March 31, 2004
One Week to Go!
Only one more week, so much to do........
March 27, 2004
Air Force
At air force right now, very bored but I am making money for my trip
March 26, 2004
March 24, 2004
Two Weeks More
Only two weeks more, only two weeks more, only two weeks more, only two weeks more, only two weeks more, only two weeks more, only two weeks more, only two weeks more, only two weeks more, only two weeks more, only two weeks more.
Can you say I'm anxious?
March 23, 2004
Botan Rice Candy
When I was a kid in the 60's my brother (8 years older than me and in University) would go to San Francisco on a semi-regular basis to either visit friends attending university there or to protest the war.
When he came back he always had a small present for his little sister. More often than not it was this rice candy. It was a chewie candy that was wrapped in edible rice paper that would melt in your mouth. There was also a little toy in each box, sort of like Kinder Surprise but not nearly as elaborate. I always looked forward to this when he went to SF. Throughout the years I would think about this candy but never saw them again after those few years he was going to SF.
So this past week I'm in the oriental vegitable store near where I live and, lo and behold, there were the rice candies by the cashier exactly as I had remembered them! Of course I immediately bought a box. They no longer have the little toy inside, this has been replaced by a sticker. They tasted just as I remembered.
March 19, 2004
Gluttony
I pity those poor people who do not live in either eastern Canada or northeast US. They are unable to partake in that spring ritual known as cabane à sucre or sugar shack.
Just got back from an absolute pig out at one in the Richelieu Valley just south of Montreal. My Air Force reserve unit goes to one every spring but this is the first time I've arranged to go. Took the day off from my regular job but it was worth it.
Seeing as I have lived in this neck of the woods for 25 years now this was only my third time going. You don't want to go to these things too often because it's all the wrong food but oh so good plus everything is drenched in freshly boiled maple syrop (I think I spelled it the french way, you tend to get messed up after a while what is the french way and what is the english especially when they are very close in spelling).
Always about the same type of menu, rolls and creton (a sort of very crude paté) served with home made yellow pea soup. The pea soup at the place we went was really tasty. Traditionally on the table are homemade pickes, sweet and sour, pickled beets and such. This is followed by oreilles de criss, I guess you could call it a sort of really crispy bacon or more like a pork rind, boiled potatoes (although sometimes they are fried), ham, sausage, omelet, baked beans made with maple sirop. They didn`t serve crêpes but you sometimes get that. Dessert was homemade donut and a crispy deep fried dough affair that had maple butter with it and you pour even more sirop over it. Unfortuantely I was too busy pigging out to get a photo of the food!
We didn't stick around for the tire, I guess that would be like maple taffy. You usually pour it into fresh snow and then use a popsicle stick to twirl it so you can lift it up and eat it. I did buy a couple containers of tire and sirop to bring home.
So now I desparately need to take a nap before I consider doing anything else today. Maybe about a week from now I'll be hungry again ;-)
March 18, 2004
Freaky or what?
I was doing my usual perusing through various blogs during my lunch hour when I came across this posting on Ancarett's Abode,
Take The Very British Name Generator today. So naturally I went to it.
I typed my name in (Patricia McMullen) and received the name Amelia Callaghan. I then typed in my sister's name (Deborah McMullen) and received Elizabeth Callaghan.
Now this is the freaky part, our mother's name is Amelia Elizabeth McMullen!
Freaky or what?
March 16, 2004
Coincidence? I think not....
Yesterday I ran into an old friend. Kathy was one of my best friends through university, her family practically adopted me. I spent Christmas at their home a few times. Kathy was also majoring in music at McGill and we lived in the same apartment building. Through what ever happens as people get older we grew apart, her and Colin moved out into a house and eventually to Toronto. I occasionally ran into her mother at the Lakeshore Light Opera. She would update me on Kathy's activities but I hadn't seen Yvonne around for the last few years. As far as actually meeting up, I live downtown but work on the West Island. Kathy lives in Toronto but her mother still lives in Pointe-Claire
The whole premise for meeting up actually started last Friday. Normally we get our paycheck at least the day before payday (old-fashioned but such is life). Friday was the last working day before Monday the 15th so we should have gotten our checks but we didn't.
On Saturday afternoon when I came home from Air Force rehearsal I had a craving for corned beef and cabbage, the St Patrick's Parade was on Sunday and St Patrick's Day is coming up. I have two major supermarket chain stores within a block either way of me. I went to both and neither had any corned beef (I'm not talking the canned type). So I bought other stuff to have for dinner.
Monday, the checks come around, yeah!. Normally (using that word again) I sign my check in the office, put it in my pocket with my bank card and stop by the Royal Bank about three blocks from here at the corner of Hymus and St John's. They have a drive through bank machine, actually something not very common here. So, as I left work on Monday afternoon my mind plan was go to bank, deposit check, grab some cash, stop in at the Provigo at the shopping Center at Dorval Circle, buy some corned beef (and if they don't have it there is a Maxi at the Dorval Gardens Shopping Center right next door), hop back on highway, cook corned beef, live happily ever after.
