Saskatoon!

Wow Christmas dragged on and flew by if that makes any sense. I'm out of seclusion and back in Saskatoon visiting friends. I am so happy! I went out for wings at Maguires for the first time in ages and gorged myself on buffalo wings and caesars. Some of my favorite people ever were there, and I realized how many good people I left behind in moving to Montreal.

Tonight I'm going out for dinner with some of my favorite ladies in the world! They are such beauts too- I'm including some photos of them to demonstrate how artistic and fun they are. I love them so much!

Home Sweet Home

Well, I'm headed back home to Saskatchewan today. I'm definitely not looking forward to the cold, or for Christmas for that matter! I am excited to eat myself into obesity; I think I'll probably have to roll off the plane when I get back to Montreal. My family have stocked their fridges so I can cook to my heart's desire so I'm sooo excited for that. Aussi beaucoup de reading! 

The Look

BY SARA TEASDALE

Strephon kissed me in the spring,

      Robin in the fall,

But Colin only looked at me

      And never kissed at all.

Strephon's kiss was lost in jest,

      Robin's lost in play,

But the kiss in Colin's eyes

      Haunts me night and day

Sooo winter is finally here in Montreal.. I think I assumed it would stay mild forever, with no snow. Or hoped is probably a better way to put it. I am definitely NOT a winter fan! But I do love this city, and life is good (with the exception of still no student loans, w.t.f.). Today I went with people from my school to a 'sugaring off' party, or Cabane a Sucre. It's generally in February, when they tap into the trees to get the maple syrup. This place does it year-round, so we had an amazing hearty meal on a charming little farm yard. My friend slipped me his water bottle full of whiskey before he left, and so I was able to stay warm the whole time ;)

Tonight is our buildings Christmas party, which is good because I won't be able to afford groceries until my loans come in... so I'm off to eat and drink for free, while conversing with the oldies from our building. Good times!

Big Snowflakes.

I left my house this morning in a terrible, terrible state. It's amazing how much being outside on a mild winter day, with huge snowflakes falling, can lift your mood. I had a really good weekend, with the exception of some drama at the end of Friday night. The night started out so promising; I had four different places to go with four different groups of friends. Started at Bar des Pins with some librarians, then Peel Pub with my Hotel Industry people, back home to pick up Pam in a lovely SUV with heated seats (arguably my favorite part of the night :) ), on to Bifteck and then B-side. Met up with neighbor at Bif, did some tequila shots, and barely remember dancing at B-side. All in all a really good night!

However, the end of the night always seems to bring out a different side of people. Having grown up in a religious family, I have a different set of values than most people. Of course, it's hard to realize that it is different than most, because I've believed it and strived to be 'good' in this way my whole life. I definitely don't regret my upbringing; I feel as though everyone would benefit from a little more self control and respect for others. Anyways, back to the bar! Ugly lights come up, and then there's this desperate struggle to find the right person to take home. Sex is viewed in incredibly different ways from the religious to the non-religious. And I suppose deciding to live 'in the world' causes me to have to accept the most common view of sex. However - I don't have to make the same choices that everyone else does. It does end up being fairly lonely though, I must say. I guess part of growing up and maturing is being ok with your own life choices, and dealing with differing opinions on a daily basis, especially if your views about the world are different than popular culture. Roomie invited two guys over for an afterparty at our place, but I've never been fond of our afterparties - they generally end up as my entertaining the extras and roomie turning in early with the flavor of the week. So I turned into a child, and insisted that my friends leave me and I walk home alone from the bar. Smart choices late at night, hey? Thankfully neighbor is no stranger to dramatic girl antics, and he convinced me to come home with him, with roomie walking ten paces ahead. We stopped at his place for some scotch that I didn't finish (which was a very good thing) and smoking in his emergency staircase. Not sure what we talked about, but it diffused my stubbornness, and I was able to go to bed.

So what does it all mean? I think life is about the relationships in it, so loneliness seems to contradict my basic goals in life. I want to be surrounded by friendships and love, but it's also incredibly important to me that those surrounding me are not detrimental to my goals in life. So there's this constant tightrope walk these days, where I'm trying to maintain my stance in life and also embrace new views. A lesson I've learned from going to Bible College and then University is that if you are afraid of learning new things that may oppose your beliefs, then they must not be all that strong to begin with. However, I start to feel crazy if I don't take time for myself to reinstate my ideals and plans for my life. I guess that answer I'm looking for is balance. Easier said than done.

I have been incredibly lucky in my move to Montreal so I shouldn't really complain. I've lived in both Vancouver and London, and had very lonely experiences in each. I have this strong desire to live in a huge, world city ever since growing up in a small Saskatchewan town of 900 people. Because I move around a lot, it's difficult to solidify strong friendships. Here in Montreal, I've lucked out with having a built-in friend, who allows me to be myself. I wish I was able to return the favor. I really need to learn to be more compassionate with other people.

