backdoor friends are best

P-Town with the Ladies

2010-07-21T12:29:00.002-04:00

Cedar Angles
Originally uploaded by Jukeboy

Recently, Mr. T and I enjoyed a fun-filled week with our two favourite Pittsburghers. H Dawg and Catty Natty, kept us entertained, and our bellies happy in between grueling shopping expeditions, naps, and of course beach time. This shot is taken from the bedroom window of our rental. I just loved all of the different angles and the typical cedar shakes: so very Cape Cod!

Through the Looking Glass

2010-05-26T15:42:00.006-04:00

The background, we did not conquer. The foreground, we did. Simon and I took an early morning excursion down to the Canada Maltage Silos on the Lachine canal. Our attempts to get in were futile; however, there were other vacancies in the vicinity. This shot was taken from inside an abandoned garage, kitty-corner the silos. Smells like a future condo project to me!
On a side note, the building is considered a heritage site, because it contains the only standing terracotta silos in North America. Who knew?

Sleepy Mr. T

2010-05-17T10:49:00.003-04:00

Back in '08, we went up to Grand lake with C&S. It was a super fun and relaxing weekend. It seems funny to write about a weekend that happened two years ago, since so much has changed. One thing that remains the same is my husband's propensity to nap -- behind his (dirty!) glasses.

Mexican Souvenir

2010-04-16T10:21:00.004-04:00

Okay, maybe not exactly a souvenir that we brought back from Mexico, but rather a souvenir of Mexico -- because you know all the babies wear ponchos, right? This is little Oscar at nine months at a Mexican themed dinner that we had chez nous.

Pre-Storm Afternoon Light

2010-04-12T11:36:00.005-04:00

Caught some crazy light on my way home from work the other day. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me, but I did have my iPhone that fantastic new app that makes any photo look fab.

McGill Métro, a Little Brighter!

2010-03-25T11:52:00.006-04:00

Thanks Tiltshift for iPhone! Oh, and thanks to my one and only reader for the recommendation. The App is a welcome spiffer-upper to the drab, often pixely iPhone photos. Enfin: Il fait beau dans l'métro!

You're a Star, PVR

2010-03-18T16:48:00.009-04:00

Better late than never? Not sure about that.
Anyhow, here a few to make up for the long lag between posts. They are all from our trip to Puerto Vallarta, back in January. Enyoy! ;)

The Hills are Alive...

2010-02-09T14:43:00.003-05:00

... with the sound of raclette! Julien must have known that he was going to eat something different for supper -- hence, the lack of excitement. Jaye, on the other hand, thrilled with the successful smuggling of cheese across the border, presses on with the promise of melted cheese and wine for supper. What a fantastic Vermont weekend!

ROMulous

2009-12-09T13:54:00.006-05:00

While in Toronto recently, we went to see the Vanity Fair photo exhibit at the ROM. If you haven't already, I strongly recommend going to see it -- if just for a few of the portraits (my favourites: Margaret Thatcher, Drew Barrymore and Lance Armstrong). I took this shot on the way out from the exhibit. There were thousands of these figurines in a display case: all perfectly lined up. I was jealous.

Colourful Collage Crowd

2009-11-30T12:03:00.007-05:00

A shot from inside a café in Barcelona. The painting included pasted beer and water bottle labels along with old matchbook covers. The canvas was quite large: 10'x6'. All figures had their backs to viewer. If it were for sale, I would have bought it.

Mutton Soup

2009-10-16T11:28:00.004-04:00

A menu (okay let's be honest: food) often has an impact on my recollection of a visit. In this case, the sandwich board did little to draw me in. Instead, it made me think, who would want to eat old sheep soup? Alas, I didn't go in to find out: instead, I snapped this and went on to eat my crustless cucumber sandwich in one of London's many well maintained parks.

It's a Fact: Kael Likes Ice Cream

2009-08-11T14:21:00.006-04:00

Last Saturday, while mom was packing and dad was gone to work on his bicycle, Kael made his way down to the Pointe for a little visit. We discovered that he likes ice cream -- a lot. Unfortunately, we didn't realise that this might prevent him from napping. Although the sugar eventually wore off, and he did sleep, we've learned our lesson! We had a super fun-filled day with Kael, who draws a lot of attention because of his hair, and then locks them in with his charm.

A Natural

2009-07-11T11:46:00.005-04:00

We waited patiently for nearly four weeks (sheesh), but he finally came! This is Oscar, Claire and Simon's new little boy -- although little isn't a word I would use to describe him compared to other new borns, he is smaller than us. Big feet and super long legs: his mother tells me that he is in the 105% percentile.
The other guy is my husband, and a natural baby holder, don'tcha think?

Father's Day at Bark Lake

2009-07-02T22:39:00.004-04:00

Some forget me nots up at the lake on Father's Day. There were a whole hill full of them in front of the cottage on the way down to the lake.

This fella was stuck to the screen for a few hours before I plucked him off to see him spread his colourful mothy wings.

Stealing Naps

2009-04-15T15:29:00.003-04:00

Trev and I had two little ones for a part of last weekend. We had a great time during their whirlwind visit, and found ourselves ready for naps at just about the same time as them... After reading Nikola her pre-nap story, I made my way up to our bedroom but found a snoozing Julien had stolen my spot -- right next to a passed out Trevor I might add. Needless to say, I tip-toed out and promptly crashed on the couch.

Happy Bee-day Nikola!

2009-04-06T15:49:00.003-04:00

Trevor and I had a fun time getting Nikola's birthday cake baked, iced, and most importantly decorated yesterday. We'll be heading over to celebrate with her this evening. I wonder if she'll like the bees? Yellow does seem to be one of her favourite colours...

California Sunrise...

2009-03-30T16:48:00.004-04:00

... over the pool! We had to head out early in the morning to catch our flight home, so we grabbed our swimming trunks and went for one last dunk. There couldn't have been a better way to end a fantastic vacation.

The Saratoga of California: Calistoga

2009-03-25T09:13:00.007-04:00

This mineral water pool is naturally heated by a geyser -- about 15 meters away from the edge of the pool. It was so warm (read hot), often (and even in the middle of the afternoon) you could see steam rising. I've never spent so much time in a pool in my life -- especially not when the temperature of the air was 15 degrees. We very much enjoyed our mud baths and relaxation at the Indian Springs Resort and Spa, and would highly recommend it to anybody -- especially during the low season.

Réno Philô

2009-02-26T10:34:00.007-05:00

Lors d’un souper chez nous la fin de semaine dernière, Phil a reçu un super cool cadeau de Karen: des outils en peluche. Je me suis amusé en bien plaçant les accessoires! Et voilà, l’histoire de Réno Philô.

Night Market

2009-01-28T12:45:00.003-05:00

An evening shot of the Atwater Market that I took a couple of months ago. I finally worked on it a bit in Aperture, but I'm still not 100% satisfied. I think I'll have to go out there and try it again -- I think I'll wait until the snow is gone. Blah!

