For all you non-believers out there, prepare to have your world rocked. And rolled.
A few weeks ago Oli contacted Bell as our internet speed was a bit dismal, and so they sent someone around to sort it out. The guy mainly dealt with Oli but after a while they came into my room to get me to test the connection after they'd done some magic with the line.
The Bell guy used my laptop to go to Youtube, found the following clip, and told me to watch it and we would discuss it after he'd returned from his van.
So I watched it, then waited with bated breath for the impending conversation. Apparently the Bell guy's brother in law was in Acapulco years ago, and met a guy that they got to talking to pretty regularly. He started to suspect that this guy was Elvis, and so he sent a photo of him to a facial analysis professional, asking him to draw what he would look like 40 years ago. The facial analysis guy did so, and contacted him back saying "I drew Elvis Presley!" and thus the suspicion was confirmed! Elvis was apparently hanging out in Acapulco with a girlfriend, and so the brother in law also asked the facial analysis guy to draw what the girlfriend would have looked like 40 years ago, and he ended up drawing Elvis' secretary from 40 years ago!
So this guy ended up making a documentary about all of this, which was shown at a film festival in Canada, but then Elvis' estate basically put a stop to it being shown anymore. They got silenced!
The whole time this guy was telling me this story (which I have given you the abridged version of) his stomach was grumbling terribly. Grumbling with injustice perhaps?
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Lake Louise lived up to its reputation
Oh yes, it was good. Nay, superb. The lake, the glacier, the chateau, the snow, the conference, the people, all fantastic and energising and positive! And possibly a little cold, but you can't have everything. Days were filled with talks and eating far too many pastries, and nights were filled with drinking and eating and talking and socialising. We soon learned however that there was only one restaurant in the hotel that was even slightly affordable, The Saloon, which apparently has the "best dang burgers in town" but also seemed quite capable of churning out a tasty pizza and beer.
My big day was Thursday, as I had my presentation, and then had to dash up to my room to get changed for the "Clean Lakes Classic" 5km run around the lake (well, up one side and then back again). I'd been training for the run but was a little concerned about slipping over in the snow and tumbling into the lake, but it seems I should have actually been more concerned about being over 1700m above sea level. My lungs were pretty buggered by the end of it, and actually still felt a bit weird the next day. It was a good thing they had hot chocolate and granola waiting for us at the finish line!
We also had a banquet on Thursday night, which was quite good until the Parks Canada theatre group got on stage. Admittedly they came on following the World Champion Hoop Dancer who was incredible and a hard act to follow, but man they were bad. We suspect they were brought on to clear out the room, although it's unclear why they'd need to do that as they weren't actually putting on booze for us. We managed to hang on for a few of their skits but when the puppets came out and Shakespeare was being performed by a stuffed beaver we decided it was time to cut our losses.
The following night we went up (or down or whatever) to Banff to the hot springs, which was actually just like a heated (39 degrees) outside pool. It was kind of strange hanging out with a big pile of people in a hot pool in the middle of the cold cold night.
The next day was another organised excursion involving a tour up to the Columbia Icefields. Our bus driver was a bit of a legend, with many an entertaining tale to tell and he knew the area really well, but he managed to stick Cold Chisel in my head for the whole day as he kept mentioning Bow Lake and Bow River. We made it possibly half way to the icefields before the bus seemed to be having difficulties (the onboard computer said something was wrong) so we had to pull over so the driver could contact the mechanic. We ended up staying there for a couple of hours, waiting for a replacement bus to arrive, but this actually ended up working in our favour as we saw a big horny woolly sheep running on the road, and some beavers swimming around their dam which apparently is quite a rare site. We didn't get to spend enough time at the icefields to go up to the toe of the glacier but got to check it out from afar and not freeze too much.
Oh I also managed to pick up second place for best student presentation of the conference, yay me. Well, to be honest, apparently the prize was won by Connie Mills from UWA which is what my name turns into when a man with glasses is reading the slightly messy handwriting of another man who has also confusingly written "(female)" next to my name to prevent the first man from referring to me as male.
So now I'm back home in Montreal which has been enjoying maximums below zero lately and giving me an incentive to get my act together and buy a decent jacket. It is proving difficult however as I seem to have a preference for ridiculously expensive ones, so the quest continues as does my wearing of many layers of clothing which have to be taken off and put back on multiple times a day. I haven't been homesick yet (apart from one Friday night I found myself alone and got a bit forlorn) but I think that perhaps by the end of the year I'll be ready to head for warmer climes.
