nerd blog post #107
Amsterdarn was amazing. Getting there was hectic. We had partied the night before and had failed to wake up to the several alarms that were set. The train we had tickets for was at 610am (early, but the cheapest) and we didn't wake up until 540. The walk is only about 12 minutes, but we were moving out that day. That meant we had about 15 minutes to pack up our apartment, take out the trash, empty the fridge, and haul our 16 (no lie) bags to the train station. Did we make it? Yes. But the whistle had blown and the train doors were locked and we ran to stop the train from leaving. But yes, we made it.
Once in Paris, Cynthia, Bronwyn and I headed to a park where we lay out our blanket and set up camp for the morning. We were meeting Raffi at 2pm to switch clothes and stuff and for Cynthia to pick up the suitcase she'd been storing there. So we parked near his residence and tanned for hours. Then we got our stuff and headed to the bus station. The ride was 8 hours, but flew by.
Seeing Doctor was, as always, so good. And it was great having the team we did. It was kind of strange for me when I thought about it, but it felt natural. Bronwyn and I have been tight for almost 15 years, Doctor and I are university friends (so almost 6 years), and Cynthia is new, but was essential in making the time in Rennes what it was. So these three close friends from three very different chapters of my life were all in the city of sin. And sin we did! I ate about three thousand choco peanuts and refused to wear sunscreen on the beach. What a rebel.
This was my fourth time in Amdam in 2009 and it didn't disappoint. Every time has been different, and this was no exception. Being with girls (minus the Doc), there was less window and more shopping. We spent a lot of time in the markets and in the shops zones. We also went dancing, which was sweet, at a club called Club Smokey (no safety bear in sight) and that may have been my fave evening.
Another highlight was seeing the World Exposition of Photography (that's not the real name, but something like that). It was held in an old and beautiful church in the centre of the red light district and housed hundreds of really cool photos from last year. My faves were the nature ones.
On the last full day there, we took a train to the beach. It's only about half an hour from Amdam and costs little to get there. The beach was full of white sand, hot sun and cute teens. We baked for hours, eating treats and enjoying the weath.
It was a pretty painful goodbye on Monday. I always have a hard time saying goodbye to Doctor. It feels so natural to be hanging with him all of the time, and being torn apart feels like a huge injustice. But it was also sad saying goodbye to Cynthia as I don't know when I'll see her next. It could be years. She was a great roommate, colleague, and especially friend. She made Rennes home and I will miss her quite a bit, especially during the rest of my time in France.
And so, I just had plain old Bronwyn to escort me back to Paris. Bah-ring. Just kidding. Alone, Bronco and I turned the adventure to full blast.
To be continued....
Much love,
Hincks.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Chapter 101: Starbucks and Suitcases
It has been awhile. With no working computer and a chatty companion, nerd blogging has become very difficult. But I miss updating, so here I go.
After four nights in Rennes after Bronwyn's arrival, we went to Paris for the week-end (this was last week-end). We arrived late Friday night and didn't do too much that night. On Saturday, Bron and I headed out around 10am to see the city. We were ready to get a big day in and see a lot. I didn't think that we would end up spending five hours in a one-block radius in the Latin Quarter... After having coffee at a cafe, Bronwyn decides she wants Starbucks, so the first two hours of our day are spent at two different coffee shops, one of which is Starbucks. Then we walk to the Notre Dame. For the first time that I've seen, they had used the big space in front of the church for a festival. A quebecois bread festival had erected a bunch of tents and was playing live quebecois folk music. They also had a beach volleyball court set up, complete with sand, and were happy for people to play. Bronwyn is an avid volleyball player and played varsity while in university. Her shoes and socks were off so fast and we ended up playing beach for two hours. What cathedral? We had Subway for lunch and then hit the court again for another hour before we were both pooped and went home. It was a really fun day! That evening, we went out with two of Raffi's friends from undergrad, German Clown Michael and Viktor.
