Blah

Blah. That's how I feel. I'm late on my work, unmotivated, and somewhat depressed. I'm also noticing the low level of activity/comments on my blog. I feel lonely tonight.

I'm going to have a glass of wine, a shower, and try to get some work done. This is turning out to be a catastrophe. I'm never taking a three month break again - I'm way too distracted to be able to produce anything.

Hopefully, I can turn things around.

Blah.

The Beaver

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

Poesie en prose....

This is just a little bit of embroidery on a well-known theme. I'm nowhere close to jumping off a bridge, worry not.

He used to keep me sated with his endearing hedgehog ways, his intelligent comments, his warm heart and his well-chosen words.

Silence feels akin to darkness and forgiveness only gives a limited sense of sensibility. Indifference or despair? I try not to ponder the question, and only to wish him well – true affection is such, or so they say, and so I struggle to forget my own need for reassurance to the benefit of patience.

Work beckons. Immersion in fetid business idioms will hopefully alleviate my own need to forget, my own need to taste the absolute. It was an Equal Music. It is enough to taste such perfection from time to time, not too much, or the soul could not sustain it.Such is what I tell myself, and yet I cannot help but feel my mind stretching across the universe in a secret caress which never reaches its goal.

Patience.

The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

A lil Vid....

Not mine, but indeed, this is Rabinal, wherre I spent a part of the week. Enjoy!

The Beaver

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

First CSMeet in Antigua, an unlikely jam and those dang frijoles

So… I’m back from Antigua, and had an absolute blast. The people I met on the CS network are simply amazing. Denmark, Sweden, Brazil, Canada (coast to coast, with Nova Scotia and BC represented at the table), the UK, Poland and of course Guatemala all had representatives onsite, all wonderful and interesting and stimulating.

I’d love to say “Hey, I took some pics of Antigua, here’s a link”, but… I don’t. We arrived at night, left at night, mostly because some of us had to be back in Guate in the morning, yours truly, amongst others. Instead, I'm borrowing from Ryan Fox one of his pictures:But I had a great time, and plan on doing it again, if I can – it’s wonderful to at last meet some like-minded people.

Curious about what the CS Network is? Click here.

Oh, another little anecdote from the field:

In Rabinal, I met a bunch of Peace Corps volunteers, and we went out to lunch. Amusingly, we decided to test out a new place… that had a total band set up, with battery, keyboard and guitar. Turns out the owner is a one man band, and he was more than willing to jam.

So between a stock card count and a discussion about accounting systems, I actually jammed on the keyboard with a PC volunteer who missed his battery direly.

How cool is THAT?

Last but not least....

"Frijoles Volteados" - Refried Beans from Guatemala

Category:		Side Dishes & Condiments
Style:		Latin
Special Consideration:		Vegetarian
Servings:		4-6

Description:
Here, a recipe for the famous frijoles. I'm not a big fan, but maybe you will be...

Ingredients:
· 3 cups (or two cans) cooked black, red, or pinto beans with liquid
· 1/3 cup chopped onion
· 1-2 cloves of crushed garlic
· ¼ cup chopped green pepper (optional)
· ½ teaspoon ground cumin

Directions:
1) In a blender, crush (or puree) all the ingredients above except for the ground cumin.
2) Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium frying pan and add the pureed bean mixture from above and the ½ teaspoon ground cumin
3) Simmer all the ingredients uncovered, over low heat, stirring occasionally. Let the beans thicken (this will take about 10-15 minutes).
4) Place beans on a serving plate with rice and tortillas.
Or use in burritos etc.

*Option: mash beans with a potato masher or fork. Saute veggies in the oil & add the mashed beans & spices. Cook as directed.

The Beaver

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

La Ferria....

So I've been awol again, because it's so difficult to resist the call of the field... Anyway, here's the deal: I have a few pictures to share, not as many as I'd like to, because I ran out of battery. (New set is here.)

There was a Feria (a fair) in Rabinal while I was there, and so I had a chance to take some pictures that were rather typical.

