A SNIFF IN THE DARK!!!

imagine this:
waking up at 3 a.m. with a smell of burning
teasing your nostrils...
never a good sign!!
as i had just changed a few days ago
my smoke detector,
i thought it wasn't doing a good job
if i could smell it
and it couldn't detect it...
i got up and started checking things out
to find the source of that smell...
i was getting worried as i couldn't find it,
thinking perhaps i had an appliance somewhere
frying its cable and i couldn't find it.
that was until i took my first coffee and walked out to the patio door
to find that the smell came from outside...
it's really no wonder
as there are over 50 fires going on in the forests of the province.
it is not the first time we smell it in the city,
but given the early summer conditions,
and the lack of rain,
it is surprinsing to smell this
this early in the season.
a bit of rain would be welcomed,
in my case to abate the level of pollen in the air,
for the forests to find some dampness to put these fires out,
and finally,
to increase the levels of our lakes and rivers,
as they are at an all time low,
given the kind of winter we got...
who knew one could wish for rain?!?
but it would indeed help,
as the farmers also must be concerned somewhat...
but as far as i'm concerned,
i'm just glad my place was not burning down.
it would have been a pretty fucked up way to wake up
and start my week.
though,
there's never a good time for this,
is there?!?
and to help the matter,
it's a day of smog here in the city...
lovely!!!
(N-O-T!!)
:/~
HUGZ

THE RESULTS ARE IN!!! (PHOTOinPRESS)

VANTI,
a friend of mine,
showed up at my place a week ago
with her USB key,
in the hope of creating something
for her parents' 50th wedding anniversary.
i had mentionned to her before
my having dealt with PHOTOinPRESS
and being ever so satisfied.
so,
she thought it'd be a good idea
to hand to guests a small book
containing pictures involving them in her parents' life.
:)~

so,
i prepped the pictures
and we decided of the order and the number of pics per page,
typical editing;
then we chose the font, the text and the background.
and off we went,
fixing every single page to VANTI's satisfaction,
reviewed it
and proceeded with the order.
the results are in:
IT IS GORGEOUS!!!
VANTI is most delighted with the final product
and will proudly hand these out to the guests.
it's a strange thing though,
to resume a life in so few pictures,
when you think of it.
but the oddest for me
was to see this happy couple
and realise just how much i come from a dysfunctional family,
where everything was sheer pretense,
and the reality of it much harsher...
when VANTI left,
i felt the tiniest twinge of envy
of her having known love in that context.
i'm not saying it was perfect,
but i know there was love,
in the purest sense of the word.
the funny thing here though is,
VANTI is SO totally a COPY & PASTE of her mother.
you look at her mom,
you see VANTI!!!
i told her as much.
i'm just glad it all worked out for the best for VANTI.
a 50th anniversary is quite something
to celebrate nowadays!!!
:)~

and i just couldn't resist posting this,
as this is pretty much at the time i met GABILOU for the first time!!
just a little fragile thing...
she's now going to college!!!!!!
MAN!!!
that doesn't make me any younger...
so,
PHOTOinPRESS did it again!!!
more memories preserved,
and stylishly so!!!
congrats to the happy couple,
and to the family and friends sharing that moment with them!!
if it hadn't been for them,
i wouldn't have such a good friend!!!
:)~
HUGZ

EVEN MORE REASONS TO QUIT DRINKING...

so,
last friday,
i had a few cocktails with my friends
before seeing "SEX & THE CITY 2"...

we always make fun of THE MAN(!!!) and his toque...
this is how i opted to wear it.
this is such not a good look for me.
i'll stick to my own hats,
thank you!!!
:D~

i presume this is the correct way to wear it.
your opinion on the result is your own.
i will only comment in the presence of a lawyer...
;)~

let's take this off!!

a fuzzy picture of LUCRECIA at the theater,
as we weren't all sitting together.
the damn thing was sold out,
and we got there a tad late...
again,
too many cocktails?!?
not the most flattering pic,
but certainly...interesting?!?
:D~
HUGZ

