00

* Goat-free roads made me speed
The Canadian tourist board should advertize with this in Switzerland: "certain regions goat-free since 1927"
The BBC actually bothers to report:

Canadian police spokesman Joel Doiron said he had never found a goat on the highways of eastern Ontario in his 20 years of service.* Sudan man forced to 'marry' goat
(This actually made the top 5 most-emailed BBC list last week. And it's 6 months old.)

* New recruit joins Terracotta Army
hmmm, i guess there's really no way to work a goat into this one. oh well.

Is the end nigh?

2006-09-14T18:35:00.000-04:00

I present to you, the jury:

* Sunday: plane lands in downtown montreal

* Monday: 5th anniversary of September 11th, 2001. and I speak German.

* Tuesday: I'm home sick from work. Zaboumafou molests a porcupine.

* Weds: gunman opens fire 2km west of my workplace, killing 1.

* Thursday: home sick from work again.

What's next?

kids tv

2006-09-12T11:30:00.000-04:00

I'm home sick today, so I turned on the tv for a few minutes and caught up with Elmo and Zaboumafoo.
Zaboumafoo is not my favourite kids' show, but it's charming. Basically it's two guys and the pseudonymous puppet lemur. They bring exotic animals into their tv set, and the camera films them as they scurry for cover. Then the editing room makes it look like the animals are interacting with the hosts. Evil. Genius. Someone's got to appreciate it.

And... on Sunday a plane made an emergency landing right in the middle of Parc avenue. Not 700 metres from my house. I bet all the tam tams attendees were wondering whether it was a hallucination. Too bad I missed it!

songs that cheer me up

2006-09-05T17:28:00.000-04:00

Belle and Sebastian always lifts my mood. Something about their instrumentation, and completely ridiculous but spot-on lyrics. They write great songs about ugly ducklings. I'm listening to "Expectations" because it's currently my favourite off their TigerLily album. The mariachi trumpet is just so bizarrely perfect.

I'm having a blah day. This morning I woke up too early, eager to capture and bottle this start-of-school feeling for the workday. We moved offices and the new ones are really really nice. And now I can bike over the mountain to work (and did).

Unfortunately the workday wears much longer than the average schoolday; my enthusiam expired a few hours ago. I'm feeling the afternoon fatigue with no coffee at hand alas.

This weekend was pretty blah too. If I list the stuff I did, I actually got quite a bit done. (Built a huge campfire, tented up north, went walking and reading, a bit of hammock duty, fun meals with friends, biking, saw Bon Cop, Bad Cop, got awesome deals on clothing I actually needed, got a new fridge. I even cleaned parts of my apartment that had never been cleaned.)

But the weather was drab. And kinda cold. And I'm still tired. And I'm still nursing scabs from my run in with the sidewalk last week (it won the scrap). And (yes still), I'm taking scope of my life in the wake of the relationship hurricane. And real available friends seem thin on the ground.

Yes, i'm whining. life isn't bad. i hope the tone of this entry isn't too depressing! I"m just tired.

I've started to think that life yields diminishing returns. This is not suicidal. It's just an observation. Or rather, I suspect, it's just aging. sigh, maturity.

resurfacing

2006-08-23T05:01:00.000-04:00

Is anybody reading these?

I got submerged for a while. Getting dumped sucks. Yes, the whole relationship & circumstances were complicated from the start. And I've never really had to deal with rejection before. And it was done very gently. But withdrawal is still withdrawal.

So most of June and July was spent in a cloud. Some times were fun, but this has not been the best summer of my life.

Last weekend though, I took some friends whitewater canoeing, and I was in my element. It was a beautiful thing. Flexing my competence on those rapids. Camping. Being outdoors for days at a time. Taking the time away from the city was like looking up from your desk and realizing the hours have passed by.

This past weekend I was at my parent's cottage for 4 days & 4 nights. It was pretty fun, and pretty chill. Four times in 2 days my sister and I went running off the dock into the lake, fully clothed. After coming back from running or playing tennis; we stopped only to remove our shoes. And mmmm, corn, peaches, cherries, blueberries. The best of summer.

September's steaming around the corner, my sister's starting her MBA (yay! you rock!) and my thoughts are focused on the future. Working towards my goals. Figuring out my goals.

The canoe trip reconnected me with myself. Reminded me of who I am on my own. What I love and what I do well. What I respect and what I value. I need to keep pursuing those activies, because it's a form of meditation. And anytime you come out of a weekend with "inner peace" written across your forehead, that's a good time. :)

I owe emails to lots of people. I may even have scared one or two by my silence. I feel more recharged now than I have in a long time (well, present insomnia aside). It's time to get back in the swing of things, to start swimming in the current. :)

argh, mateys

2006-07-25T16:32:00.000-04:00

Tonight I"m going with some friends to see Pirates of the Caribbean. Yarr!

My pirate name is:

Captain Charity Bonney

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Even though there's no legal rank on a pirate ship, everyone recognizes you're the one in charge. You can be a little bit unpredictable, but a pirate's life is far from full of certainties, so that fits in pretty well. Arr!

Get your own pirate
name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

london burning

2006-07-02T04:52:00.000-04:00

But in Bolton, Greater Manchester, up to 500 drunken football fans attacked police in a major disturbance.

Sigh. Yesterday England lost to Portugal, in the middle of a heat wave. I ended up watching it from a small cafe on Portobello Road. Pearly and I were going to wander around, following some yobs to see if we could witness any hooliganism, but instead we went shopping.
It's been hot. really hot. climbing steadily from 27 to 33 since last week. No humidity though, thank god.
Friday: Canada Day in Trafalgar Square (not even July 1st yet). Stopping by for 10 mins satisfied my taxpayer's curiosity, but since Matt used to work at Canada House, that's where we spent the evening. It was basically a reunion night for the Canadian population in London. I went to Oxford St. in mid-afternoon to check out Top Shop (a bit disappointing).
After Trafalgar Square, we wandered north up through Covent Garden, took the tube home and had a big pitcher of Pimm's in the garden; I've decided Pimm's is the English sangria, and I love it.
The tube ride home was most amusing; first we were befriended by some chivalrous Ukrainians (sweet but disappointed by Ukraine's loss that night). Matt ended up telling them to meet us at a very very rough pub in Mile End for the England game Saturday. He swears he was trying to tell them to keep away. I'm pretty sure that's the exact opposite of what they understood. (Even the bystander opposite us interjected his agreement with that statement.) I'm rifling through the papers now to find any reports of nice gentle Ukrainians slaughtered with beer bottles in East London.
Not to mention, the highlight of the night: 5 minutes after the departure of the Ukrainians, this happened.
Very very drunk young big guy in suit, sleeping on the shoulder of whoever took the seat beside him. His rather slender mate couldn't and didn't dare wake him up. He plugged his nose and pushed the big guy over twice, to no effect. (We were all sitting there oohing and keeping score.) Finally his mate gingerly pokes him into semi-consciousness near the right stop (ours). Getting the drunk one off the train is like trying to drive a bear. He staggers out to the platform and sets off for the wrong end of the platform; finally sat down on a bench where he probably stayed til dawn.

London calling

2006-06-30T08:08:00.000-04:00

So it's been a while and a month since i've posted. June has been a roller-coaster of a month. My life has never been like this. More about that later, perhaps.

Anyway, surprise... I'm in London. Decided on very short notice last week to come visit my friend Matt before he flies away. I arrived Tuesday morning, and have been dedicatedly meandering through London, and fighting jetlag on alternate days.

Case in point: yesterday I went running in Hyde Park (you could practically see the Regency dandies on horseback), saw Judi Dench in a fantastic play, took a boat along the Thames and wandered for hours on a pubcrawl with Matt & friends. As a consequence, I just woke up (1pm). Time to do some shopping, I think. Hurrah July sales!