Dirty Tooth...

2009-01-22T11:52:00.003-05:00

... in need of a cleaning. Although likely unintentional, this smiley tooth in front of a strip mall in Saskatoon was screaming for a cleaning. Do you think that's how they get new patients? Crafty prairie dentists!

Sunny Saskatoon

2009-01-11T11:59:00.009-05:00

Happy New Year! Here are a couple of shots from our holiday trip to Saskatoon. As we expected, it was cold, but very sunny the whole time that we were there. On the afternoon of Christmas day, we were feeling adventurous enough to go outside for a walk to the river. All told, it ended up being a 40 minute walk, and with the windchill it was not too far from -40. My fingers had trouble adjusting the settings on the last couple of shots.

Heading out -- how we look optimistic!

Enjoying the river view.

Rushing home to warm up!

Pitt-Stop

2008-12-11T15:37:00.003-05:00

Mr. T and I took a trip down to Pittsburgh to visit Dr. D this fall. Right before it started raining we got to watch some rowers swish by on the Allegheny from an interesting vantage point. There are 446 bridges in Pittsburgh, and I believe that we watched the rowing from the 6th Street Bridge, but then again, I could be wrong.

Dirty Lady

2008-11-02T15:14:00.005-05:00

I took this shot under a train overpass in old Montréal a few weeks ago. The light was so beautiful that morning! I'll try to post a few more of those shots in the next couple of days.

In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed that this Bradley effect is all just hogwash.

New York Sport

2008-09-10T10:08:00.007-04:00

It can be difficult to get a cab in NYC, but this New Yorker sure knew how to get one. She was out in the middle of Madison, whistling and waving while cars whipped by, nearly knocking her over. I swear, NYC cab grabbing should be an Olympic sport...

Poulet BBQ

2008-07-10T15:25:00.003-04:00

Lors de la visite de Ron & Thérèse au mois de juin, on a reçu Mélanie et Martin, et leur petit poulet pour un BBQ. Ca fut très agréable pour nous tous! En plus c’était la première fois que j’ai eu l’occasion de jouer avec Phil, tout seul, sans interruption des adultes!

Bonne Fête Québec!

2008-06-25T16:46:00.003-04:00

A shot of l'Assemblée Nationale during our most recent visit to Québec with Ron and Thérèse. I thought it appropriate it, on this the day after our Fête Nationale. We had a relaxing day in the park with C&S, Mélanie et le petit poulet. Let me tell you, it made going back to work today, even more difficult!

Québec, en étages

2008-06-20T14:57:00.004-04:00

As promised, here's a photo from Quebec city. The building on the left is an interpretation center for the 400th anniversary. If you look closely, there's a neat repetition of boats. The building exterior is layered, much like the ITHQ Hotel on Saint-Denis.

On an entirely unrelated note, I went to see Helvetica last night. An interesting documentary, especially for those interested in design and/or fonts.

Wrong Side of the Tracks

2008-06-19T13:41:00.005-04:00

Snapped a few weeks ago, in Outremont -- I never knew that it had such a grubby side!

Mr T's parents left this morning, after a week's visit with us. We went to Quebec City and took in some of the 400th anniversary celebrations. I will post some photos soon.

What came first...

2008-06-10T16:14:00.004-04:00

...the circle or the square? Deep, I know. I haven't been feeling terribly inspired with words or images these days. I suppose this post is a reflection of that...

But my crystal ball tells me that something significant is going to happen soon. Hold on to your hats!

Il fait beau dans l'métro!

2008-05-27T10:24:00.005-04:00

I made it from Jean-Talon métro to Peel on foot, before caving and taking the métro home. There are some beautiful stained glass windows at Charlevoix métro. On a sunny day they look like this. I felt like I was at a pride parade -- albeit underground, without any of the fanfare...

Cumpleaños Numero Uno

2008-05-08T09:50:00.003-04:00

MP & Alejandra threw a very fun afternoon party for their son Kael last weekend. It was his first birthday! Kael was especially excited to receive his new rocking horse, and the retro Brutus doll seen in the picture above. We had a great time with Mr. K, who so adorably sits on his bum, and drags himself across the hardwood floors with his arms!

An aside: While searching for a picture of Brutus online, I came across this video of two obviously doting men, who threw a fourth birthday party for their dogs: Popeye and Brutus. Enjoy!

Diarrhea Queen

2008-05-07T09:14:00.005-04:00

Yes friends, it's that time of year again! But you won't catch me waiting in line for a Peanut Buster BARFait this summer -- though I have to admit, I love the old signs. This one is on Bellechasse, but there are a few others around Montréal. Do you think that they ever served really good ice cream, or was it always the soft serve crisco that they churn out now?

Orange

2008-05-06T08:58:00.007-04:00

One of the first shots that I took with the macro lense that Mr. T gave me for Christmas. All I ever think of when I see this picture is the Aquarius song by Boards of Canada -- it still boggles my mind that the song isn't called Orange...
Then I start counting and thinking that I'm on Sesame Street.

Not for real real, just for play play.

Urban Serenity

2008-05-05T09:39:00.003-04:00

At Christmas time, when I look at decorated tree, I'll often blur my vision so that I can only see the lights. I do the same when I look at the lights dangling over the parking lot of the Atwater Market. Some urban serenity in the chaos.

Ça sent la coupe

2008-05-02T09:36:00.005-04:00

Maybe it did two weeks ago when this went up in our neighbourhood, but it certainly doesn't smell like a win now. I guess we'll see what happens tomorrow night, when I'm far, far away from the Bell Center. Either way, I know that a certain someone in Saskatoon will be clutching her Habs pillow.

A very happy birthday to Mr. T: his numbers add up to a perfect 10!

Break Free from the Chains

2008-05-01T16:53:00.007-04:00

Mr. T. likes this statue a whole lot: it's a very handsome angel at the base of the statue in Phillips Square. Aside from his wings and good looks, apparently he's strong -- you see, he can break through chains. Who doesn't want that in a man?

PS I hope that you don't have that Wilson Phillips song stuck in your head. If you do, just "hold on for one more day".

Art dans le Parc

2008-04-30T09:54:00.011-04:00

This weekend, I finally managed to replace my bike tire. After a failed attempt on Saturday, I got the right tube at Canadian Tire on Sunday. My bike is good to go. Mr. T and I couldn't resist the allure of the sunny Sunday afternoon, so we set out on a westward adventure down the Lachine canal to Parc René-Lévesque. This shot is one of the many (and nicer if you ask me) art installments in the park.

Working-Class Meets Yuppy

2008-04-29T09:10:00.005-04:00

I quite enjoy the juxtaposition of these two buildings. It's very much how the neighbourhood feels to me, both in terms of residents and architecture: industrial working-class vs. modern yuppies/guppies.

