Or at least according to Sopor Aeternus and that is how many things I wanted to accomplish this summer. I am not working this summer (except one day I was working at an ice cream store in the south shore to help out a friend...that was fun). So I figured it'd be a good time to have premium chillage, but also try and get some things done too.
1) Pack
Done! I moved, so things were successfully packed
2) Unpack
Done for the most part, but still in the process of arranging some things
3) Decorate my room
Done! But one thing is missing which will only arrive in mid-august
4) Plant things
Done! with moderate. There are plenty of herbs - especially all kinds of basil :) Garlic is kinda greens are sprouting everywhere. My zucchini's died early in the season due to too much rain. The tomatoes ripened...and were tasty, but no more are growing. I suspect the tomato plants drowned. Hopefully more will come. Cucumbers are showing promise...one is maturing quite well. One of the plants is 64 inches tall! My Cubanelle and Jalapeno plants grew and began flowering not too long ago, which hopefully means that they will start growing some peppers soon.
5) Learn MATLAB and the past tense of spanish
I've completely failed at this task. I started in May, and did one day. Then I never went back. The only reason I need to learn it is because I need it for my Masters. So I was thinking it'd be a good idea to learn it before I start in fall and am like holy shit, I dunno what to do. There's still time till August 27...but still :(
As for Spanish - I can only speak in the present...which I guess means I live in the moment. But, in all the other languages i know, I do know the past tense. So I thought it'd be a good idea.
I haven't done this yet.
6) Finish Anna Karenina
As I said below, I suspect it will continue on to next year.
7) Go Treetop trekking
I've been wanting to go tree top trekking for at least a year. So assuming nothing bad happens between now and August 10, all should be ok. I am scared of heights, but I'm thinking that since I'll be doing something in the trees and not just standing there looking down, it should be ok.
8) Learn to cook more international things
I consider myself to be a pretty decent cook and I've tried making a many things. Since I had almost 4 months off though, I figured, DUDE MAN! I can test lotsa stuff.
So far I've just done a wee bit of Lebanese and quite a bit of Mexican.
Lebanese - Baklava and Kafta (essentially fried meatballs with parsley and various herbs in them). I've never made either of these before, but they turned out really well and are pretty easy to do.
Mexican - I experimented with corn flour. It has an entirely different consistency from wheat flour. The good thing about it is it doesn't require any rise time/yeast. But it is tricky to work with.
Thanks to my awesome friend Cindy telling me how to make traditional mexican foodies, I was able to try out a bunch of things.
I made salsa the right way haha...but I am not a spice champion like Cindy (she has made salsa entirely with jalapenos, no tomatoes :o )
I made Cactus Quesadillas (dude man, zomg, happy drool face), Picaditas, Sopes, Pico de Gallo, Refried beans and Potato soup.
However, my hunt for queso fresco continues. I've just learned of a mexican epicerie around Marche Jean Talon, so I will have to hunt there.
There's still time to do more though :O !!! I must!
9) Bike around Montreal and check out as many places/parks as I can.
So I've done this with moderate success.
I've gone on a few rides but my biggest obstacles have been the weather (it's raining a lot lately and the weather network is kinda wonky sometimes :P) and injuring myself in June (limping around/general soreness for a while. Though I got my bike checked the week after, I didn't do a long ride till the week after that).
In terms of parks, I've been to Pratt Park (my fave little park), Parc Maisonneueve (premium bike path in there), Parc Lafontaine (it's big), Jarry Park (nice pond with duckies) and Parc Rene Levesque (at the end of the Canal Bike path westish. Awesome chill spot and view of the water).
I'm hoping the weather will be on my side and I get to go around more. I would at least like to go completely West (Cap st Jacques and also to Ste-Anne de Bellevue)and completely East (Pointe-Aux-Trembles). It'd also be cool to ride to Laval (possibly more North? haha) and to the South Shore :)
I also have to train to ride to school. I'm ok for long distance biking to some extent, but uphill kills me. I tried riding to Ecole Poly the other day and I was like a dead donkey in the desert. From my place to there, it's 3 km, but it's all freaking uphill. The entrance of Universite de Montreal to the actual Main building is comparable to going up Guy to the Montreal General Hospital :P
Coming home will be a breeze though!