SEX & THE CITY 2, by TICKLEBEAR

last friday night,
it was for me the occasion to reunite
with my real friends and the fictive ones,
as i had cocktails with my friends
before we all went to see
SEX AND THE CITY 2,
the latest instalment in the adventures of
CARRIE, CHARLOTTE, MIRANDA and SAMANTHA,
these women we've come to love.
the presentation was sold out to a majority of fashionistas
who cheered often enough during the movie
to show their approval,
especially when AIDEN appeared...
as eager as i was to see this movie,
i was left a tad nonplussed.
we see MIRANDA living blissfully at home
while going through turmoils at work,
bringing her to the point of reconsidering her career choices.
CHARLOTTE's fairy tale life is more exhausting
than anticipated.
SAMANTHA deals pro-actively with menopause,
providing some good comedic moments.
and CARRIE, well... CARRIE.
now that she's finally become the missus of mister PRESTON...
she now misses her glam life
and wishes her husband hadn't become such a couch potato.
as the girls all come to a crisis point,
they decide to escape to a faraway land
to forget their problems
and leave the city behind.
while in the tv series,
when the girls ended up in hollywood,
it was a fun adventure for them and for us as well,
this escapade here is not so fortunate.
sure!
it's the opportunity for a fashion extravaganza
and some oddly funny situations,
but i feel it didn't do a thing for their respective storylines.
i might have prefered to see the girls remain in NYC,
where they belong...
and deal with their issues,
rather than having this whole "new middle-east" thing
that lasted forever...
(yes the movie is long and you feel it somewhat.)
only to see them return to NYC
and see all of their problems fixing themselves
in a precipitated fashion.
the moral of this story is:
"there's no place like home",
and much like DOROTHY,
the girls clicked their shoes to go home,
only too happy to find themselves again
on familiar grounds.
this will not be the best movie of 2010,
but certainly a success due to its fanbase,
and another chapter in their lives.
if there is a third movie,
i'll obviously go see it,
but i'd be hoping to find the girls on hometurf,
rather than abroad.
one thing that bothered me:
the make-up!!!
we are all aware the girls have aged,
but to see them,
especially CHARLOTTE and SAMANTHA,
all plastered up to the point of disfigurement,
was simply ridiculous.
aging is not a sin,
and to see them as if they'd just seen a mortician
was not the most appealing to me.
i'd rather see healthy looking middle aged women
than someone pretending to have the skin of a 16 years-old.
i'm just saying!!
lay off the heavy duty make-up.
on another note,
if i were to attend a gay wedding like the one in the movie,
i would think it was a riot,
but would never confess to being there.
i guess there is a limit to my gayness...
i now realise there is something like being "too gay".
just how much can one stomach?!?
to conclude:
not the best movie,
nor is it the worst.
it's something that'll be welcomed by the fanbase,
even if it is not the most memorable moment
we'll be sharing with the girls.
i guess we'll be seeing them again in a couple of years,
yes, but with cocktails!!!
:)~
HUGZ

THERAPY FOR MY SOUL

as i need to forget matters not to be discussed here,
i rely on those movies
which have always uplifted my spirits,
even if they make me shed a tear,
a tear of joy...

DEAD POET SOCIETY,
where you learn to raise your mind above
preconceived ideas and conventions,
to think for yourself.
some people get it,
some just will never get it...

UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN,
to find your heart beating just a little faster
in the belief that love does exist.
the love of oneself.
the love of the other.
the love for life itself,
as precarious as it may be.

a little higher,
a litle faster,
a little more vibrant.
to be alive and enjoy it!!
some movies just got it right.
alright,
excuse me while i shed another tear...
such is my nature!!
to love and still believe...
CARPE DIEM!!!
to live life as a poem...
IT'S MY FUCKING POEM!!
i'll have nothing at all,
or i'll have it all!!!
i will never settle.
much like many would have me do....
N-E-V-E-R!!
i am a hopeless romantic!!!
so it was.
so it is.
so it shall be...
forever!!!
i'm going to bed with a smile and a flutter in my heart.
who else can claim this much?
and moist eyes and a runny nose too!!!
:)~
HUGZ

JUST TESTING: DAY & NIGHT

just testing my new camera
which i haven't really had much opportunities to try,
and i did promise myself to read the user manual book,
for a change...
do you think i'll ever get around doing just that?...
me thinks maybe not,
if i hold true to my nature:
JUST WING IT!!!
:)~
HUGZ

IMPRESSED AS EVER WITH PHOTOinPRESS!!!