Essence du printemps

2008-04-28T09:32:00.004-04:00

There really isn't anything that says Spring more than a tulip -- or a couple of bunches of tulips. This shot was taken chez nous over the holiday weekend. For the Montrealers especially, I thought this might brighten up your day -- given the three days of heavy rain that are about to descend on us. Don't loose sight of the May flowers.

Lachine Canal

2008-04-25T22:08:00.005-04:00

Our new neighbourhood has many perks, and one of them is the proximity to the Lachine Canal. With its many old-factory-condo-converted buildings, it makes biking all the more scenic. It was a beautiful day today, and I just couldn't help but take a few shots of Montrealers enjoying their city after a particularly harsh winter.

Easter

2008-04-24T08:33:00.004-04:00

This shot was taken a few weeks back, over the Easter weekend. We went over to Ellis/Gourment house for an egg decorating party. While the kids painted their eggs the adults hid treats for the little ones in other parts of the house. Not all the kids were as unsuspecting as others. Mr. T had to shoo away one who knew exactly what was going on. Nevertheless, all off the munchkins shrieked in delight when they found a treat.

Happy Orthodox Easter, for those celebrating this weekend!

Work Those Abs

2008-02-14T15:43:00.003-05:00

When I saw this excerpt from the Ellen show, I really got an ab workout:

If the video is removed from YouTube, you can see it on the Ellen site, here.

Who comes up with these gimmicks anyway? More importantly, who buys them?

Decay in MA

2008-02-13T15:47:00.003-05:00

The Daily Show's Ed Helms exposes the downward spiral of society, ever since the legalization of gay marriage in Massachusetts. Shocking!

Miami is Nice, so I'll say it Thrice

2008-01-16T16:05:00.000-05:00

Whenever I here the word Miami, I always think about that Golden Girls episode when Rose (Betty White) is writing lyrics to a song about the city. Although there were plenty of Golden Girls references on our most recent trip, fortunately there were no Golden Girls moments.

Mr. T and I set out for a five day adventure that helped us recover from an otherwise stressful holiday season. It was also the perfect opportunity (and first that I have had) to use my new macro lens!

These shots were taken at Vizcaya: a surprising and stunning "retreat" for an urban industrialist, built at the beginning of the 1900's. The gardens were my favourite part.

Of course, our entire visit wasn't spent absorbing horticultural and architectural marvels. In fact, the larger part of it was spent spent lounging on the beach or on the roof top terrace with the other South Bitches, and a margarita, of course.

We both arrived back in Montreal feeling relaxed and Vitamin D'ed: ready to face a busy six weeks of packing for the big move.

Change in Change?

2007-11-01T19:36:00.000-04:00

Is it just me, or has everyone noticed a lot more American change in their pockets these days? I have received three quarters, two dimes, and one nickel of Amercian change from various Montreal vendors this week.

Now, I know that when you look for something, you notice it more. But for those of you that know me I'm a bit of a coin and note fanatic: generally, I look at the change when I get it back (for commemorative or rare coins, not to see if I'm being short changed). So, maybe this isn't a coincidence. I guess people are just starting to get rid of those American coins, realizing they are worth less than their Canadian counterparts.

Food for thought.

Support Beams

2007-10-28T17:59:00.000-04:00

Although nobody has been clamouring for a new post, I thought I would give this blog thing a go, again.

Today, I spent some time at my mother's place. We were clearing all of the furniture out my baba's room: she is now permanently in an old folks home. As I was disassembling the frame of the bed, I had a moment of realization. The metal beams and plywood that I was taking apart had been supporting my grandmother for as long as I can remember. Not only physically, but also mentally: my baba has a habit of lying in bed when she was feeling depressed, and has throughout her life. A coping mechanism, if you will.

My mother has a tremendous amount of pent up guilt about leaving my baba in the hands of the people in the retirement home. After spending seven years providing home care for my grandmother (living with her in the house where she grew up) my mother wasn’t able to care for my grandmother anymore, and had neglected to care for herself. My mother had been supporting my baba for a long, long time. I, on the other hand, was there to support my mother: physically, by getting these things out of the house; and mentally, by reminding her that she has been as supportive as anybody could possibly be, and that it was time to put herself at the forefront of her life.

Recently, in various media, I have heard a couple of variations of the saying that, “the only person that you can depend on is yourself.” I think that's a crock of shit. Yes, ultimately we are responsible for our own actions and ourselves. However, without being able to be weak, admit defeat, and ultimately depend on a loved one for support to get us through a rough time, we are not human.

We all need support, and today, I was there to support my mom, just like so many people support me.

On a lighter note, here’s an old picture that my mother dug up. It’s a Polaroid taken circa 1979 near my grandparents' cottage north of Montreal. We were on our way blueberry picking. I like this shot because I think that we look like a real Eastern European family.

Clockwise from the far left: my great-aunt Katerina, my mother, my baba, my dido, my sister, and myself.

It's a Helluva Town

2007-05-22T17:33:00.001-04:00

The long weekend brought us to NYC and surrounding area. Here are a few snaps of cityscape and others, from our stay in the Big Apple.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of the Apple Store. This cube had a circular glass elevator that brought you down into the store. I felt like I was in the future!

Here are some metal trees we saw in Madison Square park. Vaguely reminiscent of the metal flower that we saw in Buenos Aires. Mr. T thought that it looked like the metal trees were fighting! "Take that you impostor!" "NOOOO, take that you impostor!"

We stumbled upon the Ukrainian festival, and so, Mr. T, insisted on snapping one of me in front of the Trezoob (the Uke trident that you see hanging above my head). It's funny, these festivals are universal. All of the stalls were selling the same things that they sell at the one that happens in Montreal -- painted eggs, embroidered shirts, pirogies, cabbage rolls etc... Haven't we evolved as a people? I mean, how about a Вєрка Сердючка CD or t-shirt or sumfin'? Huh?

In the garden at the MoMA. These were some amazing metal sculptures that you could just walk through and around. One of them was shaped like a slanted ellipse. Depending on your position, your voice would be muted or amplified.

Inside the MoMA looking down a few levels at a super-cool helicopter. Do you feel dizzy?

The mandatory picture of sculpted-labouring-men-statues. My favourite was Mr. Coal. Hey, this gives me an idea for a pageant...

After a couple of nights in the big city we took the train out to visit our friends Mayla and Ron, and their daughter Lirit in Stamford Connecticut (or Stepford, as Mayla likes to call it). Lirit wanted to try out Mr. T's hat.

And then, my glasses...

Call me greedy, but four days (three sleeps) is just not enough... We've made a pact to go back every Victoria Day weekend. Long live the Queen!

Вєрка Сердючка Sings Her Little Heart Out

2007-05-08T17:32:00.000-04:00

Look out Agnetha and Frida, Eurovision’s got a new diva. Say hello to Ukraine’s hottest drag queen: Вєрка Сердючка (Verka Serdyuchka).

