it's not juice, it's lemonade!

Wednesday morning wtf

2012-02-01T08:31:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I wonder why I want to move back to Quebec, when this continues to be news:
NOUVELLES TRES IMPORTANTS

Really, guy?

L'accent aigu va sauver la langue française?

Of all the things Quebecers should be worried about (climbing sales tax rates, declining education and health care systems, terrible infrastructure, employment ...), the press continues to remind us that the number one priority should be saving a language that the majority of the people speak ... lest us dirty anglophones continue to pollute the language with our dirty English ways.

It's a non-issue with the people I know, anglo or franco, so why are we letting the 5 same people continue to spew diatribe about "protecting" something that isn't even endangered? Can't our tax dollars be put to better use? Can't journalists cover more hard-hitting topics (see above)?

I thought we lived in a global culture, a tolerant society?
That's what we're led to believe, but the people who govern/criticize those who govern/waste time planning language rallies in la belle province tell us otherwise, on a daily basis.

/rant over

OMG HABS

2012-01-12T23:09:00.002-05:00

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Pierre Gauthier, I truly despise you. You are a bonehead who would rather save face than save our hockey team. You have turned the Habs into the laughingstock of the NHL.

Just take a look at the twitter - people don't like you. People want you fired. I am one of those people.

Is it possible that this - right now - is worse than the 90s?

Because I have feeling what's going down is seriously going to come back to bite us in the ass.

Also - I am tired of being embarrassed to be a fan of this team - from "interim coaches" to trades in the middle of a game. Gauthier, you put the ASS in classy, but you, sir, are NOT classy. Go suck rocks.

First rant of 2012

2012-01-02T23:34:00.000-05:00

My original intended audience for this post was to the people of Ottawa. I experienced such a cluster-fuck of humanity today that I am still steamed about it. I realize that it isn't the best way to start 2012, but I need to get it out of my system and move on. I admit that I have cooled down sufficiently since I originally typed up this post this afternoon, and it dawned on me that my problem is with the kids in this city today. You might say, well, you're hardly old enough to be a cranky old geezer with your "these kids today" monologues. Maybe so. But I am going to bitch about it anyway, and I'll be damned if people my age don't agree with me.

So, to the jerks on the bus today:
You need to learn some god damn manners when it comes to taking public transit. I come from a city that is marginally more civilized (and definitely far from perfect) but you know what, we have queues to get on a bus. Because, fuck YEAH, if you show up first, you damn well do have the right to get on board first. What the fuck is up with clamouring around the door of the bus as soon as it pulls into the stop? Where is the civility?

Of course, I am a fairly rational human ~~bring~~ being and I realize that I do not have a disability, nor do I require adapted transport, and I am not with child or pushing around a carriage with a child inside, but god damn it, I am lugging around a huge suitcase and would appreciate the slightest bit of consideration. I would also appreciate not being pushed and having to practically stand on said suitcase as you try to squeeze yourself onto an over-crowded bus, at rush hour, especially when another bus is but 30 seconds away. I would appreciate even more the THREE OF YOU not pushing your way past me as I try to get off the bus, not realizing or caring that I am trying to drag a suitcase behind me, because your discussion about a $250 haircut was more important. FUCK YOU.

Seriously, though. As steamed as I was about the bitches literally pushing me aside, this apparent obliviousness is a chronic problem on public transit. How many times have I seen a parent struggling to get their carriage on the bus, try to push their way to section where the benches fold up to fit the carriage, only to quietly ask if the passengers occupying this area to move their god damn asses so that their carriage doesn't block the whole aisle? And to see these passengers actually be annoyed that they had to move their big fat ass to another empty seat? Is it really that inconvenient for you and your backpack to go sit somewhere else and let the parent with the baby, baby bag, and baby carriage sit in the area designated for them? At one point the buses played a pre-recorded message reminding passengers to give up these seats ... it's a sad state of affairs when you need to be reminded to be courteous.

Well I am glad I got that out of my system.

End of 2011

2011-12-31T09:58:00.000-05:00

Some people can't wait for 2011 to end, as if something completely different is going to happen the second the clock strikes 12 tonight.

I can't say I am eagerly awaiting this year to end, because all things considered, it's been a pretty good year. I accomplished some things I am really proud of, found myself a job in the public service, and finally got myself back in shape. I ended this year on a high note, too, by taking part in the Resolution Run on Mount Royal last night (-12, blowing snow, you know it). I was also really happy to be there for my pal L, who completed her first race!

All that said, I am looking forward to a new calendar year to continue an ongoing goal to be less wimpy. This may sound vague, but the details are unnecessary for this blog. Suffice it to say that I may be tough(er) when it comes to being physically active, but that's about it.

As I barrel through the end of my 20s, I would also like to take advantage of what life has to offer, so yet another vague goal (though meaningful to me) is to be less boring. I need to stop being a hermit and have more fun, before I get old and crotchety.

I hope that you all have a wonderful end to 2011 tonight, and wish you the very best for the year ahead. Live it up while you can, since the Apocalypse is coming anyway. :/

Happy 2012!

love and peace.
x

4 months later...

2011-12-20T00:21:00.000-05:00

Hello! It's me! Do you remember me? It seems that I am getting worse and worse at maintaining my blog. In fact, it took a fellow tweep (that's what we call people we follow on twitter, right?) to tell me that my blog was in fact hijacked by some jerk trying to break into a blog that I follow (thanks again, @stevofarnham).
So since I last posted, a lot has happened. I'll break it down it point-form, since I am lazy (and it is past my bedtime):

- ran and completed the Montreal half-marathon in just under 2 hours (! so not expecting to break 2 hours) under hot and sticky conditions (+25C plus humidity, at the end of September, what?)

Yeah, it's a proof. I'm not paying for it. This is the final sprint at the race.

- went to 3 weddings in 6 weeks, which set me back about $500 (which included a gorgeous black lace dress that I got to wear all 3 times). But it was so worth it to celebrate such a happy occasion for all those wonderful people. I even attended my first Holud ceremony and got to wear a gorgeous sari!
- stepped off of a bus, rolled my ankle sideways until it made a crunching noise, ended up with ligamentosis (basically, the ligament stretched off the bone and snapped back) and a diagnosis of "loose ankles". Spent my birthday morning getting X-rays to confirm that I didn't rip, shred, or otherwise mutilate my ligament and/or break something.
- turned 28, drank Tequila, was very hungover the next day.

My cube at work, full-out.

So, I love my birthday. What's it to you?

- started physio the next week with hot Australian physiotherapist, where I almost passed out during an ultrasound of my ankle. #winning
- have not kept up with my physio exercises and am actually noticing right now that the spot I injured is still tender. I should probably get back to physio...
- went to NYC with the lovely roommate/partner in crime @ladylaptop and the equally wonderful @binks_s for a weekend of dining, drinking, and living it up. We were particularly pleased to have discovered C. Wonder (located in SoHo) before the cool kids of Manhattan. Go us! (also anxiously awaiting for them to start shipping to Canada). I will also mention here that Joe Fresh of Loblaws/Real Canadian Superstore fame has not one, but two boutiques in Manhattan. Yes, Joe Fresh has turned ... classy?

So, Joe Fresh is, like, from Canada. Sooo exotic, you know?

Ahh, New York

- rented a chalet with some friends in the Laurentians. Had an awesome relaxing weekend - being in a constant state of inebriation can do that to you - but the good kind, not the "I'M SOOOOOOOO DRUNK ......WOOOO! MORE SHOTS!" kind (see my birthday, tequila). However, the hot tub gave me folliculitis. (that's inflammation of the hair follicles in case you wanted to know. You probably didn't, but here we are). Everywhere. Needless to say, our chalet fees were fully reimbursed and they have offered us another free stay to prove their hot tubs don't breed skin diseases. I may be slightly naive, but I'll believe it. And I won't turn down a free weekend away.

- got a shiny new toy - the BlackBerry Playbook as a belated birthday gift from mon chum. I am one step closer to being high tech, look at me go!

- Christmas baking marathon complete (if I feel nice I may post some x-ine family recipes)... and holy sweet Jesus, it's Christmas in 5 days! (I am really excited despite the lack of snow - I'm talking to YOU, Mother Nature).

In the swing of things chez mes parents

All dressed up and ready to party... my little man in his tux.

- Jacques Martin fired. Not breaking news. But the fall-out has been a real shitstorm. You see, Montreal is located in a province where most people speak French, ergo, any team that is based in Montreal should be francophone. There is a flaw to this logic because 1) there is a serious lack of French Canadian talent and 2) what little there is doesn't want to deal with the crazy shit that goes on here so they decide to make their millions and live in anonymity in places like Tampa Bay. And as for the coaching situation - funny how no one gives a rat's ass what language the head coach of the Alouettes speaks, but GOD FORBID the coach of LA SAINTE FLANELLE is unilingual ... because the Habs were once a symbol of the oppressed French majority, way back before the Quiet Revolution and ensuing stuff that happened. Yeah, I just got all language debate up in here. First world problems, you know.

But before I draw some ire, hate, and trolls, I will stop here with a simple message: a very Merry Christmas to you and to yours. May your holidays be filled with joy, laughter, and lots of delicious food. I know mine will be.

Peace, love, and Tequila shots.

x-ine

Why do I run?

2011-08-17T22:50:00.004-04:00

I had never been asked this until recently. And it wasn't until I was asked that I realized that my answer ("just because") was hopelessly inadequate. I'll also admit I've been wanting to write this post ever since I heard Mark Sutcliffe talking about his book, Why I Run.

What are you running from?
I've been asked this as well - and my immediate response to it was, in an attempt to be amusing, "my past" (hey, I never said I was successful at being funny). But then I thought about it a little more, and I realized that "running from my past" was kinda how it all started in the first place.

Three years ago (to the month even!), I embarked on my first journey to the north. I was alone and unprepared - I was staying in a trailer with no phone, no internet, and no tv (until a generous donation helped me out with the tv bit - I watched A LOT of Olympic coverage during my stay). I had a lot of time on my hands and very few people to share it with. This trip also happened to coincide with an unpleasant point of my life, and I needed a distraction from my inner demons. After a night of feeling sorry for myself and eating half a pint of ice cream, I decided enough was enough, so I laced up my Asics, headed out the door, and started running. It was hard. And awful. And I hated it. I pushed myself to finish 15 minutes of continuous running. I counted down every last second and could not wait to stop.

Yet I was hooked. The next time, I tried for 18 minutes, then 20, then 25. By the end of the month, I was running close to 45 minutes and it was a little less hard, not so awful, and I definitely did not hate it anymore. In fact, I was starting to love it, despite the blisters that erupted on my feet (and still do, to this day. No pain, no gain, that's what they say, right?). It felt so good to just take off down the street, music blaring in my ears, with nothing to do but take in the sights around me. I must admit that having a spectacular backdrop (the boreal forest holds a special place in my heart) was a great motivator, but it was the alternative (sitting in a trailer, wallowing) that really got me off my ass.

When I came back to Montreal, I was ready to tackle what had alluded me for so long: Mount Royal. When my old roommate had told she was going running on the mountain, I had thought she was nuts. But now that I had built up some endurance, I figured I could handle it. Well, not quite. My first attempts were pathetic. The incline! It was hard! I found myself hating running again, and thought maybe I just wasn't cut out for it. But I didn't quit. And though I started out huffing and puffing up a quarter of the mountain and back, by the following summer, I was able to run the whole thing, from my apartment and back (a good 13 km). And I haven't looked back ever since.

I'm not a fast runner. I'm not a particularly "good" runner - I have no technique. The only running gear I splurge on is shoes (just bought a pair of neon Nikes) (I've also invested a fair amount in bandaids for my blisters). I don't time myself - beyond checking when I leave and comparing that to when I return - I just turn on my iPod and go wherever my feet want to take me. I'm not part of any running clubs, nor do I have a running partner. I love the solitude of running. It's just me and the ground beneath my feet. It's time I truly have to myself, where I can push everything out of my mind and just focus on the task at hand: getting somewhere. It's exhilarating. And liberating.

And perhaps all this is why I run - and continue to love to run - because I don't take it too seriously. I'll admit that I am proud of being able to reach small milestones - finishing a 10K in under an hour, doing the crazy stairs at Mount Royal 6 or 7 times, or pushing myself to get that extra few kilometers in because my legs just aren't that tired yet. That's what keeps me motivated - there is always potential to go farther.

How much farther? Well, funny you should ask, because ... I will be running the Montreal half marathon in September! Perhaps it doesn't have the same impact as saying "I'm running a marathon" but it's still no small feat. I'm proud that I've made it this far. But my objectives for this race are no different from any other run: I want to 1) finish it and 2) enjoy it.

And now you know why I run.

Random thoughts

2011-06-27T22:45:00.001-04:00

Hiyo, friends and followers.

So I'm settling into life in a new city. As expected, the blood, sweat and tears that usually come with my moves made an appearance - at one point simultaneously, as mon chum and I tried to get my dresser from the U-Haul to the 3rd floor of the condo. Not fun. And admitting my wimpiness in front of my boyfriend was beyond mortifying, even though he's already well aware of my limitations (after almost 7 years together, he pretty much sees right through me).

However, I have spent pretty much every weekend since I started my new job in Montreal, so it's not like I've really dug my heels into the cultural side of Ottawa (rib festival excepted, omg YUM). I can't help it - Montreal is home, and as much as I love my roommate and really enjoy my new job (I get to criticize other peoples' work all day - have I found my niche, or what?) - I can't help but feel a little homesick. I suppose it is to be expected when you put your entire life on hold to pursue a career, and I should not be whiny about it because I've finally got what I wanted, job-wise.

Anyway.

I don't have much other content to warrant a full post, so I am copping out and providing the rest in point form, for your convenience:

What the fuck is up with people who cut in line and feel entitled to do so? Since I am travelling back and forth so frequently, and as I don't own a car (or a full licence - long story), I've started taking the bus. Now here is the thing with the bus to and from Ottawa. It is really popular. As in, you need to show up at least 40 minutes before the scheduled departure time to guarantee yourself a spot. This totally ruins my Sunday as my travel time stretches to 3.5 or 4 hours, but whatevs. Anyway, last week, as I was waiting in line, some lady showed up, 10 minutes before the departure, and tried to insert herself in the line, in front of me. At this point, there were at least 50 people behind me. Oh, hell NO, she was not getting in front of ME, so I stared her down and she had the nerve to cut in behind me. The man in front of me and I kindly pointed out that the line was way back at the end of the terminal, but she opted to play dumb, claiming there was someone waiting for her on the bus. Bull. And if it were true, too fucking bad, lady, show up on time and earn your seat like everyone else! Granted, the person she cut in front of didn't have the balls to say anything, but what makes her think she can just show up and insert herself into the queue? And it's not like she was a young little smart ass who may not have known any better; this was a grown woman, an older woman, acting like she owned the place. In the end, neither of us made the bus (the man in front of me actually got the last seat, that asshat. If only I hadn't stopped for a bottle of water...) but if I had missed the bus because of an asshole who thought they could just cut right in and no one had the nerve to say anything, I would have been livid. Is that just me?
Vanity plates. For reasons unbeknownst to me, Ontario continues to think it is a good idea to sell vanity plates. I suppose there is a lot of money to be made when one wants to customize their licence plate to say something most likely tacky. Case in point: as I was walking back to the condo the other week, I noticed a car parked in front with a plate that read "Whazzup". This was a source of lolz to me, because, really? Who chooses THAT as their vanity plate slogan? Clearly some yo who thinks he's a thug, right? Well, moments later, I had my answer, as a chubby, squat, middle aged, balding white man came out of my building and hopped into said car. There are no words. Besides "whazzup", evidently.
LOL speak in regular conversations. This topic speaks for itself (pathetic pun intended). Perhaps I am prematurely turning into a cranky old broad (maybe not prematurely), but the state of the English language today is appalling. It is one thing to use cute little acronyms when chatting online, but inserting these terms into everyday talk is just plain obnoxious. Saying "LOL" instead of actually laughing out loud is stupid. It is also insincere. If the joke was really that funny, you would literally laugh out loud and not tell people, in a short-handed manner, that you are laughing out loud. "Bee-tee-dubs" and "JK" are equally irritating.

Next time: tales of the royal couple visiting our nation's capital and my attempts to become part of the royal entourage.

