Points of Relativity

Over the past few months I've noticed three differences. A couple of progress and one of quality of life.

The first was back last summer. We went to Parc Orford and spent a day at the beach. We had done the same thing soon after moving here. The thing I noticed was how at ease I was compared to the previous time. That first time, I was nervous. My French was quite shaky and I was worried someone would talk to me and would be totally lost. Or worse judge me for being an anglophone not fluent in French deep in what I thought was a largely francophone part of the province. I have to say that I was spooked for quite a while that there was an anti-anglo sentiment below the surface that one day would explode on me. Not that I had any indication that it was the case, but with the referendums and with some negative experiences with some of our French aquaintences in Versailles, I worried it was there. Maybe I'm also a bit of a perfectionist and felt I was not showing respect unless I spoke fluently and correctly. But three years has made a difference. I was completely at ease after getting to know so many people from here and to see that anti-anglo sentiment is rare as long as you show respect. To boot, my ear for the language has advanced considerably so I was able to follow most everything that was said around me.

The second was more recent and related to the first. Nowadays when I order at a restaurant, I don't have that nervousness and have that confidence to be OK with making minor mistakes. But it is also that it all comes so easily now. Before I could spend minutes formulating what the correct words should be. Now it's old hat and flows off the tongue. It's definitely not perfect and I still make long pauses searching for words. It's a nice knowledge level to be at and will make advancing much easier. I bit more incentive to study and fill in the gaps. I hope to do that over the vacation with a study book I purchased.

Lastly, one of my favorite topics: traffic. When I first arrived here, I was so surprised with how courteous all the drivers were. Driving relatively slower, not cutting each other off, and taking turns when two lanes merged. Well over the last year or so, the drivers here have started getting on my nerves. I've been seeing less respect shown between drivers. Or have I? I thought back to some of the driving I experienced in Chicago and the people here returned to being angels. It also becomes a question of whether you bring your level of tolerence down so that you get stressed out driving, or do you keep the same level and live a life of less stress. I will be choosing the latter. The bad drivers are not worth it.

Winter Observations

Now that we have received our first snowfall, I can expect with every new encounter to be asked if I have any trouble with the cold weather up here. I've talked a bit about it here before, but I thought I'd share some of my more recent or better understood observations.

The average year-round temperature difference between Chicago and Montreal is about 8 F (5C). The mean temperature difference at the height of summer is 6F (3C) and 11F (6C) at the height of winter. Now that's not really a big big difference. At least when you compare Chicago to North Carolina or to Florida. But it is enough to make a difference for one aspect of winter.

The snow removal post from last winter has been getting alot of attention and it has been interesting to read comments left on the Skyscraper Pages. I was surprised to see some people assume winter or the amount of snow that falls is not very significant. They were questioning why such an elaborate operation is required as opposed to almost every other US city.

Well it is not so much the amount of snow as the temperature. Back in Chicago, we would get snow. It gets cold and the snow sticks around. Sometimes for weeks, sometimes for months. But the temperature would get up high enough that there would be daytime thawing from the strength of the sunlight. It would not all go away, but it would usually keep the snow from piling up too high. Every few years there would be a particularly snowy and/or cold winter and the snow could pile up. But not to the levels or frequency of here in Montreal.

But here is the difference. That 11F (6C) degree difference keeps snow from melting during the day. In addition, Montreal is farther north and receives less sunlight in the winter. So unless snow is moved, it isn't going anywhere for a few months. And there seems to be significant snowfalls once or twice a week. Enough that they need to plow the streets every week or two if not more.

As for the conditions of the roads and sidewalks. They salt the major streets just like they do in Chicago. But due to the frequency of snowfalls, they probably salt them at least three times a week. The bridges seem to get almost daily treatment because although snow melts due to the saltings, they water refreezes overnight creating black ice. It seems rare to see the bridges dry during winter. As for the sidestreets, there is almost always a thin layer of snow or ice on them. Again this is due to the temperature not getting high enough for daytime thawing. Same goes for sidewalks unless they are along a commercial strip. Even then they likely have a mix of gravel and ice. So designer shoes are useless. Winter footwear and winter tires are a must.

Lastly, I'll repeat how I'm dealing with the colder temperatures. Kanuk. The fall before our first winter here, the in-laws suggested we get a Kanuk winter coat at their big annual sale. We each bought coats good for -30C and it has made all the difference. That along with long underwear, a scarf, good gloves, and a real stocking cap make the winter almost pleasant down to 0F (-17C). Kinda wish I had all this stuff back in Chicago when I had to spend an hour outside with part of it up on a windy el platform.