I've been here before; and I still think i'm church&museum'ed out (ever since Italy); so I'm bizarrely uninterested in the normal sites. I have however had some typical near-experiences: almost got smoked in Trafalgar Sq, when I looked the wrong way. almost got crushed by a bus. almost witnessed a fight on a tube train when the conductor changed the route and the passengers almost assaulted him; saw some kids get 'pacified' by the police in Trafalgar Sq because they were drinking liquor in public. I can't wait to see what happens after England loses this Saturday!

Oh! and I almost saw the return of the Pet Shop Boys! (I showed up around the Tower twice: wrong night, then right night wrong time).

If anyone wants postcards or knicknacks or whatnot*, drop me a line (*Royals excepted).

and, exhale...

2006-05-23T22:34:00.000-04:00

It's been overcast and rainy like biblical times for the last 2 weeks in Montreal. Last weekend I skipped away to Toronto for a long mother's day break. This weekend - in lieu of a washed out river-running trip, much to my dismay - I went on several hard-core escapades with my dear friend Janius. We:
* got massages at a spa up north,
* stayed at the perfect country hostel,
* cooked & laughed lots,
* [Sunday] ran 13k in the rain like maniacs
* took a long sauna,
* taught janius how to drive standard, and
* [Monday] did super-intense yoga and
* climbing indoors
AND I cleaned my apartment (mostly). A super-productive long weekend.
My body feels like it's been through boot camp, and I love the feeling.

So this evening provided a welcome antidote. I ended up hanging out with my neighbour Terrence, who taught me in the course of a few hours:
* how to replace my front door lock
* how to play the drums
* how to roll a joint
And then he told me the secret that all women should know about men, how to pick guys up, and the key to happy co-existence between the sexes. I'm serious.

mayday post

2006-05-01T14:09:00.000-04:00

Today is the first of May. It is a most beautiful day. I feel splendid. A few reasons why:
* the weather is beautiful. jaw dropping.
* I have done my taxes like an adult for the first time in history. well, almost like an adult.
* I had a great weekend. friends, food, climbing, sun, steak, cheetos.
* I got 26 hours of sleep in 2 days (2 nights). Shocking, eh? I'm not fully rested, but I'm getting there. I've been so damn tired for a while)
and...
* I have a new guy. yay! It's complicated, on the DL, and it's been going on for a while, and it's good, very very good.
* I realized a little while ago that I have been in consistently good shape for over a year now. hurrah. I'm loving it.

What I've been doing:
* relationship stuff, work stuff
* concerts! lots of concerts:
** Wolf Parade (SUCH a good show)
** Toots and the Maytals (reggae!)
** Varttina (Finnish folk rock, SO cool!!)
** Stereolab (back in March)
* dinners! lots of yummy expensive dinners
* barbecues! yay barbecues, which feel like extreme sports in april
* hiking in the White Mtns in New Hampshire over Easter. very fun, but reminded me of why i have a slow simmering hate for hiking. 4500 ft ascent over 5 miles, phew.
* canoeing in the Adirondacks (NY) last Sunday. We did some flatwater canoeing, and then played around in some rapids and... dumped. Very fun, very cold. Some locals got a thrill watching 3 20-something girls do a complete quickchange of clothing, a little early in the season.

What I'm reading:
* Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl, if you can believe it (it's a loan from a friend, i swear)

What I'm listening to:
* Mobile
* Chicane
* O Brother, where are thou soundtrack
* Mickey 3d

Where I'm planning to travel to next:
* rapids near montreal (more paddling!)
* maybe Europe? some of it?

It's funny how integrating someone else into your life brings into higher relief just what it is you find essential in your life, and what you were subconsciously working on (that you now need to make more of a conscious effort to take the time to work on).

workplace innuendo

2006-04-07T09:19:00.000-04:00

So i have a new coworker who has mentioned to me/various women in the office:
- it's great that i'm good with unix, for a girl
- he's not as good as the last person who had his job, and he's not as hot, but he's more available

Sigh. Mild sexual harassment. He seems reluctant to notice that the other boys play just fine with the girls, we even like them.
My theory is that he's the baby at the office. You know how the theory goes: one day a couple stops having anything to say to each other, so they have a kid. And then they talk about the kid.
Well, not like the conversation was drying up around here, but - now we have plenty to talk about, that's for sure.

And my friend's medical professor said in a lecture :

As young men, we bless the god that makes women without adductor muscles

...cause adductors are the muscles that keep your thighs together (ad, not ab!)

a story to tell

2006-04-07T08:53:00.000-04:00

Thanks Erin, for the kick in the pants...

This is a [long, messy] post I've been meaning to write for a while. I swear to god all of this is true:

Last fall, I went on a few dates with a musician/philosopher friend of a friend; let's call him Craig. The chemistry was good, it seemed to me we were equally neurotic people, so far so good. But he always seemed a tad unavailable when we were out -- I knew he really liked me, but he didn't seem interested in me (in dating me).
And no, it turns out he wasn't gay.

He said he had long complicated ex-girlfriend issues, so after a bunch of mixed signals I lost interest in this troubled soul, and New Year's Eve I hooked up with another guy, who seemed totally great. Not to mention completely built. Let's call him Chad. Chad and I played phone tag for a while, then finally got together in late January. We'd already seen each other naked, and it seemed like the official first date would be a mere formality, it seemed like a sure thing.
So I go over to his house, and things are bizarrely immediately off. We end up going out to rent the 40-year-old Virgin, which is hilarious but not the best seduction movie. And he keeps his distance the whole night. Total washout. But hey, he made me wear dollarstore flipflops in his apartment (asian style i guess, but it came off as white trash), so I'm pretty sure I'm better off without.

Anyway, as we were going out to rent the movie at the start of the evening, we're crossing St-Laurent at Pine and who is standing directly on the corner in front of me but Craig, the guy from the fall. There was no way to avoid him. Totally uncanny. We said "hi" followed by "how are you" followed by "see you around, bye". I knew what he was doing in that hood, he was obviously making a beeline for Elsie's, but still, the timing was something.

So a few hours later, the whole slowly embarassing evening is over with and I'm standing on the sidewalk just before midnight. Am I going to skulk home? Hell no, I deserve a drink and I know where I can get some flattering male attention at the saem time. So I went to Elsie's, and caught Craig (with his friends) just as he was putting on his jacket to leave. I charm him into sitting back down with me while I have a vodka, I tell him the story of the evening, he tells me that the other guy is crazy not to have declared his love for me on the spot. And yes, Craig still thinks I'm completely fabulous.

Then he says he has news to tell me, and I say jokingly: "you're engaged!". And yes, he was.
He had spontaneously proposed to his girlfriend over New Years. Now we all know that "spontaneously" here means "drunkenly", and his "girlfriend" is his ex who he "worked things out" with over Christmas. I suspect the reconciliation involved swallowing a few truths, a shot or two of pride, and a liberal dash of unrealistic optimism mixed with insecurity about aging and the future. (sorry that's a shitty recipe, i'm a lousy bartender.) And la, my amateur therapy practice got a new client.

So lo and behold, in one night:
- a sure thing turned into a disaster, but only a mildly humiliating one
- and the only other person I've dated in the last 4 months turns out to be engaged

All this happened in late January, sorry for not posting til now. I'm still kind of scared my mom will find this... (she's a librarian, she can find anything)

from the blog: go fug yourself

2006-03-20T13:59:00.000-05:00

This was worth snipping:

...and then we cut to three years in the future when J.Lo is flying really large planes and all her crew are wearing formal shorts with boots and ponchos.

I do have stuff to write, but:
* my laptop was just stolen; thank god it wasn't actually mine
* my "readership" is so varied, and I hate to censor
* work has been crazy busy and actually productive
but i will be back. =)

kartoon kerfuffle

2006-02-03T14:36:00.000-05:00

I have a lot of posting to catch up on! So much to say... and this is my 101st post.

