I took a 15 minutes metro ride. But I feel so far from home! Like I’m in some other town!

In all honesty I would have loved to spend New Year’s Eve with my now ex. But nope. I’m all alone because he’s no longer my boyfriend. But it’s ok. It’s all about me. So for this New Year’s Eve I decided to go all out! I rented a room at a nice hotel in Old Montreal. And not just any room… It’s one with a real fireplace. And since this afternoon I am enjoying it.

I arrived in Old Montreal at around 15h. My room wasn’t ready yet so I left them my bag and headed out. I went to the nearby Notre-Dame Basilica and just sat there 30 minutes, watching people, admiring the interior of that amazing church.

Then I went to shop at Mortimer Snodgrass. I found a perfect baby gift for my cousin, she’ll be delivering her little girl in March. And also a neat book for me called “101 things to do before you die.” It’s neat because they explain what you should do, tips on how to, and on the opposite page you can write the details once you’ve done it! So I’ll be using the book a lot in 2007, I want to get the 101 things done asap!

At 16h my room was ready! I got room 503. I like it! It’s quite spacious. I settled in and then was off for a massage at 17h. It was supposed to be with a woman named Gisèle but when I got there it was a man named Emmanuel! Whatever, I was ready for my massage! I really enjoyed the experience. He applied just the perfect amount of pressure on the tense spots and was gentle at the same time. The only downside was that the gym room was too near the massage room and I could hear a bit of the television which was distrating. Still at the end when I got up I felt so sleepy! As if I’d slept for hours and hours. Very nice…

Then I went back to my room and poured myself a bath in the giant tub. It was really hot water. I love the bath products they have here, from L’Occitane en Provence. I want them for home but they are a bit too expensive!

After my bath I got ready and headed out for dinner. I went to a nearby crêpe restaurant. I ordered the Symphonie crêpe and it was filled with fresh fruit! DELICIOUS! And exactly what I need as I think I am starting a cold…

Then back at the hotel. I lit a log in the fireplace. I loved sitting in front of the fireplace, looking at the flames burning. Then I wrote on a piece of paper all of the sucky things that happened to me in 2006 and burned the paper! On another sheet I wrote the good things I want to happen in 2007, what I want to do, how I want to live, and I kept that one

The paper burning away…

Finally it was time for champagne! I’ll be outside when midnight strikes so I decided to open my bottle this evening and enjoy it slowly.

The staff at the hotel is really friendly, saying hello whenever they cross your path. And I love the doorman who opens the door for me… Makes me feel so special (though I know he does it for everyone, it’s his job)! And when I got back from dinner in my room there was this special Evian bottle of water. Every year they put out a limited edition for the New Year! Pretty neat…

I’ve taken lots of photographs and put them in a special folder in my photo album.

I prepared a bath over an hour ago but I still haven’t gone swimming in it.

I like incent.

Matt’s acoustic CD rules.

Bring on 2007. I need a new year. I’ve had enough of 2006.

Well I’ve been tagged by Dave to share 5 of my secrets…

1. When I was a teenager I had a crush on a boy. I never told my friends. He lived in a village about 50kms away from mine. I only saw him during special sporting events like hockey tournaments. His nickname was the one of a famous boxer in movies… At the time I wasn’t really popular with guys. And I didn’t know how to tell him I liked him so I sent him a letter. Of course I never heard anything back. I still wonder about him sometimes, what he looks like now and what he’s up to!

2. I “borrowed” a couple of CDs at the radio station I worked at but failed to return them. Maybe someday!

3. My parents divorced when I was 12. From then on I lived with my mom. At first I visited my dad and slept at his place once in a while. Then I only came sometimes for dinner. And then only for short visits. Sometimes I feel it’s a bit my fault that my dad drank/used because he was feeling lonely and missed my brother and I.

4. I often do things on my own. It makes me feel lonely/alone/sad sometimes. I try to not think about it but still. I guess it’s better to do activities on my own than not to do anything at all. And why am I often on my own? Because it’s very hard for me to make new friends.

5. I had bought new lingerie for my boyfriend’s return from his Europe trip but then he decided to end our relationship so I never got to wear it. And I don’t know if I ever will wear it because of what it reminds me of. It sucks.

So that’s it! Now I’m tagging… Rich at Championable, Mark of Loglog, Philippe at N’ayez pas peur and anyone else who feels like doing it!

