tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38171272011-04-21T12:17:53.269-07:00mine de rientalk, talk, it's all talkCarlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comBlogger611100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-916793612003-03-30T18:23:00.000-08:002003-03-30T18:32:53.000-08:00Why bother, you say?
No-one in my circle of friends is in favour of this war with Iraq. Yet that doesn't stop me from wanting to protest it, even though I have no-one to convince directly. And even though protest seems futile in the face of the apparent indifference of certain world leaders.
After thinking alot about our current state of affairs and our chances of effecting change through popularCarlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-901464282003-03-04T17:29:00.000-08:002003-03-04T17:32:57.000-08:00Un mardi gras
Je profite d'une rare soirée à la maison, seule et sans autres projets que la flânerie : probablement un bon bain, un peu de musique. La pratique de Bach ne va pas bien, sa joie étant attenuée par le son creux des vieilles cordes usées. Je ferai cadeau à ma guitare, promis.
Pour l'instant, je me contente à me discipliner, ou pour mieux le dire, à me dresser. A placer mes doigts surCarlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-895287702003-02-21T17:39:00.000-08:002003-02-21T17:44:56.000-08:00Home, sweet home
Je déguste avec plaisir ma première soirée tranquille à la maison de la semaine. Eh oui, petit détour à Trois-Rivières, soirées « business » à ne plus en finir, et enfin une soirée à moi. Je suis arrivée vers 20h ce soir, qui est de bonne heure selon les nouvelles normes au bureau. J’en profite, toujours pressée, pour mettre à jour ce cybercarnet, rapidement et brièvement, avant Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-892825172003-02-17T20:04:00.000-08:002003-02-21T17:42:40.000-08:00Prise de parole
La fin de semaine passée en était une d'amour, de la St-Valentin bien sûr, et surtout des mots. Vendredi, c'était au tour des anglophones de raconter leurs histoires. Une soirée plutôt folklorique qui a commencé très en retard, à mon grand chagrin car pour moi c'est un manque de respect.
Samedi, j'ai ajouté ma voix aux 150 000 personnes qui ont marché pour la paix sous un ciel Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-891297192003-02-14T21:13:00.000-08:002003-02-14T21:16:10.000-08:00Peace - Paix - Paz
2003-02-15
Please come demonstrate for peace - Venez afficher vos couleurs - La paz te necesita
Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-891287832003-02-14T20:47:00.000-08:002003-02-14T20:54:33.000-08:00Two weeks later
Ok, things are still tough, but I can talk about something other than problems at work. And given how positive many of my former co-workers are when they drop by to sign papers or pick up stuff, it's not all bad. Life does indeed go on.
And lest some readers think that I am not blogging much due to work stress, well, actually it has more to do with being busy and needing to do Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-888833292003-02-10T17:19:00.000-08:002003-02-10T17:19:21.276-08:00One week later
We're still surviving, one week after the layoffs. It's hard to say if things are really settling down, though, as we're expecting more changes, shuffling of personnel and responsibilities. It's a weird feeling.
This is exactly the kind of atmosphere I have always avoided. I was fortunate enough to have been spared the decline of a similar company I worked for many years ago. Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-885018442003-02-03T16:51:00.000-08:002003-02-03T16:51:38.196-08:00Rough ride
February is off to a rocky start. This morning, we faced layoffs, among them longtime co-workers who had become friends somehow, against the odds. The secretary broke down in tears, alternately wiping her eyes and apologizing. T'as pas à avoir honte de ton coeur, d'avoir un coeur, de la compassion.
I have never been laid off, nor have I ever had to let anyone go. I hope I never do. ButCarlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-883804352003-02-01T08:21:00.000-08:002003-02-01T08:53:07.000-08:00Un mois !
Rabbit! There goes the first month of 2003, speeding away from February. How did that happen so fast?
