Monday, January 30, 2012

R.I.P. Laptop


Last summer, while enjoying an episode of “Sex and the City”, my computer shut down. I tried to turn her on but she was not in the mood. In fact, she was not interested in working at all.

Shortly after this I took her to Future Shop where they told me her AC adapter cable needed to be solderized or something. I decided not to deal with that right then and there and instead leave my girl alone for a while.

Months passed and I just left my computer alone. Every once in a while I would think, “man I’d really like to download something”… “I miss my music”… “I want to read that essay I wrote in second year”… but nothing could be done. I missed her, but I wasn’t ready to take action. I’d bring home my work laptop on occasion, but it doesn’t have much RAM, and the rest of the time I’d just use my iPhone.  It was good to take a bit of a computer break.

Then my friend W. came to visit for a weekend and took a look at it. He couldn't turn her on either, so he assumed it was still the AC adapter cable. I decided it was time to take her in to get solderized.
I went to Future Shop this past weekend to take care of business. The employee there told me it wasn't the cable any more. My baby was gone. Her hard drive, on the other hand, was still salvageable, so the nice gentleman removed it and gave it to me in a bag. He asked me if I'd like to recycle my laptop and I said yes.

R.I.P., Fujitsu Lifebook.  Recycle In Pieces.

We had a lot of good times together. You were patient with me as I watched the same movies ("Jesus Camp") over and over again, and you stayed in working order for my entire academic career to date. I loved you. Enough now.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Soul Nourishment

I'm at work right now, but had to take a blog break because of what's nourishing my soul at this moment.




My friend R. burned me a mix CD for Christmas (a long-time tradition) with this track on it and I've been playing it non-stop in the car.  Seriously.  Like, it ends, and then I start it again. So I finally brought the CD into my office to upload it to iTunes so I can listen to it all-day any day.  Watching these gentlemen live(ish) in the video above is even better.  Oh, to have a talent like that (as my boss said after I emailed her the vid).  She's so right! 

This isn't like listening to your average song though. No. For me at least, there's something about the music that just fills me up. Throw in some hot coffee and a quiet day in the office and it's straight-up soul nourishment. 

Other things have been nourishing my soul lately... Baths. Reading before bed (What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell). Cocoa butter. Eating meals at the kitchen table (instead of in front of the TV). Hearing the words "I love you".

Thursday, January 19, 2012

rc-3: Concluded


I'm ashamed to say that more than having not completed rc-3 a.k.a. Reading Challenge III, I completely lost track of it. To be frank, I don't care that I didn't "complete" it. The most important thing is the fact that I'm reading and challenging myself to read more. And I read 17 books in 2011, which is not too shabby at all. However, I'm bummed that I can't say for sure which books I read in the last part of the year. For example, I believe it was 17 in total, but I'm not sure.

Anyway, it really doesn't matter. Here's what I think I read in 2011.
  1. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
  2. The Girls by Lori Lansens
  3. Live from New York by Tom Shales & James Andrew Miller
  4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
  5. The Divinity Gene by Matthew J. Trafford
  6. 38 Witnesses: The Kitty Genovese Case by A.M. Rosenthal
  7. I Met the Walrus by Jerry Levitan
  8. Saturday by Ian McEwan
  9. Bossypants by Tina Fey
  10. Animal Farm by George Orwell
  11. No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod
  12. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
  13. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
  14. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
  15. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
  16. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
  17. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding
So, not bad at all, really. I read a few classics (Animal Farm and The Old Man and the Sea), a few silly reads (Bossypants and Bridget Jones Deux), a bit of non-fiction (Live from New York, 38 Witnesses, I Met the Walrus, The Tipping Point, and Tuesdays with Morrie), and the rest my beloved fiction (65%). I'd say it was a good year.

I'm currently reading David Sedaris' When You Are Engulfed in Flames and Malcolm Gladwell's What the Dog Saw.

I thought I'd already revealed rc-4, but it appears not. Next time I will!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

My trip to France


Blogging about travel is really difficult for me; first of all, because I don’t travel a lot, and secondly, because I have so much fun on trips that I want to tell you about every day and every detail.  However, I’m determined to hold your attention, and therefore have boiled 12 days down to 10 experiences, that I hope express even a small percentage of how much fun I had during my 12 days in France.

TOP 10 EXPERIENCES IN FRANCE

#1
I am not a fan of roller coasters or balconies, but every once in a while I challenge my fear of heights.  I did just that while in France, and I’m glad I did, because riding the Ferris Wheel in Tours was one of my top 10 France moments.  My friends J, W, K, and I were walking around, chatting and enjoying the city, when we came upon a ferris wheel.  Immediately W & K wanted to climb on; after all, it was a great opportunity for photo taking.  I was pretty hesitant, since I’m afraid of heights, and J was really hesitant, because he hates ferris wheels, roller coasters, and the like as well.  When it came down to it though, I had to make myself get on, and against all odds, so did J.  It was a great ride; three rotations and a beautiful view of the beautiful city that is Tours, France.



