10 things at once..

2012-02-05T15:09:00.000-08:00

for old times' sake and present-day affirmations.

2012-01-26T18:40:00.001-08:00

2012-01-21T17:18:00.001-08:00

2012-01-21T16:47:00.000-08:00

2012-01-17T22:24:00.001-08:00

crushing super hard here.

2012-01-11T09:39:00.001-08:00

these last few days have reminded me just why i do bother at all...

2012-01-08T15:11:00.001-08:00

quit chasing demons.

2012-01-07T09:43:00.001-08:00

2011-12-26T18:19:00.000-08:00

lately;

2011-12-24T20:18:00.000-08:00

2011-12-24T15:21:00.000-08:00

perfect.
(especially from 2:13 on..)

2011-12-22T15:01:00.000-08:00

too good.
(so much so that i blast it when everyone else at work leaves for the day..)

2011-12-21T22:12:00.001-08:00

i might not be christmas' #1 fan, but i have to admit that the combination of super cute christmas parties thrown by friends, mastering a mulled wine recipe and the promise of mountain time this weekend is more than enough to get me in the spirit.

-

2011-12-16T22:04:00.001-08:00

fuck...everytime!

2011-12-12T13:52:00.000-08:00

i just spent a boring hour and half at work reading through this entire blog and i've come to the realization that the three things that i talk the most about are wine, rooftops and mountains.
sounds about right.

2011-12-11T14:18:00.001-08:00

maybe its the few too many drinks i had last night or the insane work overload, but im finding myself missing Uganda big, bigtime today.

2011-12-11T10:22:00.001-08:00

2011-12-05T15:59:00.000-08:00

take the night off, watch a whole bunch of tiny desk concerts and daydream about your career as a country singer.
go!

(EDIT: and then in reality, spend the night keeping somebody company in the emergency room 'til the early hours of the morning.)

2011-12-05T14:28:00.000-08:00

2011-12-05T09:20:00.001-08:00

so not typical of what i've been listening to lately, but somehow all i want to hear right now.

2011-12-02T16:15:00.001-08:00

even though i just stumbled across this song, it makes me incredibly nostalgic (see previous post; fail) for so, so many things.

2011-12-02T06:22:00.001-08:00

to-do list for the day:
-work on not overthinking everything.
-learn to take your own advice.
-quit being so nostalgic.
-man up and talk to the barristas in your best Italian
(maybe then they won't burn your espresso..)

and all this before i finish work at 4pm.

2011-11-28T17:41:00.001-08:00

silliness part 1

silliness part 2

2011-11-28T05:40:00.000-08:00

swoon..

2011-11-27T08:42:00.000-08:00

two of my favorite things, schiele and julianne moore.

(fits in super nicely with my obsession with boooooooom's Remake series)

--

also, running away from life for the next two weeks.

2011-11-25T10:15:00.000-08:00

2011-11-22T19:49:00.000-08:00

universe, you sure are bizarre.

but this is just pure amazingness.

2011-11-20T21:36:00.001-08:00

craving me some country time and mourning the loss of bike season.

2011-11-09T16:32:00.000-08:00

Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica

2011-11-07T19:01:00.001-08:00

2011-11-05T21:51:00.000-07:00

(yeeeap)

2011-11-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

this song actually makes me wish i hadn't given up the flute in highschool to learn latin (great move that was).

2011-10-31T14:06:00.001-07:00

fini..

2011-10-29T18:40:00.000-07:00

confession time..spent a good hour or two today with this song on repeat walking along country roads, enjoying the last bits of fall.

(then spent the rest of the day butchering baking recipes, chasing the new puppy and watching horror movies with the brother.)

2011-10-28T09:48:00.000-07:00

today is a beautiful, beautiful day.
the sun is shining, ate breakfast outside, my bike is fixed, i came across some amazing finds at a book swap (and a new pair of mittens), don't have to go to physio today, found my new (yet again) favorite espresso in town and its still early in the day!

and i don't think its possible to not be put in the best of moods after watching this guy!

2011-10-25T16:40:00.000-07:00

snap out of it, snap out of it.

(especially because there is so much to be excited about in the coming weeks! like visits from new zealand, philly and new york coming up and the coolest new job ever. yep.)

2011-10-24T08:23:00.000-07:00

a) fuck off, surgery.

(this wolf ain't worth the fight)

2011-10-21T11:32:00.000-07:00

dancing this essay done.

2011-10-20T17:33:00.001-07:00

2011-10-18T18:45:00.000-07:00

to write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write..

