Specs mission to Ottawa

Adam in our sketchy dorm room that we rented at the University of Ottawa.

A couple of weekends ago Adam and I went to Ottawa to check out the city. As many of you already know, I'm going to be attending grad school there in the fall, taking a MA in Communications (government and media focus). I thought I'd share some photos and a bit about our trip with you.

Our friend Leon enjoys a hotdog on campus. Look how much he's enjoying it! Look!

I think this sign is for me (in 2015)

We went to this great pub for supper and Sangria. We were up top at "The Pour House" at The Aude Dubliner. This is in the Byward Market area.

Mangos at the Byward Market. I seriously eat a mango every afternoon. I love 'em!

Fiddleheads and asaparagus are in season.

There were many people painting at the Tulip Festival.

Tulips! We were there at the end of the festival, so there weren't as many as a week or so earlier.

These girls were so cute. There were a lot of sod (grass) figures around the park.

This figure had FAKE TULIPS around it. We thought that was shameful at a festival devoted to the flower!

Local HogsBack microbrew. They decorated a tulip for the festivities.

This was in the International Tent. There was music, food, and knick-knacks to buy.

I dressed to match (and got a brutal sunburn in the process).

When Obama visited Canada he stopped at this bakery. They named a cookie after him and play the news clip of him eating the cookie in the store on a loop. Pretty sad if you ask me....in the nation's capital to boot!

Best photo ever! Adam at the Hard Rock Cafe with Michael Jackson's pants that he wore the first time he moon-danced!

Magpies and jazz make excellent bedfellows.

I was originally going to do this as a guest post on Adam's blog as it is entirely music based, but I figured my blog needs the update more than his does. Several years ago when I was hosting the Afternoon Buzz at CFCR 90.5 FM in Saskatoon, I did an animal-themed show where I played sets featuring various animals. One of the sets focused on magpies, and as a new song has come out with magpie in the title, I figured I would revive the theme on my blog.

The new song that I referred to is Radiohead's "Morning Mr. Magpie" off their new album The King of Limbs. I like listening to this song on my way to work because it perfectly suits the hustle bustle of traffic. The beat is faster than your heartbeat, and makes you step quickly, in pace with the rush-rush-rush of everyone on their way to work and the step-click-click of heels on the sidewalk. This morning it was fairly gloomy out, and there were seagulls circling the sky above McGill campus when I was walking through it. It seemed like the birds were swooping to the music.

The next magpie song is "Two Magpies" from Paul McCartney's side project band, The Firemen. It has a jazzy feel that I love, fairly consistent with McCartney's latest releases. His voice is smoky and strained in this song, it has just the right amount of "jazz cymbal" (hah!), and the lyrics are simple and accessible. I could almost see this song being on the White Album.

The last song I want to share is "Magpie to the Morning" by Neko Case off her 2009 release, Middle Cyclone. It's another jazzy song that makes you stop and appreciate your surroundings, and a must-have on your iPod if you haven't downloaded it already (get the whole album). Case's voice is so strong and earnest it makes you reflect on life, the universe and everything. It's perfect for a spring day or an autumn afternoon.

Update on work, trip, and happy hour.

My office. I forgot to take pictures of our communal work area.

Always smells delicious in my office.

Now that I have settled into my job I hope to update more often. It's been awhile, and much has happened. I'm now working at McGill in the department of Human Genetics and I really like my job. I definitely miss writing, but now that I'm settled I hope to pursue freelancing more aggressively. Anyways, I thought I'd show you a picture of my office and of course, the famous espresso machine that I am always bragging about.



It was really busy at work for December-January, so now that it has quieted down a bit I have a bit more time to think about what I'd like to start doing next. Freelancing is definitely on the agenda, and I'm on a waiting list to start French classes at McGill. My french has already improved a lot since moving here, but I look forward to developing my business french.


Adam and I were able to go visit our friends Sara and Marge a couple of weekends ago in Kingston, ON. They moved out East from Saskatoon the same time as we did. It was a nice little city, and it was great to see our buddies again. It was a small taste of "home".

Playing Bonkers with Sarge.

Marge making cosmos at the bar. Riders beer cozy, U of S tshirt. So much SK in one photo.

Sarge at the bar- still representin' SK with their Great West beer basin.

Matt and Chantal - from Saskatoon, but we met them here.

Nicolette and JF - Nicolette is from Calgary, and JF is a real Montrealer! ha

Margot, Adam and JF

We also hosted our first official Cinq à Sept - the French Happy Hour. We invited people to stop by after work for a drink and some apps. Most of our friends so far are from Saskatoon, but we're slowly meeting more and more people.

#nochips2011

 Well, Christmas has passed, and I start work again tomorrow. We had a nice dinner with our friend Theresa, and ended up purchasing a large turkey from Jean Talon market instead of a goose. The geese were so expensive, at least $100 each, and for three people that just wasn't practical.