In simultaneously great and crap news, I posted the family Christmas presents off today and they should arrive in plenty of time seeing as the only possible posting option (apart from super slow surface yak delivery) for large parcels to Australia is ExpressPost which guarantees it will arrive in one week for the low low price of your first born and your spare kidney.
Coming up next time, you will hear the somewhat startling tale of the crazy internet repairman whose brother in law met Elvis...........in 1991!!!
Monday, November 3, 2008
It has been an action packed couple o' weeks, starting with seeing Madonna last last (22nd) Wednesday night!! That woman is 100% muscle, it's incredible what exercising 20 hours a day and refusing to eat anything tasty can do for you. The show started off very well with our ebay-purchased-tickets actually being proper legitimate tickets, and we were lucky enough to be quite close to the front (row H) although we were quite far around the side. We managed to get a few photos (although I appear to be very very bad at taking decent photos at gigs) despite the fact that we saw a few people getting into strife with security for taking photos (why can't we have strapping security guards at UT?). One of the guys sitting in front of us was dancing his absolute heart out, much to the dismay of his girlfriend who tended to sit down for the slower parts of the show and couldn't see anything when he continued to sway and thrust into her line of vision. I think however that her sadness really stemmed from the fact that she was beginning to realise neither of them could continue to deny the fact he would rather be going home with the guy sitting next to him.
Luckily I got myself back into some sort of Aussie frame of mind with both Ross and Jona visiting Montreal that week, because it was Aussie to the Maxxx on the Friday night at the 'Aussies in Montreal' event. There were flags, framed photos of our beloved historical figures (Bob Hawke, Scott & Charlene) and of course classic Oz rock. They had also organised a choice selection of Australian meals including an Aussie burger (with beetroot and egg and pineapple), fish & chips and even a good old pavlova. Unfortunately the pub seemed to think that noone in their right mind would eat any of this because during the course of the night they ran out of pretty much everything. Firstly the guys sitting at our table were told they had to wait 20 minutes for their burgers because the kitchen had run out of meat, only to be told later that in fact there would be no more burgers at all. Jona and I decided to go for the fish and chips, and after complaining about the stinginess of only getting about 5 chips each with our $14 meals we were told they had run out of chips. Jesus, it was the disappointment of no stuffed spuds at half time at Subi all over again. However we were told not to fear, we would receive some pavlova to make up for the chip shortage. Hurrah we cried! Pavlova! During our wait for dessert we heard that they had also run out of batter for the fish. I'm sure it will come as a surprise to read that in fact we did not enjoy some delicious pavlova, oh no, it had run out. We were however given some "apple dessert" which was some baked apples served with icecream, apparently the only two things left in the kitchen apart from a frazzled chef and a few tumbleweeds. A round of shots was also brought to our table to make up for the palaver (and pavlova). Oh, they also managed somehow to run out of beer glasses, and had to serve it in plastic cups.
Whilst all of this was going on, there was a trivia competition!!! Given my penchant for trivia and the fact I'm a big geek with a competitive streak I found time during the week to brush up on the state emblems and numberplate slogans etc. Of course as it always the case, nothing that I brushed up on came up in the quiz but........ we won!!! Decisively too I might add, despite the fact that the only Aussie know-how at our table were myself, Jona, and a Sydneysider (by the way, did you know the emblems of NSW are the Waratah, Kookaburra, Platypus and Blue Groper?). After divying up the loot I scored some timtams and a plush kangaroo stubby holder (made in China) and Jona got some vegemite and a Chokito (the rest included aeroplane jelly, another stubby holder, Cadbury animal choccies and some other stuff I can't remember). There was also a mighty fine Aussie care pack hamper up for grabs in a raffle, but I think the guy who spent $60 on raffle tickets ended up winning it.
Many beers later we somehow found ourselves eating poutine, before home to get some sleep in preparation for the train trip to Quebec City the next day.
Continuing in the great tradition of Jona and I madly dashing to catch some form of transport, the next day saw us running late for the train due to his phone dying in the arse and the wall clock at his hostel being an hour or two slow. We got there in in time though, and soon enough were on our way to Quebec City. When we arrived it was pissing with rain but we braved it to follow the culinary suggestions of the Lonely Planet and had a wonderful meal for our troubles.