Motorcycles

There are two prevelant objects in Quebec that really defy logic. The logic being that the summer and warm weather are in short supply. The first object is swimming pools. If you fly over Montreal you can see that there are swimming pools in about half of the backyards. For me, it doesn't make sense because you can really only use them three months out of the year if that.

The other prevelant object is motorcycles. It seems a natural progression from the massive number of bicycles, but given the cost difference, I'm surprised you would invest in something that can used during less that half of the year. The upside is that it is cool enough for you to dress properly with the helmet, leather jacket, and pants (or chaps). But still it seems odd.

One interesting thing about motorcycles here is that as opposed to the crotch rockets that are popular in Chicago, the more traditional types are what is popular here. Both the laid back Harley type bikes and the more traditional types.

And another thing that really caught my attention is the number of women who ride them. If my observations are correct, the number of female riders almost matches the male riders. And that ratio applys to both traditional bikes and the Harley type. I find my reaction interesting because for some reason seeing a woman on a motorcycle seems to give them an aire of empowerment. I'm not sure if that is (and I hope it is not) a superficial impression, but that empowerment is very attractive and sexy.

A Fitting Introduction

My first trip to Montreal, Quebec City, and the province of Quebec was in December 1993. During the trip I met my future in-laws for the first time and learned how to downhill ski. The most appropriate aspect of the trip was that the temperature was minus 40 during our stay. When we visited Quebec city, we spent much of it running between tourist shops in order not to get too cold.

Any trip to Montreal is incomplete without a visit to the Belvedere overlooking the city. What is normally a short uphill stroll turned into a slippery bone-chilling brisk walk. The fingers of our friend Valerie even froze to her metal camera while taking a picture of the panorama above. The above shot shows how her breath crystalized on her hair during the short walk. Click on the photo for a closer look.

Thank goodness that I now have proper clothing and footwear to endure winters here.

Montreal's Bad Drivers

In lieu of a post on this site, I've asked the readers of Metroblogging Montreal where the reputation for bad drivers in Montreal comes from. Feel free to comment there or here if you like. I ask because I found driving here to be quite a refreshing change. I thought I might be mistaken, but I'm reminded everytime I return to Chicago. Read the post here.

In other news, time for blogging is becoming more and more difficult to come by. A good part of that may be because I'm sharing the available time with Flickr now. The ideas for posts are piling up, but I just haven't had the time to sit down and flesh them out. Surprisingly our vacation at home has left me with even less time. Guess I'm missing those lunch hours.

The Construction Holiday

Coming to Montreal there was one aspect of work that was pretty interesting. The last two full weeks of July are the Construction Holiday here in Quebec. Everyone from architects to welders to foremen to even engineers take that time off. They all flee the city to fill up already congested vacation spots inside the provence and abroad.

This has been an interesting change for me. Back in Chicago like everywhere else in every other profession, people are alloted two or more weeks of vacation to use when they please. People take the time at any time during the year. My habit was to take a day or two at a time or at most take a week during Xmas (usually to come to Montreal). Also, everyone is usually alloted sick time which can either be 'use it or lose it' or get paid out at years end for unused time. My old office was the latter so it was a bit of a bonus for myself around Xmas for not getting sick or at least not formally using sick days.

So when I came up for interviews I was told about the holiday schedule. There were a handful of Canadian holidays which half the time would not be the same day as a US holiday. The office I work at said they took four days off for Easter, Lord knows why. But the winter and summer holidays were different. The office actually shuts down for two weeks surrounding Xmas and New Years. How it works is that there are four holidays (Xmas eve, Xmas, New Years Eve, and New Years) during that stretch. You are also alloted six sick days during the year. You are to apply the unused days toward the remaining six days. Any missing time should be made up with overtime. I could gripe that it is forced time off, but it's like getting an extra two weeks of vacation.

As I mentioned, construction comes to a halt for these two weeks during the summer. Offices shut down and heavy equipment is quiet during the two weeks during the year that the almighty buck would say is the best to complete work. Sunshine, less rain. Heat, no snow or freezing temps. Didn't make sense. Must have been created by a union. Again it's forced time off without the choice of when you can take it, but it is nice to be forced to take it all at once. It is quite different than the extended weekends we used to take.

But it's a weird thing when EVERYONE at the office goes on vacation for two weeks twice a year. There is no shifting of responsibilities to cover for people's absense. Clients don't gripe that you're not there. And unless there is some real (life threatening) emergency, you are assured not to get any nagging phone calls. We all celebrate the last day before, share what we are going to do, and have such a peace of mind that it is a real vacation. No nagging guilt can be perceived.

