of montréal

Saturday afternoon, after a particularly inspiring walk around Chimney Bluffs State Park, I decided to make a brief, overnight trip to Montréal. Completely spur of the moment, but I needed to get out of town for a day and I'd always wanted to visit. I swung by Barnes & Noble to grab a guide book (not a particularly helpful one, as it turned out) and booked a hotel room when I got home.

I left in the deepest darkness of 4am, zipping down 104 instead of the Thruway. Without street lights, pine forests on either side, my headlights illuminating the thickening fog ahead of me--it was like every fireside horror story you ever heard at camp. I half expected a phantom hitchhiker to appear in my back seat. The sun began to rise a while before Oswego, and the fog lingered attractively among the fields and streams before dissipating.

The rest of the drive was fairly unremarkable, although generally pretty. I needed to stop for gas about 90 minutes outside of Montréal, which proved to be quite complicated as a) I hadn't exchanged any money yet, and b) apparently pay-at-the-pump gas stations have yet to permeate the rural areas of Québec. Thankfully I ran across one that accepted cards as I approached Montréal, so an early crisis was averted.

I dropped my car off at the hotel around 10 but, as I couldn't check in yet, I took a stroll around Vieux-Montréal. Totally beautiful. My spoken French is embarrassingly rudimentary, but I can read it well enough, so it wasn't too difficult to navigate or order food, etc.

Day One

Vieux-Montréal
Cobblestone streets, bistros and cafés, terraces, statues, fountains, cathedrals... ah, all the things that I am a complete sucker for! Completely saturated with tourists, obviously, but totally gorgeous.

Château Ramezay
Museum of the history of Montréal, with restored rooms as well as exhibits on life in early Canada (the capital punishment room was quite interesting). There was a modest garden in the back that would have been delightful, had it not been completely overrun with the most bad-ass looking wasps I'd ever seen.

Pointe-à-Callière
Museum of archeology and the history of Montréal, situated on the precise spot where the city was founded (so they claim). The majority of the exhibits were all right, and there was a lookout affording decent views of the city; however, the truly awesome stuff was down in the basement, where you could tour some excavations of the old city and peruse super-cool artifacts they'd dug up. Old stuff! History nerdgasm!

Place Jacques-Cartier
It tickled me that there is a huge, towering statue of Admiral Nelson in the heart of Vieux-Montréal. Apparently the English put it up back in the day, and there he still stands. Ha! It took a little bit of searching to find a restaurant that served something other than les hamburgers, but I eventually settled onto a cozy terrace for a delicious (if tourist-priced) meal of moules provençales and Hoegaarden.

Vieux-Port
The waterfront wasn't anything spectacular, but I happily strolled down Quai King-Edward with gelato in hand.

Mont Royale and Oratoire St-Joseph
My guidebook's maps were not the best. For this reason, I ended up trudging up the ridiculous hills of Mont Royale for about 45 minutes to reach Oratoire St-Joseph (turns out, I could have just walked down the road from the Metro station. Oh well). It wasn't a complete loss, I suppose, as the homes there were beautiful (kind of like a Québécois Hollywood Hills, je suppose), but my legs still ache. Eventually I reached the summit and l'Oratoire, cashing in on the payoff of gorgeous vistas in all directions. I didn't see the heart of Brother Andre, but there were a large number of pilgrims queuing up to seek healing. The basilica interior was a little too modern for my taste, I'm generally not a huge fan of mid-20th-century churches, but the outside wasn't too ugly.

Rue St-Denis
Super hipster stretch in the Latin Quarter, full of quirky independent shops and terraced cafés and bistros. I dined on moules mariniere at a small, charming terrace affording excellent and varied people watching. Everyone was good looking, even the homeless people! It was bizarre and very Stepfordesque. Did you ever see the "Arrested Development" episode where Lindsay picks up the good-looking homeless guy, who turns out to be an actor researching a role? That's all I could think about when I passed a handsome, if a little scruffy, guy sitting on a stoop. I thought he was just chilling on the stoop of his building until he asked me for change. Ha!

Day Two

Jardin Botanique
I almost skipped this on Monday morning since it started to drizzle, but after a brief stop for coffee the clouds parted. The gardens were worth every penny. I only had time to cruise through the rose garden, Chinese garden, and Japanese garden as I had to get back to my hotel across town to check out by noon, but I could have easily spent all day there. Apparently it is second only to London's Kew Gardens in size.

Marché Maisonneuve
On my way back from des jardins, I picked up a croissant and coffee at the historic Marche Maisonneuve. My guidebook made it out to be this amazing, authentic place but I have to admit... it was pretty disappointing. The only kick I got out of it was actually having to use my pathetic French "skills" to order my food. I wish I'd spent a bit more time at the gardens instead, but oh well!

I arrived home last night around 6pm, completely exhausted but so happy and satisfied with my trip. I used to do this sort of thing all the time when I was in the UK, so it was exhilarating to venture out on my own again and just... go. If I had the money I'd definitely do it more often. Now I need to start saving for my trip to Japan next year!

yar.

I could update you on everything I've been up to (mostly catching up with friends at Solera, or saying adieu to coworkers at MacGregor's) but I'm lacking the energy en ce moment. Instead, I'll give you another update of my present favorite things.

