tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86853962011-07-28T21:40:05.041-04:00Your waiter will be with you shortly...Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.comBlogger4891100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-15485489866399164112007-02-10T02:01:00.000-05:002007-02-10T13:13:23.681-05:00

I am pleased to announce that The Smoking Section has a new home: http://thesmokingsection.wordpress.com/. Please update your links, bookmarks, feed readers, and other blog paraphernalia accordingly.See you on the other side!

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-51640903697483331642007-02-08T01:28:00.000-05:002007-02-09T00:54:37.495-05:00

For the complete lowdown, click here.For the comic, click here.

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-71243480317982439962007-02-07T14:16:00.000-05:002007-02-08T01:41:54.049-05:00

So, it looks like Frank’s going, which substantially increases the likelihood that I’ll go.What about the rest of you? Will you brave the bone-chilling winds to raise a glass with your fellow scribes? C'mon, you know you want to… (Grins.)

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-37407573814943112512007-02-02T01:47:00.000-05:002007-02-05T04:40:35.457-05:00

Given enough time, a building will start to feel like home. You get to know the cracks, the weak step, the sticky lock. You become chatty with the neighbours. You learn the janitor’s name. If you had to, you could find your way around in the dark. This comforts you.Then, the restlessness comes, like it always does. Honestly, half of you was already gone.

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-9264550806048044992007-01-31T00:56:00.000-05:002007-01-31T02:18:23.002-05:00

I’ve been thinking a lot about drugs lately, in large part because other people have been thinking about them. Within the span of a week, I learned that Frank has never done them, that Tornwordo has tried them but didn’t like them, and that spiders weave really fucked up webs when they’re on them.I also learned that scientists, having unveiled the role of the insula in translating drug-induced

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-69025905070216886462007-01-30T02:32:00.000-05:002007-01-30T03:48:06.649-05:00

Originally posted to Metroblogging Montreal, Oct. 5, 2005.It was an incongruous day. I emerged from my apartment to find the staircase covered in dry, yellow leaves, yet the temperature stood at nearly thirty degrees. As I ran the day's errands I felt impossibly sad, knowing that this is well and truly the last gasp of summer. There is no turning back now.It is, as every Montrealer knows, harder

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-39616681956224437302007-01-29T13:13:00.000-05:002007-01-29T13:32:36.871-05:00

Is that a snake in your blog post or are you just happy to see me?

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-3573631680322692352007-01-29T02:18:00.000-05:002007-01-29T02:47:58.036-05:00

Environment CanadaCurrently Observed at:Montréal-Trudeau Int'l Airport2:00 AM ESTMonday 29 January 2007SmokeTemperature -17°CPressure/ Tendency 100.9 kPa↑Visibility 10 kmHumidity 87 %Dewpoint -19°CWind W 5 km/hI have to leave a bar to have a motherfucking cigarette, but today's weather is smoke? Oh, and there's also a smog warning in effect. Breathe easy, people...

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-23036588095390744432007-01-28T02:54:00.000-05:002007-02-05T03:24:03.601-05:00

Some of you have been asking, so I guess an explanation is in order.Last week, I stepped down from my position as president of a teaching assistants’ union. I made the decision to leave in November, but I should have made it a year before, when I collapsed in a fit of tears in the middle of Parc Avenue.Those who know me well know that I rarely lose my composure in public, and when I do, that

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-31990525152026685812007-01-27T03:20:00.000-05:002007-01-27T03:59:04.206-05:00

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-82529286334048192742007-01-27T03:17:00.000-05:002007-01-27T21:24:22.334-05:00

Handshakes, meeting, report. I wish the new president luck, then escape for drinks with J. We talk about climate change, our first boyfriends, the painting she’s working on—anything but work. Slowly, the union disappears.She asks me if I’ll miss it. I say yes, and no.Walking home, I think about other, quieter passions and the prospect of time. As I turn the key, I realize that tomorrow is finally

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-79067628111761553412007-01-25T23:03:00.000-05:002007-01-26T04:36:51.575-05:00

From today's New York Times:

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-32628731829103156252007-01-25T11:12:00.000-05:002007-01-25T12:25:18.615-05:00

The Quebec baby boom and its inevitable aftermath.

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-39011934320430388452007-01-24T02:46:00.001-05:002007-01-24T02:46:57.982-05:00

Peter O'Toole and Jon Stewart on the joys of white wine and cigarettes.