PHOTOinPRESS.
my 4th time with them.
i first did a memorial for IGRAINE,
my first cat,
then i did a recap of my vision of LUCRECIA and LINOUE.
and now this:
my first year with MISS CARRIE BRAD'CHAT!!
:)~

even CARRIE is impressed!!
:)~

i love this!!
:)~
HUGZ

ATTENTION VIDEOTRON CUSTOMERS: FUCKING SPAM!!!

imagine my surprise,
as i came in at night,
after an evening of cocktails and a movie with friends,
to find this in my emails...
i am indeed a videotron customer,
and i had renewed my contract with them,
with a few modifications in my services.
so,
it was all plausible,
though i didn't understand what the problem was.
and they were updating their system at that time of the night,
so i coudn't verify my profile...
but i did check via my bank
that the bill had indeed been paid.
it was!
so,
i wrote the company and copied and pasted this message,
asking for more details.

the answer came quickly in the morning,
as a representative advised me to disregard this as it was:
S-P-A-M
!!!!!!!!!!!
damn spam!!
it's all over the place!!
so,
beware!!
i thought i'd share this with you
as one can never be too safe.
:/~
HUGZ

SEPIA SATURDAY (14)

1930s???
most likely.
my grandpa (on the left) with his hunting buddies,
in the lower saint-lawrence region.
to think that this sophisticated man
looks so much into his element!!!
this is my sepia saturday this week.
is it wrong for me to say
i think he looked sexy?!?
i guess i've always like the more primitive kind,
over the prissy intellectual type...
though...
i do enjoy a decent conversation!!!
:)~
HUGZ

TGIF: I'M in LOVE!!! (SEX AND THE CITY 2)

i am totally delirious as it has been two years
the last time i felt like this!!!
:)~

i could sing for joy,
but i better not,
as it might spoil it for eveyone else...

i am seeing SEX AND THE CITY 2 tonight!!!
YIPPIE!!!!

and my friend SUE-EET!! was at the premiere wednesday night
(lucky bitch!!)
and just loved it!!!
and since we are of like mind on the matter,
i'll go to the theater with my friends with confidence.
:)~

but before we go,
we'll have cocktails and other delicacies,
but....
since no one trust my barman skills!!...
i grabbed yesterday a couple of bottles
of SMIRNOFF GRAND COSMOPOLITAN,
a tray of baklawas,
(no, i didn't have the time to make them myself, sorry!!!)
i know mine are the best in the world!!
:)~
since part of the movie happens in the "middle-east"...
and some cranberries, coconut and wolfberries
mixed with black chocolate beans.
it's going to be delish,
and nobody should fall in a drunken stupor during the movie
as i will not have made the drinks myself...
we shall surely all be grateful for that!!!
tonight,
I'M in LOVE
!!!!!!!!!!!!
CARRIE, MIRANDA, CHARLOTTE and SAMANTHA,
HERE WE COME
!!!!!!!!!!!
TGIF
!!!!!!
i will be reporting my impression on this movie,
of course!!!
STAY TUNED
!!!!
:)~
HUGZ

CONGRATS 2 the MAN!!!!

L'Homme, (THE MAN),
is working today for the last time of his life,
as tonight,
he'll officially be retired.
congrats for making it there!!
and doing it at a time where you can still enjoy it
to its full measure.
working is SO overrated!!!
i must admit i envy him,
as i seem to have 10 more years to go
before i can do that...
oy vey!!
will i make it?!?
i dream of retiring "prematurely"...
but it would take a stroke of luck to achieve that.
i've been more like the grasshopper than the ant,
dancing my whole life.
one would say:
"you can sing now!!"
(if only i could!!...)
:D~

enjoy the rest of your life!!!
it's all up to you now!!!
:)~
HUGZ

SURVIVAL KIT FOR A DRUNK!!!!

