breaching the surface for a breath of air

I need a moment to get my mind off all this bureaucratic bullshit that I'm currently eye-ball deep in. Stress doesn't sit well with me. It just burrows into my stomach like some kind of alien parasite that takes control over my mind and limbs. Suddenly I become this zombie-like abomination who lumbers through the house with uncontrollable fits of panic. The ability to compartmentalize stress is a trait that wasn't passed down through the Elam bloodline. In the words of my mother-in-law "Just take a deep breath. Everything is fixable". Well, its not like I expected becoming a resident of another country EASY...but it certainly would be nice if it was!

Anywho, the other night was a good distraction. Matt and I watched the Ravonettes play at ClubSoda in downtown Montreal. It was rather poignant that the Ravonettes were actually the first band we saw together. Awwwww how cuuute (throws up in the corner). They were just as spectacular as the last time (and Sharon just as radiantly beautiful as ever). I confess that I haven't heard much from their latest album, but from what I gathered during the live performance their new material seems more dancy, poppy, and less noisy than their earlier work. Obviously I need to wrap my ears around their new album to make a full assessment!

The opening band, Black Angels, were a delightful surprise. If I had to describe their sound, I'd say "they sounded like high priests bringing down the knowledge of the universe to bestow upon the ears of all listeners". Or lets just say, lots of buzzy reverb, sitars, and echoey lyrics. A nice choice of band to play before the Danish duo.

Well, now its snowing...I think this might be the first snowfall of the season. Little pieces of the sky spiraling down earthward...

Living out of suitcases

So, for the past few weeks my life has been in a state of general disarray. All of my clothes are stuffed away in suitcases, shoved into some corner, or are boxes away and traversing across the country in the back of some eighteen wheeler. It drives me nuts! I'm desperate for a time when I can simply fold my underwear into a designated drawer instead of leaving them piled on the carpet. I know, my troubles are hard.

The upside is that Matt and I have been having fun playing house and buying new furniture. Its slowly coming together...the other day he and I purchased these fabulous 60's armless chairs from the nicest antique dealer. Apparently the chairs had be stashed away in someone's "stamp collection" room, simply waiting 40 years for me to come and give them a happy home. Along with the chairs, we got a small dresser that is from the same era, a credenza for the television, and a sofa from Ikea that I have been wrangling to assemble. The damned thing is giving me more trouble than I care to elaborate about.

High on the priority list is learning some French, dammit. This language barrier has reduced a once independent young woman into shy girl who hides behind her husband when a stranger says "bonjour" to her. Pathetic. I already suffer from a mild form of social anxiety (mainly answering the phone and having to talk with strangers), so the difference in language has only acerbated my condition. Maybe Rosetta Stone can cure my ills. Or maybe I need to stop being such a wuss...

Anywho, please enjoy the pictures of my favorite new chairs and my morbidly obese cat.

Well, where do I begin?

Nearly three years in the making and here I am, finally in Montreal with my freshly wedded husband. After several months of stressing and preparing for the event, Matt and his parents flew into Dallas on September the 26th and had our little ceremony on Sunday, the 27th. Now, I have never been the type of gal to meticulously daydream about weddings, but I have to say that I was very pleased with how everything turned out. The food, weather, accommodations, and company were perfect...well, except for the fact that despite a mild weather prior to the wedding, it was 90 degrees outside during the ceremony...but I guess thats the blistering charm of Texas. I found it cute that Matt kept commenting on how our wedding was "very Gilmore Girls" with the gazebo and folksy venue. After all of the familial rituals Collete invited all my friends over to her place for one of those unforgettable evenings. Friends brought over bottles of my favorite wine, we sat outside in the atrium and chatted, then spent the rest of the night playing on Jamé's Casio making the most supreme of beats. Most nights ended that way at the casa de Collete...sitting on the bedroom floor playing music, making crafts or wrestling with the kitties.

Saying goodbye to Denton and all the friends I made has been one of the most challenging events in my life. That place felt like an old pair of jeans that fits just right. The people are warm and all know you by name or by whatever antics you're famous for. The white Christmas lights that are wrapped around the great oak trees on the square are on all year round. J&J's pizza rumbles with the sound of live music playing in the basement. There is always something exciting in the night-time air...its the energy of 30,000 twenty somethings planning something great, or just doing nothing at all. That little summer town was the perfect place for me to grow into myself.

Now I'm here in Montreal after a 4 day long car ride through much of the country that I have seen very little of...Its a side of America that I have always known about, but was never sure it really existed. Its those rolling hills dotted with red barns and silos like one of those painfully nostalgic Norman Rockwell paintings. Its a different type of Americana. But, I'll discuss that later. There has been enough change in my life to ramble on and on, so I'll spare you for the time being.