preposterous transitions

My Latest Occasional Update

Nothing much that's new, really: work is good. I have these moments of total stress but then a friend told me the other day that when he feels stressed out, he remembers that it's HIS fault and not his job's fault that he's stressed. That he has the power to either be stressed or not be stressed. For some reason this really hit a nerve and I've been actively trying to let it all go. It has worked decently, too. I still have my moments (I dream about work constantly) but if I can I just take a deep breath and force myself to think about something else! I blog for work on this site.

Warm fall this year: it's been in the low teens the last few days. Mid November! Crazy. Not complaining because the shorter winter is, the better. But I imagine it'll stop any time and we'll  have snow.

Since the time change, I've been getting up at six, ostensibly to go to the gym though only actually manage to make it there twice a week or so. But it's nice having a long leisurely morning without rushing around (since I don't usually need to be in my office until 9).

A friend in town this week for a conference, someone I was once very close to. We would spend days together because I was living downtown (in Guangzhou) and she was working at my school and lived way out in the suburbs, so she'd stay at my place. We'd stay up late watching Ally McBeal or The Practice on Hong Kong tv, cook dinner together many nights a week, go out to clubs in the city. But then we both left China and despite having been super close for almost a year, we've exchanged probably 7 emails or letters in the last 10 years. It'll be interesting to see if things just pick up where we left them or if time has changed us too much...

Not much traveling though I do get to Ottawa and Toronto quite a bit (and New York, too). Still tossing around a few ideas for summer 2012 but work feels like too much planning already so it's hard for me to do anything but think  briefly about the summer (which I should have off). Maybe France. Maybe Asia. Not sure yet.

Pete's hair all grew back. Cooper is almost full grown now and still a ton of energy but less naughty than he was as a puppy so I hardly ever have to yell at him (though I did last night for digging in the plants). He's fun and LOVES everyone...

So that's it. The last year my life has been about work. Hopefully not forever!

 

Make new friends and associates!

By walking the dog, which is such a great way to meet people.  

At work, I do use French but I find that the French I am most comfortable in nowadays is work French (talking about literature, figures, planning, etc.) but if I need to have a chat about something day to day it's harder. But walking the dog gives me a chance to use French to talk about dogs and the park and daily life in a way I rarely do at work.

Yesterday, a 40 minute walk turned into a two hour walk because I kept running into people I've started seeing regularly: we talk about their dogs, my dog, our apartments, winter, what we do for exercise, mealtimes, supermarkets in the area, etc., but the dogs are the starting point. I also hear all the gossip about the other people in the park with dogs. It's very odd, like the little community that smokers cultivate (especially nowadays when they all have to go downstairs and outside to smoke).

Not every experience is a good one: I met this guy last week who was a real nutter: he just went on and on without taking a breath about his dog this and that, all the terrible dog owners, one of those people who don't really want to have a conversation but just to TALK at someone. Ugh. I avoid him like he's contagious now.

Anyway, usually we are in Parc LaFontaine which is a block south of here. But when we get bored there, we go to Parc Laurier, three blocks north. Photo here is the lake in Parc LaFontaine, taken yesterday when it was perfectly gorgeous outside.

Snippets

Well my seven weeks of time off is coming to an end. Monday I start back at work and, yes, I am ready. It's been relaxing and easy staying at home all summer (though I have been working a bit) but it's time to be back in the game. 

Made some money this summer, did some renovations on the house (still in the middle of some), got a puppy, and read a lot. Not a bad list of accomplishments.

Now it's time to focus on the fall and 2012. I have a few big trips coming up: Singapore (I think) is the one I am looking forward to the most. I decided to forego most of the international travel opportunities for this fall and focus on some festivals in North America though I did want to go to Singapore for various reasons. But also on the horizon: Vancouver, New York, Toronto (several times), New Orleans and LA. I think October and November are going to be lots of traveling...

That's about it. Summer is winding down. It's not cold at all but something happens in the air, it just seems like it's changing, the heat starts tapering off and there is a slight chill behind it. You can feel where it ends. I don't mind the change in seasons though in late November I am usually super annoyed that there are five months of cold ahead.

It's weird to spend most of my work time focused on one week in spring. Once spring is here and the event passes, it's the most relaxing feeling in the world: to have another year, the summer off, a chilled, easygoing work schedule for six months - wow that's great. Of course, after January my job is incredibly crazy and stressful but four months of stress for six months of easy and two months off is pretty cool!

Ian came over and we watched "The New World" last night, Terrence Malick's last film. It was pretty good, stunning cinematography, as usual, though the story was a bit wonky in areas. I definitely recommend it but he is one of those directors whose work is better seen in a theatre.

This summer I've read or re-read: Days and Nights of Love and War by Eduardo Galeano, Further Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin, Mary Ann in Autumn by Armistead Maupin, The City of Your Final Destination by Peter Cameron, From the Observatory by Julio Cortazar, A Brief Life by Juan Carlos Onetti, The Clock Winder by Anne Tyler, Voyage in the Dark by Jean Rhys, Dogs at the Perimeter by Madeleine Thien and Dog Sense by John Bradshaw. Not bad for seven weeks!

 

Summer

Been taking it easy this summer, having seven weeks off from my main job. Just doing a few smaller projects and really relaxing. Loving it though it's super hot today (hot all over, I guess).

Reading Juan Carlos Onetti which is great, his novel A Brief Life. It was written in 1950 and chronicles the story of a man as he takes care of his wife dying from cancer, his imagined fantasy life, his past, a screen play he is writing. It's set in Buenos Aires of the late 40s...

Watched True Grit the other day. I loved it.

Mainly just reading magazines, some other books I'm re-reading, and spending a lot of time watching TV shows like Breaking Bad and The Big C.

Loving summer!

So we got a dog. In June. It's been great but he's a ton of work. He's pretty much potty trained now though he still pees once every other day or so on the floor of the living room. Which is annoying. We call him Cooper.