1. Alka-Seltzer. Sounds ridiculous, I know, but I can't tell you how many hangovers I've been spared lately, thanks to this fizzy little miracle. Cure for a dodgy tummy and headache all in one! Amazing.

2. J.Crew. Their fall collection has inspired me to flirt with a credit card debt once again. I have a well-documented weakness for tweeds and cardigans that they seem quite happy to exploit.

3. Rome. OB-sessed. I've been watching it on DVD and am presently gorging myself on Season 2, courtesy of Netflix. Sometimes I am so baffled by the actors I find myself attracted to, though. Like, my infatuation with Jonathan Rhys Meyers, I can understand... but Tobias Menzies? Et tu Brute? Random.

4. The Scrabulous application on Facebook. Just like being back at Valhalla! I would also like to state, for the record, that as of this moment I am undefeated.

5. The "Bowie in Space" sketch from Flight of the Conchords. "Whatcha doin' you freaky old bastahd you?" Hee. They have their Bowie pastiche right on, too. The only trouble is that Outback Steakhouse tends to ruin everything for everybody (subsection, Of Montreal) and for the longest time I thought that guy was just a crap actor with a fake Aussie accent.

6. Shorpy: The 100-Year-Old Photo Blog. I am obsessed with all things 19th century - early 20th century. This blog is like crack for history nerds.

7. K and I will be heading to Japan in about 14 months if all goes according to plan. I've never been to Asia, so I'm excited.

no method in our madness, just pride about our manner

Where the hey is everyone? Are you all holed up reading Harry Potter or something? Not a peep out of anyone this weekend, spare a drunken voicemail message from K (via Northern J) telling me I must go with them to Japan. I think I'll phone her tomorrow and ask her to elaborate.

It's kind of a timely suggestion, actually, as I've taken up making Bento. I even bought myself a rice cooker and have finally, finally learned how to make my own sushi after 10 years of saying I would. Definitely better late than never! I also managed to find an adult Bento Box (namely one that doesn't feature an over-the-top adorable anime cat dressed up as a watermelon or similar).

This morning (waiting for my pre-ordered HP to arrive in the mail... I know, I know), I took an absolutely amazing drive down to Geneseo via East River Road. The weather was unbelievable... I just love driving through the country on days like this! It's very hilly down there, too, so the vistas were quite breathtaking. Anyway, I know I complain about how remote Rochester is, but I am utterly enchanted by the fact that you can drive a short distance from the city and hit open farmland, quaint Americana-saturated Main Streets, and lakes dotted with summer cottages and wineries.

What else is new? I have a new phone, which I am pretty much in love with (although I was upset that they didn't offer it in lime green, like the older version... I bought it in a browny-red though, which looks pretty sexy anyway). Oh, and I was promoted at work... which I know sounds a little counterproductive considering I'm actively seeking employment elsewhere, but a) it will provide me with (a little) more money in the meantime, and b) it'll look good on my resume.

Right, time to join the masses and continue with Harry. How bittersweet, to know this is the last one! I kind of want to take my time with it, but it's so bewitching that I'm gobbling it rather quickly. Probably not a bad thing, as I am dodging spoilers left and right!

what we need is a persuasion, what you give is retaliation

I've finally done it... I've stressed myself into a (most likely psychosomatic) state of gastrointestinal unhappiness. After a few weeks of careful observation, I've learned that food falling under any of the following categories can no longer be safely consumed and digested by my body without severe repercussions (stomach cramps, nausea, indigestion):

*spicy
*greasy/fried
*dairy
*sugary
*caffeinated

So, basically, everything I love has been taken away from me. No more cheese, no more Frank's Red Hot, no more french fries, no more ice cream, no more lattes. Hopefully this will pass once the stress passes, but in the meantime it's the miz. As if my life couldn't get any more bland, right?

Still not so much as a peep on the job hunt front, which continues to support my theory that I must be the least employable person on earth. I have a few applications that I'm holding off on sending in until Monday, when I find out whether or not I got a promotion at my current job. It'd be a nice addition to my resume, even if it is a whole lot more work for an extra $1/hr.

In other news? Perhaps less pouty news? Hmm, let me think.

I picked up a few cute pieces at Target today, as Libertine is the latest GO designer. I wasn't crazy about Patrick Robinson, so I'm happy that they've chosen someone a little more fun this time.

As you can see from my very neat new LibraryThing widget on the sidebar, I'm about to begin The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon. On deck are yet another Jeeves book, Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray, and Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace.

Ok, I guess I'll be off now to find something to eat that won't leave me huddled in a ball of pain. Baby carrots and ginger ale, so it seems. Good grief...

i've been saving up for something we need as long as you're open to the possibility

I took the day off from work tomorrow for no reason other than I decided it would be nice to do so. The weather is supposed to be decent, too. I haven't entirely made up my mind what I am going to do, but I do know that I'm going to wake up super early and attempt to finish all my chores and errands before lunchtime.

Really, I'd love to go on a daytrip somewhere but I am totally flat broke. I'm saving up for another trip in September and possibly (should certain endeavors in the works produce better than expected results) a rent deposit.