Upon awaking the next day I was very happy to see the rain had stopped, given that we would be doing the tourist thing all day. After getting downstairs we were lucky enough to meet who we could only assume is the mother of the woman who runs the 'hotel' we were staying in. We were stuck talking to her for a while before the hotel woman came out and told her to bugger off (well, she said it in French but some things don't need translating) but the old woman insisted on opening the door for us first. A lovely gesture, if she hadn't closed it immediately after Jona had walked through it, trapping me in the door frame in the process. I think perhaps she was a few croissants short of a picnic.
The next couple of days saw us being very good tourists, seeing the sights recommended by my trusty Lonely Planet (including "one of the most interesting streets in the city" which was a shitty alleyway that used to be the red light district. Sadly these days it is home to some weeds and garages and a particularly fluffy white cat, we were somewhat disappointed by the lack of ladies of the night swinging their feather boas suggestively.
Our final morning in Quebec City was quite leasurely, and included enjoying a lovely four course lunch overlooking the St Lawrence River. Unfortunately, though not surprising, it was a tad too leisurely and we once again found ourselves madly dashing to catch our train. Thank god taxis are more plentiful in Quebec City than in our home town because otherwise we would have been stuck there eating escargot and pheasant legs for another day.
Luckily I got myself back into some sort of Aussie frame of mind with both Ross and Jona visiting Montreal that week, because it was Aussie to the Maxxx on the Friday night at the 'Aussies in Montreal' event. There were flags, framed photos of our beloved historical figures (Bob Hawke, Scott & Charlene) and of course classic Oz rock. They had also organised a choice selection of Australian meals including an Aussie burger (with beetroot and egg and pineapple), fish & chips and even a good old pavlova. Unfortunately the pub seemed to think that noone in their right mind would eat any of this because during the course of the night they ran out of pretty much everything. Firstly the guys sitting at our table were told they had to wait 20 minutes for their burgers because the kitchen had run out of meat, only to be told later that in fact there would be no more burgers at all. Jona and I decided to go for the fish and chips, and after complaining about the stinginess of only getting about 5 chips each with our $14 meals we were told they had run out of chips. Jesus, it was the disappointment of no stuffed spuds at half time at Subi all over again. However we were told not to fear, we would receive some pavlova to make up for the chip shortage. Hurrah we cried! Pavlova! During our wait for dessert we heard that they had also run out of batter for the fish. I'm sure it will come as a surprise to read that in fact we did not enjoy some delicious pavlova, oh no, it had run out. We were however given some "apple dessert" which was some baked apples served with icecream, apparently the only two things left in the kitchen apart from a frazzled chef and a few tumbleweeds. A round of shots was also brought to our table to make up for the palaver (and pavlova). Oh, they also managed somehow to run out of beer glasses, and had to serve it in plastic cups.
Whilst all of this was going on, there was a trivia competition!!! Given my penchant for trivia and the fact I'm a big geek with a competitive streak I found time during the week to brush up on the state emblems and numberplate slogans etc. Of course as it always the case, nothing that I brushed up on came up in the quiz but........ we won!!! Decisively too I might add, despite the fact that the only Aussie know-how at our table were myself, Jona, and a Sydneysider (by the way, did you know the emblems of NSW are the Waratah, Kookaburra, Platypus and Blue Groper?). After divying up the loot I scored some timtams and a plush kangaroo stubby holder (made in China) and Jona got some vegemite and a Chokito (the rest included aeroplane jelly, another stubby holder, Cadbury animal choccies and some other stuff I can't remember). There was also a mighty fine Aussie care pack hamper up for grabs in a raffle, but I think the guy who spent $60 on raffle tickets ended up winning it.
Many beers later we somehow found ourselves eating poutine, before home to get some sleep in preparation for the train trip to Quebec City the next day.
Continuing in the great tradition of Jona and I madly dashing to catch some form of transport, the next day saw us running late for the train due to his phone dying in the arse and the wall clock at his hostel being an hour or two slow. We got there in in time though, and soon enough were on our way to Quebec City. When we arrived it was pissing with rain but we braved it to follow the culinary suggestions of the Lonely Planet and had a wonderful meal for our troubles.