We are now five days into the sixteen days off and it is quite relaxing. No big get-away plans. No major projects. Just hanging out doing knick-knack things around the house and enjoying the family. Pretty fricken cool.

Just Visiting

It was a bit odd the week or two before the trip back to Chicago. There was this mixture of feelings. Enthusiasm to be going back, but also a bit of sadness realizing we are no longer residents, but only visitors. What I mean is no longer being a insider. Specifically it was about restaurants, bars, and buildings. To know a city is to know the good places to eat or have a drink. Not the fad places, the good places. Unfortunately, that line of business can be fleeting, so usually residents are the ones who know relatively new places other than the stalwarts.

As for the building industry. I came across a post talking about upcoming additions to the Chicago skyline. Of course the major projects I had already heard about. It piqued my interest to catch up on many of the new projects. As I was checking out the website showing current construction photos, it was then I felt the outsider. Project after project were unknown to me. Plus many had been worked on by offices I had worked at or offices where friends or acquaintences do work or had worked at. It was very uneasy. You see, I have been following construction of downtown high rises in Chicago since high school. I have been compiling books about it and studying the history. So I was quite happy when I began working on those buildings when I entered the work world. Becoming part of it all. Now, I'm not terribly sad to not be a part of it today, but I was a bit sad that week before leaving.

The interesting thing is that the morning after arriving, we took a quick drive around downtown. Although I have been out of town, I was able to point out to family members who live there which building was which or what new building is planned for this site or the other. It wasn't much, but that connection to the city felt better.

Here are a few other minor points about the visit.

This visit has been different. More time observing and thinking about how things are different between the two places. I had done that before, but this time many of my previous observations have been documented here on this blog. So my mind was not rehashing many of the same observations. I spent more time looking at the minor details and how they contribute to the whole. Sometimes trying to pinpoint vague perceived differences.

One thing that felt comforting and made me feel like home was being in the presense of a much higher percentage of African-Americans and Latinos. Seeing them and their sub-cultures added to the feeling of being at home. I found this a bit odd because when I first got here to Montreal, I found the homogenaity of the population a bit comforting. Weird isn't it that both situations could have a comforting affect.

Extremism, bigger, more selection (or at least more choices of the same thing). Again it was odd to have a sense of being home with things like 24 hr phamacies, ATM's in every nook & cranny, monster grocery stores. Or the increased materialism. Everyone with the latest gadgets whether they need it or not. A life at full throttle that I'd not necessarily prefer to experience everyday, but comfortable for a short visit like an old sweater. There are pluses to these things along with the negatives.

Lastly the trip reaffirmed how aggressive the drivers are in Chicago. It still makes me wonder how Montreal has gotten a reputation for bad drivers. It's a question I'll post on Metroblogging Montreal in a couple weeks.

As I mentioned last week, there are many other ideas for posts that came out of this trip. So many more observations and comparisions to come.

On the Road

We spent a total of 36 hours driving from Montreal to Chicago and back. That doesn't include the extra 5 hours to western Illinois to visit relatives. That's an awful lot of time for your mind to wander. Here are some other tidbits from the voyage.

The car started making some very scary sounds after only 7 hours on the road. It made through the remaining 11 to get to our destination. During our 7 day stay in Chicago we made 4 trips to the mechanic. The upside is that the final cost was a third of their worst case estimate. The downside is that the original sound we heard before the trip has still not been fixed. At least we made it OK. Time to start car shopping.

Every good parent scoffs at the idea of having a DVD player in the car. Just like they say they'll limit TV in the household. But boy was it practical. It's alot to ask a kid to keep themselves occupied or asleep for a 10-hour drive. To our little one's credit, she was well behaved and played by herself for almost half the time.

Everyone talks about how bad the roads are in Quebec, but the roads seemed just as bad or worse in some places. Quebec may get that reputation because Ontario decided to repave the 30 km stretch just over the border. After that it returns to semi bumpy road. And why can't Quebec pave a brand new asphalt road flat. They just repaved a 20 km stretch just over the border and it was waveyer than any new road I have ever seen.

Speaking of bad roads. What is up with Michigan? The interstate there was as bad as the worst country roads in Quebec. Going through there with an already dicey car made for some nervous moments trying to determine if a noise was the car or the road. My guess why the roads are so bad there is because they experience extreme freeze-thaw being down wind from Lake Michigan. But also because they don't salt the interstate. We drove through there one winter and there were 1 cm patches of ice all over. A five hour drive over a constant rumble strip.