I came across this in today’s BBC article summarizing a list of expected performances at the upcoming Eurovision competition.

It’s disturbingly reminiscent of my days of Ukrainian dancing classes: with a distinctly Eastern European pop/techno twist of course. The costumes on the other hand (although outlandish) weren’t quite so avant garde.

I hope this crazy bitch wins the contest!

Quasiment Comme Batman!

2007-04-04T09:19:00.001-04:00

Monsieur anti-mégots: mon héro!

This is the kind of vigilante environmentalism that we need in our neighbourhood:

Maybe I can make Mr. T and I some superhero costumes when we go out to do our work.

L'André-Boisclairisateur

2007-03-14T13:28:00.000-04:00

En mangeant mon sandwich de jambon durant mon heure de dîner, j’ai fait une recherche pour « André Boisclair » sur youtube : Question de voir un extrait du débat de chefs que j’ai manqué hier soir.

En regardant les résultats de mon enquête, j’ai trouvé ce drôle de vidéo qui m’a fait rigoler :

En plein milieu de la campagne électorale, c’est important de rire un peut, non?

Les Joyeux Lurons en font un nouveau a chaque semaine.

Post-Vacation Blahs

2007-03-05T14:44:00.000-05:00

One week ago to the day: starting back at work.
Two weeks ago to the day: our delicious wine tour and lunch in Mendoza.
Three weeks ago to the day: our shopping extravaganza in Palermo.

Sigh, I wish it were three weeks ago. To lift my spirits, I have been watching a photo/video montage that Mr. T made this weekend:

Doesn't it make you want to go to Argentina? It sure makes me wish I were back in America del Sur. I guess I'll just have to content myself with making snow angels for the next month or so. Not that I really ever do that...

Mountains, and Gliders and Wine, Oh My!

2007-02-21T17:24:00.000-05:00

With one hand on my stomach and the other hand on my eyes, after 24 hours of stomach flu / food poisoning, I waited at Jorge Newbury Airport for our plane to Mendoza with a combination of excitement, and "I sure hope that I don't shit my pants." After many delays, and an aircraft that looked like it was a relic from the 50's (seriously, the overhead bins were taped to the ceiling in some parts and the aircraft was yellow on the inside from the days of smoking on planes), we finally landed in the welcoming little town at the foothills of the Andes.

While I slept the rest of the bug off, Trevor set out to take some pictures of the city, that I posted here for you very much viewing pleasure.

The building aboverwas kitty-corner to our hotel.

Mendoza has really amazing parks. There is one giant, perfectly squre park smack dab in the middle of the city. Four satellite parks, are all semetrically placed three diagonal blogs from the larger central park, and all have neat themes. This one is taken in Plaza Independencia while the sun is setting, and I'm starting to feel a bit better.

The above photo, again taken by Mr. T, had neat metal panels that had rusted over the years to create a quilt of different coloured panels.

A few short hours after waking up the following day (and might I remind you, the first day that I don't feel like I have to monitor the location of bathrooms and not stray farther than 20 meters) we went on our full day wine tour and tasting!

Both the above and previous photos were taken at Alta Vista winery: one of the oldest in the region.

Surprise, it ain't wine, it's sparkling wine! Did you know that the bottles are stored like this for 6-8 months and re rotated (manually) daily to move the sediment int he bottle around? You're paying for the daily turn, baby.

Mr. T tasting some grapes, fresh off the vine before lunch.

Click to see the panaramic picture in a new window. It's worth it! Like I said, the vineyards are really at the foot of the Andes. This was our view at lunch (On. A. Monday!).

Speaking of the Andes... In a moment of exhausion combined with his late afternoon hangover from wine tasting, Trevor instructed me to organize an activity for the following day. I did as I was told, and headed out to the tour office to sign us up for paragliding! I think that at first Mr. T regretted his decision to give me carte blanche.

The highest peak you see, in the picture above, was where we jumped off. It's taken from our base camp.

Here's a quick 30 second video to show you the what it's like to be on a paraglider. I took it just after we ran off the cliff and sat down. The audio is loud wind, so you might want to turn the volume down a bit.

Mind my knees:

Did spot the cow? For real real, not for play play.

I just loved this flower, because is was the *only* colourful thing breaking up the brown/black/grey landscape that day. That and the fact that it grew right out of a pile of rocks.

I love this one! That's Alejandro, our instructor right behind Mr. T.

Well, that's it folks. We leave BsAs tomorrow night.

Bienvenidos a la Republica Oriental del Uruguay

2007-02-17T17:12:00.000-05:00

After nearly a week in the busy city, we decided to take the Buquebus (recycled BC Ferry) across to Uruguay. Colonia, just a little over an hour's ride away, tickled our fancies just fine for our six hour visit. It is a small, sunny walled city founded by the Portuguese, but then reclaimed by the Spanish. Aside from the fact that it is a tiny town (contrary to the 15 million person city we had just left), the differences between Argentina and Uruguay were more apparent economically. Despite the fact that their economy didn't collapse a few years ago, it's clear that Argentina the rich, trumps Uruguay the poor. Nevertheless, our hosts at the lovely El Drugstore treated us to some delicious salmon accompanied by cumin potatoes and the mandatory half litre of white wine.

This neat old car was just next to the patio where we ate our lunch at El Drugstore.

Sufficiently toasty, from both the wine and the sun, Mr. T and I make tracks for the lovely beach that you can see in the distance in the photo above. We had enough time to take two swims (in the unsalted water!!!), and soak up enough sun to give Andrew a bit of a burn, before heading back to our Buquebus that would take us back to BsAs.

Corner of quaint street and lovely lane.

A note to those doing this trip in the future. Uraguay is one hour ahead of Argentina. Thank goodness the kind lady at the tourist booth told us this before we headed out into the town. We would have undoubtedly missed our ferry, and as much as liked this quaint little town, that would have been pretty horrible.

Another hotel champagne cocktail before heading out for our midnight dinner reservations. I figure, when on vacation, and when a mini bottle sets you back about 1.25 CDN (cheaper than a bottle of pop) one should take advantage of the opportunity, no?

LADE will take you anywhere! Oh, and South is the new North.

When travelling, it's important to have a local porn stand near one's temporary dwelling. This magazine stand had an excellent selection, and was a mere 15 meters from our doorstep in BsAs.

Welcome to La Boca. A neighbouhood in BsAs known for as the birthplace of tango. Above, a traditional, no frills Argentine restaurant cooks up some meat on the indoor/outdoor grill. Ummm, smokey meat!

Recovering from sunburns, Mr. T and I decided to take our mandatory arm-extended-self-taken-holiday-photo in front of the colourful buildings of La Boca.