About this suddenly exploding Danish cartoon of Mohammed crisis:
Wikipedia has a great page on the subject (including a timeline). A small but appreciable irony lies buried therein. Apparently, this past Tuesday (Jan.31) :

Bahrain's parliament demands an apology from Denmark's head of state, Queen Margrethe II, as well as from the government. If the demands are not met, they will urge an official boycott of Danish goods and the cutting off of oil exports of 159,000 barrels per day, in association with other GCC members. Ironically Denmark is a net exporter of oil, so increased oil prices would result in a increased revenue for the Danish government.

...and the pendulum swings

2006-01-15T23:41:00.000-05:00

I go to bed tonight feeling much better than after my last post.
I pulled off a surprise birthday party for Janius today that was every bit a success. Making other people happy makes me so happy. 6 others ended up coming! The stress was all for nought.
The guy called. It's all good, until my stomach starts eating my innards again. Argh, external validation, why are you so fickle?
Rob gets added to my list of awesome emails from afar.
I'm going to learn how to ice climb!
I napped. i love naps. Even when you get woken by 5 phonecalls in an hour and a half. I can be a dedicated napper.
I'm at the 9.5 pound mark in my 10-lb book about Enron. Scary that i'm reading it but as in happens quite interesting. There are some great lines too, like when the CEO calls someone "asshole" in a press conference. The whole company is now unraveling before my eyes quite deliciously.
Martha Wainwright is still totally cool.

argh

2006-01-15T02:10:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'm blogging out my bile of confusion. Here's what's up.
I spent a saturday night at work. (I'm still not sure that i got enough done for monday, although i definitely feel better. I swear this has to be the last weekend I work in 2006.)
I ruined an awesome christmas gift: gloves that i got ink on.
I'm tired, still a little sick, and I woke up feeling a bit blah today.
New Year's guy is going nowhere fast. So of course my mind is in full-throttle hindsight and self-recrimination gear.
I'm stressed out about some plans I'm making.
And almost as an aside, but of course, most fundamentally: I got an email today that a guy I went on a canoe trip on in September, not even 4 months ago, is dead. He had terrible stomach aches for months, and it turns out it was pancreatic cancer (new and fast-acting). He was like 32, and a great guy. I spent 2 hours loading his canoe on my car, not even 1/3 of a year ago with him.

Now to count my blessings today. deep breath.
- Matt (my friend, not my boss) called from London this morning. fabulous to talk with him. even more fabulous to civilly chat with him about things we feel violently oppositely about.
- last night's dinner for Janius' birthday was very fun. 8 people out in Ville-St-Laurent for sushi
- the last moments of last night involved laughing so hard I could barely breath about "lack of ram", with mira and janius
- i'm getting emails all over the place from awesome people (like erin & kaisa!)
- yesterday it was sunny and above freezing. I walked into work, it was amazing.
- also yesterday: a donut named Joe showed up at work. swear to god. It was a sign.
- i went for a brief run this afternoon in the balmy air and god, it made me happy.

required viewing

2006-01-12T22:43:00.000-05:00

"We're about to taken to a dreamworld of magic!"
If you haven't seen this yet (erin!), go to google, type "Lazy Sunday", then hit "I'm feeling lucky". This video rocks.

thursday update

2006-01-12T22:31:00.000-05:00

"you say that my time here has been some sort of a joke... some sort of incubating period for when i really come around"

I stayed home sick today. My intestines are not having fun, but I'm alright. I went to the Martha Wainwright concert last night, which totally rocked. I rocked out, gently, and totally wanted to be her. Crazy-ass cool woman, who can sing the blues or les chansons or rock'n'roll. (And she's 29. this is getting scary.)

I just turned down a thinly-disguised booty call. Seriously, don't guys know?! An invitation to come over and watch a movie is not that mysterious. And just presently i was feeling like a dork. So the very consoling track I'm playing is Martha's "Bloody Mother F***ing A**hole" song. Yep, that's what it's called.

Monday, I went to the gym and re-arranged my furniture. On Tuesday, I sent off my guilty plea for my speeding ticket, and found some awesome lingerie. I feel so productive. Tomorrow I'm going to buy an iPod (for someone else) and go to a birthday sushi dinner.

Damn, the American version of The Office is really funny.

war on diabetes

2006-01-10T11:22:00.000-05:00

The New York Times is running a series of articles on Diabetes in New York. Yesterday's article opens:

Begin on the sixth floor, third room from the end, swathed in fluorescence: a 60-year-old woman was having two toes sawed off.

They should totally put that advisory on Twinkie packaging.

Today's article begins:

Santos Alicea tottered haltingly over to the art shop in East Harlem, his legs screaming.

It looks like the Times is taking media activism to a new, un-subtle level.

miscellanea

2006-01-10T10:06:00.000-05:00

I am stretched and supple in all kinds of directions after a kick-ass weekend. xc skiing, climbing, snowboarding and yoga. How often do I catch some Bollywood and some Hong Kong mafia action in the same weekend.
A 9-person sit-down potluck of Indian food capped if off most sweetly on Sunday night at Mike's. I love sit-down dinners and communal cooking. I left a few hours later after watching the opening numbers of Aishwarya Rai's latest dvd.
And I've started going back to the gym (yay). I've run into my neighbour Ali twice while there, which I'm thankful for, since ab exercises are so much more tolerable if you can giggle through them.

it's raining, i think

2006-01-06T17:50:00.000-05:00

2006 is giving me a lot of love right now.

The guy from New Year's actually called. Hmm, interesting. and stomach-churning.

I ran into a guy I went on a few dates with in the fall at the gym (ha!), and we went for a pint. Very fun, at last. =) He still likes me, but I think he knows he missed his chance.

And then... I was in the Bay today... looking my schleppiest with my Dr. Seuss sweater, hiking boots and uncombed hair, and I get picked up by these 2 cute French guys. (As in frOncais, you just know they will laugh like "on-hon-hon-hon".) I figured why not, so we exchanged numbers. I guess that's the killer secret of the discount lingerie department: it's small enough that there are men around, who will notice you're shopping for lingerie. There's a tip for 2006, gals.

I guess it's the glow. The glow gets 'em every time. Let's see if glow begets more glow.

the killers, again

2006-01-05T11:27:00.000-05:00

Okay, i'm pretty much sick of their Hot Fuss album, but dammit, they're so sweet. In keeping with the usual post-Christmas syndromes: it makes my teeth hurt and I feel guilty.

Erin makes a good point about their reproductive capabilities/availabilities. My coworker told me last week that the lead singer (who by the law of band dynamics and sexual selection must be the hottest) is newly married and a Mormon. That's two, probably three strikes against him.
So in a way my theory was proved right. Sorry Erin, but hey, if you're like me, Mormons are pretty high on my list of things that are easy to not pine for. Or stop fantasizing about.

...which reminds me of the encounter I had in a Berlin hostel with two Americans (we were equal strangers) a few years ago. The "where are you from" conversation led to a furtive exchange of coded signals. One Coloradan asked the other "Are you LDS?" The other literally cast his eyes downwards and mumbled "yeah" and quickly changed the subject. I exchanged glances with the Canadian friend I was travelling with, and we backed off, presuming it was an STD. But no, LDS means Mormon.

So, my mildly dyslexic friends, take care -- make sure you know next time whether you're being offered acid or salvation.

New Year's, not New York

2006-01-01T11:42:00.000-05:00

So after a big kerfuffle of stress, I didn't end up in New York for New Year's.

So I ended up going to the party I say I'm "always" at for New Years, namely wherever Sam Sewall is at, at this loft above Le Swimming. Last year it was a surprisingly good time, since it turned out that all the people I knew in the city were also at that party. Same thing this year. Much fun, especially with April and Emily. I hooked up with this hot doctor (I know i normally say they're hot, but this one was. Ask Apes.), and ended up leaving the party just before 4. Fighting up St-Laurent at that hour, it felt so good, almost smug, to have been at a private party and not just looking for fun among the clubs.