Ontario has a ridiculous practice of placing rumble strips 2 cm over the white line on the edge. Any minor lack of concentration and your car makes one heck of a racket. That's great when you have a car full of sleeping people. Plus your wife jumps up fearful that you have fallen asleep at the wheel. The reason they are so close is because the paved shoulder ends shortly after. Saving a little money for a meter of asphalt. If you did hit that paved edge at 120 km/h, you'd have a difficult time keeping control.

During the whole trip the average speed was about 120 km/h (72 mph). But for some reason that jumped 15 km/h (10mph) or more between Toronto and Kingston. After Kingston everyone slowed back down. I've noticed this before on other trips through that region.

We passed through Jonas Parker Land, but didn't stop to see any islands.

Lastly we stopped for a few hours in Toronto. As an architect, that city is really putting itself on the map. Recently finished buildings by Calatrava, Will Alsop, and Thom Mayne, and ones under construction by Libeskind and Gehry. They have adopted a common practice of bringing in world-renowned architects for big projects instead of keeping things home grown like here in Montreal. I'm all for fostering local talent, but I have to say I really want to go back to Toronto to see all these buildings when they are finished.

Gay Games or Outgames?

I wrote a little piece on this question on Metroblogging Montreal.

The Annual Pilgrimage

So tomorrow we will be returning to Chicago on a fact finding mission for more material for this blog. I've exhausted all my previous tidbits, so we're returning for more fodder.

No actually we're making our yearly trip back to see family and friends. A couple friends are getting married and we're making a mini-vacation out of it. It's always amazing how packed the itineraries for these trips get. No matter whether it's a week or two. Always someone to see or something to do. I guess it is really a function of trying to pack in as much stuff as possible. For instance, on a shorter trip we would meet groups whereas on longer visits we would try to meet people individually.

There is an interesting thing about the friends aspect of being away. The people you keep in contact with tends to boil down to closer and closer friends. Pretty quickly you lose contact with acquaintences. Then it's friends you many not have known very long or ones you didn't see that often. Losing contact is partly my doing. I can be quite bad at responding to emails while away and our available time to see people while there can be fairly limited. So we concentrate on those closer to us. It is unfortunate because they are good people. It boils down to logistics really. On the extended family side, we see them pretty much at the same frequency as before we left. Except it is more for the occasion of us coming back as opposed to weddings, birthdays, and funerals.

So I'll probably won't be posting during the trip. A couple written posts may come out, but I won't have access to photos. My apologies that I have not responded to comments left here lately. Everything has gotten quite busy. I keep thinking things will slow down after the next event or deadline, but there is only a temporary lull until it's time to start getting ready for the next. I guess that's summer in Montreal. Time to do as much as you can until you have to reinstall your snow tires.

Speaking of, lets all hope the 220k km car holds out for the 2750 km round trip. It is currently making it's fifth visit to the mechanic this year.

Lastly an update on my three resolutions. First I haven't lost any weight since the beginning of the year, though I haven't gained any either. I started running again, but on one run my calf tightened up right at the turn-around point. So I had to hobble back. I haven't gotten back on that horse. And lastly, I still have plans to post once a month in French. I have some ideas already, but just need to sit down and hash it out. It'll help when we get a French keyboard at home also. That's why my text doesn't have the accents when I comment on Flickr late at night.

So take the time to check out some others on my blogroll while we're gone. Or check out my pics or favorites on Flickr. There is some really cool stuff out there.

Later,
Frank.

Giving Birth

A few months ago my wife gave birth to our second child. Seeing as how a significant part of this blog has been about comparing life in the two cities, I think it's appropriate to share a comparison of our birthing experiences in each city.

Before moving here and actually even before our first child was born, a friend and his wife had their first child in Chicago, then had their second in Toronto. He reported back that his experience in Chicago was vastly superior and that he would really not recommend having a child in Canada. Just so you know he is a Canadian from Toronto and has a tendancy toward exageration.

Our first child was born in Chicago. Before the birth, we attended the regular check-ups with the OB-gynie at this big hospital downtown. The check-ups were great and the OB-gynie was a very very nice person. Even conducting the exams in French for my wife. The day of the birth came and we went to the hospital. We had chosen a well-reputed hospital downtown designed by a famous architect from the sixties (we're both architects). We went through the pregnancy triage and eventually made it to the birthing suite. It was a very large room with a stereo, a sofa, a lazy boy, and an alcove with all the monitors, incubators, and such. During the labor, there was always a doctor and a nurse who would each pop in from time to time to check on the state of things. During the time we were there, shifts changed so we had two or three different doctors and nurses. Our OB-gynie would not be there for the birth because it was not her shift. Nearing the time of the birth the doctor brought in an intern who would assist. And when it became evident it would be happening in a matter of minutes, a group of three or four others were brought in to care for the baby. The baby was born and was immediately wisked off to be cared for by these additional people in the alcove. It was in part due to muconium in the amniotic fluid, but I got the impression it was standard procedure. It was only for a few minutes, but of course for us seemed extremely long. Worrying that something was wrong. After they had finished their work, our newborn was returned to us all wrapped up along with relief that everything was alright.