Don't be fooled by the radiant colours of the buildings, and assume that we are in a 'safe' neighbouhood. We were stopped repeatedly by police officers asking us why we were here and where we were going. After realizing that we didn't speak much Spanish, they would switch into English and say ''Not safe here, not safe here.'' We took their warning seriously after the third time, and headed out by taxi.

BsAs

2007-02-14T14:32:00.000-05:00

It’s been five days since our arrival in Buenos Aires. The abbreviation in the title is used as a short form for the city’s name. I'm all for abbreviations, but when you consider that Argentineans don’t pronounce their esses, you wonder why use such an abbreviation. But I digress…

Our trip here, so far, has been eventful, and fun. Buenos Aires is a grand city. Massive boulevards with six lanes of fast moving traffic crammed into four. Five to eight story buildings on all of the major arteries, excellent food, and generally friendly Porteños (the city's folk). It’s true, BsAs does look and feel like Paris, but somehow, the French café that we went to on our first afternoon didn’t quite have the same feeling I remember while in the French capital. Having recently seen a few locals block traffic with a truck: leisurely loading some bags of unmixed cement while carrying on an impromptu conversation with a couple of passers-by -- all this taking place to the magnificent soundtrack of ear deafening horns of varying pitches. Then, I felt a bit more like I was in Latin America. And it feels good!

Shopping has been a little more successful for Mr. T, than I... I have been looking for a leather jacket, but I think that I might be too picky. When we came across this shop, I thought it best to stay away, and take heed to the warning in our guide about some stores selling lower quality goods. But I thought, at least they're honest...

Our hotel (or temporary apartment, as they call it) is very central, affordable, comfortable, and perhaps most importantly, air-conditioned. I’m not saying this to rub it into anybody’s face, but it’s been HOT since we got here. Also, being able to close the windows for a bit of respite from the traffic doesn’t hurt. We have a pool, and have fallen into the routine of spending most of the day outside touring different neighbourhoods and city sites, then heading back for a little relaxation by Piscine Miguel (what I have taken naming our pool). Followed by some sparkling wine (well, at least once so far), then we usually nap.

Since Porteños tend to have supper at about 11:00 PM (!!!) we have been struggling to hold out before heading out to the restaurant. On our first night here, we made a reservation for 10:00 pm, and found ourselves alone in the restaurant for the first 45 minutes. At that point, we understood that our trusty travel guide wasn’t lying when it explained that supper happens between 11:00 pm and 1:00 am. When do these people sleep?

The city is rich by day, and poor by night. After the pampered Recolettans tuck themselves into their hideaways in the city, the poor come to the city in droves via pick-up trucks to root through the day’s debris in hopes of finding carton and plastic to exchange for some pesos. Knowing that so many people depend on the debris, I can’t help but feeling guilty for recycling on my own.

The most touristy thing that we have done so far was today: we went to Recolleta Cemetary to visit our beloved Evita! We had to fight off many Japanese tourists to get our way in to take a picture. And surprise surprise, we weren’t the only gay men there!
Tonight, it’s tango lesson night. But we still haven’t decided who’s going to lead… I’ll keep you posted!

Definitely not the Postman’s Son

2007-01-29T13:16:00.000-05:00

This weekend, my sister and I went to see my father. We had longstanding plans to go through some family memorabilia: documents, newspaper clippings, family trees, and pictures. The idea was to document and classify the contents of the various boxes: adding order to chaos, really. By the end of our marathon, we had only made a dent.

While flipping through the photos, my sister kept gasping, laughing and squealing: “Oh. My. God.” She was the first to look through a box of snapshots of my father when he was in his late-twenties/early-thirties. She saw a resemblance. Both my father and I were a bit surprised when we began examining the photos of him and comparing them to me. So, I thought that it would be interesting to put some photos side-by-side to see for myself.

In this set, my father is 27 and I am 26:

In this set, my father is 32 and I am 30:

When I brought some of pictures home, Mr. T. was a bit freaked out, noting, “If you cover your dad’s nose in the picture, it looks just like you.” I guess I got my mother’s nose…

¡15 días hasta que es caliente!

2007-01-25T12:06:00.000-05:00

With the temperatures in Montreal falling into a deepfreeze pattern, I’ve become increasingly excited about our upcoming trip to Argentina. Bundled up in my hooded jacket, scarf, gloves and hat this morning, I marched to the metro in –30-degree wind-chill. The buds of my headphones froze the interior of my ears while the sound of the Spanish Earworm instructed me to reiterate “Y otro coñac para mí también.” I thought that it was a bit early for cognac, but I just went with it...

Other preparatory exercises have included booking hotels, a wine tour, as well as figuring out the best way to get from Buenos Aires to Mendoza. In the end we decided to fly, if only to avoid the 12-hour/955-kilometer trek on the bus.

The countdown has begun in earnest! I hope to blog a little bit while I’m there (but will not commit to daily updates). In the meantime, I leave you with an excerpt from our favourite diva/African baby ~~thief~~ adopter:

Fill me up with your heat, with your noise
With your dirt, overdo me
Let me dance to your beat, make it loud
Let it hurt, run it through me.
Don't hold back, you are certain to impress
Tell the driver this is where I'm staying

Hello, Buenos Aires
Get this, just look at me dressed up, somewhere to go
We'll put on a show

Oh, will we ever put on a show... Especially after our Tango lessons – although I fear that it will be more of a comedy than a cultural event.

Hey... You!

2007-01-08T17:48:00.000-05:00

I found it! My favourite SNL commercial of all time:

The beat sounds like the soundtrack to a porn, the bar is smoky and brown, and Guilda's performance is top notch -- as usual.

The Perfect Belated Holiday Gift

2007-01-08T15:41:00.000-05:00

Like most (normal) people, I don't subscribe to the idea of holiday shopping for next year now. Despite the bargains that can be found, the leftovers are usually an array of trash that you would only give to your enemies and/or family members you would rather see in their graves. However, I do have some ideas for next year's festivious time of year.

While in the lovely Ontario capital over the joyous time of year known as Christmas, Mr. T, Nicky, and I stumbled upon some excellent ideas to surprise those people who just have everything.

Including the uncle that has a criminal past in West Virginia. Consider this quick fix:
Or what about the couple that you can't bear spending one more evening entertaining because their always at each other's throats. Okay, maybe it's not all that selfless, but everybody wins with this present:

Keep this in mind for next year!

Ho ho ho!

Who Can Say What We'll Find, What Lies Waiting Down the Line -- In the End of '89...

2006-12-31T20:28:00.000-05:00

Break out the white tuxes for the gents and crazy frilly purple dresses for the ladies. Happy New Year, from Abba (oh, and me too):

Are some of the people in the party crowd a bit spooky, or is it just me?

If you’re feeling more Felicidad than Happy New Year, check out the exact same video remade in Spanish here (no it’s not dubbed, they actually retook all of the singing scenes).

