Barack's music video

I think this video really speaks to Barack's charisma, and the buzzword of the US campaign right now: "change." This election is giving Americans, and many other people in many other nations, a hope they have not allowed themselves to feel in a long time. It is meaningful, and it's hard not to be a bit inspired by it. The millenium has come, and we survived, so we'd better do our best to make it better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjXyqcx-mYY

Just as a caveat: I still don't know if I prefer Barack over Hilary, but I think they'd both give the good thing: real, solid, steaming, fleshy change. At least I really really hope so, and for now, hope is enough.

The Incidental Glutenarian: Bad Thai

This is one of my classics. It's easy, delicious, a crowd-pleaser, and you can improvise quite a bit until you find the version you like best. It can be vegan if you omit the Cock Sauce (which, come on, who wants to do that?). You can also add in chunks of meat if you want to up the carnivorous quotient. It's not like the pad thai you find at restaurants, but it's a good deal healthier and you can vary the ratio of noodles to vegetables.

Ingredients:
Thick Thai rice noodles
sesame oil
olive oil
garlic
onion
fresh ginger
firm tofu
bell pepper
broccoli (or whatever other veggies you have lying around)
green onions
cilantro
an egg

chopped, toasted peanuts or crunchy peanut butter
3-4 tbsp ketchup/tomato sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
tbsp Cock Sauce aka Fish Sauce
sambal oelek/chili garlic sauce/chili peppers
fresh lime to squeeze on top

Directions:
Soak the noodles until they are al dente. It's important they be not too done, because they'll cook more with the rest of the ingredients and you don't want them to get too soggy. Watch this, because it only takes about 10 minutes for them to loosen up.

Chop onion and garlic, and grate or chop fresh ginger. Heat sesame oil with olive oil--about 1-2 tbsp--and throw in chopped veggies. Saute for a couple of minutes until onions get translucent.

Cut tofu into cubes. Salt it a bit and throw it in the wok/large pan. (I'm actually crap with woks, so I just use a large pan). Let these cook together for a bit so the tofu absorbs the flavour.

Stir together cider vinegar, peanut butter, tomato sauce/ketchup, sambal oelek, Cock sauce, and some of the cilantro. Pour some of this on the tofu mixture so it gets all tasty. Save most of it though.

Cut bell peppers and other veggies into strips or cubes, depending on your preference, and add them in. Add more of the sauce mixture. When veggies are cooked almost to your liking, add the noodles and the rest of the sauce. Mix them together quickly so the noodles don't get soggy.

If you are using an egg, scramble it with a fork. Push aside the noodles and veggies, and scramble cook it in the pan. When it's solid, mix it in with the rest of the food. If you are making a lot, 2 eggs might work better.

Put in on plates and, on the table, have cute little dishes with chopped fresh cilantro, fresh limes, and toasted chopped peanuts. Voila! Bad Thai that tastes great.

The Ice Queen AKA Frigid Bitch

Montreal and I have been together for a long time. 6 years ago, when we first came together, I was feeling all the blush of first love. She was all I could talk about, and I hated to leave her, even for a weekend trip to Toronto or Ottawa to see friends.

Now, 6 years later, all those little things about her that I used to find cute are starting to drive me crazy. The constant construction. The knee-deep snow. The summer nights so humid you can't sleep. The constant drinking and smoking. The maddening insistence of Montrealers to look good even when it's -25 and snowing. She's so hot and cold, I just can't take it anymore. Talk about a brooding poet: she's beautiful but hopeless.

We've come to the end of the road. I'm leaving Montreal for Vancouver, a warmer, more welcoming, less schizophrenic place. I can understand why people settled in Vancouver. Montreal must have had some kinda voodoo to make people think they could actually survive here. Walking to school is fraught with dangers: slipping on ice, drowning in a snow drift, inciting murderous rage on slow walkers you can't overtake in the snow...

The problem is, I think Montreal can tell we're about to break up, that I'm leaving her for another city. Suddenly, she is venting her jealous rage on me by pouring out snowstorms and remaining frigid until well into the summer.