But mostly, it was hard work and long commutes between Salama and Rabinal - the drive was one hour in the morning, one in the evening, and many twists and turns that made my stomach churn a little.

It was great, though - the people I worked with were wonderfully helpful, and I'm happy to report I didn't have to survive on beans (frijol) and atoll (some sort of maize oatmeal), which is a good thing. As much as I adore the people, I'm still struggling with the food, for the first time in a long time. I do get fried plantains, though, and for that, I am incredibly grateful. (Thank you, Guatemala Solidarity Network for posting the photo.)


On another note, my ability to express myself in Spanish is increasing at mach 3 - something else for which I am beyond grateful: there is nothing more frustrating, than being able to understand what's going on, but not to be able to contribute to the discussion... particularly when the group actually *wants* your opinion.

Anyway, I'm not back in Guate, and this weekend I'm going to Antigua with the Couch Surfers, so stay tuned for more adventures !

The Beaver

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

Chitomax!!!

So I've been gone a little. It wasn't my fault, it was for work, possibly the most fascinating part of my job. I attended a food distribution. (For pictures, click HERE.) I'm exhausted, but in truth, it was worth it, even if 24 hours later my back remembers the long hours of driving to, and from my destination.

So now, at long last, I can really say something about Guatemala. For one, it's a country with a lot (and I mean it) of mountains. My poor body certainly remembers the pain of the road, the slight nausea at all the twists and turns, and the back pain for all the sitting.

Secondly, Guatemalans are wonderful, warm, pleasant people. I like them very much - not only is it a pleasure to work with them, but it feels almost like being with family. I feel constantly huge, though. Sometimes, I don't dare stand, for fear of insulting them with my freakish height.

Thirdly, it's amazing what being bathed in a language will do to you. My ability to express myself in spanish is increasing at Mach 3. I'd studied it in school as a teen, and not practiced it - but I'm amazed at what my long term memory retained. I hear words, and they make sense, even if I couldn't come up with them on my own.

Fourthly, God bless subtitles. Thanks to the spanish subtitles, everynight, I get a bit more vocabulary. All in all... life is good.

The Beaver
P.S. Congratulations to Lynn, from California, for being the first reader in six months to post on my guestmap.
P.S.2 Belated thanks to Forever Restless and Pine River Spirit for linking to me !

A forklift saved my life...

Ok, not my life, but I might have had to spend the night sleeping on a pile of CSB if it hadn't been for the forklift...

Here's the deal.

I'm afraid of heights. I've been steadily trying to vanquish this very irrational fear for the last 2 years, especially because occasionally, I have to climb on stacks of food.

Well... I did, and it was all well and good, until I had to go down the ladder. I froze. It hadn't happened to me in YEARS. They had to get the forklift to help me down, and I was a bit mortified.

The good news is... well, I have a sense of humor. Thank god. Otherwise, I'd have died of embarrassment.

On the upside, I now can see life from the point of view of a bag of rice.

The Beaver

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

Chrismas in the sun

So I spent Christmas in the Carribean, on a very posh cruise this year. Yes, I owe you guys a million stories about it.

In the meantime, here's a million pictures: CLICK HERE

The Beaver

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

Reflections on First World Contemporary Art

This is much belated. I’ve been having trouble with chronicling my life recently, for reasons I won’t discuss here. But it looks like cath up is coming at me. So here goes. This blog will not be only about Guatemala. I’ll also be catching up on stories of the past month, as they bubble up in my mind. Poof.

While I was home, I spent an afternoon at the Modern art Museum of Montreal. It was... odd. Modern art always does that to me. Three artists were presenting. A Brazilian whose art is basically... err.. huge pictures of representations made of epheremeal material. That's the best way I can put it. There was a Raft of the Medusa, in chocolate sauce. Weird.