#2
In an effort to show us authentic French food, J took us to a local restaurant in Tours called Les Relais D’Alsace, which I realize from looking at the website is actually a chain.  Anyway, I’m lucky because I haven’t met a food I didn’t like, so travel is just a way to meet more foods that I love.  With that in mind, I thought I’d ask J to just pick something on the menu for me (he speaks French, I do not), and he was willing to do so… that’s until I saw the selection of mussels (I figured moules was likely to be it).  I love mussels, so that was that.  We enjoyed some drinks to start (I had Kir Royale) and some entrees (which in France are actually the appetizers… which makes way more sense) – escargot and a seafood pizza sort of thing.  Unfortunately J & W didn’t love their main dishes, but my mussels were incredible.  They came in a huge pot mixed with sauce and mushrooms, with frites on the side for dipping into the sauce.  YUM!  The meal was incredible.  We finished off with espressos and a huge dessert (can’t remember what it was called) to share.  I highly recommend if you ever see the restaurant in France.





#3
After 3 nights in Tours (Dec. 28-31), we took the train to Paris where we stayed for the next 7 nights at our friend’s apartment.  Note: if you’re so lucky to have friends in far-off places who are willing to host you while you travel, I highly recommend it.  Not only is it a way to save cash, but it’s a great way to experience a city with a real pro, who might have friends to introduce to you, little restaurants to take you to, etc.  That being said, it’s important to be a good house guest – stay clean, cook and wash dishes when you can, buy a little gift, etc.  I could not be more grateful to my two wonderful hosts while in France.

But I digress… in Paris we stayed in the 5th arr. closest to Maubert-Mutualite metro stop.  We arrived at the apartment on the afternoon of New Year’s Eve, put our bags down, and then went out for a bite to eat and also to grab some much needed beverages for the last evening of 2011.  We spent about five hours in the apartment; relaxing, getting ready, and throwing back a few glasses of wine.  Note: wine (by Canadian standards) is incredibly inexpensive in France… like, mind-blowingly so.  Enjoy it!

After dancing, drinking, and general merriment, we finally got ourselves on the metro to head to the Eiffel Tower.  Although we celebrated midnight on the metro, we made it to the tower shortly afterwards and caught the tail-end of the fireworks display, which was stunning.  We wandered around the park next to the tower, taking it all in.  Much like walking around NYC, wandering Paris is absolutely magical; you’ve seen all these images, sites, etc. in books, movies, and the like, so seeing it in person is absolutely surreal.  I never went to the top of the Eiffel Tower while in Paris, but celebrating NYE underneath it with a bottle of champagne and my best friends?  I can’t think of anything better than that.


#4
On January 2nd, K and I took the metro to the Louvre.  It was a Monday morning, which we read afterwards (in K’s Rick Steves’ guide to Paris – highly recommend) is one of the busiest times to go.  The line to get into the museum was longer than any I’d ever seen before; I think we waited an hour.  That being said, we chatted and people-watched and so the time just flew by (the view of the museum from the line isn’t bad either; lots to look at).  K had read (Rick Steves) that it’s best to follow some kind of tour through the museum; it’s huge, and just wandering around will tire you out quickly, and you might get “arted out”.  We followed Rick Steves’ tour of the museum, which focused on making sure you saw the “biggies”.  When we weren’t looking at the biggies, we just kind of sped through certain sections to avoid burn-out.  My favourite pieces were: Venus de Milo (really cool to see in person and such a beautiful sculpture), a statue of Athena (not far from Venus… really tall), and, of course Mona Lisa.  Although there was a crowd in front of ML, I got a good view of her.  She is smaller than you’d think, like many had warned me, but it’s still something you’ve gotta see.





#5
On the afternoon of the day we went to the Louvre, we took a historical walking tour of Paris (care of Rick Steves).  One of the spots to see on this tour was the Left Bank Booksellers, and, not far from there, the Shakespeare & Company Book Store.  I know it’s a bit silly to say that one of my top 10 experiences in France was an English bookstore, but I can’t help it.  It was a dream world; books shoved in every nook and cranny available, ladders to take you to the highest shelves… I bought a book (When You are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris) and got it stamped with the official Shakespeare & Co. stamp, and bought a totebag, too.  I highly suggest checking this spot out in Paris if you’re a book lover.




#6
After buying books and enjoying a break from struggling with my French, we headed to a pub we’d seen nearby.  Once again, this is a slightly silly place to go to in France, but we couldn’t help ourselves – The Great Canadian Pub.  We enjoyed a beer (called The Great Canadian, which our server [from Winnipeg!] confirmed with me indeed is not served in Canada) and some nachos and wings, as well as the atmosphere which included Montreal Canadiens’ memorabilia, among other things.  Always fun to find a piece of home in a foreign country.



#7
On Day 8/January 3, we went to my favourite neighbourhood in Paris – Montmartre.  I knew of Montmartre from both the movie “Moulin Rouge” and also, one of my favourite films, “Amelie”.  In fact, we watched “Amelie” the night before in prep for our day in Montmartre.  We took the bus from the 5th arr. to Montmartre and began by climbing the steps to Sacre Coeur.  Before we got to the top, we paused to enjoy the site of the carousel that we had seen in the movie the night before.  We took some great photos from outside the Sacre Coeur, and then went into the church for some moments of silence and the beautiful inside of the building.

