Shoepdate

I’m back from Toronto, but with no new Campers in tow (see Shoe Issues). I went to this place on Queen West that sells the biggest selection of Campers I’ve ever seen.

I approached a sales associate because I was having trouble finding my little gems in the sea of shoes in front of me. I described them to her, and her eyes lit up, and she got very excited and so, I too became excited (not in the dirty way though). And the conversation went as follows:

- Shoe Girl - “Yeah yeah yeah, I totally know which ones you’re talking about! They’re twins, right?”
- Andrew - “Yup, they are twins.”
- Shoe Girl - "And they have blue laces, right?"
- Andrew - "Indeed they do."
- Shoe Girl - “Oh, those are soooooo nice!”
- Andrew - “Yeah, I’ve been coveting them for such a long time.”
- Shoe Girl - “Geeze, sorry we don’t carry them.”

Andrew’s thought bubble: ????????? WTF? Why did you string me along like that you heartless bitch? Don’t you know how much I love and long for those shoes?

- Andrew - “Oh, okay thanks.”

*Insert Brokeback Mountain soundtrack here, and a tear on my left cheek*

Okay, so I didn’t get the shoes, but all hope is not lost my friends. I’m going to the Camper store in San Francisco in two weeks. Wish me luck.

The Most Beautiful Weekend of the Year

As usual, Thanksgiving weekend in Montreal was amazing: 21 degrees and sunny, all three days! The colours were beautiful, and the sun was shining in the way that it only does for the October long weekend.

Yesterday, I went out and sat in Parc Lafontaine with a couple of books, a blanket and my iPod. This picture is precisely what I saw when laying on the grass – well, the blanket on top of the grass I guess...

Successful Ad or City Landmark?

I don’t know why, but I find it disheartening to know that the Farine Five Roses sign is no longer lit up at night – and moreover, that it might be dismantled altogether (!!!). What’s more, I’m not alone. Since the new plant owners have turned off the sign and consideration has been given to removing it, a movement (albeit small) has formed to protect the sign as an historic landmark. I even found a blog (who’s name suggests) that it’s devoted to saving the sign (although it really doesn’t seem all that devoted if you ask me…). Check out the blog here.


So what is it exactly about a 20-foot tall ad that makes us feel that kind of attachment? I think that it’s just a ritualistic association. A constant, if you will. When I used to take the bus in the Pointe, I thought that I could feel warmth of the red letters shining on the skyline, and that the blinking neon kept a beat like a metronome. Trite, perhaps, but strangely, I believed it.

I have seen the sign regularly throughout my life, but I’ve also seen the Super Sexe sign on Sainte-Catherine -- perhaps even more often -- and I wouldn’t feel terribly nostalgic about that sign going to the dumpster.

I wonder if I’d feel the same way if the Salada sign near the intersection of Décarie and the 40 were suddenly in jeopardy?

R.I.P. Farine Five Roses, I’ll miss you.

Factoid:
According to this Montreal Gazette article, the sign used to read Farine Ogilvie Flour, and then Farine Five Roses Flour, before it’s current incarnation as Farine Five Roses.

Photo credit: Mr. T.

Coffee Connaisseurs

From my elevator ride this morning:

-KPMG Woman 1- “I’m going to have to go down to Starbucks and get my self a real cup of coffee.”
-KPMG Woman 2- Laughs “Oh, I can’t drink that stuff, I just don’t consider it real coffee.”

(Andrew experiences brief moment of relief)

- KPMG Woman 1 - “Oh really, where do you get your coffee?”
- KPMG Woman 2 – “I go to Tim’s – of course. It’s all about the taste. All about the taste.”

It was like a skit that I couldn’t have written any better. I mean what would you choose: sweat rung out from dirty gym socks and then boiled, or a hot milkshake with a sleeve around the cup? Your choice.

Barf (x 2)

Movie Season

It’s Sunday, it’s raining, and it’s October! October tends to be the beginning of my hibernation, and I start to think about all of the movies that I want to see during what I’m sure is to be a rainy fall, and a snowy winter. Right now, I’m particularly excited about two films: Running with Scissors and Shortbus.

Running with Scissors is being released in theatres on October 11th. For those of you who haven’t heard the buzz, it’s based on a memoir by Augusten Burroughs – a fantastic author. The book concentrates on Augusten’s younger years, when his parents get divorced, and as his mother slips into a deep depression: giving Augusten away to her crazy shrink. The story is unbelievable, shocking and touching, all surrounded by a delicious layer of humour. Watch the trailer here – although I recommend reading the memoir first (because, as usual, I don’t know how a film is going to do the book justice).

Secondly, I’m very excited about John Cameron Mitchell’s second film: Shortbus. The story is in essence an uncensored look at relationships and sex. CBC personality Sook-Yin Lee was nearly canned by the network for having participated in the project. It looks like the film is going to be provocative, innovated, and pushing the limits – what else would we expect from JCM? Watch the trailer here.

But the film fun doesn’t stop there! The image+nation film festival starts in a mere six weeks! More than a full week’s worth of queer films from around the world. I’ll write a separate post about that later…