michelle

When smoking was classy

July 25th, 2010 · View Comments · flashbacks, photo essays, stuff

Next month will mark my five-year anniversary as a non-smoker. I’m happy to say that I don’t miss it at all — which surprised me at first, since all I’d ever heard from ex-smokers was how much they still craved cigarettes. Once, during one of the eleventy thousand times I tried to quit, someone who [...]

One more Travels in Montreal post

July 5th, 2010 · View Comments · photo essays, travel

Montreal is an exceptionally pretty city, one that lends itself quite well to meandering from street to street, without a clear sense of direction. It is not unlike New York in this respect. So for our last day, we opted to simply wander around and see what we could see.
There are many parks.

This is actually [...]

Travels in Montreal: Michelle and the Giant Orange

July 2nd, 2010 · View Comments · travel

When last we saw our intrepid travelers, they were strolling down Rue Saint Paul in Vieux-Montréal, admiring the view and discussing lunch options, lamenting their missed poutine opportunity from the night before. They’d passed a pedestrian mall with several restaurants, and though it looked kinda touristy, they agreed to grab a quick bite before heading [...]

Travels in Montreal: Notre-Dame Basilica

July 1st, 2010 · View Comments · travel

We were able to walk to Old Montreal from our hotel on Saint Denis; it took about 15-20 minutes. We passed what I’m guessing were the government buildings, including one that had a few lovely and interestingly landscaped designs on the lawn. I posted one yesterday, and here’s my favorite:

From the civic area it was [...]

Travels in Montreal: Day One

June 30th, 2010 · View Comments · travel

Crossing the border into Canada, we were asked the purpose of our visit: “Vacation,” replied Dan. “Visiting with friends.”
Crossing the border into the United States three days later, we were again asked the purpose of our visit. “We basically just ate and drank our way through the city,” said Dan.
I’d never been to Montreal before. [...]

Don’t sweat the big stuff

June 29th, 2010 · View Comments · travel, writing

I have a ton of pictures from our weekend in Montreal to show you — I guess that should be tonne, rather — but it’ll have to wait until I relive yesterday’s car towing experience. If you follow me on the Twitter (and really, why wouldn’t you? I’m delightful!) or even the Tumblr (ditto! Plus [...]

It’s hopeless

June 21st, 2010 · View Comments · stuff

I seem to have reached a certain age without thinking too much about how to stay healthy. I mean, I am healthy. I mostly eat well, better than most, though I also drink more than most and don’t really exercise more than most, though I’ve gotten better about that (I really have no choice, given [...]

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Tags:i am an old·vitamins

Today in OMG AWESOME

June 18th, 2010 · View Comments · stuff

A few years ago my friend Irene and I started getting together on Friday afternoons for a late lunch — not every week, but as our schedules allowed. We ran into each other at Rhinebeck (knitters: I know, shocking) (non-knitters: Rhinebeck is where the New York Sheep and Wool Festival is held, every October. What. [...]

Looking Back at Doctor Who: End of the World

June 15th, 2010 · View Comments · doctor who, reviews, television

– I’m a Time Lord. I’m the last of the Time Lords. They’re all gone. I’m the only survivor. I’m left travelling on my own because there’s no one else.
– There’s me . . .
Right, so: after the introductory episode in which we establish that the Doctor is alien and has a spaceship that [...]

In which I start talking about mysteries but wind up elsewhere

June 14th, 2010 · View Comments · books, projects, writing

I went to a marvelous place on Thursday night called the Mysterious Bookshop. Mysterious indeed. Not only is it a speciality bookstore dealing only in mysteries, thrillers, crime and espionage novels (as well as rare and out-of-print editions), but I had no idea it existed, despite its being around for almost 30 years. It used [...]

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