Last night was spent cooking! I made bruschetta and baked french onion soup (which I guess would just be called baked onion soup here?) and finished a half litre of wine myself. I guess sometimes I just need some me time! Well.. me and wine :)

3 Exams done, 4 to go...

And still waiting on student loans. Next week/weekend is going to be epic! Cold is still hanging on, but I've been getting tons of sleep. Not so much studying though... Looks like this afternoon will be dedicated to the cafe and studying. Not too much to update, life is pretty boring.

Cool Street Art!
Alcoholic Art - so cool!

Sick.

Just in time for final exams, which start tomorrow. Awesome. Unfortunately I'm killing it in school, so I really have no motivation to study. I know I can pass every class, so there's no pressure.. However, it would be awesome to keep my 95% average!! The courses are incredibly easy and I happen to love the material. I'm so happy to finally be studying something that fits with me!

And this is a picture from my favorite movie of all time, The Dreamers. I think I'm going to make some tea, have a bath, and watch it right now. Mmm Louis Garrel   :)

Oh Geez.

Ok I just spent the last three hours on The Sartorialist and my newly found love, Face Hunter. I have a problem. I like to look at pretty things. And now I'll share some of my faves with you so you can look at pretty things too.

 

 

I love the suspenders and leg warmers of the chick just above and to the left. I want to try the suspenders look, but I'm not sure I'm tall enough. Oh well, at least I can appreciate it on someone else. C'est la vie!

It was a scotch-on-the-rocks kind of night.

Well last night totally turned around! I don't know how I got so lucky in life to always have people around and a party to go to. Our neighbor - whom I met on the rooftop patio during the summer and has since become a good friend - texted me to meet for a cigarette out front of our building. We do that sometimes, it's a nice little interaction. But then I convinced him to bring over a bottle of his rum and his roommate, and roomie finished her paper, and the night had begun. Predrinks in my room, and then met up with some friends at McGibbons on Saint Laurent (which is an awesome pub!) and debauchery ensued. Friends were hooking up, old men were hitting on me, and we concluded the night with an afterparty in my room with a scotch on the rocks in hand. Gotta love when neighbor's mom works in an airport and multiple bottles of alcohol are available! Had a really good roomie chat, and passed right out. Good people, good times. Now I'm headed to fireworks in the Old Port with a friend. I love this city!

TGIF?

I'm definitely feeling the loneliness that comes from moving to a new city tonight. Roomie's working on two papers due on Monday so I'm trying not to drag her out of the house just because of my own restlessness! However, I am talking to a friend that I met last summer in Saskatoon, and he's really cheering me up... he's talking about new found confidence based on drawing interests from different scenes and not just trying to fit into one. So anti hipster. I think that's been my mantra for a long time, but actually acting on it and not allowing it to affect your mood is hard sometimes.

Loneliness is good to feel sometimes because it makes you really enjoy those times you aren't.

Nerding Out

 
I love reading!! After spending four fairly lonely months in London last year, I decided to read through the classics. I read The Great Gatsby below the London eye and in St James Park, and finished Catcher in the Rye in Brighton during a weekend trip. When I came home I had to continue, and this summer I finished Wuthering Heights.. It took me a long time because I had a lot of partying to catch up! Speaking of parties, I love the way Fitzgerald writes. The Beautiful and Damned was probably my favorite out of the two I've read, although it's received mixed critiques.  He has such a way of describing the rich, beautiful party lifestyle, and it hits me exactly where I'm at right now. Minus the rich part.

Having recently moved in with an English Lit major, there is no end to the books recommended to me! I'm currently reading The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway.

My Mama never warned me about my own destructive appetite...

Sooo we did it again. My alcoholic roommate and myself spent last night with a bottle of wine and cigarettes, talking about life, philosophy, happiness, and Fitzgerald. We love to think and express ourselves, so conversations between us are full of new insights and big vocabulary - and music! The quote above is from the Jenny Lewis song, Happy. We had it on repeat at some point last night! Great song. By the time the bottle was empty and the cigarettes smoked, we tied into the forty of rum in the freezer. Needless to say I missed my eight o'clock class this morning!

I have summer on the mind, can you tell?  :)  (although I am NOT complaining about the winters here in Montreal, they are so mild and amazing!!)

GRRRR!

Argh, life is frustrating right now! I've been in such a funk for the last couple of weeks due to slow student loans. I can't believe how much we rely on money in life! Good life lesson though I suppose. One site that I love to peruse to relax and get excited about life (and clothes, if I could only afford them at this point!) is The Sartorialist. Here are some of my faves recently, enjoy! And check out the blog, thesartorialist.com. You'll become addicted, I swear.

  
I love the way the blogger, Scott Schuman, chooses his subjects. He's said many times on the site that it's not necessarily about the clothes, but moreso the attitude and strength that is demonstrated by each person.

Listening to The xx - perfect chill out music. And also, consequently, good make out music too!