Upon awaking the next day I was very happy to see the rain had stopped, given that we would be doing the tourist thing all day. After getting downstairs we were lucky enough to meet who we could only assume is the mother of the woman who runs the 'hotel' we were staying in. We were stuck talking to her for a while before the hotel woman came out and told her to bugger off (well, she said it in French but some things don't need translating) but the old woman insisted on opening the door for us first. A lovely gesture, if she hadn't closed it immediately after Jona had walked through it, trapping me in the door frame in the process. I think perhaps she was a few croissants short of a picnic.
The next couple of days saw us being very good tourists, seeing the sights recommended by my trusty Lonely Planet (including "one of the most interesting streets in the city" which was a shitty alleyway that used to be the red light district. Sadly these days it is home to some weeds and garages and a particularly fluffy white cat, we were somewhat disappointed by the lack of ladies of the night swinging their feather boas suggestively.
Our final morning in Quebec City was quite leasurely, and included enjoying a lovely four course lunch overlooking the St Lawrence River. Unfortunately, though not surprising, it was a tad too leisurely and we once again found ourselves madly dashing to catch our train. Thank god taxis are more plentiful in Quebec City than in our home town because otherwise we would have been stuck there eating escargot and pheasant legs for another day.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Just a little something I whipped up
Yay for weekends, they generally don't disappoint. Mine started off very nicely catching up with a friend, eating delicious falafel at a new middle eastern restaurant near my apartment and then heading up to the Mile End to be introduced to a bar I hadn't been to before. It was great, really nice decor, excellent music, and we got there just at the right time, getting a table before the hordes descended. I am in love with the service you get here. Generally bars have table service (and they come often to make sure you have enough to drink/have a clean table etc) and they seem to just trust that you'll pay up before you leave.
I wanted a white wine so I asked the barman for a dry white and he suggested a Riesling. I wasn't so sure about this, and I voiced as much, so he said something to me that I didn't quite catch before walking off. My friend didn't catch what he said either, so I just assumed that I'd pissed him off or something. But no, he returned seconds later with three bottles of wine and three glasses to let me taste the white wines they had on offer! Can you imagine this happening in a pub in Perth? I ended up choosing the Australian wine strangely enough, my palate must be biased.
The place soon became packed with people, quite a few interesting looking one that kept us entertained. One guy in particular kept grabbing my attention because he was the spitting image of the driving instructor in Happy Go Lucky, though fortunately did not seem to have his personality.
Saturday was spent in more domestic pursuits, baking for the big birthday party on Sunday. I think I ended up spending 8 hours or so pottering around in the kitchen, more time than really necessary due to the fact that I hadn't baked in my kitchen or using my oven before, plus was using new cake recipes. A recipe for disaster perhaps? Ho ho. The first new cake recipe I used was really not up to scratch and I was unhappy with the results so I busted out another using a different recipe which turned out beautifully! Unfortunately this recipe produced so much batter that I had to make it in a big soup pot as my kitchen is somewhat bowl deficient. The upside of the amount of batter meant that there was enough left over for muffins, much to the joy of my housemate.
The result of Saturday was therefore 3 cakes (one subpar and not to be used), 9 chocolate muffins with Oh Henry!s hidden in the middle (they are kind of like Picnics), 9 vanilla muffins with M&Ms and chocolate covered sultanas hidden in the middle with cinnamon icing, and 15 M&Ms mini vanilla muffins.
And here's a bonus shot of the rainbow mix in the tin because it seems to interest people!
The fun bit came the next day when I got to assemble and decorate the cake. Doing this at my place and then carrying it to party central seemed fraught with danger so I took all the bits and pieces with me to their place and did it there. Walking through the city with a big bag of groceries over each shoulder, bags of cake in each hand and three containers of muffins was a little tiring but given the amount of tasting I did the previous night it was probably for the best.
Here is part of the assembly:
and then I started to stress out a bit because I didn't think I'd get it done in time so I stopped taking photos. So, here's the finished product:
and the most exciting part, revealing the inner secrets:
I had a great time at the party, and got to meet quite a number of Karyne's family, who were all lovely people, and who have insisted that I spend Christmas with them. I think that a good old Aussie trifle will have to be made for the occasion. Mmmm jelly.
Myriam also seemed to enjoy herself which is the main thing, and of course by the end of the day had an impressive pile of gifts. Her favourite seems to be one of those tablet things that you draw on with a stylus and then can erase by sliding the knob across. Like an etch-a-sketch but with a stylus. She might graduate to the etch-a-sketch by next birthday.