I walked home this morning the long way, with a big smile on my face. I love being out and about when the year is so fresh, so soft, doughy and tender. It's snowing big fat flakes, of the softest kind. What a beautiful start.

New concept for the night, maybe for the year: Baraka.
Hell yeah, 2006 is going to be good. (I know I said that about 2005, and it was.)

the killers

2005-12-28T10:53:00.000-05:00

So I've decided that the Killers' album is Girl Rock. The kind of major-chord angsting that a guy would write to catch the eye of a girl, but the kind of girl his sister would get along with.
Basically rock that could guarantee future generations of the family.

xmas recap

2005-12-27T21:53:00.000-05:00

- turkey dishes consumed: traditional dinner, plus turkey in caesar salad.
- turkeys named: Ted. ("teddy", so that my sister could announce: "Teddy is Ready!"
- number of pounds gained in the last 2.5 days: 2.4 (nice! i'm still batting under 100)
- number of pre-emptive runs taken to counteract (no, that's as in jogging, people): 2
- rating on happiness-to-despair pounds-to-jogging scale: oh fcuk it, it's christmas.
- number of hours my flight is delayed while i write this: 1.5
- formula of fruitfulness of using WestJet voucher/boobytrap coupon that brought me here: i'll do the math later; let's just say right now it's asymptotic.
- percent probability that I won't return to find janius' car (which i'm babysitting) has turned into an incinerated heap of ashes: um, 90?
- awesome gifts gotten: lots!!
- awesome gifts given: so many, i could totally dominate "The Apprentice: Santa Clause"
- super-fabulous thriftiness in evidence: bought jeans at H&M today, after-tax total: $17.20! yes they have 2 legs and all...
- what i'm listening to right now: the killers! they're rocking but in major chords! yay!
- days til new year's in new york! : 3 (maybe 4)
- hours til i return to work: 11. =( well, okay, 12.
- decibel level of the construction surrounding me right now: um, my water bottle's trembling
- minutes til i miss my (already delayed) flight: um, 10.
later!

meet your destiny

2005-12-27T21:52:00.000-05:00

okay, doesn't anyone cool (and preferably unattached) want to come to freakin' New YORK with me for New Year's?!
just say yes, dammit!

The Office: Christmas Party special

2005-12-18T08:29:00.000-05:00

So Friday night was the office Christmas party. It was wicked fun. Only one person got stupendously drunk (it doesn't matter how he said it, it was still a compliment), and only one person started acting up. The latter (not the former) being me.
I was a tad overexuberant on the dancefloor, but only in the context of my engineering co-bots. Nothing I wouldn't have done if I hadn't been in the presence of a few of my favourite people. My boss now thinks I'm stranger than ever, but that was inevitable. Of course I was also more dressed up than most people, so I hope I'm not coming across as the office attention-seeker. But can I just say, I looked fabulous. In a slightly conservative way.
No, I was not wearing braces.
More pictures posted here on Flickr. [Somebody tell me if this is visible please]
I've noticed something after the last few weeks: my fabulous genes know how to party. And my body knows when it's had enough alcohol & it's time to switch to hydration mode. Too bad that's not a marketable talent. Maybe in my next career as a life coach...

New York

2005-12-16T10:49:00.000-05:00

I went to New York this weekend. Saw some Russian Art at the Guggenheim, hung out a bit with my cousin, and inadvertently drunk my friend who was hosting me under the table.
Got some knock-offs in the back rooms of Canal Street, and caught a Neo-Blue Grass show at the Bowery. AND I found parking in the East Village. That's right, I'm where it's at.
The drive was spectacular too. Heading back on Sunday night, the pinkened sky was shimmering around Manhattan as I exited, stage right, across the George Washington Bridge. Except for the speeding ticket, I would have made it home in 6 hours, which is just sick. I am never going to drive that fast again, mom.
So yeah, I had a wholly unexpected, comma, great time. Did I mention that the random sprinkling of cupcake bakeries in New York City is a very great thing?

snow white, snow bright

2005-12-16T10:48:00.000-05:00

The city is quiet in every corner.
Montreal just got dumped on like the sky couldn't try any harder.
I saw a guy skiing up my street. no kidding. Tomorrow, I'll take my snowshoes. No wait, it's saturday tomorrow.

And I'm going snowboarding on Sunday. Yippee!!!

Nerdy linguists of teh world, unite!

2005-12-07T09:53:00.000-05:00

You scored as Low back vowel. You go "aahhh" and express yourself on occasion.

Low back vowel

100%

Nasal

100%

Fricative

92%

Implosive

92%

Bilabial

83%

Alveolar

83%

High Front Vowel

83%

Ejective

67%

Click

67%

Rhotic

42%

What's your Underlying Representation?
created with QuizFarm.com

back to life...

2005-11-25T13:58:00.000-05:00

So I've been not posting for a while. Did I get fed up with the narcissistic exercise? no. Did I lose touch with people I thought would be reading this? perhaps. I've been super-productive in some ways these past 2 months, and counter-productive in others. I think I got lost back in Switzerland, I can't seem to remember the sunshine. My wit is back, but my sparkle, not so much. I feel like I lost myself a little.

And I'm home sick from work today (as I was yesterday). It's not so bad, just a serious cold; but I get to write this post on my laptop, stretched out on my sun-dusted futon chaise-longue, listening to Janis Joplin on a mid-Friday afternoon. I'm alternating between working and polishing off the Goblet of Fire, again. (Someday I will post what i really think of J.K.Rowling)

First off, some entertainment:
a blog by a guy who is trying to plot getting himself laid with as much zeal as he ever put into EverQuest.

And as if you need diversions: The Uncyclopedia
It is a sad truth that there is too little useless information in the world today.
--Oscar Wilde

Next, some news:

I had my fam'bly up to Montreal for Thanksgiving. It was fun. My mom loved it, which I loved. George was the turkey we ate. good times.

I'm 2/3 of the way into a month straight of hot yoga. So far I'm averaging one in every 2 days. It's great for my neck, my body, my sleep, my abs and back. Not so great for my skin or my social life.

I went to Niagara Falls in late October for a half-marathon road trip. My most awesome friend Janius was running, not me. (I ran the last third and picked up all the booty though.) We stayed at the Bates motel and I was reminded of two truths. One: there are a lot of obese Americans. Two: as Oscar Wilde said, Niagara Falls is the first disappointment of the American bride

I finished a project at work which I can really be proud of. And I took a day off to go run through the sun-dappled ravines of Toronto with my sister, hang out with my mom, and see friends.

Janius rocked her medical board exams. Champiness is not to be underestimated!

I scored 3rd among women in an orienteering meet on Mt-Royal. hurrah me.

I've started playing hockey again, and it's so utterly satisfying. I scored 4 goals in one game, though only 1 of those was really an achievement. My team is so together, individually skilled, and understaffed.

My sister got unbelievable scores on her GMAT. Yay Sarah!

Soon I will go down to New York to see the Russia (sorry, "Russia!") exhibit at the Guggenheim

Japan. My sister wants me to go with her in April. This trip is going to cost minimum $2500. That's more than the laptop I need

Erin always makes my day with her posts

Meanwhile, I have to figure out something to do next year

It's like drinking a My Little Pony

2005-10-25T23:01:00.000-04:00

Best line of the month in TVland, from Gilmore Girls.

Runners-Up, from Grey's Anatomy:

Sandra Oh: "No, a fat one."

Sandra Oh: "Ooh, I"m so scared."