This morning I used Communauto again. I went to the parking lot where my car was reserved for 11h. At 11h10 no sight of the car. The person using it before me was late! Grrr! So I called the helpline. They were very kind. They first tried to reach the person with the car without success. So then they offered me the choice of waiting there a bit longer or to go to another parking lot near. So I took the second option. So my new reservation was from 11h30. It sucked that the car wasn’t there when it was supposed to be, but it was good that they supplied me with a suitable second option. It was snowing today but it was still pretty good conditions on the road with the car. And it’s got Winter tires too so that’s no problem. Everything went perfectly driving wise!

So I drove the car to the Galeries D’Anjou where I went to look at what the stores had to offer us rebate wise. I went to The Bay and found a new pillow, worth 35$, for 12$! My pillows were pretty flat from intense use over the past years. So I’m happy! And I can’t wait to test it tonight. Then I got a few mid-sized towels and face towels, also on sale of course, 40% off. Then at H&M I found lots of things I liked but I settled on two items, a very long striped sweater and a military style short-sleeved blouse. Finally I also bought some new undies.

Back home I made a yummy shrimp sammy with sweet grape tomatoes. Mmmm!

The Smurfs, ou les Schtroumpfs, were on tele. I love them, especially like now in French. It’s so funny how they use schtroumpf for everything! “Vite! Venez! Le grand Schtroumpf a une nouvelle à nous schtroumpfer!” or “Je te rammène au village. Je vais te faire un bon Schtroumpfs bien chaud. Approchez! Approchez! Regardez ce que j’ai schtroumpfé dans la forêt!”. And whatever the sentence, we always know what schtroumpf means!

I went! It wasn’t that far from home. Because I timed myself well with the busses I was there in 10 minutes and back in 10 minutes! Perfect!

My coworker was really happy to see me there, and surprised too I think! We had a quick update chat, she has a boyfriend now, I don’t have a boyfriend anymore, and so on.

She introduced me to some other of her friends that were there for the show as well so I sat with them, 2 girls and 1 dude. It was nice to chat with the girls!

The name of the band was Zorte. The music was alright. Not my usual style. But very festive! It was latino/Spanish with beats made to dance! It was funny to see the people dancing… One very old man with white hair kept finding pretty young ladies!

I had a beer and gave some money in the hat for the band, so all in all it cost me about 12$. Not bad for a nice evening out!

My coworker is the girl with the mic just left of the speaker…

A colleague from my (mostly) Summer job emailed me a week ago to invite me to a concert she is doing tonight with her band. I have no idea what her music sounds like. It’s in a small café not so far from home.

I’d like to go because I thought it was neat she thought of me, we haven’t talked since August. And because it would probably be a fun evening out.

But I don’t want to go because I will be alone and know no one except her. And because coming back home will suck because of the bus that doesn’t come by so often when it’s late at night.

If I go I have to shower, get dressed, get ready, etc. If I don’t go I can take a bath, put my pjs on and relax.

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Can someone decide for me please!

Yesterday around 15h30 I photographed my final sunset in Blanc-Sablon. It was very cold!!!! Brrrrr! But oh so pretty.

Then before leaving home I had a bit of cipaille and then 2 pieces of cake for dessert! I wanted to make sure I wouldn’t be hungry for a little while.

My mom brought me to the airport and she waited with me until my departure. It’s funny how they let us on the plane… No ID, no security check, no nothing. It was so cold on the tiny plane! I sat there, snuggled in my coat/scarf/hat/gloves and slept… Waking up for the landings… Grrr! So I was quickly in Sept-ÃŽles.

There it was layover time. I thought it was a 1 hour layover, arriving at 19h, leaving at 20h but I forgot to change my watch! It was only 18h in Sept-ÃŽles and it was a 2 hours layover! So I went and got a snack at the café. It is really sucky food! I got a panini which was still cold in the middle served with 3 sweet pickles and a hot chocolate that wasn’t sweet at all so I had to add sugar. All for 7.60$. A real rip-off! Time wouldn’t pass quickly enough… Wait… Time… Slow… Wait… I watched two kids of a doctor who works in Blanc-Sablon that were all also going to Montreal. They played around at the airport like I used to, between the rows of hanging chairs! The airport hasn’t changed since I was a kid… The 2 kids reminded me of Jan Willem and Leo, it was also an older brown-haired boy and a younger blonde one, about the same ages! The security called me. They x-rayed my checked luggaged and needed me there to open it. Apparently something dangerous was in there… A bomb? But nope! It was only weights my mom gave me! The security people were pretty courteous, thanking me, etc. And I know how to speed up the process… I never beep because I put everything metallic out, I had my liquids/gels ready in a clear bag, laptop out. It’s quick that way! I hate it when people in front of me aren’t prepared for the check. Anyways.