10) Finish watching Queer as Folk
I started watching it during my Midterm break in winter. The show aired on Showcase from 2000-2005, but I never really knew about it. Somehow I found out about it and started watching it (showcase posts 1 episode every week - which started sometime in January). I watched all of the epis there, but then found out surfthechannel had all of them. However, I was a good student and limited myself to once a week till classes were over. I'm currently on Season 4 ep. 2. So I have about 26 episodes left. I figure I better watch it all now, otherwise I'll use it as a procrastination technique in the new semester.
What I like about it: Funny/witty characters (especially Brian Kinney), good music (apart from music shown on the show, their Club Babylon CD is quite good and dancy) and while a lot of the characters are homosexual, not all of them are and it focuses on not only the relationships, but other issues each character is having and issues of the community in general.
11) Try to go to random/interesting places & events in the city.
So far:
-Manhunt (only once though :( )
-Montreal Silent Disco
Running in the streets like a maniac (not really an event, but it was fun nonetheless - I was joined by an equally if not more hyper friend of mine, haha).
-Tam tams - I got to see the medieval fights too! I want to participate, but haven't gotten around to yet. We decided we'd be the Kitchenware Army with styrofoam frying pans/cauldrons and spatulas.
-Kinetik Festival - This is an industrial/electronic/hardcore festival. It lasted 3 days, but we (Paw, Oficeandashes and I) just went for the more electronic night. It lasted from 6pm to 3 am...and I think there were 9 or so bands. In anycase, it was really funny. I'd say it's a mix of electro and metal, easily dancable. I saw really interesting fashions and dancing too. I also got a shirt from there because it said E = 1/2mv^2 - I'm such a mecchy :P
- Jazz Fest/Canada Day stuff
- Festival Nuits D'Afrique (I got to see a band from Congo and Tribo de Jah :))
- Pow wow in Kahnawahke - So, it was a VERY rainy day. We were entirely soaked...but I did get some nice soap there. One of them smells like Sweet Tarts (yes, the halloween candy :D) I also got to ride on a dog scooter for the first time...post pow wow though.
- David Usher at the new Apple Store downtown - He decided to play a free concert there 2 days ago.
- Tried out Spirite Lounge (this place is whacky!, but awesome), L'escalier (general chillage). I have yet to try out Crudessence, Yuan, Cagibi and Le coin Mexican. Also, i'm intruiged by Ramen-Ya.
What's comin? - Divers/Cite, Highland games, Salsafolie...probably more that I forgot.
In addition I will be seeing Radiohead next week! (yay !!!)
So that pretty much ends my list. I hope I'm able to finish it...but I guess if I'm not...that probably means I got some rest, and after all that's probably what I need most before I tackle another degree.
That ends my late night posting. Perhaps I'll put up some pictures of the parks and make a review of the strange/interesting restos I've tried out.
I salute you, especially if you actually read all this.
Anna Karenina is one of the books I wanted to finish reading this summer. It's quite an epic book (800 pages or so) - a classic, written by Leo Tolstoy. I started reading it last summer while doing research in the basement, but only got about 1/4th of the way. So far, I've done another 1/4th and a bit. I don't find it in any way boring, it's just a lot to take in at once. This leads me to believe that I will not finish the book until next year (I don't tend to read much during the year just because of school/other things I'm doing).
The title of this post is probably one of the lines that stands out the most, just because it sounds amusing to me. It comes from this paragraph:
"In order to work out the whole subject theoretically and to complete his book, which, in Levin’s day-dreams, was not merely to effect a revolution in political economy, but to annihilate that science entirely and to lay the foundation of a new science of the relation of the people to the soil, all that was left to do was to make a tour abroad, and to study on the spot all that had been done in the same direction, and to collect conclusive evidence that all that had been done there was not what was wanted."