Christmas Carousel

2006-12-28T12:20:00.000-05:00

This eyesore appeared in our neighbours' front yard a few weeks ago:

They inflate the thing every night with an electric pump, and then put the carousel in motion (yes, it really turns – and plays music).

I want pop it, and then set it on fire.

Turn Citrus Fruit into Eastern Block Marmalade!

2006-12-28T10:38:00.000-05:00

While Mr. T’s parents were visiting us in mid-December, I decided that I should learn how to make my favourite toast accompaniment: marmalade. And since Mr. T’s Mom is the family expert on marmelading, I enlisted her help with no resistance on her part (which I think is mostly due to the fact that she’s sick of making and then shipping it across the country).

Our adventures started with this bowl of fruit:

We had to score the fruit, then remove the peels, and *then* remove all of the white stuff from the inside of the peel. Mr. T’s Mom made it look so simple (like in an infomercial) when she explained: “It’s like filleting a fish,” and the proceeded to show me how effortless it was. “Hey, no problem,” I thought. Then, she quickly disappeared and left me to my task. I finished an hour and a half later. Not. So. Easy.

After filleting my citrus babies, the tendons in my right forearm felt as though I had been typing for 24 hours, nonstop. Who says that carpel tunnel syndrome didn’t affect marmalade factory workers in the 20th century. Well, it may have, but factory workers were non-people back then, and therefore it mustn’t have been a problem…

With the hardest part behind me, I quickly chopped up the whiteless rinds and fruit, threw them into a pot with (5 cups!!!) of sugar, some water and a pouch of Certo, and voilà, marmalade:
Doesn’t it look like an advertisement for East block marmalade circa 1978? I suppose the Cyrillic characters help (just a bit).

If you’ve got some extra time on your hands (and some strong tendons), you too can make your very own marmalade by following the official Certo recipe here. I'm told that "No other recipe works as well as the Certo recipe." I think that Mr. T's Mom is working for Kraft.

PS I don’t remember putting butter/margarine in my recipe.

Gwen

2006-12-17T11:36:00.000-05:00

For all of you Margaret Cho fans out there, this one's for you! My sista recently brought this clip to my attention. Take a moment to watch the whole thing. Since the inital viewing, I’ve watched the segment several times when I need a good chuckle. If this doesn’t make you laugh, you’ve got to get your funny bone replaced.

Enjoy!

Holiday Party Raffle Kings

2006-12-17T11:12:00.000-05:00

As I sit here prematurely listening to “Happy New Year” by Abba, I realize that we have been in full holiday swing for the last two weekends. In an attempt to appease the clamouring masses of devoted bFab readers, I have decided that it will be a double-post Sunday.

Last night was Mr. T’s work holiday party. So, we both got dolled up in our most monochromatic attire. The exception was Mr. T’s red pocket square (which I learned, is not the same thing as a hanky) in his jacket pocket: demonstrating his holiday spirit. I held myself back from putting in one of his back pockets.

All in all, one of the best holiday parties in recent years. It helped that Mr. T wasn’t organizing this year – so I wasn’t constantly being abandoned for people unhappy with the seating arrangements and MC/Raffle duties.

Speaking of raffles, we raked in this year, and strangely, we won all of the booze related gifts:

Gift certificates for the SAQ, Bailey’s, the Port was a gift, but ended up in the picture anyhow. But I would like to draw your attention to the lovely giant champagne glass (circa 1983) filled with Czech chocolate. In case you can’t make it out in the first picture, the next image, with a quarter as a marker to help you appreciate the scale.

The candy wrappers remind me of chocolates that my Baba used to give me when I was a kid. But, then I tasted a few. Not as good as I remember -- or they aren’t the same brand of chocolates. Alas, we smuggled the monstrosity home only to realize neither of us like the candy, and as Mr. T said, “The glass is recyclable, right?” Thank goodness recycling comes tomorrow – I was starting to get the urge to hop into a bubble bath with my man and sip back some Baby Duck (that is of course, after crimping my hair).

Il fait beau dans l’métro!

2006-12-08T09:42:00.000-05:00

Un p'tit vidéo pour vous rappelé comment c'est l'fun de prendre le métro (et l'autobus!):

Il me semble que ce n'est pas autant l'fun quand j’essai de transféré à Berri-UQAM en manteaux d'hiver à 8h30 le matin…

Get a Car!

2006-11-30T12:12:00.000-05:00

We here at bFab aim to bring you at least one YouTube post per week – mostly because it’s an easy post, but also, because it’s fun to watch videos at work. This week’s video features our favourite dyke used-car salesperson: Ellen!TM My sister has a bit of an obsession and showed this to me a few weeks ago. I nearly peed my pants.

Mirror Mirror

2006-11-30T11:37:00.000-05:00

Routinely, I stare at myself in the mirror and think that I could use a little bit of plastic surgery. Mostly an eyelift, but these days I’ve been obsessing about the lines that have formed on my neck. “Gobble gobble, I’m a turkey,” I think to myself as I pull the skin back and forth on my neck. I’m brought back to a time in the mid-nineties (my early 20’s), when Coldesthands used to tell me that it’s always the neck and hands that go first. I had nightmares that night.

Fortunately, Mr. T. frequently adds his two cents, and reminds me of a Web site he discovered a few years back: www.awfulplasticsurgery.com. If that’s not enough to convince you that you’ll likely look like shit after boob jobs, collagen injections, face lifts and nose jobs, I don’t know what is…

Décoration Lynda

2006-11-24T11:36:00.000-05:00

Pour ceux et celles entrent vous qui "speak the French", voici un p’tit vidéo avec des conseilles de décor très utile pour vos maisons de banlieue (quoi-que ça pourrait dépanner pour les maisons en ville aussi) ! En plus, il-y a un clip de conseille pour vos arbres de Noël – juste a temps pour les fêtes! Merci bon Dieu!

Même si les conseilles décor de Lynda ne s’aligne pas nécessairement a vos goûts personnels, sa sens de mode et beauté vous inspira sûrement!

Bonne écoute!

My Personal DJ – My Brain Death

2006-11-24T11:08:00.000-05:00

Ever feel like you’re so brain-dead that you can’t even manage to pick an artist/album/playlist? Recently, my friend Kitty Bitch offered me a solution: let the supercomputer think for you! Check out Music Genome Project’s baby: Pandora.

Based on a song or artist that you like, Pandora will choose songs that “it” thinks are similar based on "their" criteria. Okay, granted not all of the songs on my Madonna (smirk) station (as they call it) have been hits with me, but, you can give a song a thumbs down: which means that “they” will skip to the next selection and never play that gawdawful song again!

You realize that we’ll all be vegetables in 10 years, don’t you?

I want to be a cucumber! *said in the Ralph Wiggins kinda way*

Another Gay Movie

2006-11-21T10:59:00.000-05:00

The Image + Nation film festival is in full swing here in Montreal. There’s a wide range of artsy films, informative documentaries and touching true stories to choose from during the week and a half of screenings. But, Mr. T and I decided to go and see the lowest common denominator: Another Gay Movie.