Until then ... ta!

Moving

2011-05-10T14:30:00.000-04:00

I have a love/hate relationship with moving. It's mostly a hate relationship, really. Granted, this is only the third time in the last 6 years that I've had to move, yet I dread it each and every time (Contrast that with a friend of mine who has moved SIX times in the last 6 years. And that doesn't count her pending 7th move in a few weeks).

I hate having my stuff, and therefore my life, thrown into upheaval while I pack everything into boxes. I hate having to ask people to help me move because I'm still in my cheap, poor student mentality (you would be too if your salary for the last 6 months had been below the poverty line). I hate the anxiety I get because of these things. This is singularly the most stressful thing I can think to do. Besides maybe singing in front of an audience. Or attempting to drive (my most recent experience resulted in sweaty palms and me yelling, THERE'S A CAR BEHIND ME! Rest assured, that given my age, it is quite embarrassing to admit that I have only a learner's permit. I won't get into the story behind it).

Blood, sweat, and tears? You bet! Last time I moved, all three were involved, simultaneously at some points (my cat may or may not have been stepped on in the process as well. I think he is still traumatized). I am dreading moving my (lovely, comfy) sofa because it WILL require taking my door off its hinges to fit it through ... and then ... getting it down the stairs? Oh, God, I'm getting terror sweats just thinking about it.

On the other hand, moving to another city gives me the opportunity to purge. I am only moving the things I really need (and only some of that will actually be coming with me to Ottawa since ladylaptop invited me to move in with her :D). James Hetfield bobblehead? Class notes from CEGEP (yes, I AM that big of a nerd)? Not so much. My extensive liquor cabinet (keep in mind I currently live alone)? HELL YES!

Sorry, James, you won't be rocking out with me in my new home.

However, I will be drinking in new home.

I can't really say I enjoy sorting through my stuff, but it will feel good to pare down the copious amount of stuff that I own. Note the tense of the previous sentence. Because, yeah, I am leaving in 5 days and I currently have one box packed. What can I say? I procrastinate. Hence, the stress. It's a vicious cycle.

Guess I should get packing?

Sigh.

Tipping

2011-05-05T09:00:00.000-04:00

I have a bone to pick with tipping. I understand the reasoning behind it - a gratuity is common courtesy for someone who is providing you with a service. I tip my hairdresser, my esthetician, my cab driver, etc., and am usually quite generous when their service is above and beyond what I expected.

The same goes for waiters and bartenders when dining out. A good service will net a server somewhere between 18 and 20% - with the upper range usually reserved for those exceptional servers who actually enhance your dining experience (and good friends and family members, of course). When the service is ok - not bad, but not great, I will always give at least 15%.

It doesn't happen too often that I will tip below the 15% range. If I am not too impressed with the service - meaning I have to wait half an hour to order a drink in an otherwise empty resto-bar and then wait another 20 minutes for the drink to actually appear, watch my friends be served a pint of beer that is NOT EVEN FULL (and have the audacity to charge $8 for it), be given a menu to order food then take them away, saying the kitchen doesn't actually open until 6, whoopsie, then after finally eating overpriced food, wait another 45 minutes for the bill (and eventually go stand at the bar to get said bill) because you're too busy flirting with the other customers, then don't be surprised when I am not willing to give you 15%. To be blunt, your service was not good at all and there was no excuse for it, because your establishment was pretty much EMPTY. I am an understanding person if you are the only server and you are trying to manage 15 tables at once. You had 3 tables to attend to. That's it.

So, yeah, fine, you were pissed when you saw what I left you (10%) and you handed me my receipt without saying thank you. I get that. You pay taxes on your tips, blah blah blah. I know how it works. But then to have the nerve to ask if I was from Quebec (in English, after I spoke French to you all evening long), as if I didn't understand how tipping works? Well.

Yes, I know EXACTLY how tipping works. However, your tip is not your God-given right. I am not OBLIGED to give you 15% if your service was shit. For you to have a sense of entitlement, to feel that you DESERVE 15% when you did absolutely nothing to merit it (pretending to be extra bubbly doesn't count, it just makes us think you are on drugs) is appalling. Tips are something you earn, not something you are given just because you are a waiter.

Needless to say, I will not be going back to said establishment. Cool enough location, prices and service? Not so much. The additional snark at the end of the night was also not appreciated.

Latest blah blah

2011-04-28T23:05:00.000-04:00

Let me start by declaring I have no further comments on what transpired yesterday night in Boston. You may refer to my twitter feed for commentary/other people who spend more time dissecting our beloved hockey team and the games. Suffice it to say, I am suddenly less interested in the playoffs.

But that is not the reason why I have taken it upon myself to blog this evening. For one, I finally have some time to myself. I like being busy (especially when it involves beer/hockey) but I am quite content sitting at home on my comfy couch. Truth be told, I am going to bed relatively soon as I am planning to get up at an ungodly hour to watch William and Kate get hitched. If you don't know who I am referring to, you are clearly living under a rock. And if you think I'm a loser/moron/something else equally mean and possibly true anyway, well ... fine. All a matter of opinion, anyway. My justification (not that it is required) is that I'm one-quarter Brit. And I respect the monarchy.

Now, on to the news I promised to share with my faithful reader(s?) some time ago. I have alluded to changes being afoot in my life. So here it is. Tomorrow is my last day at low paying, less-than-entry-level job! This past week has been agonizingly slow - I've been showing up, physically, but mentally, I am so done. The only thing I'll miss about that place? The easy commute to work (5 minutes by foot). Oh, and the awesome girls in the same boat as me, who I am praying will find their way out soon enough (right, B?)

I know I should be thankful that I've been employed there since finishing school, but I'm not one for just settling. I've spent a solid year looking for meaningful, career-starting work, and believe me, I've had many moments of despair and shed many tears. I also have a student loan - in the 5-figure range - that I need to start paying back, and significant payments are not an option when you're barely making enough to get by.

So, it is with great pleasure that I announce that as of next month, I am moving to Ottawa to begin my duties as a public servant! Many thanks go out to the lovely ladylaptop, who clued me into the job opening and will be spending A LOT of time with me for the next year! A big bottle of wine and my Mini-Eggs are already packed for when I arrive...

Spring fever

2011-04-07T23:00:00.000-04:00

Apart from the dirty remnants of melted snow and garbage in the streets, I love spring. The sun starts to feel warm, the earth slowly turns green, and I can turn off the heating, crack open my windows, and pack away my winter boots, jackets, and mittens.

I love the feeling of renewal - the old gets washed away with April rain, bringing hope for something shiny and new. One of my favourite activities is a good old-fashioned "spring cleaning." I tend to go through spurts where I accumulate a lot of stuff - both physically and virtually - and getting rid of what no longer serves me is a nice feeling. Who doesn't love a good Facebook/Twitter/Google Reader purge and/or a clutter-free closet/bookcase/kitchen?

Spring is a signal for the start of my running season. Since I failed in my goal to run the half-marathon last year (I blamed my thesis for that), I've been adamant at keeping up some form of training over the winter months. I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to winter running, so I joined a cheap gym. I've reached the upper limit of my patience there, where there are too few machines that ACTUALLY work and too many people who hog said machines. I've been out on the mountain twice in the last week, and my poor legs (and feet, oh the blisters) are none too happy with me right now. Doing 5 km on a treadmill vs. 12.5 km up and down Mount Royal are not the same. Mark my words, I WILL RUN THE HALF-MARATHON THIS YEAR. I have 5 and a half months to train for it. And no thesis to get in the way.

Spring is synonymous with hockey playoffs. It's only a big deal in this fair city when the Habs are in. After last year's "miracle on ice" (yes, I'm stealing from Team USA's 1980 Miracle, I don't care), expectations are even higher than usual for our boys to succeed. This year, they've clinched a spot - before the last game of the season, for once - and though the seeding isn't final, everyone is already making predictions and over-analyzing everything... business as usual. That being said, this time next week, the city will be buzzing with excitement. I will be out drinking many beers and watching lots of hockey. The post-season brings the city together like nothing else (riots notwithstanding).

Spring also brings the promise of change. I've alluded to big changes previously, and though the timeline wasn't quite what I expected, there are in fact big changes afoot in my life. Nothing is set in stone, so I won't be broadcasting said changes to the internet just yet, but let's just say I should be on my way to bigger and better things. And I need to do some apartment hunting.

So here's to all things new, exciting, and clean! And GO HABS GO! (You knew I was going to throw that in there).

NHL = goon league

2011-03-08T23:13:00.000-05:00

Chara, I get it, you are normally not a dirty player.

But when you say shit like:

"Unfortunate when I pushed him that he leaned & jumped a little into the glass extension."

After a hit like this ...

Then you can go fuck yourself.

Get well soon, Patches. That's all that matters now.

2011-02-14T23:04:00.000-05:00

Who is Arcade Fire?

An awesome band that originated in the 514 and are now Grammy winners, much to the chagrin of many.
True story: my old roommate was friends with the bassist and before the band made it big, they hung out in my apartment.

Way to go, guys! You make us all proud!

Short and sweet...

2011-02-12T14:07:00.002-05:00

http://ismubarakstillpresident.com/

Changes, everywhere you look

2011-01-31T09:00:00.003-05:00

Thus far, 2011 has been all about changes.

Some of the biggest changes are taking place in the Middle East. I won't pretend that I am well versed in the social and political goings-on in that part of the world. However, I have taken a vested interest in what is happening in Egypt, particularly because part of my family heritage belongs there.

I have never been to Egypt. Most of what I know about it is from the history books (you know, the pyramids, Cleopatra, etc.) and from what my family has told me. I am, as would be expected from someone who loves food, quite familiar with the cuisine and have recreated some of the classics at home. I'll also admit that I am a little critical of other peoples' attempts to recreate certain dishes.

Most of the time, I don't feel connected to Egypt. I don't even speak Arabic. Yet, for some reason, the uprising has stirred me. I was glued to Al Jazeera (English) on Friday - absolutely amazed by what I saw. I felt a surge of pride watching the people of one of my mother countries stand up for democracy. It is so refreshing to see people brazenly oppose the autocrats and basically tell them to get the f- out. And as much as I am not part of the world - my family left Egypt many years ago and I have a handful of Egyptian friends - this revolution continues to intrigue me and inspire me.

It also serves to remind me how lucky we are, despite our own political problems, to live in a society where we have freedom. To not fear being disconnected from the rest of the world for standing up for what we believe in. To not receive threats from secret agents that we are saying too much about a political regime we don't believe in. I know I lose sight of it sometimes and I often need a reality check - just to put my life into context. I have been complaining - loudly and often - lately about how much I am not enjoying my work. I feel irrelevant and unimportant and that my skills and accomplishments mean absolutely fuck all.

Then I remember that as much as I am unhappy with where I am right now, at least I am employed. The counter-attack is that I should not, at this point, be settling for just any old job just because it provides income. Of course, that part of me is feeling deflated - it took me a long time to build up my self-confidence and with many job applications and few job interviews, it's been extremely difficult to stay up-beat. YES, I am employed and could be collecting chomage. YES, I am enjoying a comfortable, though slightly constrained life at this point. And YES, I understand that some of the choices I've made have me less employable than what I could have been had I chosen another route. I am aware of all these things, yet it hasn't prevented me from sliding in and out of funks. I tell myself, it could be worse. And in light of all the crazy things happening in the world right now, it certainly could be. (why it couldn't be better also crosses my mind, but that will spiral this whole thing even further... a never ending black hole of self-pity/scolding myself for feeling that way)

Anyway, the point of this was not to throw myself a pity party. Changes are afoot for the month of February, which have me feeling more optimistic. The biggest one thus far: being granted my degree. As soon as my supervisor approves my thesis online and some other approvals take place, I will officially become a MASTER OF SCIENCE. Some of the other changes ... will be discussed at a later time.

Well, I think that's enough about me to last us all for a little while.

Don't ask me to make football picks

2011-01-23T23:30:00.000-05:00

So far, every team I have wanted to win in the NFL playoffs has lost.

I was really hoping to bust out my Bears cap for the Super Bowl. Denied. I was really hoping that the stupid Steelers would be eliminated by the Jets ... even though those same Jets absolutely crushed my Patriots last week. Denied.

Granted, I am not a huge NFL fan. I appreciate the hard-working, every day guys who play in the CFL much, much more. Plus, my Alouettes are the reigning Grey Cup champs ... AND were featured on 30 Rock this past week (awesome).

All that being said ... Go Packers! ('cuz I am not a fan of that sleazebag Big Ben).

... which means Pittsburgh is probably going to win. *groan*

Progress report

2011-01-10T21:43:00.000-05:00

Well, so far 2011 has been busy.

A good kind of busy - there are a lot of things going on at the moment, between work, job hunting, tutoring, apartment hunting, going to the gym/yoga, and getting those darn thesis corrections out of the way.

So far, not doing too hot on the procrastination thing as I sat down at my computer over an hour ago to finish reading my thesis and instead visited craigslist, talked to my mom about the CUTEST BABY IN THE WORLD (my newest second cousin who is hopefully being released from the hospital this week) and am now writing this blog post.

I've been very good about facebook - I have gone 10 days without playing Bejeweled Blitz or Zuma Blitz and it feels great. Not doing too well with my willpower to not eat the Christmas treats I received - thanks to my mother for giving me MORE stuff over the weekend.

Now before I start thinking about the Lindt chocolates in my pantry ... time to do a final thesis read through so it is out of my life forever!

Letting go.

2011-01-03T01:35:00.013-05:00

It's 2011. Happy New Year!

I've been cleaning out in my apartment in anticipation of making a big move later this year (still a work in progress given the uncertain nature of my future career path, which I don't even want to think about at the moment). I came across my old journals and just spent the last hour reading my first one, which documents my life between grades 5 and part of grade 11. I had to laugh at most of it - and am so glad that my teenage years are well behind me. I would not go back even if I could do it over again, knowing what I know now.

There are a few more journals I've kept in the years since (and one that I use from time to time even now ... and should maybe turn to for a good cathartic experience) and I thought about reading through them ... but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I've packed them back in their box and put them away, but I am left thinking that maybe it is time, once and for all, to let go of my past and just get rid of them. Do I really need written evidence of the things I've thought and felt over the last 15+ years? If my memory fades, do I want to read those words and remember things that should be forgotten anyway? Perhaps my reluctance is a sign that I'm not willing to let go - my heart (my well-intentioned but often foolish heart) says "not yet."

But, in the spirit of moving on and de-cluttering my already cluttered home and life, rationality may win out - though I seem to have a hard time doing it, I am well overdue to just let go.

(And to do my thesis corrections.)

At the very least, it can wait until tomorrow morning.

In the meantime, I'd like to wish whoever still follows/lurks/stumbles upon this blog all the best for a prosperous and wonderful 2011. May you strive to achieve all you set out to do. I've already started by deleting my facebook applications. Except my year in statuses because I thought that was pretty cool (plus I wanted to show off all the cool things I did in 2010). But now, keeping with the theme of this post, I am moving on ...

Happy holidays!

2010-12-28T21:30:00.000-05:00

As usual, I have fallen off the blog bandwagon again. A fellow tweeter put it best when he said, "Just do or don't - there is no try" in response to a tweet about trying to start blogging again. I didn't for the last month and a half, but I did think about how I wanted to blog about that very topic. Which, in the grand scheme of things, is not worth very much.

Too much thinking is exactly what my problem is right now. I have a tendency to jump into things quickly and deal with the consequences later. This has worked for me for the last several years, but now I am at the point where I have to deal with the consequences of my choices and I am not liking it a single bit. Now I am over-analyzing every detail of my life, which is making me feel like I fucked up somewhere along the way. Simply put, I am in a funk. This is not the best time for feeling like I've had the wind knocked out of me - I love the holidays and this time of year fills me with so much joy.

It took some time, but the holiday cheer finally kicked in at the right time (aka booze and sugar highs?) and I am feeling more optimistic these days. Of course, I also count my blessings - no one in my family was stranded in an airport far away to get to us for Christmas dinner, no one in my family disappeared a week before Christmas and was found frozen to death on the shore of Lachine Canal (so sad!), and I am blessed to be surrounded by people brimming with love and laughter. I'm sure this feeling will last until I run out of sweets and the post-holiday hangover kicks in, but until then I am riding the wave.