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-49313365332895685182007-01-24T01:17:00.000-05:002007-01-24T05:14:45.520-05:00

Why HDTV is bad for porn stars and other living things.

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-2931042175499538702007-01-21T02:38:00.000-05:002007-01-21T04:27:22.756-05:00

I went to Husk’s show last night. We found each other before he took the stage, both of us peering through the dark at the back of the room. I asked his name as a question, still unsure. He said, simply, “It’s you.”At these moments, you feel the contradiction: you are intimate strangers, ideas extracted from bodies and lives and arranged on a screen. Then, suddenly, the idea becomes a person,

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-28636832117002641802007-01-19T02:43:00.000-05:002007-01-19T02:56:33.589-05:00

If you're looking for the petition to save the Spectrum, you can find it here.

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-63573063647914697782007-01-17T02:40:00.000-05:002007-01-17T02:50:47.537-05:00

From the New York Times:[T]here is no going back to a world where we can assume that marriage is the main institution that organizes people’s lives.Well, about bloody time.

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-21472282919760522112007-01-16T03:43:00.000-05:002007-01-21T04:31:04.687-05:00

Smoking outside the office, the snow stung as it fell. It was almost a relief.

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-37405878898761399682007-01-15T23:34:00.000-05:002007-01-16T03:51:32.753-05:00

A true revolution of values will soon cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our past and present policies. On the one hand, we are called to play the Good Samaritan on life's roadside, but that will be only an initial act. One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho Road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-41445718796250246122007-01-14T22:57:00.000-05:002007-01-21T04:38:39.884-05:00

You know, I’ve always wanted one.The way I figure it, it’s an aid for the quiet times, when I can’t find the words, or when there are too many at once.It’s for when I’m shy or uncertain, which is often these days.It’s for when I am compelled to give evidence for what I think or feel.Most of all, it’s for when I know that something important is about to be lost.These will be snapshots, then,

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-16165454687548227792007-01-11T02:36:00.000-05:002007-01-11T03:50:13.665-05:00

You need to be yourself now and to feel what you really are.Often the outer appearance of a life conceals the depth of contact with underlying reality, even to the person who is doing the living.You aren't quite the silent virgin others are used to.Now go make your own.

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-43728180685730502292007-01-10T01:13:00.000-05:002007-01-10T03:20:18.315-05:00

Sick. Tired. Dishes to be done. Cat to be fed. Writing indefinitely on hold.Two weeks couldn’t be further away.Today, I felt almost everything I read. Sparky: “I miss my drunken, extroverted, libidinous self.” Dude, you and me both. D: “Who knew that it could be so boring?” Fucking right, who knew. Something Andrea wrote about missing her friends, but then she deleted it.I’m going to have a glass

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-83071557079297525982007-01-09T10:46:00.000-05:002007-01-09T11:24:13.299-05:00

British scientists have discovered the cure for stage fright, and it don't cost a thing.

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-83232887968935327962007-01-09T10:22:00.000-05:002007-01-09T11:26:50.808-05:00

Uberfrau reflects on her time in graduate school:I guess I never expected to have to know anything practical, and I've realized that over the last decade, I've only trained myself to be a snob of the worst sort. It's like I envisioned my future as an endless cocktail party (incidentally, the sort of party I'm not invited to now), in which i'd quietly make devasting observations on life and

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-90511322508568719662007-01-08T02:46:00.000-05:002007-01-08T05:04:36.687-05:00

Me: The Sequel poses the question: do women scan? Well, sure. As I wrote here some time ago, we just do it a little differently.I’ll let you in on a secret, though: sometimes, we look too. The shirt that rides up, exposing the crest of a hip; the calf that tightens as it bears down on a bike pedal; the faded jeans that hang just so. But I think the way we look is more idiosyncratic; we catch

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-32216905247305287492007-01-07T23:58:00.000-05:002007-01-21T04:34:46.814-05:00

A white Christmas after all...

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-28284000911506012007-01-06T02:24:00.000-05:002007-01-21T04:36:27.071-05:00

The weather is as out of sorts as I am. I tell myself that the new year hasn't really started yet, not according to the Julian calendar. In fact, it's only Christmas Eve.For the Orthodox among you, sretno badnje veče, and dibs on the silver coin.