2011-10-16T17:39:00.001-07:00

2011-10-15T14:57:00.000-07:00

spending my saturday night at work apparently means getting to sit in the office and read some Kazuo Ishiguro while listening to this great pianist play avishai cohen (live) in the other room.

-not too shabby.

2011-10-13T07:43:00.001-07:00

so much writing. so much biking. so many deep, deep breaths.

but still not nearly enough..

2011-10-10T22:26:00.000-07:00

the letter was written - typewritten..

2011-10-09T09:57:00.000-07:00

new puppy

mountain time

sunday morning sibling dance party

2011-10-03T09:14:00.000-07:00

"I do not know which to prefer,
The beauty of inflections
Or the beauty of innuendoes,
The blackbird whistling
Or just after."

---

bizarre morning bike to school (in the rain) random playlist..
(not sure if last.fm just knows me too well or if it's playing serious games on me..)

2011-10-01T21:27:00.001-07:00

2011-09-27T21:28:00.000-07:00

the last few weeks have been leading up to a big decision that needed to be made.

made. done. next..

spent the weekend in the country

and when i got back, took a bike ride to take in my favourite view of the city.

old fav.

2011-09-23T10:28:00.000-07:00

It' like paradise, spread out with a butter knife..

2011-09-18T07:42:00.000-07:00

at first being back was this really lovely experience of reconnecting and excitement. then things took a turn - not for the worse by any means - but for the real. it wasn't just about grabbing breakfasts and lattes to catch up, but about dealing with the things that were easy to store away in your inbox when you're gone.

and in all, this past week has been more humbling than anything.

humbling because im coming to realize the sheer magnitude of some of the connections that i have here in montreal (and even elsewhere). this past summer a friend asked me where i got my strength from and it's becoming quite clear that so much of it comes from some of these people that i have in my life, whose friendships have taken a lot of work over the years, but have so solidly helped me find my balance in all this silliness.

anyways, im not quite sure what song best fits this rather un-characteristicly bloggy-blog post, so im going to give you the four songs that itunes says are my most listened to this week.

(actually, its a top-5 list, but im not quite sure if im willing to admit the last song...so im replacing it with this..)

2011-09-14T23:37:00.000-07:00

learning lessons tonight, one pbr at a time..

2011-09-13T15:37:00.000-07:00

this is it. this is exactly it.

2011-09-11T09:46:00.000-07:00

being home has been a combination of weird and wonderful. actually, mostly wonderful. even when im not sure which way is up, i have a smile on my face.

there are some amazing people in this city, new and old.

on this beautiful fall sunday morning, the heart and soul are happy.

2011-09-09T17:38:00.000-07:00

2011-09-02T17:32:00.000-07:00

sit by the lake, re-read some arundhati roy, and listen to the new timber timbre on repeat.
(take that, jet-lag)

2011-08-30T03:23:00.000-07:00

eating a blueberry-bran muffin, drinking a double americano and using free wi-fi at the bangalore airport and i already don't feel like im in India anymore.
definitely quite sad to leave, but getting really excited to see my main monkeys, get back to my mountain, cuddle with mr.Reinhardt and enjoy 3am last-calls once again (11:30, if you're lucky, in India).

on another note, you'd think 3 months in India would cure this wanderlusting...but im already finding myself using the better part of my 45 minutes of free internet on cheapflights.ca.

was introduced to this song a few weeks back, and its been stuck in my head ever since..

2011-08-16T02:19:00.000-07:00

not quite sure how my time in India is almost over. 2.5 months down, 2 weeks to go.
leaving mysore, and all the lovely people, last week wasn't fun, but im excited about these next two weeks. after a couple days of annoying busy bangalore-induced travelling, im good and settled in Auroville, right outside of Pondicherry, at this farm. it's quite beautiful out here, which helps deal with high number of contradictions that exist in this alternative community/hippy commune. but the mangos are still in season here in Tamil Nadu and the farm cats keep coming for cuddles, so i really can't complain.
next week, im heading back to hampi to enjoy the high tide of the river and those mountains once again, before its time to head back 'home'.

2011-07-11T23:33:00.000-07:00

being away always makes me realize how appreciative i am and should be of some of the people in my life.

---

oh, and, india is still lovely! absolutely lovely.

2011-06-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

it's been almost two weeks now that I am in India, and am definitely happy that the end is nowhere near.

spent a week with Nikki up in Northern Karnataka, mostly in this phenomenal town called Hampi. great friend catch up time (it had been 3 whole really long years) and fun adventures.

now im settled down in Mysore and learning a lot, meeting great people and having delicious indian food morning, noon and night.