So I am driving down St John's toward the 20, merry thoughts of corned beef dancing in my head, thinking about super markets and how the Provigo in Dorval is the most convenient when I realized that I was already a couple of blocks past the Royal Bank. Arg, replan thoughts, I have some cash, could use my debit card but I always take cash out with that and then spend the cash (I know, old-fashioned but old habits hard to die). Wait! There is a Royal Bank by the Maxi in Dorval I can deposit my check there, get my corned beef and return to bliss. There we go, a new plan!
As I pull off the 20 at Dorval I have to pass right in front of the Provigo so I might as well check to see if they have any corned beef just in case the Maxi doesn’t so then I don't have to come back this way. Pop into the Provigo and, alas, some corned beef packages. They are all a little on the puny side but maybe I should just buy a couple. No! I'll go as planned and deposit my check, get cash check out Maxi.
So I drive over to the next center (they are practically the same thing), park my car in front of the Royal Bank entrance, deposit my check, get my cash and then head into Maxi. Hooray! They have some corned beef packages, slightly larger than the ones at Provigo but still puny. I take two. While I am wandering through the supermarket I decide not to buy veggies there but at the veggie store across from me at home.
I then had a craving for sweets. Never shop on an empty stomach. I passed by the bulk section but all they had was big containers of jujubes and such and I knew that if I bought one of those I'd eat them all before I got home. So I withstood that craving but then had one for Hot Tamales, those little cinnamon flavored candies. I knew that Maxi wouldn't have any so I headed back into the mall in search of a candy store. I could have just turned right coming out of Maxi and gone to my car but I was on a mission.
I'm walking along in what has often been characterized as Pat's World when I hear a voice say very deliberately, "P a t M c M u l l e n ....." I look up and say with the same infliction, K a t h y ..." No wows, jumps, hoops or hollers just a simple conversation, 5 minutes or so, Colin came up along with their daughter Frannie. Caught up on one of two minor things, her mother and the such and then that was it. I continued looking for the elusive candy store (there isn't one, I got a gumball out of a machine instead) and they continued on to what ever they were doing. I then just continued home and cooked my corned beef.
March 14, 2004
Montreal St Patrick's Parade 2004
Well, it's that time of year again. The unofficial harbinger of spring in Montreal is the annual St Patrick's Parade. Whether or not there is snow on the ground (thankfully this year there was none) everyone considers this to be the turning point of winter. It never fails to draw a big crowd, usually in the environs of 500,000 but that can go much higher depending on the weather. While the weather was clear and occasionally the sun shone through it was a little on the chillie side so the crowd was probably around 500,000.
This was the 180th consecutive parade, the longest such in North America and with 100 entrants in the parade second behind NYC for the largest parade.
I shall finish the rest of this tomorrow night as I am a little tired from the activities of today.
March 13, 2004
Look out Dublin!
Booked a flight on Ryan Air today from London to Dublin. I will be leaving London Stanstead Airport on Saturday April 10 in the wee hours of the morning and will return on Wednesday, 14 April in the mid morning. All done on the internet, should come in about 70-80 dollars cdn depending on exchange rate (33.66 pounds to be exact)
I wasn't sure about going to a Catholic country on Easter weekend but I will be there all day Saturday and on Tuesday so most things will be open those days. I did check out the info on the Guiness Brewery Tour and the Jameson's Distillery Tour and they mention they are open 365 days a week so guess what I am going to do Easter Sunday? Drink beer and Irish whiskey!
Checking out hostel prices (how did we ever travel before internet?) and it looks like I can stay the four night for about 110.00 to 150.00 cdn total. I'll wait to book until I get a guide book. Tomorrow is the big St Patrick's Day Parade so I don't think I'll have time to grab a book, it will have to wait until lunch on Monday....
March 03, 2004
T - 5 Weeks
Just five more weeks before I take off for London (England, that is).
I'm really burned right now so these are going to be 5 really long weeks. I have a feeling I'll end up going there and just chillin, not do much of anything.
Won't really have much money to do anything but what are credit cards for? ;-)
Still haven't decided what to do for the long Easter weekend, I'll leave that up to Beverley and Fraser. I would like to try to get into London the next week to see a couple of concerts (more money spent) and then the last week we'll be in the Canary Islands.
I will try to keep up this journal while I'm gone, sort of a travel log. I may try to set up Gallery on this section of the site so I can upload some of my photos. The digital camera is going, of course and I'm going to try to remember to take my Olympus 35mm SLR in for a checkup and cleaning so I can take some shots with film.
I have so many things to do with work before going away. Oh well, I'll make it through.