As I turn the page of the calendar, I realize it's already been 4 weeks since I got back from vacation, and there are 11 more weeks to go before I have a single day off - Good Friday. Shouldn't they all be called that?Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-877657652003-01-20T20:26:00.000-08:002003-01-20T20:26:09.586-08:00España 2002-2003
Pour ceux et celles qui sont intéressé-e-s à voir certaines photos prises lors de mon voyage, je vous offre la ville de Barcelone comme point de départ. ¡Buen viaje!.Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-877025842003-01-19T17:16:00.000-08:002003-01-19T17:34:48.000-08:00Arts en pleine face
Il y a une semaine, j'étais de passage dans un club pour voir un spectacle de contes. De passage, dis-je, car il y avait tellement de monde que j'ai laissé faire. Mais j'y suis restée dans les escaliers assez longtemps pour jaser avec un vieux monsieur qui attendait lui aussi, le temps de se plaindre de la foule. "Vous écrivez aussi? Vous êtes dans les arts?", il me demanda. "Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-873865032003-01-13T18:22:00.000-08:002003-01-13T19:12:29.000-08:00Déception
Parfois ça me prend pas mal de temps de réflexion avant de répondre ou de réagir à une idée, une situation, un geste. Hélas, dans le cybermonde, tout se passe à la vitesse d'une frappe au clavier. Voilà pourquoi je participe difficilement aux newsgroups, bien que ça m'intéresse beaucoup.
Mais j'avais gardé en tête le petit texte que martine a offert sur son blogue à propos du Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-872464152003-01-10T18:35:00.000-08:002003-01-13T18:27:27.000-08:00Première semaine de retour
Le travail. Voilà la dure réalité. Une semaine de folie et de fatigue, qui m'enferme dans une dense brume depuis lundi, et qui s'habille maintenant de son vendredi tant familier. Ah, oui, là je te reconnais.
Ma langue retrouve ses plis. Je ne réponds plus aux gens en espagnol...ou presque. Je commence à me conformer aux heures de repas et de sommeil. Je ne trouve plusCarlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-870368762003-01-06T18:21:00.000-08:002003-01-06T18:29:23.000-08:002003-01-05 : La nuit des rois mages
Après un long trajet entre l'hôtel à Madrid et ma maison, je me suis couchée vers minuit, l'heure traditionnelle de l'arrivée des Rois mages. En Espagne, c'est la journée que les enfants reçoivent leurs cadeaux. C'est logique, quand on y pense, dans un contexte religieux. Mais beaucoup de familles offrent les cadeaux le 24 décembre pour que les enfants aient leCarlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-870361612003-01-06T18:04:00.000-08:002003-01-06T18:15:15.000-08:002003-01-04 : Chaleur
On est arrivées à Madrid pour un court séjour et aussi pour se dire au revoir. Elle partait pour Paris, moi pour Montréal. Et on avait chacune des gens à voir à Madrid. "On ne va pas dire adieu", on se l'est promis. No nos despidimos. Non, ce n'est qu'un au revoir.
Aujourd'hui, c'était une journée comme nos printemps nordiques : un ciel bleu froid avec un soleil qui fait son Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-870357762003-01-06T17:56:00.000-08:002003-01-06T18:07:48.000-08:002003-01-03 : Dernière nuit à Séville
Journée dure qui m'a coûté cher en énergie. Je suis allée parler avec la directrice de l'école de langues à la fin de la session matinale, car ça n'avait vraiment pas de sens le cours. Mais ce n'est jamais bon de manger quand on est stressé, et mon repas pèsait dans mon estomac jusqu'au soir.
Demain matin, je quitte l'Andalousie, cette région réputée de Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-868290342003-01-02T06:36:00.000-08:002003-01-02T06:43:34.000-08:00Una película de Almodóvar
The morning of the first, the three of us were sitting in the kitchen chatting about how life can be as ridiculous as the most improbable story line from a soap opera, or even worse! It was a moment for looking at the past, and at the same time looking forward to the new year ahead. Perhaps that is why the holidays bring such a rush of emotion for so many people. Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-868282822003-01-02T06:12:00.000-08:002003-01-02T06:19:19.000-08:00La nochevieja
Nos encontramos en la Plaza Nueva, a las 11 y media de la noche, para tomar las uvas de la suerte con los Españoles, a cada golpe de las campanas de la Giralda. Había unos fuegos artificiales, algunas personas bailando y cantando, sin embargo era mucho más tránquil que lo he imaginado.