But anyway, what he had to say about his work was this: "The object in the picture seemed to satisfy an eternal longing for its own sublimation. A body, freed from infinit materiality, meeting its own spirit." This is a note he made on a series called Individuals, basically 60 sculptures made of plasticine, though he recycled the material, so one had to be destroyed for the creation of the next one to be possible. So I guess, in his case, the final work of art was the photograph. That was the original. The things the human mind can come up with. Maybe I should start making strange, very odd things with paper clips and quit my day job. Or maybe not.

There was also a German fellow called Tomas Hirschhorn who exposed a... gods, I don't even know how to describe it. A giant set that I guess would qualify as a sculpture, except it took a whole room. The darn thing (I didn't like it, it was grisly, disturbing, depressing) was an allegory for globalization, I guess. I still took notes on it, at the time, wanting to discuss them with you - then, well, life got in the way. But here they are.

So... the thing is called Jumbo Spoons and Big Cake, and the "big cake" is our society of excessive consumption, while the "jumbo spoons" represent 12 twentieth-century utopias that have failed, in the artist's view. Examples include Fashion, Rosa Luxemburg, Degenerate Art, Rolex, the Chicago Bulls, the Moon, Nietzche, China, Venice. You know, I think in theory, I agree with him. But the presentation itself was... yuck.

Anyway, he did say something that I liked : "I realized that I had to make the choice to be an artist because only as an artist could I be totally responsible for what I did. The decision to be an artist is the decision to be free. Freedom is the condition of responsibility."

I guess I liked it because it resonated with me. I feel the need to be free. I'm slowly learning to accept to take this responsibility.

The Beaver

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

Ever heard of Couch Surfing?

This is a new thing I’m trying. It’s come to my attention that I need to meet people, outside of work. I need to hang out with people who are closer to me in age. I need to have some fun.

I stumbled, through a discussion with a friend a while back, upon couch surfing.

"CouchSurfing seeks to internationally network people and places, create educational exchanges, raise collective consciousness, spread tolerance and facilitate cultural understanding. As a community we strive to do our individual and collective parts to create a better world, and we believe that the surfing of couches is a means to accomplish this goal. CouchSurfing is not about the furniture, not just about finding free accommodations around the world; it's about making connections worldwide. We make the world a better place by opening our homes, our hearts, and our lives. We open our minds and welcome the knowledge that cultural exchange makes available. We create deep and meaningful connections that cross oceans, continents and cultures. CouchSurfing wants to change not only the way we travel, but how we relate to the world!" This is how it is defined on Couch Surfing (dot) com.

Membership in the organization is free and is obtained simply by registering on the website. The core activity of the organization is exchange of accommodation. Acting as a host, a member offers the possibility of accommodation at his or her leisure; it is not required, but obviously it is encouraged. Acting as a surfer (guest), a traveller may search for and request accommodation at his or her destination. Accommodation is entirely consensual between the host and surfer, and the duration, nature, and terms of the surfer's stay are generally worked out in advance to the convenience of both parties. It is also expected to be free; no monetary exchange takes place except under certain circumstances (e.g. the surfer may compensate the host for food).

And so I decided to log on, fill out a profile. I don’t need a couch to sleep on, but community members are also people who are willing to meet you for coffee or whatever, if you are in their general area. So last night, I went out for drinks with Pampa, and met three other couch surfers. A bit younger than me, but not much. Certainly closer to me in mindset than the senior managers I work with. It was a blast. We laughed, shared life stories, debated on politics, love, life, values, and the way Oscar Wilde sees the world. Locals and foreigners mixed together and had fun, like a little family, until we parted ways and split the bill. It was grand.

Is it safe? I think so.

As Wikipedia puts it:

There are three methods to ensure security and trust, which are all visible on member profiles for potential hosts and surfers to see prior to arranging anything with each other:

1. Personal references, which hosts and surfers could leave for each other at their option after having used the service.
2. An optional credit card verification system, which allowed members to "lock in" their name and address by making a credit card payment and entering a code that CouchSurfing mails to the billing address. This also allows CS to recuperate some costs by requiring a fee for verification. For fairness the verification fee is based on a sliding scale, taking into account the Purchasing power parity and Human Development Index of the country of residence.
3. A personal vouching system, whereby a member that had been vouched for — originally starting with the founders of the site — might in turn vouch for any number of other members he or she knew or had met through CouchSurfing, and trusts.