In the book, Levin is a wealthy landowner from the provinces who could move in aristocratic circles, but who prefers to work on his estate in the country. So that's where his interest about the economy and farming comes in.
In any case, I think what I really enjoy about the book is Tolstoy's style of writing. Apparently it's called stream of consciousness - tis a literary technique that seeks to portray an individual's point of view by giving the written equivalent of the character's thought processes, either in a loose interior monologue, or in connection to his or her sensory reactions to external occurrences.
Usually what bores me in books is detailed descriptions of scenery/battles. On the other hand, I really enjoy looking into/analyzing people's thoughts...so this really works in my favor :P It's also not very hard to pick up after a lengthy hiatus.
Another thing I like is that is Tolstoy's mixing of real and fictional events throughout.
Wiki explains it better than I do:
Characters in Anna Karenina debate significant sociopolitical issues affecting Russia in the latter half of the nineteenth century, such as the proper role of the serfs in society, education reform, and women's rights. Tolstoy's depiction of the characters in these debates, and of their arguments, allows him to anonymously communicate his own political beliefs to his audience.
Characters often attend social functions that Tolstoy attended, and he includes in these passages his own observations of the ideologies, behaviors, and ideas running through contemporary Russia through the thoughts of Konstantin Levin. The broad array of situations and ideas depicted in Anna Karenina allows Tolstoy to present a treatise on his era's Russia, and, by virtue of its very breadth and depth, all of human society. This stylistic technique, as well as the novel's use of perspective, greatly contributes to the thematic structure of Anna Karenina.
Although I am for the most part quite the sciency person, I did enjoy my CEGEP classes on Political Science (What is Justice? / Ethics and Democracy) and my only complementary at University, POLI 202 (Intro to Polisci). I particularly enjoyed the 1st half of the material dealing with the beginnings of certain theories (liberalism, conservatism, socialism, etc and how they developed over time). So, Tolstoy's thoughts portrayed through Levin about Russia and its political system really interest me too :)
Another wiki excerpt about the themes:
The novel, set among the highest circles of Russian society, is generally thought by the casual reader to be nothing more than the story of a tragic romance. However, Tolstoy was both a moralist and severe critic of the excesses of his aristocratic peers, and Anna Karenina is often interpreted overall as a parable on the difficulty of being honest to oneself when the rest of society accepts falseness.
A common way to interpret Anna's tragedy, then, is that she could neither be completely honest nor completely false.
The novel also contains the parallel and contrasting love story of Konstantin Levin. Levin is a wealthy landowner from the provinces who could move in aristocratic circles, but who prefers to work on his estate in the country. Levin tries unsuccessfully to fit into high society when wooing the young Kitty Shcherbatsky in Moscow; he wins her only when he allows himself to be himself.
The joyous, honest and solid relationship of Levin and Kitty is continually contrasted in the novel with that of Anna and Vronsky, which is tainted by its uncertain status (marriage) resulting in constant upheaval, backbiting, and suspicion. Tolstoy supposedly did not want readers to sympathise with her supposed mistreatment, but rather to recognize that it was her inability to truly commit to her own happiness or self-truth which led to her demise.
I will probably see one of the movie's once I finish it, and it doesn't bother me so much that I know the ending already. Given that I really like it so far, I think I might try and tackle more Tolstoy in the future (perhaps War and Peace), but who knows. I could also try out some Dostoyevsky. I'm not sure why I'm interested in these Russian authors...it might just be that they sounded really cool on the Biography Channel.
On a side note, taking the title of this blog literally - The relation of the people to the soil is that it hurts :P Especially if the soil is in the form of asphalt (somehow many people I know are falling off their bikes this summer, including myself).