So I may be a couple days late, but wherever you are in the world, I hope your holidays are filled with wonderful people, places, and things.

Still dreaming of Italy

2010-11-10T10:55:00.000-05:00

Read this: "Italian Food is Love"

The post pretty much sums up the difference between eating in North America and eating in Italy - more dramatic than I would be in comparing the cuisine, but overall hits the mark.

That being said, I'm not well-versed in the cuisine of Florida - but I'd like to think we have more ample variety of excellent dining (and by that, I mean using fresh, local produce) here in Montreal - after all, isn't that why tourists come to visit? I mean, it's not just for the poutine and the smoked meat, right? Right????

Post-trip blahs

2010-11-08T23:10:00.000-05:00

Hello again, world!

I am back, after another little break from the world wide web. I have been largely MIA when it comes to social media and such these days, above and beyond doing a little travelling.

Let me start by saying that I want to move to Europe. I can totally see myself living in Italy. Sure, there is a slight (and by slight I mean significant) language barrier, but I can learn, right? I spent 2 weeks eating delicious food, drinking copious amounts of wine, and looking at - and actually appreciating - art. I felt so much more cultured than I do at home. I was surrounded by classy, well-dressed, beautiful people (well tourists not so much - polyester track suits + socks and sandals scream "NOT FROM HERE!" - and FYI, just no.) and it just felt right being there. I was sad to come home, knowing that I was coming back to a city labeled as North America's Europe ... which, now that I have been there, can safely say is really not the case. (And don't get me wrong, I love my city).

Although this was not my first trip with mon amour, it was the first one overseas. I was not sure what to expect as we are both very different in almost every way possible. For one thing, he is a mega planner - dates, times, locations - whereas when I travel, I like a less structured itinerary. Well, we managed to strike a good compromise and we didn't have any major quarrels (except for one instance where, after drinking a spritz and half a bottle of wine, I loudly declared during a heated debate that I was going to punch him in the face. Oops.). We had a really great time together - finally celebrating our anniversary and finishing school - and even one birthday (I'm not proud to admit that the grappa shots I insisted we get for his birthday were my downfall. Mainly because he gave me the rest of his shot following my declaration of being able to handle hard liquor. Oh, the irony. Oh, the hangover.)

Moving on. I won't brag too much more about how incredible and awesome and beautiful Italy is. I'll just post a picture or two here:

The beautiful city of Firenze

Just a sampling of the deliciousness of San Daniele

The city of canals - Venezia

Suffice it to say it was hard to come back home to colder weather and a job that simply doesn't inspire me everyday. However, I am thankful to have said job - especially since they have graciously extended my contract until April and are making me a full-time employee, which entitles me to benefits. So, until I find that perfect job that WILL inspire me every day, at least I have a regular paycheque and won't be applying for unemployment come January. Go me!

And off I go ... to catch up on the TV I missed and get myself to bed.

peace.

Oops.

2010-10-13T21:52:00.000-04:00

Hm. Yeah, so much for improving my blogging quota.

It's been a busy month. I've had something to do every weekend since Labour Day - be it a Terry Fox Run (where I met my goal!!), a trip to O-town to visit my dear ladylaptop, heading up north for a ladies weekend (ladies being my awesome family ... and yeah, I may have felt a little left out being the only one without kids - what with all my cousins popping kids out these days. I'm not saying this is a bad thing though), and, this past weekend, a Thanksgiving feast! (where my mother made turkey and my dad made a roast beef on a spit ... there were so many levels of awesome to this meal).

And with football to watch every weekend (CFL and yes, some NFL), plus the start of the hockey season (come on, I live in Montreal, as the slogan goes, we ARE hockey)... plus spending evenings at the gym or running while it is still nice out - well, there isn't much time to sit and write. Plus - besides sports, there is so much good tv to watch ... current events to stay on top of (Chile and miner rescue ... was fascinated and teared up when the first guy surfaced last night ... as an aside, it's amazing how being out of school has put me back in touch with reality).

Not to mention that I'd prefer not to dwell on how horribly discouraging the job hunt is. You'd think that someone with over 20 years of education under her belt would have jobs thrown at her ... but then you'd be wrong. (Unless you're my bf, who received THREE job offers without even applying for them. And no, he is not moving back out West). ANYWAY. I'm not thinking about the long-term future because in the short-term future ... I am going to Italy!!! How short-term, you ask?

Well, I leave in (less than) 48 hours.

Yep. It's been a possibility for a while and only became a certainty this past weekend. It's been a dream of mine to visit this country, and yet - I am still not bouncing off the walls with excitement yet. Maybe because we're flying standby so there's no actual booked flight. Maybe because all I've planned for this trip so far is a 3 day stay in Florence - which is fine because I don't like a solid itinerary. Maybe because I have nothing packed and I can't decide what I should bring. But still - I AM GOING TO ITALY. The land of art and pasta and churches and pizza and wine and all the wonderful, beautiful things of life. There. That's better.

So now there's a good reason why you won't hear from me for a little bit. After all, I'll be enjoying la dolce vita for the rest of the month.

Ciao!

Terry Fox Run, part 2

2010-09-15T17:44:00.000-04:00

Working together to outrun cancer - please pledge me!

There it is, a simple plea for an awesome cause.

I wasn't around 3o years ago when Terry Fox started his Marathon of Hope. I can't imagine the training required to run on one prosthetic leg - all with the goal of making it from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Not to mention the determination to keep pushing forward until the dreaded disease came back and claimed Terry's life.

The "issues" in my life pale in comparison to battling cancer. A very good friend of mine recently took on this battle - with positive results. He kicked that cancer's ass. Other people I've known - and people I've never had the chance to meet, such as my grandfather, who passed away when my mother was 15, were not so lucky.

This foundation is very close to my heart. Throughout elementary school, our gym teacher challenged us every September to collect pledges for our own Marathon of Hope. Every year, on a glorious fall day, the warm sun beating down on the playground (I don't remember it ever raining on Terry Fox Day), each grade would take a turn to head out to the makeshift track. With a loudspeaker blaring The Greatest Hits of Queen (Mr. S LOVED Queen), we would run laps, collecting straws after each turn from the volunteers (usually our moms). At the end, we would tally up our straws, drink our juice boxes, and head back to class - sweaty but proud.

Back in my day, our school was one of the top earners for the Terry Fox Foundation. One year, our fundraising total earned us a special assembly and a visit from CTV. We were famous!

Anyway, this year it is the 30th anniversary of Terry's passing, and I would like to honour him and his dedication by joining the Run for the first time since grade 6 - which was 15 years ago (yikes!).

I'm so close to reaching my goal (two-thirds of the way there!) and I would really like to make it to $1000.

So, once again, I ask - please help. $5? $10? $100? All donations are welcome and they DO make a difference.

87 cents of every dollar collected for the Foundation goes straight to research!

Thanks a million.

The Terry Fox Run

2010-09-12T23:50:00.000-04:00

I realize that with this post, whoever clicks on the link will know who I am. I am ok with this because I am raising money for a very good cause - cancer research.

As I have described previously (see here and here), I think that cancer sucks and deserves a swift kick in the ass. I have also sent out a major FUCK YOU to cancer and I urge you to do the same.

This year, I will be running 10 km in the Terry Fox Run at Mount Royal, in Montreal (next Sunday, September 19th, 10:30 am at the Beaver Lake chalet). I have joined McGill's team and I am aiming to raise $1000 for the foundation, which also represents one-fifth of Team McGill's goal. As of tonight, I am at 66% of my goal. Last week, I managed to raise $500 in less than 24 hours thanks to some very generous donations.

I urge you to please please please help me get to my goal so that we can help people living with cancer survive. And to tell it to FUCK OFF, of course.

Click the link below to access my personal page. You can donate online, securely, and pay by credit card. You will receive a tax receipt and feel all warm and fuzzy inside for helping with this cause. Plus, YOU don't have to get all sweaty by running the 10 km - I do!

Thanks!

peace.

Working together to outrun cancer - please pledge me!

Real life sucks sometimes

2010-09-07T19:13:00.000-04:00

Less than an hour ago, I was hit with an ice-cold dose of reality.

My brother's best friend's father died this weekend. He suffered a brain aneurysm. His family had to make the painful, heart-wrenching decision to take him off life-support as he was declared brain-dead.

So take a minute from your busy lives and petty problems to think about how lucky you really are. Then go hug and tell the people you love how much they mean to you.

And of course, much love and my deepest sympathies to the family. I can't even imagine the sorrow they feel.

Training?

2010-09-05T11:23:00.000-04:00

Well ... today I was planning to run the Montreal Marathon. Ok, the half-marathon. I'm not quite ambitious enough to run 42 km. But I figured I would be able to handle 21 km if I trained for it. I started off really well. I ran a 10 km race in my hometown in June and after that, I was inspired.

However inspiration and finding the time to perspire are two very different things. Well at least you tell yourself that when you're facing impending deadlines to submit important documents. And so, the plan to run at least 4 times a week and do yoga the other 3 days a week becomes ... running once a week and yoga maybe every other week. And just when I was getting back into it and thinking, hey, maybe I will be able to do a half, I end up spending a week in Mistissini with only enough time to go "run" once (it never works out well when I go with other people) and then, the deadline once again takes precedence over everything else.

Plus me and heat waves don't get along so well. Running during heat waves is also a terrible idea, even if it is early in the morning or late in the evening because the temperature simply does not drop. Dehydration affects you more acutely, you're sweating profusely, it's hard to breathe in the humid air, and your extremities start to swell (true story).

These excuses suck. I know this. I'm kicking myself for being lazy and being a procrastinator. I could have very easily participated in the 10 km race today. In fact, I was seriously considering it this week, until I saw that the sign up fee for last-minute people such as myself was $55. For a race that takes less than an hour. For a distance I usually run when I train on the mountain - for free. So given my tight financial situation, I figured it wasn't worth it for the distance.

And so, once again another lame excuse holding me back. Thus, instead of being up at the crack of dawn this morning to run with 20,000 other people, I am sitting here at my desk, writing this post and generally feeling like a bum.

Next year, I WILL do that half-marathon. Mark my words. And next year, there will be no excuses to hold me back.

Where to go from here?

2010-09-03T00:03:00.001-04:00

Oh, hi there!

Remember me? I used to blog here fairly regularly back in the day. I had, once again, dropped off the face of the earth, but here I am, returning to the scene once more.

I was toying with the idea of shutting down this whole thing. I mean, I have a half-dozen readers at best, and it's not like I'm keeping anyone up to date about anything going on in my life or otherwise.

Then I realized that I rather enjoy having my very own piece of the internet. Well, sort of. I guess it technically belongs to Blogger (and that would belong to Google, which pretty much owns the majority of the internet now anyway). Point being, I like having a place I can call my own, where I can write about whatever I want, when I want, and whoever wants to see it can.

I've reached a new point in my life. One I have never faced in the last 23 or so years. I AM DONE SCHOOL! I AM NOT GOING BACK TO SCHOOL! (well at least not in the foreseeable future). I AM NO LONGER A STUDENT! I'm still as destitute as a student and up to my eyeballs in loans, but my thesis is out of my hands, and my evenings and weekends are strangely free.

Granted, my student responsibilities are not over. I am awaiting corrections to my thesis (though those won't be appearing any time soon) and I have yet to discuss manuscript possibilities with my supervisor. However, I am no longer required to wait in line for the shuttle bus to Mac, to go and get my proof of student status for my OPUS card, and, more excitingly (I suppose), to pay tuition.

I thought I would be much more excited than I feel right now about this whole thing. Strangely, I feel hollow. I have no permanent job and, after all these years of school, I still don't know what I really want to do with my life. I used education as my escape from facing the "real world" for the last, well, many years, and short of jumping into a PhD (which I am not ready to commit to), there is no more hiding from choosing where my career will take me.

And so, I am at a crossroads. I could go on sailing from research assistant position to research assistant position, but there is no stability in that. I like stability. I like some sort of a plan. I like to know that I will be able to pay my rent, my bills, and feed my cat without worrying that the money is going to run out. So I know it's time to buckle down and really focus on what I want. For someone who is usually very sure about things that I want (i.e., material things or a tattoo, my graduation gift to myself) - this is one area where I fail. We're talking epic fail. My father has been asking me the question for the last 10 years - I had no answer back then (which drove him crazy) and I still don't really have an answer now. I know that "nutrition or something" won't cut it anymore.

You may or may not see more of me around here in the coming days, weeks, and months. I'll make a conscious effort to keep things going here while I try to figure out my life and where I'm headed next.

In the meantime, some fun diversions that make me smile (you've probably seen them but ... whatevs).

If historical events had facebook statuses (what amuses me even more are the ridiculous comments about how offensive the creation bit is. Lighten up.)

iPhone 4 vs Evo ("I'm dead. Are you happy? Your fucking stupidity has killed me. Now my goddamn cat is homeless. I'm no longer alive. I'm dead." "I need the white one.")

Born to Run featuring Jimmy Fallon (I love Jon Hamm. That is all.)

peace.

Yeah! What Nature said.

2010-07-28T18:08:00.000-04:00

Dear Mr. Prime Minister,

Get with the program and SAVE THE CENSUS.

Thanks.

See link:

Save the census : Nature : Nature Publishing Group

The Globe and Mail: pasta with zucchini & zucchini flowers

2010-07-06T20:37:00.000-04:00

This sounds divine. I must go to the market for zucchini and zucchini flowers.

Thanks, Globe and Mail! (Follow them on twitter @globeandmail)

Chef’s recipe: Pasta with zucchini and zucchini flowers - The Globe and Mail

Integrating modern and traditional medicine: Facts and figures - SciDev.Net

2010-07-02T14:44:00.000-04:00

Some intelligent reading for my followers while I write:

Integrating modern and traditional medicine: Facts and figures - SciDev.Net

This article interests me because while my focus is integrating TM into an indigenous group's conventional care system, the focus here is integrating TM into mainstream's conventional care system.

Summer in the city

2010-07-02T14:38:00.000-04:00

I have become the lamest person on the island of Montreal. Thanks to thesis writing and working part-time, I no longer have the free time to have a life.

I think last weekend's camping trip will be about the most fun that I'll be having the summer. And considering how high-strung I was most of that weekend, I have a feeling that I will be an unpleasant creature for the next 2 months.

And so, I retreat into my cave.

Check ya later.

Bonne fête

2010-06-24T11:27:00.001-04:00

Well today is Saint Jean Baptiste day in my fair province of Quebec - or as nationalists call it - "la fête nationale." CBC Radio commemorated the occasion by interviewing Jackie P this morning. Jackie P, otherwise known as Jacques Parizeau, is probably one of the few remaining hard-liner separatists (at least that I know of). You might know him as the guy that blamed Anglos and the ethnic vote for costing Quebec the chance to pursue sovereignty in 1995. Right. Collectively, us anglos and other non-francophones make up maybe 30% of the population in this province, yet, to my knowledge, 51% of the province said "no" (and that's low-balling since so many "no" ballots were supposedly illegible and thus not counted. Those ballots have since been thrown away to cover up the conspiracy or something, right?)

The point I think I wanted to make is that Jackie is delusional for thinking that Quebec will ever become a sovereign nation. The best he will ever get in his lifetime (which is limited due to old age) is the recognition of being a "distinct society." Quite frankly, despite your best arguments, I think that is more than what Quebec deserves. After all, every province in this country is distinct in its own way - you would be hard-pressed to find someone from BC who identifies with someone from Saskatchewan or the Maritimes. Yet, Quebec insists on it being "us" vs. "them" (i.e., the rest of Canada). Besides language, what else is so DIFFERENT from the rest of North America? And you talk about rights to self-determination? What about the hundreds of First Nations and Inuit groups in this country who still have to fight for THEIR own rights to self-determination? People who actually ARE part of distinct societies, people who have been here for thousands of years and have been treated like second-class citizens since the arrival of Europeans? HM?

Well. I took that a bit farther than I intended - or not nearly far enough, depending on your perspective. I will stop it there since I do have a thesis to write.

To me, today is not about celebrating Quebec's nationalist pride. It's a day off to enjoy our very distinct culture - so enjoy your Molson Ex, along with your all-dressed steamies and poutine, followed by a May West dipped in maple syrup for dessert, while listening to Les Cowboys Fringants/Eric Lapointe, etc. by a bonfire in the woods.