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-15758620398887359952007-01-01T14:31:00.000-05:002007-01-01T15:16:16.226-05:00

2007? Fuck that.Last year's words.The next big thing: Bar-free cities.Twenty reasons not to buy a house.Therapy: Pros and cons.

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-15066860293753773362006-12-31T02:51:00.000-05:002006-12-31T05:56:24.095-05:00

The night before New Year’s Eve. I feel no impulse to make resolutions, nor desire to herald change. There hardly seems any point, there’s been so much of it this year. Transformation has become ether.Looking back, it's all a bit of a blur. I remember the things I’ve written about, but I can’t recall feeling them, not really. There was never time for anything to seep in, except in dreams lost

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-33516455228378884782006-12-30T01:31:00.000-05:002006-12-31T04:53:01.692-05:00

Saddam's heinous crimes against humanity can never be diminished, but he was our ally while he was doing it. Saddam as a war trophy only deepens the catastrophe to which we are indelibly linked.--Rev. Jesse Jackson

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-73267168187135674352006-12-29T14:15:00.000-05:002006-12-30T02:56:36.834-05:00

Late last night, reports surfaced that Saddam Hussein had been handed over to the Iraqi government for execution.This morning, US officials denied that the handover had taken place, stating that Hussein would not be executed until sometime in January.Since both parties have agreed to keep Hussein's execution secret until after the fact, this can only mean one thing: Saddam Hussein is already

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-12244615552663136342006-12-29T01:28:00.000-05:002006-12-29T04:25:51.890-05:00

From today's New York Times:Along with its many other desperate problems, Iraq is in the midst of a housing crisis that is worsening by the day.It began right after the toppling of Saddam Hussein, when many landlords took advantage of the removal of his economic controls and raised rents substantially, forcing out thousands of families who took shelter in abandoned government buildings and

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-68062995002603191012006-12-27T23:04:00.000-05:002006-12-28T05:42:09.205-05:00

Every now and then, I like to stop in and read a few posts on Metroblogging New Orleans, just to see how the city is doing. Today, I discovered this rant about a Craigslist ad for a pricey apartment that has gone unrented for quite some time. From the post:This place just illustrates the total lunacy in our rental market right now. People are fixing up flooded property, taking their insurance

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-72093726361775199212006-12-25T23:47:00.000-05:002006-12-26T03:40:10.689-05:00

Christmas Eve with John and Arit; Christmas Day alone. Just a faint hangover from all the grappa we drank, which scorched the backs of our throats as it went down.I steeled myself and made calls to my family today. My father is depressed and didn’t feel like talking. My brother was in hospital for a week and is still waiting to receive his disability benefits. My mother was trembling and confused

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-65353896922940282702006-12-25T03:11:00.000-05:002006-12-26T01:59:02.474-05:00

Every WhoDown in Who-villeLiked the funk a lot...But the Grinch,Who lived just North of Who-ville,Did NOT!

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-8488094009400830232006-12-23T02:53:00.000-05:002006-12-23T04:24:27.312-05:00

Okay, so it didn’t stop any wars. But Global Orgasm Day did feel kinda sexy, didn’t it?The event even caught the attention of my favourite astrologer, who wrote this piece on its potential merits. An excerpt:Orgasm transcends differences of gender, sexual orientation, social identity, language, nationality, house or trance, rock or disco. It can be a profound moment of inner freedom that (if

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-79837055066067750482006-12-21T23:12:00.000-05:002006-12-21T23:54:50.892-05:00

As I nursed my first cup of coffee this morning, an email arrived in my inbox inviting me to take part in the first annual Synchronized Global Orgasm for Peace Day. Seriously.Inspired by the Global Consciousness Project at Princeton University, the event organizers hope that “a huge influx of physical, mental and spiritual energy with conscious peaceful intent will not only show up on Princeton’s

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-43209736084622447512006-12-20T22:40:00.000-05:002006-12-21T13:01:40.721-05:00

Hello. You’ve reached KARL, our automated message system. The revolutionary is out of the office until January 3rd. If you require an emergency insurrection, please dial 911.Beeep.Thank fucking god. I’ve been hanging on to each day by my fingernails and have felt myself slipping. As I told Mimi, it’s like all my adrenaline ran out at once.After the fever, I realized I had to stop and I will, in