On Sunday, we actually did some site-seeing. The Louvre, the Tuileries, Arc de Triomphe. It was nice. In the evening, we packed a bottle of (2 euro) champagne and headed to the Eiffel Tower. There, we drank bubbly, people-watched and admired the tower.
On Monday morning we wandered through the Marais doing a bit of window shopping. We met Raffi for lunch and headed to a park I first visited at Easter. In the North-East part of the city, the Buttes Chaumont is a beautiful and hilly park that has areas that overlook the whole city. It also has grass we're allowed to sit on, unlike many parisian parks. We took a picnic lunch and then all had a snooze in the sun. Bronwyn and I returned that night by co-voiturage, the carpooling service. It saved us a lot of money and the guy was speedy so we were home in almost the same time.
This past week in Rennes was very strange. I arrived home Monday night at 10 and left Thursday at 6am. So in two days, I had to proctor exams, clean out my office, submit all of my marks, hand in keys, get my apartment deposit back, tell my bank I'm outtie, pack my bags, and leave Rennes indefinitely. And so the week was hectic and full of goodbyes and bittersweet feelings and all that goes along with moving away from what had become my home. It was also strange to finish the job. For the first time in my life, I am currently homeless and unemployed. But it was fitting that I arrived to Rennes alone and left with two good friends. It was such a different feeling walking to the train station with all of my stuff this time around.
Cynthia, Bronwyn and I headed to Paris Thursday morning and are now in Amsterdam. I may not be able to post until Sunday, but will fill in the rest then. Hope you all are well.
Much love,
Hincks.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Chapter 100: Bron-rennes
nerd blog post #105
The 100th nerd blog chapter! What a day.
And what a week this has been. One week ago today, the day Bronwyn left Toronto, I received an e-mee saying, "I'm overpacking. Oopsies!" Overpacking was an understatement. I met her at the airport on Monday morning, and she came out with a cart because of all of her luggage. Bronwyn Margaret Sorbie arrived with two large suitcases and one small one - more than I brought in September. I checked to make sure she wasn't staying for good, and she was quick to tell me that I could borrow anything and look trendy all the time. Thanks, B.
It was good to see her. Too good. We made a scene in the airport like lovers who had been torn apart during WWII and were finally reunited. Then, we headed straight to the bar and drank white wine until noon when it was time to catch our train. I have learned a few things from the weary travellers that have arrived to CDG airport after a transatlantic flight. One of the things is that site-seeing alllll day can be exhausting, so Bron and I took a train straight to Rennes from the airport. We both snoozed the whole way. In Rennes, we grocery shopped for the week and also walked around the city centre. In the evening, we sipped gin and tonics with Cynthia and Merrill and went to bed relatively early.
The rest of the week was mostly spent teaching. It was my last week of classes and they went fine. Pretty tiring, but I was glad to finish up. I had exams in most of the classes and was trying to submit as many marks as I could to save time latron.
At first I thought it was jetlag, but now think that Bronwyn was tired. She works in commercial banking and has long hours and few vacays. She spent the better part of last week snoozing, and she seemed very happy. She also did a bit of shopping, buying some nice things, and came to school as well. We did Tuesday Tradition and that was fun. Wednesday night, the two of us sat on a patio downtown and sipped Stella. And on Thursday night, Cynthia, Merrill and Foun joined us for a crazy night of dancing, Thirsty Streeting and Bronco's late-night snacks. It was fun.
I'm glad Bronwyn was able to see where I work and live and meet some of the people I've been talking about this year. She's also independent enough to navigate her way around the town and is fairly confident in her grade 10 (or 11?) French. Her French is actually quite good considering it has been years.
The other thing that impresses me about Bronwyn is her improved taste buds! Bronco is not half as picky as she once was, and she even tried my curry! What a champion.
We left Rennes on Friday night and have been in Paris since. More on Paris soon.
Happy Bday, Vic!
Signing off,
Hincks.
The 100th nerd blog chapter! What a day.