Apologies

2010-06-17T08:00:00.001-04:00

I have been largely absent from the blogosphere. Again. My apologies. I have become far more involved in the world of twitter since my temporary hiatus because it's fast and easy and convenient, and, well, we live in an age of speed, ease, and convenience. I have become much more adept at condensing text to 140 characters while maintaining some form of sense, and this has become handy in thesis writing. How so, you might ask? Isn't spending more time on twitter a detriment to progress? The short answer is yes. BUT consistently being concise AND brilliant (I admit I have produced some gems on the ol' twitter account - @x_ine if you want to follow me!) has helped me avoid long-winded and ugly sentences that I would otherwise use. I can prove it too - I have basically re-written everything that was formerly in my proposal and relevant to the thesis (intro, lit review, methodology). What I wrote two years ago is shit. Granted, I have the benefit of experience at this stage of the game, but still - WHAT WAS I THINKING?!

As you can imagine, much of my life as of late has been consumed with school and work commitments. I have been sliding in and out of funks (though I blame hormones on most of it) frequently - I have been feeling antsy about "what's next" and probably focusing too hard on THAT instead of on "what's now." I'm trying to maintain regular training - in fact, I competed in my first 10K race last weekend! I actually managed to set a new personal best at 56:02, and I'm quite proud of this given my half-assed effort in the last few months. I tend to work out in spurts, which is not conducive to maintaining good shape (plus I get depressed when I turn bloaty and soft which leads to emotional eating which worsens the bloating and softness problem ... a vicious cycle I am VERY AWARE of, thank you very much.)

However, how can I stay in a funk when summer is upon us? Hot weather = skirts and sandals and pool-side mojitos/work when I can get out of the city and to my parents' house. This year, I am opting for worsening the environment (sorry, air) by installing an air conditioner in this apartment. Listen, once YOU have to shower 5 times a day in cold water because you've been sweating just while sitting in your 37 degree (98 F for you non-SI folk) apartment which gets NO air movement, you won't be telling me what a travesty it is to be relying on such devices that contribute to both noise and air pollution. And, no, quite frankly I don't care what people did before they had air conditioners. Or what people who live in mega hot climates do. I was apparently not built to deal with humidity and high heat. Besides, it will be a welcome relief to shut out the noise of the alley, where drunks congregate after midnight and VERY LOUDLY TELL EACH OTHER TO GO FUCK THEMSELVES and where garbage trucks pass by at all hours of the day and night (usually during the hours in which I like to sleep) to collect last night's bottles (nothing quite like waking up to the sound of smashing glass). OK, long-winded rant over. How quickly we revert to old patterns.

Oddly, tonight mon chum requested I change his ring tone to Lady Gaga's "Alejandro." Not sure why, since his name is not Alejandro ... and it's kind of a break up song of sorts.

Finally, it is World Cup season, and I am supporting ....

...

wait for it ...

God Save the Queen!

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/team=43942/index.html

VWXYNot?: Captions Please...

2010-06-06T17:21:00.000-04:00

LOLz...All I have to say is go visit this blog post.

VWXYNot?: Captions Please...

SIGH

2010-05-24T22:40:00.001-04:00

Well hockey is done in Montreal. We got a month more than most people thought we would, so I guess that's alright. Now, I'm all about the BLACKHAWKS! who will OBLITERATE! those god damn mother-f'ing dirty assed goons that are the F-ING FLYERS! (especially that dirty Scott Hartnell with his ugly face and hideous hair).

Ok. Rant over.

Sorry if I'm not one of those gracious, "congratulations, Philly" type of fans. That's not how I roll.
That being said, Merci à mes Canadiens pour une belle saison.
You worked some playoff magic and people in this city believe again.
Can't wait to see what's in store for 2010-11!

xo

10 days later...

2010-05-17T00:05:00.000-04:00

...and it's mostly good news!

- My dog had her spleen removed and we are awaiting biopsy results to see if the cancer has spread. She's rebounded really well, and apart from a huge scar down her belly, you never would have known she was sick!
- Habs eliminate Pens in an epic Game 7 that was much less fun to watch on the West Coast (though everyone at the pub was cheering for the right team). Hooligans try to riot back at home and our reputation continues to suffer. Next, the Habs get a huge smackdown from the dirty Flyers in Game 1, but let's rest assured that's the first and last time that happens, yes? (God I hope so).
- Amazing conference: soaked in hot springs, learned to surf, biked EVERYWHERE, learned some new things, met some great people, and, oh yeah, rocked my presentation! YAY!

Conference-bound! ... and stuff.

2010-05-07T18:25:00.001-04:00

In exactly one week's time, I will be presenting at my first-ever conference!

I am mega-excited to be heading to Tofino for the International Congress of Ethnobiology 2010.

I'm sitting on the train to Ottawa now, enjoying the free wi-fi and looking forward to hanging out with my cousins before flying to Vancouver tomorrow morning. Then it's more family time with the West Coast folks and Game #5 (YAHOO!) and then onwards to Vancouver Island on Sunday!

It's gonna be a jam-packed week with great talks, cool people, and fun field trips. Postdoc #1 and I are gonna do a whale-watching tour/hot springs soak and I fully intend on taking on surfing as Tofino is home to Canada's best waves! (Insert Planet Smashers' Surfing in Tofino here). Oh, and I simply must be able to park my ass in front of the TV for Game #6 on Monday night (errr... afternoon. Details.)

Also, I'd just like to take this moment to mention that I was in fact at Game #4 last night at the Bell. It was everything I'd imagine a playoff win at home would be - and then some. The officiating was pure garbage (as made clear by angry peeps throwing their trash on the ice), enough for CBC (and DON CHERRY! to comment on it) but we came out on top. Victory was sweet. I was slightly deaf by the end of it and am at risk of losing my voice again, but it was so, so, so worth it. Plus I bought 3 hot dogs from some hot firemen who had a little post-game bbq going on at their Caserne, Men in uniform are sexy, which totally justifies my $10 donation.

These good things help mask the painful news I received yesterday that my sweet, sweet dog, only 10 years young, has a massive tumour on her spleen and may not even be alive by the time I get back home. She's going to see a doggy oncologist on Monday, and I'm praying that they can do something, anything to keep her alive just a little while longer. At least long enough for me to be able to go home and say good-bye. This came out of the blue, so we are still shell-shocked. My parents and bro are not optimistic that she'll get through this, but all I can do is hope. We haven't broadcast the news to many other people yet (if any family members are reading this), but I'm having a hard time dealing/keeping it to myself.

ANYWAY. That's the best real blog post you're going to get out of me for now, hope you liked it.

peace, love, habs.

Sick.

2010-05-03T18:01:00.002-04:00

Know what's better than a throat infection?
A throat infection with bronchitis!
Know what's even better than THAT?
A throat infection, bronchitis, and no voice!

So since I've been told by the doctor to not sing, yell, or otherwise strain the vocal chords, I bring you:
Habs Romance, Part 2!

And in case you missed it, here is the original:

Super cheesy, I know. But this is Montreal. And Montreal is hockey. This is what we DO.

Hockey talk

2010-05-01T20:01:00.002-04:00

We need more of this for Game 2. Let's go Habs!

Gulp

2010-04-19T11:52:00.000-04:00

Ok, so Olympic blogging is also on hiatus.

I'm sorry I suck at committing to this.. BUT, well, I'm just plain busy these days. I suppose these short little posts do little to make up for my lack of blogging, but it's better than nothing, yes?

In case you were wondering, here is the low-down on what's been happening lately:

1. Playoff hockey. Habs vs. Caps. I'm going to Game 3 (tonight) at the Bell Centre. To say that I can't stop thinking about it would be an understatement. I've never been to a playoff game before, so I'm shaking with excitement (not to be confused with Ovechkin's smart ass comments about Halak shaking with nerves).
2. Employment situation. I'm still looking for a permanent position (ideally at the government) but that's not working out as I had hoped. However, I did manage to score some part-time (full-time post-thesis) work as an interviewer for a public health research project. Trying not to burn the candle at both ends as I am hoping to TA postdoc's course next month and am invigilating a few exams this week and next.
3. THESIS. Defense in 8 days. Analysis coming along really well: should be able to write it all up and have chapters ready to show by mid-May. Am presenting results in Tofino in a little less than a month. However, this point has literally CONSUMED my existence to the point where I will soon be heading into full fledged hibernation. Hibernate now, enjoy summer later.
4. New apartment? I really want to move. Day by day, I resent this place more and more. Well, this building. The neighbours. The lack of storage space. The increase in grime and trash and bummy characters in the 'hood. Anyone know of any 4 1/2s or 5 1/2s for rent this fall?

Anyway, without further ado, back into NVivo I go.

I hope to have real updates and blog posts of substance sometime soon.

Olympics, Part 2

2010-03-24T15:30:00.002-04:00

Two posts less than a week apart! I don't remember the last time that happened.

Since I am having a hard time focusing today, my punishment is not going outside to enjoy the sunshine. No, today, I must stay in and be miserable. Because at least if I'm sitting at my computer typing and not playing Bejeweled Blitz (my new FarmVille substitute), then I'll feel like I'm accomplishing something.

Anyway, back to business.

So Friday, February 12th - Opening Ceremonies Day!
I packed my bags and headed downtown to stay with my cousins, who live in a gorgeous 2-storey apartment on the top floors of a high-rise. Can anyone say 2000-square foot terrace and stunning 360 view of the city (oh, and a PERFECT view of the LiveCity Yaletown fireworks every night - except for the night of the Alexisonfire/barricade crashing incident)?

However, it was another gloomy day in Vancouver, and things got off to a rocky start - as we heard about Georgian luge racer Nodar Kumaritashvili's tragic accident at the sliding centre (which CTV had the audacity to show, WITHOUT a disclaimer, immediately following the broadcast of the Opening Ceremonies. I was completely flummoxed - what idiots). Anyway, we decided that we needed to shake off this horrifying news and get into Olympic spirit by heading downtown to catch the goings-on. We started at Granville Island, where we saw one of the torch bearers, fresh from her 300m jaunt. I've never seen so many people mob a complete stranger - all because she was clutching a torch. From Granville Island, we hopped the tram to Cambie bridge and then walked across it to so that we could get a better glimpse of the Athletes' Village. Several of the teams put up their flags - most notable was a giant boxing kangaroo for Australia and a massive Canadian flag for the home team.

Though we were 3 hours away from the official opening - we could see that the lineups to get into BC Place had already started. The city was slowly coming alive as more and more people landed at YVR and poured into the city core. Everywhere you went was a sea of humanity as crowds of people milled around downtown, visiting the pavilions (Irish House in particular being a popular destination) and hoarding Olympic apparel at The Bay's massive Olympic superstore - there were line-ups to get in every day - even after the Games ended and there wasn't even much left!

The excitement was really starting to build - more so as we headed from Yaletown to Robson Square. It was a sea of red - Canadian flags, red mittens, Team Canada hockey jerseys, jackets, and shirts (and red tights - I spontaneously picked up a pair at American Apparel for $20, the most expensive hosiery I have ever bought. Explains why I am still a poor student)- I have never seen such concentrated patriotism. I have never felt so proud to be a Canadian and so lucky to be at the centre of it all!

Robson Square was definitely the celebration headquarters during the Games. They set up a skating rink (the ice made from supercooled plastic or something), a zipline (which my aunt and uncle had talked me into trying that day, but then we found out that the wait time was 5 hours for 15 seconds of exhilaration. I think not.), and a stage for live music. The giant countdown clock was the major centre-piece, and I got a picture of it just as it ticked down to t-2 hours (eeee! 2 hours to go!).

We made it back to my cousin's just in time for the start. I was giddy with excitement - the Games had really begun!

Of course, we all know how the Opening went - all in all, I thought the creative segments were quite spectacular - and then came the lip-synced performances (some great, some ok, some awful), a screeching rendition of the Olympic theme song (sorry, but the opera version didn't do it for me), and - of course, the main event - the lighting of the cauldron. However, it was slightly painful to watch Rick Hansen struggle to wheel through the fake snow (I thought they rehearsed it? I WAS invited to see a dress rehearsal. Anyway.) and then, of course, to hear the announcers make it clear there was an equipment malfunction with the cauldron arms - well, that was embarrassing. But as the flames finally sprung to life and shot up the arms of the cauldron - that took my breath away. Just like that, 16 days of competition were set to begin!

Up next: Working at Pacific Coliseum. Stay tuned!

Vancouver, part one - leading up to the Games...

2010-03-21T22:09:00.000-04:00

So, apparently I am not very good at keeping promises. If you're still following, thanks - your reward is that you will get to hear about my adventures at the Olympics. Well some of them. Obviously, 17 days of Games is way too much for one post.

But I suppose it is fitting that I start reliving my Olympic experience as the Paralympic Games begin their closing ceremonies.

So shall I start at the beginning, then?

I landed in Vancouver to beautiful sunshine after a long, long day of travelling. This included getting up at 5:30 am to leave at 6 am for breakfast at a gas station Timmy Ho's in Dorval (p.s. Dorval, you need better eating establishments near the airport because the options SUCKED) with my now-in-Oz bff (a tearful good-bye was had by the way), waiting 3 (yes, 3!) hours for my flight to leave for Toronto because my mother freaked me out with all these crazy stories about people waiting for HOURS to get through security (for the record, it took me 20 minutes to pee, look at magazines at the book store, move a 7-pound brisket that made my suitcase overweight into my carry on bag, check my bag, and get through security, which also included removing my boots), then enduring a 2+ hour layover in the most boring airport I have been to (ahem, Toronto) with the 7 pound brisket and my (not light) laptop on my back. By the way, Pearson airport, why don't you have plugs for us to plug in our laptops at the gates? Silly. Anyway, it was all worth it to experience a warm blast of 15 degree air in early February upon arrival. And to see my aunt and uncle and cousins, of course! Oh, and to finally get that frigging smoked meat out of my bag.

After an excellent and much-needed night's sleep, I awoke to another sunny day. A perfect opportunity to bust out the running shoes and get a jog in. But only after doing some work, as I promised my supervisor I would work (condition of taking off for 3 and a half weeks 4 months before your thesis is due). Of course, I never specified HOW MUCH work I would do (and my expectations were much higher than what I actually accomplished) - besides, I wanted to hang out with my uncle (who is living and loving the retired life) too! And then go eat some of those smoked meat sandwiches and drink beer and watch Habs hockey with my cousin (who was SO excited about the smoked meat that he steamed and sliced all of it after I dropped it off at his house). Yeah. I worked VERY hard while I was there.

By Thursday (t-1 day until the Opening Ceremonies), it was time for me to pick up my accreditation and uniform and then attend a training session (which consisted of a power point presentation of the tasks we would be assigned as Event Services hosts ... and didn't REALLY help since I had never even been to my venue). It was my first real test at using Vancouver transit (the sea bus and taking the Sky Train 2 or 3 stops hardly counts) and I somewhat succeeded. You see, Google Maps didn't tell me that the Express buses for the Games were only running as of the 13th of February... but thanks to some friendly bus drivers, I found an alternate route and made it to the PNE on time. Of course, Vancouver weather finally showed up (gloomy and rainy), which meant my good hair day was ruined and my accreditation photo made me look like an axe murderer with bad hair. However, finally trying on that bright blue jacket made up for it - and the realization that I was about to take part in sport's most illustrious and exciting event finally sunk in. I was AT the Olympics. I was going to be part of Olympic history. And for the next 2 and a half weeks, it was pretty hard to keep a smile off my face.

Next time: Opening Ceremonies day and my first shifts at PAC.

Bad, bad, bad

2010-03-08T12:53:00.000-05:00

I am well aware that I was supposed to keep y'all updated on what was going down at the Olympics. I failed. I failed miserably, and I apologize.

My internet access was limited to my cousin's laptop once a day (if I was lucky) and I was otherwise just wayyyy too busy working or enjoying the sights and generally NOT using the computer to get around to it.

Suffice it to say, Vancouver was, in a word, amazing.

When I do get the time (though I don't have much of it these days with a thesis to finish), I will write up a synopsis of the highlights and (the few and far between) lowlights.

In the meantime, you can enjoy some of my photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/xinemtl/Vancouver2010#
http://picasaweb.google.com/xinemtl/PacificColiseum#

peace.