Also, the organization is registered with the IRS, and is listed as a non-profit. It does lend credence. Just have a look at wikipedia. It's quite detailed research.

For more information: www.couchsurfing.com

There are some contentions about Couch Surfing, and they have been heavily documented on Wikipedia and on www.opencouchsurfing.org. I don’t discount them, although since they aren't about safety, but rather about internal controls (yuck), as far as I’m concerned, last night, I met great people who were wonderfully open-minded and fun.

It was a breath of fresh air. God bless the couch surfers.

The Beaver

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

2008: Back with a vengeance

So.... I've been AWOL for a while.... I'm so sorry everyone, it's only that at one point.... well I sort of got caught up in the world, and cut off from the Net simultaneaously.

I will make amends soon with many many stories and pictures, in the meantime, though.....


HAPPY NEW YEAR, Everyone, all the best, health, riches, love, friendships, eventful adventures, change and stability in reasonable proportions and overall peace and joy to all !

I leave you guys with an extract of Paul-Emile Borduas' Total Refusal:

Make way for magic! Make way for objective mysteries! Make way for love! Make way for necessities!
To this global refusal we contrast full responsibility.
The self-seeking act is fettered to its author; it is stillborn.
The passionate act breaks free, through its very dynamism.
We gladly take on full responsibility for tomorrow. Rational effort, once in its proper place, will be available again to disengage the present from the limbo of the past.
Passions shape the future spontaneously, unpredictably, necessarily.
The past is contingency of birth, it thus cannot be sacred. We are always quits with it.


For full text: http://www.artotheque.ca/image/refus-a.html

What is the Total Refusal? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refus_Global

Much love to you all!

--------------------------

-------------

BONNE ANNEE, tout le monde, je vous souhaite le meilleur, sante, prosperite, amour, amities, aventures palpitantes, changement et stabilite en proportion raisonnables, et surtout paix et joie a tous !

Je vous laisse mediter un extrait du Refus Global de Paul-Emile Borduas:


PLACE À LA MAGIE !
PLACE AUX MYSTÈRES OBJECTIFS !
PLACE À L'AMOUR !
PLACE AUX NÉCESSITÉS !

Au refus global nous opposons la responsabilité entière.

- - - - -L'action intéressée reste attachée à son auteur, elle est mort-née.
- - - - -Les actes passionnels nous fuient en raison de leur propre dynamisme.
- - - - -Nous prenons allègrement l'entière responsabilité de demain. L'effort rationnel, une fois retourné en arrière, il lui revient de dégager le présent des limbes du passé.
- - - - -Nos passions façonnent spontanément, imprévisiblement, nécessairement le futur.
- - - - -Le passé dut être accepté avec la naissance, il ne saurait être sacré. Nous sommes toujours quittes envers lui.

The Beaver

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

City adventures....

On Sunday... S. picked me up an hour late, and so instead of going photographing (no light, urgh), we spent the evening on our favorite street in Montreal. This street is called Saint-Denis, and it is located in what people call here the Latin Quarter, because of the UQAM, one of the two French-speaking universities here. Our first stop was a place called Juliette & Chocolat – and it was decadent. It's chocolate-lover heaven, purely and simply. And so she and I gossiped over a chocolate (dark, sour chocolate if you please) fruit dip, and some coffees. It's a long wait – but so worth it. After that, we went to the movies and saw a French comedy called "Le prix a payer" – something about men who are neglected by their wives in their conjugal duties, and their theories that they are merely being used for their wallets. It wasn't high art, but it was amusing, and I did like seeing the streets of my beloved Paris, and Gerard Lanvin was simply sublime (I hadn't seen him in a movie in oh, a decade, and he is still ravishing, though old.) And we concluded the evening over a pipe at a place called the Hookah Lounge, one of these places where the musical background slips from Portishead to Brassens, and where the sitting arrangements vaguely ressemble tents out of the 1001 nights. But it was fun – as it always is, and a nice change for me. I spent Saturday in relative solitude, and had no complaints about it – in fact, being locked up with my bath, my bubbles, Mozart's Requiem and a good book was just what I needed. But I was happy to go out on Sunday.

