70 posts tagged “montreal”
Mon oncle Antoine. Hailed by many as the best Canadian film ever made, this movie blew me away. It's about nothing interesting, really, but the imagery of small town Quebec life, the English vs French struggle, lost innocence, and the lies we all hide: this movie will stay with me a long time. Criterion Collection released an anniversary edition of it (the movie was released in 1971) and I'm seriously thinking of adding this one to my permanent collection. The star, a young 14 year old boy who only made one movie as far as I can tell, is so riveting as the boy trapped in a cold, isolating world of the past. The director, Claude Jutra, is also something of a phenomenon in Quebec culture, a wunderkind artist who made only a few movies, then got caught up in the language wars when he agreed to spend time in Ontario and BC making English-language films (after struggling to find work in Quebec for many years). He committed suicide in 1986 after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's in his mid-50s. He lived his last years in an apartment just facing Square St-Louis, a small city square that I know very well and I always think about him, his movies, and his struggle whenever I walk through there...
Then I watched Denys Arcand's 1989 movie Jesus of Montreal. Movies from the 80s often feel very dated, very silly, in fact. The music, the style, the issues all seem so far removed from life today. But this film feels so relevant and interesting. In typical Arcand style, it deals with issues involving the Catholic church, religion in Quebec society today, sex and hypocrisy, but it's told with such beautiful cinematography. I love how Montreal appears in this movie and just about every single external shot I recognize in the city. I love the complexity of his portrayal of the faceless Catholic bureaucracy and the fact that he parallels the band of actors and their leader with Jesus and his disciples. Though the movie is very 80s, it's universally interesting and complex.
Life is so quiet lately. In a good way, I guess. No plans yet for any trips. Christmas is usually very quiet because nearly everyone we know leaves for at least 2 weeks. I have some spare time this year for a change and we may take a road trip or two. Short ones. And soon the snow will start...
Quiet days. Mildly depressed as I always seem to be every November what with a long cold winter ahead of us.
It doesn't help that nearly everyone we know is traveling or making plans to: I&C are headed to France for two weeks, M just got back from Peru, C is in Berlin (we have Mac for two weeks), JP is in Japan, and R just got back from Hawaii. Even C&J are off to Italy in the spring.
And we're stuck here for the time being, facing a cold & bleak Quebec winter. Sigh.
I shouldn't complain. We've made a lot of sacrifices the last few years and it's been well worth it. And the end is in sight: just one more winter and we will just about have it set up so that we can leave every winter from now on. Or nearly every winter.
I think this is partly just job boredom. It comes in waves and because I've been doing a new part of a project, learning a new software system, I could distract myself for the past few months. But I guess I'm over that. Anyway, it's fine, another new project starting next month so that'll get me through a chunk of winter. Hopefully.
Thank God for friends. Last night M was working, so I went over to I&C's and we hung out in their kitchen chatting until late, then ordered Indian take out and watched "Good Night and Good Luck." Then, since I had missed the last train, I decided to forgo the taxi ride and I walked home from Point-St-Charles -- it took over an hour. But it was nice, walking over the canal in the moonlight, through downtown and past the throngs of drunk McGill and Concordia students, up St-Denis and through the Plateau. What a great way to spend a Friday night.
OK to work now. I've got a full day in front of this computer to get through, then a big dinner tonight around the corner that I am not really looking forward to.
Google maps finally available for Montreal and here's our place. Strange, though, in that the pics were all taken in probably early April so the trees are all naked and it looks so different than it does now with leaves and shrubbery and flowers everywhere.
Futzing around here this morning, looking at some friends' places, I saw our friend I&C's house and he is coming out of his front door, taking out the recycling.
I wonder how often they update these "tours," actually. This version was done was before we bought our place so the "for sale" sign is still attached. You can tour around our neighborhood...
So I was trolling around online and discovered this old photo of our street from 1948. It looked so familiar: I looked out the window. It's the view from my front balcony...cool!