Anyways, I figured that for this post I would show your our Christmas instead of blab on about it.

Christmas at our place

We made perogies with our friend Theresa

Adam in front of our Christmas eve feast - muscles cooked in wine, seafood dip, cheeses, and spanikopeta (sp?)

Adam on Christmas morning. We had cinnamon buns, cheese and fruit

We had champagne mimosas on Christmas morn.

Our turkey, Nestor, turned out really well. I stuffed it myself!

The three cooks.

In Quebec it is Christmas Eve tradition to have a yule log. Ours was from Première Moisson, a great bakery chain in town. Double chocolate.

Adam looking handsome on New Year's Eve

NYE- I never noticed this before, but Adam and I really match here don't we? Wearing my E-label shirt dress I bought in Iceland, and my mukluks from SK.

Adam drinking water at the end of the night on New Year's. (Good idea)

Happy New Year! Have a great 2011!

Well, that's it for now. Adam and I gave up chips for 2011. NO CHIPS. For a WHOLE YEAR. Did any of my readers make a resolution or a goal for the new year?

And the Fire is Sooo Delightful

So as you have probably gathered from my lack of depressing blog posts, I got the job! (see last post).

I'm now working at McGill University in one of the College of Medicine Departments working as an assistant. It's not the communications or writing job I had been trying to get, but I am really enjoying it a lot so far. The people I work with are really nice and fun, and I'm learning a lot of skills. Plus, now that I'm Internal, I can apply for other positions as they come along. I plan to stay here for awhile, but this job will definitely open up some doors for future positions.

I forgot how fun working in an office around Christmastime is. There are treats coming in the door all the time, and I'm definitely going to have to start going to the gym in the new year! I've really been missing playing Squash, and I'm hoping to convince one of my friends to take it up. Yesterday we went for Peking Duck with quite a large group, and on Wednesday we're going for lunch again with the smaller office. This is so nice after being unemployed and alone all day for such a long time.

Adam and I are very excited for Christmas. We've decorated a tree, watched our Christmas shows, and on Wednesday (my last day of work) I'm going to buy some egg nog (lait de poule) and spiced rum and relax. We're going to have a goose for Christmas dinner this year instead of turkey, so I'll have to post pictures of our first goose cooking attempt.

Interview.

Well, I had promising interview yesterday. Instead of telling you about it, I decided to draw a comic. Enjoy!

I made another comic about my eczema. My hands have been very itchy lately! It's definitely not as red and gross looking as I made it out to be in the comic, in reality it just looks like dry skin, but that's how it feels.

When it rains it pours.

"Les Chuchoteuses" (the whisperers) by Rose-Aimée Bélanger

My mom came for a visit last week, which was wonderful. It was such a nice break from reality, and she spoiled us rotten. We visited a lot of touristy places, like the delicious Schwartz's and St. Viateur bagel, and we also discovered that the best burgers on earth are at L'Amère à Boire on St. Denis.

We also walked around old Montreal, shopping and eating poutine. We saw this lovely statue by Rose-Aimée Bélanger, had some great lattes, and enjoyed the beautiful weather.

We've been really lucky, it's been warm and sunny here, a definitely plus as Adam and I don't drive. It's been warm enough for me to ride around on my cruiser, and I'm dreading the day when I have to store her for the winter.

 We had kind of a traumatic week after my mom left. Adam began having tooth pain in one of his molars, and it got to the point where he was unable to sleep or function. After going to a terrible dentist who was diagnosing him based on a price sheet without looking into his mouth at all, we decided to go to the Montreal General Hospital in the Dental department. They have students working there who are doing their practicum, so it is much more reasonably priced. They recommended that Adam either get a root canal or get his tooth pulled, and since we don't have coverage, we had to go for the latter. I felt terrible that we couldn't afford to get him the best treatment, but it was the best we could do.

I also found out that a part-time job I had decided to short-change me on my paycheque. According to my friend Chris, that isn't uncommon in Montreal. I'm obviously looking into it, and will take action to get my full earnings, but it is infuriating that I have to work so hard to get what I already worked for. With Adam's dental fiasco, and with this paycheque mishap, we're very concerned about paying our bills. (surprise, surprise)

Adam found out that he is most likely not getting time off for Christmas, so that's the icing on the cake.

When I moved to Montreal, I knew it was going to be difficult, challenging, and it would push me to step outside my comfort zone. What I didn't realize is that I wouldn't get the chance to prove myself. It is extremely competitive here for jobs, and I know that if I was given the opportunity for an interview I would impress the employer.
Unfortunately, it seems that employers here are bent on using you, the positions I really want won't give me the time of day, and once you have a bad streak of luck, it sticks to you like a parasite.