And what a week this has been. One week ago today, the day Bronwyn left Toronto, I received an e-mee saying, "I'm overpacking. Oopsies!" Overpacking was an understatement. I met her at the airport on Monday morning, and she came out with a cart because of all of her luggage. Bronwyn Margaret Sorbie arrived with two large suitcases and one small one - more than I brought in September. I checked to make sure she wasn't staying for good, and she was quick to tell me that I could borrow anything and look trendy all the time. Thanks, B.
It was good to see her. Too good. We made a scene in the airport like lovers who had been torn apart during WWII and were finally reunited. Then, we headed straight to the bar and drank white wine until noon when it was time to catch our train. I have learned a few things from the weary travellers that have arrived to CDG airport after a transatlantic flight. One of the things is that site-seeing alllll day can be exhausting, so Bron and I took a train straight to Rennes from the airport. We both snoozed the whole way. In Rennes, we grocery shopped for the week and also walked around the city centre. In the evening, we sipped gin and tonics with Cynthia and Merrill and went to bed relatively early.
The rest of the week was mostly spent teaching. It was my last week of classes and they went fine. Pretty tiring, but I was glad to finish up. I had exams in most of the classes and was trying to submit as many marks as I could to save time latron.
At first I thought it was jetlag, but now think that Bronwyn was tired. She works in commercial banking and has long hours and few vacays. She spent the better part of last week snoozing, and she seemed very happy. She also did a bit of shopping, buying some nice things, and came to school as well. We did Tuesday Tradition and that was fun. Wednesday night, the two of us sat on a patio downtown and sipped Stella. And on Thursday night, Cynthia, Merrill and Foun joined us for a crazy night of dancing, Thirsty Streeting and Bronco's late-night snacks. It was fun.
I'm glad Bronwyn was able to see where I work and live and meet some of the people I've been talking about this year. She's also independent enough to navigate her way around the town and is fairly confident in her grade 10 (or 11?) French. Her French is actually quite good considering it has been years.
The other thing that impresses me about Bronwyn is her improved taste buds! Bronco is not half as picky as she once was, and she even tried my curry! What a champion.
We left Rennes on Friday night and have been in Paris since. More on Paris soon.
Happy Bday, Vic!
Signing off,
Hincks.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Chapter 99: Kimberley Avenue
nerd blog post #105
I have some OCD urges sometimes. For example, when anyone ever says, "spooky" I have to say, "spooky Hallowe'en!" No matter what. I have talked to some close friends who have similar behaviour after such phrases as, "knock, knock" ("who's there!?") and, "ding dong" ("merrily on high!"). It's strange, I know. And as I reached chapter 99, there was no other title but what I wrote, as 99 Kimberley Avenue is my parents addy and I can't separate the two.
But this blog has nothing to do with my parents house. It's just a regular nerd blog update about the week post-Murphy.
I returned to Rennes Monday night with hopes to teach and anxieties about how that would go. But, surprisingly, I had my first week of teaching since the week of February 2nd. Attendance was low, but the blockaders were nowhere to be seen and classes went on. All of them! It was discouraging to hear about how many had dropped out, especially first years. The students were pretty stressed and have, of course, a lot of work to do. With exams starting tomorrow, tensions are high. So where are the blockaders and what are they up to? Good q. And I have no a for that q. Their website hasn't been updated and neither has their twitter. But the fear is that they were lying low for a week so security would be sent away (it was) and then come back with a vengeance to interrupt exams. A good plan for them as they were becoming fewer and weaker as the weeks rolled on. So we'll see tomorrow if that's true, or if they have given up.
Otherwise, Rennes was good. My computer breakdown is a drag, but I haven't lost any photos or anything, so that's good news. Tuesday Tradition was successful, as always. We have a new friend named Benjamen who comes now as well. He lives in our building and is a law student from Lille, in the North of France. It's great because he's fun and nice and shakes things up, but also because we have to speak French, which I love.
side note: I definitely didn't expect to be speaking as much English as I do. I thought I would be fully immersed, but I speak a great deal of English both in Rennes and Paris. My French is strong and has improved, but I often wish things were a bit different and I spoke it all the time. What has been nice to notice, though, is how the switch between languages has become very quick and natural, something I had hoped to improve upon this year. While in Quebec four years ago, my French improved a ton, but my English (believe it or not) got worse and I actually spoke English in a weird way for a few days when the Summer was up. But this year, transitioning between the two has become easy, and I really like that. End of side note.