All this is to say, I'm sorry, citizens of montreal, this hellish weather must be all my fault.

Th Incidental Glutenarian: Omelette

Mmmmm ommmletttess...one of the best I've made yet!

Step 1: Cook up
1 clove garlic
red bell pepper
green beans
mushrooms
kale
grape tomatoes
pinch of basil
salt and pepper

with a bit of olive oil. Make sure they are nice and cooked.

In the meantime, stir up
2 eggs
a spash of milk/cream
1 tbsp or so of parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Cook the eggs on medium in a large, flat, nonstick pan. Lift up the edges after the eggs solidify for a while and let liquid slide underneath the cooked eggs. When the eggs are almost cooked, put the veggies onto one side. Cover with some grated cheddar cheese. Fold eggs over top.

Let this chill for a bit on med-low, and Voila! Delicious omelette. Have it with wine, as always.

The Incidental Glutenarian: Part 2 in a Series

This meal has two parts. There is a gluten-free alternative in one of them, but gluten-free soy sauce/tamari is easy to get and actually MORE delicious than regular soy sauce (at least in my opinion).

Roasted Veggies and Delicious Tomatoed Chicken

Chicken:

1.5 kg chicken pieces (I used two breasts, which was more like 1.2 kg)
1 onion
2 garlic cloves (or more if you're like me and like it stinky)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 cups tomato sauce
2 tsps dry mustard
2 tsps curry poweder
4 tsps vinegar
2 tsps GF soy sauce
olive oil

I know the ingredients don't sound like they go together. Trust me.

Directions:
Cook chicken pieces in some oil. Set aside. Cook onions and garlic in a bit more oil, and add in the rest of the stuff. Give it a minute or two and throw in the chicken. Let it simmer for, let's say, 10 minutes, until it thickens up or you get hungry enough to eat it.

This chicken would go well on rice, but we had it with

Roasted Veggies

Ingredients
Your choice among:
sweet potatoes
red/new potatoes
portobello mushrooms
green beans
cherry tomatoes
bell peppers

olive oil
fresh tarragon
salt and pepper

Cut up veggies small enough that they'll cook at the same rate. Potatoes should be especially thin. Douse with a bit of oil and seasonings, and cook at 350 degrees for a while...maybe 1/2 hour? You want them nice and cooked.

Go for it! I'm eating leftovers right now.

I'm going to start takign pictures so you can get a sense of the yumminess with visuals.

The Incidental Glutenarian (Part 1 in a Series)

I am gluten-intolerant, as are many people in the world, and it's not nearly as hard to cut out wheat, rye, barley and triticale (whatever that is) as most people think. Yes, eating out can be hard because gluten is a sneaky little sucker, but cooking at home is easy, and you don't need to go out and buy all kinds of crap like xanthan gum (whatever that is) to cook gluten-free.

By the way, even if you are not intolerant, it tends to be a healthier diet that's easier on the ol' g-i system if you want to give it a go. A hint: corn, rice, and potatoes are all gluten friendly. Or rather, gluten-unfriendly. Gluten free. You know what I mean.

For these reasons, I've decided to post recipes of the easy and delicious stuff I sometimes make that doesn't require gluten or xanthan gum.

First recipe: Tofu and Quinoa Mash

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa (red or white)
1 pkg firm tofu
1-2 cloves garlic
1 small red or white onion
1/2 large green pepper
1/2 large red pepper
1/2 pkg spinach
salt
turmeric
cayenne
butter
salsa
sour cream
cheddar cheese

Directions:
Put quinoa on: 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10-15 mins depending on the kind you got (red quinoa takes longer and is damn pretty)

Chop tofu into cubes. Salt the crap out of them (well, maybe 1/2-1 teaspoon) and add a pinch of turmeric and cayenne. Throw a pat of butter in a saucepan, and when it melts, throw in the tofu. Here's the tricky part: periodically press the water out of the tofu with your spatula, and let one side get nice and crispy before you turn the tofu over and do it again. This makes for an interesting and delicious texture (an example of tofu made right!)