George and Izzy:
"Way to go, George!"
"I've got my finger in a heart."
"Very cool."

canoe trip

2005-09-25T23:05:00.000-04:00

I just got back (10 minutes ago) from a canoe trip.
Two days and one night of total luxury. We camped on a deserted beach, in an empire of our own, and burned magical tree carcasses. It was the best bonfire I've ever seen, against an amazing sunset.
This morning when I stepped from my tent, "wow" escaped from my lips. The sun was out, and the beach, the lake, and the hills turning slowly to red with cold, were so beautiful.

There were six of us, and every one packed a dessert course. I don't think I've ever eaten so much on a trip, and I've definitely never drank and smoked so much on a trip. Yesterday was sunny and warm, today was misty, windy and cool, but for a September canoe trip that was really great.

I had an odd moment this morning standing on the beach. A little happy, wearing tights and a lifejacket (among other things), about to paddle off into the misty headwind, with a rice krispie square in one hand and a bottle of scotch in the other, for keeping warm of course.

After the 3-hour drive back, I'm a lot less water-logged. Time to go shake sand out of everywhere, shower, take some Vitamin I, and slump into bed.

blather

2005-09-22T02:39:00.000-04:00

yay, i heard Felicity Huffman won an Emmy. She totally rocks and totally deserves it.
Besides, she's married to William H. Macy. How awesome would it be to be one of their kids?

to anyone who's reading this...

2005-09-21T23:22:00.000-04:00

be you in korea, switzerland, north york, spain, los angeles, vancouver or ireland

I'm going to bed smiling tonight...

awakenings

2005-09-12T20:35:00.000-04:00

i slept 9.5 hours last night. sweet surrender.
I've had a near perfect return from my trip. today was pretty gratifying.

Last night my most amazing friend Janius picked me up from the airport and we had Guyanese roti in Mile End. I almost fell asleep over the hot sauce as she recounted what may turn out to be a most profound turn of events.

I come home now, having had a pint with my coworker, and understand that I am surrounded by truly amazing people. Who conribute the most extraordinary perspectives to my life. I could not get better extensions to my being from any custom-fitted artificial limb.

24 hours and counting after touchdown, and I have yet to feel trip hangover. Let's hope the equanimity lasts.

maple leaf lounge

2005-09-10T16:15:00.000-04:00

i'm in toronto, awaiting my connection to montreal. My sister scored me a sweet pass to Air Canada's first class lounge here at Pearson. I knocked back - i mean sipped - a Grand Marnier before I realized they didn't allow liquor near the computers. gives safe computing a whole new meaning. so here I am, blogging jet-lagged and tipsy, with swiss water still in my hair.

On my transatlantic flight from Zurich this morning, I had a window seat with no one beside me. sweetness indeed, I lay right down and slept. Apparently we flew right over Paris and London but it was completely overcast. oh well.
The flight was full of blond half-Swiss children. Adorable and well-behaved, of course. Someday these spawn will unite and... make everyone come to consensus on global issues. These sleeper cells of Helvetic half-breeds may be the US's only hope at this point.

I had 2 days in Zurich, Thursday and Friday. I basically ran around on bike and refreshed my favourite memories in my favourite spots. It's so the same as when i left it 4 years ago. The interesting is that you forget the detail. you remember the simple dimensions of objects and your memory jettisons the fill-in.

Yesterday Matt & Helen took me walking in the mountains around Lucerne. Really nice. We ended up having dinner on the river in Lucerne, which was so great due to the starlight quality of the lights reflecting in the river. Plus the mountains loom dramatically over Lucerne, so it's a stunning setting to start with.

- swims: 5. (kilchberg, limmat, limmat, zurisee, Vierwaldstaettersee)
- modes of transportation: (plane), bicycle, citybike, sbahn, train, tram, citybus, postbus, boat, funicular, and freakin' scary alpine elevator (straight up in midair)
- cows spotted: lots.
- weddings passed by in adorable hill chapels overlooking stunning lake & mountain vistas: 1
- amount of chocolate I'm packing: not telling

morning on the ZueriSee

2005-09-08T08:38:00.000-04:00

My hair is slowly drying in the sun. I just went for a morning dive into the ZueriSee (Lake of Zurich) with Matt. It was the most beautiful moment this whole week, which has been full of them.

The sun rose this morning directly opposite us in Kilchberg. The sky is blue, so blue. The mountains rise in tiers of hazy shadows at at the south end of the lake. To the north, Zurich sits still like a jewel. Everything here is green and blue, and blue and green.

In the guest bedroom where I'm sleeping, I woke up this morning to see that there is a vineyard just there, just across the train tracks, below, the yellow and white and blue houses that look over the lake.

I arrived last night, on a Swiss flight. As soon as I landed, I felt at home, at peace. It's been 4 years since I spent 3 months here at a summer job, the best 3 months of my life. It'll probably be hard to leave. Matt met me at the airport, the darling. We had a few minutes at Zurich HB, so this is what happened: fototeddy.

first i bathe, then nap, then the Lindt chocolate factory, then i bike to zuerich. and swim again in time for lunch. yippee!

prague prague prague

2005-09-07T17:57:00.000-04:00

3 days of girl talk is a luxury.

On Tuesday, late afternoon, Yvonne & I were having cappuccinos at a cafe on the river's edge, looking at the most gorgeous East bank and water, lit up by the sun. Total contentment.

An hour earlier I went into a baroque church and almost got suffocated by the statuary. Every one of those saints and near-naked biblical characters seems to be clamouring for your attention. There were literally 3 on each pillar, twice life-sized, reaching down to snare you with their meaty marble fingers. Frightening.

Seriously, you walk in and you want to jump back. These cathedrals
are like jungles, with vines hanging from the canopy ready to snatch
you up.

We were going to go to the opera (the Opera!) at the gorgeous State Opera house. Madama Butterfly. But we decided just to enjoy the evening instead.
The Mucha museum was inspiring but disappointing in terms of quantity of materials.
The Jewish quarter was wonderful, and so quiet. Again, we sat out at a cafe and ate Czech food - I had sour potato gnocchi with bits of ham.

I've definitely got Stendhal syndrome from all the architectural splendour. St.Petersburg had the big pieces, Prague has the sheer density and variety.

We finished the visit yesterday at Bila Hora, the site of the 1620 battle that crushed Czech independence and cultural identity for 300 years. They've kept it free from the encroaching suburbs, a small hillock in a farmer's field on the crest of a hill. The site was mournful and powerful: a simple rough stone pyramid within about 8 trees. The Star castle stood on the next field over. You could almost hear the men hacking each other to death. It was a beautiful, chilling moment, with the golden sun lighting the Sepetember fields. You could feel how important this site, this moment was, to the Czech psyche.

blue skies over Prague

2005-09-05T23:05:00.000-04:00

The weather has been unbeatable. Blue skies, warm sun, 28 but not hot. I'm so glad I'm taking this trip now, while it's still summer.
Prague is gorgeous. Like all those romantic German cities thrown together into one bustling, time-testifying working metropolis.
Cobblestones absolutely everywhere. Layers and layers of architecture: romanesque, gothic, renaissance, baroque. I have never seen so much Renaissance architecture outside of Italy.
I'm here visiting my friend Yvonne, a Czech-Canadian friend of mine from McGill. It is so good to see her, one of those people I have such a natural connection with. Today we walked everywhere, and sat at a cafe in the old town hall square for dinner al fresco.
Afterwards we went up to the rooftops to get a look at Prague in the golden evening light. Looking down into the square, Yvonne pointed out how 15 years ago, when she was first there, the only thing you saw was people queueing to buy bananas. Now it is absolutely thronged with tourists, worse than the crowds I've seen in Florence and Venice. Much worse. It's pretty much intolerable. And can you imagine the change for the Czechs?
Prague is now littered with restaurants, where before it was virtually void of them -- you could not go out to eat under Communist times.