Last minute...

2010-02-08T09:35:00.000-05:00

I have a little poster on my corkboard that says,

"If it weren't for the last minute a lot of things wouldn't get done."

While this is hardly motivational, it couldn't be more true. Especially for me. I leave for the OLYMPIC GAMES (yay!!!) in 24 hours and I feel like I have so much left to do - errands, final packing, and, oh yeah, a little something called WORK. Something about a thesis that I want to submit in 4 months?

I mean, I know I'm only gone for 3 1/2 weeks, but there are people I want to see before I go, particularly mon chum (who spent this past weekend at what I eloquently termed a "cock fest") and my Oz-bound bff (who will be gone by the time I get back). In fact, she offered to bring me to the airport tomorrow, where there will most definitely be a teary good-bye. We're used to being apart for long stretches of time (more recently, 7 months), but this time, it will be a lot longer. And I suck at good-byes. I hate them. It doesn't matter that they usually are not forever, but it's still so hard when the people you love leave for far, far away.

So in the spirit of actually getting things done, I leave you.

Coming up next time: at the scene of the action at the OLYMPIC GAMES! (CAN YOU TELL I AM EXCITED?!)

Oh, and a final note: Who dat? Dem Saints won them the SUPER BOWL! First time in a while the team I wanted win actually did! And what a happy, happy story for a team that was homeless 4 seasons ago ... and for a city that was broken. Truly I can't think of a more deserving team... (plus I hate the Colts)

Returns!

2010-02-01T10:00:00.001-05:00

Honey, I'm hoooooooooooome!

*crickets*

*tumbleweeds*

...Hello? Anybody out there?

After a 2 month + blogging break, I'm pleased to report that I have decided to make a triumphant return!

And I'm just in time to report that the Habs season is heading down the drain - pending news about the newest love of my life Cammalleri's injury to his poor tender knee (don't worry, Pleks, Markov, you're still my #1s) (and we won't get into hockey too much as 1) I twitter about it enough 2) it discourages me and 3) it changes from one game to another).

What else?

We've had the ultimate in schizophrenic weather this past week: torrential rain & spring weather (i.e., +8), snow squalls, and a deep freeze (-30 with windchill - yikes!) all in the span of 5 days!

And the serious stuff?

Well I'm (planning on) submitting my thesis in June, presenting at a (FIRST.EVER.ACK!) conference in May, doing my defense at the end of April, and will *hopefully* have the first draft ready by the end of March - 2 months time.

Job hunt?

Non-existent. Let's not go there.

Anything exciting?

Sure. I've started going to Tae Box classes and will soon no longer punch like a girl*. I am training (seriously!) to run in the Montreal Marathon this fall (ok, ok, I'm aiming for only a half marathon). One of my best friends and her husband are moving to Australia for their PhDs at the end of February - which involves diving in the Great Barrier Reef. Tough life, eh? Oh ... and ... well, in one week's time, I'll be heading to Vancouver as a volunteer for the WINTER OLYMPICS!

So, my next post will be coming to you live from the scene of the action - and will be the best way for me to keep in touch with my few remaining fans who may be suffering through winter on the East Coast.

Catch ya on the flip side!

*I'm still a huge wimp, though

Leave of absence

2009-11-26T19:00:00.001-05:00

I've been mulling it over for some time, but after today's committee meeting (which went very well), I've reached a decision: I'm going on an indefinite hiatus.

We've decided that submitting my thesis in February is not a realistic option, so there is less pressure for me to write until my hands fall off and have a first draft completed by the end of the year (one month? when my data analysis is barely off the ground? Um... no.). That being said, I really need to focus, more than ever, on setting realistic goals and actually accomplishing them. I now want to have my first draft completed by the time I leave for the Olympics, on February 9th.

As I made pretty clear 2 posts ago, I am way too distracted and I need to start cutting back on the stuff that is draining my time. I already spend far too much time on my computer, so I need to cut back on my internet activities. It's taken a toll on my exercising time - enough for me to notice that what was once flat and relatively firm is now soft and... not so flat.

So I am taking a break from blogging and much of the blogging world. I am cutting down on my facebook time - meaning that I'm closing down my farm for the winter and reducing my organized crime activities (can't leave, they'll kill me, I know too much).

However, I know that I mean a lot to all 10? of you that visit on a somewhat regular basis, so if you want to see what I am up to, you can follow me on twitter (@x_ine). Yeah, I thought the concept of twitter was really stupid at first, but I've come to enjoy it. I mean, I found out that Latendresse was traded through twitter before mon chum did! And writing 140 characters at a time = efficiency and I am all about the efficiency these days.

So good-bye for now, and in the words of the immortal Terminator - I'll be back.

peace, love, happy holidays, keep on truckin'

-x-ine

CFL Playoffs

2009-11-22T15:21:00.005-05:00

Sunday playoff games featuring the Als make me happy.

Sunday playoff games with the Als decimating their opponent make me very happy.

Reminiscing on the fact that a Sunday playoff game helped bring my family back together again, this time last year, with the Als coming from behind to defeat the Eskimos ... means more to me than words can describe.

Today's game has been nothing short of remarkable, with noise levels reaching over 100 dB at field level - the sound of a Boeing 707 taking off.

Keep it up, boys, we want to see you in the Grey Cup!! (45-18) -- "Win the day." (a fitting slogan)

UPDATE: Als win the day! Going to the Grey Cup, bitches! 56-18 ownage of the BC Lions. Bring it, West Division!

Trying to stay focused

2009-11-18T16:15:00.001-05:00

My pal ladylaptop had a great post the other today about secret shame. There isn't too much that I am ashamed of that I keep a secret - I'm pretty much an open book about certain things - especially about my biggest shame: I waste my time - a lot.

On what?

In no particular order:

- wayyy too much TV (One Tree Hill? Desperate Housewives? Gossip Girl? America's Next Top Model? And that's just the tip of the iceberg ... God I'm embarrassing myself, aren't I?)

- Facebook (ahem ...FarmVille, Mafia Wars (I blame mon chum for that one)...)

- Twitter (though reading 140 characters at a time is not so time consuming)...

- Google Reader ... with at least 50 blogs (but they are so interesting and fun to read ... and oh so distracting)

And then there is the stuff of everyday life (exercising, cooking, commuting) - in addition to fun, money-spending endeavours such as:

- shopping (yay Ikea and $1 breakfast ... where I FORCED myself to eat the scrambled eggs and actually enjoyed it a little)

- travelling (I can provide a bullet-point list of all the wonderful places I've been this year ... and still to come: almost one month in Vancouver for the Olympics!!)

- going out for brunch/lunch/supper with friends or family (hi, cousins in Ottawa! And, yes, we loved playing Rock Band with you ... thanks for the fb video!)

The getting-involved-with stuff because there are finally interesting things for me to get involved in:

- workshops (they usually involve free stuff and a chance to learn things)

- PGSS (better late than never, right?)

- the Aboriginal Health Interest Research Group @ McGill

- Public Health and Nutrition meetings

... and much more...

And then there is the not-so-fun, but essential for maintaining my lifestyle stuff:

- TAing (would you believe that the same student I complained about the other week emailed me THREE TIMES claiming to not understand the latest assignment ... then, privately emailed my supervisor asking the same thing ... only to receive a major smackdown from him? Loved that. The student ... not so much).

- invigilating - a necessary evil. The pay is shit, but the extra cash in my pocket is well-spent (see previous paragraph)

- looking for a job (!!!)

- finishing my thesis

Now you may be wondering, why is she listing her thesis last if she is planning to submit in February? (And, yeah, I know, what is the point of looking for a job if finishing my thesis is at the bottom of the list? Keep reading.)

And, that, my friends, is exactly the problem. All the other things seem to be more important than the most important thing right now - finishing the damn thesis. I am having an insanely hard time trying to focus on this most important thing because EVERYTHING else seems infinitely more interesting or exciting than THAT. I even prefer blogging about my inability to focus than actually being focused. And looking back at those big ugly lists ... I am well aware of the fact that 95% of it is shit that I can really do without at this point in time.

I really need to learn to manage my time better... but my motivation seems to have all but disappeared...

I need a HUGE kick in the ass... any takers?

This is what we'd call an EPIC FAIL.

We Will Remember Them...

2009-11-11T15:51:00.005-05:00

Lest We Forget.

A few hours after the fact, but I was paying my respects and remembering at McGill today - where the 21 gun salute rattled the windows, shook the ground, and set off car alarms.

And to the man who decided that whispering into his cell phone during the 2 minutes of silence was more important than observing said 2 minutes of silence: you are a disgrace. What the fuck was SO IMPORTANT that you could not stay quiet for TWO MINUTES out of your entire day to pay homage to those who fought, and continue to fight, in the name of our country. Nothing, that's what. Next time, do us all a favour, and stay home.

I hope that you all took the time to recognize the sacrifices that have been made so that we can all continue to live free. In the grand scheme of things, there is nothing more important than that.

...

Thanks to the following blogs for recognizing today:

http://www.midnightpoutine.ca/news/2009/11/november_11th_is_remembrance_day/

http://mrscomethunter.blogspot.com/2009/11/lest-we-forget.html

http://habsinsideout.com/main/23894 (Mike Cammalleri)

http://habsinsideout.com/main/24006 (Carey Price)

http://fourhabsfans.blogspot.com/2009/11/morning-skate-remembers-for-november.html

http://2postdocswalkintoabar.blogspot.com/2009/11/lest-we-forget.html

Potholes as Art

2009-11-10T14:42:00.003-05:00

Mon chum sent me a link to a really cool website.

http://www.mypotholes.com/

For those of you familiar with the lovely streets of Montreal, you know that there are often times where you fear for your life because you are sure that your entire vehicle will be swallowed up by the MASSIVE pothole directly in front of you.

Anyway, Claudia Ficca and Davide Luciano have decided to make art out of these lovely gaping holes.

Enjoy!

p.s. I am FOR REALS working on a post about sodium. Stay tuned ... by the end of the week, I'll have some interesting stuff to say.

Animal Farm Analogies

2009-11-09T16:13:00.002-05:00

Not much of interest to report on here ... besides some personal stuff that is not in the best interests of this blog. Also, I just managed to eat a massive piece of cake, kri-kri peanuts, cold cuts (no bread) and peanut butter crackers within a span of 45 minutes. I now feel disgusting. A very healthy lunch. This is why I need to eat regular meals.

But I digress. Until I come up with some good blog fodder, here is a very interesting look at hockey agents and how they have come to be is eerily similar to George Orwell's Animal Farm.

Shamefully, for me, I have never read a George Orwell novel. For some reason, my advanced English curriculum throughout high school did not feel his books were relevant? I need to get him on my (long) reading list.

Enjoy!

<3 for Montreal

2009-11-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

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

2009-11-05T14:00:00.000-05:00

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

2009-11-04T18:40:00.002-05:00

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

2009-11-02T09:33:00.002-05:00

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

2009-10-29T20:23:00.011-04:00

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

2009-10-22T18:37:00.002-04:00

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

2009-10-20T22:15:00.000-04:00

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

2009-10-12T19:41:00.004-04:00

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

2009-10-06T18:26:00.004-04:00

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

2009-09-17T12:47:00.002-04:00

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.

Public Service Announcement

2009-09-15T15:34:00.005-04:00

Have you ever heard of Film Racing?

I hadn't, until this week.

It's a contest that takes place in various cities in North America. You have 24 hours to write, shoot, edit, and score a short film (4 minutes) based on a theme and a "surprise" element. Intense.

Anyway, I'm mentioning this because a good friend of mine made it to the finals for the Montreal leg of the tour. Yay!!!

I'm also doing a public service anouncement for the cause by encouraging you to check out the site and vote* for your favourite film.

(*And if you want to support my pal, vote for Moving Mena).

Good luck, Lynds!

And ... breathe

2009-09-11T10:30:00.003-04:00

Ok, moment of panic has subsided.

I am actually a lot farther along in mapping out the direction of my thesis than I thought.

On another note, TGIF. No, really. TGI-fucking-F. It's going to be a beauty and I'm going to see some football on Sunday!

Umm...

2009-09-09T13:37:00.002-04:00

Let panic ensue.

I'm sitting here at my desk. I have not left my house for 24 hours, except to go for an hour run that strongly suggested that my 2 week hiatus was a bad idea.

I have no clue what I am doing.

I have a pile of data sitting on my computer. A list of ideas to pursue. A couple of questions to do a follow-up with.

None of it wants to come together.

I'm staring out the window at a picture-perfect end-of-summer day and I care more about being out there enjoying it than trying to solve the problems of my thesis.

What have I gotten myself into?

Back in the saddle

2009-09-08T15:06:00.002-04:00

Eesh. My first day back to reality has not been a good one. Way too much to catch up on (FarmVille! Blogs! Strong Bad! Emails!) ... it's already 3 pm and I have not accomplished one single useful thing all afternoon.

But I did want to let my readers know that I am back safe and sound after an incredibly relaxing holiday in the Caymans with mon chum. I won't brag too much, but I will say that it was GLORIOUS. The sun was hot, the beaches stunning, and the snorkeling awesome. I swam with sting rays and sea turtles, saw some barracudas, and didn't get attacked by moray eels! I drank lots of Caybrews and tropical cocktails, including the mudslide, and brought back a great tan, rum cakes, and at least 1000 pictures of life under the sea... oh and some nice bruises and scars since I am a huge klutz (this has been THE year of clumsiness for me, I don't know why).

Vacation also means being out of my routine. I have not jogged in 2 weeks and the effects are clear: by the last day, my 'lil gut was protruding. Ick. That will be remedied this evening, as soon as I get some work done. And work needs to be done because the next 2 weeks are crunch time before I head back to Waskaganish. Did I also mention that 2009 has been a good travelling year as well?

Anyway, hope everyone had an enjoyable and relaxing long weekend. I'm almost motivated to get back to work. I just need to stop dreaming of sea-side double-shot banana daiquiris (it pays to charm the bartender making your drinks)...

AWOL

2009-08-24T19:20:00.004-04:00

Sorry, dear fan(s?) that I have been AWOL lately. Alas, heat wave (ahem, pool & cocktails) + team meetings (including copious amounts of alcohol with team members) + transcribing + planning 2 trips takes a lot of time. I apologize for neglecting you.

Just wanted to check in with all (1? 2?) of you. If you are in the 514, hope you have been enjoying the splendid weather and not been stuck at the computer. Otherwise, I don't know how the weather has been elsewhere in the world, but I hope it's been nice.

In 36 hours, my vacation officially begins. You're not going to hear from me until Labour Day (at least ... I know, so sad), so enjoy what the rest of August (i.e., summer holidays) has to offer!

peace&love

Only in Quebec City / Not working

2009-08-12T15:03:00.005-04:00

Last week, I went to Quebec City with the family, right in the middle of Les fêtes de la Nouvelle-France (and no, the fête did not end with the re-enactment of the Battle on the Plains of Abraham as people here prefer to pretend that the English did not beat the French - not to mention some terrorists made a threat that people would get hurt if they did do it. They'd re-write history if they could. While we're on the subject of French and English, what the fuck is up with the idiots at City Hall that, once again, want to rename English-named streets (Amherst this time) - claiming that French is being lost??? ... But I digress).

Anyway, we ate the Aviatic Club, and this is was one of the offerings on the menu:

A sexy salad! Amazing. Obviously, I had to know what it was all about (as did one of my aunts and one of my uncles). It was being served with lightly battered fish (walleye!!!) in a spicy mango sauce and chips (taro root chips to be exact).

Well, this is what we got:

So, the salad wasn't that sexy. Just sayin'. But the fish and chips were excellent.

H-o-t

2009-08-12T13:11:00.002-04:00

Summer has finally arrived in Montreal!

It's a balmy 25 degrees in the shade, with the humidex and the sun pushing the mercury up to 31. The best part: it's going to stay like this for AT LEAST the next week. WOW! First time all summer THAT has happened! Yahoo!

Enjoying the a/c at Mac today.

Tomorrow: the lab relocates to my parents' backyard for some poolside work. Mojitos and bathing suits mandatory. Laptops optional.

5 years

2009-08-09T17:08:00.003-04:00

5 years ... that represents 1/5th of my life.