2011-06-01T14:25:00.000-07:00

next week, in the span of 24 hours i will be in north america (montreal), europe (barcelona), the middle east (doha, qatar) and asia (india).

air travel is a wonderful, yet highly unsettling thing.

also,

2011-05-23T18:08:00.000-07:00

leaving so soon! and so much left to do.

spent the weekend in the country, getting some good last quality time with my puppy.

(can't believe its been 17 years, mr.biscuit)

2011-05-16T19:36:00.001-07:00

realizing that you hadn't even realized is a weird feeling.

coming to this realization by listening to beach house is even more bizarre.

---

(enough said)

---

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free

'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gain'd,

To bow and bend we shan't be asham'd,

To turn, turn will be our delight,

Till by turning, turning we come 'round right

2011-05-13T20:36:00.000-07:00

a friday night spent with your favourite roommate watching the wire is, by far, the best way to end a long week of work and India stress. top that off with a few pieces of amazing news today and a bit of haagen-dazs for dessert and, really, how can one complain.

---

and now for something a little different than what i usually post.

(added bonus, I get to practice my Hebrew when listening to him)

(his musical rendition of Bialik's El Hatzipor is my itunes #1 most listened to songs)

----

with school being over and done with (for now), i've been able to get to that pile of books i've been collecting over the past 8 months. starting off with some Steinbeck and then to kazuo ishiguro's short fiction.

2011-05-01T20:27:00.000-07:00

old favorite...

new like/love...

2011-04-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

2011-04-21T22:45:00.001-07:00

it's still a secret.

---

2011-04-11T16:34:00.000-07:00

you think its all gone. that silly and irrational thing that kept you all wound up for almost two years had finally passed. you'd moved on and stored it as a memory that made you smile, instead of choking you up. then you take a wrong step (or click the wrong button), and it all comes back. like a ton of bricks. and you're right back where you started.

(forgive me, i'm just silly.)

2011-04-10T22:41:00.000-07:00

i have two absolute gems for you!

are you ready?

2011-04-09T14:21:00.000-07:00

2011-04-08T07:03:00.000-07:00

friday morning after a department party soundtrack.

2011-04-05T18:23:00.001-07:00

And now my fur has turned to skin
And I've been quickly ushered in
To a world that, I confess, I do not know
But I still dream of running careless through the snow
Through the howling winds that blow
Across the ancient distant flow
To fill our bodies up like water till we know

2011-04-05T18:15:00.001-07:00

tomorrow will be the last time and i don't think i want this to end..not yet.

2011-04-04T15:17:00.000-07:00

write 10 pages a day, stop sleeping in, quit watching Shameless until all hours of the night, get it in your head that granola bars and trail mix are not proper substitutes for lunch, or dinner, remember that just because there is no snow on the ground it's not necessarily the season for spring shoes, stop neurotically following the election polls - they will drive you crazy, and you are just using it as another way to procrastinate, and finally, browsing craigslist for dogs up for adoption is just shy of torture (and it makes you sad).

2011-03-29T18:16:00.000-07:00

60% of my pageviewers use macs, while 38% use PCs and 2% use linux.

I've had 19 independent viewers from Japan, 17 from Singapore and 15 from Libya.

(and 2 from Latvia..)

My most popular month was last July (2010) where i received 384 visits.

(bizarre since i have maybe 2 posts that month...)

why do i need to know any of this blogspot?

on another note, i really don't understand why people make youtube clips like this to songs. but either way, this song, and its intro are beautiful.

2011-03-18T22:18:00.001-07:00

so, its official..spending the summer in India. going to get to see Nikki too - i leave early june, but i have so much to do in the mean time - from that hundred pages (or so) that i have left to write to a last quick trip down to new york to say some goodbyes.

according to my itunes, these are the top 4 songs i've listened to this month. you can tell that im in serious writing mode. and also that i need to lay off the Skins soundtracks.

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(just kidding, i'd never give up those soundtracks)

on a side note, this has been the week for coming across bizarre article titles. today's winner - "Liberation and Lentils".

and lastly, this saint patrick's day will go down for being one of the most bizarre days in a while. angry meditators, men getting into fights on the bus, stories of kids with grenades on public transit, choosing bourbon over wine and some of the weirdest news i've gotten all year.

2011-03-11T08:19:00.000-08:00

started working by doing some research on the Abuyudaya Jews of Uganda and somehow ended up at this...

(im loving it! despite the frustration of not being able to drink coffee or eat bagels anymore...)

and on another note..i find out this afternoon about something potentially very exciting..keep you posted.