Notes about Halloween in Montreal

Montreal, on Halloween night, felt like it suddenly was a carnival. It wasn't unusual to pass by vampires, witches, devils, angles, Vikings, pirates, and other phantasmagoric figures. I noted, amongst others, several 1920 belles, a belly dancer (how could she? It was so cold today?), and a Cleopatra look alike. But my ultimate favorite was Edward Scissorhands, complete with raggedy metal appendixes at the end of his figures. I guess Montrealers are a kiddish bunch. Me? Not dressed up, not one bit – no, it was juste moi, with my torn jeans, and my corduroy jacket, and my hair up in a bun, and my glasses – apparently I looked like a seductive intellectual...

Just a survey, for no particular reason

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night. Someone called Dom, who had a few good jokes.

2. What were you doing at 0800? Writing an epic

3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Chatting with Lady Twist

4. What happened to you in 2006? I got dumped, I had dengue, and had an encounter with the Divine on an Indonesian beach.

5. What was the last thing you said out loud? *snorts* "Sorry, I didn't here myself do that"

6. How many beverages did you have today? - 2- coffee and peppermint herb tea

7. What color is your hairbrush? *shrugs* Black, I think.

8. What was the last thing you paid for? "I really, really need to go to bed. Ta ta !"

9. Where were you last night? Out at a halloween party, dressed up at a Play Boy Bunny.

10. What color is your front door? Transparent (it's glass)

11. Where do you keep your change? Pockets, wallet, empty cup on the kitchen table.

12. What's the weather like today? Sunny and fresh.

13. What's the best ice cream flavor? Cookie dough, or course.

14. What excites you? Freedom.

15. Do you want to cut your hair? Hell no! I've had it short way too long.

16. Are you over the age of 25? Unfortunately, yes. But I feel 15.

17. Do you talk a lot? I have my verbose moments, but I can also shut up and listen.

18.....

19. Do you know anyone named Steven? As a matter of fact, I do, sort of. I'm supposed to call him, and I keep on forgetting. I think I lack motivation.

20. Do you make up your own words? On a regular basis. I am particularly proud of "Sushigasm".

21. Are you a jealous person? I try not to be. I think I'm more greedy than I am jealous.

22. .....

23. ......

24. Who's the first person on your received call list? Delphine. Dinner tonight at mum and dad's.

25. What does the last text message you received say? "Great. We have communication loud and clear".

26. Do you chew on your straw? I chew on everything. I'm compulsive.

27. Do you have curly hair? I wish. It seems to get frizzy when it rains though.

28. Where's the next place you're going to? Probably home for lunch. I really need to clean.

29. Who's the rudest person in your life? Oh, Iikely someone I don't care to offend. The BFH, of course.

30. What was the last thing you ate? Toast and ginger jam.

31. Will you get married in the future? That seems a rather unlikely possibility, and I don't care.

32. What's the best movie you've seen in the past 2 weeks? Silk. F'n amazing.

33. Is there anyone you like right now? It's easy to like people. It's more difficult to love. I'm proud to say, I acheive both, the former in a more general way, the latter in a more individual, personnal way.

34. When was the last time you did the dishes? Last night.

35. Are you currently depressed? Nope. I am in fact in an excellent mood. I haven't been depressed in a while.

36. Did you cry today? Oh, gods no.

37. Why did you answer and post this? I'm whimsical.

A week end in the Belle Province

Now about the Saturday at the Mountain… it was positively a trial, and a confirmation that my own appreciation of occasional physical exertion, is usually something that happens after the fact. We literally hiked over 9 kilometers, up to the top and down, and I'll admit I am always ashamed at my lack of physical prowess. I have asthma and so as I said, I have no cardiovascular capacity whatsoever, and it was a trek, really a trek, and I did make it up and down that hill, but it was at times a painful exercise, though I am incredibly proud of myself. (I am also amazed that I still had an active day the next day– resilience just took on a whole new meaning for me.)

