i believe in the love that grows.

So here I am again. Alone in a hotel room, bored as hell  (at least I have a laptop and internet in my room now!). Let’s just say that lately the job hasn’t been the most exciting thing in my life. I can only hold domestic flying and end up mostly in 3 cities: Vancouver, Edmonton and St-John’s. Not so glamourous eh? I am getting so sick of seeing these same places over and over again…

Despite all of this, last month I finally got my first layover downtown Vancouver (I usually stay at an airport hotel in Richmond). I had been to the city a few times on my own, but it was different to have a hotel paid for and some free time to shop and walk around. It was a beautiful day ( very telling of the summer they had) and I was more than happy to be on my own, just wandering the streets. I got myself a delicious burrito dinner at Steamrollers and a delightful cupcake from Cupcakes. Did a little bit of shopping and very much enjoyed my adorable colorful hotel room.

So my schedule has drastically changed since the same period last year. With the many layoffs and restructuring of the company that means that the most junior employees suffer the most. Just when we were staring to see the light at the end of the domestic flying tunnel, we got thrown back a thousand feet into it. It’s like when you have that dream where you walk but you are not actually moving forward. Yeah, that’s my career right now.

Then again, being a junior flight attendant also means being assigned things that I did not ask for (like 5am flights) but also getting things I would never get normally (like two long downtown Montreal layovers in the same week). And that actually made me very happy. I got to spend time with my best friend and my mom. Again, the weather was on my side and revisiting my hometown made me miss it oh so much. I love my life in Toronto, but it actually stung a little when I had to depart YUL this time. I truly felt sad that I was leaving this amazing place behind. I think it’s been long enough now that I’ve been gone, that I can start appreciating it again. I rediscover things I had forgotten about this metropolis.  My heart will always belong to it.

Yesterday I was in Chicago. I had never been there before so this was quite inviting. I wasn’t expecting much from that city, or mostly didn’t know what to expect at all. And I found myself to be quite fond of it.  Granted I was there in 29 degrees weather and not in winter…but still. Between the deep dish pizza and Oprah’s season kickoff show taking up most of the downtown streets, there wasn’t a lot of time left to wander (I only had half a day to walk around) so I tried to see as much as I could but I certainly need to come back on my own time and explore. By the way, what a stunning view it is to have a river running through the city!  And they take much pride in it. Also check out the architecture while you are there. It feels like you are in an old black and white gangster movie.

So I guess my job isn’t so bad after all. I tend to complain because I miss my American layovers and all the shopping. But I can’t forget that the little things are what matter most.

On a different note, this past weekend welcomed our first wedding anniversary and I can tell you I was quite pleased with it. The last year was such wedded bliss. I find we have grown so much already since getting married and I love the man more and more every day. I can’t emphasize any more how fortunate I am to have a partner, lover and best friend that complements me so well. Our story was not an easy one. We both had enormous baggage from previous relationships mixed with fear and caution, but we let our guard down and opened up to eachother and that made it work in the end. We try to stay connected to one another because it does make things less painful, trust me! I feel we are ready to move forward. Continue on the path we are slowly building together. We now have a foundation and that paves the way for new adventures.

So profess your love today. Tell at least one person what they mean to you and cherish that relationship. We need those people around us.

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sunny spells and scattered showers.

 

Ok. I lied. Montreal is still fabulous. Usually, by day two of visiting I can’t wait to get back home; this time I could have stayed much longer.  I didn’t do anything extravagant, spent some much overdue quality time with my sister and other family members I hadn’t seen in about 3 years and enjoyed the nice weather. It was great to be back in an environment that I know and is very meaningful to me and to do it now as a married woman with my husband by my side.

I love Toronto, but no matter how hard I try to convince myself that it is a fun city it will never be like Montreal. There is nothing wrong with Toronto per se, but it lacks the energy that Montreal has. It is focused on business whereas Montreal prioritizes ‘good living’.  It is beautiful and laid-back and I think as I am getting older that is what I look for more and more. I know I can’t move back there just yet, since my career does not permit it, but some day je reviendrai.

On another note, this week is the Canadian Musicfest (formerly known as CMW). I am excited to see a few bands this year. I haven’t completely made up my mind yet on where I will be each night as the price of the wristbands has gone up considerably and I am not certain that my budget can handle it right now…I know for sure that I will be at The Cadillac Lounge on Saturday for a rockabilly-alt-country-surf-americana filled night. That should be grounds for a great time. As for the rest of my week, I will have to see if any specific venue has more than 2 bands worth seeing so that I can only buy tickets and save a little bit of money.

All in all, I doubt there will be much sleep.

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Montreal, my darling.

 

It’s Thursday. After work I am getting  on a plane and flying to Montreal. Doing a little hop that way only for 3 days but it’ll be good to see the family and some friends. I always think I don’t go there enough, that I should spend more time in that beautiful city…but the truth is, I don’t necessarily want to. I have done my time in that place. It is filled with good and bad memories and does not have much to offer me anymore besides the friends I have left behind. It is a great place, just not for me. I think….

 It’s hard to say for sure when all the things that make up your life and your home are now away from your hometown. You kind of become biased. Maybe some day I will go back, who knows? In the meantime, I enjoy the moments I get there. The joys and fun that come with visiting. The parties, the shopping, the familiar feeling of knowing the city so well. Its smells and sounds. My mother tongue.

It feels good to be able to appreciate things in a small dose.

Sometimes moderation is better.

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