(Kelly, don't read this next bit)
In other non-cake news, I seem to have bought tickets to see Madonna tomorrow night!!! So exciting. I've had Madonna songs in my head all week as I've been trawling ebay and craigslist for tickets. I am a walking Madonna megamix at the moment. I can only hope she doesn't let the whole impending divorce thing get in the way, but she doesn't seem like the kind of person to let a little thing like a personal life to get in the way of business.
'tis getting colder still here, and my super-dodgy forecastfox is telling me that tomorrow will bring "a morning rain or snow shower". Perhaps Madonna will bring snow with her, like it is snowing in her heart right now...
I wanted a white wine so I asked the barman for a dry white and he suggested a Riesling. I wasn't so sure about this, and I voiced as much, so he said something to me that I didn't quite catch before walking off. My friend didn't catch what he said either, so I just assumed that I'd pissed him off or something. But no, he returned seconds later with three bottles of wine and three glasses to let me taste the white wines they had on offer! Can you imagine this happening in a pub in Perth? I ended up choosing the Australian wine strangely enough, my palate must be biased.
The place soon became packed with people, quite a few interesting looking one that kept us entertained. One guy in particular kept grabbing my attention because he was the spitting image of the driving instructor in Happy Go Lucky, though fortunately did not seem to have his personality.
Saturday was spent in more domestic pursuits, baking for the big birthday party on Sunday. I think I ended up spending 8 hours or so pottering around in the kitchen, more time than really necessary due to the fact that I hadn't baked in my kitchen or using my oven before, plus was using new cake recipes. A recipe for disaster perhaps? Ho ho. The first new cake recipe I used was really not up to scratch and I was unhappy with the results so I busted out another using a different recipe which turned out beautifully! Unfortunately this recipe produced so much batter that I had to make it in a big soup pot as my kitchen is somewhat bowl deficient. The upside of the amount of batter meant that there was enough left over for muffins, much to the joy of my housemate.
The result of Saturday was therefore 3 cakes (one subpar and not to be used), 9 chocolate muffins with Oh Henry!s hidden in the middle (they are kind of like Picnics), 9 vanilla muffins with M&Ms and chocolate covered sultanas hidden in the middle with cinnamon icing, and 15 M&Ms mini vanilla muffins.
And here's a bonus shot of the rainbow mix in the tin because it seems to interest people!
The fun bit came the next day when I got to assemble and decorate the cake. Doing this at my place and then carrying it to party central seemed fraught with danger so I took all the bits and pieces with me to their place and did it there. Walking through the city with a big bag of groceries over each shoulder, bags of cake in each hand and three containers of muffins was a little tiring but given the amount of tasting I did the previous night it was probably for the best.
Here is part of the assembly:
and then I started to stress out a bit because I didn't think I'd get it done in time so I stopped taking photos. So, here's the finished product:
and the most exciting part, revealing the inner secrets:
I had a great time at the party, and got to meet quite a number of Karyne's family, who were all lovely people, and who have insisted that I spend Christmas with them. I think that a good old Aussie trifle will have to be made for the occasion. Mmmm jelly.
Myriam also seemed to enjoy herself which is the main thing, and of course by the end of the day had an impressive pile of gifts. Her favourite seems to be one of those tablet things that you draw on with a stylus and then can erase by sliding the knob across. Like an etch-a-sketch but with a stylus. She might graduate to the etch-a-sketch by next birthday.
(Kelly, don't read this next bit)
In other non-cake news, I seem to have bought tickets to see Madonna tomorrow night!!! So exciting. I've had Madonna songs in my head all week as I've been trawling ebay and craigslist for tickets. I am a walking Madonna megamix at the moment. I can only hope she doesn't let the whole impending divorce thing get in the way, but she doesn't seem like the kind of person to let a little thing like a personal life to get in the way of business.
'tis getting colder still here, and my super-dodgy forecastfox is telling me that tomorrow will bring "a morning rain or snow shower". Perhaps Madonna will bring snow with her, like it is snowing in her heart right now...
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Autumn!
We went for a walk up "the mountain" last Sunday and were rewarded for our efforts with this view. We were hoping to be rewarded with pizza but it wasn't to be.
