<3 for Montreal

Alanah @ Spacing Montreal talks about why she still loves our fair city, despite la scandale (rather, les scandales), the Mafia, and collapsing infrastructure.

Her first Coup de coeur includes a great video from United Steelworkers of Montreal.

I'll be following to see what she posts next; if you love my hometown as much as I do, get yourself over there, stat!

Soup season

Lady of the laptop, you have inspired me to write a little something-something about cooking.

The cooler weather means a couple things that I don't mind:

1- wearing my sweet, sweet soft mahogany leather jacket (one of my 25th birthday splurges in '08)

2- cute scarves

3- bringing back turtlenecks (to show my solidarity with my love, Tomas Plekanec)

and, now that I have to transition to fleece, tuques, and mittens ... making soup.

In fact, the other night, I made a soup that even mon bon chum enjoyed (and he can be picky). Here's how my glorious cream of leek (!!!) soup went down - all this done pretty much off the top of my head, based on my momma's best-ever incredible cream of carrot soup:

2 cloves garlic, mashed

2 shallots, diced

Add these to a saucepan with some olive oil, cook over medium heat for a few minutes (until fragrant)

Then, add:

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 leeks, chopped

6 cups vegetable broth

2 medium potatoes (I like boiling potatoes), cut into quarters

Bring to a boil, then let simmer until your vegetables are tender (I did 25 minutes or so)

Add, to your discretion:

salt, pepper, whatever herbs tickle your fancy (I chose thyme)

Puree with hand-held blender in the pot (I do not recommend a regular blender, my pal in Mistissini had an unfortunate encounter when she tried to blend a hot soup in one).

Serve and enjoy! (Note: tastes better when it sits for a bit, so I recommend making it in advance).

Being a TA

In order to make some more cash to finance my (kinda expensive) lifestyle, I decided to TA my supervisor's class this semester. Granted, it doesn't pay as well as last year's fun times at the molecular bio lab, but I actually know this shit (i.e., I don't have to frantically wikipedia concepts I had long since forgotten/erased from my memory once I was granted my BSc in Biochemistry).

However, there are still plenty of kids who are, well ... how can I put this delicately? ... just ... not that smart. Rather, it's not so much a question of intelligence as opposed to being able to THINK ON YOUR OWN. There comes a point in your life where people are supposed to stop mollycoddling you and allow you to become a free thinker. It was my understanding that this was the point of university. Yet, here we are. This class is a 500 level ... meaning the students are not noobs. They are typically U3 students (in their last year) or graduate students. And still, I get emails from some of them because they don't understand how to do an assignment with explicit instructions, which is to address the issue presenting by answering 2 questions in 750 words, based on a set list of readings.

Example, on the day that paper is due:

I am emailing you to urgently ask for your help as to I do not understand what to do for the assignment, could you please explain to me in detail what (professor) wants.... (um, no, I could not. Read the instructions). I am wondering if we have to find anymore (readings) because the directions (professor) gave us on the assignment sheet are very confusing (it clearly says BASED ON READINGS X TO Y). Can you please give me some insight as to what to do for the assignment as to I am very confused as to what to do for it. (Sure: LEARN TO READ.)

Am I being too much of an asshole about this? I mean, this person speaks and understands the English language, there is no language barrier, and even came to SEE me about the assignment a few days prior to this email.

Anyway, the point I am trying to make here, not to sound too elitist or anything, but I am starting to feel that they are letting just anybody into university. Newsflash: university (aka higher education) is a privelege privilege (thanks for spotting the typo, @NailaJ! *hanging head in shame*) that (most of us) pay for, NOT a right. Basic education, most definitely. But beyond that, you should truly merit it. And that starts by taking matters into your own hands and learning to figure things out on your own.

Ok, now that I am done expressing my feelings on that ... time to finish correcting said papers as they are due to be returned tomorrow morning.

On being one year older

365 days ago, I published my 100th post, on my 25th birthday.

And here we are, one year later ... and I am now, officially, on the downward slope to 30. As one of my friends put it, 30 is the new 20. I like the sound of that. I also like to say that I'm only as old as I feel ... which would put me somewhere around ... well, less than 26.

My age truly is just a number. I don't feel any older today. I don't feel any more responsible. I'm still in school, still have student loans, and still living (a tad) beyond my means. I haven't settled down (in an official capacity) and I still like to party hard.

The only differences? A few more grey hairs, more permanent laugh lines, and the fact that I will now be teased more than ever for hitting "old age" (i.e., > 25).

Happy birthday to me.

Tidbits from Twitter & Concert Review

A couple of interesting tweets caught my eye today. Here are some I was particularly interested in (meaning I actually clicked on the links):

- The food issue in the United States

- Curcumin as an anti-cancer NHP (Though this is not news to me, I heard about it in my - supervisor's Herbs & Foods class a couple of years ago)

- My beautiful city? Not so much, according to this guy

And, now, what about me?

