Mmmmmmm.
Makoto feat. Angela Johnson - Keep Me Down
Friday, June 28, 2013
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Happy Little Stories
It has been horribly hot and humid in Montreal these last few days. I just walk outside, and the water condenses on me. It's almost like the weather got some sort of memo that it's officially summer now and decided to ditch the unimpressive 50s and head straight for 90.
I was laboring through the tunnel under the expressway after leaving the metro station on the last leg of my commute this evening when a blue Honda hatchback passed me on the exit ramp... And suddenly exploded. Smoke poured out from under the hood and it rolled to a clattering stop - something was seriously wrong with it, that much was obvious.
A 20-something girl rushed out of it and I ran over to help her over the barrier and onto the sidewalk. She jabbered in the French version of a southern accent - my favorite, so colorful and lilting and graceful/awkward. I love it so much more than the cold, perfect crispness of my French prof's Parisian version. She was from off-island and had an exam for her online class in 30 minutes and absolutely had to get to it!
I asked her if she had a phone, she answered that she didn't. I extracted it from my purse and told her to call her most reliable friend, since it only had 4% power remaining. She took it gravely and dialed up "Vincent" from memory, which impressed me deeply, since almost nobody bothers remembering people's phone numbers any more.
She told him that her car had exploded and that she was abandoning it in the middle of the one-lane tunnel on, "Wait, madame ['mademoiselle' is almost never used by anybody under 50 to refer to any female, young or old], which street is this?" I told her. And then that she would grab a taxi. She blithely left the car there and told me she knew exactly why I was walking, ouashhhh. I told her where to find a taxi and wished her good luck on her exam. She squeezed my shoulder and I was pretty satisfied.
I was laboring through the tunnel under the expressway after leaving the metro station on the last leg of my commute this evening when a blue Honda hatchback passed me on the exit ramp... And suddenly exploded. Smoke poured out from under the hood and it rolled to a clattering stop - something was seriously wrong with it, that much was obvious.
A 20-something girl rushed out of it and I ran over to help her over the barrier and onto the sidewalk. She jabbered in the French version of a southern accent - my favorite, so colorful and lilting and graceful/awkward. I love it so much more than the cold, perfect crispness of my French prof's Parisian version. She was from off-island and had an exam for her online class in 30 minutes and absolutely had to get to it!
I asked her if she had a phone, she answered that she didn't. I extracted it from my purse and told her to call her most reliable friend, since it only had 4% power remaining. She took it gravely and dialed up "Vincent" from memory, which impressed me deeply, since almost nobody bothers remembering people's phone numbers any more.
She told him that her car had exploded and that she was abandoning it in the middle of the one-lane tunnel on, "Wait, madame ['mademoiselle' is almost never used by anybody under 50 to refer to any female, young or old], which street is this?" I told her. And then that she would grab a taxi. She blithely left the car there and told me she knew exactly why I was walking, ouashhhh. I told her where to find a taxi and wished her good luck on her exam. She squeezed my shoulder and I was pretty satisfied.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Heeeehehehehe
Half a bottle of champagne later, a coupla chairs are finished being... Finished, and a stool was painted and 18 boxes of books were filled with... Books? And ---
Caspian is watching Ip Man and I'm kind of tired of kung fu and want bedtime. Nitey.
Caspian is watching Ip Man and I'm kind of tired of kung fu and want bedtime. Nitey.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Bon matin, luh!
After we move, I am going to miss the old guy that hands me the newspaper on the way into Georges-Vanier metro station.
He comes from Lac St-Jean and says, on sunny days:
"Bonjour, luh [là]! Il fait beau, luh? Merci beaucoup, bonne journée, luh! Bon matin, luh!"
On rainy days, he skips the second sentence.
I'm going to miss the snarky graffiti in the tunnel I walk through every morning. People write things like, "Hell is empty. All the devils are here." And "KNOW who you ARE," "Toke is LIFE," "The beginning is near..." Whenever the anti-graffiti troupe comes through every summer, the same people write the same things in the same gray-painted squares, adding little comments like "FUCK COPS" and "ILLÉGAL!"
He comes from Lac St-Jean and says, on sunny days:
"Bonjour, luh [là]! Il fait beau, luh? Merci beaucoup, bonne journée, luh! Bon matin, luh!"
On rainy days, he skips the second sentence.
I'm going to miss the snarky graffiti in the tunnel I walk through every morning. People write things like, "Hell is empty. All the devils are here." And "KNOW who you ARE," "Toke is LIFE," "The beginning is near..." Whenever the anti-graffiti troupe comes through every summer, the same people write the same things in the same gray-painted squares, adding little comments like "FUCK COPS" and "ILLÉGAL!"
