Egads.
I am feeling weary today. My humours are distinctly phlegmatic.
On the other hand, take a gander at my 2 latest sewing projekts(it's the way "cool" people spell...
I'm pretty pleased with my damn self.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Friday, September 21, 2007
Boston Days 2 and 3: A boring, I waited too long to write it Retrospectus.
Bloody hotel and it's broken internet. I really wanted to document at the end of each day while it was still fresh in my mind but...wait a minute. Why didn't I just type it in Word or write it out by hand?? I figured the internet was down so blogging impossible. Or maybe it had to do with the fact that I was so exhausted at the end of each day from Bostony goodness that I could barely think straight.
So anyway, let me try to remember what I can.
Can I just say straight off, if I haven't already, how great seeing a city on your own is? It's great. You just don't have to compromise! I really enjoyed having a vague plan that I was free to change or adapt as I saw fit.
I began day 2 with the plan of a) eating some damn seafood by the sea
and b) following the freedom trail, a marked trail of red paint or red brick you can follow from downtown to the north end. I said in my first post that the riverside park stretched for 4 miles but it was waaay longer than that. It spans the whole northwest part of the city and divides Cambridge from Boston. The freedom trail is the one that is 4 miles. You can follow it and stray when you like. All the historical buildings and places along the way have plaques and explanations.
I saw the graveyard with the victims of the Boston Massacre where Paul Revere is buried (cheery). I saw pile of churches...Boston is insane. It looks like a crazy person designed it. Like a wealthy person who had lots of beautiful buildings and parks but then went sort of nuts and threw it all together in a crazy way. Everything is just everywhere. I liked it. Really relaxed, organic style of putting a city together. Lots of gorgeous architecture and winding streets. As crazy as it all is, it somehow seems right.
The metro is hilarious! Sometimes it's a bus, sometimes it's a street car, sometimes a real subway car. The lines are all over the place, it's all so haphazard but still manages to be pretty fast and efficient.
Have I mentioned yet how bloody friendly everyone is?? Holy crap, this is by far, the friendliest place I have been. I guess it's a particular contrast to me being used to the coldness of Montreal folks but still...everyone I talked to was so happy to help, people make way for you on the street and hold open doors and smile. Even in the touristy parts. I was impressed. Even with my socially inept and big weirdo style of asking questions, people were still nice. eg: I go up to the man selling tickets to a trolley ride in the middle of a busy tourist section and say:
"Do you give out free information?"
He gives me a puzzled but not unfriendly look.
"What I mean is, I would like to know a good place to get seafood. Not expensive, not grilled salmon with a bottle of white wine seafood, but like cheap but really awesome, those-in-the-know seafood."
He didn't even flinch after this spiel. Just reflected for a moment and then drew on my map where to go. I followed his advice and got exactly what I was looking for! I ended up way in the east end in a shipyard that has a hidden restaurant called the No-Name. Sort of in one of the pier buildings that you would NEVER come across without knowing where it was. Right on the harbor. Fishing boats and seagulls, the whole works. You can see in my photos the freaking ginourmous plate of fried seafood they brought me. I thank you friendly trolley ticket man, for giving me the goods instead of telling me to go screw myself.
I also happened to fall in love with Boston's little Italy. Much smaller than Toronto's for example but waay kicks Toronto's ass. I'm not sure I can put my finger on it exactly. Just so much character. I brought Tennessee back in the evening to have dinner there and again, we ended up going to the exact right place. I felt like I was in Moonstruck. A little mom and pop place with alfresco ceilings and and bustling waiters in black and white speaking in heavy italian accents. I had perfectly cooked penne with perfectly cooked vegetables and T had pesto and gnocchi, also perfect. Afterward, to fulfill T's only desire in Boston, we walked a few minutes over to the north east of the city to the harbour to see the Atlantic. A bay still counts.