I had another success last night with meeting strangers off the internet. I joined the Meetup group called "Cheap Ethnic Eatz" and was able to look past the z and go to a vietnamese restaurant with them last night. I had a really good time, and it wasn't all due to the absolutely amazing fried ice cream. Goddamn, it was good. Like a big giant icecream wonton, smothered in orange syrup. A wonton suzette. Unfortunately this restaurant is about a 5 minute walk from my apartment so I am hoping the fried icecream won't be calling to me in my vulnerable hours.
I also joined the Aussies in Montreal meetup group and will be enjoying a beverage (possibly Fosters, hopefully Coopers) with them next Saturday. Apparently the night will involve trivia and a raffle, so fingers crossed I can pick myself up a nice meat tray or a jar of Vegemite.
Anyway, speaking of Aussies, I had best document my weekend in Kingston over the Grand Final weekend (coincidentally it was also the Queens University homecoming weekend which apparently is the biggest busiest weekend of the year). It is already a bit of a blurry memory, which is everything to do with the 3 weeks that have passed and nothing to do with the amount of alcohol consumed. The grand final actually started around 12:30am or so Fri night/Sat morn and conveniently was shown on Jona's cable so we didn't have to squint at the little screen with no sound at the Irish pub we frequented before the game started. We tried to get the Festival of the Boot going online but JJJ decided for some reason not to play it live online this year and we were stuck with Bruce and Dennis.
Fosters was drunk, I will admit. Many many anzac biscuits were consumed however (we had a drinking game style thing going for a while where you had to eat a biscuit if your team got a goal but it was an unsustainable endeavour) which I think makes up for the Fosters embarrassment. The cans of Fosters are actually something like 750mL which is ridiculous, it's bad enough drinking 375mL from a can let alone a longneck's worth of beer.
Of course the next day got off to a bit of a seedy start but this was soon sorted out with a massively calorie dense fryup breakfast and a mad run through the city to get down to catch a boat which we missed by 10 minutes. Yes, nothing like a huge feast followed immediately by a crazed run to sort out a hangover. After checking out the nearby ChiliFest we managed to get on the next boat and had a glorious cold, wet journey through Lake Ontario, resisting the urge to get a hotdog just to see how bad they really were (plus we had coupons for a free postmix drink with any hotdog purchase!). Throughout the trip they played a recording telling you about the sights, which involved a woman telling you things and a Scottish man interjecting (he was apparently the ghost of some historically significant man, and judging from his voice was related to Sean Connery). Oh the witty repartee, it was all I could do to stop flinging myself over the rail, grabbing a hotdog on the way.
After the trip we walked through ChiliFest again, thinking it was some magical festival where you walk around getting free food. We lined up and were given some corn chips and asked for our cups, only to realise that you are given the cups for the chilli when you pay at the front gate. We showed them though - we didn't pay and we kept the free corn chips! Ate them all! It was actually a charity event though so the only people that suffered from our stinginess is the war orphans or whoever it was.
The hours to come involved drinking giant coffees, eating our weight in delicious Greek food, and then getting stuck into the crazy party night of Queens Homecoming Saturday night.
I'm quite fond of this photo, what with the "No man, seriously, I love you!" guy and the brainsucking hand of the guy to the right. Actually, both of these guys are dressed the same...maybe they are the same guy?!?!!!
In a nutshell, it was a mad mad night of thousands of drunk hooligans roaming the streets. I have never seen so many police in my life, it was nuts. My shoes were filthy by the end of the night, I'm not sure why though, possibly it was just the filth of youth. Fun was had into the wee hours, then sleep called as I was all too aware of the train trip home I had to make the next day.
So all in all it was a most enjoyable weekend and I am very grateful to my gracious host, thanks Jona, the boat trip wasn't all that bad ;)
I'm partying it up BIG TIME this weekend with Myriam's 2nd birthday party, man it's going to be wild! As many artificial colours as the eye can see, enough tea to knock you out. Actually I'm in charge of making the birthday cake and I'm quite looking forward to my first foray into cake decorating. If all goes according to plan I will be posting photos of an amazing cake and a very happy 2 year old in a few days. If not then there are lots of good boulangeries/pattiseries around these parts so I could always cheat (oh but you know I won't).