I've been super, super moody lately though. No idea why! One day I'm full of plans and hopes for the future, the next I'm completely desolate and melancholy. I get this way just about every time things in my life are up in the air and dissatisfying in the present. At least right now I have something that--although also frustrating and uncertain--makes me smile. There is a comfort in that. :)

Alors, ce soir, as I must wait until tomorrow for the arrival of the first 3 discs of "Rome", I think I'll chill out with une bouteille de vin rouge and geek out to an episode of MST3K. Did I mention yet that I finally finished The Time Traveler's Wife? I totally cried through most of the final 100 pages. Highly recommended, I don't know why it took me so long to read it. I'm whisking my way through yet another Jeeves book (starting to feel some withdrawal, you see...) and then will either start Vile Bodies or Black Swan Green. Outside, ideally.

Maybe, since my posts have been so direly lacking in content, I will leave you with some more Vox Questions of the Day, as I haven't posted any in quite a long while. Have a lovely weekend!

After all the recent season and series finales, what are you watching on TV these days?
Absolutely nothing! I'm waiting for the most recent seasons of "The Office," "Battlestar Galactica," and "House" to come out on DVD.

What are your top 10 most-played songs currently?
1. "Don't Worry Baby" - the Beach Boys
2. "The Funeral" - Band of Horses
3. "I Want You" - Elvis Costello
4. "A Sweet Summer's Night on Hammer Hill" - Jens Lekman
5. "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" - Neutral Milk Hotel
6. "Maybe You Can Owe Me" - Architecture in Helsinki
7. "Kings of the Wild Frontier" - Adam & the Ants
8. "A Little Respect" - Erasure
9. "Fidelity" - Regina Spektor
10. "Postcards From Italy" - Beirut

What is the most interesting class you have ever taken?
Medieval Popular Culture was pretty fascinating.

What's the weirdest baby name you've ever heard?
"Assholé," pronounced (so I'm told) "Ash-ol-ay." I saw it in the birth announcements in the paper. Amazing.

If a waiter stopped by right now to take your order, what cocktail or drink are you having?
If I wasn't drinking red wine already I'd love a champagne martini!

What are your deal breakers in a relationship?
Dishonesty. Tapered pants.

What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?
I like vanilla with cherries and chocolate. Or rocky road.

What kind of camera(s) do you own?
Kodak EasyShare V603 Zoom (in red).

What was your favorite TV season finale this year?
The only one I watched was "Lost," so I'll say... "Lost."

What is the one saying that your parents said to you that you absolutely hate?
When I tell my mom something that happened and she doesn't remember it, she tells me that I dreamt it. It drives me crazy.

How many times do you usually re-edit posts? What is the most common reason for doing so?
I take so long to write the stupid things that I rarely go back and re-edit them after they've been posted, unless I notice technical errors like typos or misspellings.

Who is your favorite video game character?
Link, maybe?

What words, for the life of you, can you never spell correctly?
Traveler, inane.

What were you doing one year ago today?
Getting ready to leave my job in Connecticut and move back home.

Which household chores do you most/least enjoy?
I most enjoy cleaning the bathroom, I think because of the way it looks and feels after it is SoftScrubbed and sparkly. I hate doing laundry... it involves a great deal of waiting.

Who was your first celebrity crush?
Davy Jones.

What's the best way to get on your good side?
Flattery will sadly work wonders. Or, really, just attentiveness. Interest.

What is your favorite kind of bagel and what do you put on it?
Everything bagel, lightly toasted with jalapeño cream cheese!

What's the next country you want to visit?
Hungary, Belgium, or Iceland.

What are five books that changed your life?
I can really only think of two off the top of my head: Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera.

What's your favorite holiday movie?
The Shop Around the Corner or It's a Wonderful Life. I have a thing for Jimmy Stewart during the holidays.

What books did you love as a child?
Just about anything by Roald Dahl. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. Goodnight Moon. John Bellairs mysteries.

really too late to call, so we wait for morning to wake you

Holy cow my allergies are out of control today. I feel as though I have flu, and I can barely see through my watering eyes. Good grief.

Anyway, you're probably (marginally) more interested in hearing about my trip to LA than my allergy woes, so I'll dive right in.

The flight was OK, despite being seated with two of the most obnoxious.hipsters.ever. Granted, it could have been much, much worse, but sheesh. By the end of the flight I was quite through with hearing about how everything was "soooo amaaaazing" and their plans to play league kick ball in some park in Williamsburg. He was designing t-shirts, she was making jewelery. "So, are you into that whole, like, Edie Sedgwick vibe? I think it's soooo amaaaazing!" Bleargh.

Anyway, J was waiting at the airport and (thanks to Long Beach's totally manageable size) we swiftly grabbed my bags and headed back to West Hollywood. Oh, with a brief drive-thru visit to In-N-Out (fries were subpar, burger was good), natch.

J had to work on Friday, so I stole his car and took a spin. I was a little apprehensive about this, not least because the gas gauge was below E, but I managed to locate a gas station and navigate my way to the diner J recommended for brunch near (in?) Santa Monica. Delish. I lounged away the rest of the morning driving up (and down) the PCH, then through the mountains. Gosh, I love the mountains. La la LOVE them.

En soirée, we had a lovely dinner at a charmingly hidden French restaurant called Stella. Dining outside, we devoured escargot and lamb while Serge Gainsbourg crooned. Lovely.

