Ahoy,
It’s been a while since I updated (again; I’m incorrigible). So let’s get you caught up.
I ended up spending almost three weeks in Montreal, and I loved it. I was originally intending to leave around the first or second of November, after Halloweekend. I had this feeling that I should return to Nova Scotia, but I couldn’t really explain it. I think it was an instinct of prudence and modesty, that staying in Montreal longer than two weeks was “extravagant” and, indeed, unnecessary – and that it would be less expensive, safer, and more ascetic to go back to St. Margaret’s Bay, stay with my parents, and live my quiet life. I was very ambivalent about it and not sure what to do. I also felt guilty for staying with “Cute Lil Ky” and “Keidy-Keids” for too long, knowing that they would never tell me to get out, even if I had overstayed my welcome. Sure, I strove to be a good guest, not bothering them when they had to study, doing my own thang and not requiring their constant attention or company, cleaning up after myself, and contributing to the household – buying TP, washing dishes, and the like. But still, I had a nagging worry (magnified by Enbal’s hard truths and perceptiveness), which contributed to the feeling that I should return to Halifax. The usual second-guessing when traveling also hit me – knowing that I’d be more comfortable and spending less money if I were just “home,” and recognizing that my normal boring life was dull, sure, but it was good-enough and survivable.
Anyway. Like I typically do when faced with indecision and inner turmoil, I turned to my friends to figure it out. Listened to them explain how there’s no real strong reason for me to go back to NS, since I don’t have much going on (t)here, and had them remind me that despite some boring afternoons, waking up and spending time alone, I was still having more fun in Montreal than I would in Boutiliers Point. I made damn sure that Ky + Keidan were okay with me staying longer, too, and after that… I absolved myself of guilt! I extended my stay until November 7th and caught a rideshare back – with the same driver that I traveled up with, actually! And by remaining in La Belle Province an extra week, I got to attend dear Melody and Akiva’s birthday gathering, FINALLY see Enbal again (it had been sixteen months, since I caught encephalitis and couldn’t meet her in Vienna like we planned on), play some new board games with V, E, & MC (Mike Chan), check out the Korean place Ky+Keid work at, and just spend more time with friends and enjoy being young and unfettered, in the city that was my home for six fabulous years! So, 100%, it was the right decision.
What else did I do in Montreal?
- Caught up with Torch at Provigo and then saw The Girl on the Train with her – good movie, good book (though nothing ground-breaking or monumental).
- Played Settlers of Catan twice with JJJ/Liam/Canada/SassNation, his girlfriend Rachel, Torch, E, and V – and won both times.
- Had a yummy dinner at L’Academie with Mikey and Sarah.
- Celebrated my and Nick Backman’s birthdays with a small soiree at Ky’s place and then with a four-course dinner at a Mauritian place (Aux Iles Bleues).
- Enjoyed 25¢ wings and beer with Danny Leung and Chloe (and her sorority sisters), then crashed a Karaoke Night with Queer Concordia. My best performances: “Fergalicious,” “MILF $,” (both by Fergie) and “Loaded” by Amber Rose. #shameless
- Went to two Halloween parties, one in St-Henri and the other in Ville friggen Saint-Laurent. My costumes were a tuxedo guy/dead waiter/Tuxedo #Masc4Masc one night, and a skeleton/skull the other. Thanks to Sephora for the makeup and nail polish for the former, and Ouliana for the vegan black lipstick for the latter! Also thanks to the hosts of the party (Cynthia, all that food you made was the bomb!) and a special shout-out to INNA for always be willing to talk to me about The Challenge & The Real World!
- Watched the third Presidential Debate with her, too, and Der-Bear So.
- Schlepped myself to the Mile-End to meet up with Mike Chan and his visiting Torontonian friends at the Sparrow first, and later to Dieu du Ciel – my first time being there, if you can believe. I ordered the rose-hibiscus beer, which was pink, unsurprisingly. Might a “lady’s drink” (throwback to aperitivo at ‘Gusto in Rome!), but I really enjoyed it.
- The other board games I played were Codenames, Betrayal at House on the Hill, and Jaipur, at Randolph’s jeux de société I enjoyed all of them, of course – but especially Betrayal, which I can’t wait to play again!
