Jan 29 2009
Montreal, 29 January 2009. via MPA
This morning a man survived a major avalanche in Montreal, Quebec. At the time of the accident the man was removing the recently fallen snow from his car. The victim, surprised by a wall of snow several metres high, managed to dig himself out before the rescue teams arrived. The rescue dogs didn’t need to come into action.
The victim is, considering the circumstances, doing well and can soon get back to work.
Jan 22 2009
I received this letter today. It is an invitation to take the Oath of Citizenship. I’m finally becoming Canadian!
But. Is it really necessary to make this notice so menacing? It looks like I’m summoned for a trial. I know there is a judge involved, but this is a nice trial.
It would be so much nicer if this letter was a congratulatory one. Something like this:
We are pleased to inform you that you passed the Citizenship test and that there is only one step left in becoming a Canadian Citizen. Therefore we invite you to take the Oath of Citizenship. You can bring friends and family to this joyful occasion.
It is going to take place on
Friday 06 February 2009 at 1:30 PM.
at
Collège de Maissonneuve
2700, rue de Bourbonnière
Montreal QC H1X 2A2
The way it is currently there is only one “happy” word in it: the letter starts with “Please”. But the joy is over very fast since it is immediately followed by a command: “appear”…
At the bottom there are 5 check-boxes ordering me what documentation to bring, what will happen if I don’t show up, and a big block labeled WARNING with legalese about the do’s and don’ts of obtaining Canadian Citizenship.
Then there are two more pages; one is a media release form because there might be people taking photos and another with details about parking (paid!) and a notice to use only this particular entrance of the school.
However one piece of essential information is missing: if and how many people I can bring. Since it isn’t mentioned I presume it isn’t limited so I hereby invite you all (well almost all, you know who you are). Afterwards we can grab a beer, or something non-alcoholic if you prefer. The first drink is on me.
Jan 15 2009
During the opening of the exhibition at Galerie de l’UQAM the machine was fed a copious amount of food and subsequently it had a satisfactory bowel movement.
The artist, Wim Delvoye, was there and seemed content with the reception by the rather large crowd.
Jan 15 2009
Click for bigger version.
I took Wim (who does a lot of stereo-photography) to the Sami’s fruit and vegetable store. He was amazed by the giant mountains of veggies and took some stereo pictures of me. This one if while buying some bunches of Cilantro. Click the image for a bigger stereo 3D image. Red/Blue are glasses required to see the stereo effect.
(On a related note: I just read that Cilantro is the most profitable vegetable you can grow. So now you know.)
Jan 14 2009
According to an article I read this morning (in French) it hasn’t been this cold since January 2003, my first winter here. I remember I bundled up back then, and I will do the same thing later today when I have to go outside.
My friends from the Netherlands and Belgium, here to install that machine, are extremely lucky they can witness this. Later they can tell stories about it to their grand children. They want to go skiing this weekend, but I had to temper their expectations.
Co-incidentally Poupoune’s new winter snowsuit arrived today. She hates it! I’ll post a picture later.
Jan 11 2009
This is a machine that makes poop. They’re installing it now in Montreal and it will be on public display from Friday onwards. (You can go to http://cloaca.be to find out more). My friend Wim, another Wim than the artist that made this machine, is photographer and he’s here in Montréal (for the second time already) to document the setting up of the machine. There are also stereoscopic pictures on display that he made over the past few years.
The opening of the exhibition will be this Thursday 16 January and there will be plenty of food, for both human and mechanical lifeforms. Yes, this machine eats the same as we do, and it gets digested into the same excrements. You’re all invited.
Here is more info about the exhibition.
Jan 9 2009
For the first time this year my friend Paul and I went skiing in the Laurentians. I was a bit worried how my knees would hold out since I had to stop skiing halfway during last winter because it became too painful.
But so far they withstood the beating fairly well. My legs are sore, but that is normal: with cross-country skiing you use muscles you never use the rest of the year. At least I don’t. I’m also out of shape but that too was not entirely unexpected. It was nice though, albeit very cold and the sun only came out from behind the clouds when we left for Montréal.
(I even emailed and twittered from the trail, in the middle of nowhere. But the iPhone keyboard didn’t like the cold and my Twitter message was eaten by the backspace key that came ‘stuck’ en letter for letter erased all I had just typed. Very frustrating, fortunately it was only hundred forty characters or so.)
Jan 7 2009
Made it to Yulblog on my skis. Here they are signing up blogs to be included on the register of Montreal blogs. I had already signed up from home, so this post might show up on their meta-montreal-feed.
Feb 6 2009
O Canada
Today I had to appear in front of a judge. There were 375 of us, from 72 nationalities. The judge went through the whole list of countries, from Afganistan to Zimbabwe. Somewhere in the middle I noticed Iran, Iraq and Israel, bien étonées de se trouver ensemble.
And then we all took the oath, first in French and then in English:
And then we sang:
And then I shed some tears.
And now I need a beer.
By mare • canada •