Dec 30 2008
Cold
Poupoune likes walks, but when they involve doggy boots, windproof capes, a biting cold and blowing snow? Not so much.
montréal
Dec 22 2008
Fire
Another big fire 2 blocks from here. Co-incidentily a few of the same appartments that burned down two and a half years ago were damaged this time as well. But the fire started a few buildings to the North.
It’s -17 outside, with a strong wind. I don’t envy those firemen that have to work in a mist of water that freezes when it hits something solid. Like this tree, or their helmet.
Now I stink of smoke.
Dec 11 2008
Hello?
— Hello?
— Yes.
— Is this the complaints department?
— It is.
— I want to file a complaint.
— You’re at the right address.
— I have a very bad day. It’s the aniversary of my mother’s death today.
— I’m sorry to hear that.
— I was going to go cross country skiing with a friend.
— …
— But first I had to dig out the car from under the pack of snow and the thick layer of frozen snow, soaked with freezing rain. Then I found out that the second-hand snow blower we bought this fall —together with our neighbour— doesn’t want to start. It worked fine last fall, but now it doesn’t want to budge.
— I’m sorry to hear that.
— The I started to remove the snow by hand, hit a large plaque of frozen snow and then the handle of the snow shovel broke off.
— Sheesh.
— I removed the handle, re-attached it —it’s 15 cm shorter now— and went on removing the snow off the car. The car is covered in a thick layer of ice. I have to run the engine and the heater for a while to be able to remove it.
— Yeah.
— But first I have to defrost the doors because they are frozen shut. And then I found that Alison had left her door open the last time we used the car (2 weeks ago). So the battery is completely dead and possibly really dead. And I had just bought a new one a month ago.
— O my.
— So now I have to defrost the door, get into the car, try to open the hood, remove and try to charge the battery and then start the engine, defrost the windows and hope for the best. O, and I still have to dig out the car as well.
— Wow, that’s a genuine complaint. I’ll pass you on to my superior.
— I don’t think we’re going to ski today.
Nov 25 2008
Boom!
Next to the Montreal General Hospital they are building an addition to the hospital. Or maybe it is just a parking garage, I don’t know. Since this is literally in the mountain they have to remove a lot of rock. When I passed they were just finishing up drilling deep holes in the rock with a giant drill, mounted on a crawling vehicle.
Then the covered the just drilled hole with these big grey mats. Suddenly it dawned to me and my suspicion was confirmed when I saw this sign.
Nov 23 2008
Contested
In a couple of weeks there is yet another election. Frankly, I’m getting a bit tired of those elections, especially since my citizen application is going nowhere, and I can’t vote myself. A friend who also applied for Canadian citizenship but a couple of months earlier heard that it takes 2 months longer when you live in Québec.
But I digress. There are a lot of election banners in our riding. The incumbent candidate of the Parti Québecois apparently isn’t too confident he will be re-elected because he literally covered the streets in election banners. Not only the main arteries and intersections, which I see in other ridings, but also the residential streets are plastered with PQ banners. On our quiet street almost every hundred meter there is a banner attached to a tree or pole. What a waste of good plastic.
Maybe there is a reason for him to be worried, because one of the competitors for his seat in the Assemblée Nationale is one of the spokespersons (they have two and don’t call them party leaders because that sounds to undemocratic) of Québec Solidaire. In last year’s elections —we seem to throw them like birthday parties— she managed to get 26% of the votes, without much of a campaign. So this year she might actually beat him.
So a few days after PQ’s banner action the Québec Solidaire also put up banners in our street so now we have even more banners. More good plastic wasted.
But I must admit that it’s much more fun to vote in a contested riding. Here is a link to the Québec Solidaire website so you can read their program, but it is all in French. They apparently don’t want any anglophone voters.
I agree with almost all their points (except the separation issue but who takes that serious) so they might get one anglo vote. But only if Alison follows my advice and checks the box in the voting booth.
Nov 22 2008
Alpha
It’s getting cold and I’m feeling lonely. I jump on the bed. Nice and warm under the duvet. I crawl towards the top of the bed, past the giant. Wait! What’s that? There is somebody else in my bed. A little white fellow. I growl ferociously at him and he backs away. Good. That’ll teach him who’s boss around here.
I turn and snuggle my back against the warm belly of the giant. I slowly rest my head on his knee and close my eyes. I hope the giant won’t twist and turn as often as he did last night. That really annoyed me and if he does it again I have to growl at him as well. There can only be one alpha dog in this bed.
Nov 17 2008
Improv
Since a couple of months I’m regularly visiting a workshop in Improv Theatre.
Improv theatre is a form of improvised theatre were people go on stage without a script and react to each other and create spontaneous scenes.
The basic rules of improv are “Be positive” and “Don’t block other people’s ideas”. Both are things that I’m not very good at in real life. So it doesn’t come natural to me. But —maybe because of that—I like it a lot and I’m slowly improving. So maybe I’ll be performing on stage soon. I won’t tell you exactly when that will happen because it sure will make my stage fright even worse.
The workshop is held every Sunday afternoon and afterwards there is a show with around 12 performers, most of them participants of the workshop. The performers ‘compete’ —in a very gentle way— with each other by playing scenes together that are rated by the audience. One by one they are eliminated until there is only one left, who is then declared the winner.
So even though you won’t see me performing yet, I’ll invite you to join me as an spectator and enjoy the other performers, some of them are very good and outrageously funny. It is much more fun than hanging in front of your TV all night.
Sunday Night Improv
Théâtre Ste. Catherine
264, rue Ste. Catherine E. (between St. Laurent and St. Denis, Metro Berri-UQAM)
Every Sunday at 8 PM until 10-ish
Admission $5.
Hope to see you there soon! (All three of you.)
O, and here is an article from Montreal Magazine about the event.
Oct 24 2008
Helmet (2)
When I cycled to my doctor yesterday on the Maissoneuve bike path I noticed this sign when I entered the borough of Westmount. Apparently cyclists need to wear a helmet there, I’ve no idea since when.
Now I do think wearing helmets in Montreal’s traffic is generally a good idea. I always wear mine especially since my accident, but I do think it is a good idea to introduce this requirement in all the boroughs on the island of Montreal at once.
In the current situation Westmount is an island, and legally inaccesible by the majority of cyclists that don’t wear a helmet.
Of course I saw a lot of people breaking this by-law and I’ve no idea if it is enforced. But having laws that are just laws is worse than having no laws at all.
Oct 23 2008
Seven
Exactly seven years ago the iPod was introduced. It was also the morning after the first night Alison and I spend together. We didn’t realize then that both events would have so much impact and longevity.
Happy anniversary iPod and Alison! May the seven-year-itch be gentle on all of us.
Jan 7 2009
Yulblog
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.
By mare • canada, english, iPhone, montréal, outdoors, tech, weather •