Our accomodations for the following two days were in the building mentioned above. To a degree, we got what we wanted. It was a very cool looking building, but due to it's age, it was behind the times of modern post-partum care. The rooms were a bit cramped, though we had one to ourselves. It lacked some bells and whistles that something built more recent would have. During our two nights there, the baby was allowed to sleep in the nursery only returning to feed. This was done to allow us to get some sleep and recover from the delivery.

Our second child was born here in Montreal. Again we attended the regular OB-gynie appointments. This time in a small office in a residential neighborhood. I did not attend every appointment like last time because of obligations at work. The check-ups went well and again the OB-gynie was very nice. The day of the birth came and we went to the hospital. The hospital we had chosen was fairly standard from what we have experienced here so far. We again went through triage and eventually made it to the birthing suite. It was the size of a good sized hotel room with a lazy boy in the corner and a place to stash the incubator. We had the parade of nurses and doctors like before, but our OB-gynie came by and let us know she would be there for the birth. At the time of the birth, there was only my wife, the nurse, the OB-gynie, and myself. It made for a much more intimate experience especially since our doctor was there. Also the newborn was given to my wife immediately and all tests were performed while she was holding the newborn.

The accomodations were pretty much from the same time period of our previous hospital. As such, there were only a limited number of single-occupancy rooms. Our first night was in a double and the second night a single became available. The double was very cramped and as you can guess the single had ample room to spread out since it had twice the space. A difference from the first hospital was that the policy of this one was for the newborn to stay with the parents through the night. This was so for the parents to bond with the new arrival.

So those were our two experience. Now I must point out that these are one couple's experience and that I think the difference is only partly due to locales. For instance, the hospital here stressed that they had a policy of immediate and continued contact after birth. That may not be the case at all hospitals here and there are likely some with that policy in Chicago.

Did we prefer one experience or hospital over the other? Of course not. They both had their qualities and both experiences were positive and very special for us.

So there you have it from our little multi-national family.

Play (Soft)Ball!

Today was supposed to be our first softball game of the season. Unfortunately the park district has not prepared the field yet, so the game will be rescheduled. During my first two summers here, our team finished close to last place. It seemed we could do nothing right. Balls were not caught, throws were off the mark, nobody could hit. Last season that all changed. We won the championship with a record of 18-6. Everything clicked and we got many lucky bounces. So for me at least I don't feel any pressure to win it all this season.

I started playing as a replacement my first summer here. It took a bit of getting used to since I had not played 12 inch. I'm not a very good fielder. Plus the difference in size required a different strategy at the plate. Swinging for the fences gets you no-where if you don't have the bat speed. Lazy hits over the infield or punching it through the gaps is the sure bet. And aggressive base running in a league of poor throws and catches goes a long way. My second season I became a regular and since the pitcher left the company, I took over. That first season as pitcher did not go that great. Lobbing a ball underhand so that it reaches a six foot elevation then drops just past the plate 40 feet away is not easy. But then you have to place the ball so it is more difficult for them to hit. High and inside, High and outside, Just plain low. I have gotten better as a pitcher and hopefully I can build on that this year. Though alot has to do with how well the team fields the balls they do hit.

Back in Chicago we played in a league with teams from employees of different architecture firms. We played 16 inch softball which is a soft ball with a surface somewhere between tanned leather and suede. The ball is bigger than the softball used everywhere else. It is almost too large for standard softball mitts so the ball is caught with your bare hands or sometime pop ups and fly are 'basket' caught. Elbows down and close together with your hands about shoulder height and facing you. Hitting it is similar to hitting a pillow so powerful swings do more damage than bat speed. Throwing is a bit awkward and if your fingers are not open enough on a ball thrown to you, you could end up with a jammed finger.

The environment on the field toggled between laid back friendly and overly competitive. Some of that had to do with the architectural community being so close. You probably know someone on the other team which could be good or bad. And my favorite part was that it was a reason to spend time outside with your favorite beverage. Beer was stocked up before the game and people would even bring their beverage out onto the field with them. Then most times teams would meet up afterward for more drinks, conversation, and sometimes pool. Good times.

