Oh Those Crazy Saturdays!!

Today thus far:
-Wake up from nightmare at 7:00am. Look out the window, see snow, go back to sleep.
-Wake up from another nightmare at 8:30am, remember the snow, go back to sleep.
-Wake up from third nightmare, decide waking life may have more to offer, get up.
-Eat gigantic veggie omelette. mmmm
-Walk to the McDonald's on the edge of town and drink a free coffee while reading Plato's Symposium. Yes, there is something a little disturbing about a puppet in the form of a pig reading Plato at McDonald's of all places...but they have free coffee! (We can't have integrity all the time.)
-Get distracted from book's dialogue on the meaning of love, by boisterous parents and their children going about their daily lives.
-Walk to the other side of town to buy long underwear at Zellers. (Oh Stanfields, me and my meagre piggy limbs love you!)
-Stop at the local library and read magazines. Lots of magazines. Apparently Montreal is corrupt, McGill is the #1 university in the universe, Canadians prefer animal rights over human rights, and Betty and Veronica are still fighting over Archie.
-Stalk people on facebook. Consider deleting my account for the millionth time to relieve some facebook induced anxiety...
-Update all of you on my exciting day!

Kisses darlings!
Mr. P
xx

The Meaning of Being Alone and That Pervy Tell-Tale Heart!

I'm developing a new sense of independence. I have always had it, but something has really clicked in the past few days. I have never considered myself to be a co-dependent puppet, (although I don't work the same without that arm stuck up my backside) but something is changing. This is my fifth day in Chibougamau and I feel like I have been here forever. It is amazing how wherever I happen to be becomes my home for a time. Why get too attached to a particular place? What purpose would that serve? I start thinking and planning and wondering where else in the world I can go now. All I need is myself and that arm that controls me. I should consider myself lucky that I'm a single pig because I don't have to worry about someone else's opinion in deciding my future, where I should go, what I should do. I have endless possibilities and there are so many adventures that await me. My only complaint is that sometimes moments don't seem as special when you have no one to share them with. That said, I'm extra grateful for my friends and the little notes that they have sent me since I came here.

So why have I come up north? I'm teaching an English class. On the first day of class, I had my students read The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, aloud in class. I'm teaching adults, but there is no doubt that we can all be a little immature sometimes. One student was reading when she came to this passage: "Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust it in! I moved it slowly--very, very slowly, so that I might not disturb the old man's sleep..." (paragraph 3). The student couldn't stop laughing and then the class lost it as well. I will never look at that story the same way again! It certainly becomes less creepy when taken out of context.

A bientot my dears!
xx

Happiness is...a 12 Hour Ride to Chibougamau?

"Chibougamau?" you ask. Indeed. It's on the map if you happen to have one that includes smaller towns in mid to northern Quebec. I arrived yesterday. When I booked my bus ticket I was expecting 8-10 hours. I was wrong. My poor little bum hurts from the 12 hours I spent travelling. So, why am I happy? New adventures! And the last leg of my trip between St. Felicien and Chibougamau was amazing. It was late last night, and very dark outside. The bus was nearly empty and I could only see the black spikes of pine trees along the side of the road. The moon was a bright orange sliver of a crescent and it kept disappearing behind the trees. There are very few buildings along that stretch of highway so the only light was from the bus's headlights. As a result, the stars were bright and plentiful and a couple of them fell and lit up the sky. Eventually, after touching the horizon for most of the journey, the moon disappeared altogether. It was as though the bus had climbed beyond the realm of the moon. I know I'm getting sappy here, but those few moments of witnessing nature made me truly happy.

Stay tuned for more adventures in Chibougamau! So far the people seem to be extremely nice and the weather is much colder than Montreal.

a bientot darlings!
xx

Free Rice

Well, it would appear that I am back. Aren't you all lucky? :) I have been wasting loads of time on a website that a friend showed me recently called Free Rice. It's an educational site that allows you to practice vocabulary, geography etc. It is a like a little game and really quite fun. The site also claims that for each correct answer they donate 10 grains of rice through the UN World Food Program. I know that 10 grains doesn't sound like a lot but it adds up quickly!

Kisses darlings!
xx

Est-ce qu'il y a quelqu'un qui peut me dire qui je suis?

