Welcome to Montreal

Didn’t think I’d make it back here quite so soon…
I had the wonderful fortune of getting up at 3:30am yesterday to catch a 4am shuttle bus out to the airport in time for my 5:40am flight. Gaa, that’s early. I spent the better part of the morning trying to help my stomach figure out what was going on – first breakfast was at 4am, second breakfast was in Vancouver airport at about 6:15, first lunch (I feel like a hobbit just writing this) was around 9am (noon eastern time!) on the plane, second lunch was around noon pacific time… then dinner when I got here.
The shuttle bus operator was far to chipper for that early in the morning and was a little freaky when he started going on about being “Victoria’s most famous bus driver” because his name is Freddy and his last name is Krueger “just like the guy from the horror movie.” Okay, okay, I’ll pay you double if you just let me get to the airport alive!

Oh, and in very exciting news…. I’m seeing John Mayer perform tonight!! (Thanks Jen!)

en encore

Still here in Montreal. I`ve been able to re-go to some of the places I haven`t been to in ages and visit some new ones. As always, a visit to Montreal is not complete without a visit to Schwarz`s, so we had lunch there yesterday (thanks for the gift certificate dad!) after traipsing around Mont Royal for the better part of the morning. It is a little nippy out right now, but still no snow to speak of, although it did snow on Tuesday. Spent Tuesday up at “the Country” or the Laurentians where friends have a cottage. According to the guest book, I haven`t been there since 1997. I missed the last gatherings becuase of being in Australia. Things look pretty much the same I think, although I didn`t make it out to the fort or fort-area where Jen and I played as kids. No deer showing themselves either this time. It was fun to spend part of the day there again though. Tomorrow Jen is abandoning me in favour of work, so we are at the Library now where I am getting books to read. One can only spend so many hours wandering around Westmount. Sitting here typing, I am struck by how boring my life is now that I am not wandering Europe or China or not in school. Maybe I`m finally having a “normal” life. Oh, and on that note – I got a job in Victoria (much rejoicing and celebrating!). Not the one I interviewed for, although I was offered that one but had to turn them down. But I start working for SALTS in February, so I`ll be back and looking for a place to live in the not to distant future.