As for the weekend, I can't remember what days we did what, but highlights included:
*Winding through the Angeles Forest (more mountains! yay!)
*Drinks on the roof of the Standard (sunburn! not so yay!)
*Drinks at the Figueroa (my favorite)
*Sunbathing at Venice Beach (only for about an hour)
*TWO visits to Fred 62 (and other ridiculously delicious meals)
*Strolling through the garden of the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena
*Memorial Day get-together beside a pool in suburbia

All in all, a lovely trip. I was sad to go, and of course this "week" (3 days) at work dragged like you would not believe. I still haven't fully unpacked, but that's something for this weekend I suppose.

Now I'm right back here; I'm lost and confused and don't know what to do with myself. I've been sapped of my élan once again, but I'm not entirely sure how to pull myself out of it. It's like... I clearly could have done an infinitely better job of recapping my vacation, but I just don't feel like it. I don't feel like putting effort into much of anything anymore, which is just about the WORST POSSIBLE attitude to have when faced with the present circumstances. I'll have to snap out of it, clearly, but it's not going to be easy. Grah. I am not a happy bunny.

he asked her please stop quoting rod mckuen in your postcards

Tonight, I drink red wine and watch the season finale of "Lost." Tomorrow, I fly to Los Angeles.

What has happened in the month since I last updated? Plenty. I've just been too fatigued to write, or didn't want to blog about it. Right now I have the makings of a nasty headache, so I think I'm going to take some aspirin and scrounge up some food.

I will most certainly update upon my return, at some point.

let us lay in the sun and count every beautiful thing we can see

I was supposed to work on job applications today, but honestly... who could bear to chain themselves to a computer on a warm, sunny day? I certainly couldn't, so I hopped in my little green car and zipped down the Lake Ontario Parkway to Route 18, then the Robert Moses Parkway to Niagara Falls. It's only about a 90 minute drive from door-to-door which, while not insubstantial, is completely doable for a half-day trip.

April is early enough in the season that the area isn't mobbed by tourists, so I didn't have to jockey for position at the popular lookout points. There were still substantial ice floes (you can see a mini-glacier at the bottom of the photo to the right), but thanks to the melting water the rapids were quite impressive. Walking along the gorge, there were a number of random cold spots where the air was 10 to 15 degrees cooler; it was like walking into air conditioning. Very bizarre. I considered zipping over to Canada for an hour at the casino, but decided that it wasn't worth spending the time waiting to cross the border. Anyway, I hadn't been to the falls in probably 5 years or more, so it was a wonderful outing. They really are 'one of those things' that simply aren't done justice by photographs (and certainly not by mine!) but there are some up on my Flickr anyway.

Even after a lengthy walk and drive, I was back home by mid-afternoon. I made a quick sweep of the grocery store and read a little of The Time Traveler's Wife. J had recommended this book to me a while ago, so when I was asked for suggestions for the next book club this one popped to mind. I'll be interested to hear what everyone thinks. I'm enjoying it so far--very much so, in fact--although I am only about 50 pages in. On deck are Black Swan Green (another J recommendation) and yet another Jeeves book (natch).

I watched "Marie Antoinette" last night, which was just OK. The soundtrack was great, though, and "Kings of the Wild Frontier" very well-placed. Yummy!

Was there something else I was going to mention in here? I can't remember. Oh well, I'll leave you with some things that make me happy right now:

*Sleeping with the windows open!
*Twining's blackcurrent black tea
*My new digital camera is so much better than my old one
*Thoughts of eating avocado- and hashbrown-laced breakfast sandwiches with J at Fred 62
*Rediscovering how good Clinique's face lotion is
*"Fidelity" by Regina Spektor
*The sun

a dreaded sunny day, so i meet you at the cemetery gates

It would seem that Rochester received my letter, below, and took its advice to heart. Today was absolutely pristine! 70 and unbelievably sunny. I was a little hungover from the copious amount of wine imbibed last night, but I didn't want to let the day go to waste. I wanted to stroll around outside, but wasn't sure I could handle the noise and elbows of a million people, so I decided that Mount Hope Cemetery would be ideal. I'd been wanting to visit again since I moved home, and I figured that it was the least likely place to be crowded (with living people, anyway) on the first beautiful day of the year.

The paths of Mount Hope meander lazily up and down hills, through valleys, between mausoleums and headstones nearly erased by the elements. The original cemetery is nestled essentially in a forest, with wrought iron gates entwined with brawny roots, and chipmunks scuttling about the crunchy dried leaves that cover the graves. It's also a bit marshy in some areas, so there are bugs to be battled, but it mattered little to me as my feet happily plodded along rough, brick roads and dirt paths. Photos can be found at my Flickr, comme d'habitude. Forsaken Places also has some absolutely fascinating photos of the insides of the abandoned crematorium and chapel that I certainly don't have the nerve to break into (although I'm glad they did!).

Now, however, the calming silence of the dead is replaced by the voices of the extremely loud and obnoxious people who live two doors down on the other side of the street. Just because you're outside doesn't mean you have to shout! There are, like, 10 of them yelling, and kids are crying, and dogs are barking. Grah. So much for the serenity of suburbia!