Pues, ya a las 12 todo cambió en una verdadera locura. Las botellas de vino, de cerveza e otra se Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-866899282002-12-30T00:01:00.000-08:002002-12-30T06:14:58.000-08:00Cádi
We spent Saturday in Cádiz, possibly the oldest continually inhabited city in Western Europe (3000 years). Our guide (one of the profs from the school) managed to lose two students within the first 15 minutes of our visit. Somehow, I'm not surprised.
Cádiz sits on an island, one side facing the Atlantic ocean on Spain's Costa de la Luz, and the other side facing a quiet bay. Unfortunately, Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-865805312002-12-27T00:04:00.000-08:002002-12-27T08:43:57.000-08:00Christmas a day later but worth the wait
After all the brouhaha of the 24th, we spent the 25th walking about town slowly, window shopping and taking in the architecture. Sipping coffee at a sidewalk café, then later having some tapas before heading home. Still feeling glum.
But the 26th was great, one of those charmed days where everything works out. Got our laundry done earlier than expected andCarlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-865511542002-12-26T08:06:00.000-08:002002-12-26T08:10:34.000-08:00Le lendemain de noël
Le 24 décembre à midi, ici à Séville, je ne savais toujours pas comment j'allais passer Noël. Normalement, ici à l'école de langues où je suis, tous les étudiants devaient souper avec leur famille d'accueil, ou, si ce n'était pas possible (ou désiré), on allait dans une activité organisée par l'école.
Ha! Surprise! Il n'y avait ni souper en famille, ni activité. Alors quoi Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-864786442002-12-24T05:58:00.000-08:002002-12-24T06:09:24.000-08:00Sapin de noël
Cedar of Lebanon
or cedar of Spain, like Gaudí's,
with white doves of peace taking refuge in its branches.
Cedar of Lebanon, symbol of interfaith mythology,
salvation.
A tree of peace to gather 'round
And to forge our own salvation through
human hands
and hearts.
May the best of this holiday season shine on you.
"La paix est l'arbre long à grandir.
Il nous faut de même que le Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-864416482002-12-23T09:34:00.000-08:002002-12-24T06:12:04.000-08:00The House of Two Carmens
The place I'm staying in Seville is run by Carmen, who lives with her daughter...Carmen. Of course, it's Seville, so you might not think it's strange to find two women called Carmen. But what I find different is that it is fairly common for girls to be named after their mothers. Not so in my generation, where that only happened to boys and girls often got named whatever.
Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-863661672002-12-21T09:57:00.000-08:002002-12-21T10:13:44.000-08:00Mondialisation
Just a few days before Christmas, and I'm sure some of the shopping frenzy is due to that fact. To top it off, it's a beautiful Saturday, and the touristy areas are swarming like Montreal's old port on a nice summer weekend. I saw this phenomenon in Barcelona, too, even outside the tourist centres.
It's amazing how all the stuff looks the same, to me, anyway. True, I'm not the Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-863307322002-12-20T11:37:00.000-08:002002-12-21T09:47:22.000-08:00Poetas, colores
Un peu de poésie murale à Granade, ville du célèbre poète Federico García Lorca:
Te miro a los ojos
y me pregunto de que
color serán tus sueños,
si son rojos o amarillos
o azules como los míos.
Te miro a los ojos
y me pregunta hasta
dónde llegara ésto
si es locura lo que siento
o me siento loco dentro de ello.
Dime...dime si está mal lo que hago.
