What else have I been doing?

[petronia]

Saturday: coffee and pie at Rockaberry's on Queen Mary with Tania and Talal. Had a slice of key lime pie that was as overwhelming as usual [1]. Talked, as I remember it, mostly about dreams (the sleeping kind). XD

Tuesday: dropped by the downtown Lush store with Erin. This was (apparently) the Day That North America Broiled, so the thermometer stood at 33C and humidex was unimaginable (i.e. about normal for Shanghai this time of year). It would have been great conditions for an outdoor sauna. We escaped into the Tropiques crepe/waffle/ice cream place near Concordia and had sundaes with three scoops of ice cream each. I wish I'd brought my camera as all their concoctions are gorgeously coloured and flavoured - my three scoops were rosewater, cantaloupe and coconut. XD It's not gelato precisely but it is homemade, and the Middle Eastern flavours are a bonus. I've always wondered if this was the sort of upscale ice cream parlour you'd find in a Middle Eastern city, or if the owners' brainstorm were solely responsible.

It was obvious that the mother of all thunderstorms was coming, but it didn't break until I was safely home and ensconced in front of the TV (watching Eros, the short film compendium directed by Antonioni, Soderbergh and Wong Kar Wai [2]). Some nice photos of lightning strikes have cropped up here and there. XD Our neighbourhood didn't lose electricity but something was hit, possibly a lamppost in the park, causing Hydro to turn off the streetlights. So all the houses were still lit, but the street was pitch black.

Wednesday: was supposed to watch anime with Tania but she had to work, so in the interest of not sitting around twiddling thumbs Erin and I went to sfllaw's Milk & Cookies reading party. This turned out to be basically awesome, and I only wish there were some record of what was read so I can look up the works in question (especially the poetry collections). XD Among others:

• two Neil Gaiman stories, one of which ("Baywolf") I hadn't read yet
• Pablo Neruda
• the beginning of "A Scandal in Bohemia" [3]
• the introduction to Joe Jackson's memoirs, including the description of a bar brawl that ended with the words "...just before the Alsatians were let loose"
• quite a lot of brilliant Canadian poetry
• the airport scene from A Civil Campaign
• extensive mockery of curlers
• Winnie the Pooh, chapter 4 (in which Eeyore loses a tail and Pooh finds one)

If any of you peeps thinks this is a great idea for a party of your own, I, uh, recommend it heartily? XD

Thursday: tonight I'm having dinner with Justin here - yes, it's a vegan restaurant, because Justin is currently on an extremely restricted diet (doctor's orders). Should mark a change from the usual fare. XD


[1] It occurs to me belatedly that Rockaberry's does not exist outside of Montreal. Okay: picture half a bowling ball sitting in a pie dish. Now picture that this bowling ball is made ENTIRELY OUT OF CHOCOLATE FUDGE, with a layer of brownie underneath. Now picture one quarter of this object (viz. 1/8 of a bowling ball) sitting on a plate. That is a slice of Rockaberry's pie. Insert other ingredients and flavours as desired.

[2] Sort of WKW-by-numbers but that's as good as you're going to get 95% of the time. XD Soderbergh's was quite funny, like a witty short story with a Jungian punch. Only got to see the end of Antonioni's though.

[3] Upon which I realised that Conan Doyle - bless'im - had no idea what it is that cocaine actually does.

Comments

[jokersama.livejournal.com]

You know, I need to reread the beginning of A Scandal in Bohemia to see what he says, but Arthur Conan Doyle was a doctor! He should have known damn well what cocaine does! XD;

(rereads it)

...you're right, it really does sound more like opium/heroin than cocaine. >_>

(pee ess nowadays medical cocaine is this sort of green viscous mouthwashy-stuff.)

[petronia.livejournal.com]

And... what is it used for? (Not applied through gargling, I hope? XD)

[ayabai.livejournal.com]

i am so getting rockaberry pie when i go to montreal. and going to that ice cream place, since im visiting concordia for a looksies. XD

[smurfmatic.livejournal.com]

Hem, as for ice cream, I would also enthusiastically recommend Le Bilboquet (1311, avenue Bernard - it's a bus up Park Avenue, and then a usually pleasant-on-saturday-afternoons walk) which is really what's being voted the best ice cream in Montreal - especially the fruit sorbets, made with real fruit purees, and Ripples (right across from Schwartz, The Montreal Food Landmark XD) with its Japanese flavours, if you haven't gotten enough of them already.

Oh, wanted to say that I love the 'On seeing the 100% perfect girl' publication, of which petronia graciously got copy for me.

[petronia.livejournal.com]

You should! (You're going to be here when I'll be in China, won't you? T_T Well, I'll email you a list of addresses for all the great dessert/food places. Or you can apply to Ced here for ideas. XD)