Talk to me!

[*SE]

LOL noooo depressing is not bad....just depressing A lot of good stories are depressing, actually.
My studying is coming along great, except that people keep on disturbing me. I should be able to ace this stuff! I don't really go often to the same places, but I'm probably going to the Bahamas and Florida on my next one. Out of all the places I've been though, I liked Bermuda the best. I want to move there lol.
And yup, I live in Montreal. I love the city, if it weren't for the weather...
How did your little overnight adventure in Montreal go?

[Jeff91199]

LOL You must be a big Edgar Allen Poe fan, yes no?
Generally, the later you study, the less you have to worry about being disturbed - some good music, some coffee, and it's allll good. Try it! :-)
Where have you been, overall? Do you usually go to visit friends?
Weather, schmeather; you've got the Underground City in Montreal! You could hop on the Metro, spend the day at the mall, head home on the Metro, and have a good day out without ever having had to be outside - even we don't have it that good!
My overnight adventure in Montreal? Quite adventurous. I was stranded at a Metro station on the east side of town for the better part of an hour because there was no station agent to check my pass and wave me through (blasted day pass). I waited and prayed and waited, and got so desperate that I started offering to pay people to get me into the system (not much hospitality), and finally, at 11:45, the agent came back (either the agent came back or I gave up and jumped the turnstile). I waited awhile until the train came, and when I got to the bus station, the last bus back to the States had just left. So, I tracked down a youth hostel on the other side of downtown, Metro'd it over there, and turned in for the night. I asked for a 6:45am wakeup call so that I could make the first bus of the day, and made it back to Plattsburgh in time for church that morning. :-)
Next time I have an overnight adventure up there, I'd much rather it be something more intentional - though it was kinda cool waking up in Canada.

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I've heard of him but have never read anything about him...I was thinking along the lines of Albert Camus' L'Etranger (The Stranger).
I'll try the whole studying late thing, only because the deal comes with coffee Lol
I've done a lot of the USA and most of the Caribbean, never been outside of North America though But I want to eventually take a cruise around the world...even if that means coming back weighing 300 lbs Lol (you probably get sick of the food in no time anyhow...)
Having an underground city does not completely comfort me about the weather, I always have to shovel! And it sort of sucks when (in the few rare cases) you have to walk outside. The summer is unbelievably humid and the winter is just terribly cold.
Lol @ your adventure. I would have been complaining to myself so much LOL...and Montreal isn't exactly the place with the most hospitality so you had bad luck there.
I go to Plattsburgh sometimes, either to go to the beach or on my way to NYC. Last month we got held up at the border and 6 hours after we left MTL we were in Plattsburgh Lol! It was sooooooooooo long.
So when's your intentional overnight adventure here going to be? Do you travel?

[Jeff91199]

Oh, the differences! Poe is practically required reading down here in the States. In a nutshell, he was a popular poetry and short story author back in the mid-1800s, and most of his works were gloomy and/or creepy.
I haven't read The Stranger, but I Googled it to get a basic idea of what it's about. It seems a little bizarre in a way; tough to really pin down. What did you think, when you read it?
You must be just as much a coffee drinker as I am! I'm typing this out right now with a 1/3-full cup of coffee at my side. Who said that man's best friend was always the dog? :-)
I've done a lot of traveling, myself - we should trade trip stories sometime. A round-the-world cruise would be really awesome, too. And hopefully they'd change the food to give a taste of the cuisine in the different places you visited - a little something to keep you from getting tired of it quickly. :-)
Yecch, shoveling doesn't sound that great at all! I take it you don't live in an apartment building? Your summers sound a lot like ours, which are usually unbearably humid - though this summer was mercifully different.
LOL at your woulda been complaining. You have good food up there in Montreal (lovin' the poutine and the pizza trios), but terrible, terrible hospitality! What happened that kept you stuck at the border for six hours? And how did you keep busy the whole time? Wow... that is a seriously long time to be stuck!
My intentional overnight adventure? LOL I dunno when, but I do want to see Montreal again - I haven't been there in a few years. Most likely, once I get a good job, and have some $aving$ and a few vacation days under my belt.
Oh, do I travel! We must trade stories. And how do you like Plattsburgh, when you go there?

[*SE]

Sounds like I'd like Edgar Allen Poe! I'll give him a try when I have time.
The Stranger is sort of bizarre when you read it, but I've found that my friends and other people that have read it have had a harder time reading it than I did. They thought that the guy was a total creep and couldn't understand him at all, when I could identify with him a couple of times. It's worth reading, and a bonus for you is that *apparently* the translated version is better than the original French version I've read.
I am a HUGE coffee drinker. I have Starbucks or Second Cup once a day, on top of regular coffee. Starting today, I'll have to quit the coffee shops because they're making me gain weight Stupid delicious rich coffees...
I'd like to trade traveling stories, I even have pictures of my last one to show you hehe I'll send you my e-mail addy by PM.
I agree that Montreal has great food. Poutine is one of my favorite meals lol. I don't find our food comparable to American food, it's just a completely different way of eating. no matter where I go, if I leave for over 2 weeks I miss the food (still worth it though)
I'll pray for you to get a good job!
I like Plattsburgh, but it I couldn't spend a week there LOL. It's quiet, but cute. My grandmother goes SHOPPING at some place called Champlain Mall or something, and I seriously don't get it...We have malls with 10x the amount of stores as that mall, not to mention Sainte-Catherine...oh well Lol

[Jeff91199]