As of yesterday, it also represents the number of years since mon beau chum and I "made it official".

Yep, I got 5 roses, one for each year we've been together (aww)

To celebrate - Cayman Islands, here we come!!

Thanks a lot for fucking up my schedule again, assholes!

2009-08-07T13:49:00.003-04:00

Fuck you, major media outlets! Ever since these big companies took over our humble little radio stations, cuts and slashes have been applied all over the place.

Last year, I lamented the loss of my crush, Joe Cannon, because 940 News became 940 music. You see, you don't need to pay many people to play a pre-set music list. You just need someone to push buttons.

Now I've learned that Kevin & Trudie, who fill my afternoons with their entertaining (and occasionally biased) banter have been axed from CJAD. Well, Trudie is still employed, but Kevin has been given the heave-ho (and, sorry, Dan Laxer, I don't really like you). In fact, 8 people lost their jobs at CJAD, to make way for more syndicated crap and re-runs for our weekend listening pleasure. Again, job cuts = more money for Astral Media.

Are we blaming the recession again? Didn't the Bank of Canada say the recession was over?

Fuckers.

Summer days, drifting away...

2009-08-04T09:25:00.000-04:00

I truly love the summer. I especially love being a grad student (with no lab, just data analysis) in the summer.

Being sunny and hot on Thursday, I decided to take the day off. I drove down to Burlington with the family for a lovely day of picnicking, Ben and Jerry's ice cream, and shopping. Speaking of

Ben and Jerry's, did you know that they have something called the Ver-monster down there? It's a BARREL of ice cream that retails for $34 US. There must be like 5 litres of ice cream in that thing. Surely it's enough to feed 10 or 12 people. Thanks to some covert photography, I managed to catch this guy devouring the whole thing. Note the ice cream-covered hand. Also note the fat ass he is developing.

And I thought I was indulging by ordering a waffle cone instead of getting a cup.

I spent my Friday poolside, working on my data. It was overcast, which made it easy to read off my laptop. It's about the only time I've ever been thankful for cloud cover. I actually got a lot of work done, and as my work day ended, the sun came out, just in time for drinks and dinner outside with the family. (mmm... pink sangria, delectable lamb chops with Egyptian spices, and ice cream pie - yes, more icre cream, but I ran 8 km before dinner, I earned it!)

Saturday it was back outside. I dragged mon chum back to my house to take advantage of the pool (a refreshing 74 degrees) and the hot sun. It was truly a perfect day that ended on a perfect note - Coldplay at Osheaga! I admit, I bought my ticket solely to see them perform, and it was worth every penny.

As I stood there, under a cloudless night sky with fireworks blazing and the skyline peeking through the trees, I was reminded of how much I love this city. Even with its flaws (there are no shortage of them), at that moment, there was no other place in the world I wanted to be but here. It's pretty incredible to feel such a profound connection to home - as much as I like to move around and explore other places (or at least try to!) - there is just something about being in this city.

Anyway - so Coldplay blew my mind. To put the icing on the cake, we scored a kick ass spot close to the main stage (thanks to mon chum's friend being there all day). We ended up being just in front of a mini-stage, where the band moved to do a couple of acoustic songs, including Billie Jean (the requiste MJ tribute). Chris Martin and the boys were 10 feet away from me! I could see their sweat! They heard me scream for them! Chris looked at me! *swoon* (alas, I did not bring a camera...)

Suffice to say, August is off to a splendid start. After meeting with the supervisor yesterday (the first time I've seen him in over 2 months!), I also realized that I have a fuck-ton of work to get done in the next couple of weeks as I'll have to go back to Waskaganish for some follow-up interviews at the beginning of September... I'm making myself dizzy just thinking about it...

MJ tribute in Montreal...

2009-07-28T17:25:00.002-04:00

This is the shit. Only because I love this MJ song.

Tits-up

2009-07-27T09:15:00.000-04:00

My kindness towards strangers is quickly screeching to a halt. Up north, people you meet in the street are friendly and polite. They wave at you from their cars as you walk (or jog) past them. They ask you what you're doing in town and genuninely make you feel welcome. Even my encounters with drunk people were (somewhat) pleasant (if not slightly amusing and horribly sad). In the city, well - I have already provided numerous examples here of strangers who talk to me and generally creep me out. Once again, they did not disappoint:

On Saturday, I took the metro up to Laval to meet the fam (well, the ladies and my uncle) for our annual excursion to Hudson - browsing Finnegans (the recession has exponentially increased the amount of crap people sell there) and dining at Le Maxime (a cute bistro with kick-ass sangria, which really hit the spot when the sun came out and started blazing down on us - and no, that's not a complaint!).

Anyway, as I was waiting for the metro to arrive, I noticed this scraggly homeless guy wandering around, begging. I put on my headphones and attempted to avoid eye contact (maybe this makes me a bit of an asshole, but I had nothing to offer him). This did not work as he sat down right beside me. Then he turned to me and started talking. He started by saying he was homeless (that much was clear). Then he asked if I had any food in my bag (I did not). He then asked if I could spare him some change (I could not, I had no change). THEN he looks down, looks back up and says, "Tu as des beaux seins" (translation: "You have nice breasts").

I was both speechless and disgusted. All I could muster was a "wow, that's nice" (loaded with sarcasm, an art I have perfected over the years) and got up and walked away. Thinking about it afterward, I couldn't conceive of how I could have better handled the situation. Slapped him? Called him a disgusting pig? Would he have even cared? I clearly saw him look down at my chest, which in itself was unsettling, but I certainly didn't expect any comment. What kind of response was he expecting from me? A thank you?

Apart from that incident, the rest of my weekend was fantastic. Got to spend some quality time with my aunt and uncle (whom I adore), enjoyed dinner at the Rosemere Golf Club on Saturday with mon chum and his family, and went to my little second cousin's baptism on Sunday (she is just absolutely adorable, she looks like a pixie).

Now we're back to Monday, which means back to transcribing interviews. WHOOO HOOO!

(And in case you're wondering how much longer I'll be comparing everything to up north, well - that's to be determined.)

"Definate" musings...

2009-07-23T15:17:00.001-04:00

I was reading the link Dr. Comet Hunter (!!) posted about this Defying Gravity show (and yes, I was assuming she meant that the show was literally Grey's Anatomy in space), and I couldn't help but notice the multitude of spelling and grammar errors in the piece.

I truly feel that any sort of writing loses its credibility when the author doesn't bother to take the time to correct typos. I know I make typos in my blog (very rarely, of course!), but I'm not a serious writer trying to reach out to the masses (in fact, I think I have a steady readership of about 3 people right now, myself included). When you have google offering to check your typos for you, there is just no excuse for shoddy writing. Of course, if you're barely literate to begin with, I strongly recommend you learn to read and write better before you start your own blog and broadcast your ill-conceived thoughts to the uinverse.

The actual point of this post is to call out the people who mis-spell "definitely." I'm so tired of seeing this typo - it actually annoys me to no end when I see it spelled incorrectly. Why, oh, WHY, do you think it is spelled D-E-F-I-N-A-T-E-L-Y? Do you say def-in-ATE-ly? What part of the pronounciation of the word leads you to believe there is an "a" in this word? Get a frigging dictionary, already.

Yes, I'm feeling a little on edge today. How did you know?

It just so happens that I have started (after a week of trying to avoid it) to transcribe my interview recordings and notes. It's tedious work. Also, I didn't realize that the sound of my own voice could irritate me so much. Dear friends, I commend you for not tiring of my voice, which up until today, I thought was soothing and lovely.

It could also be that I have realized why everyone was complaining about the so-called summer in Montreal. Grey clouds are so gloomy. However, they do help me get through this boring stuff because I am not longing to be outdoors. But, mark my words, Mother Nature, you WILL cooperate this weekend because my aunt and uncle are arriving from Vancouver and I NEED to work on my tan (ok, I WANT to work on my tan, I don't really NEED to increase my risk of skin cancer... but I digress).

Ok, back to work.

Wait, before I go, best story ever: So last night before bed, a bunch of (drunk) girls thought it would be a good idea to hang out in the alleyway behind my apartment and be obnoxiously loud. Clearly, I was not impressed by this as I require at least 8 hours of beauty sleep a night. So, mon chum decided we should throw something out the window at them. He grabbed a little cherry tomato (I reluctantly allowed him to do this because they are sooo tasty) and he launched it perfectly (and totally inconspicuously) out the window and hit one of the girls over the head. The one who got hit starts yelling, 'who the fuck did that, I'm going to call the cops! Then I'm going to sue you!' And then she says, 'so you think we're loud, how about this," and starts SCREAMING as if she her limbs were being chopped off. Classy.

Meanwhile, I died of laughter. Dumb broads.

Oh dear

2009-07-21T18:17:00.002-04:00

How embarrassing is it for me to admit that I am totally digging the FarmVille app on facebook?

... To the point where I may be a tad obsessed right now?

... Because my squash, eggplant, and cherry tree are at 99% growth and I keep checking every 2 minutes to see if I can harvest them or not.

...

Yeah, sad.

UPDATE: My squash are ready! YAHOO!

Ok, ok, got it - I need to get off my computer.

Trying to get back into the swing of things...

2009-07-20T19:40:00.000-04:00

I'm starting to feel more at home now that I'm back at home.

My first full day in the city, I witnessed some dudes being arrested. What was supposed to be a simple traffic violation turned into 4 cop cars surrounding the offending vehicle and the cops finding drugs in one of the dudes' pockets. Nice.

I came home later that evening to discover that my new neighbour (who thought that my subletter lived here full time and that mon chum was her boyfriend) has his stereo right up against our shared wall and therefore I can hear whatever he is listening to. Yes.

Getting reacquainted with the insanity of the city has taken some time. I certainly didn't miss the rude people, the pushy people, the pretentious people, or the obnoxious people. I've spent the last couple of days downtown, reimmersing myself into city life. I've done some shopping (I scored some kick-ass, not quite acid wash jeans and they rock my socks), got a much-needed pedicure (running 4 times a week DESTROYED my feet ... and now my toes are neon pink!), spent a night out on the town (at B-side, where else?), and chilled in Rrrrrrosemere with mon chum and some buddies (saw Brüno - gasp! ... is all - and drank beer and played pool at the Citadel). Though I was reluctant to come home, it is nice to be back, and spreading the word about how awesome Waskaganish is.

I've brought home with me a new perspective on the way I want to live my life. For a city as "laid-back" as Montreal is said to be, it seems people are always in a rush, stressed, or panicked. Certainly many of my friends are this way. Even I tend to be that way (see: the first year and a half of grad school). Yet, up north, no one is ever pressed for time or in a hurry. Everyone just ... goes with the flow. People just aren't stressed. I can think of a couple of people I know who are constantly stressed - and being around them makes you feel that way as well. Well, no more. I've decided to embrace a slower pace - why rush all the time? Life will just pass you by. Of course, my friends all say that it will only be a matter of time until I revert back to their ways. Thanks for the confidence, guys.

Now a couple of words on "motivation" - since I've returned, I've been quite reluctant to immerse myself into the data analysis. Truth be told, I am dreading it. The thought of being chained to my computer for the rest of the summer does not excite me at all. Today, for example, was a gorgeous day, sunny and not too hot - why would I want to be stuck inside letting my brain rot at my desk? So I found some necessary reading (ok, stuff I should have read while I was away) to do and spent the afternoon enjoying the sun at Jeanne Mance park. No bugs (a welcome relief)! I don't feel I'm lacking the motivation to work (I do want to convocate next May after all), it's just that I am more into taking advantage of beautiful weather (since everyone here has bitched about it since I've been home) and enjoying the great outdoors. I consider it part of my mandate to enjoy and appreciate everything around me more. It may also be labelled as "procrastination" - but I DID do some work today, so...

I think I had a point to all of this, but I lost it somewhere along the way. Oh well.

In other news, my kitty is back in the city with me, and he was all snuggly and cute last night. He's not going to like the impending heat wave this week because I have no A/C here. I sense many visits to the homestead in the near future. What? I can work poolside. I can work even harder with a mojito by my side (virgin, obviously! ... Not.). Sure, they may be predicting rain for later this week, but I refuse to believe it.

Anyway, it's time for me to get ready for a jog. I can't believe the sun sets so early here.

Yes. I will be making references to Waskaganish for some time to come. Get used to it.

Home again

2009-07-15T12:15:00.002-04:00

Well, I'm back.

It was hard to leave. I had settled in quite nicely to the lifestyle up in the north, so being back here where it is dirty, noisy, and crowded is a bit of a shock.

I don't miss the 10 degree weather and overcast skies we experienced over my last 3 days. I don't miss the big, ugly bugs that were constantly in the way.

But, I do miss everything else.

Don't get me wrong - I was really happy to see mon chum again, and really glad he came to meet me at the airport. I'm looking forward to seeing family and friends in the coming days.

But, I think I've left a piece of heart in Waskaganish. I just loved being there.

Welcome home to me...

201st post

2009-07-03T11:45:00.003-04:00

Wachiya!

It’s time for your weekly update!

First off – the weather report. Up until yesterday, we were still experiencing mostly hot and sunny weather. Yesterday, like last Friday, was cool and cloudy (perfect running weather though). We have also had some quick rain showers over the last several days - they typically last 5 to 10 minutes and then it clears up again. On Canada Day, we had our first big thunderstorm of the summer, or so I hear. I was inside the gymnasium at the Gathering Place and missed the whole thing.

And now, the week in review:
On Saturday, the day started off looking like it would pour with rain, but by the afternoon, it had cleared up and it became hot and humid. My roommate and I decided to go for a walk in the woods, but it was short-lived since the bugs came out in full force to greet us. The flies here are huge and nasty. There are some that look like wasps and they will gladly take chunks of your skin away from you. For some reason, these ones like to swarm cars. I haven’t quite figured out the purpose of doing this – perhaps they think they will be able to penetrate the vehicle and get at the people inside? At any rate, all of the bugs have been vicious lately. It makes being outdoors frustrating at times. I now understand why the people here go out into the bush in fall, spring, and winter – and not summer. Even when I go running the bugs are in the way. The other night, there was no wind and it was as if I was running through a force field of mosquitoes. I must have ended up with 6 in my mouth, and as many more up my nose or in my eyes. Brutal. The turn to cooler weather has definitely helped with the bug situation, and I am quite thankful for it.

Anyway, apart from the bugs, all is well here. I did have a couple of setbacks with interviews (mainly people not showing up and the like) and may have had a mini-meltdown earlier this week (it took 3 and a half weeks for it to happen – pretty good if you ask me) because just about everything was going wrong. Fortunately, there are some incredible people here who are always willing to help, so any potential crises were averted. I am so grateful to be surrounded by such kind-hearted people who really want this project to be a success. I don’t know what it is about here – but every time I feel like things are spiralling out of control, there is someone there to help get me back on track. I truly love this community and I’ll be sad when it is time for me to leave (which is probably why I have been so non-committal about choosing a departure date).

The last few days have been insanely busy as I try to wrap up my interviews and focus groups. I took a time-out for Canada Day, which is a HUGE deal here (unlike la fete nationale, where I saw one person with a Quebec flag on his car). There were activities planned for the whole day, and people really got into it. Canadian flags were flying everywhere. I don’t remember the last time I saw so much red and white in Quebec! I managed to get recruited as a judge (along with one of the lifeguards here for the summer who may also happen to be really good-looking – in case you are interested, single ladies, he’s 24 and lives in Ottawa) for the various contests taking place during the day, including “Most Canadian Person” (people get dressed up in all kinds of red-and-white outfits), “Best Hat” (a Canada-themed hat, obviously), and best decorated car (I gave bonus points to the car with Habs flags. Note – thanks to Rob for all the updates concerning the team). Later in the evening, I was invited back to judge the Canada Day cakes (there were 7 to taste, which I only learned after eating a huge meal at the physicians' house – which included delicious bannock, homemade bread, and my own (fantastic) cookies (I know I am tooting my own horn here, but the doctors’ 7 year old daughter, said they were the best cookies she had ever eaten. So...).