Essentially, it’s American Pie à la homo, potty humour at its worse, queer stereotypes personified: and I loved it. The show was sold out (all 932 seats), and it’s the only one to sell out since the festival opened on the 16^th. I once thought that gay men had a discernable taste for cinema, but given this recent happening, I’m not convinced… I guess we can be just as trashy (actually, make that *more* trashy) than our breeder counterparts.

For those of you who can stomach the bright colours, check out the trailer:

Bedtime

2006-11-16T14:00:00.000-05:00

Our bed finally arrived while I was on the left coast. Before leaving, I had the great fortune of being invited to inspect the bed before it was sent off to be stained and sealed. I say great fortune because the carpenter, and owner of Kastella is a mighty fine fellow.

This is what it looked like in the very dusty shop:

Sigh… I love dust (especially ever since Marjorie told me that it has absolutely no calories!).

In my absence, Mr. T had the pleasure of setting up the new bed and accessories. When I came home, I was greeted with this new sleeping sanctuary:

*Bedtime reading these days is apparently all about butts and working stiffs*

Looking back at Mr. T’s Bed Sketch, I think that Jason (the fine fellow mentioned above) did an impressive job of turning drawing into reality.

Friday Afternoon Buddy Anyone?

2006-11-10T14:52:00.000-05:00

Scott Thompson never disssssapointssss in his Buddy sketches. Surprisingly this one is still current-affairs-relevant -- with all the Ted Haggard hoopla and all…

Enjoy!

Back from the Left Coast

2006-11-10T12:20:00.000-05:00

I know that it’s been a little while (and thank one of the globetrotters for reminding me that it’s been a little too long). To make up for my negligence, this entry is going to be a bit longer than usual with some photos of my recent trip to San Francisco – where fortunately, I did not have any Rice-A-Roni.

After a long week of work in the suburbs, Coldersthands joined me for a weekend of fun in downtown SF. We stayed the Grand Room of a little B&B in the Castro. It was far from luxurious, but met our needs: cheap and central.

Coldesthands and I before a night on the town. After a disco nap, we went out for some delicious drinks and dinner at Home, followed by more drinks at the Pilsner Inn. We then headed out for a bit of dancing (although we didn’t end up doing) at The Café. We had fun being openly catty (well, in French), and enjoying more beverages while ogling one of the hottest butch/femme couple I’ve ever seen.

The following day we took a picnic up to Golden Gate Park. It was sunny, and 21 degrees Celsius – not quite as cold as Montreal or Pittsburgh at this time of year... Needless to say, we soaked up the sun, and enjoyed the living (and very green) leaves on the trees.

On our walk back from the park, we passed through Haight-Ashbury. We were surprised to find Elmo tickled pink -- in the booze-induced way. I think the pressure of Elmo’s Christmas comeback is taking a toll on the poor fella. Photo credit: Coldesthands

After Coldesthands headed back to near-middle-America, I spent the day touring around North Beach. This is Coit Tower. I climbed the phallic structure right after taking this picture. The view from on top was amazing, but unfortunately none of my pictures do it justice, hence their exclusion.

This is one of the murals at the base of Coit Tower. The murals were painted in the 1930’s by José Moya del Piño. All of the murals depict locals at work at the time – this was my favourite one (I know, I’m predicable: throw in a manhole and and manual labour and watch Andrew take pictures!).

More men at work! Well, at least a statue of men in uniform. This statue commemorates the San Francisco Volunteer Firemen. I mean really, how could I not take a picture of a statue of firemen?

These statues freaked me out a bit. They are at the top of a 40 story building in the business district. They just look like grim reapers to me, and scream: “We are death, and we’re coming to get you.”

This is the main drag in North Beach, near the Lusty Lady and Larry Flint’s bar. I like the fact that you can see the rolling hills of the city, and that some old signs still remain.

Okay, that's it for now. I'll try to post more regularly now that I'm back on the right coast.

Shoepdate

2006-10-16T15:16:00.000-04:00

I’m back from Toronto, but with no new Campers in tow (see Shoe Issues). I went to this place on Queen West that sells the biggest selection of Campers I’ve ever seen.

I approached a sales associate because I was having trouble finding my little gems in the sea of shoes in front of me. I described them to her, and her eyes lit up, and she got very excited and so, I too became excited (not in the dirty way though). And the conversation went as follows:

- Shoe Girl - “Yeah yeah yeah, I totally know which ones you’re talking about! They’re twins, right?”
- Andrew - “Yup, they are twins.”
- Shoe Girl - "And they have blue laces, right?"
- Andrew - "Indeed they do."
- Shoe Girl - “Oh, those are soooooo nice!”
- Andrew - “Yeah, I’ve been coveting them for such a long time.”
- Shoe Girl - “Geeze, sorry we don’t carry them.”

Andrew’s thought bubble: ????????? WTF? Why did you string me along like that you heartless bitch? Don’t you know how much I love and long for those shoes?

- Andrew - “Oh, okay thanks.”

*Insert Brokeback Mountain soundtrack here, and a tear on my left cheek*

Okay, so I didn’t get the shoes, but all hope is not lost my friends. I’m going to the Camper store in San Francisco in two weeks. Wish me luck.

The Most Beautiful Weekend of the Year

2006-10-10T10:31:00.000-04:00

As usual, Thanksgiving weekend in Montreal was amazing: 21 degrees and sunny, all three days! The colours were beautiful, and the sun was shining in the way that it only does for the October long weekend.

Yesterday, I went out and sat in Parc Lafontaine with a couple of books, a blanket and my iPod. This picture is precisely what I saw when laying on the grass – well, the blanket on top of the grass I guess...

Successful Ad or City Landmark?

2006-10-04T09:42:00.000-04:00

I don’t know why, but I find it disheartening to know that the Farine Five Roses sign is no longer lit up at night – and moreover, that it might be dismantled altogether (!!!). What’s more, I’m not alone. Since the new plant owners have turned off the sign and consideration has been given to removing it, a movement (albeit small) has formed to protect the sign as an historic landmark. I even found a blog (who’s name suggests) that it’s devoted to saving the sign (although it really doesn’t seem all that devoted if you ask me…). Check out the blog here.

So what is it exactly about a 20-foot tall ad that makes us feel that kind of attachment? I think that it’s just a ritualistic association. A constant, if you will. When I used to take the bus in the Pointe, I thought that I could feel warmth of the red letters shining on the skyline, and that the blinking neon kept a beat like a metronome. Trite, perhaps, but strangely, I believed it.

I have seen the sign regularly throughout my life, but I’ve also seen the Super Sexe sign on Sainte-Catherine -- perhaps even more often -- and I wouldn’t feel terribly nostalgic about that sign going to the dumpster.

I wonder if I’d feel the same way if the Salada sign near the intersection of Décarie and the 40 were suddenly in jeopardy?

R.I.P. Farine Five Roses, I’ll miss you.

Factoid:
According to this Montreal Gazette article, the sign used to read Farine Ogilvie Flour, and then Farine Five Roses Flour, before it’s current incarnation as Farine Five Roses.

Photo credit: Mr. T.

Coffee Connaisseurs

2006-10-03T16:39:00.000-04:00

From my elevator ride this morning:

-KPMG Woman 1- “I’m going to have to go down to Starbucks and get my self a real cup of coffee.”
-KPMG Woman 2- Laughs “Oh, I can’t drink that stuff, I just don’t consider it real coffee.”

(Andrew experiences brief moment of relief)

- KPMG Woman 1 - “Oh really, where do you get your coffee?”
- KPMG Woman 2 – “I go to Tim’s – of course. It’s all about the taste. All about the taste.”

It was like a skit that I couldn’t have written any better. I mean what would you choose: sweat rung out from dirty gym socks and then boiled, or a hot milkshake with a sleeve around the cup? Your choice.

Barf (x 2)

Movie Season

2006-10-01T09:33:00.000-04:00

It’s Sunday, it’s raining, and it’s October! October tends to be the beginning of my hibernation, and I start to think about all of the movies that I want to see during what I’m sure is to be a rainy fall, and a snowy winter. Right now, I’m particularly excited about two films: Running with Scissors and Shortbus.

Running with Scissors is being released in theatres on October 11th. For those of you who haven’t heard the buzz, it’s based on a memoir by Augusten Burroughs – a fantastic author. The book concentrates on Augusten’s younger years, when his parents get divorced, and as his mother slips into a deep depression: giving Augusten away to her crazy shrink. The story is unbelievable, shocking and touching, all surrounded by a delicious layer of humour. Watch the trailer here – although I recommend reading the memoir first (because, as usual, I don’t know how a film is going to do the book justice).

Secondly, I’m very excited about John Cameron Mitchell’s second film: Shortbus. The story is in essence an uncensored look at relationships and sex. CBC personality Sook-Yin Lee was nearly canned by the network for having participated in the project. It looks like the film is going to be provocative, innovated, and pushing the limits – what else would we expect from JCM? Watch the trailer here.

But the film fun doesn’t stop there! The image+nation film festival starts in a mere six weeks! More than a full week’s worth of queer films from around the world. I’ll write a separate post about that later…

Confessions of a 30 Year Old Bearded Man

2006-09-29T16:30:00.000-04:00

I have started to grow a beard. It’s been nearly two weeks since my last full shave.

Out of curiosity (and Friday-afternoon-work-induced boredom), I decided to check out beard grooming sites, and came across All About Beards. Helpful and often creepy, the site is unequivocally devoted to all things beards!

Left menu options include “growing a beard”, “beard grooming”, “beard galleries”, “beard videos[!!!]” (emphasis mine), and on the “success stories” page, testimonials from many men about the beard growing process. When asked how he likes being a full-bearded man, Michael (17 y.o.) replies:

I love it! It makes me look wiser, older, and much more masculine. I am only 5'7" (170 cm) tall, so without facial hair, I would look like a kid. With the beard, I look like a man! People tell me that I look like twenty-one or older. It's great! I also feel much better about myself. I feel that I am truly a man. It's a means of self expression [sic]...

Needless to say, the testimonials are my favourite part. Really, I should stop being such a bitch. I mean, maybe the site will be helpful when I have a pressing beard related question. But now that I'm bearded, hence wise, I don't think I'll need the creepy site any longer.

Wikipedia: Reliable Resource or Dangerous Collectivism?

2006-09-28T11:06:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, I was listening to Sunday Edition and heard an interview with Jaron Lanier. The interview centered on his recent essay: DIGITAL MAOISM: The Hazards of the New Online Collectivism. In a nutshell, Lanier discusses the problem with Wikipedia, and what he sees as the beginnings of artificial intelligence. It’s an excellent essay if you have some time to give it a read.

Check it out on The Edge.

Shoe Issues

2006-09-27T17:10:00.000-04:00

I have found the perfect pair of shoes. Notice the alternating grey to black on the leather and the blue stitching. Each shoe is a unique masterpiece! The problem is that I can't find them anywhere in Montreal. One store has them, but doesn't have my size. No other store in my fair city carries them, and Camper won't sell them to me online or via their phone center.

I have been obsessing over these puppies for two weeks, and I can't get them out of my head. Do I have isshoes or what? I feel like SJP without her favourite pair of Manolo Blahniks.

I think that I might just have to check out the stores in Toronto when I go in a couple of weeks. Sigh... If anybody sees them in the meantime and wants to surprise me, I'm a size 11 (model 17887-001, you know, just to be sure).

Ode to Gilda

2006-09-26T17:00:00.000-04:00

Recently, I was thinking about SNL back in the good 'ol days: you know, when Gilda Radner and Jane Curtain graced our television screens with their presence. Although I wanted to share the Hey You perfume spoof ad with you, but I thought that this one would do. Happy belated Rosh Hashanah!

Citing Sources

2006-09-26T12:25:00.001-04:00

Although I’d like to take credit for the clever name of this blog, I have to cite my source. A long time ago, in the far off land of Ottawa there was a closeted twink who spent a lot of time at his friend Lentil’s home. On the back door of the Lentil’s family’s house, her parents had hung a wooden sign that read “Backdoor friends are best.” When our mutual friend Danny Boi (who is incidentally, a girl) and I first saw this sign and read it out loud we both exchanged glances and a giggle. She knew what was on my mind.

Strangely, the sign somehow pushed a button: thus beginning my coming out. One by one, I revealed to all of my bitches that backdoor friends are indeed the best!

I tried to find a replica of the sign by doing a Google image search, but only came up with this.

Lentil and her dear husband are leaving this very day for a trip around the world. For the next year, I crown them “The Globetrotters,” and will follow their every move by reading their travel blog religiously. I wish I were running from everything…

Mr. T's Bed Sketch

2006-09-26T11:23:00.000-04:00

Now that Mr. T and I have passed the five-year benchmark, we've decided to upgrade our bed. Believe it or not, we've been cramming ourselves into a double this whole time. Although we're doing it mostly for ourselves, we can't help but think that our feline dependant played some role in motivating us to do so. I'm sure she'll be more than happy to continue claiming a third of the (read: her) new bed (read: throne).

This is the sketch that Mr. T drew as a proposal to the *hot* carpenter that will be making our bed (with his own two hands (!) drool…).

Revelation

2006-08-30T09:26:00.000-04:00

When a substantial chunk of your day is spent reading through blogs, finding interesting news article, and then passing them along to friends and bloggers: it's time to start your own blog! So, here goes...