- I went to Ganadara with Ky, Mikey, and Brendan Gordon – tried bibambap for the first time! – and saw BG another time, with Ben/Murph, E, & V again, this time at the Thompson House.
- I climbed the mountain and took cliché photos off the Belvedere, and I wandered around the Village and Old Port at other times too.
- I attended Logan’s Horror Movie Marathon on Halloween Eve, got to see him, Anna, & Aviva – all superb people – and loved it. He went to my version of this event back in 2010, right when we were becoming friends – and now it comes full circle! They watched The Witch, Don’t Breathe, and Goodnight Mommy/Ich Seh Ich Seh, but I only arrived for the last two. DB is worth a watch, but I was very disappointed by GM. I had heard so much about it and thus had high expectations – and they didn’t meet them. Too slow and art-house for me. But that’s fine, you can’t like everything.
- Had a brunch potluck with Hurricane Matthew (Julia, Enbal, Ky, Keidan, Victoria, Derek, Alistair, Melody, Jeff, Ale – unfortunately Nick and Akiva didn’t attend) on my last day there, and loved it [even if people didn’t like the green salad I brought 😡 ]. As per usual, so many inside jokes arose then – which is definitely one of my favourite things about HM/HP. Love all of you!
- Saw the Ghostbusters (female) reboot with Alejandra, Tsareena, and Jeffrey while sharing a Free Fido cupcake and munching on homemade banana-chocolate chip muffins. Very yummy. The movie was ehh, but I still enjoyed it. We just shouldn’t’ve watched the extended cut of it. So many jokes fell flat.
- Had a sick day one day, so I read my Kindle (Slade House and then Fight Club) and hung out in the hot tub. Then, later I groaned and moaned alongside Keidan, who also wasn’t feeling good. Cute Lil Ky made us ramen and bought some snacks for us though – ADORABLY! – and that helped everything, and I loved it so much. What a sweet guy! 😀
- Took a long walk during a particularly balmy day, along the Lachine Canal, through Griffintown, wandered around the Alexis Nihon Centre, visited Ky+Keidan at work, strolled through campus, and bought a banh mi for dinner at the end. Made for some great photos, which later became #InstaFire. All those #fallcolours!
- Hung out with Brendan Prouse at his new sublet and had a great time. Talked all about Pokemon S&M (Sun & Moon – get your mind out of the gutter) and the death of Vine and Tinder profiles and Halloween costumes etc etc. He’s such a great guy, ADORE him.
- Went with classic ol’ Sabrina to the Anticafe, this really cool institution right off Place des Arts. It’s the opposite of a café in that everything (the coffees, teas, snacks, etc) are free and you can take as much as you want – you just have to be sure to clean up after yourself/bus your own dishes. And instead of prices for these consumables, you pay “rent” for however long you stay there. $3 for the first hour and $2 for every subsequent one – up to a max of $9 per day, I think. Plus tax and tip, naturally. It’s a VERY cool idea and I fully recommend it to anybody visiting Montreal. I had a cappuccino, a latte, hummus, and gummies, sat for two hours downtown, caught up with lovely Sabrina, and only had to pay like $5.50! It’s awesome.
Hmm… I think that might wrap things up! I didn’t do something notable every day, but since I was staying with two such wonderful people, those days I didn’t do much weren’t wasted. I still got to hang out / catch up with friends and got my social-extroverted needs filled, just by their positive presence! So, in addition to all the other things you two so graciously provided for me, Ky+Keidan – thank you so much for being great people who make me smile, laugh, and be grateful for humanity in general. Keep on keepin’ on, you stars! 😀
The ride home was pretty momentous too. I went with Francis again, this time sans another passenger and without his two cute dogs! Made things more comfortable, and it also meant I got to have conversation with him. He’s a good guy, and I’m so glad I met him. Not only did he shuttle me to and from Halifax for only $100 each way, he is a decent human being that is worth knowing. On the way, though, we had another misadventure. En route to Montreal, he got pulled over for speeding and was slammed with a ticket – annoying and unnecessary, of course – but what occurred on the return trip was so much worse. He had borrowed the car from his buddy, and 7km from the border to New Brunswick, we once again were pulled over – except this time he was well within the speed limit. Apparently, his friend’s license is suspended, meaning his car is not able to be driven in Quebec. So the officer was saying to Francis that we had to vacate the car and find another way to our destination, even if we were on the side of the highway in the middle of nowhere – which would’ve been horrible! I would’ve managed, by riding to Edmunston and then catching a bus to Halifax, but still, that absolutely wouldn’t’ve been ideal. So, somehow, by some miracle, the cop came up with a solution. This law only applies in Quebec, evidently – so we just had to hire a tow truck to bring us across the border to NB, and then we could go on our merry way! Legitimately! Thank my lucky stars for that, because I really did not want to figure out that cauchemar.