you need a drink,
you've just got this great bottle of wine,
but...
you haven't got a corkscrew?!?
fret not!!!!
surely you have a shoe!!
yes, a shoe, to open that bottle.
the video is in french,
but as he gives a demonstration on how to do it,
no translation is required.
WATCH AND LEARN FOLKS!!!
this could come in handy!!
gosh!!
you learn something eveyday!!!
you can thank me later!!...
though i'm not sure the neighbors would appreciate the technique,
but it takes only a minute,
so...
:D~
HUGZ

MONTREAL IS FRIENDLY AGAIN!!!

from now until the labor day weekend,
montreal will be friendly again
to local pedestrians and tourists,
as the streets are getting closed off
to make them pedestrian.
for example,
sainte-catherine has been closed off to traffic this week
so restaurants and bars in the gay village
can start building their terrasses
to be ready for the weekend.
other sectors will follow suit
as various festivals happen in the city,
such as the international jazz festival
and the just for laugh festival,
just to name a few.
also,
the fireworks will soon start,
meaning the jacques-cartier bridge will be closed at a certain time
along with the surrounding streets
to allow spectators to approach the river
and marvel at the work of the various teams from around the planet
who'll come here to dazzle us.
if last year was any indication,
the competition will be fierce,
as last year was a great crop!!
i am SO looking forward to this,
you have no idea.
also,
enjoying a drink on my favorite terrasse with the girls,
at our favorite spot if possible...
please?!?
SUMMER IS OFFICIALLY HERE!!!!
or something like that...
pedestrians will reign supreme in montreal,
while drivers will swear under their breath,
and in some cases,
a little more loudly...
but cops will be watching!!!
WELCOME TO MONTREAL!!
BENVENUTTO!!
WILKOMMEN!!
BIENVENU!!!
oui, oui!!
:D~
HUGZ

HANGING IN THERE!!

a word of encouragement for JANELLE
whose tumultuous journey tests her spirit and resolve
on a daily basis.
keep up the good fight dear!!!
may LIFE look kindly upon you.
thinking of you,
straight across this little planet.
:)~
HUGZ

S&TC (the tv series) IN A NUTSHELL

are you dragguing people with you
to see the new S&TC sequel
that have never seen the tv series at all?
here's a 60 seconds crash course
to bring them up to speed
for their better enjoyement of the movie
they are about to see.
and above is the international poster for the sequel,
but FIFA style.
i certainly like the angle they took,
marketing-wise...
:D~
HUGZ

LIKE A "NATURAL" WOMAN?

while awaiting for the SEX AND THE CITY sequel,
one can have some fun with some of the looks
we'll be seeing in the movie,
the NOW and THEN look.
you can try it HERE!!!
:D~

CARRIE's now & then.

CHARLOTTE's now & then.

SAMANTHA's now & then.

MIRANDA's now & then.

it's hardly a surprise to me
to prefer MIRANDA's look on me,
as i'm totally "MIRANDA",
with her gentle heart under a tough shell,
her neurosis and hang-ups...
but you know what?
i'll remain a baldy,
just like HARRY GOLDENBLATT,
though i'm cuter!!!
(me thinks!!!)
don't kill my fantasy here!!!
:D~
and i'm sure
my friends will appreciate me coming as my usual self
to the theater on friday...
but can you imagine me with a wedge,
and a red one to boot?!?
i'd look so much like my mom,
as she totally went for that look back then.
oh mom!!!
if you could see me now...
god knows you've seen enough of me
for the next eternity!!!
:D~
so,
i'll leave you with a song
and wish you a good day!!
:)~
HUGZ

BIRTHDAY GIRL: MARTHA WANNABE

another candle for MARTHA WANNABE,
a long-time friend.
actually,
it goes back to our college years,
which were like a gazillion years ago!!
that's not to say she's a gazillion years old herself,
as this was my second time around in college
unhappy as i was with my first choice:
administration...
oy vey!!
the second time around,
i went to graphic arts.
i learned a few things
but never really work in the field,
but i sure made good friends in the meantime.
some true friends!!
FELICE COMPLEANNO BELLA!!!!
may the best of times still be coming to you.
:)~
BIG_HUGZ