(Anonyme)
...et maintenant, unCarlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-862851372002-12-19T12:36:00.000-08:002002-12-19T12:47:55.000-08:00Religious art
Back to back visits of La Alhambra and old Arab quarter, then the Cathedral and other christian buildings. The christian buildings contain a lot of paintings and sculptures, full of people that use religious iconography to convey the stories that make up that faith: the passion, the life of Christ, and ordinary people transformed into saints through miracles. People and faces Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-862839322002-12-19T12:05:00.000-08:002002-12-19T12:48:42.000-08:00Isabel
On January 2nd, Granada celebrates the anniversary of the fall of this city to the Catholic Monarchs, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. On that day in 1492, they walked into this city and raised the flag of their united kingdoms (Castilla and Aragón) atop the watchtower adjacent to the Alhambra, thus ending nearly 800 years of struggle to bring the penninsula under Christian rule since Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-862206152002-12-18T07:06:00.000-08:002002-12-18T07:42:13.000-08:00Barcelone - Granade
En route pour Granade, ville romaine, puis visigothe, elle est surtout connue pour sa Alhambra construite sous l'âge d'or de la domination musulmane. Après la Reconquête, les musulmans et juifs ont connu une importante répression religieuse dans cette ville, qui lui a valu la réputation d'une ville conservatrice.
Le train prend environ 11 heures pour nous emmèner de Barcelone Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-861709842002-12-17T08:15:00.000-08:002002-12-18T07:01:36.000-08:002002-12-16: Plus que blanc
No more washing out little garments because they won't have time to dry before I need to pack my bags for the next leg of my trip. I get to take a little break from that mundane part of the routine. But last night, I thought I could get away with filling up the sink just once to wash my black socks and white underwear.
Kids, don't mix lights and darks in the same load,Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-860386222002-12-15T11:24:00.000-08:002002-12-15T11:32:56.000-08:00Ils sont fous, ces Romains
Took a break from Barcelona to day-trip to Tarragona, on the Costa Daurada. It's a smaller city whose claim to (modern) fame is its Roman ruins. It also has quite a bit of medieval architecture and history, but I went for the ruins, the quiet and the sea.
You would think, since the train tracks appear to run along the coast, that you would enjoy grandiose vistas of theCarlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-859991442002-12-14T11:06:00.000-08:002002-12-14T11:10:01.000-08:00Darse un paseo
I went out after lunch (which was from 4 to 5 pm) to take a walk, as is the custom here. I headed down to the old port of Barcelona, following the crowd. I figured this was one of the usual places that people went. But no, as I got closer, I realized we were all heading to...the Mall. Yes, more shopping, more eating, more drinking and hanging about. These folks sure know how to Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-859870902002-12-14T02:52:00.000-08:002002-12-14T03:22:29.000-08:00Modernisme
J'étais surprise de découvrir les oeuvres de Fernand Léger, un artiste français, ici en Espange. Cette découverte était tout un hasard, car j'allais voir la collection d'art catalan dans le village espagnol (Poble Espanyol), parmi laquelle il y avait une petite exposition de ses murailles. Ce sont de grands mosaïcs réalisés entre 1925 et 1945. La composition, la couleur et la dimensionCarlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-859869192002-12-14T02:40:00.000-08:002002-12-14T02:40:57.000-08:00Expression écrite
I didn't expect to want to write while on vacation. I told friends before I left not to expect a postcard or an email. I thought I would post a few short entries on this blog just to keep loved ones up to date. You see, I was pretty burnt out on words before vacation, but now I've surprised myself. Since I left, I have written a poem, scribbled on scads of pages in my notebook Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-859582882002-12-13T11:26:00.000-08:002002-12-13T11:32:10.000-08:00Waterworks/fireworks
2002-12-13: Watching the "magic fountain" (Font Magica) is like watching the international fireworks in Montréal, on a smaller and wetter scale. The elaborate choreography of water and light to operatic music is nice to watch, even on a chilly night.
The fountains are on the grounds of the old palace. There are lots of smaller fountains from the entrance leading up to the Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-859580502002-12-13T11:20:00.000-08:002002-12-13T11:32:37.000-08:00Flânerie
2002-12-12: Enfin, les derniers détails du voyage sont réglés. Je n'ai qu'à me préoccuper de visiter. Vie farniente, les vacances, et pourquoi pas? Je me gâte, non par le luxe, mais par l'absence de soucis.