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-44963699074420985352006-12-16T03:19:00.000-05:002006-12-16T20:47:12.776-05:00

A sleepy and hungover day. I drank entirely too much at the department party last night, and may or may not have danced to New Order before one of my colleagues took pity on me and drove me home.Between pints, I learned of two break-ups that occurred this fall. The first was as bad as they come: sudden, evasive, and painfully revisionist. When she told me that it was as if he had never loved her

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-12293954788047388052006-12-14T02:34:00.000-05:002006-12-14T03:23:52.705-05:00

Okay, this one’s really quite extraordinary.Several years ago, world health practicioners observed that men who resided in African communities in which circumcision is commonly practiced had dramatically lower rates of HIV infection.Preliminary research studies were conducted in South Africa and India that appeared to support the correlation, but scientists reserved judgement until the results of

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-48857613523939036752006-12-13T02:27:00.000-05:002006-12-14T01:29:04.019-05:00

Example A: Mass demonstrations by Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon.Example B: A Taliban mini-state in Pakistan.Example C: Saudi threats to back Sunni factions in Iraq.Example D: Suicide bombings, sectarian death squads, etc.Example E: Jon Stewart calling the outgoing Secretary of Defense a cocksucker on national television.Seriously...

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-13692087540013523302006-12-12T02:24:00.000-05:002006-12-12T03:41:10.438-05:00

Gentrification is the leading cause of hyperaesthesia.Lou Dobbs seriously needs to read some Marx.Can IKEA really build a better flophouse?Iraq is a mistake that only stupid neo-liberals could make.Is the new guy on The Daily Show kinda cute, or is it just me?

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-58699608674329125362006-12-10T22:02:00.000-05:002006-12-11T05:37:12.908-05:00

A night in with Setare and Oblivia. Drinks, of course, and conversation, the kind that makes sense of the world and then giggles.Atomic will be back in Montreal soon, which makes me realize just how long she has been away. There is something about these women, and infinitely more when they’re together.Walking home, I noticed that the Café had closed early. It wouldn’t have if we had been there.

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-65312954644240122472006-12-07T02:37:00.000-05:002006-12-07T03:38:02.537-05:00

I learned about the Tarot from my mother. She learned about it from the cigani, or Gypsies, which is what they were called then.They didn’t have Tarot decks in the villages my parents grew up in, just well worn packs of playing cards which served the same purpose. My mother’s cards sat beside the fruit bowl on the kitchen table, waiting for my torrent of questions. Should I? Shouldn’t I? Does he?

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-57248997258102491692006-12-04T02:54:00.000-05:002006-12-04T04:16:10.096-05:00

Are you at a crossroads? Unsure of your direction in life? Having a full fledged identity crisis? Well, look no further--the Tarot will reveal all!Okay, peeps, this is my card. What's yours?You are The High PriestessScience, Wisdom, Knowledge, Education.The High Priestess is the card of knowledge, instinctual, supernatural, secret knowledge. She holds scrolls of arcane information that she might,

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-57255019117778238882006-12-02T16:25:00.000-05:002006-12-02T17:02:10.302-05:00

Over at the Metroblog, we’ve received orders from head office to expound on our city’s greatest gifts to the world. Feeling mischievous, I decided that my contribution would focus on Montreal’s penchant for drinking, which is, incidentally, how Arit and I whiled away the hours during yesterday’s ice storm. Providing that your power has been restored, you can find the piece here.

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-75848972199638883732006-12-01T03:09:00.000-05:002006-12-01T03:59:54.344-05:00

Hmm... what do you think? Is it me?

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1164875370738015162006-11-30T02:47:00.000-05:002006-11-30T04:10:37.896-05:00

A tease? No, April, not really. I always put out eventually.There’s a lot I haven’t been writing about here, events and anxieties that have called for discretion, every one of which underscores a two year-long argument I’ve been having with myself and have lately been losing.In one way or another, they have all had to do with the question of calling, and, coincidentally, with the fact that I

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1164612203046681932006-11-26T23:44:00.000-05:002006-11-27T02:34:22.170-05:00

I’ve spent the last five days at home with the flu, from which I am slowly recovering.On the second day, I curled under a blanket and let the fever take me. Hours passed as I dreamt warm, distracted dreams, which came in irregular waves. It reminded me of certain reckless highs I won’t experience again.If I told you some of the things I’ve done in my life, you wouldn’t believe me. Which is

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1164355263023363432006-11-23T23:32:00.000-05:002006-11-27T02:29:10.596-05:00

A quick one at a bar I go to sometimes. Weeknight, it’s slow, a few tables straggle. The busboy announces last call, even though it’s early, then bends toward us. Whispered, “Not you.”The stragglers leave; the busboy locks the door and turns out all the lights except one. We follow the pale glow to the bar. The bartender pours a round of drinks, which threaten to spill over the sides but don’t.