Hockey

Unfortunately, the hockey season came to a close here in Montreal a couple nights ago. Although I probably saw all of 40 minutes during the whole season, I did notice quite a difference in my understanding of the sport. As a side note, don't think I was giving hockey the short stick with only 40 minutes. My time alotted to watching any sports has been cut down severely.

During the previous season when the NHL was on strike, I played ice hockey for the first time. I had played floor hockey as a kid and know how to ice skate better than your average person south of the border. But I was (and still am) just starting out when it comes to stick handling. And I can't skate backwards. Regardless, I came to understand the rules and strategy of the game.

So when I watched the overtime of the second playoff game, I was really amazed by the skill of the players. I could really understand the difficulty to do what they do. Plus understanding what is going on goes a long long way. Blue line, icing, back checking, line changes. They were all vague concepts before, but now I follow what they are and have experienced those things first hand. Not to mention that the overtime was a really exciting.

That said, there is one thing that still surprises me about the sport. The randomness of the movement of the puck and really how even though these guys are experienced professionals, it still seems like much of the time they are just slapping at it. They have infinitely more control over the puck than I have, but in most other sports I follow there seems to be much more control of the object in play.

So I'm making progress on the hockey front. At this rate, I should have a good handle on it when our daughters get older if they find it interesting and are possibly even interested in playing.

Friday Night Road Rage

The CAA monthly journal Touring ran an article a while back talking about a study on road rage. Apparently local law enforcement set up a hotline for people to call in when they witnessed road rage. The most notable discovery from the hotline was that HALF of the phone calls were received on Friday night. I thought it was pretty interesting, but didn't think too much about it afterward.

Well over the past few months I have started to notice a trend that matches that study. People really do go crazy on Friday nights. There's a lot more tailgating going on. People gun it when the light turns green. They give it a bit more gas than the rest of the week in order to advance through traffic. Everyone is just a little more aggressive. It has been a bit bizarre to notice this trend.

So why? Well the obvious reason is that every want to start their weekend as soon as possible. It's not people from the 'cinq a sept' (happy hour) because I'm usually on the road as that is starting up. So someone would have to do a few shots immediately after work and head straight home for that to be a factor.

But whatever the reasons, it is really a bad way to start the weekend for the rest of us. I have been avoiding as much as possible to get worked up in traffic. But Friday nights are tough. My adrenaline is usually flowing pretty good by the time I get home, but not for good reasons. Maybe we should spend the extra hour and take public transportation on Fridays.

By contrast, back in Chicago I would get worked up on almost every commute. Maybe it was just my perception and maybe I took everything a bit too personally, but I'd be pretty stressed out when I arrived at work or home. There was no chance to take a breather and the nerves were getting quite frazzled. It was only about a year that I was required to drive to work, but it was enough to temporarily give me a distaste for one of my favorite activities. Driving. I was very happy when I was able to take the el to work again.

So what is your preferred time for road rage? Monday morning going back to work? Wednesday night due to the mid-week blues? Or Sunday morning just for the fun of it?

Hip Size

I have commented before a couple times how much thinner people are here, but my brain is still trying to make sense of it. I promise this is my last comment on the subject. At least until everyone starts disrobing again next spring.

This post applies more to those on the lighter end of the spectrum. The thinner people I see here are of a size that I rarely remember seeing in the states. And here they seem much more frequent. It seems pretty obvious that the size of people stateside is due in large part to what has become standard size portions at restaurants and arguably increased influence via advertising. One fellow blogger has also gone as far as suggesting that thinner people here in downtown Montreal is due to a bulemia epidemic. But try as I might I cannot shake one theory out of my head. Genetics.

Maybe it's just the optical illusion of seeing people thinner than I am used to. But it appears to me that people's frames are smaller. Like the bone structure is not as wide. The idea kinda slipped as everyone bulked up clothing-wise for winter. Now that those layers are disappearing, I catch myself gazing at people trying to make sense of it. After three years, I still surprises me. Thighs are thinner, butts are smaller, and of course waists. That applies to both sexes. Could it be that the muscles there are more efficient and require less bulk? OK, maybe that has to do with the fact that they don't have to carry around as much bulk. But is it that they have the bare minimum to get around and they would have difficulty in a footrace? Most of the athletic people I know here aren't that skinny.

This said, there are two laws of nature that still hold true though. As people advance in age, they have a tendancy to add pounds due to inactivity. And as public transportation becomes more scarce, the same applies. Patrons of the Promenade St-Bruno put more pressure on the earth than those walking downtown Ste-Catherine. Walk farther east on Ste-Catherine and the guys get more buff, but that's a topic for another day.