Friday was a national holiday (D-Day beach liberation) and so trains were very expensive. At the last minute, I carpooled using the website I did back in November. I drove with a 20 year old student at my school, an older lady teacher, and a quebecois professional baseball player. It was a great ride and the four hours flew by. Having two Canadians in the car (from French and English Canada) proved for very interesting convos. And as he had only been in France for a month, I had to translate some quebecois slang for the others. Hilarious. I love Quebec.
It has been a relaxing week-end here in Paris. I hung out with clowns Friday afternoon and then had a chill night. On Saturday, I met my friend, Charli. She's from England and goes to clown school. We went to a tea house and had tea and pastries. Delicious. I really like her and it's nice to have a friend that I see on my own here in Paris. In the evening, Raffi, Viktor and German Clown Michael and I went to a party hosted by someone at Rose Bakery (where the boys work). It was thrown by this older lady who is British and wears fashionable clothing. She had delicious treats at the party and a beautiful apartment. There were probably ten countries represented, and everyone was really nice. From there, we went to a party at Quebecois Clown Nico's house. There was dancing and singing and it was super fun. Today, I had a quiet day to myself. I slept in like a teen, read, organized, talked to my mama (Happy M Day!) and also to Bronco.
Speaking of, Bronwyn arrives tomorrow morning and I couldn't be more excited. She'll be here for three weeks - the longest visitor yet! I'm really pumped to see her and for the adventures we will go on!
Have a good Sunday!
Signing off,
Hincks.
I have some OCD urges sometimes. For example, when anyone ever says, "spooky" I have to say, "spooky Hallowe'en!" No matter what. I have talked to some close friends who have similar behaviour after such phrases as, "knock, knock" ("who's there!?") and, "ding dong" ("merrily on high!"). It's strange, I know. And as I reached chapter 99, there was no other title but what I wrote, as 99 Kimberley Avenue is my parents addy and I can't separate the two.
But this blog has nothing to do with my parents house. It's just a regular nerd blog update about the week post-Murphy.
I returned to Rennes Monday night with hopes to teach and anxieties about how that would go. But, surprisingly, I had my first week of teaching since the week of February 2nd. Attendance was low, but the blockaders were nowhere to be seen and classes went on. All of them! It was discouraging to hear about how many had dropped out, especially first years. The students were pretty stressed and have, of course, a lot of work to do. With exams starting tomorrow, tensions are high. So where are the blockaders and what are they up to? Good q. And I have no a for that q. Their website hasn't been updated and neither has their twitter. But the fear is that they were lying low for a week so security would be sent away (it was) and then come back with a vengeance to interrupt exams. A good plan for them as they were becoming fewer and weaker as the weeks rolled on. So we'll see tomorrow if that's true, or if they have given up.
Otherwise, Rennes was good. My computer breakdown is a drag, but I haven't lost any photos or anything, so that's good news. Tuesday Tradition was successful, as always. We have a new friend named Benjamen who comes now as well. He lives in our building and is a law student from Lille, in the North of France. It's great because he's fun and nice and shakes things up, but also because we have to speak French, which I love.
side note: I definitely didn't expect to be speaking as much English as I do. I thought I would be fully immersed, but I speak a great deal of English both in Rennes and Paris. My French is strong and has improved, but I often wish things were a bit different and I spoke it all the time. What has been nice to notice, though, is how the switch between languages has become very quick and natural, something I had hoped to improve upon this year. While in Quebec four years ago, my French improved a ton, but my English (believe it or not) got worse and I actually spoke English in a weird way for a few days when the Summer was up. But this year, transitioning between the two has become easy, and I really like that. End of side note.