Day 3 saw me walking across the bridge to Cambridge to see MIT. For some reason I expected it to be this one building with a bunch of guys in khaki pants holding calculators standing outside of it. It's huge! It goes on for blocks with a million buildings and a million people. I strolled on a little but it was super hot that day(by the way, day 2 and 3 were the most perfect, crisp, fall weather days.)and Cambridge is actually not a very interesting place so I said to myself, Hah. I can do whatever I want. I'm going back to Boston. So I took the tram back and went to Chinatown instead where I had an amazing Buddhist vegetarian lunch and bought some oddly flavoured candy (prune and pine, I have still yet to work up the courage to try them.)
On my way back to the Backbay part of town where our hotel was, I tried out the bathroom at the Four Seasons. There was a separate room in it for a huge red couch that looked fancier than the couch in our hotel lobby. Everything was marble and the towels for drying your hands were as close to cloth as paper can get. In a way, it's more extravagant than real towels because you just throw them out. There were also trained monkeys that powdered your nose and a machine that polished the cuffs of your pants and embroidered them with the Four Seasons logo in spun gold.
Being right across the street from Boston Commons, I took one last little rest before having to meet up with T to leave. Once again, Boston Commons is a beautiful park with big weeping willows and ponds and little white picket bridges. Boston really is a gorgeous looking city. SO much green space and water front parks, old buildings and friendly people. I give it a thumbs up.
I stopped at one last place to buy the angora gloves I saw while browsing the first day. They are the colour of grape juice and and were on sale, my souvenir of Boston.
So long Boston. Smell ya later.
So anyway, let me try to remember what I can.
Can I just say straight off, if I haven't already, how great seeing a city on your own is? It's great. You just don't have to compromise! I really enjoyed having a vague plan that I was free to change or adapt as I saw fit.
I began day 2 with the plan of a) eating some damn seafood by the sea
and b) following the freedom trail, a marked trail of red paint or red brick you can follow from downtown to the north end. I said in my first post that the riverside park stretched for 4 miles but it was waaay longer than that. It spans the whole northwest part of the city and divides Cambridge from Boston. The freedom trail is the one that is 4 miles. You can follow it and stray when you like. All the historical buildings and places along the way have plaques and explanations.
I saw the graveyard with the victims of the Boston Massacre where Paul Revere is buried (cheery). I saw pile of churches...Boston is insane. It looks like a crazy person designed it. Like a wealthy person who had lots of beautiful buildings and parks but then went sort of nuts and threw it all together in a crazy way. Everything is just everywhere. I liked it. Really relaxed, organic style of putting a city together. Lots of gorgeous architecture and winding streets. As crazy as it all is, it somehow seems right.
The metro is hilarious! Sometimes it's a bus, sometimes it's a street car, sometimes a real subway car. The lines are all over the place, it's all so haphazard but still manages to be pretty fast and efficient.
Have I mentioned yet how bloody friendly everyone is?? Holy crap, this is by far, the friendliest place I have been. I guess it's a particular contrast to me being used to the coldness of Montreal folks but still...everyone I talked to was so happy to help, people make way for you on the street and hold open doors and smile. Even in the touristy parts. I was impressed. Even with my socially inept and big weirdo style of asking questions, people were still nice. eg: I go up to the man selling tickets to a trolley ride in the middle of a busy tourist section and say:
"Do you give out free information?"
He gives me a puzzled but not unfriendly look.
"What I mean is, I would like to know a good place to get seafood. Not expensive, not grilled salmon with a bottle of white wine seafood, but like cheap but really awesome, those-in-the-know seafood."
He didn't even flinch after this spiel. Just reflected for a moment and then drew on my map where to go. I followed his advice and got exactly what I was looking for! I ended up way in the east end in a shipyard that has a hidden restaurant called the No-Name. Sort of in one of the pier buildings that you would NEVER come across without knowing where it was. Right on the harbor. Fishing boats and seagulls, the whole works. You can see in my photos the freaking ginourmous plate of fried seafood they brought me. I thank you friendly trolley ticket man, for giving me the goods instead of telling me to go screw myself.
I also happened to fall in love with Boston's little Italy. Much smaller than Toronto's for example but waay kicks Toronto's ass. I'm not sure I can put my finger on it exactly. Just so much character. I brought Tennessee back in the evening to have dinner there and again, we ended up going to the exact right place. I felt like I was in Moonstruck. A little mom and pop place with alfresco ceilings and and bustling waiters in black and white speaking in heavy italian accents. I had perfectly cooked penne with perfectly cooked vegetables and T had pesto and gnocchi, also perfect. Afterward, to fulfill T's only desire in Boston, we walked a few minutes over to the north east of the city to the harbour to see the Atlantic. A bay still counts.