So what do you think? Is it really just a case of thinner people or does the gene pool have something to do with it? Regardless, it makes for some nice summer scenery.

Summer Urgency

I have mentioned before back when I had three readers (me, myself, and I) that there seems to be an urgency among the people here to drop everything during the summer and get outdoors. A relative that has a boat and him and his family disappear for the summer to spend every possible moment on the boat. Relatives kept saying we must go camping now or get out into the country for a day trip. The office is deserted at quitting time almost every night. Everything is now. And everyone was so depressed two summers ago when it rained all summer. I didn't quite get it.

Well.... after three winters I finally get it. A bit surprising since this has been the warmest winter ever. I have caught the bug. I'm itching to do things outdoors and exploit every minute of warm weather. It could be even doing work like turning over the compost heap or building a deck, but I want to get out! Bicycle rides, softball, and SAUSAGES ON THE BARBEQUE! Kicking a ball in the park, having meals outside, even cutting the lawn. I'm tired of watching Willy Wonka, Wallace and Grommit over and over. I WANT TO DO STUFF OUTSIDE!

Pop Culture Shock

There is an aspect that has been hard to get used to. Not being 'au current' with the local pop culture. To a degree I am a fish out of water. Here is an example. I had seen this commercial about erectile dysfunction and what must be a celebrity comes on and says some cheesy line that somehow connects hockey with winning the battle over erectile dysfunction. I see a couple other times and finally I see it with my wife in the room. So I ask her who that is and she informs me it's Guy Lafleur one of the biggest hockey players around.

It was just a weird feeling because the tables were turned. Back in the states I was the one always informing my wife who so and so was on TV. Oh, that's Jim McMahon the quarterback of the 1985 Superbowl Champion Chicago Bears.

Now we live in an area that reportedly has many locally known celebrities. My wife keeps pointing them out. Oh, that was the actor from such-and-such from when I was a kid. Or that woman is the daughter of that news anchor. So I worry that I could be giving the local Gary Sinise, John Malcovich, or Billy Corrigan the evil eye for cutting me off when I really should be gapping in surprise of seeing them and yielding way for their immense contribution to society.

I did actually see one local celeb at the supermarket. It was that guy who did the Bell ads before the beavers took over. You know, the guy who dressed up like women and blue collar workers. He pulled up in line behind us at the check out counter.

I am making an effort to get into the scene. We have watched every Star Academie since moving here in order to get familiar with the music scene. And when we remember and have the time we watch Tout Le Monde En Parle. They tend to have quite a few faces-in-the-crowd, but there are enough well-known faces. So I'm inching my way toward familiarity with the Quebec pop culture, but unless I completely wean myself of anglophone media, I think it will be a loooonnnnng time before I reach an level near to the knowledge I had back in the states.

Urbanite in Suburbia

I grew up always saying I would NEVER live in suburbia, yet here I am.



I grew up in the city. The house in the center of the picture. Zoom out from the link to get an idea of the breadth of the city around. Now I would love to exaggerate and say I lived in the 'hood, but really it was a semi-dense urban neighborhood called Northcenter. Similar to the Montreal neighborhoods of NDG (for ethnic make-up) and far east Plateau or far west Hochelaga-Maisoneuve (for density of buildings). There was talk of gangs occasionnally passing through the neighborhood along with scattered graffiti. My cars over the years had been broken into at least four times that I could remember. Almost everytime for a radio. But it was a relatively safe place with some of the same trappings as anywhere else. Before the car, I walked, ran (as in jogging), or took the bus to get places. We grew up playing amongst the factories behind our house or at the nearby parks. We'd climb up on the factory roofs or over their barbed wire fences to retrieve balls. Or we'd play whiffle ball at the street intersections with the manhole at each corner serving as a base.

When I returned as an adult, another aspect of the city became accessible. Bars, restaurants, street festivals. All within walking distance. One summer when I was painting our apartment, we listened to the dance music being blasted just down the street where they were setting up for the Pride Parade. Taking public transport to work. Not using the car for weeks on end. It was hard to imagine living life a different way.

So how exactly did I end up in suburbia (emphasis on the sub). Well, life changes and priorities change. Safe and an affordable place with a yard was the primary motive. Also one of the driving factors for the more to Montreal. Though, we are still only 15 minutes from the action. That is, when we have time for it.

What are my impressions or suburban life? Well, the big plus has been becoming a homeowner. I love doing work around a house and having space to breath has been great. We did home repair and maintenance when I was a kid and I enjoyed it so much it steered me to my profession. Now I don't get hung up on how good the grass looks, but I do really like an immaculately shoveled driveway. Weird, I know. Considering it's only a quarter of what we cleared at the house I grew up in, it's not too difficult to keep clear.