Friday was a national holiday (D-Day beach liberation) and so trains were very expensive. At the last minute, I carpooled using the website I did back in November. I drove with a 20 year old student at my school, an older lady teacher, and a quebecois professional baseball player. It was a great ride and the four hours flew by. Having two Canadians in the car (from French and English Canada) proved for very interesting convos. And as he had only been in France for a month, I had to translate some quebecois slang for the others. Hilarious. I love Quebec.
It has been a relaxing week-end here in Paris. I hung out with clowns Friday afternoon and then had a chill night. On Saturday, I met my friend, Charli. She's from England and goes to clown school. We went to a tea house and had tea and pastries. Delicious. I really like her and it's nice to have a friend that I see on my own here in Paris. In the evening, Raffi, Viktor and German Clown Michael and I went to a party hosted by someone at Rose Bakery (where the boys work). It was thrown by this older lady who is British and wears fashionable clothing. She had delicious treats at the party and a beautiful apartment. There were probably ten countries represented, and everyone was really nice. From there, we went to a party at Quebecois Clown Nico's house. There was dancing and singing and it was super fun. Today, I had a quiet day to myself. I slept in like a teen, read, organized, talked to my mama (Happy M Day!) and also to Bronco.
Speaking of, Bronwyn arrives tomorrow morning and I couldn't be more excited. She'll be here for three weeks - the longest visitor yet! I'm really pumped to see her and for the adventures we will go on!
Have a good Sunday!
Signing off,
Hincks.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Chapter 98: May-hem Begins with Murphy
nerd blog post #103
It has been awhile, dear readers, and I apologize for that. The reason is mostly that my computer died early last week and I need to (somehow) reinstall Ubuntu. Or something... My regular computer technician (Ian Norman Hincks) left on Thursday to ride his bicycle to San Fransisco (no big deal) and I have to fend for myself. Yes, that's right. He is choosing to ride his bike across Canada. For zero dollars. Just for fun. I once did a 50km bike-a-thon to raise money for something and my derriere was sore for a week. But that's what Ion is like and I think it's a cool way to spend the Summer. If you're into sports and whatevs.
Anyyyyyyways, last week-end was grand. I arrived on Thursday and there was a big clown party at this French clown's house, which was terrific. Friday was a national holiday so they had the day off. Besides the week-ends Raffi has visited Rennes or we have gone away (four in total), he has had school or work every day I have been in Paris. So it was nice for us to spend the whole day together, for the first time. We went to a park and lay on the grass and he (of course) did numerous handstands and juggling things. Then we went to Chinatown and had a delcious dindins. We very rarely eat out so we were both excited to have that treat. In the evening, we watched a movie entitled Lost in Translation, which I had seen before but really like.
On Saturday, I went to the airport to meet Murphy. I think I've explained this before, but Michael Patrick Murphy is a good friend from Queen's. We met in our first year and he has directed me in a number of plays. It was amazing to see him! We did a ton of stuff, so here are the top five highlights, in no particular order:
1. Three years ago, Murphy directed a show called Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, in which I played Wilde's lawyer. This was an incredibly unforgettable Summer and the show was a lot of fun. On Sunday, we went to Pere Lachaise cemetary, where we found Wilde's grave. We had a wonderful walk around the cemetary with good chats.
2. On Monday, Raffi and some clowns have an improv session, and Murph and I went and joined in. Not only is it a rarity to see Murph on the other side of things, but it was a real pleasure and fun afternoon.
3. At the Eiffel Tower and other touristy places, there are people trying to make money by selling doo-dads, begging, playing music, etc. I realize now that I won't be able to explain how interesting this was, but we saw a COP CHAAAASE! A for real cop chase, complete with cop bikes, hedge hopping, running, whistles and everything. Okay, no whistles that I heard. But it was intense and very interesting to watch.
4. So Clown Nicole's bf moved to Paris a couple of weeks ago and on Saturday, they moved into their new place and threw a party. As Viktor, Raff, Murphy and I were on our way up there, Viktor received a call from a friend from Queen's who happened to be in Paris and wanted to hang. And so, we met Kat Sandler at the metro and she came along to the party. We had four Queen's Drama alumni together, and it was a lot of fun. Kat was a year below us in school but we did two shows together and hung last Summer after she graduated.