On another note, there's some sort of commercial British connection going on in Prague. Of course EasyJet flies here so Prague is second only to Riga for the dubious honour of hosting the sex-touring Stag parties of raucously drunk Britons. But dammit, there's a Tesco's! and Debenham's AND Marks & Spencers. What is going on? Did British capital alone rebuild the tourist industry in Prague?

Most moving sight of the day: Alfonse Mucha, one of my favourite artists, contributed a stained glass window to St.Vitus' cathedral, the massive gothic centrepiece of the Prague Castle (and palace). This cathedral is what gothic is all about: sunlight from the upper windows bathing the entire nave in daylight. A miracle in action.
Anyway, the window. A Crayola box of Art Nouveau: vivid purples and greens and crimsons and golden yellows, depicting a dozen scenes. Every single scene a moving, character filled moment of drama where age and agony and religion are etched on the faces of the players. A colourful fantasy of deep moving humanity. Unbelievable.

deutschland 2.0

2005-09-04T15:59:00.000-04:00

back in frankfurt. we flew over zurich to get here. so excited to go back to CH that im glad it´s last -- ill only leave it if i have to. heck, maybe i wont leave it.
prague in... 1.5 hrs. gotta go catch my flight.
never mind, pushed back another 15 mins.
anyway, i got frisked by security here an hour ago. like a massage only too short and vertical. Better than in the US though, because she wasnt wearing gloves. that always makes me feel doubly dirty: dirty to them and dirty from every earlier person the woman has frisked with those gloves. you´re only supposed to use a condom once, dammit.
no idea what to expect in prague. i love being linguistically bewildered. i can already figure out castle, church, cemetary etc and the genetive from looking at a map. road morphology yippee. damn excl mrk doesnt work.

provence

2005-09-04T15:56:00.000-04:00

had an unbelievably picturesque 24 hrs in provence with sarah. shelives in the country which mwans not in a major city but close enogh to hear the neighbour´s kids giggle.
went swimming in the sea, had a picnic, had breakfast in the harbour of Cassis, saw a provencale parade {parade= and wine festival. and boat around les calanques

deutshcland

2005-09-04T15:55:00.000-04:00

german kids whine really cute.
german airport internet keyboards suck.

blue skies over London

2005-09-04T15:52:00.000-04:00

i got to london on an earlier direct flight, ambushed my sister @ heathrow & scared the bejesus out of her, and we had breakfast. yum. yay.
heathrow was an ordeal. beauiful gorgeous sunny day in London thogh. what happened?
möre later.

stand down

2005-09-02T03:55:00.000-04:00

I'm not going to Vancouver. Not going to law school, this year anyway.
Tonight I leave for Marseille, then Prague, then Zurich.

Have you ever spent time with somebody as a form of gluttony? Where every moment makes you feel alive, makes you happy and sparkly, but you are aware that in the end it will be bad for you, that the time you are spending is your own to lose, and in the end it will break your heart.

it sucks to be addicted to people you can never keep in your life.

Vancouver calling

2005-08-30T20:22:00.000-04:00

I just got a call from UBC law school. They're digging through the slush pile of wait-listers, and my name came up. I've got a spot. School starts next Tuesday. I give my answer tomorrow.

That means, in the next 6 days, I would drop everything. And move to Vancouver.
Well, more like pack it up, stash it, and fly with a couple of bags of stuff to Vancouver.

Apparently it's totally okay with my boss if I go. He won't stand in the way of "my career". It's nice to feel valued.

So many reasons to go. So many reasons not to stay.

But I can't really go. Money, for one thing. I would have to pay $4500 next Wednesday. Starting school with no home, no computer, no money. Starting school. Starting LAW school. I had decided I didn't even want to go. Now this.

That it's taking me by surprise is a bad sign. I could have easily predicted that the bargain-basement-admissions last week of August would have produced such an offer. Never considered it, never prepared for it. It wasn't on my mind. It wasn't in my heart.

Why do I even feel tempted? Is it like going to Morocco just because you can? Is this a frivolous means to fulfill a desire to... have a track in life?

It's so funny. Last night I did a bridge run with Janius. A beautiful free-falling run where we cross the Jacques-Cartier Bridge to the islands in the middle of the St.Lawrence, and then go back across the bridge. It's not that hardcore -- it's not even 6k. But there's always a sense of purging and re-birth I feel on that route (especially when it involves running through big public fountains).

So last night I was standing on Ile-Ste-Helene, looking back at the city, watching the brilliant sunset reflected off the girders of the bridge, like slick shiny bronze. It was beautiful, it was magnificent. I felt so small. It felt like a moment. Was it a sign? I know it's time to move on from Montreal, and here is my clarion call. Do I heed it?

Go read this now

2005-08-30T14:06:00.000-04:00

This is so consistently funny, it's beyond. Read it. now.

http://www.overheardinnewyork.com

I'm putting the link in my right-hand column.

Travel notes

2005-08-30T10:29:00.000-04:00

On Earth
Northernmost point I've been to: Oulu, Finland, 2004 (65.01'N, 28.28'E)
Southernmost point: Antigua, Guatemala, 2002 (14.56'N, 97.73'W)
Westernmost point: Eureka, California, 1989 (40.80'N, 124.16'W)
Easternmost point: St.Petersburg, Russia, 2004 (59.55'N, 30.25'E)

In Canada
Northernmost: Edmonton, Alberta, 1989 (53.34'N, 113.28'W)
Easternmost: St. John's, Newfoundland, 2005 (47.34'N, 52.41'W)
Southernmost: Windsor, Ontario, 1989 (42.23'N, 83.05'W)
Westernmost: Nanaimo, B.C. 2005 (49.11'N, 123.58'W)

Hmm, seems like I'm in the middle of another record-setting year.

Most remote place I've been: Omoa, Honduras, 2002 (15.47'N, 88.03'W)
Most remote place I've lived: Caratunk, Maine, 2003 (45.23'N, 69.99'W) pop.83+me

Where i live now: Montreal, Quebec (45.30'N, 73.35'W)

Where I will be in the next week:
Marseilles, France (43.18'N, 5.22'E)
Prague, Czech Republic (50.05'N, 14.25'E)
Zurich, Switzerland (47.22'N, 8.32'E)

pearl warren

2005-08-25T14:33:00.000-04:00

Did I mention that my office is in the fur district? Every so often you get close encounters of the furred kind. okay, that was awful. sorry, i couldn't resist.

Today, coming back from lunch, the elevator stops at third and on steps a man carrying a rabbit colony worth of fur. It was all pink. Shockingly pink. I hope it was fake.

mysterious strangers from ze past

2005-08-22T21:49:00.000-04:00

So I got back last night from a very nice 3-day weekend at my parents' cottage. I ran, swam, played tennis, ate, did a lot of hammock duty -- did everything except sing songs around a campfire.

Yesterday afternoon in Toronto, before catching the train to Montreal, my friend James met me for an ice cream cone outside city hall. You know, the soft serve kind with chocolate dip. mmm. So we sat in the last warm rays of summer and caught up, which was great. James was one of my best friends in high school, and now he's one of my only friends from high school.

James now goes to UCLA, where he started a PoliSci doctorate last fall. You know who else goes to UCLA, for a doctorate in PoliSci? My ex-boyfriend, David. Well, ex-lover really, but who says those things? Our intermittent flings culminated in a backpacking trip across Central America, two weeks into which the relationship spectacularly imploded. Is it too Freudian to say that we travelled as brother and sister for the rest of the trip? He's a great guy, and he's French, but it just wasn't.

So James updated me on what David has been up to, not all that much, but it was actually more than I wanted to know. Which is funny. Because that's when you know you're really over someone - when you care but don't really care about what their current life is like.

Moreover, when James set off for UCLA, I told him about David and told him that under no circumstances could he mention the connection through me. I guess that was then, because yesterday, I realized I really don't care. I hope those two become friends and um, make academic brain children together.