After that we wandered through the Montmartre Christmas market, where we got some mulled wine and souvenirs.  Then we walked past the artists in the square and went to the Salvador Dali exhibit, which had come highly recommended by J and I can see why; it was so cool to see Dali’s work, and think about just how many prolific artists spent their days in Montmartre.

After the exhibit we went searching for CafĂ© des Deux Moulins, the restaurant where Amelie works in the film.  At first I thought the two restaurants just shared the same name, but that the film was shot at a different location… now I’m starting to think it was the same one, just with a slightly different interior.  Either way, it was a delicious lunch, and fun to see Audrey Tatou’s face on the menu.

After lunch we walked down the hill to the Moulin Rouge and snapped a few pics.  Then we called it a day!






#8
On Day 9/Jan. 4th, we made ourselves get up early and take the RER (think Paris' GO train) to Versailles.  I had been pretty excited to see this, after studying Versailles as part of music/art history, and knowing more about Louis XIV than I do about most kings.  Like with Montmartre, we had intended to watch a movie the night before to get us in the mood - "Marie Antoinette" - but we'd never gotten around to it.  Anyway, we arrived there on a rainy, grey Thursday morning, and went straight to the info kiosk/store to get some tickets to the castle, gardens, etc.

Wasn't it just our luck that the gardens were closed that day because of the rain and wind?  Well, we got our tickets to the castle anyway, and headed there to take the tour.  Audioguides are free at Versailles, which is not the case at most museums, so we excitedly got one each.  I highly suggest getting the audioguides when you can, as they're fun and really get you into the mood of being there.  We toured the rooms and listened to the history as we went.  It was really amazing.  The castle is absolutely gorgeous and ornate and... royal!!!  My favourite room was the queen's bedroom.




The sky began to clear up and the rain ceased, but the gardens still didn't seem to be open.  We decided to get some lunch and then try the info place again to see if we could get tickets.  After such a decadent tour, we felt we needed a decadent lunch...


After some French-style Big Macs (just the same), we headed back to the info place to no avail - they still weren't opening the gardens.  Super disappointing, but we were happy to have seen the castle and a teeny bit of the cute town of Versailles.  We headed home to relax and decided to watch "Marie Antoinette" at that point.  My friends hadn't given it great reviews but I actually really liked it.  I liked it even more after having seen the castle that morning, and the queen's bedroom was made even cooler by the film.

We even ate some special macarons in Marie Antoinette's honour (macarons from La Duree).


#9
When speaking with a friend while in Paris, she told me that I had to try raclette.  I wouldn't call myself a foodie, per se, but I'd call myself an eater, so of course I was willing to try it.  Our lovely host in Paris just so happened to know of a place close to her apartment, so off we went to L'Assiette aux Fromages.


My friend informed me that raclette is traditionally a sort of post-skiing dinner, and the restaurant totally reflected that, as it looked like a ski lodge/chalet.


For a reasonable 30 euros, we completely stuffed ourselves.  We had two fondue pots (one oil, one cheese), two raclette plates, and I believe it was called a tartiflette - almost like a quiche.  Mmmmm.  Raclette involves putting meats and potatoes on your plate, melting cheese on a little skillet (right at your table), and pouring the melted cheese over the meat and potatoes.  I love interactive meals (like lobster!), so raclette was right up my alley.  On top of all that food we had lots of wine, followed by coffee and dessert; a very reasonable price considering all that we enjoyed.


#10
Last, but not least: Day 11/Jan. 6th.  This was my last full day in Paris, and France in general.  We had had a late night (/early morning) the night before, so we allowed ourselves a little sleep-in, followed by a late lunch (Italian - yum!), and then K, W, and I hit the last site on our list - the Champs-Elysees.


We got off the metro at the Arc de Triomphe.  It was quite a site to see - like the Eiffel Tower, you know it, and so it's really magical to see in person.  Once again, we didn't climb to the top, but we took lots of photos and took it all in.  Note: When looking at the Arc de Triomphe, take a look at the traffic around it.  To me, there seems to be zero logic to the way it works, but a great amount of anxiety associated with the driving.  O.M.G.  I would never do it.



After staring at the arc for long enough, we hit the street.  The Champs was really cool.


We walked and shopped a bit, taking a side route to see some more stores, and then we ended up at Place de la Concorde to look at the oberlisque.  It was really cool; to look at and to learn the story of it.  From our vantage point we could also see the Eiffel Tower glowing in the distance.


Finally, as if all of this wasn't surreal enough...  We're walking back to the arc from the oberlisque, along the other side of the Champs, and we see a crowd of people gathered outside a movie theatre...



After mingling with the crowd we gather that it's a movie premiere... and not just any movie premiere, but the premiere of "The Iron Lady".

So take a wild guess what (or rather, who) was my 10th best experience in France???


MERYL STREEP!!!!!!!!!


That is it, ladies and gentlemen!  Thanks for reading, and go to France!!!

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