Miseries of the end of the month

"See you tomorrow", a colleague said as I was leaving the building. "If I am still alive" I answered. It is not very original, but in the context I think it qualifies as a great unknown line. It was such a long, exhausting day. The end of the month is always a busy time, but more so when the week is at its peak, like on... a Thursday. I am tired, I feel like I have been running all day, I barely have the energy to focus on anything. So I am rambling. Am I the only one who feels like this on a Thursday when it is the end of the month? I should be satisfied: I got paid, I made money, I mean I didn't work for nothing today, it was not a frustrating exhaustion. But i just feel tired. So anybody else feels like this?

Question existentielle (132)

Une question existentielle bien plus profonde qu'elle en a l'air, le rire étant le propre de l'homme:

-Quel est le plus mauvais calembour que vous ayez entendu?

Fabergé and Octopussy

I checked on Google today, and because of today's doodle I discovered that it was the anniversary of Fabergé, the creator of the Fabergé eggs. This is not an original Fabergé egg, obviously. It is a copy of a copy: it represents the Fabergé egg in Octopussy. It was taken in the james Bond Museum in Keswick, which I think no longer exists. It was not a very good one anyway. All I know of Fabergé eggs, which is nothing, I know from the movie or The Property of a Lady, which is the short story the James Bond movie was freely based on. I never had much interest in jewellery, except as a MacGuffin for stories (they were heavily used in crime fiction of course, but in other genres too). When I learned about the birthday of Peter Carl Fabergé, all I could think of was Octopussy (I guess I was not the only one). I actually enjoyed the movie a lot, in spite of its flaws. Today, I thought I could watch it some time soon.

Souvenirs de sécheresse

Bon, j'espère qu'on ne trouve que je ne répète pas trop dans mes billets. Cette photo prise au Lake District, à Keswick. Elle date de l'été 2010. Il avait fini par pleuvoir, et beaucoup, mais avant cela le pays avait souffert d'une certaine sécheresse, même au nord. C'est lorsqu'il faisait un temps très sec que j'ai pris cette photo. J'espère la pluie, en fait la tempête, depuis un certain temps. mais elle ne vient pas. Je crains qu'on ait de la sécheresse, phénomène rare dans ce pays.

Je viens d'un coin de pays qui la connaît assez peu: on est entouré d'eau et la pluie ne manque pas, j'ai même vécu une authentique inondation de mon vivant. Mais je crois que si j'ai à choisir, je préfère la pluie à la canicule. Durant les sécheresses que j'ai vécu, je me rappelle passer des journées au sous-sol pour éviter la chaleur. Ensuite quand mes parents revenaient dut ravail on se baignait dans la piscine, mais alors l'eau était trop chaude. Durant les vacances on dormait au sous-sol durant les journées de sécheresses. Ca c'était plaisant (le dire à la saguenéenne): on regardait la télévision tard le soir, je me rappelle surtout de documentaires sur la vie marine, un en particulier sur les baleines. Mais maintenant, je ne vis plus dans un sous-sol. Alors c'est plus difficile d'être à la fraîche. Par conséquent, j'espère l'orage...

The Call of Cthulhu in a nutshell

I have been wanting to upload this one for a while. Summertime was for me, a few years ago, the time to play Call of Cthulhu. Strangely, I never associated the horror roleplaying game to Halloween much. More about my time playing the game here. A game which is also based on a literary work. And its title is from a short story. And I discovered a while ago that there was a short version, the story exlained in two minutes, by BrothersGrimandGrimy. I don't know much about them (okay, I know nothing about them), but their summary of The Call of Cthulhu is hilarious, so I uploaded it here.

Attendre le premier orage de l'été

La météo avait prévu de la pluie hier, elle n'est pas venue. Elle avait prévu de la pluie aujourd'hui, elle n'est pas venue. En fait il n'y a même pas eu de nuage. Une brise un peu fraîche de temps à autre, c'est tout, mais la brise n'était même pas humide. Je suis content qu'il fasse beau, il faisait un temps misérable jusqu'à tout récemment. Cela dit, la pluie ne m'intéresse guère. Ce qui me manque et que j'espère, c'est le premier orage de l'été. On est en fin mai et je sais qu'on n'est pas encore techniquement l'été. Mais je considère le retour des temps chauds comme l'été, de facto. Une fois mai arrivé, en fait. L'année dernière, le premier orage de l'année a eu lieu fin avril. Cette année il se fait encore attendre. Ce n'est pas un mal: l'orage d'avril 2011 avait précédé un été plutôt médiocre. J'espère que cette année on aura un bel été. Mais j'ai surtout hâte d'assister au premier orage.

Daydreaming and inspiration

Last weekend, I finished reading Down by the River Where the Dead Men Go by George Pelecanos. At the end of the book, there is an interview with him (which you can find here), where he is asked how he builds his fictional world. That is his answer:

"This is going to sound like smoke, but it's really all there in my head. I've created this parallel, fictional world of Washington, D.C. that is alive to me all the time. I've always been a daydreamer. Even when I was a kid, delivering food for my dad in downtown D.C. I was making up movies in my head all day long while I walked the streets. And I'm still doing it today."

I strongly relate to this. I am a daydreamer since childhood. I guess all children are, but in my case I never grew up. When I was at school, when I was bored at home, when I couldn't sleep, and later on when I was bored commuting or bored at work. I still do it. I think the challenge is channelling it into a form, it is finding the discipline. But that the inspiration from a great crime writer comes from daydream, I find it encouraging.