Chop garlic and other veggies. Throw them into a buttered or oiled saucepan, leaving quick-cooking spinach for last.

When all has cooked properly (veggies should be crunchy), put some quinoa in a bowl, layer the tofu on and then the veggies. Cover with a couple of teaspoons of salsa and a nice dollop of sour cream on top. Sprinkle grated cheese around the dollop for a very pretty and elaborate looking but extremely simple meal.

Leave the salsa, sour cream, and cheese on the table so you and/or your guests can add to taste at will. Serves about four.

Seduction on the West Coast

I am coming to the end now of a very fast and very wonderful week in British Columbia, surely now my future home.

The first couple of days we were here, my brother, his girlfriend Elspeth and I drove/ferried out to Vancouver Island to spend a couple of days in Tofino, BC's paradise of beaches, rainforests, and giant cedars. We stayed at this great little guest house called the Lost Sailor: they had a kitchen, TV, a bunch of movies (including Aladdin), a bunch of games (including Scrabble!), a hot tub and a pool table. My mom graciously packed us two bottles of her wine, which was great with dinner, and the next night out in the hot tub.

We got an incredibly rare day of sunshine for walking in the woods, and we did something like seven walks under my brother's iron fist. As soon as I get back to Montreal and my camera cable, I'll upload some pictures of the Bog walk, the rainforest walk, and Amphitrite Point, where my grandfather served as a lookout in the war. Family lore has it there's a memorial there which is a statue of Grampa with a machine gun and a rifle with a pile of Japanese bodies at his feet. We couldn't find that particular statue, but the walk was lovely.

May I also point out that I DROVE the entire way there and back? I only took a break after dinner the second night at the lovely and expensive Raincoast Cafe, after a couple of glasses of wine, when my teetotaller brother took over for me. Sure, I got stuck in an intersection and stalled at a left turn in Vancouver, but nobody's perfect. I'm getting better at this I swear. You should have seen me on those winding roads on the coast. Elspeth didn't even get sick this time!

Mark Berube

Mark Berube is a singer/songwriter that I will be interviewing this week on the radio show. I saw him recently at a poetry event and was totally blown away--I ended up writing him a poem which, in a moment of ballsiness, I sent to him. Rather than thinking I was crazy, he agreed to do an interview with me.

All that is to say that I'm doing some research on him before the interview, and came across this poem on his website:

Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Standing on the edge
of something unspoken
in San Vincente Square

the words don't come easy
when your heart's been cracked open
at that critical moment
where the past means nothing
and all the words you've prepared
are the one's you've forgotten
so all you remember is
that you are....
in San Vincente Square

She pulls our your fears
and gives them each names
that really mean nothing at all

she seals them in an envelope
mails it to your childhood
where they meet their creator
and become guards that stand
at the gate to your happiness
where they strip search the shadows
you've been running from on
your way down...
to San Vincente Square

She takes your hand
and you walk to the harbour
close to San Vincente Square

Where the men of the ocean
hold lovers and paychecks
so she gives you ten dollars
and asks you to burn it
but you tear it in two
and give half to the sailor
who doesn't like the reminder
and says
go back down...
to San Vincente Square

You sit and watch the sunset
from the docks
where the sailor waved his goodbye

As the sun cuts its head off
and it bleeds on the water
the heaven you believe in
seems to feel closer
so you swallow a prayer
your tongue can't hold on to
and spit out what's left
as you think about....
San Vincente Square

Now San Vincente
is just some square
you fell upon

it was that critical moment
where time was useless
like jealousy and doubt
and the tears in your eyes
felt like cannons in water
you sank to embrace
what your happiness left you
at your feet....
in San Vincente Square

Fribourg/Barcelona, June 2007


Canadians, I'm telling you.

I feel like such a wizened old feminist...

This post is actually the reason I wanted to start writing again, but i thought of it a while ago, so ignore the temporal proximity of these updates.

