Passing When I Don’t Want To

As an English-speaking white person, I’m often mistaken for a Canadian. This happens to me on the phone as well as in person, and it’s been particularly acute in the last couple weeks (doctors’ appointments plus random calls here and there). As with any other country, there is all sorts of tacit knowledge you have …

Just like Bono Said It Would Be + My First Bilingual Wedding

There we were on Sunday watching the world cup and the tension during the overtime was palpable. Not just because the score was tied, but because we had a wedding to attend. At the end of the first overtime, I set the digital video recorder to capture the rest of the game, even if it …

Sick Men Neglect Their Blogs

Nothing serious, just a summer cold. I hate summer colds. It’s beautiful out and I’ve got a head full of sand. I know colds aren’t restricted to winter, but they should be. Summer’s my time. Today I feel some improvement, though. I think I’ll leave the apartment. Speaking of leaving the apartment, Thursday was our …

3 Banal Thoughts on 10-Digit Dialing

For those who don’t know, Montreal went to 10-digit phone dialing this month. 1. When I moved here, I enjoyed the 7-digit phone number as kind of rustic. There’s some kind of threshold between 7 and 10 numbers on the phone. Or maybe that there was a tactile distinction between local and long distance calling, …

Italian Design Exhibit at the Musee de Beaux-Arts

We just hit the exhibit today and I found it very engaging. I hate to say it but I think the coolest stuff was when the fascists were on the upswing in Italy. Futurism looks really neat, as do Italian riffs on Art Nouveau. I’m sure that reveals something deeply disturbing about my psyche, but …