This morning, before heading to the cemetery, I stopped at a diner for brunch and had an excellent bacon and cheese omelet while I wrote a letter. My mood has lifted immeasurably with the rise in temperature... I feel as though the days will pass with a little more ease now that spring is here. Tonight, I'm going to work until maybe 8 or 9 on job applications, and then probably read with my window open (assuming aforementioned neighbors shut up at any point). First, though, I need to do a little cleaning!

Tomorrow's weather is supposed to be just as perfect as today's was, so I'll have to think of how I'd like to spend my Sunday. Definitely outside, of that much I am certain.

you can scoop out my brain, shape it into an ear, and then tell me your pain

Dear Rochester,
It is April now. Please stop snowing.
Kind regards,
C.

Ah, I had fun this weekend. Although, perhaps, a little too much fun!

I met L, H, and D at M (and her boyfriend B)'s apartment. We drank a small bit of wine and watched the end of Mean Girls on TV. An outing to Salinger's followed, where I ordered a Three Olives grape and soda and received... a pint of it. Soooo needless to say (after about 1/3 pint of vodka) I was drunk. Not wasted, but definitely drunk enough to do the Safety Dance with M:



We left before closing, so I came home and fell asleep after a lengthy phone call. There are a few more photos at my Flickr.

Easter was, as expected, a little rough. Not as rough as last Sunday, but last Sunday I did not have to be awake at 8 to prepare scalloped potatoes. I was a trooper all the way through dinner, but by the time I finished dessert I was about to pass out from sheer exhaustion. My brother was kind enough to drop me off on his way home. I climbed into bed and put on a DVD, but I only lasted until 6pm, I think, which means I slept for 12 hours last night. 12 hours!! I felt much better for it this morning, which is not usually the case after sleeping for so long.

45 days until LA. I can't wait. :)

suppose i kept on singing love songs just to break my own fall

The weekends where I feel unusually motivated to 'get things done' (i.e., clean my room, organize my clothes, do laundry, work on my resume) always end up being the ones where I have the least time to pursue those things. Last night MMac was in town, so we went for a beer (a rather short one, sadly, since I was totally beat) and caught up a little. Not that I would have managed to get a whole lot done on Friday night, but I was kind of hoping to also work some reading into my schedule and also get up early today. But whatever, it was good to see him so it's fine.

Today I did manage to wake up at a reasonable hour, and although I took my coffee and breakfast at a leisurely pace I have managed to do quite a bit of cleaning. I even parted with two full bags of clothes that I no longer wear, which is very difficult for me because I feel like most of it wasn't really that old. The other half of my wardrobe is currently tumbling or hanging to dry, as I hadn't done laundry in ages. This afternoon and evening I was planning on doing a little job hunting and cover letter writing, but I'll have to limit it to the next few hours as MW called to let me know that L is in town from Boston for the weekend. Sooo... girls night out, it seems. Again, I am certainly OK with this. It's just that I wish that either a) I was this motivated to be productive every weekend, or b) my social life was more consistent.

Aaaand, of course, tomorrow is Easter. This is the first Easter I have been home for in... oh, let's see... about 5 years? Definitely not post-HWS. I have been recruited to make scalloped potatoes, and I doubt I will accomplish much more than that. Between visiting two sides of the family and it being Sunday, I'm pretty sure that post-dinner will involve little more than sipping tea or wine and reading in bed.

On the plus side, I feel as though my resume has reached a point of development where I don't feel too iffy about sending it out. I just need to make a few kick-ass cover letter outlines and I'll be ready to send them flying! My work friends and I have been talking a lot about how we need to leave our job ASAP. This general consensus, combined with the realization I came to last weekend that I do not, in fact, want to stay in Rochester, has definitely lit a fire under the whole job hunt situation. I don't really want to put a time frame on it, but suffice to say that from this point on I am ready to leave when I am given the opportunity.

Oh! I almost forgot to mention that I'll be visiting LA over Memorial Day weekend (May 24th - 29th). I am beyond antsy, and not just because it's been snowing here these past few days! I am anticipating a nice, relaxing weekend.

It's amazing how promising and hopeful I feel right now, compared to this time a year ago, or two years ago. It was Easter weekend three years ago that I moved to New Haven, and Jenn and I had an Easter dinner of sushi. Amazing... it seems like a lifetime ago in a lot of ways. However, I'm feeling really good about the promise of this moment so hopefully it will deliver!

those were our times, those were our times

First, I'd like to add two more albums to my current obsessions list from the last entry: Beruit - The Gulag Orkestar, and Islands - Return to the Sea. So very, very good.

There was a lot to this weekend that I'm not sure I'm in the mood to detail, but it was a great deal of fun. After rocking out of work at 11 on Friday, I packed a bit while waiting for C to arrive from Syracuse, as he was nice enough to drive up and meet me for lunch. We stepped out for some noodles and bubble tea at KC Tea & Noodles and a brief visit to the record store. I had to run some errands after lunch, but en route noticed my check engine light came on, so I had to make a mad dash to drop off my car at the garage and shower, pack, etc before MB came to pick me up. Thankfully he was running late, and didn't make it to my house until a little after 6.