Oh, and one last thing, Australia was in the news here today as there was such a pissweak turnout in the federal election here on Tuesday that there are talks of bringing in compulsory voting. John Howard was in the news lately too as apparently Harper (the PM here) ripped off some of one of his speeches, nice taste there Harper. Anyway Harper is still the PM but I'm glad the election is finally over so I'm not constantly having to avoid eye-height cable ties holding election signs to poles. Some of the graffiti on the signs was funny though. Oh, speaking of graffiti, here's a nice picture to bid you adieu
Friday, October 10, 2008
Comments
Just to let you know I've changed the settings so anyone can post comments as I need to store them up for the cold winter ahead. Hopefully this won't attract unsavoury types (actually, that's an odd saying...surely an unsavoury person is sweet?)
Monday, October 6, 2008
Cor blimey it's cold!
Right then, autumn is here. And it's colder than a Perth winter. Not all that surprising really, but still a bit of a shock to the system. I am conscious of keeping warm whilst not being too ridiculously rugged up in comparison to everyone else. I don't think I'm embarrassing myself too much. I haven't had to bring out the big guns, my thermal pants, I'm trying to keep them in reserve for when the actual real proper winter comes.
As someone who for the past few years has consistently gotten sick multiple times every autumn I am super happy to have two autumns and no spring this year! Of course being aware of this phenomenon I have stocked up on vitamins and minerals and echinacea and all the good stuff but keep forgetting to take them. Actually, excuse me while I go squirt some echinacea under my tongue...
Things seem to be on the up now though, and today I finally felt well enough to go join a gym. There is one just around the corner from my apartment, so I went and signed up and had my first proper training session for MONTHS. It is going to take a bit of work to get myself back to where I was before I left Perth! The machines are a little bit confusing because I am used to working with kilometres, not miles, so I fired up the treadmill to what I would normally run in km/hr but I quickly realised that it was miles/hr.
So yes, my new apartment, I'm finally here! I moved last Wednesday, and was lucky enough to scam a lift so I didn't have to traverse the plateau with my suitcases in the rain. The guy whose room I am in actually left me all his bedding and manchester stuff so I don't have to borrow/buy any of that stuff which is great. Also left all his books in his bookcase and CDs on his shelf, but while he has a decent taste in music he is also well and truly a francophone so the books aren't all that useful. Other strange things in the room include an old typewriter, a light table (good if I need to bring some plankton home for counting?), an old school sewing machine, a scary mask and some precision electronic scales. So it seems I am living in the bedroom of an author with a penchant for photography who moonlights as a masked drug dealer (complete with home made costume).
So far I am really enjoying living here, and getting on really well with my new housemate. He even made me soup the other night in my sickened state, so that has to be a good sign. The place is a bit cold and old but with all the busted arse rental houses I've lived in over the years I will certainly manage. The area is just so good. In less than a minute I can be at my local dépanneur (like a corner store/deli, but it sells alcohol too), and in five minutes walk I can pretty much buy anything, including very famous smoked meat.
I fought through my manky cold the other night and went to see Hot Chip at Metropolis, which is a pretty cool venue in a slighty dodgy part of town. Even in the slightly dodgy parts of town though you still feel safe as there always seems to be enough not-so-dodgy looking people around to counteract the dodgy vibe. It was actually my very first time at going to a gig solo, as a miscommunication between myself and the friend I was meant to be going with meant she ended up in Quebec City that night (just to clarify, the miscommunication didn't involve me telling her to meet me in Quebec City). I had already bought my ticket and really wanted to see them so I went on my lonesome and it was actually still a good night. Going to a gig alone means that you don't have to worry about where anyone else wants to stand, and it's much easier to find room to dance down the front amongst the crowds when you only have to find enough room for one person.
The following night my friend who ended up in Quebec City took me out for tapas and flamenco (watching, not doing) at a really nice little tapas place. This place has flamenco on Thursday nights, unlike the Spanish Club down the road which has it on Wednesdays, so they don't compete against each other. We dined on rich chorizo, huge baked sardines, and fried goats cheese balls served with honey and caramelised onions, yummm. The flamenco and band were great, and by the end of the night I had convinced myself I was going to take up flamenco dancing. It seems like something I could do, or at least have fun getting dressed up for. When we got back to my friend's car there was a smallish rubbish bag sitting on the windscreen. We gingerly picked it off and threw it on the footpath, but curiosity got the better of us and we spent the next five minutes trying to open it without really touching it, and giggling. Could it be cash? A human hand? After finally busting through the bag, we could spy the contents.... another rubbish bag. After playing this rubbish pass the parcel for another layer we were very disappointed to discover the next bag held some old newspaper.