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1164184303244988692006-11-22T03:14:00.000-05:002006-11-22T03:31:44.370-05:00

You know those word verification boxes you have to fill out when you post a comment on someone's blog?They're much harder to do when you're drunk.

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1164095639633043532006-11-21T02:33:00.000-05:002006-11-22T03:34:16.363-05:00

This morning, I read that half of all Canadians fear that they are only one paycheque away from poverty.This afternoon, I witnessed an altercation between a street kid and the jaywalking police.This evening, I learned that the Quebec Superior Court will not suspend the smoking ban.I can't wait to see what Tuesday will bring.

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1164007080114871802006-11-19T23:34:00.000-05:002006-11-20T02:20:28.423-05:00

In case anyone was wondering what the "H" stands for...

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1163489931978171652006-11-14T02:23:00.000-05:002006-11-14T02:38:52.033-05:00

I thought this one was fit for the Metroblog, so you can read it there.More soon...

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1163453612833560042006-11-13T14:46:00.000-05:002006-11-13T16:33:32.860-05:00

From today's Montreal Gazette:With cigarettes in hand, hundreds of bar owners from across the province marched outside the Montreal court house Monday morning, claiming a smoking ban is destroying their business.Editorial to follow...

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1163295321664755832006-11-11T19:50:00.000-05:002006-11-12T03:58:58.556-05:00

Once again, it is the season of that strange ritual known as the Canadian Blog Awards.Last year, I nominated the erstwhile way down here in three categories. As you may recall, Bob’s little blog that could made it to the top five in every one of them. He’s now in rehab, poor thing, so be sure to send him your well wishes.This year, I thought I’d nominate several of my favourite blogs across a

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1163059835039388572006-11-09T02:37:00.000-05:002006-11-09T03:11:45.276-05:00

Good job!Love,Vila

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1162976269852157162006-11-08T03:27:00.000-05:002006-11-09T01:33:47.960-05:00

IThe office is as dry as sandI still my handsand keep workingIIFive ‘o clockThe window is pitch blackas if the world has endedIIIParc busImagine the dark a blanketReach for his handsunderneathIVgraspcurldraw inVWalk northboots on leavesSoonthey will print snow

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1162716985911732942006-11-05T03:11:00.000-05:002006-11-05T14:19:51.166-05:00

Behind me, CNN breathlessly awaits the verdict in Saddam Hussein’s war crimes trial, which was, by any standard, a farce. Meanwhile, Baghdad is under strict curfew, and the Iraqi government has cancelled all army leaves. Whatever the verdict, murder will follow.It is a cruel irony that Iraqi civilians are less safe today than they were under Hussein’s regime. According to the British medical

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1162406700122104092006-11-01T13:38:00.000-05:002006-11-01T13:46:58.490-05:00

Yulblog, anyone?

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1162191344642927282006-10-30T01:49:00.000-05:002006-10-30T01:55:45.143-05:00

I did go to a party the other night, to celebrate the birthday of one of the waitresses at the Café. The party was held at another neighbourhood bar, and was teeming with people I haven’t seen in a while.When I arrived, I took a seat at the bar and ordered a cocktail, which is not what I usually drink. I usually drink beer, but I wasn’t planning on staying long. I don't linger much these days.