I've been noticing something very peculiar in my conferences this week. We have been talking about the play A Moon for the Misbegotten by Eugene O'Neill, which I find quite misogynistic, and there's a lot of sexual assault discourse in it that I find very problematic. Before the conferences, I thought my work was pretty much done for me because usually all you have to do in class to get discussion going is say the word "gender" or "feminist reading" and hands go shooting up into the air. Well, apparently I'm older than I thought, and I am missing a generational sea change in interest in feminist issues.

Back when I was a young one in first year (barely 6 years ago) it seemed all anyone wanted to talk about was feminism. Not having discussed it much in high school, I took every opportunity to write my papers about the "woman question" whenever there was one on the list of topics. After an illuminating conversation with my dad, I decided that choosing to focus my work on women's issues was a form of self-marginalization, and if I wanted to be successful as an equalist (as opposed to feminist?) I would focus my attention on anything BUT feminist issues. I thought this was revolutionary; turns out it's what everyone's been doing.

I brought up these issues of gender in conference, and no one wanted to say a word. They couldn't have cared less about the feminist reading of the play! In the final conference, I asked the small group what the hell was going on--"Don't you guys care about this stuff? Is feminism passe already?" Apparently they had all been over and over it in high school and found the whole thing boring. They are ready to talk about something else.

Excellent! Ecocriticism anyone? Shall we replace the woman as marginalized subject with non-human nature, an often ignored and misused subject position in literature?

No. They weren't ready to talk about that either.

I let them go home early.

I'm back!

Well, it's been a very very long time since I've updated my blog, but I figure, why not keep doing it anyway. When I'm spending all day writing and researching, I don't always feel like recording my thoughts. I feel like staring at the wall, which feels GREAT!

Of course, now it's reading week, which means I get a break from TAing and can focus on my thesis. Right. The mental switch has already started happening, and it's been all I can do today not to sit on the couch and watch movies until it's time for me to jet off to the West Coast.

That's right, I'm escaping this winter nightmareland for warm and rainy spring in Vancouver. I will also be spending a couple of days in Tofino, walking in the rainforest and chilling at a B&B to get some much needed rest and mental space from my life in Montreal.

In fact, I'm thinking increasingly that it's coming the time for me to move to Vancouver. I don't love my parents's neighborhood, Kitsilano, yuppie central (and SUV central) for Vancouver, but I think other neighborhoods will be full of the hippies and flowers that I so desperately need in my life. I have a fantasy about working at a hippie bar or cafe, doing yoga and writing all day, volunteering at a radio station, and chilling out a whole heck of a lot. Ah yes. I need a climate change, and not in the scary apocalyptic sense.

oh, gazette

I've been reading the gazette quite a bit lately, which is always an interesting social experiment. There's been coverage every single day about this missing 9 year old, Cedrika, who is from Trois Rivieres or somewhere near by. Fair enough, the poor thing is missing, and it's scary for the family. It's also local news. But beyond news like, "she's been found!" or..well, that's it really--what else is there to cover? Every single day there's been an article about this girl. You know, we also hear in the paper stories about other little children who go missing, but the coverage is not similar at all. I have a strong feeling that she is rich, white, and pretty, and that's why she's in the news so much. Ethnic families with fewer resources wouldn't get that type of coverage.

In other news, a network of websites that connect pedophiles has been discovered in Montreal. The Gazette has been pretty judgmental about it, suggesting in its biased newspapery way that the people behind these websites should be put behind bars.

Don't get me wrong, of course I don't agree with pedophilia. But I'm not sure pedophiles choose to find small children sexually attractive, and pretending they don't exist and cutting off their resources is only going to make it worse. These websites, apparently, as I haven't seen them, suggest places where young children can be watched, and have message boards where people can discuss their pedophilia. Nowhere do they suggest or encourage acting on pedophilic desires, and everything is technically legal. I think there should be a place for pedophiles to talk about this stuff, although of course it would be better if the websites were to suggest ways to get help or counselling or something, though I suppose that would be preachy and not free speech. In any case, ignoring the problem usually doesn't help things too much.

endovaginal ultrasounds

The other day, I went for an ultrasound my doctor had recommended for me. There was some mysterious pain in the abdomen happening, and I was terrified my liver was blackened from the strain of living what my mom calls my "champagne lifestyle." Well, not only was my liver fine, my uterus was the "most perfect" the technician had seen in years!

Let me tell you though, endovaginal ultrasounds are not that much fun. They are not painful, but you get covered in a clear goo, and there is a big camera up your vagina for many minutes. The doctor came in after the technician to check on everything, and she was not very gentle! First she slapped more goo on my body to check out my innards, and then she couldn't find my vagina in the dark, and almost took a wrong turn, which did not make me very confident in her. Her only comment was "It's dark in here."

I got bangs. Now I look like a true hipster. Or, with certain glasses, my grandmother in her younger days.

SEX SEX SEXISM!

On recent mornings on my eminent radio show, the Wednesday Morning After on CKUT (90.3), my co-host Neil and I have started to implement a morning news clipping segment. We'll bring in a piece of news or an article that we find interesting, and discuss it and, often in my case, why we find in problematic.

An example from last week was an article in the Gazette about how Saudi Arabian women were reconsidering and refashioning their abayas, the head-to-toe, traditionally black garment that women wear. Fine, if that's happening, but the article itself was extremely judgmental, claiming that the abayas were "universally considered a mark of oppression." What a ridiculous thing to say. Firstly, who are you to say "universally considered?" Secondly, what does the world think of Western clothes like short skirts and high heels? I feel pretty oppressed in an underwire bra, to be honest about it.

Then the article went on to connect the conservative values of Saudi Arabi with the 9/11 attacks! Talk about perpetuating a fear of otherness. Next time you see a woman in an all-covering garment, she might be trying to blow up a building.

On the more positive side of the news angle, however, I did see an ad in the gazette encouraging people to complain to the Ethics Council of the alcoholic beverage industry in Quebec if you ever see an ad for booze that sexually exploits or objectifies people, encourages sexism, link drinking to popularity, success, and sexual prowess. I encourage everyone to do it! Email them at info@conseilethique.qc.ca or check out the website at www.educalcool.qc.ca/ethics. Here is a tiny little forum to let people know that it's not okay to objectify people in advertisements, and if we use it as much as we can, it just might bleed over into the makeup ads, clothing ads, and cold medicine ads that do this, too. Complain! Let your voice be heard! This is a place to start.

FRINGE!

Well, it's Fringe Week again as the fringe festival graces Montreal with its presence. Because I am a CKUT celebrity, I got to have a SUPERPASS and free entry into any show, anytime. It's been really excellent, and I've seen a few great shows.

HANAKENGO/SHOSHINZ! is one of the weirdest things I've ever encountered, in a funny, excited, Japanese sort of way.

THe Haunted Womb Tour was weird in a very good, slightly disturbing, Japanese sort of way.

FOund and Lost: Goals for 2002 was an amazing dance show put on by Influx Dance. It was a collection of dances that all flowed together really well, were at times funny, and at times sad. One involved two dancers who appeared to be lovers. Words were being put up at the back of the room, starting with I GET YOU. As the dance began to change, and more words were added, the sentence read THE CLOSER I GET TO YOU THE FURTHER I FEEL FROM ME. It was an incredible representation of an abusive relationship that hit really close to home.

Another recommendation was the Dancing Cock Brothers sketch comedy show. Offensive, hilarious, and often, dead on. One of the sketches involved a girl who had just broken up with her boyfriend and was crying on her couch. In bounds Emotional Stand In Rebound Boy! A superhero who comes in to comfort her in her time of need, and hopefully for him, get laid. I found this ridiculously funny since I seem to have attracted a few of these 'superheroes' into my life since my breakup. I'm hurting, I'm sad, these male 'friends' of mine try to be there for me and express their indignation that someone could ever treat a woman so badly, and then promptly try to get me into bed. Girls, I'm sure you've been there. Boys, I know you've tried it. Hell, I know girls who've tried it too. It's a good srategy, but not one to rely on in the end. At the end of the sketch, the girl storms away from ESIRB, saying, 'You creep me out.'

Word.

Je ne longboard pas.

Well, I'll admit, it's been a frustrating morning.

i had to get up early as I do every wednesday to do the radio show on CKUT. This morning I read a chapter from George Elliott Clarke's novel George and Rue, a beautiful but sort of upsetting chapter about domestic abuse. We also have decided to start bringing in news articles we find problematic and complaining about them. My chosen piece was about how Saudi women are rebelling against the black abaya (cloak)--an article of clothing "widely considered a mark of oppression." By whom? What kind of oppression? Are western clothes somehow more free because we are allowed to sexually objectify ourselves? The article went on to connect restrictive clothing laws with Sept. 11. Not good. There were other things I wanted to talk about--like how you can apparently complain to the Quebec government now when you see any alcohol ad depicting sexual objectification or the assumption that alcohol will make you cool. Hilarious!

The show itself was fine, but because I'm alone in the house for the week, I mananged to drink half a bottle of wine while watching Save the Last Dance late last night. Again, not good.

I thought I was going to be late, so I brought my longboard with me to the station, my rollerblades being out of commission. I hate that damn longboard! Cheyne made me buy it because he wanted me to look like more of a skater chick. Why, I will never understand. I think he wanted me to fit into some stereotypical image he had in his mind of what his girlfriend should look like. Really, I take it as a compliment that I don't fit into any one "image." One thing you can say about me, I certainly have my own style. Skater it is not. I am far too gangly to own a skateboard.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against skateboards per se--I could even ride it properly, though hills scare me, and i'm really much better on rollerblades. It's just that this skateboard represents 1. Cheyne, and 2. my failure (or success, depending on how you look at it) to fit into an image of someone I'm just not. That longboard is just covered in slippery, disgusting feelings, and riding it is thus sometimes difficult. I also fell for the second time off it this morning going down a hill because I don't know how to stop! Humiliating, and really, just so uneccessary.

Anyway, I'm selling it. It's a great board, if that's your bag, it's just not mine. Look how awkward I am in the photo!

My new roommates and I have been thinking about getting a house pet. We are all commitment-phobic, but want something cute for a while that appears to love us but doesn't really care if we leave it. I wanted a snake, and Kitty wanted something furry, so Krista's boyfriend Dave suggested a ferret--like a furry snake!

Ferrets last 8-10 years, so we are thinking of rescuing an adult one from the shelter (also we wouldn't have to house train it). From what I've learned, there are several things I like about ferrets:

They like to play 2-3 hours everyday and then sleep for 18 hours. Once they fall asleep, they are hard to wake up.

They have a 'war dance' that they do after capturing a toy, wherein they jump up and down ecstatically.

They like to sleep in hammocks.

They like hanging out in shoulder bags, so I could take our ferret with me to school!

They like going for walks in cute little harnesses.

They are CUUUTTE.

Here are some things I might not like about ferrets:

They like getting into tight spots, and they are mischevious and curious, so preventing strangling, electrocution by wiring, and getting lost down a rabbit hole are somewhat difficult to avoid. Apparently they like playing in warm laundry, and might get stuck in the spin cycle.

They have a musk, apparently, which some people don't much like.

My problem at this point is that if we commit to a ferret now, it's going to be my responsibility when we move out. My tentative plans are to move to Toronto for a while, then travel for a while, then ?, then get my PhD in California? Do ferrets like california? What if it had to change owners? Do they travel okay? These are my worries. Ponder them, and send me your advice. In the meantime, some adorable ferret pictures, including one of Hugh Jackman, with ferrets.

Juliepalooza!

Paloozas, as it turns out, are the wave of the future.