5. Sunday night was very nice. Raffi, Murphy and I played a game of Scrabble and drank wine. I didn't get too competitive this time and even congratulated the winner (it wasn't me, shockingly). It was just fun and a nice way to spend the last night.
Saying goodbye was hard, as it always is. I wasn't looking forward to going back to Rennes all that much and it had been such a great week-end. But I'll be home next month so that was comforting.
I'll write more tomorrow. Hope you are all well!
Much love,
Hincks.
PS - Thank you to those who comment or somehow let me know they are reading. Knowing people read is the only reason I write. So thank you.
It has been awhile, dear readers, and I apologize for that. The reason is mostly that my computer died early last week and I need to (somehow) reinstall Ubuntu. Or something... My regular computer technician (Ian Norman Hincks) left on Thursday to ride his bicycle to San Fransisco (no big deal) and I have to fend for myself. Yes, that's right. He is choosing to ride his bike across Canada. For zero dollars. Just for fun. I once did a 50km bike-a-thon to raise money for something and my derriere was sore for a week. But that's what Ion is like and I think it's a cool way to spend the Summer. If you're into sports and whatevs.
Anyyyyyyways, last week-end was grand. I arrived on Thursday and there was a big clown party at this French clown's house, which was terrific. Friday was a national holiday so they had the day off. Besides the week-ends Raffi has visited Rennes or we have gone away (four in total), he has had school or work every day I have been in Paris. So it was nice for us to spend the whole day together, for the first time. We went to a park and lay on the grass and he (of course) did numerous handstands and juggling things. Then we went to Chinatown and had a delcious dindins. We very rarely eat out so we were both excited to have that treat. In the evening, we watched a movie entitled Lost in Translation, which I had seen before but really like.
On Saturday, I went to the airport to meet Murphy. I think I've explained this before, but Michael Patrick Murphy is a good friend from Queen's. We met in our first year and he has directed me in a number of plays. It was amazing to see him! We did a ton of stuff, so here are the top five highlights, in no particular order:
1. Three years ago, Murphy directed a show called Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, in which I played Wilde's lawyer. This was an incredibly unforgettable Summer and the show was a lot of fun. On Sunday, we went to Pere Lachaise cemetary, where we found Wilde's grave. We had a wonderful walk around the cemetary with good chats.
2. On Monday, Raffi and some clowns have an improv session, and Murph and I went and joined in. Not only is it a rarity to see Murph on the other side of things, but it was a real pleasure and fun afternoon.
3. At the Eiffel Tower and other touristy places, there are people trying to make money by selling doo-dads, begging, playing music, etc. I realize now that I won't be able to explain how interesting this was, but we saw a COP CHAAAASE! A for real cop chase, complete with cop bikes, hedge hopping, running, whistles and everything. Okay, no whistles that I heard. But it was intense and very interesting to watch.
4. So Clown Nicole's bf moved to Paris a couple of weeks ago and on Saturday, they moved into their new place and threw a party. As Viktor, Raff, Murphy and I were on our way up there, Viktor received a call from a friend from Queen's who happened to be in Paris and wanted to hang. And so, we met Kat Sandler at the metro and she came along to the party. We had four Queen's Drama alumni together, and it was a lot of fun. Kat was a year below us in school but we did two shows together and hung last Summer after she graduated.
5. Sunday night was very nice. Raffi, Murphy and I played a game of Scrabble and drank wine. I didn't get too competitive this time and even congratulated the winner (it wasn't me, shockingly). It was just fun and a nice way to spend the last night.
Saying goodbye was hard, as it always is. I wasn't looking forward to going back to Rennes all that much and it had been such a great week-end. But I'll be home next month so that was comforting.
I'll write more tomorrow. Hope you are all well!
Much love,
Hincks.
PS - Thank you to those who comment or somehow let me know they are reading. Knowing people read is the only reason I write. So thank you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)