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1162106451471911892006-10-29T02:14:00.000-05:002006-10-29T14:18:30.763-05:00

I was supposed to go to a Hallowe’en party tonight. Two, actually. I had every intention of going, despite the rain, and had even assembled my outfit for the evening.Instead, I got lost in a documentary about Glenn Gould.It wasn’t an especially good film, but I’m a sucker for interviews with people I find interesting. Better yet, it featured Gould’s rendition of one of my favourite pieces of

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1162017501804519592006-10-27T11:47:00.000-04:002006-10-30T00:39:56.746-05:00

The hurricanes have ended. I emerge, cautiously, and inspect my apartment for damage.There is a thick layer of dust on all surfaces. Underneath that, an even thicker layer of cat hair. Underneath that, mountainous drifts of paper, frosted with gray cigarette ash.I haven’t the faintest idea where I put the hydro bill, which is almost certainly past due, or my health card. It may take an

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1161621385201607532006-10-23T12:24:00.000-04:002006-10-23T12:36:25.240-04:00

An online petition is cicrculating to reverse the city's decision to rename Avenue du Parc, which was made with no public consultation. Of course you should sign it, if only to encourage municipal politicians to do more worthwhile things with their time.

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1161241011029492382006-10-19T01:44:00.000-04:002006-10-19T02:56:51.056-04:00

Study: 1M Canadians dissatisfied with how they earn a living

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1161074352908438522006-10-17T03:32:00.000-04:002006-10-17T04:39:12.960-04:00

Patti Smith said of the closing of CBGB:It’s a symptom of the empty new prosperity of our city.Of course she’s right, and at the same time she’s not.One could argue that CBGB has been a museum piece for at least twenty years. That Hilly Kristal plans to move the club, toilets and all, to Las Vegas only bolsters the argument.Still, Smith perfectly captures the meaning we want the event to have. We

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1160901207937319902006-10-15T03:29:00.000-04:002006-10-15T04:39:47.260-04:00

For the first time in years, I’ve been having nightmares. Last night, I dreamt about my brother, who lay bloated and dying in a hospital bed. I stood at a distance, watching him suffer, and was consoled by another version of the same brother, who was well. This brother told me it was diabetes, which had progressed too far. All the while, a machine dispensed pain medication in steady, beeping

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1160469035223191282006-10-10T03:17:00.000-04:002006-10-10T04:30:35.250-04:00

I noticed today that there are different qualities of sunlight.Some have the feel of beginnings; they blush the skin with the promise of summer, warming the body through to the bones. Others presage winter and endings, affirming that which is already gone. The warmth of this day was as fleeting and sad as a last kiss. Knowing this, I rode my bike to the park with the waterfall, where I watched a

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1160119408664237942006-10-06T03:04:00.000-04:002006-10-06T03:23:28.696-04:00

Today, my cab driver let me smoke in his cab. “Just don’t let anybody see you,” he said. “It’s a $300 dollar fine.” I cupped my cigarette in my hand and nodded gravely.Meanwhile, in France, the unthinkable. Says Jean-Pierre Balligand of his country’s proposed smoking ban:“I’ll end my life where I started it — in the men’s room.”Indeed.

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1159945148530111712006-10-04T02:46:00.000-04:002006-10-04T02:59:08.566-04:00

Hoarse. Warm. Ache. The body rebels. It always does.Last week, during a particularly stressful meeting, I excused myself to go the bathroom. The door locked, I steadied myself against the sink for a few minutes, looking away from the mirror. Then, I lifted up the toilet seat, sank to my knees, and vomited.I have a notoriously strong stomach, so I know what this means. It means that I have

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1159776720022614242006-10-01T23:48:00.000-04:002006-10-02T11:15:53.396-04:00

Tonight, I told my dad that I had a lousy week. His response:I know all about life that turn sour, work 45 years and look what it got me, alone in one bedroom apartment, and life being short, wonder sometimes where all the years have gone by...Money are there just to keep me alive, problem is when brain start wondering and wont let you sleep or relax and just keep going on.Ya, times come in life

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1159345722964295142006-09-27T03:24:00.002-04:002006-09-27T04:31:06.733-04:00

And today, in my sixth of twelve consecutive hours of work, on five hours of sleep, two and a half cups of coffee, and exactly one carrot muffin ‘cause that was the only kind they had left, I threw the most spectacular hissy fit. Seriously, Yeats would have cowered before my passionate intensity, and all the jackboots in Europe wouldn’t have saved him from it.God damn it, who do I have to blow to

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1159259219332601142006-09-26T03:31:00.000-04:002006-09-26T04:26:59.360-04:00

When I am reduced to quoting Yeats, you know I’ve had a bad day.We wouldn’t have gotten along, Bill and me. A champion of the aristocracy and an ardent nationalist, he was the worst kind of romantic: spoiled, unthinking, and politically confused. Like many other artists of his time, he publicly professed his admiration for Mussolini, the Italian purveyor of fascism for aesthetes. So long as it