And if they talk lots about me, so what because I feel pretty fucking fabulous these days. [Okay, I just went for a run so I'm on a high. but still...]

okay you lurkers, leave a comment. i'm sure everyone can relate to this.

i'm just looking for one divine hammer

2005-08-17T20:51:00.000-04:00

[ to the tune of the Breeders ]

shaking hands, jitters in my stomach, can't concentrate... is it the pms, the espresso, or the insanely cheap flights my friend Sarah found me? I just booked tickets for Heathrow-Marseille, Marseille-Prague for under $400. For a near-superpower gift, the ability to find cheap airline tickets ain't a bad one to have.

I fell into a black hole last week. The providential intervention of last weekend at Jeff's cottage brought me out of it. (Janius,Joel & Anya were in attendance.) I fell asleep on the dock, in my hammock, and in a canoe during an early morning paddle. And I relearned a simple truth: sailing Lasers is good for the soul. How can you argue with going sailing 3 times, and dumping 4 times?

Of course, hypothetically speaking, if your First Mate loses his swim trunks on the second dump, it's difficult not to laugh really really hard.

Today is a glorious day. Empanadas for dinner, and the bike shop guy charged me the bare minimum for my bike seat post (no tax!). Sure the seat got stolen last week, but that was bound to happen.

I'm going to my parents' cottage this weekend. Very much looking forward to it, and I'm grateful the edge has been taken off my cottage appetite by this past weekend at Jeff's.

...daddy's got a shotgun... he said he'd never need one...

Erin, if you're reading this from Korea, I miss you already!

the East Coast report

2005-08-06T21:00:00.000-04:00

Kermit de frog reporting from St. John's, Newfoundland...
Okay, shag that. [An expression I have heard several times out here]

This afternoon I was witness to an astonishing sight. 989 accordionists played "Mussels in the corner" [which i hope doesn't mean what it sounds like] here at the folk festival in St. John's. The accordion revolution has begun. Read here. And Listen here.

So my ambitions for this visit were: to go medium-core multi-day hiking along the East Coast trail. And to swim in the Atlantic. So far neither of those dreams has been satisfied.

But hey, I was pretty destroyed when i arrived here Weds, drifting in and out of dozy consciousness for a day or so. It's my traditional mid-August dormant virus which awakes to feast upon me once a year. In short I am a young lady who must repose herself.

We've been hanging around St. John's instead, going to see amazing live music by young and old at the Ship (a pub); doing short hikes to Signal Hill and on the opposite shore; watching the amusing spectacles that several invading armies of clowns are staging throughout the weekend. And figuring out where people were hanged. Eating the yummy food to be had, sacking the giftshops for puffin magnets and bathsalts.

And of course, slowly expunging that nagging voice in my brain that reminds me "Yeah -- but wasn't this the land that God gave to Cain?" Clearly Mr. McGuinness has a lot to answer for. Like Quebec, it's a beautiful (though starkly different) with a people and a culture that is self-aware and down to earth and sees no need for external self-promotion. Self-contained and contented, and proud.

It's so sad that over half of this province's native populations cannot reside here because the current economy cannot support them. The province's residents together collected 916 billion dollars in dole last year. I realize this paragraph is written in the passive voice of a liberal. I don't believe this is necessarily the correct way of stating the facts. But this point of view reflects a certain toll evident upon the population.

And oh yes. Puffins. How dorky are they?

the Left Coast report

2005-08-02T21:09:00.000-04:00

I've just flown into Vancouver from Seattle.

It's been a brilliant few days. Spent some good good times with all kinds of family, and seeing Luke again was really fun. I ate 4 pounds of fruit in 15 minutes. I've swum in the Pacific twice -- let's hope my courage holds when it comes to the Atlantic. =)

I went kayaking Sunday afternoon in False Creek around Vancouver... it was divine. I saw a sea otter, can you believe it? What the heck was it doing there? Kind of surreptitious, popping its head just above water. And of course, so cute. It's the sort of thing you can only see when you're really on the water, in a kayak. Then I beached my kayak and went swimming (it was hot for vancouver), and i couldn't stop giggling the whole time. =D I am so completely enjoying this vacation.

So far I've spent the right amount of time with the right people, it's all worked out so so well. I'm completely blessed.

My mom's side of the family is so cool, they're so laid back and funny and friendly & generous. Her cousins are the extended family I never had growing up. It's such a gift to discover you have an amazing extended family, full of great people, that you had it all along, and can always draw on it.

I spent 2 days biking & chillaxing around Seattle with my uncle vic. The weather has been unbeatable. We spent hours today just vegging in the grass watching cute daycamp kids run squealing in & out of a magnificent water ballet fountain. And I've got a hole in my hand because i fell off a bike, but that's another stupid story.

okay, so, remind me of all this when i get a trip hangover next week, okay?

rafting: the ultimate bond/mbing experience

2005-07-25T17:44:00.000-04:00

Apparently two of the original (July 7) London bombers went rafting.

The first two guys at right are the suicide bombers. (Everybody else's face is blurred out)

<The following exegesis is only going to be boring for the non-obsessive-compulsive types out there.\>

The second guy is clearly a dumbass.

I worked as a whitewater rafting guide 2 summers ago. It was the best job of my life, probably because I was doing it half-time. So I have a few things to point out.

Take a look at the paddler on the far left, with his face blurred out. This is what everybody is supposed to be doing: bracing themselves as they go through the toughest waves. The guide clearly told them to secure themselves moments before, and this is the technique: Let go of your paddle with your lower hand, put that arm across the paddle so as to brace it to yourself and the boat, and grab the outer rope with your free hand. That way nobody gets the paddle in their teeth, and your neighbour keeps his eye.

Now take a good look at the picture. The first bomber guy, though obviously a little panicked since he's crouching low, is doing what he should and bracing himself.

The second guy, however, is giving the peace sign to the photographer. the PEACE SIGN.

His paddle is limply hanging free (gripped only by THREE fingers), ready to fly up and bloody his nose at the next wave crest. Clearly an idiot.

But the main point is: they look like normal city slicker goofs having a good time on a "wild" "crazy" "adventure". So what happened? Did they decide to go on a nice little "x-treme" adventure to celebrate their impending self-annihiliation?! WTF?

snarf on a whole nother level

2005-07-21T22:56:00.000-04:00

"Remember that time you made me laugh
and people came out of my nose?"

jude law 1, pirate 0

2005-07-21T12:10:00.000-04:00

funniest caption ever (at bottom)

underoos

2005-07-11T22:43:00.000-04:00

I got a underoos chain-letter last week. The last time I got an actual chain-letter in the mail, I must have been like 11.

Anyway, Anne-Marie in the Q.C. sent it to me with the full badness of her heart. (How are those tats healing by the way, anne?)

It's a panty-pyramid scheme. Send one pair in the mail, copy the letter 6 times, and you get 36 new skivvies in... 2 weeks?

So, girls, who wants in? (sorry guys)

vacation ho

2005-07-07T23:47:00.000-04:00

Christine's vacation countdown:
- 6 days til Dagny (of Norway) and Sheldon (of Alberta) and Kaisa (of Finland/Alberta) arrive in Montreal! we's goin' campin'. Jar hetter Fisk.
- 3 weeks til I visit Nanaimo and Newfoundland in the same week.
- 6 weeks til I see my folks at the cottage in Ontario, for the weekend.
- 8 weeks til I wallow in Prague; and London/Zurich.

and 1 day til I should be heading to Saguenay for the weekend to hang out with Janius & Annick. But I'm not. pooh. i'm spoiled enough.