As far as the suburban environment, we are in an established suburb with mature trees so it has some similarities to what I grew up with. The people in our neighborhood have been very friendly, though there are some upturned noses at the grocery store. The noise level took a little getting used to. We had trouble going to sleep the first few nights because it was so quiet. I don't even remember any crickets. I grew up hearing ambulances, police sirens, and even the el train passing off in the distance. Not to mention the buzz of traffic or planes passing overhead. But here there is nothing.

To sum up, the transition has not been very difficult. Though if it was a newer suburb with no trees and farther from the center city, then there would be problems. I have no qualms with rural life. I could probably live there just fine as long as there was something interesting to do and/or see (not just endless cornfields). It just that weird transitional suburban area I don't care for of endless car-centric strip malls and cookie cutter homes.

Potholes and Roads

It's that time of year when the potholes appear. This year in Montreal they appeared early due to warmer temperatures.

I have been really surprised at the state of roads. The potholes here are huge and plentiful. And they pop up very quickly. I have seen potholes grow to a foot or two (30 - 60 cm)wide by four inches (10 cm) depth in as short as a week. The freeze/thaw cycles just rip the roads apart. On my daily commute there are a handful of locations where I've given up tryin to find a 'line' to take to avoid a pothole riddled section of road. Even after repairs are done, it's like driving over rumble strips. Sorry for the lack of pictures with this post.

An obvious response to the pothole problem would be to build the road out of concrete. Though concrete is more durable, I suspect it is cost inhibitive. Sidewalks are made of concrete, but there is more leeway as far as unevenness and roads would require more concrete (thickness and width) more often. So it seems asphalt is the answer as long as it remains less expensive.

The snow plows give the roads quite a beating. In addition to the interaction with the asphalt, I have noticed how all the painted lines are noticably fainter every spring. My guess is that they must be repainted every three or four years if not sooner.

And it is not just the potholes. The roads are noticably bumpy in general. Drawing on my knowledge of what we deal with in the building industry, here are a few educated guesses as to what else may take their toll on the roads. If there are any road construction or maintenance experts out there, it would be great to be enlightened whether these are also factors. Maybe the subgrade can be engineered to withstand these forces.

In addition to the freeze/thaw cycles a road goes through there is also some other forces at work from below. One is ice lensing where water coming down from the road surface or up from the ground below encounters a freezing layer. The water freezes and causes water following behind to stop and freeze also. Thereby creating a lense of ice inside the earth. This pushes up on the surface above and when warmer temps arrive the water melts and the surface above settles back into it's original position.

Frost heave is similar, but involves the moisture present in the earth. In this case the earth expands together due to how water expands when it becomes ice. This can be damaging if different areas rise at different rates due to different moisture contents. I'm pretty sure that this is why if you go to a park soon after the thaw you find that the earth is nice and soft. I'm not positive this could have a large affect on the surface, but it could.

Lastly there is the soil makeup. Near where I work there are expansive clays. What this means is that the clay expands with a higher moisture content and contracts under low moisture content. We have many building nearby which had settled severely (1 to 2 feet from one end to another) when there was a drought a few years back. There is a section of sidewalk that does dips like a roller coaster in the areas adjacent to trees. Probably because the trees were drawing out all the moisture during the drought. So I think if the presense of expansive clays was not taken into account during the construction of the road, it would have an adverse affect on the road surface.

So in short, the forces of nature take a great toll on the roads. I really think that the cold temps instead of lack of maintenance is the reason for the difference from other places I've been.

Welcome Gazette Readers!

Welcome to those of you who have reached this site via the article by Hayley Juhl. Thank you also to Hayley for the opportunity to reach a larger audience. She did a great job of distilling down the better bits of the blog.

For a sampling of some other points covered, here are a few links to a sampling of other posts.

Recently I wrote about the snow removal process in Montreal along with how it is dealt with in Chicago. I also did a study of the medal hunt in Athens. A follow up will take place shortly concerning the Turin games. But as we all know Canada did very well. I also posted some watercolors I had done in Europe over a decade ago.

Lastly was a 'Best of' that I had compiled as my 100th post. It includes some photos, some levity, and comments on language, racism, obesity, traffic, and sovereignty.

So feel free to browse and feel free to comment. Keep in mind that my understanding of many aspects of life here is evolving and sometimes my observations were a bit naive. I really hope to learn more about life here and this medium has helped in many ways.