The flight from Sept-ÃŽles to Québec was a tiny bit bumpy at first but I like it. I feel comfortable even through turbulence. I watched a bit of a movie on my laptop, Tristan and Isolde, but had to close it after an hour for landing in Québec. It was funny, the people sitting in the row behind me were also watching the movie, reading the subtitles I had turned on (because the loud plane makes it hard to hear everything). Also they didn’t give us any real food! On the ticket it says both collation and repas, so a snack and a meal! And I got a tiny bag of pretzels and a small glass of 7up. What’s up with that?! I’ll definitely write them a complaint.

We arrived in Montreal at about 22h55, 15 minutes late. The luggage was there quickly enough! I was so happy when the doctor and her two kids offered me a lift home! They had two people picking them up with two cars, so plenty of space for everyone and luggage! It saved me a taxi and got me home nicely! It’s nice to see that some people are still kind and generous with strangers. So the doc and her kids got in one car, and her brother brought me home in another. He was a very nice man, we talked about his work, travels and Blanc-Sablon. He even brought my heavy suitcase up the 5 stairs in the hallway! I was so thankful for everything!

In my mailbox there was a postcard and a Christmas card from my aunt. Inside she put a check for a late graduation gift. She was the one who came to my graduation with my mom. Still, she didn’t have to give me anything, her presence was my gift!! But I am happy. It’s going to go in the Digital Camera Fund which keeps growing. Still not enough to buy it just yet though.

I put my food from Blanc-Sablon in the freezer (meat pie, redberry pie, smoked salmon, moose steaks, salt beef and banana cakes). Then I prepared my bed. I had cleaned the sheets and hung them to dry before leaving. So I did that… My new duvet quilt fits perfectly in the cover, unlike the old one I had, which is nice! I took a bath. Put my pj’s on. And went to sleep.

This morning there was nothing to eat for breakfast. Well there was, but also I was missing stuff! So I went out to the depanneur for juice and milk. I ate a bowl of cereals. Then I got ready and went out to do groceries! I bought a lot of yummy stuff so I’ll be able to eat well! Still it’s not as nice as having my mom doing the cooking!

It’s strange to be back here. I enjoyed the 10 days I had in Blanc-Sablon. I liked having my family around. And the cat Mozart. And my village. And the landscapes. And seeing my friends. Now back alone in Montreal it sucks because I kind of feel alone. It’s what I wanted though, to have some time home to rest, do my things, get ready for a new semester at Uni. So I’ll just have to adjust to being here. And keep the nice memories of my holiday in Blanc-Sablon!

I put my photographs in the photo album here.

My bro’s dinner turned out quite well last night! It was my last family dinner and it was very good! The potatoes were perfectly mashed, the sauce delicious, the rosbief meat tender (though a bit too much mustard was used in the mix to cover it while cooking) and the cake for dessert was even better than when my mom makes it! So I was impressed. The only thing my bro now has to learn is to clean up his kitchen after cooking… It was a mess!

I’m leaving Blanc-Sablon at 16h40 today, to arrive in Montreal at 22h40 (if all goes according to plans). So this morning I packed. I came with one suitcase and will be leaving with two! I have Christmas gifts and lots of food to bring back so!

I went out at around 15h30 to photograph the sunset. It was very windy and cold on the beach. I only had my little gloves on so my hands were freezing! I should have put my big Winter mits on!! Still it was very nice to see this sunset. I love sunsets, especially here in Blanc-Sablon. It seems each time the sunset is nicer than the one of the previous day!

Iceicles on a piece of wood…

The waves freezing a bit and creating strange patterns…

Some of the sea water was a bit frozen…

My brother is cooking dinner tonight… Rosbief as main and fruit cake/butter sauce for dessert. I wonder how it will turn out…

It’s crazy how much my lips are dehydrated these days! Usually they are always a bit dry. But here in Blanc-Sablon, during Winter time, it’s even worse! The cold weather, with the very dry air, is lethal for my lips! My best friend right now is this little jar of lip balm. Mmmm it feels so good to coat my lips in a thick layer of balm! And it’s got this nice cold/tingly feeling to it because it’s “medicamented.”

Last night I went to a good friend’s house to visit her. We chatted for a while… Then she got a phonecall asking if she was going to St-Paul’s River to the bar there. Apparently there was a local band playing a gig. We decided we’d go together, the second time in a day for me! So she later came by my house to pick me up and we were off to St-Paul’s! When we got there we didn’t feel like going in afterall so we just drove back home. It was still nice though, just to do a drive. It allowed us to chat about all kinds of stuff, just us two. I missed that.

I finally know how to knit! My mom showed me last night. She started it off for me and then I did the rest! It’s pretty simple once you know it! The thing I have to remember is not to do it too tight because then it’s impossible! And not to miss a loop because I did it twice already and now there are 2 holes in my knit! Ah ah! Still it’s pretty neat.

Last night I got two scratch tickets with a gift. I never buy these usually. So this morning it was fun to scratch! And one of them I won a new ticket. Maybe with that new one I’ll win more? Or nothing? I’ll have to go bring it at the depanneur.

This afternoon I took the car and went West on the one and only main road, the 138. It stretches for about 60 km’s past my village of Lourdes de Blanc-Sablon, going all the way to Old Fort through Brador, Belles Amour (only cabins), Middle Bay and St-Paul’s River.

Going up the Brador Hill with my mom’s old car was tough! I was at the max with the gas pedal…

And I was only going up to this speed…!

Just before entering St-Paul’s River there’s a nice lookout…

Boats are out of the water for the Winter in Old Fort…

It took me about 1 hour to get to the end of the road. Maybe someday we’ll have it going all the way? I don’t think so somehow…

On the way back the sun was setting and the light was beautiful on the landscapes!

This is one of the spots where we used to leave from for our snowmobile expeditions. I remembered the big rock!

St-Paul’s River claims to be the “Home of the Atlantic Salmon” and Old Fort Bay “The first capital of North America.” Funny how towns have their claim to fame! I wonder who decided on them. And what’s the one of my village?

Last night my mom hosted a Christmas dinner.

The guests were: my mom’s boyfriend’s father and 2 siblings as well as my mom’s best friend and her family, including a 2 years old little girl. And of course us. Total there were 12 people. 2 others came by for dessert/drinks, a friend of my mom’s boyfriend and a friend of the family.

So we all sat for dinner at the big long table! It was nice!

The cipaille my mom made was delicious.

Then the 2 year old cute girl kept us entertained. It was also nice to see her father, a friend of mine, we went to school together from kindergarden to high school. It’s always strange to see him as a parent, but he does a really good job at it!

She played with some of her Christmas gifts, dolls.

Cleaning the dishes…

After dinner the friend of the family showed up! We had also invited him to eat but he didn’t want to. Still it was nice to see him a bit! He’s funny. He was a good friend of my dad’s. He saw me grow up from a baby until now! He kept telling me that I was too tall compared to him! He has the funniest patois, he says “Prête d’orignal à l’envers 3 fois”! It kind of means “Father of a moose turned upside down 3 times!” He drank quite a bit last night so when it was time to go home I am glad my mom suggested we do our own Nez Rouge Operation! He gladly accepted, saying it was never good to drink and drive. So he got aboard with my mom in her car. And I drove his pick-up truck back to his place. Then I got a ride back home with mom! It felt good to know that he was safe home. So Nez Rouge follows me even in Blanc-Sablon!

When I went to bed but the house was filled with strange sounds. The wind outside was blowing very hard. So the front door was whistling. And the house’s siding was also being battered. I love the sounds here in Blanc-Sablon. It’s mostly wind, waves and the occasionnal car or plane. In Montreal it’s cars, trucks, cars, trucks, cars, trucks, at allllllll times of day!

This morning I woke up at 7h because the loader was outside clearing the snow in the hospital’s parking lot! The worse thing is that there was barely anything as he’d already came in the afternoon! Grrr! At 7h30 he was done and I fell back asleep until 10h45.

The sea today was raging! It’s really windy as well. So pretty. I miss the sea when I’m in Montreal.

Sun and sea…

I got ready and we headed out at 13h for lunch at another of my mom’s boyfriend’s sisters’. She made turkey and boiled dinner (vegetables – potatoes, greens, turnip, cabbage, carrots – and salt beef).

It was a really nice lunch but I didn’t want to eat too much because tonight my mom’s making a cipaille! And there will be 12 people eating here! I prepared the dinner table. My mom’s boyfriend borrowed a table and chairs from the Municipality and so now our table is huge! I set it up nicely. My mom got a new cutelry set for Christmas so we put that. It’s pretty! I made cute place cards with names.

A close-up…