The drive down was excellent and, since we were going to end up arriving well before the NYC group, we stopped in Ithaca for some dinner and a brief meander. After being briefly lost, in the pitch darkness and without cell phone reception, outside of Pitcher, NY, we found the cabin and settled in. The New Yorkers arrived around 1 or 2, I think, as they'd been stuck in traffic. We chatted for a while, sipping Saranac and making introductions, and then crashed quite happily after the long drive.

Saturday involved brunch at a local diner, a wonderful hike around host JK's family's property, then some reading in the sunlight and a fantastic dinner. We drank quite a bit in the evening (or at least I did!) and trekked to a settler graveyard in the woods a little after midnight.

There will be Flickr links soon, once everyone shares their photos from the trip.

It was a weekend that was simultaneously taxing and restorative. I did have a lot of time to gather my thoughts, though, and try to work out what I really want. I think I do need to move, but I'm not so sure it's going to matter where. Not New York, but possibly LA again? Or DC? Oh I don't know. I really do not relish the idea of starting this process again, but it must be done. I can't let myself wallow in complacency.

I'm feeling pretty lost right now, actually. Or maybe I'm just hungry. Drinking too much tends to leave me feeling a little melancholy the following day or two. This weekend I am not moving a muscle until my resume is spit polished and fit to be seen.

we try but we didn't have long

[this.is.good.]

1. Flying Toasters Screen Saver Clone
If you had a computer in the late 80s / early 90s, or if you spent a great deal of time in grade school playing The Oregon Trail in the computer lab, chances are you're familiar with After Dark screen savers. Now the iconic flying toasters can once again flutter across your desktop in this clone (Windows and Mac). Is it just me, or do I seem to remember that on the After Dark module you could set how dark you liked your toast? Genius. Now if only they'd bring back that Simpsons screen saver where Homer ate away your desktop...

2. The Curiosity Shoppe
Absolutely adorable (albeit a little pricey) and unique goods. So what's worth shelling out for? The wallpaper plates, pretty much any of their stationery, and for some reason I'm in love with this silly decorative crown.

3. Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
J put Of Montreal on a mix many moons ago. I listened a few times and my conclusion was: meh. His disappointment was palpable. Then I stumbled across the video for "Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse" on YouTube and was instantly hooked. As it happens, the whole album is great. So yes, I am a latecomer to the wagon, but a happy one! Other current musical obsessions? Hot Chip - The Warning, Orange Juice - The Glasgow School, TV On the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain. For the record, the jury is still out on the new Arcade Fire. I am also loving Morrissey again lately (I could write an essay on why I love how completely absurd he is. See: video for "Suedehead", subsection Moz driving a tractor and playing bongos to a field of cows). But I digress...

4. Almay Ideal Lip Color
I am not one who can normally pull off lipstick, but Almay has developed a line of colors that are flattering for everyone. I bought the berry and red sets (minus the lip liner... I've progressed, but not that far...) and am impressed! I tend to play up my eyes instead of my weird lips, but now...

5. Bolthouse Farms Green Goodness Juice
1 liter = Best.Hangover.Cure.Ever.

6. Blue Planet: Seas of Life
[NB: as of this moment, the DVD set is 30% off at Amazon, which is a steal. Buy it. Now. Trust me on this one.] Absolutely stunning series on marine life, narrated by none other than the entirely endearing and mesmerizing David Attenborough. I'm pretty sure they're still showing it (although perhaps irregularly) on Animal Planet, but if you can catch only one episode make sure that it's the one on Deep Sea Life. It boggles my mind, the creatures they find down there. If you've ever joined me on one of my trips to a museum of natural history, you'll know I am marginally obsessed with freaky deep sea critters ("Bloody pilot fish! Evil pilot fish! I know your dad!!").

7. Georges DuBoeuf Saint Amour (2005)
In case you haven't noticed, I haven't met a Beaujolais I didn't like. This is a great spring red, though, as it is a little lighter and fruitier. I have a feeling it would make an excellent sangria. Hmm, perhaps a thought for my getaway this weekend...

tomorrow, will it really come? and if it does come will i still be human?

Ugh, my brain feels so blocked lately! I have all these projects that I'm anxious to work on, and yet I feel like accomplishing anything is an uphill battle. I need a change of scenery. I wanted to venture out today, but it's far too snowy.

I spoke with K briefly on Thursday and we've made tentative plans to go on holiday together in February or March of 2008. Destination? Budapest for a few days, and then somewhere beachy in the Mediterranean to relax. This gives me something to look forward to, which I think I've needed lately. I haven't been abroad in a year, and it'll be almost two by the time I take this trip. I'd like to start whittling down my list of places I want to visit.

I'm unsure of what I want anymore. Well, not that I've ever been entirely sure, but now I feel as though I should stop coasting. I'm 26, and while I'm not quite old enough to have everything sorted out, I'm not so young anymore that I can fritter away months and years without any particular direction. Do I really want to stick around Rochester? If not here, then where? And doing what? Should I just leave it all to chance and apply for jobs everywhere and anywhere I would consider living? I don't think it's a bad idea to cast my net wide, but I'm just so weary of moving and I want to make certain that the next place fits. I'm unbelievably itchy to plant roots and nest.