But besides that little misstep, the ride back was fab. Beautiful autumn day with good company on an affordable method to return to Halifax, and we made great time. I was dropped off in a Tim Horton’s parking lot, and Mum picked me up literally less than five minutes later. It was perfect! And on the way, I finished reading Fight Club, started Jurassic Park, took a couple naps, listened to some episodes of the Brain Candy Podcast, practiced my French, and essentially enjoyed the trip.
And my time since being home has been good, too. I’ve played lots of board games (2x Carcassonne with Dad, winning both; 2x Dominion Intrigue+Prosperity with him again, winning those two as well; 2x Intrigue+Seaside with Mum and Dad, winning 1 but Marilyn clinching the other victory; 3x Intrigue+Seaside+Prosperity with Dustin, only victorious once); got my six-week-old foot tattoos touched up for free; had my first dental appointment in 3.75 years (such a relief); went for coffee with dear Fiona; played Sm4sh with Bryson and their roommates for 3 hours; got some quality sleep; worked out again; took a lovely walk to the beach and back; went to a Mexican restaurant with my extended family for a belated birthday dinner and highly enjoyed their company; finished watching Big Brother Canada 2 (Neda deserved that win); saw a horrid horror film (I Am the Pretty Thing that Lives in the House) with Dustin and his friends, but still had a good time thanks to all our joking and laughs throughout it; witnessed the election and liked that even less; and attended a low-key party at Bryson’s last night with Fiona. All (mostly) good stuff!
And as for now – I’m in the Halifax airport, waiting to board the plane to Orlando. Mum was going on a 12-day trip down there anyway, so she already had the accommodations figured out, and I found round-trip tickets two days in advance for only $430 Canadian. Again, I was torn as to whether I should go, since I just got back from Montreal and probably should spend some time with friends and family before jetting off again – but again, I asked my friends for help with my decision. And once again, they came through for me. There is no real strong reason for me to stay in Nova Scotia, since the things that would keep me here can happen over the holidays, which are soon enough. When’s the next time I’ll get the opportunity to go on a vacation, especially to such a sunny and tropical location for that ridiculously reasonable price? If I’m going to be doing not-much-of-anything for the next two weeks in St. Margaret’s Bay, why not do that in the Sunshine State, soaking in the warmth and getting some Vitamin D? I can read books and catch up on journaling (and blogging) and relax there just as well in Florida as Canada – or even better – and that’ll have some more excitement and adventure for me! So #YOLO, right? The weather there is sunny and in the high 20s (Celsius, of course), so I can’t wait! Yay!
And finally (we’re boarding soon) – I GOT THE JOB IN OTTAWA!! I had two interviews that I felt good about while I was in Montreal (over Skype) and gave them my references, and waited patiently but anxiously for them to get back to me. And I finally got that email I was hoping for on Friday, after the marvelous Mexican dinner with the fam! So I am the new Sports Inclusion Coordinator for the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity! And I’m so, so, SO excited about it! I don’t know for sure yet, but I believe I begin in 2-3 weeks. So now that I’ll be starting my career, beginning a 9-5, then it’s even better that I’m headed to Kissimmee now! Everything seems to be going well for me, and I am so grateful, humbled, fortunate, happy. Let’s hope it continues for the time being, and Mum and I have a fantastic time down in Florida.
For now, though – I gotta go! I’ll write more about the job and everything later on.
All the best to you all, and hope life is treating you great too! 😀
– Jefe
jetsetterjefferson 