Holiday food-a-thon

Seems that way, anyhow. This week is going to be a gastronomical onslaught. Believe you me, there is no hope on the horizon...just an endless army of cake. Kiss those toned thighs goodbye and simply give in to the Lord of Lard.....Okay enough of that.

Its been busy/not busy since the last time I made a post here. I guess we have just been getting into the daily routine of things. Matt comes home every night to an experimental diner, then we rush off the gym to work off our sin. But life hasn't been all same-old-same-old. We had an interesting night peppered in here and there. Our new little Dutch friend invited us to spy on a blind date of hers, only to discover that her potential date had stood her up. But here's the kicker...the bastard had the gall to show up and hour later...with another date. Ding ding! I think we have a winner! More like a wiener...heh

Last night our classiest Francophone friend hosted a spectacular pre-Christmas dinner equipped with cranberry roasted pork and a giant Little Debbie cake. Really a classic Montreal holiday scene. Tomorrow night I plan to host my very own orphan-theme party (since Matt's parents are sunbathing on a cruise ship right about now and I am forbidden to leave the country until I'm legit). Im gonna serve gruel (chili) and crumbs (corn bread) for everyone!

Speaking of times spent with friends, I had this terrific wash of nostalgia come over me as I was driving through the frozen scenery today....I suddenly remembered one VERY hot summer in Denton, sitting in Tatiana's parked car, smoking cigarettes, drinking some nasty 40-ounce beverage and listening to a mix CD her boyfriend made her. We were just sitting there, feeling way more hip that we actually were...That was a good summer. When does summer hit Montreal again?

Don't they know its Christmas?

So, it seems that making new friends has been less of a challenge than I had anticipated it being. Already my weekends have been booked back to back with fondu parties, drinks and shopping with a fabulous duo, bowl after bowl of ramen, midnight rides on the Montreal Metro, shuffling feet across the sparkling snow hand-in-hand towards the house of the night's dinner hosts. And there is so much more in the plans! Never have I been in a place where everyone is so proud of their town, and they are all jumping at the chance to tell you how wonderful life is among the crooked streets and tiny corner stores. Between the language police and man-sized pot holes is a city that lavishes in it's own unique flaws...and makes for passionate conversation around the dinner table.

Christmas this year will be something of a duel experience: On one side, I'll be missing the familial closeness of the Elam tradition of Christmas tamales, cocktail sausages, and ripping through wrapping paper on that glorious morning. But on the flip side, I'll actually get to experience that classic Yuletide scene of snow-topped trees covered in little twinkling lights and people bundled up to the eyeballs. I can remember at home always thinking "its Christmas, but it doesn't feel like it". Here, it certainly feels like the Christmases captured in a snow globe.

Finally some new Etsy stuff!

Man I know its been a long time since I've updated my humble Etsy store, but I am making amends for my former sins. So here we have it, four new items for your shopping pleasure. There will be more to come in the following days...I guess its just been hard to pick up where I left off when it comes to updating the store...I have only just begun to tap into the montreal thrift spots! So, if anything pleases you, just follow the mini-link on the right of this page.

p.s. my green walls are kinda tough to color balance...its so obvious when I see these pictures back-to-back.