The trees are much bigger, but it's definitely the same place...the pic taken this afternoon shows the street all ripped up: still continuing with the construction....since 1948, they've widened the street and it's no longer a two way (it's been one way southbound since the early 80s).
So amazing that so little has changed, really. And in 60 years, I think about all the people who have lived in these places, all the experiences which happened inside....
Pretty interesting.
Actually made it out this weekend and did something which didn't involve work or renovations.
Though I did work and do renovations today. Most of the day.
Dining room nearly done. Just painting left. We started on the kitchen floors--under all those layers of crappy 50s linoleum there are beautiful wood floors in great shape. Scraping the old backing off is a delicate operation, though. And potentially dangerous (asbestos).
Monday we are headed out to Ikea to buy a countertop and a few other odds and ends. But nothing major. This place is not going to be an Ikea place--time to get real stuff! But countertops--so easy there and lots of choices. And easier to install.
Tomorrow we are getting up early, working on the floors until noon, then going to watch the gay pride parade. Oy. Every year I swear it's the last time but it's all good fun and a nice funny way to spend the afternoon.
Tonight we sauntered in this heat and humidity down the Plateau to Yuko's place to have dinner and watch fireworks from the balcony. Good food, long-winded stories about strange customers, making music videos, traveling to Argentina & Japan, painting bathrooms, oh and apartmenttherapy.com, my new favorite website (two friends there have just moved to a new place and told us to check it out for some ideas).
After fireworks were over and all the wine drunk, we slowly made our way back up the Plateau--revelers out, drunk college students (McGill is back in session next week or the week after), every sidewalk terrace full (though it was midnight), window shopping at all the funky little furniture stores.
The lake in the park was incredibly still--even the ducks looked lazy and loungey. No breeze is blowing, just still, stifling summer heat. Loving it, actually, since only another 2-3 weeks left and fall will start.
Last night I was sitting alongside the same lake. I had wandered down to rent a video (Masa was working) and heard music wafting up past the lilac bushes and bougainvillea. At Theatre Verdure, a Quebec folk band was playing some old tunes like a good old hoe-down. I drank a beer and listened for an hour, frogs croaking along the lake in the background. I can't believe our new place is just two blocks away from all this! I love summer and trying hard to enjoy it with what little free time we have. In six months, I will aching for heat and outdoors and listening to folk music on a stage in the park....
Woke up this morning and took a long walk before my crazy hectic day of work and meetings...
Some pics:
What the hell?
It's been well under 20 degrees for days (68F). With the exception of yesterday, it's been raining non-stop since I got back (and for weeks before).
This is going down as one of the coolest summers on record so far in this area.
What gives? Not really griping: in Shanghai it was unbearably hot and humid. But with the winters we have around these parts (starting in late October usually), we need at least a WARM summer.
A meteorologist says that it's likely to remain cool for the rest of July and that in early August "cold trough" lingering in the skies above us should dissipate and it "could" warm up.
So, maybe three weeks of an actual summer, if we're lucky. Pffft.
The thing is, last summer was also cooler than normal (not this bad, though) and it rained a lot.
Maybe global warming means Quebec will have cooler summers in the future. Hopefully NOT. Oh, and some meteorologists are warning that this upcoming winter will be particularly cold and snowy.
They say this every year.
I love walking around the Plateau when the weather's nice, the trees are green, everyone is smiling.
The sidewalk cafes are loaded with people drinking beers and eating salads.
On the streets, bicyclists flit by and people saunter past in shorts and tank tops.
Fresh fruit spills out of the small markets onto the sidewalk: pineapples and mangos and oranges and avocados and cherries. So colorful!
Couples walk around eating ice cream cones making googly eyes at one another.
People planting flowers or weeding their gardens look up and smile at the passersby.
Squirrels and cats make dangerous mad dashes across the side streets.
You hear a cacophony of languages: French, English, Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin, Portuguese...
