South of the border: a photo essay

I said my next post would be about my commute in Montréal, but at the moment, my commute is far from my mind as I spend a few days in South Carolina. Here's a look:







All of the above pictures were taken at one of my favorite Hilton Head restaurants:



Here's a new friend I met on the golf course...he's a little guy.

Boxing days...

Happy 2008!

I have had some settling to do recently, which I’ll tell you about in just a moment, and I haven’t found the time to write about it until tonight.

First of all, Bo and I traded our Urban Arbres for Face au Fleuve (see future entries...). We moved just before New Year’s with the help of a small friendly moving crew and many of our local friends. (Merci Alain, Renaud, Pascal, Alexandra, Isabelle et François!!) Our new apartment is cheaper, closer to my school, and has a much better layout than our previous apartment (much more storage too). The photo will show you why most Montrealers move on July 1st. Still, it could have been much worse!



Less than a week later, work permit in hand, we went to my storage unit in Plattsburgh and my parents helped Bo and I to empty it! (Thanks Mom and Dad!) A truckful of my personal goods crossed the border with no problem at all. For the first time, Bo’s and my possessions were all under the same roof—which suddenly seemed like a very small roof! We’ve spent our weekends arranging furniture, hanging shelves and pictures and placing things in their rightful places.

My new commute is about half as long. I travel by public transportation and it takes right around 45 minutes (the same that it took with my car from the old apartment). The commute doesn’t seem long at all and while riding the bus, or subway, or waiting for one or the other, I actually read an entire book for pleasure this month for the first time in a long time (I’m ashamed to admit how long...). I also read passages for school. The next post is about my experience in public transportation (transport en commun). I wrote it before the move, but never posted it, and it’s still a glimpse into the routine. I personally used my car yesterday for only the 3rd time since I went back to work after the holidays.

My professional life has been busy too. There have been many special events at school (Mardi gras, Open House, and before the holidays, my class performed a play, I performed in a play with my colleagues and there was a huge parent assembly). Recently, a friend of Bo’s, who works at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), invited me to give a pair of lectures to her education students. That was a new experience for me, something I had been wanting to try. I was nervous, but I think I did pretty well. We are already discussing dates for next semester, so I must have done all right.

Here is Chico's impression of an ostrich on moving day (if you look closely towards the bottom right of the bike rack, you can see his two little ears...). Because his face was hidden, he thought he was invisible. Cats are troopers though, Chico adjusted very quickly to his second move in six months. (By the way, I looked up Chico on Wikipedia yesterday and learned that Pope Benedict XVI's cat is also named Chico...great minds think alike...but maybe that means I need to change Chico's name to Chico II).

Life's most beautiful moments...

Bus 67 heading south on Saint-Michel stops at the corner of the Boulevard Rosemont. One day when I felt like walking the last bit of my journey, I got off at this stop. I immediately noticed the hair salon on the corner, one of the first businesses to decorate its windows for Christmas. Among the decorations was a large sign, which in all of its calligraphied majesty, expressed the following mind-blowing philosophical sentiment:

Les plus beaux moments de la vie se partagent en offrant...

...un certficate cadeau.

Translated into English these words of enlightenment mean "The most beautiful moments in life are shared in the offering of...a gift certificate."

Well, I'll be darned, nobody ever told me that before! I even went to college. And graduate school. I never knew the secret of sharing the most beautiful moments in life was so simple! I'm sure that's what my brother intended when he sent me an Amazon gift certificate last year! Now all my loved ones know what they'll be getting under the tree this year! I'm sure my local retailer would love to sell not only the gift certificate, but also some must-have decorative packaging as well.

And...the sign is in a hair salon window! Personally, getting my hair cut has never been one of the most beautiful moments of my life, but wait, it doesn't have to be, it's just the offering of the gift certificate itself!

OK, maybe if it was in a jewelry store window, one could imagine the wedding proposals and such. Maybe something like this? "Will you marry me, chérie? Here is a gift certificate to put towards your engagement ring."

Or if the sign was at least in a restaurant, there would be the social gathering attached to the redemption of the gift certificate. I picture friends and family around the table, living life, breaking bread. Those are what I call beautiful moments.

Are you there Père Noël? It's me, Bijou.

Besides world peace and instant weight loss, here are some untangibles (or unexist-ables) that I'd like for Christmas this year:

1)Improved etiquette for certain bus passengers with whom I regularly share my commute.

2) Easier border crossings for Bo and myself.

3) A chance meeting with someone I know on a sidewalk in Montreal.

4) Blackboard chalk with moisturizing lotion in it.

5) One day, (or dare I ask for a few days?) where my students are all well-behaved, all at once.

6) Unlimited hot water for marathon showers.

7) A signed contract for the sale of my house, or better yet, the proceeds in the bank.

8) A cure for my cousin's cancer.

9) Less ridiculousness in advertising and promotions.

10) A self-cleaning kitchen.

I'm realizing that many of the "items" on this list (at least #s 1,2,3,6,8 and 9) could become blog entries in and of themselves. I'd better get writing! My many faithful readers could give me input as to what you'd like to hear about...In fact I think I'll write about #9 right now. Read on!

Les escaliers: a photo essay

As promised, staircases! I took these photos recently while walking in a neighborhood near mine. The last photo was taken on the street where I live. The bright turquoise staircase on the left is just across from my apartment and is one of the staircases you can just barely see in one of my Urban Arbres photos. You can also notice the bright green recycling bins on many of the balconies. As these photos show, some staircases are straight; some are curly... and when they're lined up all in a row, it's a graphic feast for the eyes. Bon appétit.

Leaf Peepers

Last weekend the weather was outstanding for the end of October and Bo and I decided to go for a hike. Sandwiches packed, we made it out the door before 10 am.

We headed for the nearest mountain, Mont St. Hilaire, about 45 minutes away. As we approached the entrance to the park we realized we were not the only city dwellers with this idea. Imagining the crowded and noisy trails, we retreated. We pulled over a few minutes later and took the following photos:



We decided to keep heading away from the city in search of just the right park in which to have lunch and a long stroll. We made it all the way to Sorel where there is a ferry that takes cars and passengers across the St. Lawrence river. We had our picnic in the car and enjoyed the sun and breezes on the upper deck.

We never did find a park to stroll in and we finally found our way back to the city a good four-plus hours later. But it was a beautiful day nonetheless. The scenery was wonderful, as was the company. After supper we did go for a hike...in our neighborhood.

Miam-miam!

Or, as we say in English...yum, yum!

I made a gustative discovery this week thanks to one of my students. When AJ is staying at his mom's, he comes to school with fresh-baked pastries and wholesome sandwiches and organic fruit. When he is staying at his dad's, things are less "gourmet." Recently, in addition to a sandwich, AJ had a bottle of diet iced tea and a bag of Ruffles. He was generous and shared his junk food with all of us...fortunately for his teacher because I discovered the glorious flavor of:



I've never seen this flavor before in the States. It is kind of like BBQ and salt and vinegar put together. (I notice a vinegar bottle, a red pepper, and a green onion on the packaging). Whatever the secret recipe is... they're darn good!

In my photo shoot for this blog entry I noticed that the flavor of these chips is not only glorious, but "simulated!" Oh boy! Betcha want to run out and get some now!



But seriously, they're delicious. If you're in a junk food mood the next time you're in Canada, stop by any neighborhood gas station and grab a bag!