2011-03-05T20:04:00.000-08:00

(alo)

2011-02-27T21:00:00.001-08:00

1.my week in new york was amazing. it was great to be out of this city, visit with Margaux (and Jaclyn's surprise visit), not wear winter boots and enjoy a bit too much wine. i'm going to live there someday! (no but seriously, fall 2012)

yesterday was my other half's birthday. the best best friend a girl could ask for. happy birthday maura je t'aime fort fort.

(chinese wedding lobster dim sum karaoke light festival roasted marshmallows)

2011-02-16T20:42:00.000-08:00

opinions needed -- Uganda or Israel?

2011-02-12T09:10:00.000-08:00

2011-02-06T14:29:00.000-08:00

i've spent the entire weekend sick and in bed.

i might not of gotten any work done, but got to enjoy this playlist.

2011-02-02T20:00:00.000-08:00

so i know im super late on the florence and the machine train...but my word!!

mongolian hot pot night.

snowpocalypse

(ok, slight exaggeration.)

and finally, claire and i are going to new york for reading week.
some mini-travels to tide ourselves over until the summer.
im getting antsy in this city.

2011-01-27T14:35:00.001-08:00

being really productive.
making big plans.
taking deep breaths.
smiling a lot.

2011-01-24T17:54:00.001-08:00

my word....

2011-01-22T20:50:00.000-08:00

perhaps the most perfect thing i've ever seen, for so many reasons.

2011-01-19T19:12:00.000-08:00

i can't can't can't wait for the new album to come out.

2011-01-15T18:00:00.001-08:00

try not to melt.

2010-12-28T20:32:00.000-08:00

(never ending snow)

(for people who really don't celebrate christmas, my mom went a little bit all out on this tree business this year. silly, but smells great!)

(biscuit is getting really old. he's 16 and a half now. getting to spend a week uninterrupted with him is beyond words amazing. here's hoping he'll be around next year)

i don't remember the last time i did this little for this long. until today, the snowstorm was so intense that i could barely get outside to walk the dog, let alone actually spend time outside. too many movies, an entire season of In Treatment (got my mom completely addicted), heated scrabble games with my brother, cookie baking, some reading and a lot of "holiday" wine later and im pretty well completely relaxed.
tomorrow i might even leave s.stukely and visit people.
but no promises.

---

really can't get enough of Laura Marling.

2010-12-22T19:05:00.000-08:00

yeeeeeees, please!

2010-12-22T17:44:00.000-08:00

so, semester #1 est fini, all my christmas shopping is done (and wrapped), i've gotten my winter break reading material together, attended 5+ holiday parties and had breakfast and coffee-date catchups with many lovelies.
now its time for me to get to my forest and read, enjoy home-made cooking and spend time on my mountain.

happy holidays!

2010-12-12T17:51:00.000-08:00

big time forest and mountain countdown going on over here.
it couldn't come any sooner.

and i'm on a really big sam cooke kick lately

2010-12-09T09:14:00.001-08:00

school is serious business.

and im one of those weird ones who absolutely love winter.
best present ever!

2010-12-02T21:40:00.000-08:00

maura was featured on this really neat blog that shows photos of people's workspaces.
i am constantly revamping my own space, but im pretty pleased with my set up as of late.

and those blurry smudges in the corner of these photos might be what i finally needed to convince myself to actually get a camera and stop using my phone.

and yes, that is a teddybear, given to me at birth by the same man for whom i bought the i love my grandpa mug that is sitting right next to it.

(and i have to stop starting my sentences with and.)

2010-11-26T21:41:00.000-08:00

2010-11-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

i have become completely infatuated with this guy's work.

especially this series (Mosh Pits)

2010-11-20T22:39:00.001-08:00

i love this city. i really do.
but this time of year, all i can think about is this place...

not to mention spending time with this little guy...

2010-11-19T13:03:00.000-08:00

so my ipod has decided to stop working properly and erased all my music, and won't let me add anything.
everything is gone...except for Piers Faccini's entire discography.
so despite being pretty frustrated, i've oddly had no complaints yet about only being able to listen to Piers.

exquisite.

2010-10-23T09:28:00.001-07:00

leave your worries at the door, open a bottle of wine and be silly. best remedy. ever.

2010-10-19T23:13:00.000-07:00

2010-10-18T09:02:00.000-07:00

life is pretty damn good these days.
under the radar on all fronts and very productive.

fall tends to do this to me.
no complaints.

i have some photos and music to share from the past month or so, but that will have to wait until all these proposals and funding applications are over with.
but in the mean time, i give you this.

the barr brothers are in my opinion an extremely underrated band here in montreal.
one of the brothers took part in Sacred Sunday a few weeks back and it was such a delight.
please excuse the video montage that goes along with this song.
(turn it up. it blows me away each and every time i listen to it...which is several times a day at this point..)