it's not juice, it's lemonade!

Animal Farm Analogies

noreply@blogger.com (x-ine) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:13:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (x-ine) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (x-ine) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:00:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (x-ine) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:40:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (x-ine) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:33:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (x-ine) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:23:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (x-ine) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:37:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (x-ine) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 02:15:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (x-ine) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:41:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (x-ine) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:26:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (x-ine) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:47:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (x-ine) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:34:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (x-ine) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:30:00 +0000

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...

noreply@blogger.com (x-ine) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:37:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (x-ine) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:06:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (x-ine) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 23:20:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (x-ine) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:03:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (x-ine) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:11:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (x-ine) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 21:08:00 +0000

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!

noreply@blogger.com (x-ine) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:49:00 +0000

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...

noreply@blogger.com (x-ine) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:25:00 +0000

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...

noreply@blogger.com (x-ine) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 21:25:00 +0000

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

Tits-up

noreply@blogger.com (x-ine) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:15:00 +0000

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...

noreply@blogger.com (x-ine) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:17:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (x-ine) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:17:00 +0000

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.