Anyway, at 11 pm, the fireworks started. I wasn’t expecting anything huge, but man oh man, did the firefighters put on a show! I was absolutely blown away. For 30 solid minutes, we were absolutely dazzled. Just when you thought you had seen an awesome grand finale, they kept going. It was incredible, especially for a small community – they definitely put the Rosemere fireworks to shame. I’m looking forward to this weekend because I just got my fishing permits (you need to get one from the Band Office to be able to fish on category 1A lands in and around Waskaganish) and we are supposed to go with one of the guys from the Clinic. Apparently there are a lot of walleye right now (which are really tasty), so I hope I catch a big one! On Sunday, there is talk of going canoeing on the river and out into Rupert Bay with the doctors (they are awesome – so friendly and outgoing). I love being out on the water and I love boat rides, particularly when there are no storms (some of you may recall the great fun I had on a boat from Phuket to Ko Phi Phi when I was in Thailand... enough said).

Next week is the big General Assembly where everyone in the community is invited to hear about the latest developments in, well, everything. One of my community contacts wants me to prepare another booth with information about the anti-diabetic medicines project. So I’ll be busy with that, along with finishing up everything related to my project. Then – homeward bound! Expect to see my smiling face back in Montreal by mid-July (July 14th to be exact, just booked my flight back this morning) because I won’t be going to Nemaska, at least not this summer, if at all.

p.s. I’m opening up my social calendar for any and all events, particularly those that involve sangria or mojitos and swimming pools...

200th post! - Waskaganish, Volume 4 -

2009-06-25T16:18:00.002-04:00

Wachiya!

Whoa - 200th post! Pretty remarkable! It seems like just yesterday I was reflecting on reaching 100 posts and lamenting turning 25 (ok, ok, I won't complain about being the ripe old age of 25 when everyone still thinks I'm 20).

This last week has passed just as quickly as the last. I always seem to have something to do - I have yet to be bored here. The fantastic weather has been holding out since I last wrote and the past couple of days have been insanely humid. There is currently a huge forest fire blazing about 100 km from here because the conditions have been so hot and dry. We can see huge clouds of smoke in the horizon. We haven't had much rain at all in the last 2 weeks, apart from a quick shower on Tuesday morning. There was almost a big thunderstorm a couple of nights ago, but it passed right over us - we got about 15 seconds of rain, some thunder, a bit of lightning, and finally the sun came back out for yet another spectacular sunset. The bugs are also out in full force. During the day, huge flies buzz around my head and are generally loud and annoying. In the evening, the little black flies come out and attack. At sunset, the mosquitoes make their appearance. Without any sort of bug spray, you are doomed. I've learned my lesson - I do not leave the house without spray.

This past Sunday was Aboriginal Day, an annual party that celebrates traditional Cree culture and the first day of summer. It was a scorcher that day, so the event only really got started in the late afternoon. We set up my poster and information pamphlets in the wigwam and then wandered around the site to talk to people because it was too hot inside. I did manage to find a couple of people who are interested in being interviewed and I also may have a translator (he agreed but whether he'll actually come and work is another matter. I have already considered this).
The biggest crowd of people arrived just in time for the feast, which the elders spent the whole day preparing. Plates were made up beforehand, so when the feast started, we all filed into the Miichiwaahp (I spelled it wrong last time, this is the big teepee where all the food is prepared) and picked them up. The main offerings were goose and fish (walleye), but I wanted to try more, so I went to the table where they had cut up bear and moose. I got to try bear (delicious) and moose head (which I wasn't as crazy about) along with my goose (also very good) and fish, topped off with bannock, pudin (a steamed pudding made with spices and currants, delicious), an Indian donut (also delicious) and mashed potatoes.

After dinner, we went to the main stage to check out some of the games and activities taking place (a wood-carrying contest and no-laughing contest where among some of them). As the sun started to set, the fiddler came out and so began the fiddle-dance competition. I was under the impression that there was going to be an open dance, so I stated many times that I couldn't wait to dance. I soon learned that there was no open dance scheduled as it was already getting late, and one of the girls I met there decided she would sign me up for the competition. In fact, she had her son ask each of my friends what my name was (she couldn't remember and I didn't want to tell her) until one of them kindly slipped up - next thing I knew, my name was being called and off I went to perform a 30 second solo of fiddle-dancing. Do I know how to fiddle-dance? Absolutely not. Did I make a complete fool of myself? Quite possibly. However, everyone clapped and cheered when I was done (thankfully, I had a number of friends cheering me on - the same ones that sold me out), and one of the Elders said he was impressed. I suppose I have lived up to my reputation of being a pretty good dancer for a white girl.

The rest of the week has been relatively quiet. I had two people forget about their interviews with me, which is both frustrating and discouraging. On Tuesday, I went out to visit the archaeologist that works here and he showed me his very extensive library and shared some stories about work that has been done here in the past. I also expressed my interest in the community garden, and then he brought me to two houses with huge, beautiful gardens. Although the growing season is quite short, you can grow some great stuff here. The soil is quite fertile and the warm temperatures is definitely helping things along.

I also spent two days this week sitting by the river, enjoying the sun and getting some reading done. Lots of kids are hanging out at the beach now that school is out. Yesterday, an 8 year old boy came to talk to me and he even asked me to marry him. How sweet.

My new roommate has arrived and she is very, very quiet. If I don't ask her questions, she'll just sit there in silence. This is such a difference from my old roommate, who was very outgoing, and, well, fun. This girl is so timid. I'm hoping she'll warm up a bit as time goes on.

Today has been my busiest day so far this week, and it has involved a lot of running around. I am holding focus groups to talk about using traditional medicine for diabetes and our first session with the health care professionals is tonight. I am hoping for a decent turnout. We have two elders making tea and bannock for the event, so I have mentioned this as an incentive for people to show up. People will do (almost) anything for free food. They will also do (almost) anything if they are getting paid (which they are). I am also holding a similar session with people in the community next week, so I've been putting up posters, making arrangements for food, and I even made an announcement on the radio (and yes, I spoke slowly so that people could understand me. I also had my community contact translating everything I said). Oh, and in between all that, I'm still trying to get people to do interviews with me.

All for now!

Waskaganish - 3

2009-06-20T16:10:00.002-04:00

Wachiya!

This past week has been busy, busy, busy! This is great because time has just been flying by. The weather has been stunning since last week - sunny and H-O-T! Some days there is a nice refreshing breeze blowing off the water, such as today. It's absolutely wonderful. Who knew that I would I could sweat so much under the northern sun? The only disadvantage to this hot weather is that the bugs are out - in full force. It's pretty bad.

Anyway, on to some updates. I believe I mentioned that we were on bear watch as of last week. There were 2 bears caught wandering around town. On the weekend, my roommate and I went for a long walk in the woods, and she saw one when we took a path towards the water. I couldn't see it, which is unfortunate, because I would have taken a picture, then backed away slowly and then ran for my life. It turned out that this bear was in the middle of eating because when we walked along the shoreline later on, we noticed a puddle of blood where the bear had been spotted. Walking in the woods has been a really fun experience. There is so much vegetation that I've never seen at home and the forest smells so fresh because of the abundance of spruce and fir trees. It's a smell that even the best air freshener can't reproduce. That night, we went for supper with some of the health care workers. It was a potluck of culinary delights brought here from the south. Jumbo shrimps, smoked salmon rolls, cheeses that are not cheddar or mozzarella, and pasta drizzled with a fresh-basil infused olive oil... it was delicious. We also may or may not have had wine... but seeing as the night ended with a Karaoke sing-a-long, courtesy of youtube, I'll let you figure that out for yourselves.

On Sunday, it was another beautiful day, and we managed to get a ride down to the rapids, which are about 24 km outside of town. They are incredible. I found a rock with some moss on it and just sat there, watching the water churn and froth as it tumbled downstream. There is no other noise but the sound of the water. My roommate and I ended the day with a 10 km run - with a long break in between at the pumping station. We decided to sit by the shore and dip our feet in the water, which is pretty darn cold. Of course, after spending a good half hour sweating under the sun, it felt great.

Since Monday, I have been hard at work with the project. I finally met with the Chief Monday morning and he gave me the okay to use my interview guide. And so, the last couple of days have been spent interviewing. I've done 3 so far, with 2 more scheduled for Friday and Saturday and a couple more next week. In between interviews, I have been wandering around town to meet people. There are a lot of people here doing various forms of research. I met two filmmakers who are working in a documentary about the effects of the hydro dams on the communities. Together with my community helper, we went on a boat ride Tuesday evening (hence my facebook status if you saw it - and yes, I had "I'm on a Boat" stuck in my head the whole time, I kid you not). We rode out to the end of Rupert Bay and made it into James Bay. We stopped at a little rock island out in the middle of the water and enjoyed the sunset before heading back to town. Once you're out on the water, the wind becomes pretty intense. In fact, it was a good 10 to 15 degrees colder out on the water than on the shore. Luckily, I dressed appropriately for it.

Yesterday I sat in on another Aboriginal Day planning meeting so that I could meet the Elders who came in for it and get them to participate in my study. Two of them very kindly obliged, and I learned a lesson in being prepared. You see, at lunch (we all went to the Lodge), they decided that they were interested in being interviewed. Right away. I didn't have any of my stuff, so I had to run (literally) back to the house to get all my materials and run back to the Lodge, where they were waiting to start. From now on, I'll have a copy of everything with me at all times - because you just never know.

After the interview, I was once again recruited to take photos of another cultural activity - this time for the building of a wigwam (I was told the proper name in Cree, but it's a long word and no one knows how to spell it). I ended the day with a fish (walleye and pike - yum!) and bannock dinner (and blueberry jam!) with the filmmakers and my community contact at the rapids. Oh, and a run because I hadn't been in 2 days.

I've spent most of day getting my poster ready for Aboriginal Day, since I'll be running a booth with information on the project. I have some other materials to finish and have printed tomorrow as well. Hopefully I'll get everything done on time! I'll have an assistant to help me at the booth on Sunday, as one of my friends from the project is coming up for the weekend. This is good timing because my roommate is leaving tomorrow (sadly, because I've had a great time with her) and then on Tuesday I get a new roommate - a medical student! (Actually, I almost got kicked out of my house because two of them are coming, but I managed to charm the transits lady into letting me stay here. Go me!)

And now we are back to the weekend. I'm off to find the community garden.

peace.

Waskaganish - Beautiful weather

2009-06-15T14:37:00.004-04:00

It is so incredibly beautiful out.

There isn't a single cloud in the sky. The sun is warm and the breeze is refreshing.

All I'm missing is a margarita.

Yet there is no place I'd rather be right now.

Waskaganish - 2

2009-06-11T10:31:00.003-04:00

Well, I’ve made it through my first week in Waskaganish! I can’t believe how fast the week has gone by. The weather here was unpleasant – and by unpleasant I mean windy, rainy, and COLD (think: 2 or 3 degrees as a high)! up until Monday afternoon, when the sun finally came out of hiding. On Tuesday, it was sunny and – finally – warm. The temperature is still hovering in the low teens now, but that’s ok because there are no bugs, yet. As long as the sun is shining, I don’t care.

So, when I last wrote, I mentioned that I was invited to a “cultural event.” My contact was very vague with me on the phone. So I wandered down to the Meechuwap (a traditional building of sorts) where there were a couple of men gathered around a pick-up truck. I was handed a camera and told that I could document the “processing of a moose” (which I think is much nicer than saying I watched a freshly killed moose be chopped up). It sounds horrifying, but it’s really not. These people have a tremendous amount of respect for the animals they hunt. The animals are not mistreated, and they are tended to with the utmost amount of care. The best part of the experience was that I was invited to taste some of this moose. They always cut off a piece of the meat and test it to make sure that it is good to serve at a feast (which is coming up on June 21st). Well, it passed the test! Moose looks like beef and tastes very similar to it, but much, much better. It has so much rich flavour in it that it needs no seasoning. Paired with a piece of bannock and I was in heaven (all you meat lovers out there - I know you would have loved it too).

On Saturday, I tried my hand at pottery (ahem ... pun intended). There is a potter who comes up here a couple of times of year to teach the students at the elementary and high schools how to do pottery. He currently has a “studio” set up in one of the classrooms, which is technically open for anyone in the community to use. However, since he is not around all that often, there are two teachers who “run” the studio in his stead. I made a cute little bowl on my first attempt, so I’m very proud of myself.

My roommate and I ended the weekend by going on a little adventure in the woods near our house. We ended up in the middle of a clay bog, so we had to turn back because the stuff is like quicksand. The trees protected us from the violent winter-like wind which made the walk very pleasant. I look forward to many more adventures around here. I’ve heard that there are some wicked rapids that I need to check out before Hydro diverts the river and all of its power disappears forever.

It was back to work on Monday, and I’m pleased to report that I’ve made some progress with my project. My interview guide is being reviewed by key members of the Band Council (including the Chief, who I am supposed to sit down with at some point in time). I’ve also got my first interview lined up for next Monday morning! And ... I've just managed to invite a few community members to participate as a couple of people from the Clinic just stopped by our house to bring presents! (stainless steel toaster, a coffee maker - which means I can pick up some coffee at Northern - and some stainless steel mixing bowls!)

In other exciting news, we were on bear watch yesterday. A black bear was spotted wandering around the Lodge yesterday morning, so some bear traps were set up around the town, including along the path my roommate and I usually run along in the evening. We didn’t want some bear stopping us from getting our exercise, so we brought along a bear bell to jingle as we made our way along the path. I think it worked, because the bear did not make an appearance. I haven’t heard whether they actually caught him or not yet.

All for now...

Game 7, here we come!

2009-06-09T22:39:00.002-04:00

Meh. Whatevs. They threw the game so that they could win the Cup at home on Friday and make their owner even richer.

Go Red Wings!

Waskaganish - 1

2009-06-05T10:53:00.002-04:00

Waachiya!

So where in the world am I? Well, this handy map below will help: I am staying in Waskaganish (pink box), where the great Rupert river (which is in the process of being diverted by Hydro-Quebec) meets James Bay. It's about 1100 km northwest of Montreal. This means the temperatures are significantly cooler (by a good 10 degrees) and that the sun doesn't set until about 10 pm.

I arrived by plane (once again, a little propeller plane, which is really noisy, so thanks to mon chum for giving me some earplugs so I could sleep). The airport (a one-room building) is conveniently located about 5 minutes away from the village by car. The first sights in Waskaganish are far from appealing - we passed the Band Garage, where scrapped cars and random pieces of car equipment litter the yard. On the other side of the street, you see a construction company with all of their equipment lying outside. Once you get past this ugliness, you're in town. There is a good mix of older and newer buildings here. The Band Office is a shiny new building with lots of windows that look out on the river. You have to take your shoes off when you go inside. The Lodge (hotel and restaurant) is one of the most popular places in town. It's bustling at lunch time and again at tea time (3 pm). I went there both times. The food there is decent, but not what I'd call super healthy. Most people were eating poutine or fries and a burger. I suspect that this is what they eat on a regular basis.

Anyway, the purpose of me going to the Lodge was to meet my contact in the community. He kindly gave me a tour by car after lunch. We visited a place called Smokey Hill, which is located about 15 km outside of town. It's a kind of "retirement" community for Elders (or even full-time hunters/trappers) who want to return to life in the bush. It's really nice and quiet and it's located on the southern banks of the Rupert river. The cabins have no running water or electricity - so it's very isolated. It's a good place to go to get away from the distractions and problems "in town" (and there are no shortage of them - in fact, I got to experience first-hand a confrontation with a drunk community member. It was uncomfortable, to say the least). Anyway, Smokey Hill is a good place for the traditional way of life to be promoted and taught to the younger generation. I anticipate spending more time down there to talk to the Elders.

Now I'm sure some of you are wondering what my accommodations are like in comparison to my trailer in Mistissini. Well, let me start by saying it is infinitely better. I'm staying in a semi-detached located right across the street from the Clinic and day care centre. It has 3 floors - an unfinished basement with a washer/dryer, a main level with a living room, dining area, and kitchen, and an upper level with 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. I also have a roommate. She's a physiotherapy student doing a stage here. She's actually leaving in 2 weeks, which means that I will get the master bedroom. The second bedroom is quite tiny and not well-designed at all. I have about a foot and a half between the closet and the end of the single bed. However, I'm not complaining because we have a TV, a microwave, and internet, all things I was lacking last time. This place feels a lot more homey, though it does have tacky 80s/early 90s furnishings.