Walking home from the gym tonight I realised that I am now living very close to a big sports bar (the one I was going to watch the footy GF if I didn't end up going to Kingston) so I will have to go suss out the cricket watching possibilities at some stage. Ah yes, Kingston, I have yet to discuss this weekend of boozing and cops and thousands of drunk hooligans and Greek food and snoring and chilifest and stupid girls on trains and of course the footy. Perhaps I will elaborate next time..
As someone who for the past few years has consistently gotten sick multiple times every autumn I am super happy to have two autumns and no spring this year! Of course being aware of this phenomenon I have stocked up on vitamins and minerals and echinacea and all the good stuff but keep forgetting to take them. Actually, excuse me while I go squirt some echinacea under my tongue...
Things seem to be on the up now though, and today I finally felt well enough to go join a gym. There is one just around the corner from my apartment, so I went and signed up and had my first proper training session for MONTHS. It is going to take a bit of work to get myself back to where I was before I left Perth! The machines are a little bit confusing because I am used to working with kilometres, not miles, so I fired up the treadmill to what I would normally run in km/hr but I quickly realised that it was miles/hr.
So yes, my new apartment, I'm finally here! I moved last Wednesday, and was lucky enough to scam a lift so I didn't have to traverse the plateau with my suitcases in the rain. The guy whose room I am in actually left me all his bedding and manchester stuff so I don't have to borrow/buy any of that stuff which is great. Also left all his books in his bookcase and CDs on his shelf, but while he has a decent taste in music he is also well and truly a francophone so the books aren't all that useful. Other strange things in the room include an old typewriter, a light table (good if I need to bring some plankton home for counting?), an old school sewing machine, a scary mask and some precision electronic scales. So it seems I am living in the bedroom of an author with a penchant for photography who moonlights as a masked drug dealer (complete with home made costume).
So far I am really enjoying living here, and getting on really well with my new housemate. He even made me soup the other night in my sickened state, so that has to be a good sign. The place is a bit cold and old but with all the busted arse rental houses I've lived in over the years I will certainly manage. The area is just so good. In less than a minute I can be at my local dépanneur (like a corner store/deli, but it sells alcohol too), and in five minutes walk I can pretty much buy anything, including very famous smoked meat.
I fought through my manky cold the other night and went to see Hot Chip at Metropolis, which is a pretty cool venue in a slighty dodgy part of town. Even in the slightly dodgy parts of town though you still feel safe as there always seems to be enough not-so-dodgy looking people around to counteract the dodgy vibe. It was actually my very first time at going to a gig solo, as a miscommunication between myself and the friend I was meant to be going with meant she ended up in Quebec City that night (just to clarify, the miscommunication didn't involve me telling her to meet me in Quebec City). I had already bought my ticket and really wanted to see them so I went on my lonesome and it was actually still a good night. Going to a gig alone means that you don't have to worry about where anyone else wants to stand, and it's much easier to find room to dance down the front amongst the crowds when you only have to find enough room for one person.
The following night my friend who ended up in Quebec City took me out for tapas and flamenco (watching, not doing) at a really nice little tapas place. This place has flamenco on Thursday nights, unlike the Spanish Club down the road which has it on Wednesdays, so they don't compete against each other. We dined on rich chorizo, huge baked sardines, and fried goats cheese balls served with honey and caramelised onions, yummm. The flamenco and band were great, and by the end of the night I had convinced myself I was going to take up flamenco dancing. It seems like something I could do, or at least have fun getting dressed up for. When we got back to my friend's car there was a smallish rubbish bag sitting on the windscreen. We gingerly picked it off and threw it on the footpath, but curiosity got the better of us and we spent the next five minutes trying to open it without really touching it, and giggling. Could it be cash? A human hand? After finally busting through the bag, we could spy the contents.... another rubbish bag. After playing this rubbish pass the parcel for another layer we were very disappointed to discover the next bag held some old newspaper.
Walking home from the gym tonight I realised that I am now living very close to a big sports bar (the one I was going to watch the footy GF if I didn't end up going to Kingston) so I will have to go suss out the cricket watching possibilities at some stage. Ah yes, Kingston, I have yet to discuss this weekend of boozing and cops and thousands of drunk hooligans and Greek food and snoring and chilifest and stupid girls on trains and of course the footy. Perhaps I will elaborate next time..
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