THIS & THAT!!!

i feel like the BIG J.-C.,
what with my sore arms and the red bruises
on my hands palms...
stigmatas anyone?!?
:D~

not only was i feeling under the weather...
but i had to contend with domestic issues,
since last friday night,
i tried franctically to unclog my kitchen sink...
to no avail,
despite my best efforts
friday night and the whole saturday.
Ti-Q called that day
and when he heard of my predicament,
he offered to come help me with this.
he brought his tools and got to it,
but just like me,
he couldn't get it to work properly,
despite dismounting every pipes
and trying to clean them all,
the problem seems to reside in the main stack in the wall...
not great news.
but when we looked at the pipes,
we saw that everything was in really poor condition
and when he put things back together,
the pipes got all leaky...
i guess the scum and the rust in those pipes were acting as a seal,
and the sink still wouldn't empty itself when we poured water in it.
so,
my kitchen has become a disaster zone,
and when i called management,
someone came by only to tell me
they would make an appointment with their plumbing service...
NEXT TUESDAY!!!
god knows when i'll actually see a plumber at my place now...
which leaves me only with one option:
to do my dishes in the bathtub.
i'm sure that'll be excellent for my back!!!
darn!!!
:(~
this is really not what i had in mind for the weekend,
as i'm still coughing my brains out,
and ain't sleeping much because of it...

on a lighter note,
i was reading this morning that
PENELOPE CRUZ got her cameo on the SEX AND THE CITY sequel,
after confessing to have seen the first movie
like 15 times...
SO WHAT?!?
if that's all it takes,
i think i should be getting a major role if there's a S&TC 3!!!

i've watched religiously the series on tv,
than watched the reruns,
then got it on VHS,
than on DVD.
i saw the first movie in the theater,
than found it on the web
and watched it over and over until the damn DVD finally came out.
i've just finished watching E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G
all over again before seeing the 2nd movie next friday
with my friends.
i'm telling you:
I DESERVE TO APPEAR IN THE NEXT ONE,
if there is a next one...

that's it for now!!
between two coughing fits,
i need to go feed the cat now.
she's been meowing enough to let me know
she's expecting some new delicacy in her bowl for the day.
i've tried some new product this week
and she REALLY wasn't keen on it...
there are three more left on the shelf.
she ain't gonna like it!!!
too bad!!!
she'll have to settle on some dry food
which is readily available in her second bowl...
i'm not that cruel,
you know?!?
:D~
HUGZ

SEPIA SATURDAY (13)

for my SEPIA SATURDAY,
i present here a picture of my maternal grandpa,
the one in the center with his tongue sticking out...
what a goofball!!
with friends, i presume.
could be relatives,
i have no clue who those folks are.
i'll venture this was circa 1930s,
in the lower st-lawrence region.
i like this picture
as it shows some humor,
contrasting with what i remember of my granda,
a rather stern man,
typical of his era.
:)~
HUGZ

SORRY!! I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND...

people getting together to raise money
for the QUEBEC FONDATION AGAINST BREAST CANCER,
and this is their ad to promote the event,
and the fondation has issues with it?????
that's sheer nonsense!!!
it is tasteful,
appropriate
and most eloquent:
"the fight against breast cancer!!"
they had to remove the logo of the fondation
as the fondation wouldn't have anything to do with nudity...
WHAT NUDITY????
her breasts are covered!!!!
we're not talking about toe nails here,
we're talking breasts.
and they are covered.
so,
what's the problem???

i wish them the best of luck with the event.
i just find it sad that the fondation took such an attitude...
shame on you!!!
:(~
HUGZ

WELL!! IT'S HAPPENING!! (GERRY BOULET)

this is it!!!
the movie about GERRY BOULET is actually happening!!
we're already short on parking spots in the district,
but with the caravans spreading like forever,
it only makes the matter worst.
still...
it's nice to know
that one of the greatest rockers in quebec
will be honored!!!
they better do a great job.
the lead singer for OFFENBACH has left us such a legacy
that there should be enough material to do something great.

ROCK ON GERRY, ROCK ON!!!
:)~
HUGZ