The food here is crazy expensive. For example, Ocean Spray cranberry juice costs a cool $8. One orange pepper was $3, a head a lettuce, $2.50. I spent $77 on a handful of groceries - and I didn't even buy any meat or milk. My roommate says she's been spending at least $200 a week on groceries - for herself! What makes this even crazier is the fact that many people here rely on social assistance so they don't have much money. They can't even AFFORD to eat well from the grocery store.

I'm slowly getting myself involved in the activities taking place here. There is some event happening at the cultural centre this morning, which I'll be checking out. There is no better way to overcome shyness or awkwardness than throwing yourself into the mix. I'll let you know how it goes.

Eeeeek!

2009-06-03T08:10:00.002-04:00

In 24 hours, I will be leaving on a (propeller) plane.

As usual, x-ine has waited to the last minute to get shit done.

I will be around these parts more frequently once I have arrived at my destination, so stay tuned for the Waskaganish blogging series! (WHOOO!)

(take a look to your left if you want to subscribe)

I've been "memed"!

2009-05-31T09:47:00.004-04:00

Thanks to Mrs. Comet Hunter for tagging me in the Cover Meme - the best and the worst!

A song that immediately came to mind for best cover:

Johnny Cash does such amazing covers, and his version of U2's One is definitely my favourite.

Runner-Up:

Apocalyptica does killer Metallica covers - all with cellos. The top of my list: Nothing Else Matters. It's haunting.

Now on to the suckage:

This is what I call an epic failure. Sheryl, never cover Led Zeppelin again. Ever.

Honourable mention:

Because it's Richard Cheese and he samples the Sesame Street theme song and makes me want to do jazz hands to Nine Inch Nails. Awesomeness.

I choose: lady of the laptop, heather, wellstocked, Maria, and Vince.

Ick.

2009-05-29T09:37:00.001-04:00

It's raining, it's pouring.

Thanks, weather, for putting a dent in my weekend plans.

Crunch time

2009-05-27T11:25:00.004-04:00

It always happens this way - nothing, nothing, nothing, and then - kaboom! ... everything happens at once.

We just found out that Nemaska is really interested in having me do my study up there, so now I have to deal with the logistics of getting both communities to agree on a very similar interview guide so we can at least make comparisons between the two.

In the meantime, I have thankfully secured accommodations in Waskaganish - I'll be sharing an apartment with a physiotherapy student. No phone, no TV though (hopefully, at least a microwave ... or maybe even a toaster oven this time around). Internet? Doubtful, so my blogging will be sporadic at best.

I will be better prepared this time around. For one thing, I'm getting a pay-as-you-go phone so I can be reached (Fido/Rogers network doesn't extend into the north, so my cell will be out of commission). I am getting an advance from school so I'm not stuck footing the bill for my flight, groceries, and participants/helpers involved in the study. Also: I will try to avoid any injuries to my back (though this past weekend at my parents' house I 1) practically gave myself a concussion by walking straight into a bike suspended in my shed - and yes, I still have a nice-looking bruise, 2) almost impaled myself when helping my mum install a flowerbox under the window in the frontyard - another bruise, and 3) ran straight into the corner of a wall because my depth perception sucks when I have no glasses or contacts on - result? 3 more bruises). At any rate, I will put in a 110% effort to avoid doing anything completely fucking stupid before leaving.

So, I have 8 more days left to enjoy Montreal living, summer style. This weekend, the sidewalk sale on Saint-Laurent is running (they close down the street to vehicles from Thursday to Sunday - brilliant!). The beer festival starts next Wednesday, so I'll have to go to it before I leave. Sunday is free museum day, which I have missed out on for many years in a row. We're celebrating Father's Day on Sunday, since I will miss it, and this year it's a big deal because I'm celebrating it. Enough said. Throw in some parties, dinner with friends, picnics, runs on the mountains, and of course (most importantly!), some quality time with mon beau chum and I hardly have time to finish up lab work, finalize study details, and pack.

And with that - I better get to it.

OMG

2009-05-25T11:18:00.001-04:00

Holy shit.

Just booked my flight.

I leave in 10 days. FOR REAL!

I never thought it would really happen. Yet, here we are.

TGIF

2009-05-22T09:46:00.002-04:00

It hasn't really been a long week, but it sure feels like it.

I am exhausted. (lame)

I haven't been running in a week. (boo me)

My samples are still in the process of being freeze-dried. (fuck)

The weather here is schziophrenic. (fall on Wednesday, summer yesterday, and back to spring today. No winter - yet)

The wedding weekend (by the way, it poured with rain almost ALL DAY, but stopped long enough to hold the ceremony outside - divine intervention???) has come and gone ... already ... and one of my oldest friends is now a married woman. (wow)

Tonight - margaritas and a good night's sleep. I can't wait. (wee!)

This weekend - spring cleaning. Not as excited about this, but my apartment needs it. (also, my mum is picking me and my laundry up. score!)

Less than 2 weeks - off to Waskaganish. Wait. What? OMFG IT'S REALLY HAPPENING! (panic? stress? excitement? I feel nothing.)

Finally: TGIF. Also: I need more caffeine.

Cooperation, makes it happen.

2009-05-14T11:58:00.003-04:00

Well, my first week back at the lab has been mostly uneventful so far.

I spent two half-days preparing samples (berries, which look really yummy) for freeze drying. Why did it take so long? Well, that's because we received about a million samples (ok, over 100) - some of which contained one frigging berry. One! Which is totally useless because I'll probably end up with a speck of dessicated material to use for a whole battery of antioxidant assays. Obviously not going to happen.

It's incredibly annoying to work within a system (in this case, the way the samples were given to us) that is not your own. It's even more annoying when said system is NOT EVEN EXPLAINED TO YOU! It took a lot of guessing and frantic emailing to get everything sorted out. What a waste of time.

I better get credit for doing their bitch work. And a couple of high fives. Oh, and a beer would be nice. Scratch that. A cocktail would be even better. Beer makes me all bloaty and gross.

In other news, 2 days until the wedding (OMFG)! Still hoping for a nice day, but the weather is being mean and is deciding to rain. Come on, Mother Nature! Be nice ... please?

Also: playoff hockey pools and I are not getting along. First frigging Chicago (which I KNEW I should have picked, I really didn't expect LUONGO to choke in the biggest game of the series) and then god damned Washington (again, didn't expect them to choke, at least not that badly). Tonight: Game 7s: Boston/Carolina and Detroit/Anaheim. I'll be furious if Boston and Detroit do not win because that would mean a complete sweep for me. And not in a good way.

Awww ... seriously?

2009-05-11T18:54:00.002-04:00

... And now I'm wishing I didn't have to go up north for fieldwork during the summer.

Just heard that Stevie Wonder is doing a free (yep, FREE!) show on June 30th to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Jazz Fest. And I'm gonna miss it. *pout*

Will someone call me and put me on speaker phone when he plays "I Just Called to Say I Love You"? That was my favourite song when I was little.

Freak out.

2009-05-11T15:12:00.003-04:00

I've been feeling a little frazzled lately.

The wedding is 5 days away (omg!) so that has been occupying my mind. Manicures/pedicures, how to do my hair?, what jewelery to wear?, how am I getting there? how am I getting home? ... and holy fuck, one of my best friends is really getting married!
I've been trying to sit down and get a good day of work in. It's crunch time - about 3 weeks until I leave for the field, and I need to get my shit together. All of a sudden, I feel completely unprepared. Panic mode to commence.
I've committed myself to the lab and although I'm glad to be learning something new, this may be the thing that pushes me over the edge.

Hard to believe I could only squeeze out three bullet points worth of stuff on my mind, yet my brain feels overloaded.

Meltdown to commence - in 4, 3, 2, 1 ...

Boozing it up + attracting creepers

2009-05-06T10:00:00.002-04:00

Owww ... liver ... rejecting me...

A couple of weeks ago, I was complaining to mon beau chum that I was in a big funk. I was bored, and even FELT boring. I was generally quite miserable.

Since then, I have been keeping myself occupied. I guess I'm feeling I need to live it up before I head up to the field for 2 months of the summer, the best time of the year to be in the city.

This past weekend was the second weekend in a row that I boozed it up Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. So I not only have a sore liver, but also a very thin wallet. So worth it though.

As my dear labmate lady of the laptop mentioned, I organized a welcome back to the city dinner at Academie, where the wine was flowing. I drank almost a whole bottle to myself. I ended the night playing Jungle Speed, which is the best game ever (especially when inebriated).

Saturday was the bachelorette party, co-organized by my best friend and I (bridesmaid's duty: fulfilled). It was, not to brag, a raging success. Everyone had a blast and the bride-to-be made a fool of herself (for example: she dove head first into a moving convertible on Saint-Laurent shouting, "I'M GETTING MARRIED IN TWO WEEKS!" - all this while wearing a headband with flashing pink penises on it). 4 days later, and we're still talking about the party (well what she remembers of it anyway) - always a sign of a good night.

With the wedding so close (a week and a half) and with my best friend doing the bride's hair and make-up, the 3 of us have been spending a lot of time together lately. This is completely awesome because our paths have kinda diverged in the last couple of years. Back when we were all living in Rosemere, we all lived within a 5 to 10 minute walk of each other. Even though we're all downtown now, our lives are so completely different and it's been hard to get all 3 of us at the same place at the same time. It's been nice to reconnect - it feels like old times, like when we'd go to Rockaberry to "study" together. Among other things. Heh.

The weirdos strike again. I've alluded to the fact that I'm a magnet to creepy people before - and yesterday was no exception.

So, I was walking down to the World Trade Centre (perhaps an unfortunate choice of a name, but my supervisor reassures me that there are many WTCs in big cities. I won't argue - he's very well-travelled) at Square Victoria. It was a warm, sunny day so I busted out the shades and brought along my music to keep me company.

Anyway, some random dude walks up from behind me and says hi. About 3 times because I didn't realize he was talking to me. So I finally say hi back. He comments about the day (or something, he was mumbling in French, and I didn't pick it up) so I agree that it is a beautiful day out.

Then, he gives me the up and down and asks: "Where are you going dressed like that?" (wtf? Dressed like what? I was wearing a jean skirt with leggings, a yellow scoop-neck t-shirt, and a scarf. Nothing scandalous, though I felt like he was insinuating I was a hooker or something. Or if that was his pick-up line, he failed utterly.)

Not sure what else to say, I just reply, "I'm going to the World Trade Center."

Trying to be a smart ass, he says, "Uhhh we're not in the United States, you know." (No! Really?)

So I tell him I'm well aware of this and let him know that, yes, there is a World Trade Center in Montreal.

Then he asks, "Well, can I come with you?" (second attempt at a pick up line? DOUBLE fail.)

At this point, I mumble something about going to meet my supervisor (which I was) and ran across the street because no, I did not want him to come with me.

Perhaps you could argue that he was just being friendly, and I would be inclined to agree, except for the fact that his comment about what I was wearing was totally inappropriate and downright creepy. And then inviting himself to tag along with me - well - just, no.

And with that, I will get back to (start) working. I want to get a run in today.

peace.

Apologies

2009-05-01T09:38:00.002-04:00

I have not been a very good blogger lately.

In fact, I have been quite busy. With the nicer weather arriving, my social calendar has suddenly exploded. And if I'm not busy out spending money I don't really have (thank you, McGill, for not processing my stipend renewal fast enough), I've been invigilating exams, running, and planning/preparing for the big day - yes, that's right: the bachelorette party. Oh, and the wedding, too. That's another big day, but not mine.

Needless to say, there has not been a lot of school-related work occupying my mind of late. I'm in waiting mode (sound familiar?) - but that's because 1) the goose hunt season has just started so even if I went to start my fieldwork now, there would be no one to work with and 2) I kinda have to be present at the wedding because, well, I'm in it. There are logistics that need to be figured out in the meantime (accommodations, budgeting, flights, equipment, etc.), so I'm taking care of those.

Anyway, until my schedule frees up a little, I will likely be very blogging very sporadically.

Hope you won't miss me too much ... and no, I have not forgotten about my science-y post. Work in progress ... (this is what happens when I don't have deadlines. It's a wonder I've gotten this far in grad school...)

Too hot to blog...

2009-04-27T21:37:00.002-04:00

Summer is in the air.

Today was a delightful 29 degrees Celsius. The sun was bright, the wind was light, and I soaked up some lovely rays at the park.

All of this lovely weather has led to me being more sociable than usual. Dinner parties, drinking, barbecues, drinking, supper al fresco, first sangria of the summer ... suffice it to say, I have not beeb very motivated to work or sit around on my computer.

So I just wanted to let you know I'm alive and very well. Will blog on something academic as soon as the weather turns ugly, which I hope is not anytime very soon.

Hockey hangover

2009-04-25T19:49:00.001-04:00

Post Habs exit from the playoffs, and I'm feeling ... pretty good.

Today was a beauty of a day. 26 degrees of blazing sunshine. Love it.

Last hockey post...

2009-04-22T21:50:00.001-04:00

Dear Bell Centre assholes,

Don't call yourselves fans. I don't care if you're pissed about the team losing. You're a fucking embarrassment to all Habs fans, especially those who have class.

I am disgusted by your antics tonight: the booing, the chanting, and the mocking OF OUR OWN PLAYERS.

No wonder no one wants to play for this team: you dickheads make it impossible for anyone to play here.

Go fuck yourselves, you dirty motherfuckers. You make me want to projectile vomit straight into your dirty, disrespectful mouths.

Hope you get struck by lightning,

x-ine

---

Dear Habs,

You were plagued by a season filled with too-high expectations, injuries, and way too much drama. You entered the post-season beat, broken, and scarred.

You gave it your best, most of the time, but it wasn't enough, and that sucks. But you were disrespected by your so-called fans, and THAT sucks even more.

I hope to see some of you back next season, but I wouldn't blame you for saying "Fuck you, Montreal!" and never coming back (Kovy, Koivu, Komi, Lang, Tanguay, Kostopoulos, Schneider, Bouillon, Dandenault, etc.). Just know that the real fans would never pull that kind of bullshit stunt. I am sorry that you were sent packing in the worst possible way. Thanks for raising your sticks to salute us though we surely didn't deserve it.

Looking forward to the 2009-2010 season... because that's all I can do ...

Love,

x-ine

Another hockey post...

2009-04-22T19:00:00.000-04:00

The 4 game winning streak starts tonight.

Go Habs Go!

Sucks

2009-04-20T22:12:00.001-04:00

Dear Habs,

You've let me down. You're on the verge of being swept by the fucking Boston Bruins and all I want to do is cry.

That is all.

it's not juice, it's lemonade!

Wednesday morning wtf

OMG HABS

First rant of 2012

End of 2011

4 months later...

Why do I run?

Random thoughts

Moving

Tipping

Latest blah blah

Spring fever

NHL = goon league

Short and sweet...

Changes, everywhere you look

Don't ask me to make football picks

Progress report

Letting go.

Happy holidays!

Still dreaming of Italy

Post-trip blahs

Oops.

Terry Fox Run, part 2

The Terry Fox Run

Real life sucks sometimes

Training?

Where to go from here?

Yeah! What Nature said.

The Globe and Mail: pasta with zucchini & zucchini flowers

Integrating modern and traditional medicine: Facts and figures - SciDev.Net

Summer in the city

Bonne fête

Apologies

VWXYNot?: Captions Please...

SIGH

10 days later...

Conference-bound! ... and stuff.

Sick.

Hockey talk

*Gulp*

Olympics, Part 2

Vancouver, part one - leading up to the Games...

Bad, bad, bad

Last minute...

Returns!

Leave of absence

CFL Playoffs

Trying to stay focused

We Will Remember Them...

Potholes as Art

Animal Farm Analogies

<3 for Montreal

Soup season

Being a TA

On being one year older

Tidbits from Twitter & Concert Review

Things I do not enjoy

Hockey rant & then some perspective + one more rant

Another Public Service Annoucement

Is back

Busy busy busy

Public Service Announcement

And ... breathe

Umm...

Back in the saddle

AWOL

Only in Quebec City / Not working

H-o-t

5 years

Thanks a lot for fucking up my schedule again, assholes!

Summer days, drifting away...

MJ tribute in Montreal...

Tits-up

"Definate" musings...

Oh dear

Trying to get back into the swing of things...

Home again

201st post

200th post! - Waskaganish, Volume 4 -

Waskaganish - 3

Gulp