But the colors of the fall were beautiful, and at times it was like walking a Golden Path, and that made me think that Herbert's golden path was also one that included pain for the greater good. But what was wonderful about my occasional lapse in ability to breathe was that I was left somewhat to myself at the end of the trek, and I took it slowly and painfully, but I also had often times the sentiment of being in a world of dreams, or in an enchanted forest. The token leaf tree is the maple, (duh) and it has the remarkable trait that the leaves are wonderfully vivid, crimsons and rusts, and golden yellows and burning oranges, and strangely there was moss every where that was a bright green, and rocks that reminded me of malachite. As one goes up the hill, there are aged maple trees that create a natural step for the climber, and they seem to be almost alive, and their tortuous shapes are rather otherworldly, eerie, and full of what I can only describe as spirit.

Then of course there was the pleasure of the company, there were four of us, R. and her new boyfriend, and S., whom I hadn't seen in three years because she is now an architect in Boston. It was a rambunctious reunion, and lots of reminiscing, teasing, and gossiping, and catching up, because us three girls put together would drive any male insane, I think, for all our childish chatter. Of course, we've known each other for over 15 years, and so basically we turn to children when we hook up again.

Sunday was spent at the Museum of Fine Arts with S. (I guess R. and her male were in need of time alone) and we had a fun time revisiting the permanent collection which I know by heart. Of course, since my last visit, there were changes, and I was appalled that they moved Picasso's "Embrace" to the basement, and very glad that Octobre was still in place. In the process I noticed a new Renoir, though it's not a very remarkable piece. I did reunite happily with Henri-Joseph Harpignie's "Clair de Lune" which I adore, because I love the way he treated the light and the perspective, even if most people I showed it to found that it was… ordinary. (Heathens!)

We also went to the bookstore, just a large bookstore, and it was a complete catastrophe for my wallet, but I am beyond pleased because I bought new books, including Faber's The Crimson Petal and the White. I'm in love, Faber has me captivated from the second sentence – the only thing I can say for now is that it is beyond promising. I also replenished my supply of music with Debussy, Chopin, Rachmaninov and the Requiem. It was a complete heresy that I didn't have the Requiem anymore in my collection. So I am broke, but happy, ha ha. And that was concluded with a walk downtown with coffee in hand, and it was a complete caricature of Sex & the City, because S. and I were discussing relationships, after a day at the museum and book shopping, in a completely North-American city.

The Beaver

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

Plans for a sociological study...

A few nights ago, my best friend came to pick me up for dinner and drinks. Now you must know that she is an old and dear friend, one whom I love very much. She is as brown haired as I am blond, and we are beyond different one from the other – wisdom (hers) vs. wildness, demureness vs. debaucherie (mine), studiousness vs. genius (mine - yes, I am also humble), piousness (hers) vs. spirituality. Together we form an amusing duo, though we enjoy each other's company greatly. We had a feast (Indian, oh, how I enjoy paratha and chicken tikka, and wonderful so wonderful kebab and daal), and finished the evening over martinis at a very quaint jazz club. Now, this is where I get my excuse. My body, it seems, does not like martinis in the morning, though I'll confess I did enjoy they tremendously last night. And so with her, I have made some plans, one of them being to spend a day next week photographing Montreal (a common hobby) and of course, ha ha, the results of such a quest are intended for your pleasure. Another plan, and that one amuses me greatly, is to take her to speed dating – now, she has been celibate for 7 years, mostly because she is both picky, and flirts like a donkey, and I myself am very skeptical – mostly, it is intended to be a sociological study of North-American urban male singles in their natural habitat. Should be highly amusing, and will very likely provide for some long and vivid discussions.

