Lazy Sunday

Hey you. Yeah you. Montreal. Toronto. Sydney. Melbourne. Enjoying your weather? Hope so. This has been Paris in April:

Despite what the locals say, I call it "summer"; beautiful blue skies, warm weather (for me), and they even let you sit on the grass (I'm looking at you Melbourne). Not bad. Not bad at all.

This Bud's for You

THIS. This is why I love you Joshua P. Budman, you magnificent bastard.

Josh is one of my best mates, always makes things fun and interesting, and is just an all-around awesome dude. He’ll always have your back, even if you do stupid, fun, dangerous stuff like go play in traffic. Seriously, we played in traffic (one of those "only in Montreal" moments, I suppose). If you already know him then you know exactly what I’m talking about. And if you don’t then you really, really should.

Check out a preview of his one-man show Jewbacca (final version to be performed at Montreal Sketchfest, May 20-26) on Friday, May 3rd at Montreal Improv!

Here's to you, Buds!

I am a Liberal

A Canadian Liberal, that is. And this week I have a very important decision to make: for whom should I cast my vote in the leadership contest? The winner will be the next leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, and possibly the very next Prime Minister of Canada.  The candidates are:

Pros:

• Young and intelligent
• Photogenic
• Popular
• Polls well
• Speaks English and French fluently.

Cons:

• Carries the baggage of father’s name in the west.
• Relative newcomer still prone to the occasional gaffe 

AKA The Cookie Monster

Pros:

• Stronger pull with the youth vote.
• Likes cookies (can attract support of powerful pro-cookie lobby)
• Backed by Sesame Street, the Children’s Televison Workshop, PBS, and the letter N
• Great googly eyes

Cons:

• The whole “a cookie is a sometimes food” fiasco.
• Not quite human (I dig it, but people in regional centers will have issues).
• Speaks neither English nor French very well.

It’s a tough call.

He is Risen

It is that time of year again; the time when we all take a moment to look back and reflect upon the life of a man who died and yet rose again to bring joy and meaning to all our lives.

I’m speaking of course of Tarman.

WWJD

Amidst all the complexities of the modern world, it’s nice to encounter a straightforward character like Tarman with his simple desire for “brains”, “live brains”, and let’s not forget, “more brains!”

Here’s to you Tarman, on … a day more or less just like any other.

Happy Easter!

Urbex: La Petite Ceinture

Hobo with a Shotgun

We only explored a small section of the track, but it was a lot of fun. Very exciting to be dipping my toes into this sort of thing again, not having done so seriously since the Z.O.M.B.I.E. days. And I’m in the perfect place to be doing it. Anyway, another item ticked off the list. On to the next one.

Awesomesauce.

Fruity Pebbles

So long my dear Pebbles. You were a good bird, even though you were always yelling and trying to bite my hands; a true member of the family.  I wish you much happiness and plenty of birdie num num in a cage-free afterlife.

Royale with Cheese

Sometimes a guy just has to have a big, greasy burger. Here are my recommendations for burger joints in Paris; I won’t say they have the best burgers in town, but these are my favourites, in descending order, thus far.

1) Big Fernand

My awesome supervisor Jérôme turned me onto this place - it’s got a lively, cozy student atmosphere, the people behind the counter are real characters, and the food is delicious - maybe some of the best burgers I’ve ever had outside of the USA. Good quality meat and cheese, and it’s all a bit fun. This is “fast food” done right. Check it out.

Jérôme also raved about Little Fernand, but I’ve yet to try it out.

2) Le Camion Qui Fume

Noticed this little food truck setting up shop outside MK2 Bibliothèque one night. There was a huge queue half an hour before they even opened up - a very good sign.  Finally got my chance to check it out a few weeks later during a movie meet-up, and it didn’t disappoint. Definitely worth it if you happen to be in the right place at the right time.

3) BioBurger

On my way to the art & craft shop Lavrut, I noticed droves of hipster cuties heading over to this place; so I popped in to see what all the fuss was about. Feel-good burgers from quality ingredients - and again, hipster cuties everywhere - make this another great destination to deal with the munchies. They’ve also got organic, fair trade colas, if you’re into that sort of thing, which I guess I sometimes am.