Day 3 saw me walking across the bridge to Cambridge to see MIT. For some reason I expected it to be this one building with a bunch of guys in khaki pants holding calculators standing outside of it. It's huge! It goes on for blocks with a million buildings and a million people. I strolled on a little but it was super hot that day(by the way, day 2 and 3 were the most perfect, crisp, fall weather days.)and Cambridge is actually not a very interesting place so I said to myself, Hah. I can do whatever I want. I'm going back to Boston. So I took the tram back and went to Chinatown instead where I had an amazing Buddhist vegetarian lunch and bought some oddly flavoured candy (prune and pine, I have still yet to work up the courage to try them.)
On my way back to the Backbay part of town where our hotel was, I tried out the bathroom at the Four Seasons. There was a separate room in it for a huge red couch that looked fancier than the couch in our hotel lobby. Everything was marble and the towels for drying your hands were as close to cloth as paper can get. In a way, it's more extravagant than real towels because you just throw them out. There were also trained monkeys that powdered your nose and a machine that polished the cuffs of your pants and embroidered them with the Four Seasons logo in spun gold.
Being right across the street from Boston Commons, I took one last little rest before having to meet up with T to leave. Once again, Boston Commons is a beautiful park with big weeping willows and ponds and little white picket bridges. Boston really is a gorgeous looking city. SO much green space and water front parks, old buildings and friendly people. I give it a thumbs up.
I stopped at one last place to buy the angora gloves I saw while browsing the first day. They are the colour of grape juice and and were on sale, my souvenir of Boston.
So long Boston. Smell ya later.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Boston Day 1
Boston, Boston, home of things Bostonian. Boss-ton.
I am stupid with exhaustion. Woke up at 5am to begin the trip here today. Figured I would type her up anyway or I never will. Fresh in my mind. First day. Fresh. First. First fresh.....zzzzzzzz HUH? Oh.
So yes, Tennessee and Jean-Francois kindly allowed me to tag along on their trip for some electronic conference about giant robots that build tiny robots...I am making that up unfortunately. They are here for a conference nonetheless. So I am on my own for seeing wuz up wit B to the Oston. I am probably not making a great deal of sense.
Anyway, so far, so good. Our hotel is super swank in that you can pay 5 for a can of vegetable juice plus a 3.25 delivery charge plus 15% gratuity fee plus 5% sales tax plus 1% admin fee. I am NOT kidding. Anyway, so I won't be ordering any juice but the view is awesome and we are right downtown. I can see the big, creepy Christian Scientist, U.S. headquarters. I went there to see this big stained glass, world map thing but they told me I could only go with the tour and the last tour had begun. I said:
"Well can I just join in, there's only 5 people and it just begun a minute ago."
"No, I'm sorry, it's an audio-visual tour actually and it wouldn't be fair to the people who had waited."
"By audio-visual you mean someone is talking and pointing at things?" (like what the hell was she going on about? It wasn't like some robot was shooting a laser powerpoint presentation into the sky)
"I'm sorry maam you can not join a tour that has already begun."
"So is this what Christian Science is all about?" I was pissed. Tired and pissed. Like I need someone to hold my effing hand in a big, stained glass world globe. Anyway, serves me right for trying to observe something related to religion.
Casting that off, I went for a 3 hour walk across the river and back and along the shoreline, following the 4 mile, absolutely beautiful park trail. Found my way back, got some hummus from the grocery store and head back to the hotel to crash for the evening. Saw Fox news for the first time. Geeyad! It's the sort of America that they make fun of in the Simpsons but it's not the Simpsons, it's real. Geraldo Rivera, O.J Simpson, child molesting senators...all sensationalised for entertainment value under the guise of "Hard News". I mean, why am I describing it like no one's ever heard of it. It's just that it's new to me. The U.S is new to me. It's so strange to have observed their culture my entire life through TV and movies and music and books and only just now be seeing it for real. Boston looks just like a movie set. A TV town. So American.
