We just got the news that a very dear friend of ours in L.A. passed away this morning.
This is where being far from town is so difficult. In reality, things would have been no different had we been there.… [Read More]
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Category: Musings and Observations
or, letting post-docs pick your brain
It’s not easy to engage in a foreign city when you don’t speak the language and you’re avoiding deadly viruses and you work remotely from home.… [Read More]
It’s Fête Nationale in Québec today–not to be confused with a federal holiday like Canada Day next week, which is Moving Day here in Québec (more on that soon). Québec considers itself its own nation and today it celebrates its French culture with a mash-up of Saint–Jean-Baptiste Day and francophone patriotism.… [Read More]
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Seeking Moonrise
Last night, according to the news, was the Strawberry Supermoon. The sun set around 8:45pm, and the moon rose around 9:30pm. It wasn’t very cloudy last night, but we didn’t see the moon rise.… [Read More]
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Prison of Smoke
Those of you who know me well know that I’m a lifelong allergy sufferer.
I’m not talking about your seasonal hayfever or getting sneezy around cats. I’ve been gifted—whether through nature or nurture is unclear—with full-on potentially fatal reactions to food additives, OTC pain relievers, particulates, and more.… [Read More]
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Help Yourself
Yesterday when I finally ventured out of our building for the first time since we got la grippe, this wooden box was on the sidewalk right outside the lobby door:
That little flower symbol on the left is the logo of the City of Montréal, so I was intrigued.… [Read More]
The pictures I’ve posted here thus far have primarily emphasized the older aspects of Montréal: cathedralesque stone churches, ornate house façades, and historic parks. Montréal feels like a much older place than Los Angeles1.… [Read More]
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Wok on the Wild Side
I have no idea what makes this a “California Wok” as opposed to any other kind of wok. Can you figure it out?
I see the “California” appellation on a lot of foods here, veggies mostly, but I can’t figure out what it means.… [Read More]
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Les parcs de Montréal
I went on a walk the other day. In the first few blocks, I passed a number of small parks: Parc Jovette-Marchessault, Espace Pierre-Bourgault, and Parc Persillier-Lachapelle...
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Cells Receipt
I brought an old disused cell phone up here from L.A. because I found out that to get a Canadian credit card and build Canadian credit, you have to show a utility bill with your Canadian residence address as well as your ID.… [Read More]