La santé, le bonheur, et le bon sens d'en profiter des deux, voilà un petit calque sur le slogan de mon ami Gilles (lui, il dit "...et assez d'argent pour profiter des deux"). Nul Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-859019902002-12-12T09:27:00.000-08:002002-12-13T11:12:38.000-08:00Amoureuse de Gaudí
2002-12-11: La Sagrada Família church is a still-unfinished work of art, but it is inspiring all the same.
There are many nature-related symbols (always a hit with me) and the nave itself is built like a temple dedicated to trees. On the façades, there are lots of decorative sculptures such as birds and leaves that come out of the rock in an interesting way. These aren't Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-857938902002-12-10T10:36:00.000-08:002003-01-26T09:52:29.000-08:00Saine et sauve
2002-12-08 : 24 heures bien occupées, depuis que je me suis réveillée samedi matin. Préparations, commissions, instructions... et enfin le départ.
Le vol Montréal-Toronto affichait 30 minutes de retard, déjà un peu de piquant dans mon assiette, un peu de stress. Mais le transfert s'est bien passé (bagages inclus) et je me suis installée pour le vol transatlantique.
Première vue Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-853564542002-12-01T18:52:00.000-08:002002-12-01T18:55:48.000-08:00Solitude au féminin
I just found out about the Blog Sisters site, which is a compilation of posts from various women. That was interesting, especially the debate on post-feminism, businesswomen and "girlism", linked from blork. I was glad to see I wasn't the only one thinking oh-no-not-again at the girl power stuff, so I figured I would scroll through and see what else there was.
Who else to add Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-847930402002-11-19T18:36:00.000-08:002002-11-19T18:56:11.000-08:00Moore movies
I went to see Bowling for Columbine on Monday night. I had heard nothing but high praise for this film from friends, colleagues and internet forums. Billed as "America's favorite leftie", Michael Moore is the filmmaker behind this documentary, or should I say, editorial. While I appreciated the attempt, I was frankly disappointed with the movie. Perhaps it is because my expectations Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-845050122002-11-13T19:13:00.000-08:002003-01-08T20:02:41.000-08:00Poésie
I got a surprise in the mail yesterday -- the real mail, that is. A great little chapbook from a poet friend in the Boston area. It's not his first, but it's his best -- at least from what I've seen of his work.
I curled up in bed, turned page after page, and found that it wasn't long before I had read the book cover to cover. One of his poems was an interesting take on a love serenade. HeCarlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-843421712002-11-10T19:12:00.000-08:002002-11-13T18:50:47.000-08:00
Synchronisation
Samedi passé, mon vieux noyer blanc vénérable a perdu toutes ses feuilles. D'un seul coup, elles sont tombées sans même changer de couleur. Mon voisin et moi regardions, fascinés, les feuilles encore vertes tomber, comme une pluie, sans l'aide du vent. Sans tarder, j'ai sorti le rateau et je me suis mise à ramasser des feuilles sans cesse pendant au moins une heure.
Cet arbre estCarlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-841563982002-11-06T21:18:00.000-08:002002-11-06T21:19:42.000-08:00Nebraska
Just when you thought the monotony of the corn fields of Iowa would finally succeed in driving you crazy, along comes Omaha. Just across the Missouri river from a most welcome bluff that rises out of the landscape, you'll find a quiet cluster of humanity in Middle America - in Nebraska, to put a name to it. Looking for a steak? Just head for the restaurants with a giant plastic bull on Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-839043882002-11-01T19:39:00.000-08:002002-11-01T19:47:11.000-08:00Les Américains, ils l'ont l'affaire?
For the first time in about 20 years, I spent Hallowe'en in New York City. This time, it was on a business trip instead of as a short-term resident. I couldn't help but compare my impressions then and now of this city.