I feel like my head is full of hardening cement. Sooo tired. Is 7:45 too early to go to bed? I am such an elderly lady! I'm going to knit my sweater and watch more bad tv. More Boston to be observed on the morrow.
I am stupid with exhaustion. Woke up at 5am to begin the trip here today. Figured I would type her up anyway or I never will. Fresh in my mind. First day. Fresh. First. First fresh.....zzzzzzzz HUH? Oh.
So yes, Tennessee and Jean-Francois kindly allowed me to tag along on their trip for some electronic conference about giant robots that build tiny robots...I am making that up unfortunately. They are here for a conference nonetheless. So I am on my own for seeing wuz up wit B to the Oston. I am probably not making a great deal of sense.
Anyway, so far, so good. Our hotel is super swank in that you can pay 5 for a can of vegetable juice plus a 3.25 delivery charge plus 15% gratuity fee plus 5% sales tax plus 1% admin fee. I am NOT kidding. Anyway, so I won't be ordering any juice but the view is awesome and we are right downtown. I can see the big, creepy Christian Scientist, U.S. headquarters. I went there to see this big stained glass, world map thing but they told me I could only go with the tour and the last tour had begun. I said:
"Well can I just join in, there's only 5 people and it just begun a minute ago."
"No, I'm sorry, it's an audio-visual tour actually and it wouldn't be fair to the people who had waited."
"By audio-visual you mean someone is talking and pointing at things?" (like what the hell was she going on about? It wasn't like some robot was shooting a laser powerpoint presentation into the sky)
"I'm sorry maam you can not join a tour that has already begun."
"So is this what Christian Science is all about?" I was pissed. Tired and pissed. Like I need someone to hold my effing hand in a big, stained glass world globe. Anyway, serves me right for trying to observe something related to religion.
Casting that off, I went for a 3 hour walk across the river and back and along the shoreline, following the 4 mile, absolutely beautiful park trail. Found my way back, got some hummus from the grocery store and head back to the hotel to crash for the evening. Saw Fox news for the first time. Geeyad! It's the sort of America that they make fun of in the Simpsons but it's not the Simpsons, it's real. Geraldo Rivera, O.J Simpson, child molesting senators...all sensationalised for entertainment value under the guise of "Hard News". I mean, why am I describing it like no one's ever heard of it. It's just that it's new to me. The U.S is new to me. It's so strange to have observed their culture my entire life through TV and movies and music and books and only just now be seeing it for real. Boston looks just like a movie set. A TV town. So American.
I feel like my head is full of hardening cement. Sooo tired. Is 7:45 too early to go to bed? I am such an elderly lady! I'm going to knit my sweater and watch more bad tv. More Boston to be observed on the morrow.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Chokolat smartees
Ba-boom. Autumn. Kazowy. Kerplonka. Zwip, zwip, kazinga. That is how fall has arrived. 28 degrees one day, 18 the next. Goodbye summer. Nice knowing ya. Smell ya later.
I'm in the sort of mood today where you go into the bathroom at work, and even though you have to pee really bad, you still take a second to stick your face really close to the mirror, tilt your head back, open your eyes wide and stick out your teeth like you are a vampire. You know what I mean. Then hunch over you computer in your little back corner at work and giggle about it. Then eye that open bag of trail mix you bought from the drugstore with unsalted peanuts that must have been swept out of abandoned squirrel nests and fake Siberian smarties made with "chokolat" and you wonder if you really are desperate enough to try eating them again. You decide, nope, but don't throw them out because you never know when some stale peanuts and raisins will come in handy. What if those squirrels mutate and grow 28 stories tall and demand offerings? You are always thinking one step ahead. You congratulate yourself with a handful of trail mix.
