Alright, team. I'm back again again again, this time maybe with a little more devotion.
The other day I started to write an entry, inspired by Marisa's tales of driving across the country and Susan's Halloween photos, but when I finished, I thought "ugh, how trite- who wants to read this?!" and closed the internet box. Now, however, there has been a request for updates, and I guess I can do this.
At the beginning of October I bought a new notebook with the goal of writing for 30 minutes every morning after I woke up. Part of it was a ploy to keep me from going back to sleep after Erik leaves for work, but mostly it was to try and get my creative brain activity back up to a useful level. So far I have not done this once. I wrote for a half an hour the afternoon I bought it, and fifteen minutes a month later. Is xanga the key to breaking this block/ lazy habit? I'm on the computer in the morning anyhow...
So, morning in Montreal. The birds are chirping, the cars going one way down our street are making that driving-through-the-rain hiss as the water the tires kick up falls back on the pavement, and the upstairs neighbor sounds sort of like he is skipping from place to place as he gets ready for the day. The grocery store on the corner is still closed, so the loud delivery trucks haven't started to rumble and beep me to death yet.
We're out of coffee, so I have a cup of tea next to me, but I haven't had any yet. It's a little too hot and a little to awkward to reach. There. It's not bad considering I bought it at the dollar store because I liked the cheesy but otherwise unmemorable design on its little wooden box.
This evening I have the second of two Big Presentations in two weeks and am not done yet. The first one went alright, I suppose. I won't have a grade on it until the end of the term, but I had been working on it somewhat consistently for a good while in advance, practiced it to myself a bit, and had plenty of material to work with. Tonight, however, I'm presenting my research on the fine topic: The US Declaration of Independence in Pre-Revolution France : Revolutionary translation or diplomatic document? I think I am going to bore the class to death! To DEATH! As of this moment, I have 75 slides, most of which show two sentences, one in English, one in French, and then have a few words of each highlighted. Then the next slide will have the same sentences with some different words in each highlighted. The greatest number of slides any sentence has is thirteen. Who wants to see this!? I do not know. I have a little bit talking about the translator (I don't have a lot of information about him, you see!) and then a little at the end (well, I *will* have this part. It's still just a title slide, no meat to it) to recap, discuss the trends in the translation and what that means, decide whether it was "revolutionary" or "diplomatic" in its approach to the text. I think I'm leaning towards "subtly revolutionary" if that is possible. I have about 4 hours left to work on it, practice it, whatever. I can do that. And eat and take a shower and everything, too. Why not!? I'm out of bed, already this is an accomplishment. The rest will come together.
I wish I had some recent adventures to report, but I've got nothing! My "fun" thing is cooking food, lots of "soups" which basically means crockpots full of savory mush. Monday was a curry-lentil soup. Friday (or was it Saturday?) I made split pea and ham. Thursday (I think. May have been Friday.) it was tacos, FINally.
If there's one recurring theme in my travelling life it is an intense desire to eat Taco Bell all the time when I can't have it. It's back. I missed it in France, I missed it in Quebec City, I'm missing it in Montreal. So Erik and I bought some tortillas and some seasoning and some vegetables and went to the meat case to get some ground beef. That was when he made a discovery. Lean ground horse meat. And for half the price of beef. After exchanging excited but tentative looks, we went for it. These were the most delicious (and, actually, closest to Taco Bell tasting) tacos ever. It might have been because of the cheese we used, or the tortillas we used... or maybe there is something to that rumor that it's all just Grade D horse meat. I didn't taste any of the meat before I seasoned it, so I couldn't tell you what it tasted like on its own. I can tell you, however, that if they still have it at the store tomorrow, I might use it for a meatloaf. Tonight is class, so not a big cooking night. Some soup or toast or something when I get home, and if I've had enough time before class, maybe a falafel or slice of pizza.
Now it's breakfast time. Toast, either with too-much margarine or peanut butter. Or maybe I'll just skip ahead and have some pasta. It's basically all the same stuff, right?
I too want to hear about Kyle's adventures as a gainfully employed and in-love college graduate!!
Who else hasn't written for a while. C'mon back! Nina? Ashley?
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