The title of this post is probably one of the lines that stands out the most, just because it sounds amusing to me. It comes from this paragraph:
"In order to work out the whole subject theoretically and to complete his book, which, in Levin’s day-dreams, was not merely to effect a revolution in political economy, but to annihilate that science entirely and to lay the foundation of a new science of the relation of the people to the soil, all that was left to do was to make a tour abroad, and to study on the spot all that had been done in the same direction, and to collect conclusive evidence that all that had been done there was not what was wanted."
In the book, Levin is a wealthy landowner from the provinces who could move in aristocratic circles, but who prefers to work on his estate in the country. So that's where his interest about the economy and farming comes in.
In any case, I think what I really enjoy about the book is Tolstoy's style of writing. Apparently it's called stream of consciousness - tis a literary technique that seeks to portray an individual's point of view by giving the written equivalent of the character's thought processes, either in a loose interior monologue, or in connection to his or her sensory reactions to external occurrences.
Usually what bores me in books is detailed descriptions of scenery/battles. On the other hand, I really enjoy looking into/analyzing people's thoughts...so this really works in my favor :P It's also not very hard to pick up after a lengthy hiatus.
Another thing I like is that is Tolstoy's mixing of real and fictional events throughout.
Wiki explains it better than I do:
Characters in Anna Karenina debate significant sociopolitical issues affecting Russia in the latter half of the nineteenth century, such as the proper role of the serfs in society, education reform, and women's rights. Tolstoy's depiction of the characters in these debates, and of their arguments, allows him to anonymously communicate his own political beliefs to his audience.
Characters often attend social functions that Tolstoy attended, and he includes in these passages his own observations of the ideologies, behaviors, and ideas running through contemporary Russia through the thoughts of Konstantin Levin. The broad array of situations and ideas depicted in Anna Karenina allows Tolstoy to present a treatise on his era's Russia, and, by virtue of its very breadth and depth, all of human society. This stylistic technique, as well as the novel's use of perspective, greatly contributes to the thematic structure of Anna Karenina.
Although I am for the most part quite the sciency person, I did enjoy my CEGEP classes on Political Science (What is Justice? / Ethics and Democracy) and my only complementary at University, POLI 202 (Intro to Polisci). I particularly enjoyed the 1st half of the material dealing with the beginnings of certain theories (liberalism, conservatism, socialism, etc and how they developed over time). So, Tolstoy's thoughts portrayed through Levin about Russia and its political system really interest me too :)
Another wiki excerpt about the themes:
The novel, set among the highest circles of Russian society, is generally thought by the casual reader to be nothing more than the story of a tragic romance. However, Tolstoy was both a moralist and severe critic of the excesses of his aristocratic peers, and Anna Karenina is often interpreted overall as a parable on the difficulty of being honest to oneself when the rest of society accepts falseness.
A common way to interpret Anna's tragedy, then, is that she could neither be completely honest nor completely false.
The novel also contains the parallel and contrasting love story of Konstantin Levin. Levin is a wealthy landowner from the provinces who could move in aristocratic circles, but who prefers to work on his estate in the country. Levin tries unsuccessfully to fit into high society when wooing the young Kitty Shcherbatsky in Moscow; he wins her only when he allows himself to be himself.
The joyous, honest and solid relationship of Levin and Kitty is continually contrasted in the novel with that of Anna and Vronsky, which is tainted by its uncertain status (marriage) resulting in constant upheaval, backbiting, and suspicion. Tolstoy supposedly did not want readers to sympathise with her supposed mistreatment, but rather to recognize that it was her inability to truly commit to her own happiness or self-truth which led to her demise.
I will probably see one of the movie's once I finish it, and it doesn't bother me so much that I know the ending already. Given that I really like it so far, I think I might try and tackle more Tolstoy in the future (perhaps War and Peace), but who knows. I could also try out some Dostoyevsky. I'm not sure why I'm interested in these Russian authors...it might just be that they sounded really cool on the Biography Channel.
On a side note, taking the title of this blog literally - The relation of the people to the soil is that it hurts :P Especially if the soil is in the form of asphalt (somehow many people I know are falling off their bikes this summer, including myself).
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