MB and I had dinner at Cibon last weekend and I talked about it a little bit over champagne martinis. So many of our peers (including ourselves) have a vague sense of arrested development; that we should have our lives sorted out by now, or at the very least be working towards all the things that define adulthood in our society - a career, property, a family. We seem to be consciously putting all that off. We're afraid (or unwilling?) to commit to our lives as they are. There are certainly exceptions, but just about every 26-29 year old I talk to will say "Oh, right now I'm doing [whatever] but I only for another few years." Or, "I'm not planning on staying here long, maybe a year or two." Only half of them have ideas of what they'd like to replace these "meantime" jobs and locations with. Incidentally, all those long-term relationships that spanned my friends' mid-twenties are over, and almost everyone is single again.

It's comforting to know that I'm not the only one going through this, but at the same time I'm wondering if our idealism is leading us astray since we don't seem to act on it. There's no precedent for our generation, so it's difficult to tell if everything will work out or if we'll end up with a lot of varied and wonderful personal experiences but little lasting contribution. We have made few, if any, sacrifices. In fact, I wonder if it's even misleading to speak of "our generation." I feel that, if anything, we're so insular and obsessed with our individual paths that there is no coherence to our collective age group.

Anyway, I'll figure something out. I think I need to psych myself up about moving again. The prospect of starting over somewhere new used to thrill me, but now it leaves me feeling exhausted. I don't want to stay in Rochester for the wrong reasons (i.e., because I'm too lazy to pull up stakes and start over again), but at the same time I don't want to relocate naively either (i.e., because I think life will be entirely different somewhere else). I just want to make sure I'm not robbing myself of opportunities by sitting still.

c'mon mood shift, shift back to good again

A quick, bullet-point update since I haven't updated in about a month.

*J, I apologize for being so previously lukewarm about Of Montreal. I listened to 'Hissing Fauna Are You The Destroyer' quite a bit this weekend and love it. LOVE it. You were right and I was very wrong.

*Come the end of the month, I'm heading to a cabin in Central New York with MB, his girlfriend, and approximately 13 assorted strangers and acquaintances from NYC and Rochester. I'm excited. I haven't been out in anything resembling 'the wilderness' in ages. That said, there is a woodpecker hammering away somewhere outside right now. I can hear him but can't see what tree he's in.

*I would like to visit Belgium in the next year. Brussels in particular. I bet I could easily convince K to join me. Maybe spend a few days there, then take a train down to the south of France. I could use a vacation.

*Speaking of cabins and wilderness, I've been watching 'Twin Peaks' over the past few days (I just finished Season 1). Why was I so into this show? Some of the writing (particularly the scenes with Agent Cooper) is absolutely fantastic, but for the most part the show is not as mind-blowing and awesome as I had remembered. Then again, I remember Season 2 being completely different from Season 1, so maybe I should hold my tongue for now.

*In more TV news, I am less than impressed with the recent episodes of 'Lost'. To begin with... most.useless.flashbacks.EVER. Number one, no one cares about Jack's tattoos. Seriously. Calling that one of "Lost's biggest mysteries" in the promos was absurd. Number two, so Cheech is Hurley's dad. Big deal. The least that flashback could have done is let us in on some new info about the Numbers, instead of hammering home 'the numbers are cursed!' schtick. Number three, en-ough about Sayid's past as a torturer. We get it. He has skeletons. Move on! Anyway, on top of the useless flashbacks, nothing even HAPPENED in any of the post-break episodes except this last one (which was vaguely interesting only until we found out that Patches wasn't a Dharma remnant). Kate and Sawyer whined at each other, Hurley pointlessly fixed a hippie bus, and Sawyer lost his stash at ping pong. Yawn. Remember when this show was intriguing? What with the hatches and the revealing flashbacks and the Others and the smoke monster and the whispers and the visions? Now we have painful inaction on top of having to endure the useless twins Nikki and Paolo. Yar.

our skin gets thicker from living out in the snow

Rochester's weather is so amusingly relative. After a few days of biting cold and endless snow storms, today's weather -- sunny and low 30s -- felt like the first day of spring. The roads were finally (mostly) cleared of snow and I was able to leave my gloves at home, wearing just a light scarf for style, not utility.

Last... Saturday? Friday? I can't remember which night it was, but I met up with MB et al to play darts at the Black Pearl. The Black Pearl used to be Dicky's, the seedy little dive bar where J and M and I wound up our post-graduation festivities with mildly 'Girls Gone Wild'-esque antics. Anyway, KZ and I teamed up and made a decent show of it against MB and E, who happens to be awesome at darts. We settled into the corner of the bar with pitchers of Saranac and fed dollar bills to the jukebox, which had a decent selection.

Oh, actually it was Saturday, because the following morning MB and I headed out to lunch at Thali of India in lieu of our normal brunch. Indian buffet is a genius notion, as you don't have to come with a large group to sample a little of everything. The food was delicious, from naan to chai.