Thanks for the Camus tip; bonuses are always nice. :-) From the Wikipedia entry, it did seem strange that he was unable to cry at his mother's funeral - but then, some folks can be unemotional. Speaking of languages... which was your first, French or English? And how did you learn your second language?
A heart - and appetite for coffee - after my own! Once again, I'm replying to you with a Starbucks at my side. I love the coffee, and the atmosphere's great - it's the perfect place for me to do my fiction writing. How's Second Cup? I've seen them lots, but have never had the chance to go in... but I do remember they have a 2-story shop somewhere on/around Ste. Catherine Street.
Thanks for your email addy; I'll put you in my address book. I have pics from my last trip as well, and I've been meaning for ages to put them into an online photo album somewhere. Can't wait to see your pictures! I'll PM you back with my email addy.
I do miss Montreal poutine. Simply delicious. One of the popular pizza places in Plattsburgh does a good job with it, too.
Thanks for praying for me about the job - I have an interview coming up on Tuesday, so I'll let you know how it goes. And yes, I'd have to agree about Plattsburgh. LOL It's a great town to go to college in (surprisingly easy to spend 4-5 years (or more) there, as long as you're taking classes), but during college breaks, it's a very boring place. Champlain Centre Mall's good enough for everyday things, but I couldn't see crossing an international boundary to get there. :-) Y'all have the Underground City, and Ste. Catherine Street and The Bay. Plattsburgh has Wal-Mart, Old Navy and JC Penney. Ayyy yi yi...

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Yeah, he was unable to cry. It's sort of weird about how he's neutral about everything. He'll keep on saying something like "doesn't make a difference to me" or "from on point of view...and from the other" like he doesn't actually feel strongly about anything. He's bizarre, but for some reason I find him sort of funny and even though I wouldn't react the way he did in certain circumstances, I understand why someone would.
My first language was French, and I learned English in elementary school. It took me a while to start speaking it though, even if I knew it because I was so shy lol.
You lucky duck! You get Starbucks Like I said, it makes me gain weight so I stopped. Soooo painful. Lol. Second Cup is better than Starbuck's to me, and that's the place that I go to the most (the one on Sainte-Catherine) between the 2. My student price card let's me get a medium for the price of a small and a large for the price of the medium (maybe that's why I'm gaining weight, blame it on the price card) I usually get one every day on my way to college. Those days are gone...
I'm ready to trade trip stories
I'll keep praying about your interview, I'm sure it'll go well! What kind of job is it?
I still like to visit Plattsburgh once in a while even if it's sort of boring, because it's the closest place to go where all signs are English lol (and like I said, it's cute).

PS: I've noticed that my posts have tons of smileys and your have none Lol. Just an observation.

[Jeff91199]

He seems like an interesting guy. Does the book ever get into how he became that way, or why he is? I've always liked cynical and sarcastic characters a lot, although I haven't come across many in books that I've read.
You seem pretty fluent in your postings - your anglais has come a long way! Are you still shy? Ahh, but you're the lucky duck! :funny: You get both Starbucks and Second Cup - and a student discount! (though at one of the Starbuckses in my neighborhood, I sometimes get a "friendly-with-the-barista" discount.) Sorry to hear it's making you gain weight; that'll take the fun out of anything tasty.
I'll get those pics organized somewhere, and in the meantime, I'll write up something about my last big road trip and email it to ya.
Thanks for your prayers - I'll keep you posted!
LOL That's awesome; I like that you say that Plattsburgh is cute! It does have a nice downtown (although some parts of town on the other side of the Saranac River are less cute :no, and I think it's the only town in the state with all those bilingual signs. On the other hand, your French signs are very, very intriguing.
And yes, you're right. LOL My posts haven't had smileys. I've been very amused, but I haven't hit the "Go Advanced" button before now. But better late than never, no?

[*SE]

Nope we never find out why he's like it. He just is, as if it comes naturally Lol. But to find out more you'll have to read it for yourself
I'm not shy anymore, but I still look like I am because I'm not gifted when it comes to small talk. I never know what to say so people that don't know me would probably think that I'm shy.
It's always good to be friendly with a barista Lol. I'm probably going to work at either Starbucks or Second Cup this summer since I usually get bored doing nothing for a whole summer. Do you get free coffees at Starbucks if you work there or just a discount?
What's in the parts of town on the other side of Saranac River?
LOL why are french signs so intriguing? Do you carry a little bilingual dictionary when in Montreal?
Yup, better late than never when it comes to using smileys.
Ohhh...and did you just laugh at my lucky duck expression? :no:

[Jeff91199]

Ah, sounds like the last book hints... What other good books have you read lately? Any favorite authors?
That's awesome that you overcame that shyness - that's something I've been fighting with for years. It comes and goes, but it all depends on where I am and who I'm around - sometimes I'm quite gregarious, and sometimes you couldn't get a word out of me with a cup of coffee and a crowbar! Small talk is pretty tough, too - and sometimes it ends kind of awkwardly... it's one of those sensitive kinds of things you have to end just right.
Working at Starbucks or Second Cup sounds like a pretty sweet deal - I'm thinking of doing that myself if worse comes to worse. You do get free coffee if you work at Starbucks... plus they give you a pound to take home every week. How's that for employee benefits?
The other side of the Saranac River? Most of that part of town is just an average small town, though there is a former Air Force base that they turned into an industrial park and an upper-class housing area. But if you go far enough down the road, you'll hit the city housing projects and pass a trailer park or two along the way. You won't find any pictures of that part of town on any postcards.
Why are the French signs intriguing? Because! LOL They look much the same as signs you'll find on our side of the border (like in Plattsburgh or here in NYC), except in Quebec and nowhere else... they're in French. I never carried a bilingual dictionary during my Montreal travels, but I got used enough to the signs and maps that I picked up little tidbits here and there. Enough to navigate the Metro and the bus system. Even enough to figure out the bus schedules, which ain't easy with the 24hr clock.
And yes, I did laugh at your lucky duck expression - and now at that headshakingly sad face... I couldn't help it! :funny:
What did you do over the weekend?