I had the opportunity to live in New York for about three months in 1983, as a poor student on a work term with a $100-a-month stipend. I livedCarlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-835637622002-10-26T12:28:00.000-07:002002-10-26T12:30:43.000-07:00La (plus) belle saison
At the risk of posting a "me too"...I read with a feeling of utter understanding the thoughts on this season posted by a fellow yulbloggers Dave, Ceri and Marc.
Fall takes top place on my list. First off, all of the elements are in my favourite phase: the cool of the air, the brown of the earth, the long, watery rains and the firey colours of the trees and their slanted Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-833869552002-10-22T20:46:00.000-07:002002-10-22T21:06:02.000-07:00 Lavender, spiders and bugs, oh my!
I brought in a few bugs and spiders with that bunch of herbs I hastily plucked from the garden yesterday. I left the herbs on the kitchen table overnight and lo and behold, when I got around to cleaning them earlier, the spiders had already woven their webs between the chairs and the table's edge. Most of them are the daddy-long-legs type and the others are Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-833234802002-10-21T17:05:00.000-07:002002-10-21T17:08:50.000-07:00À la vitesse du temps
That weekend went by just too fast. Friday night flew by, chatting with a friend about Spain, over a pitcher of sangria, making plans to hook up in Madrid in a couple months. Saturday morning anticipated out-of-town houseguests: my mother and her dear friend she has had since junior high school (how does she do that?).
Acceleration! Upon their arrival, we had a snack, went Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-831452162002-10-17T18:14:00.000-07:002002-10-17T18:14:36.970-07:00108
Where Atwater and Notre-Dame cross, there are two gas stations, La Belle Province restaurant and a bus stop. Seven-twenty-seven and the next bus is due in 7 minutes. A minute later, a guy comes to the bus stop, wearing baseball cap in a shade of pink that was once red. He checks the schedule, then quickly walks into La Belle Province and heads for the washroom. Another minute later, he's Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-830946862002-10-16T19:08:00.000-07:002002-10-16T19:08:56.743-07:00Transport
Ligne verte, 8h25 le matin, le métro m'attend. Parapluie en main, j'embarque avec la foule et je prends une place libre. Lionel-Groulx déjà. J'attends près des portes, réveillée par le parfum des boules à mites que dégagent les gros manteaux sortis en défense contre le temps plus frais et humide.
Ligne orange. Je suis la dernière à embarquer. La fille s'immobilise le temps que je dirigeCarlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-830401562002-10-15T17:58:00.000-07:002002-10-15T17:58:31.936-07:00Image publique
I have to agree with this rant du jour about National Public Radio. I listened to NPR regularly as a young adult, and tuned in again after September 11. I must say I was disappointed with the coverage. Wasn't alternative at all. Lots of analysis from Washington, though, and that was interesting, albeit maddening. So where do you turn for alternative news when the "public" radios Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-829815762002-10-14T14:28:00.000-07:002002-10-14T14:28:00.020-07:00Distraction
Bending down to pick up the bucket of joint compound and the putty knife, I saw an ant. Squish! But wait, where did that come from? Oh yeah, probably the Hibiscus plant that I brought in for the night. Better spray it. Got up and went to the cupboard under the sink and rummaged around until I found the bottle of insecticide soap. Almost empty. I thought I still had some concentrate...Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-829792342002-10-14T13:27:00.000-07:002002-10-14T13:27:10.280-07:00Les courses
Since today's a holiday, the supermarket checkout lines were a little long. I had been flipping through the pages of Coup de Pouce at a bored pace, until I saw that it was soon to be my turn. That's when I really noticed the girl in front of me. She was young, slim, fairly tall and had dark blonde hair pulled up into a high ponytail, showing off a tanned face with thick brows. Very Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-829364012002-10-13T15:50:00.000-07:002002-10-13T15:58:04.000-07:00A Ride Out to Walden Pond
Thinking a lot lately about The Rat Race, I picked up Thoreau's Walden again. Reading it after 20-odd years brought back quite a few memories and some new thoughts, too. I used to bike over to Walden Pond, riding along the edge of busy roads, from Belmont to Concord, so I could sit in the woods and listen to the whispers. Perfect, Nature, as always.
