All That Jazz

Good evening darlings!

This is a random picture that I took of some art work in Mile End. "Oh the land of Oz is a very funny place where everyone wears a funny, funny face..."

I am sitting here working in my living room with a cool breeze coming in through the open windows and I've realized something. I swear that I can hear sounds from the Jazz Fest down the hill coming in with that breeze. They are intermittent sounds: the occasional flourish of drums and perhaps guitar and cheering. I think the wind needs to blow from the right direction. I feel like the artist in his ivory tower thirsting for a journey to the sacred font. I can also usually see the Saturday fireworks from my bedroom window. Montreal is truly a magical place, especially in the summer.


On a side note, I was reading in the Mirror this week that the Plateau now has its own Sunday Farmer's Market. The first one was last Sunday, June 28th and they are supposed to continue every Sunday until the end of summer. The market is located at 4265 Laval, corner of Marie-Anne in the schoolyard of l'Ecole St-Jean-Baptiste from 10am-4pm. Perhaps I will see you there this weekend...

Sleep well m'dears!

xx

Happy Canada Day!

"And the streets are paved with gold and no one ever grows old, in that funny place called the land of Oz!"

Fire

Good morning my dears,

Today I had intended to write a concert review but that shall wait until tomorrow. Instead, I am posting this picture I took of a fire on St. Denis early yesterday evening, Sat. June 27, 2009. It was on St. Denis between Pins and Cherrier. It appeared that three buildings were on fire and I could see a lot of fire fighters on the roofs with chainsaws. It was kind of eerie hearing the buzz of all those chainsaws punctuated with siren bursts and the comments from gawking bystanders. The sky was also trying to rain but was just spitting a bit at that point. I don't have a television so I couldn't watch the news for more info. and surprisingly I have only found amateur reports about this fire online. I know it was significant enough that traffic was re-routed onto Berri well into the night. I think the buildings were a mix of stores with apartments above them. I feel bad for all the people that probably lost their homes and possessions. I hope no one got hurt!

Until tomorrow,
Mr. P
xx

UPDATE: A friend was kind enough to send me a link to an article about the fire. Click here to read it yourself (it's in French). According to the article, only one building was lost which included a beauty salon on the main floor. The rest of the building was being renovated. At least that means that no homes were lost and people are safe. Yay!

Today's song is 'Lover I Don't Have to Love' by Bright Eyes because it is kind of depressing and that sums up my mood at the moment.

Fringe Fest-In Cold Blood

Today was utterly depressing. It was gorgeous and sunny outside and my schedule was wide open. So what did I do? I sat in my armchair reading the entire day. (At least I preserved what's left of my precious and limited funds.) I drank a lot of tea and ate a lot of Ryvita crisp bread (endorsed by the Queen!), and all day long I read In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. My friend lent it to me a few months ago and I wasn't sure I would like it, but once I got started I was kind of sucked in. Unaware of the book's phenomenal success I decided to google it. After doing that, I now reckon it is quite possible that every other person my age and older has already read this book. If you are one of the few exceptions like me, you should pick it up! Why should you pick it up? It is a well-written and engaging book. It also has historical significance. It was originally marketed as being a non-fiction novel giving a true account of the murders of a Kansas farmer and his family. It is full of very interesting characters and descriptions. As well, I find that the sections in which the murderers take a road-trip can be likened to a perverse version of On the Road. I enjoyed reading about the places that they travelled though it was horrible to think of the actions that preceded the trip as well as some of the things they did while moving about the U.S. and Mexico. I really don't know what I can say to endorse the book, there is so much written about it already and readily available on the Internet. You don't need to take my word for it, look it up!

After I finished the book I was still feeling too gloomy to step out for a stroll. Since I was feeling depressed and had spent the day reading a book that reconfirms 'life is not fair' I gave up on trying to shake the bad mood and also watched the movie Capote which is about the author of In Cold Blood. Watching the movie after reading the book really makes you think about how Capote got his information and how much of it he may have embellished.

So my dears, as you can tell, I am a bit morose tonight. Yes, I have said this is the case but I think my writing indicates it as well. My week actually started on a high note though. For the first time ever, I attended the Fringe-for-All event on Monday, June 1. The event at Cafe Campus included 2-minute preview performances from 45 of the performers that will be at this year's Montreal Fringe Fest. It was so much fun and there was so much talent in that room! I just love to see what wonderful things emerge when fertile creative minds are given a forum like the Fringe where they can show off their uncensored works. There were a couple of misses, but maybe they were just shows that could not be represented very well in such a short period of time. Also, the performers still have a few days of rehearsal left as it does not start until June 11. If you are anywhere near Montreal, you MUST attend. It is inexpensive and loads of fun! The festival runs from June 11-21. You can click here to visit the official Web site and get schedules, ticket info. and all that jazz.

Goodnight all!
kisses
xx

Tonight's song is 'Perfect Day' by Lou Reed.

Free Museum Day is Not a Piece of Cake...and Pie!

Here is the picture of the raw, vegan, apple pie as promised!

Yesterday was Sunday, May 31. It was also Free Museum Day here in Montreal. Each year I gleefully imagine all the fantastic (free) things I will witness on this day. Each year I strategically pick out which museums are the most worthy of not receiving my hard-earned cash. This years honoree was the 'Irish O'Quebec' exhibit at the McCord Museum. Ange came along to experience her first Free Museum Day. Just like every year, the museum was absolutely packed. We fought the crowd to see perhaps a quarter of the first floor of the exhibit. Reading each sign required a valiant effort as did each attempt to move through the crowd without getting bumped off course. As I do every year, I gave up after half an hour and left...

As Ange put it, museums just aren't the same when they are over-crowded. To really enjoy them you need enough room to proceed at your own pace and read as much or as little as you please.

Today's song is The Smiths 'Bigmouth Strikes Again'.

Ttfn darlings
xx

Flat

Last Sunday I went to the Expozine in the Plateau. I wanted to enjoy myself but it was in a church basement and very crowded. It was hard to get in close to look at the different works or talk to the artists. Maybe I will try again next year.

Yesterday I rented 99 Francs as part of my attempts to improve my French. I had never heard of the film but was pleasantly surprised. It is certainly not family-friendly but that is maybe what I liked about it. It basically is a critique of our consumerist society and the role that advertising and marketing play from the perspective of a coked-up French ad exec named Octave. Most of the film had the pace of an advertisement as well. I definitely recommend renting it if you like dark humour and don't mind gratuitous drug use and sex.

I am still working on my painting of the buildings. I was quite pleased with its progress initially but now I feel that I have muddled the colours and need to get back to a more restrictive colour palette to make it work. I am too much of a perfectionist sometimes. The hours that I have dedicated to that piece would probably add up to almost a week.

Tonight's song is 'Last Goodbye' by Jeff Buckley. I really like that song...