9 posts tagged “spring”
They've Come
Today my mother and sisters
came to see me.
I'd been alone a long time
with my verses, my pride...almost nothing.
My sister, the oldest one, has grown up,
she's a blond; her first dreams are passing
before her eyes. I said to the youngest one:
"Life is sweet. It all ends badly."
My mother smiled as people
who know souls well usually smile;
She put both her hands on my shoulders,
looked hard and long at me
and I suddenly began to sob.
We ate together in the warmest room
in the house.
A springtime sky...
All the windows were open so we could see it.
And while we calmly talked
of so many old, forgotten things,
my sister, the youngest, interrupted:
"The swallows are passing..."
--Alfonsina Storni (translated by Marion Freeman)
In Japan. Two friends (Quebecois) are visiting there now. And my sister just told me that she and her husband are off to Japan for a year or so this summer.
*So crazy busy the last two weeks and it's going to stay busy for at least the next month or so. Just have too many projects and not enough time in the day. Tried to drop one but the editor asked me very nicely not to drop it (the editor I'm always complaining about); I'll give that one another round and see if it gets less tedious to see if I continue with it. Good to be in a position of calling the shots! Wonder how long that will last...
i only checked my email twice yesterday! it was SO nice having a day off-- here is how it goes: masa needs a new pair of shoes, so we went down to the underground city and looked at several shops (he is SO picky about clothes). he tried on about 6 pairs and didn't want any (he also tried on three pairs of shorts and about four shirts). he ended up buying nothing. i, on the other hand, bought a pair of shoes and two new shirts. aaugh!
feist's new album is GREAT. man, every song is a home run. her last album was excellent, too, but this one just "feels" so strong, like she is at the top of her game. you know it's amazing to me how CD companies are complaining that no one buys CDs anymore. so i was looking at feist's album on CD the other day in a shop--$18.99 (plus 15% tax in this bloody country)!! or, let me see, i could buy it at iTunes for $9.90. mmmm, since i only listen to music on my computer or iPod, why would i spend more than twice as much for the same music? idiots.
ok, so looking like buenos aires is where it's at. thinking we'll go there in september and stay two months, come back here, though, and keep our place, etc. we should keep our feet planted in canada, at least for the time being. rome is amazing, but too expensive (don't wanna pay $3000 a month for a tiny place); istanbul feels not quite right this time around; argentina isn't too pricey and what an amazing city. so, leaning towards that. price is right and though money is good lately, i have to save a chunk of it so i'd rather watch it more closely. nothing definite yet, but seriously thinking about buying the tickets because air canada is running a special.
and, despite the expense of the above, starting to get serious about saving for a downpayment on a place. i have some saved, but thinking of actually working towards a goal. after talking with crystal the other night and hearing about how expensive places to buy in boston are, feeling that we should take advantage of the fact that montreal is fairly reasonable still. buying a place doesn't mean we have to stay here, but a "base" sure would be nice since i'm out flim-flamming around the world so often! a place to hang my hat would do me nicely...
what a beautiful day today! if it were a touch warmer, we'd spend all afternoon in the park, but not quite there yet.
and keep getting these emails full of sakura from my peeps in tokyo. they must be long gone by now (they only bloom for like 10 days tops), but the photos sure are beeeaauteeful.
but things moving on the horizon.
1) my crazy hectic deadline was extended so things are not so rushed. that means i actually have a day OFF tomorrow, something i've not had the pleasure of in months and months.
2) trip to quebec city planned and booked. yay! so looking forward to getting out of town for a few days, even if it is only 3 hours away!
3) plants and flowers are everywhere in this place: in the hallway, on the balcony, in the kitchen, in all the windows. some are just sprouting but it's still too cold to take them outside. another two weeks, i'd say...
4) seriously thinking of moving. hehehe. not until the fall, if we do, but just getting the old itchy feet as i do. a few places under consideration but i just don't feel that there is anything keeping us here and i want to get out and see the world while i'm still (relatively) young and healthy. i can do my jobs from anywhere, so why not!? i just figure when i'm 80, i won't regret having moved around and lived all over the world, but i will regret just settling down and giving up the traveling life for no real reason. anyway, i feel like we're in a good position: little debt, some money saved, and regular solid income for the foreseeable future...what's keeping us here? expect more about this topic in the coming days/weeks!
spring! yay! yesterday, the entire day, all doors were thrown open, window sashes stayed, curtains pulled back and plants all taken out for sunshine! odd that montreal frequently has only two seasons: winter and summer. it's spring officially but more like summer out there!
the house feels back to normal now that masa is back. it's cleaner. the cats are happier. marie has someone to go to for advice about outfits (she always asks me but never takes my advice grrrr). dave and masa had to deal with a clogged drain yesterday while i worked and marie did whatever marie does. felt good to have things back to normal (despite the poor guys having to deal with plumbing problems that did work out in the end).
i'm actually starting to feel a bit stressed about all the projects i've taken up. one dealine today (almost done), then another project starts first thing in the a.m. and a very tight deadline for that. plus two book reviews due in two weeks (haven't read either book) and end of the term for online gig, too. will i get it all done? oy. and some emails about some classes and another project to do, but i had to pass on them both. i hate turning down work but money is not a problem and TIME is, so i have to prioritize.
still wishing we could have gone to shanghai for the summer. not regretting it at all and it's fine here--especially now that winter is over. but man i'd love to be there, going out, seeing my friends, etc. how can i shake this "itchy feet complex" i've always had? in an ideal world, i'd spend 6 months in one city (montreal), 3 months in a totally different city (shanghai or hong kong) and 3 months traveling. ideal world, i said. it's actually possible now, to be honest, but first i want to have a bigger "cushion" saved up in case all these high rollin' times dry up!
masa is suffering badly from allergies. he had no problems all winter here, but when he was in tokyo they started up again and now he's in bad shape. claritin doesn't work, so we're gonna have to head out and find some all natural alternative because this can't go on, he's miserable.
is not spring-ing
taken just a few minutes ago from the kitchen porch and the front window.
it's APRIL if the calendar is to be believed.
when is this gonna cease and desist? i wanna go back to thailand...
blogging bores me lately. not sure why....have lots of things running through my head. i guess i'm just busy busy the last several weeks and when i'm not working i don't want to be anywhere near this computer.
today was so nice!
i got up early and spent two hours at the gym this morning, came home and worked until 3, took a one hour nap (i've not been sleeping well, the change in weather, i guess), spent all afternoon at press cafe on parc working on hong kong stuff, then wandered in that early dusk light, milton street bustling with activity, the few blocks to japanese class. odd conversation walking home afterwards with guillaume, french student in my class--a mixture of japanese, french, and english, though we talked mainly about china because he wants to go...when i got home, masa had cooked an indian curry dish--yum.
great day on the whole. feeling good and though winter's not over yet, it FEELS like it's in its final death throes...we're talking about flowers for the deck already (there is literally 3 feet of snow on it now!) and when we will be able to take the storm windows down...
i always get restless and cabin fever this time of year: i get sick of being at home, of staring at the same walls, and i want to be out as much as possible. not quite warm enough for it yet, but it's working on something out there...when i see someone on TV laying on a lawn, or strolling through a summer park, my aesthetic sensibility turns on high gear and i feel desperate for grass and sunshine and warmth. can't wait to read in park lafontaine this summer!