Well, on Tuesday, I took a road trip to Toronto to see a FUCKING AWESOME show. Metallica, bitches! We sat in the nosebleeds, but I rocked out as if I was in the pit (well, not quite...). These guys love to play music and they love their fans. I have never seen as much fan interaction - for the last encore number they turned on the lights for Seek and Destroy. They stayed on stage for a good 10 minutes afterwards, throwing guitar picks, high-fiving people in the crowd, and yelling out big thank yous to us all. They also avoided songs from their less popular albums (ahem, Load/Reload/St. Anger) and stuck to the old classics (sick pyrotechnics for One) and threw in new stuff from Death Magnetic (kick ass laser show included) (see below).

The highlight of my week, worth the lack of sleep in an attempt to get back to Montreal before noon, and a great time had in T.O (which isn't ALL that bad, after all)...

Other event of note: Wade Davis at the Massey Lecture: amazing guy. Knows a lot about a lot, fascinating speaker, and the supervisor seems to be mucho impressed that I showed up for it. Picked up his newest book, The Wayfinders, and can't wait to read it. Perhaps I'll do something intellectual and post it here! (Since I was going to do some article reviews half a year ago and that never happened).

Have I mentioned lately how awesome life has been in the last while?

Things I do not enjoy

Conveniently, in point form:

• Taking over an hour and a half to get home from Mac Campus when it usually takes 45 minutes door-to-door;
• Having to pee really badly while stuck on the bus from Mac Campus;
• Cold October rain that feels like November Rain and subsequently turns into snow;
• Cold feet resulting from the frigid temperatures that caused the snow.

I had just decided the other day that autumn wasn't so bad. Well, today reminded me why I am not a fan. So, I take it back. You hear me, Mother Nature?!! I DESPISE YOUR SEASON OF DYING THINGS AND HORRIBLE WEATHER! PLEASE FIX! (...because I'm not turning on my heating until mid-November).

Now ... how about a nice, hot dinner and maybe some hot chocolate ... if I have any. 'Cuz I'm not leaving my apartment again tonight. And let's top it off with some hockey and a fast-approaching weekend...

All better.

Hockey rant & then some perspective + one more rant

I'm in a hockey mood. Mostly because I may be a tad jealous that mon chum is going to the game tonight. And I really shouldn't be jealous because today is his birthday. So, happy birthday, darling, and hopefully the boys win one for you tonight...

Now onto the rant. 7 games in - 2 wins in overtime and 5 consecutive losses. And everyone has already jumped ship because they believe it's sunk. The bandwagon is looking a little empty, and the season is barely 3 weeks old. I take exception to this. You blow a team to pieces and you MAGICALLY expect everyone to play well together, instantly? Have people learned nothing about how championship teams are built? It takes TIME. Alas, in these parts, no one has TIME to wait for the team to be built. Yeah, I know, we've been rebuilding for years - but just because it didn't work last time doesn't mean it won't work this time. It doesn't mean you write the team off 7 games into the season. With another 75 (yes, 75!) games to go, there is so much time for everything to change.

Look at last year: the team started off BLAZING ... then crashed and burned. Barely made it to the playoffs and got swept under the carpet. Everyone shouted to get rid of all of the players. Lo and behold, almost everyone left. Either they were traded away, or they abandoned the team for so-called greener pastures (ahem Komisarek), or were simply not re-signed after many years of loyal service (yes, I am still a little bitter about that one). And now the team is starting from scratch. It's gonna be bad before it gets better. And if it doesn't get better, then I can eat my words. But until then, for the love of Jesus, calm the fuck down. Or find another team to cheer for. Because you are ridiculous.

Rant over.

***

I haven't been a very good blogger lately. I suppose that's because I haven't had anything to complain about. When I stop and think about how petty my problems are in comparison to people who are really down on their luck, I feel guilty that I was even upset about it in the first place. And in the past, I have come here A LOT just to bitch about how much my life sucks. I know that I definitely felt that for most of last year, and, in all honesty, out of all the years of my life, 2008 was probably one of the worst, thanks to all the obstacles and stupid shit I got myself into. But some good came out of it (new wonderful friends, some unforgettable trips, and a long-overdue reconciliation), too, so it wasn't a total write-off.

In the last 4 months (coincidentally, since I was up north), I've turned a corner and I don't want to look back.

This epiphany is further compounded by some reading I did on the weekend. I picked up a copy of Sarah Preston's Master's thesis, printed by the Canadian Ethnology Service in 1986, called "Let the Past Go: A Life History." I wasn't so much interested in the purpose of the thesis than I was in the story - it was an oral narrative as told by Alice Jacob, an elder who currently resides in Waskaganish (and now I wish I had met). The recording was done almost 30 years ago and covers most of Alice's early life, from the 1930s onwards. Initially, I wanted to learn more about the traditional way of life for my own thesis's purposes; instead I found myself captivated by her story.