I'm in the sort of mood today where you go into the bathroom at work, and even though you have to pee really bad, you still take a second to stick your face really close to the mirror, tilt your head back, open your eyes wide and stick out your teeth like you are a vampire. You know what I mean. Then hunch over you computer in your little back corner at work and giggle about it. Then eye that open bag of trail mix you bought from the drugstore with unsalted peanuts that must have been swept out of abandoned squirrel nests and fake Siberian smarties made with "chokolat" and you wonder if you really are desperate enough to try eating them again. You decide, nope, but don't throw them out because you never know when some stale peanuts and raisins will come in handy. What if those squirrels mutate and grow 28 stories tall and demand offerings? You are always thinking one step ahead. You congratulate yourself with a handful of trail mix.
Friday, September 07, 2007
Carved in candy.
This morning was flamboyant person day in Montreal:
A man with a lime green bow tie that perfectly matched the lining of his tailored suit, hurling a newspaper at a cab that wouldn't stop to pick him up.
A young woman with a Maxim magazine body, tottering on 4 inch stilettos, not quite managing to pull off wearing them with white lace socks and skin tight jeans, but trying hard nonetheless, hiding her insecurity behind paris hilton sunglasses.
Okay, so that's only 2 people but I saw them within seconds of one another so if felt like an epidemic at the time....
I gave notice yesterday at work that I would be leaving at the end of December to go to California for 4 months. It's done now. It's been said. The die is cast. Carved in candy.
I am in suspicious disbelief a little about the whole thing, as is my wont when pleasant things arise. Work was agreeable about it. They understood and even spoke of rehiring me when I return, if possible. We'll see.
I need to use those four months well. I want to produce something finally. No more excuses. I can't feel guilty about working because it won't be allowed. It would be illegal, which is hilariously delightful to me. I will have no choice but to fill my hours with the very thing I have spoken of wanting the time to do for so many years: Learn to skateboard. I'm only half-kidding.
So I will try to concentrate mostly on creating some body of art but I also want to learn to skateboard dammit. I don't know why I feel that California is the place to finally do it but I've decided so that's that. I guess I should look into how health care will work as I am bound to break something.
So creative endeavour, skateboarding, swimming(pool at apartment and pool weather everyday!) on the horizon. I carve that in candy too.
A man with a lime green bow tie that perfectly matched the lining of his tailored suit, hurling a newspaper at a cab that wouldn't stop to pick him up.
A young woman with a Maxim magazine body, tottering on 4 inch stilettos, not quite managing to pull off wearing them with white lace socks and skin tight jeans, but trying hard nonetheless, hiding her insecurity behind paris hilton sunglasses.
Okay, so that's only 2 people but I saw them within seconds of one another so if felt like an epidemic at the time....
I gave notice yesterday at work that I would be leaving at the end of December to go to California for 4 months. It's done now. It's been said. The die is cast. Carved in candy.
I am in suspicious disbelief a little about the whole thing, as is my wont when pleasant things arise. Work was agreeable about it. They understood and even spoke of rehiring me when I return, if possible. We'll see.
I need to use those four months well. I want to produce something finally. No more excuses. I can't feel guilty about working because it won't be allowed. It would be illegal, which is hilariously delightful to me. I will have no choice but to fill my hours with the very thing I have spoken of wanting the time to do for so many years: Learn to skateboard. I'm only half-kidding.
So I will try to concentrate mostly on creating some body of art but I also want to learn to skateboard dammit. I don't know why I feel that California is the place to finally do it but I've decided so that's that. I guess I should look into how health care will work as I am bound to break something.
So creative endeavour, skateboarding, swimming(pool at apartment and pool weather everyday!) on the horizon. I carve that in candy too.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Why isn't ripping spelled wripping? Way cooler that way.
Devil, thy name truly is facebook. That bastard is such a black hole. I've passed over the event horizon and I'm ensconced in the vortex of time sucking.
So I close thy window, facebook and return to the quiet haven of my blog.
I have been up to things. Finally, I have uploaded pictures from the Wedding of Helen and Laurent. A swell wedding it was too. I don't typically care a great deal for them but I enjoyed this one. It was pretty and fun, like any celebration should be. I miss you already though Helen!
So I close thy window, facebook and return to the quiet haven of my blog.
I have been up to things. Finally, I have uploaded pictures from the Wedding of Helen and Laurent. A swell wedding it was too. I don't typically care a great deal for them but I enjoyed this one. It was pretty and fun, like any celebration should be. I miss you already though Helen!
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