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1159175923080338852006-09-25T03:16:00.000-04:002006-09-25T05:18:43.113-04:00

There are, I have noticed, seasons of dissolutionDespite best effortsBonds thin and breakThe centre refuses to holdThis seasonI watch from a distanceAnd am grateful of having nothing to lose

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1158734363807171292006-09-20T02:11:00.000-04:002006-09-20T03:33:36.476-04:00

Today, while in a meeting with a Very Important Person, I reached into a small, zippered pocket inside my purse to produce my business card. Yes, I have a business card. I know. Ridiculous.In any case, just as I was about to hand the card to the VIP, I realized that a condom I had completely forgotten about had somehow become attached to the underside of said card. An unused condom, I should add.

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1158570069651704172006-09-18T03:31:00.000-04:002006-09-18T05:01:09.736-04:00

I received an email from my brother yesterday. He told me that he has been classified as having a major disability, and will receive government benefits. It is good news, and, at the same time, it isn't.I’ve thought a lot about my brother since Wednesday. It’s been hard not to.The latest reports indicate that Kimveer Gill, the Dawson shooter, had psychological problems and had sought help for

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1158482752088438252006-09-17T02:54:00.000-04:002006-09-17T04:45:52.146-04:00

quiet nightrememberinglisten to rem

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1158401486156157822006-09-16T03:05:00.000-04:002006-09-16T06:11:26.183-04:00

A different perspective on the Dawson College shootings

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1158305152469138412006-09-15T02:31:00.000-04:002006-09-16T06:12:37.986-04:00

After twenty minutes of hand-wringing about the evils of goth culture and the Internet, the good people at CTV tonight alerted us to another menace to society: Whoa, stop the presses--it’s a smoking actor! (Gasps.)Worse, it’s a smoking actor who hates George Bush and is against the war in Iraq. Oh, and he used to be married to Madonna, but that was a long time ago.Public health officials assure

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1158249592127139152006-09-14T11:45:00.000-04:002006-09-14T11:59:52.156-04:00

Of course he had a blog...

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1158224238704171812006-09-14T02:50:00.000-04:002006-09-14T05:32:15.600-04:00

It’s so quiet tonight.The rain and the chill have emptied the streets; the stragglers speak in hushed tones. All the shops have the radio on, and in the absence of customers the shopgirls listen glumly. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been, as it has been, but it wasn’t good either. A young woman died today and is mourned. A young man died today and will not be mourned. It’s so much like

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1158174364327722132006-09-13T14:55:00.000-04:002006-09-13T15:06:04.356-04:00

Over at Metroblogging Montreal, we are doing our best to post up-to-the-minute information on the shootings at Dawson College. Check there regularly for updates.

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1158042223194912612006-09-12T01:39:00.000-04:002006-09-12T03:04:22.170-04:00

Five years, and 43 per cent of Americans remain unshaken in their belief that Saddam Hussein was responsible for 9/11. Little wonder, when their president still insists, “the safety of America depends on the outcome of the battle in the streets of Baghdad.” Or, when the release of the bipartisan Senate report that conclusively proves otherwise is buried on a Friday afternoon. Or, when their

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1157948021905630172006-09-11T00:06:00.000-04:002006-09-11T00:13:41.933-04:00

Small plane lands on major Montreal street

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1157881658925459272006-09-10T04:04:00.000-04:002006-09-10T14:44:07.643-04:00

Despite my best efforts, my trip to Vancouver is already memory. The life I've returned to is more or less exactly as I left it: a blur of meetings and reports and emails, punctuated by quick drinks at the grad pub and late night phone calls from my mother.What is different now than before is the threat of change, which seems to be lurking everywhere. It is in g_pi’s last post, and in this one

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1157616335934028062006-09-07T02:54:00.000-04:002006-09-07T04:56:49.326-04:00

Except for a spot of air turbulence, my flight home was thoroughly uneventful. At least, it was until the plane landed and its weary passengers began trundling toward the baggage claim area. As I stepped onto the escalator, I noticed that the man standing immediately before me was wearing a white spacesuit. With sequins. And a topknot. Distracted as I was by nicotine withdrawal, it took me a

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1157439435904202632006-09-05T01:49:00.000-04:002006-09-05T04:11:08.543-04:00