The hardships she endured had me in tears - from nearly starving to death in the winter months and then almost losing her foot to severe frostbite, followed by being abandoned by her mother, to losing her first child, to almost being killed by "nurses" after giving birth to her 7th child, and, the most heart-wrenching of all, watching her best friend die in childbirth ... this woman experienced more than her fair share of really shitty stuff. And yet she has been able to "let the past go" and move on.

My own life story is nowhere near as tragic, but it does put so much into perspective. And when I'm feeling really angry about some insignificant detail in my life, I stop and remember how much worse it could possibly be ... and am thankful for all the wonderfulness I DO have in my life.

***

That being said, I will continue to rant about stupid people out there. Just because I can. For example: Bob Sirois and his book about how French Canadians are subjected to bias in the NHL. Seriously? Shut the fuck up. Is this the legacy of our province? To always cry about how IT'S NOT FAIR? That is SO 1970. Anyway, Ted Bird put it best, so I won't even try to compete.

I'll try to make my presence a bit more frequent around these parts, though my slightly erratic post here may have left you confused.

UPDATE: See, you fuckers? THEY WON. IN THE SHOOTOUT. AND PLAYED A GREAT GAME. So shut the fuck up already. (AND YAY GIONTA! We love you.)

Another Public Service Annoucement

If you are interested in persuing graduate studies in beautiful British Columbia, have an interest in oncology, and are an intelligent person, my person is accepting applications to her lab.

She is, in a word, awesome. She is brilliant and she doesn't put up with anyone's shit. She dealt with her fair share of it during her postdoc at one of the Ivies. If were into cancer research, I would totally want to work for her.

http://garnislab.com/2009/10/09/the-garnis-lab-is-seeking-new-talent/

Click the link to get to her lab's blog.

Is back

Did you miss me?

First time I have been back in the 514 for more than 24 hours in a couple of weeks ... it's nice to be sleeping in my own bed, be cooking in my own (tiny) kitchen, and have unlimited internet access once again.

First off, U2 - Boston - magical. I had an awesome weekend with the boys (being mon chum and 2 good friends) - from the drive down in the middle of the night, to enjoying clam chowda in Beantown, to drinking rum & coke in the park near Harvard Square, and finally, seeing a killer show and then spending the following 3 (yes, 3!!) hours getting back from Gillette Stadium, one hour of which was spent parked, not even moving a muscle. Best weekend I have had in a while. I love road trips.

The day after we got back, it was back to Waskaganish with my dear and darling (former, as she is now done her thesis) labmate, lady of the laptop. She has some gorgeous sunset pics up at her space now, so check 'em out! We spent a great week together, trying to get the kids excited about traditional medicine, going out on a boat (motherfucker), and enjoying satellite tv (yes, this transit was equipped with satellite tv, a phone ... but still no internet. Alas.). Of course, I also had follow-up work to do, which was more or less completed successfully. Turns out the fall is a really bad time to get ahold of people because they would much rather be out in the bush, hunting goose and moose or taking part in the fish scooping festival down at the Gravel Pit (for probably the last time due to the diversion which is set to take place next month).

And so, I just returned home last night, and am already up to my eyeballs with work to do. So I've got work, TAing, applying for jobs, invigilating (hopefully, need extra $$$), and shopping - I have 2 weeks to find mon chum a birthday present and I am slightly panicking because: 1) He is the hardest person to shop for - ever and 2) I have no idea - at all - as to what I should get him. I am drawing a complete and total blank. Awesome.

And with that ... I am off to create a to-do list because there are just far too many things to, well, do.

Busy busy busy

Sorry I've been neglecting you all lately.

This past week has been a little busy (to put it mildly) as I get my ass in gear for Waskaganish v2.0 ... oh, and this little show I'm going to see in Boston this weekend by some band called U2. WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Yeah, it's been a great year so far. Lots of travelling, lots of concerts, lots of fun. Oh, and there's the thesis thing too, which goes great some days, and other days ... not so much.

Mini-rant, while I am thinking about it:

People and their cell phones. I have already taken issue with the fact that there are some people who cannot live without their phones (see post about girl on phone while "working out" on the treadmill). Well, this time, I've seen it taken to a whole new level. In the public bathroom. While using a stall. Honestly. Can you wait until you stop peeing to resume your conversation? Was it that important that you speak to this person whilst relieving yourself? What the fuck. Seriously.

Ok, rant done. And now, back to work.

You'll hear from me again on the flipside ... i.e., Tales from Waskaganish, Chapter 2...

peace.