I believe I'm having a bit of an existential crisis at the moment. I haven't updated in quite sometime as I'm really not sure where this blog is going. I need a focus and haven't found it! Whilst in search of my blog's identity, I've been doing a lot of reading. You may have noted that most of my posts are about books lately. Presently, I'm reading L'insoutenable legerete de l'etre by Kundera. (Again, please ignore my lack of accents...complicated computer problems.) I've read approx. 300 pages of the 500 that comprise this novel. It is fascinating and really dense but oh so depressing at the same time. I've really been reading a lot of depressing books lately. They tend to be philosophical and really open my mind to some new concepts, but make me a little disturbed as well. This particular book was given to me by monsieur James on the seven year anniversary of my time in Montreal. Thank you J!

Suggestions are always welcome! Shall I retire the blog, find a new focus, or just improve what I've already started?

Kisses darlings!

As well, I've been going through a bit of a hard time lately and I just want to thank my wonderful friends who have been so supportive. You mean that world to me!!

Hiking, Reading, Studying-Hooray!

Thank you Ange for inviting me to your lovely cottage! For my dear readers, here is a picture of me in the forest near Val Morin. My friends and I hiked down a really steep ravine in an attempt to see what we thought was a waterfall. It is there below me but doesn't really show up in the picture. I had a fantastic weekend staying near Lac Raymond-it was my first time in the area but I hope it's not my last.

I have not yet finished Minima Moralia, I ended up putting it aside so that I could read Les Particules Elementaires by Michel Houellebecq. This is the second Houellebecq novel that I've read. I doubt his name is familiar to my anglophone readers even though he has been translated into English. Francophone readers might know who he is. His books are dark, depressing and somewhat offensive-just the kind of book that I like! This one was fascinating, but I don't recommend reading it if you happen to be unemployed and feeling down about the recession or life in general. This book will not make you feel any better!

Here is a NEWS-type item for the Montrealers with an interest in Greek and Roman Mythology. My good friends over at Laodamia Press are now offering classes in Mythology, Latin and Greek. Their prices are very reasonable and they are now registering for two classes: "Introduction to Mythology" and "The Tragedies of Euripides". Both classes will be taught by Dr. Erez Natanblut, a former Queen's University prof. who recently moved back to his hometown of Montreal. You can find more information on their Web site here.

Music, Philosophy, Yoga and Fires

It's been so long and yet this shall have to be brief. First, I can once again hear a concert outside. It is 11 pm and the sounds are drifting up the hill on the wind. At certain moments I can clearly hear the instruments and the audience. It is an incredible sound and makes me so happy to be in the city this summer. I love my neighbourhood! I am just curious about the origin of the music as Jazz Fest is over. On the other hand, Montreal has more festivals during the summer than I can possibly keep track of. I am curious what outdoor space is being used for this particular concert.

Second, I have just started reading a new book: Minima Moralia by Theodor Adorno. I have only read 1/5 of it so far, but I am thoroughly enjoying it. I am no philosophy expert so I won't comment too much. I simply want to say that even though the language is a bit difficult, the message seems worth the effort. So many of the thoughts and theories in the book are totally prophetic. The book was written between 1944 and 1947 and yet some of the criticisms that Adorno makes about society can totally be applied to 2009. I would be interested in taking a formal class in which they study this book because I'm sure I would learn a lot.

Lastly, the lovely folks over at Naada yoga are offering free yoga classes in Jeanne Mance Park every Sunday during July and August (weather permitting) from 4-5. Everyone is welcome to come. If you don't have a yoga mat you should be able to improvise with a beach towel. Also, if you want to check out a yoga class during the week you should go to their Mile End studio. It is super zen, the instructors are great and they have a well-stocked tea lounge as well if yoga is not your thing. For more info. visit www.naada.ca

No pictures tonight darlings! (I so wanted to make that a Zsa Zsa reference.)

Sleep well!
Mr. P
xx

P.S. I wanted to add a thought about a previous post. In my post about the fire on St. Denis I said that the news confirmed that no homes were lost. After seeing the buildings for myself, it is quite obvious that a few people probably lost their homes. From the sidewalk you can clearly see into damaged apartments. Happily no one was injured in the fire, but I hope those people have had some support in re-establishing themselves.