London burning

2005-07-07T23:27:00.000-04:00

I should be in bed, but...
So London was bombed today. I find this shocking and disturbing.
(Maybe because I can better imagine subway bombings; maybe i'm just more sympathetic)
My dear friend Matt lives there and I trust he's okay.
I have a few bad, bad things to say:
- Somehow it's easier when New York gets bombed. Britain is just not as simply vilified.
- I hope British Airways will drop their prices for September as a result. oh look, they have already!

world music, anyone?

2005-07-06T15:33:00.000-04:00

The consensus on this year's Montreal Jazz Festival is that everyone is tired of it. It's basically just World Music. Which means Music not invented by White People.

I appreciate the bind the organizers are in. I mean, people don't actually want to see that many jazz acts. But you have to keep calling it a Jazz festival or else the Americans won't come. The cachet will be gone. People at your office will snicker if you show up at the company picnic wearing a "World Music Festival" souvenir t-shirt.

But c'mon. if AC/DC was playing Montreal in early July, they'd be on the bloody festival programme cover.

Air Canada is my bitch

2005-07-05T16:21:00.000-04:00

I just scored plane tickets off AC for an absolute STEAL.
Get this: I fly
- Seattle -> Vancouver -> Toronto -> St.John's
- St.John's -> Montreal
ALL for the sweet sweet price of $687 including tax. Canadian. Somebody at Air Canada is going to get fired for this loophole.
Addendum: Yep, somebody just got fired. The listed price is back up to over $1000. ha!

camping, part deux

2005-07-04T23:05:00.000-04:00

Scene: A 2-day camping trip to Mt-Orford provicial park: July 1-2. in which:
- christine and new-found friend christina go spontaneously camping. Christine books the last camping site in Quebec, (okay, west of the Plains of Abraham)
- our same-named friends are accompanied by 2 large baguettes and Bust magazine. And Harpers, Walrus, the New Yorker. It is an ersatz wilderness adventure.
- the lake at Mount Orford washes christina's contact out within seconds, leaving her half-blind for the rest of the trip
- christine demonstrates her "campcraft" by lighting 2 campfires. from scratch. boo-yeah! mmm... breakfast marshmallows.
- whilst swimming, some 14-year-old boys try to pick up our fair heroines (he! les filles!)... who are meanwhile distracted by the old people's nude beach they have stumbled upon.
- christina sets a record for rocking out to modest mouse over 21km of trail.
- two satisfying beers are enjoyed at the top of Mont Chauve (Bald mountain), while rain pours down and lighting strikes the next peak over
- many amusing stories are told, which cannot be repeated here or, um, ever.

And a hilarious, chill time was had by all. We're already legends in our own minds.

gay marriage and the single gal

2005-07-01T01:38:00.000-04:00

I had iced coffee on a terrasse with my friend Annie tonight. I hadn't seen her in almost 2 years, since she moved to Vancouver.

We picked up right where we left off. We had almost completely lost touch. But it was amazing, the spark caught in the dry kindling very quickly. She makes me laugh really hard. I think she's the only person who's made me snarf, twice.

How is it possible to forget a connection you have with someone like that? (Well i guess if they never call that's what happens, there you go.)

3 summers ago, we pledged our contingent eternal troth: if we got to the age of 55 without ever settling down with men, we'd marry each other. It would be a purely platonic arrangement, with lots of extra-marital affairs allowed and yea, verily, encouraged. But man, what adventures we'd have.

And now, the eve before she arrives back in Montreal, parliament passed the same-sex marriage bill. coincidence? I think it's more like a tribute. Or a nudge.

next week's column: gay marriage and the sugar daddy.

camping? schmamping?

2005-07-01T01:34:00.000-04:00

What I'm listening to: The State I'm In by Belle and Sebastian
...and so I gave myself to God.
There was a pregnant pause before He said "okay".

I just reserved the last free campsite in Quebec, over the internet, through the Sepaq site. I got a chill and a thrill down my spine when i discovered this was possible.

It feels so wrong! You're not "roughin' it" if you can book it over the internet!
This is worse than sheep cloning! Don't mess with nature this way! ...says the early-adopting consumer.

"canadian wedding"

2005-06-30T09:14:00.000-04:00

Canada passed its same-sex marriage bill yesterday, one day before Spain did. (Less than that, given the time difference.)
We're now (barely) the 3rd country in the world (after Belgium & Netherlands) to permit it.

Was there some sort of undeclared race going on?
Was it one of those classic Olympic contests, where Canada squeaks by for a bronze finish, still fighting off the 4th-place contestant just to get onto the medal podium?

Is that why Paul Martin pushed it though on this timeline? for a gimmick?
Are we going to have signs at the border that say:
"Welcome to Canada. Please keep your religion to yourself and hey -- didja know? -- we're the 3rd country to permit same-sex marriage!"

Jesse's girl...

2005-06-26T21:47:00.000-04:00

My friend Jen's friend Jesse Wong is a very cool artist. And a great guy. Who just happens to take amazing photos.

If you're in Toronto (and if you're not, what are you waiting for?!) - hie thee to his exhibit at the Distillery.

porca madonna! it's phat

2005-06-20T14:50:00.000-04:00

Berlusconi's liposuctioned by-product was turned into a bar of soap by a Swiss artist.

Unfortunately it's been bought by a private collector, which probably means it's circling the drain.

Even creepier: The BBC files the article about it under "Entertainment".

ode to my dad

2005-06-19T14:53:00.000-04:00

My dad has a funny way of buying cars. He reads all the reports, finds the most stolen car, and then buys the model just below it from the same line.
Seriously. The most stolen car in the United States.
That's how my parents got his-and-hers silver Honda Civics. Yes, they're both silver.
Happy Father's Day, dad.

Say Huutajat

2005-06-15T22:45:00.000-04:00

I'm having a beer at work. If my boss comes by I'm hoping he'll think it's apple juice. Serves Jason right for leaving Heineken in the fridge.

This week's news:
One> Finland, Finland, Finland. A NYT article about how they're classical-music crazy.
Even more exciting: Oulu, Finland has a Shouting Choir! Sound clips here. I was actually there last summer for a wedding; if I'd heard shouting, I would have followed it. (and the actual lyrics from Monty Python)

Two> Terri Schiavo's brain was way wasted. Is it sadder that:
a) was resuscitated in order to vegetate through the next 15 years,
b) this happened to her at age 26, or
c) I'm spreading this news.

birthday roundup

2005-06-15T21:03:00.000-04:00

It's been a crazy week. And I think my best birthday ever. I've been working my ass off lately, and am definitely in need of sleep, but occasional crankiness doesn't stop me from appreciating how much I love the people who love me.
I had 2 birthday picnics here in Montreal, and Sunday morning finally felt that bliss from walking home in the early broad daylight after a euphoric night out. (Not since New Year's at least, which is another story.) Plus it was so warm at 5.30am, it was a revelation. it was a re-birth.

Friday lunch I had a picnic with Cathy and Bianca. It was divinely decadent, and I will never again underestimate the power of drinking rousse on my lunch break.
Friday night I went with Erika to see Never Surrender, but their Fringe show sucked compared to last year's edition - 'cause they'd used all the good music already. Three words: Bryan Adams ballads. played full-length. gag. Still enjoyable on the whole, though.

Saturday I did the 10K race on the mountain, in which 2 people fainted. I ate so many oranges afterwards that my grandkids will be scurvy-proof. Erika and I then absquatulated for ice cream, and ran like giggling maniacs through every park fountain in Outremont. We got busted by security. Twice.

Saturday night I went with the yuki-ninjas and John and Amos & Co. to Stereo, which was amazing. It also looked like the club scene in a tv-movie about the HIV epidemic. Which brings me back to my Sunday morning walk home...

Monday night we had a sangria and birthday cake sunset picnic in Parc Lafontaine, courtesy of wonderful Dr. J. We all fell asleep on the blankets in what was possibly the most perfect evening of the year.

i'm so spoiled. 27 rocks. If you're disgusted reading all this, i'll understand...