This time, Thoreau's Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-828253542002-10-10T21:06:00.000-07:002002-10-11T20:40:38.000-07:00La pluie et le beau temps
This is the third year in a row that I have grown tomatoes from seeds harvested from a friend's family garden in France, near Lyon. In the 5 or 6 years that we have shared gardening stories together, she has never wavered from her claim that her dad's tomatoes were the biggest, fleshiest, tastiest ones ever. Her dad sent the seeds over one year so we could see how they Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-827217472002-10-08T20:21:00.000-07:002002-10-10T20:32:46.000-07:00Côté jardin
Blog entry supplanted by gardening.
Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-825974132002-10-06T09:57:00.000-07:002002-10-06T09:59:49.000-07:00Conjuger comme il faut
Verbe (n. m.) : « un mot qui exprime l'action ou l'état du sujet » (définition partielle)
Choisir un verbe, c'est dévoiler sa philosophie sur la vie. Et pour combien d'entre nous la vie est-elle conjuguée au verbe « falloir », notre discours peuplé des « il faut que » ? J'essaie de changer ça, de refaire cette conjugaison, de m'éloigner d'une philosophie allourdie par le Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-825790462002-10-05T20:15:00.000-07:002002-10-05T21:30:39.000-07:00Recall
There are days when something comes to pluck on Memory's strings unexpectedly, causing an event from the past to somehow resonate across time to the present moment. Today was one of those days.
A friend came over with her 9-year-old daughter so that we could go to the botanical gardens for the pumpkins and especially the Chinese lanterns. Before heading out, I had agreed to show her how Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-825389432002-10-04T17:38:00.000-07:002002-10-05T21:31:10.000-07:00Identity Card
Some of one's sense of identity comes from geography. On that score, I am a Montrealer. This conclusion dawned upon me a few years ago, which is relatively recent, given almost 20 years of residence. Why take so long to accept a change of address? Not being a native speaker of the majority language, I guess.
I find that my life is finely focussed on language, speaking French Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-825369702002-10-04T16:30:00.000-07:002002-10-04T16:57:57.000-07:00I just love this piece of analysis on white rage. I even have parts of it posted on my cubicle wall. I came across it a few years ago when I typed in "cryptic poetry" in a search engine, because I was looking for some inspiration to send birthday greetings to a sweet young lady in her first year of university. I just reread it and thought: So true.
In this city that boasts of its Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-824954912002-10-03T19:06:00.000-07:002002-10-05T21:32:30.000-07:00Second Inning
Today is Blog 3 - 3 strikes and yer out! Ok, so really, why blog?
Here are a few "reasons to blog" lifted from the top 2 pages of Google searches on the matter:
1 - Exercise freedom to share opinions and thoughts on any subject whatsoever. (True, most of these opinions are worth about what you pay for them...)
2 - Keep in touch.
3 - Discover many of the most fascinating things on Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-823427162002-09-30T19:00:00.000-07:002002-10-05T21:33:05.000-07:00Still thinking
I'm still contemplating this "journal-intime-pas-du-tout-intime" concept of a Web log. Turns out I already have a blog of sorts, one I started about gardening (Tales of the Northern Gardener). It was meant to be a way to keep in touch with all those out-of-town friends and family members. I chose gardening partly because everyone (or just about) I was writing to could relate, and Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3817127.post-822148562002-09-27T16:42:00.000-07:002002-09-30T18:50:01.000-07:00Baptism of Blog
Rare indeed it is that I surf willy-nilly the great, vast World Wide Web. Normally, I enter a keyword into Google (and I do try to choose those keywords carefully) to find just what I'm looking for. So the Web is my library, not really my community. Then how did I get here? I was looking to post an announcement on the technical writers listserv in Montreal (address unknown to me) Carlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03509070874916930026noreply@blogger.com