On the beach waiting for the E to hit. It was well after midnight, and Mimi and I went to sit on the rocks at the water’s edge. The ocean was nothing but dark and sound: enormous pulses of waves, circled by huge tenor gulls. Waiting, we talked, our voices close against the wind, and I marvelled at the difference in their scale. If you stood three feet away, you wouldn’t have heard us.I wanted to

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1157276122007234802006-09-03T04:02:00.000-04:002006-09-03T17:04:34.523-04:00

James calls Eriq the mad scientist. In some ways, he is.Eriq is insatiably curious about the world, and he does seem always to have an experiment or two in progress. During my brief stay in Vancouver, these included several dinners, a batch of blackberry wine, a watercolour painting, code for an online encyclopedia, and the third chapter of the novel he is writing. All this while working a

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1157242181528269972006-09-02T20:06:00.000-04:002006-09-07T04:40:07.236-04:00

Eleven bottles of wine.Three cases of beer.One mickey of white rum.Half a bottle of pastis.Twenty-four samosas.Two pounds of pakoras.One joint.Seven packs of cigarettes.One broken wine glass.Oh, and a hell of a hangover.It was good to be among friends. The last left at seven in the morning, dazed and squinting against the light of dawn. Moments later, I fell into a deep, warm sleep. I dreamt

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1157004877648772922006-08-31T01:34:00.000-04:002006-09-03T06:12:32.920-04:00

During the conference, I stayed with Hannah, a colleague and now friend I came to know while she was studying in Montreal. I liked her the instant I met her, which had everything to do with her energy: there’s something mischievous about her, an up-for-anything air that is both charming and contagious. I suspect she’s the kind of girl who does crazy things when she’s drunk, a character trait I

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1156925638516401352006-08-30T03:04:00.000-04:002006-09-07T04:38:26.700-04:00

The conference that brought me to Vancouver was a meeting of contingent academic workers from across North America. The majority of the attendees were part-time university instructors, which is to say, the underclass of the professoriate, and therefore the thing that every graduate student with scholarly ambitions secretly fears becoming.The event began with the customary opening address. The

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1156747676973892362006-08-28T02:37:00.000-04:002006-08-28T03:53:52.326-04:00

Well, it was quite the vacation. Now, where to begin?As you’ll recall, I was having a bit of an existential crisis before I left. The most concise explanation I can offer is that I had started to feel like a jigsaw puzzle that wasn’t going particularly well. None of the pieces seemed to fit together properly, and I had lost sight of the picture on the box. I was stuck, and none too happy about

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1156553504879472232006-08-25T19:48:00.000-04:002006-08-25T20:52:47.646-04:00

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1156447259638265262006-08-23T22:17:00.000-04:002006-08-25T02:56:59.516-04:00

Photos by Vila and James

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1156298101930043992006-08-17T21:10:00.000-04:002006-08-22T21:57:10.380-04:00

Photo by JamesPhoto by VilaPhoto by James

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1155761062278906472006-08-14T21:38:00.000-04:002006-08-17T23:16:35.326-04:00

Photos by James

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1155228124236449592006-08-10T12:39:00.000-04:002006-08-10T12:43:33.796-04:00

Virgo Horoscope for week of August 10, 2006Of all the times in your life when you have been in captivity, this has to be one of the least arduous and frustrating ever. I'll go so far as to say that I have rarely seen a more beautiful prisoner than you; for a drudge in bondage, you're ravishing. As hard as it may be to contemplate, however, it's almost time to escape. Your dark though sexy night

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1155207646610316642006-08-10T06:46:00.000-04:002006-08-10T07:00:46.713-04:00

Oh, for fuck's sake.By the time my flight is scheduled to leave this afternoon, the entire international aviation system will be in complete gridlock. And, apparently, I'm not allowed to carry anything in a liquid form onto the plane.Whee.

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685396.post-1155025257076373282006-08-08T03:26:00.000-04:002006-08-08T20:02:15.223-04:00

Over at Chicagoan in Montreal, Frank, Mrne and I have been having an interesting conversation about Frank’s most recent post. In it, he writes honestly and elegantly about crossing the yuppie threshold, which has led to some soul-searching on his part, and to a fair bit of commenting on mine.Our exchange has inspired me to think about how, should I ever manage to finish my degree, land an

Vila H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10093005776815414741noreply@blogger.com5