Tomorrow I am going to start my search for a new job. In a surprising twist, part of me wants to stay here in Rochester. It's bizarre, but these past 6 months have been a lot of fun and I've rediscovered a lot of the endearing and exciting aspects of my hometown. We'll see. I used to believe that changing my situation was a simple as changing my location. If only it were that easy! I'm not saying that I have decided to definitely stay in town -- where I end up depends a great deal on the results of my job search -- but if I do stay in Rochester, I think there is a very good chance that I could be happy here. Plus, I'm starting to feel like I need to invest in people and friendships, and it's hard to do when most aspects of my life seem ephemeral. I'm looking forward to nesting somewhere and feeling like I can really settle in. Uncertainty is exhausting.

chili's is the new golf course. it's where business happens.

Friday night, after a co-worker's birthday dinner at Don Pablo's (the pseudo-Mexican Chili's...), I met up with MB along with his girlfriend and KZ at Clover Lanes for a few rounds of bowling. Considering I hadn't slipped into community shoes since the days when I had a perm and a hot date was holding hands while couples-skating, I didn't fare too poorly. I managed 3 strikes in the second game, but didn't break 100.

A few things:
1. For a Friday night at 11pm, I was impressed to see how many 20-somethings were there. Granted, beer is served, but still.
2. The alley itself was pretty standard as far as they go, although I noticed that they have WiFi access and serve chai. Am I alone in thinking there is something wrong with that?
3. I finally had context and opportunity to relay all the little tidbits I've learned about the history of bowling in the USA.

Sunday morning I zipped along a snow-swept Route 20 to Syracuse, to join C in his neck of the woods for a delightful Mexican brunch. Sweet potato fries? Yes, please! I had an enormous breakfast burrito and a delicious, freshly-squeezed (albeit a little pricey) Mimosa while chatting about books. Delicious. I'm always taken, by the way, at the realization of just how rural the areas between Rochester and Syracuse can be. Having never been to the Midwest, I can only imagine that it's very much like western New York state with stronger accents and fewer hills.

In other news, it's cold. I am already snuggled up with my wine, and all I've left to decide is whom I shall invite to bed: P.G. Wodehouse or Daniel Day Lewis.

i don't believe in being brave

During the cold, dark, unyielding days of deepest winter, I find it's essential to surround myself with an arsenal of things that cheer me up. Particularly in Rochester (although perhaps not as much this year), where the winter finds one entrenched in the house due to impassable weather.

1. I know I've mentioned it before, but these Overlook Press editions of Wodehouse's Jeeves books make me sublimely happy. They are everything that a book should be--compact, hard covered, cloth bound, and adorned with a simple, charming illustration on the dust jacket. Just the sort of thing to lure the money from a bibliophile's wallet. I'm presently reading Ring For Jeeves, which is, of course, absolutely delightful but I do miss Bertie quite a bit, particularly in the narration. He's absent from this one, lending Jeeves to another household on secondment while he's away at a school that teaches gentlemen self-sufficiency in case a social revolution deprives them of their valets. Oh, I could burst for my love of Wodehouse. On deck are The Mating Season and Joy in the Morning.

2. I adore brunch, of course, but more than that any Sunday morning spent idle and eating. On the occasions that I don't feel motivated to leave the house for brunch (that is to say, winter), I'll remain in my pajamas and have coffee and breakfast in bed while watching an old episode of MST3K from Netflix. Tomorrow morning I plan to giggle my way out of my Sunday melancholy by watching Mike and the Bots endure Prince of Space. I also might have to break down and buy the second volume of the DVDs just for Pod People, since Netflix doesn't have it. Want a bite-sized giggle? Search for "MST3K" and "short" on YouTube and delight in some of my favorite gems from the series -- the classroom / propaganda ephemera shorts.

3. Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages is a classic wine, and for good reason; it's inexpensive and absolutely delicious. I have a few empty demi-bottles serving as vases and other miscellaneous decorative functions, as I find the simple ink-and-parchment aesthetic of the label delightful.

4. Hot drinks have such a pronounced soothing effect on me that I'm even known to drink them in the summer. In winter, though, I simply can not do without my chilly paws wrapped around a steaming mug of coffee (Starbucks' sugar-free Cinnamon Dolce Latte), tea (Lipton's Vanilla Caramel Truffle black tea), or cider (Alpine sugar-free Spiced Cider).

5. I can't tell you how many quilts I own; I buy a new one at least once a year, if not more often. My newest one arrived this week--a yellow satiny plum-blossom print on sale at Urban Outfitters for a mere $25. With some new, firm pillows from Target I am slowly crafting my bed into a delicious and irresistible pile of warmth and comfort.

Speaking of, my head is about to explode with sinus pressure so I'm going to take a Sutafed, whip up some cider, and snuggle under my quilt with Ring For Jeeves. Maybe the next 3 months won't be so terrible...

every day is like sunday

I'm headed to brunch this morning. I am determined to wrest brunch from the prevailing image of post-church seniors at Denny's and restore its cosmopolitan sheen. Towards this effort, MB has suggested First Taste on Park Avenue. I had initially suggested Charlie's Frog Pond, but he relayed some rather unsavory gossip about the sanitation of their kitchen so that idea was eagerly nixed. Brunch on a Sunday, by the way, is delightful. It doesn't require waking up too early, but nevertheless you're out and about before noon, sipping coffee or mimosas while languidly gossiping with friends. Or, if flying solo, reading the Sunday paper at a corner table and people-watching. Delicious! Following, the starchy lethargy can be walked off with some window shopping or house-envying (my favorite East End past time).