Friday, June 14, 2013
Moving Time Again
We're moving in three weeks, to a beautiful, BEAUTIFUL new place.
Unfortunately, to secure this beautiful new place, we have to pay for both apartments at once for two months, unless we can find somebody with good cred to take our current lease, which ends in September.
No big deal, sacrifices must be made in the name of finding a marvelous and modern 4 1/2 in an upscale, secure building full of privately-owned condos, right next to a metro station in a tree-filled, quiet area of town. It's necessary for one to jump on that. We managed to negotiate the price down twice, to an unbelievably low amount, given that it is brand new with gorgeous birch floors and granite counter tops - and twice the square footage of our current place. If we really love it there, I might even decide to consider buying it from the owner.
I spent last week + weekend refinishing furniture and thinking logistics - and I'm actually feeling relaxed and happy about this move. We ordered used boxes for packing and hired a moving company to do all of the transport and lifting for us.
But this week, I've been writing. I wrote 5,000 words in two weekdays. That is some pretty concentrated writing for having no time due to work, painting, dancing, ceramics, French class and reading books about K2 and Mt. Everest.
Among my favorite passages in all that writing:
Unfortunately, to secure this beautiful new place, we have to pay for both apartments at once for two months, unless we can find somebody with good cred to take our current lease, which ends in September.
No big deal, sacrifices must be made in the name of finding a marvelous and modern 4 1/2 in an upscale, secure building full of privately-owned condos, right next to a metro station in a tree-filled, quiet area of town. It's necessary for one to jump on that. We managed to negotiate the price down twice, to an unbelievably low amount, given that it is brand new with gorgeous birch floors and granite counter tops - and twice the square footage of our current place. If we really love it there, I might even decide to consider buying it from the owner.
I spent last week + weekend refinishing furniture and thinking logistics - and I'm actually feeling relaxed and happy about this move. We ordered used boxes for packing and hired a moving company to do all of the transport and lifting for us.
But this week, I've been writing. I wrote 5,000 words in two weekdays. That is some pretty concentrated writing for having no time due to work, painting, dancing, ceramics, French class and reading books about K2 and Mt. Everest.
Among my favorite passages in all that writing:
If I couldn't telemark enrobed in the blackness of deep space, maybe I could feather step embraced by the gentleness of a summer evening sky.If I could just get this book finished by our Gaspésie trip...
Saturday, June 1, 2013
I'm Kinda Surprised
That 4.5 hours of sleep seemed to be enough for a productive day at work, and I have suffered no ill effects (other than persistent tinnitus) from the SUPER AWESOME AMAZING INCREDIBLE HIGH CONTRAST SHOW THAT I WENT TO ON THURSDAY NIGHT! AGLAGLAGLAGL!
I was so impressed. He was humble and amused and interacted so genuinely with his audience. He is one of those rare and truly skilled DJs who work with series of mixing panels, turntables and macbooks to somehow formulate completely new and dynamic music in real time, and every. Single. Mix. Blew my mind. I don't even know what they do when they're up on the deck surrounded by control panels, pressing buttons and flipping switches, but it must be close to magic.
If it had been a Friday night, I would have stayed past 3 for sure. He has had such a huge influence on me since 2005, I'd like to just give him a big ol' hug.
Monday evening at arount 7 pm pire, I walked across the stage at McGill and received my diploma.
Afterward, Caspian and I went to the candy store and loaded up on malted milk balls, licorice jawbreakers and smooth & melties. We have yet to open the champagne - perhaps tonight?
 |
| High Contrast, AKA Link Barrett, 6/30/2013 |
I was so impressed. He was humble and amused and interacted so genuinely with his audience. He is one of those rare and truly skilled DJs who work with series of mixing panels, turntables and macbooks to somehow formulate completely new and dynamic music in real time, and every. Single. Mix. Blew my mind. I don't even know what they do when they're up on the deck surrounded by control panels, pressing buttons and flipping switches, but it must be close to magic.
If it had been a Friday night, I would have stayed past 3 for sure. He has had such a huge influence on me since 2005, I'd like to just give him a big ol' hug.
Monday evening at arount 7 pm pire, I walked across the stage at McGill and received my diploma.
Afterward, Caspian and I went to the candy store and loaded up on malted milk balls, licorice jawbreakers and smooth & melties. We have yet to open the champagne - perhaps tonight?
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