Last night I had a giant group of friends come over to my place and then to go dancing for a Juliepalooza! The idea is that when you go through a bad breakup, or end a bad job, or feel bad in general, you can have a party to counteract it. In my case, I wanted to show all my friends how much I appreciate their support through this breakup by giving them another opportunity to support me. I asked everyone to wear unitards and armwarmers and other clothes they think I'd like, and bring booze they think i'd like, and generally pay me lots of attention and make me feel good. I wore my most ridiculous high heels, constructed an outfit from a multipurpose tube and an old scarf, and drank mojitos all night. No one wore unitards, but everyone generally looked great. The dancing was highenergysweaty funk night at Korova, and it was excellent. I was told by several people it was the best palooza ever.

The trick with paloozas, I think, is to time them appropriately. You need to be at a place where you are ready to stop feeling about the bad thing that changed your life, and let it mark a new time. It's kind of like a coming-out party--if done too soon, you jump the gun on being back 'out there.' If done too late, you are stuck in the post-breakup (or whatever) closet too long. I think it's great to throw parties for yourself so everyone can tell you how much they love you, you can time it better than a birthday, and there is no pressure on buying you presents. It's generally a win-win situation. I greatly recommend them, and I must say, I'm feeling pretty good about being back in the game!

thinking/art/yoga room

This afternoon, my lovely roommates and I took a look at our freshly painted extra room and decided to do something fun with it. We put up a gorgeous piece of art that my friend Erica made for me, based on a poem I wrote. I could never figure out how she had put the pieces together initially, so Kitty and Krista and I rebuilt in in such a way that we can switch the panels around to create new colour combinations. Inspired by this, we sat down in a pile of poetry books and picked out favourite quotes to paint on the walls. My first was written by Dennis Lee, and completes the phrase I have tattooed on my back. The second was a line from another favourite writer, George Elliott Clarke (the cutoff word in the picture is Respect). Krista is in the process of completing a visual poem by Ondaatje, and Kitty is going to pick something from Dionne Brand or Sylvia Plath for her quote.

Living in a house full of English majors is great. To add to that statement, earlier this morning I was sitting on the patio, drinking tea and sadly staring at the rain, when Krista came out and said, "Hey pathetic fallacy face." It was very apt.

Here are some pictures to give you an idea....but it's nothing like being in the room.

This is my now!

Well, it's certainly been a long time since I updated this guy. I was working so hard in the first half of the semester that I stopped using the internet except for research purposes, and in the second half it was difficult to get it up to do anything at all, including shower.

A lot has happened over the past few months though. I got through my first year of MA, switched supervisors, and switched programs, so that I will now be writing a 100 page paper by next april. One of my papers, about typos, is going to be presented at a conference in Toronto in October, which is terrifying and very exciting, and my professor told me she thinks I should try to get it published in a scholarly journal, so I've been slowly trying to put that together.

In less good news, the boyfriend, Cheyne, came and left unceremoniously, leaving me single again in the spring, (as I am so often, it seems!) The season of twitterpation has come upon me free and able to twitterpate as I choose. Since this traumatic split, I have been finding myself relating to the strangest things. On driving with my mom:

mom: There's so much construction in Vancouver. Last time I was here, there was a building on that corner, and now it's gone!
me: [in my head] That's how I feel about my life.

Dear god. Even worse, I was watching Jordin Sparks sing the Martina McBride song "This is My Now" on American Idol, and found myself tearing up. A sample of the lyrics:

There was a time I packed my dreams away.
Living in a shell, hiding from myself.

There was a time when I was so afraid.
I thought I'd reached the end,
But baby that was then
I am made of more than my yesterdays.

This is my now, and I am breathing in the moment.
As I look around I can't believe the love I see.
My fears behind me, gone are the shadows and doubts

That was then, this is my now.

How will I ever live that down, just to myself?

Anyway, time to get it together. I'm feeling great in the Montreal heat, and I'm honestly feeling quite good about everything now. Wish me luck, and i promise to avoid American Idol at all costs.