Some news....

So... I haven't been posting at such as rabid pace as usual... that will likely keep on happening for the next month or so. On the up side, I do have a LIFE now that I'm home, and am very happy - with studying, seeing friends and family, etc. So posting may be lessened, but it is expected to go up in quality.

So, yes, I'm doing great. I have *my* head screwed back on. Had some great encounters/interactions, these past few days, and more to come.

I'm home at long last but don't have internet at my place (Yay I am at last settled in) and so I'm either doing the starbucks thing or hanging at my friends to have access. I have a radio - and my laptop plays MP3s - that's pretty much the set up in the appartment. I was able to latch on to my neighbour's network for 10 minutes today, but the connection sucks, so bleh - i'm back at Cafe El Mundo where wifi is free and chai lattes cost 4 bucks. The apartment is spartan, but comfortable, and I have internet tonight (surprisingly) so here's to unsecured wifi.

Amusingly, I have to live in French, which is making my life rather more complicated - I spent 2 good minutes explaining "nail polish remover" to the kid at the drugstore today. Couldn't for the life of me remember the French word. Considering it's my mother tongue, it's fascinating.

Amusingly, I happen to be plagued by a cold as well. My nose is just a little bit runny - enough to annoy me, not enough to warrant medical attention - and my throat is about as moist as the Sahara desert. But I'm still in a great mood.

I am enjoying the turmoil of a busy personal life and of fulfilling encounters, though there is a cynical part of me that is reluctant to die, fighting for dear life for its survival. I guess old habits die hard. A friend and I had recently been musing on the idea of crime fighting... coincidentally, today, I met a police officer, through mutual friends, who is willing to assist me in joining the provincial corps. Apparently, he thinks I would be great of undercover work. I am highly amused. My life used to be on the strange side, but should this materialize... Gods, I'll admit it would be beyond weird.

The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!

Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

MIA

Addendum, October 8th 2007:

So I'm home, at long last.

It has a few implications, the greatest one is limited internet access for about the next 3 months, and a drastic improvement of my stress levels and fatigue.

I am realizing I needed home. I needed real people. I needed a cell phone that rings, and my mum's cooking. I needed home.

So....

If you are in Montreal, call me up, ring me, send me a text book message (they go to my cel), but don't email me, because I won't get it for a while.

Sorry.

I'm busy having a LIFE.

_______________________________

I realize I may be in need of a break from blogging. I've been uninspired for a while now...

So without further ado...

THIS BLOG IS TEMPORARILY SLEEPING. Send the dogs, they will wake up.

Comments do make their way to my email, so drop a line if you need to protest.

I'll be back - just don't know when.

The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!

Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

An update

I'll post more about it soon, but suffice it to say I am unaffected by the current events in Lebanon.

The Beaver

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

A new start

So I'm in Beirut now, and I still haven't posted my long post. Man, I have no word.

Well...

That only means I will be posting more for this location, and add to that the fact that I still have some things to post about Palestine.

That should make things a little more exciting for you guys.

In the meantime, have some Labaneh! It has been the discovery of the past month for me. Hmmmm it's amazing - and I still get some here in LEB.

Description:
Amazing, tastes like goat cheese !



Labaneh is yogurt cheese, a wonderful invention for everything from pasta to sandwich spread. It takes a minimum of 8 hours to drain the yogurt, transforming it into cheese, and the cheese can be refrigerated for several days. More than once, it has taken 2 days for the yogurt to drain to the desired thickness, so plan accordingly. Minimal time for preparing the yogurt cheese is included in the cook time.

Ingredients:
2 cups nonfat plain yogurt
1/2 clove garlic (optional)

Directions:
1. Line a strainer with 2 layers of cheesecloth; place the strainer over a bowl and pour the yogurt into the strainer; set aside at room temperature for at least 8 hours or until very, very thick.

2. If using the garlic, push it through a garlic press and stir into the thickened labaneh.

3. Refrigerate.


Thanks for you patience,

The Beaver

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !