Brr ... yet again

Since I arrived back in Montreal, the weather has been gorgeous. Warm, very sunny, but not too hot. Until yesterday, when it started to rain. Now it's 3 degrees celsius, and raining. And cold. They've shut off the heating in the building (it is the middle of May after all, we're more likely to need the air-conditioning), so I've resorted to wearing big sweaters. The weather forecast says it might snow tonight. Did I mention that it's cold? I feel like curling up in a nice warm blanket with a good book.

Going through my stuff

I'm trying to go through the stuff in my room, getting rid of junk and packing stuff I want to keep in boxes. Not an easy proposition. I am rather attached to my stuff, and even though I haven't needed these things in the years I've been away, I still have psychological difficulties letting go of it. Old photos and keepsakes, bringing back so many memories! ... and other assorted junk. One thing is certain however: I should never need to buy any more pens or pencils ever again in my life. I've found piles of old pens and pencils, because every year when I was in school I bought new ones without disposing of the previous batch. (It was part of the back-to-school ritual: new pens and notebooks = fresh new start!) Now I have more pens than I or anyone in my family could possibly need. Knowing myself though, this will not stop me from buying new ones.

Home sweet Montreal

Back home in Montreal - I still think of it as home, even though it's been four years or so that I haven't really lived here. I was walking randomly through the downtown area the other day, just soaking up the atmosphere, thinking how great it is to be back. As I was walking, I could feel a whole layer of - something - peeling right off. Self-defensiveness (is that a word?), or aloofness? It's not that I actively worry about getting mugged in Philly, but certainly I feel the need to be more vigilant when I'm there. I generally act rather like I don't see anyone when I'm walking in Philly, a sort of preemptive measure against solicitations and aggressive panhandlers. (Perhaps this is also why I see so many more people talking into their cell phones as they walk in Philly compared to Montreal.) Here, I feel so much more comfortable just sauntering about, looking at the people and buildings around me, a simple "non, désolé" sufficing to turn down a panhandler on the street corner, with a smile if he wishes me good day.