Un nouveau lecteur assidu

Hé, j'ai un nouveau lecteur! Je veux dire: j'ai quelqu'un qui me lit et me suit parmi mes suivants. Le 41e. et j'en ai une autre, mais je vais lui souhaiter la bienvenue plus tard. Mon 41e lecteur s'appelle (enfin, se surnomme) PumpkinBrain, son blogue est en anglais, mais... il vient du Québec et je crois qu'il est Québécois francophone. Je lui souhaite donc la bienvenue sur Vraie Fiction en français. À voir son pseudonyme et le Jack O'Lantern qui lui sert de photo, on sait déjà que c'est un fan de l'Halloween. Les beaux esprits se rencontrent dans la blogosphère.

Bumping into old acquaintances

This is an entirely anecdotal post. I went out earlier on and I bumped into an old acquaintance (I will not say an old friend as he is not that close). When I was unemployed, back in 2008, we used to chat in one of the local pubs. He was then planning to move to France with his wife, even though his French and hers was limited. He had found an old house which he rebuilt almost from scratch. He had shown me pictures and when he purchased it it looked like an empty barn abandoned for centuries.

Since I started working full time in 2010 I had lost sight of him. I had bumped into him about a year ago, when he had got back from France. He told me then that during his last trip he had been robbed so had to spend days at the gendarmerie, which prompted me to say this great unknown line: "Well, at least your French must have improved a lot." It made him laugh. Anyway, his house there is now set and he is ready to go. I am happy for him. I don't know what to say about this anecdote. I guess I always found it strange that such a typical middle aged Englishman sets himself such a goal and decides to live abroad.

Question existentielle (131)

Une question que je pose en fait surtout aux Québécois non-saguenéens, parce qu'on remarque souvent cette particularité, semble-t-il:

-Qu'est-ce qui a de si particulier dans la façon de dire "c'est plaisant" par un Saguenéen pour qu'il soit immédiatement identifié comme tel?

My (or your) favourite spot in (insert city here)

Earlier on, I was watching a YouTube video with George Pelecanos, where he mentions his favourite spot in Washington, DC. It made me wonder about the cities and towns I lived in, or that I visited, and if there was a favourite spot of mine in each one of them. I am a man strongly attached to places, and I discovered I never really thought about it: what are my favourite spots. So here is my reflection about it. I decided to narrow myself to the places where I lived, not the places I visited.

The trickiest one is Montreal. This picture you see on your right was taken in Montreal, it is a fire station, you can find it at the corner of Rachel Street and Christophe-Colomb Avenue. Not exactly my favourite spot, but it ison the Plateau Mont-Royal, where I used to live. Mont-Royal Avenue and Rachel Street were maybe the places I was spending most of my free time, where I used to go out for a drink or a meal. I guess Rachel is a nicer looking street, on the whole, quieter too, and it is nearby the Parc Lafontaine, which is quite nice. But Mont-Royal Avenue has this vibe, the fruits shops, St-Viateur Bagel Café and the second hand bookshops. But I'd have no idea which specific spot on the avenue I prefer. That is my problem with Montreal, I love too many places, I have favourite lines, favourite paths, favourite journey routes, but not really favourite spots. So I settle for now for with Rachel Street and Christophe-Colomb Avenue. It is as good as any.

Now for the city where I grew up, Chicoutimi, "ugly as any American town" it is easy: my favourite spot is the entrance of the Cégep de Chicoutimi that used to be the entrance building of the Séminaire (a private Catholic school). The cégep itself is ugly, except for this part of the building, which is a nice, old thing with large doors and pseudo-classic columns. It had a Latin motto meaning "The Hope of the Messiah in the seed", which was translated by the pupils of my father's generation by "The space of a month in a week". But what is really lovely is that it is at the top of a hill. Chicoutimi is full of hills and steep slopes. And this hill towers the whole city, its center town and the Saguenay river. It is even above the Chicoutimi cathedral. During daytime, it is beautiful. At night, it is amazing.

Now for Liverpool, the last city I will mention here, it is also a tricky one. Like for Montreal, it is a line I prefer: the journey from Lime Street Station to the campus of the University of Liverpool, the upper slope that, not quite as sharp as the ones in Chicoutimi, but still, where on my way I could see the Catholic and Church of England cathedrals facong each others. I guess if I had to choose a specific spot, I would have to choose the exit from Lime Street Station. Lime Street Station itself is ugly, heck maybe Liverpool is mostly ugly, but the feel you have when you see the city from the station, going out of it, it is just overwhelming.

But anyway, what's your favourite spot where you live, or lived?

Le vacarme de l'été

Mon petit frère dans mon dernier billet en français m'a rappelé une caractéristique de l'été: c'est une saison bruyante. À Chicoutimi on se baignait sous le son des tondeuses à gazon et la zizique des voisins, c'était onze fois sur dix du boum boum (je n'ai pas de bons souvenirs de mes voisins d'en arrière à Chicoutimi, d'ailleurs, à cause de cela). C'est aussi la saison des concerts en plein air dont le son vient vous chercher jusque dans votre salon lorsque vous voulez regarder un film ou lire tranquillement (ou écouter la musique que vous voulez sans les cris des fans) ou pire, dans votre lit quand vous essayez de dormir. C'est la saison des bars qui jouent de la musique à fond la caisse quand il n'y a pas de concert et dont les buveurs fêtent bruyamment jusqu'aux petites heures du matin. L'été est la saison du vacarme, du vacarme nocturne qui donne l'insomnie. J'en sais quelque chose: j'ai été réveillé hier par des fêtards hier, alors que j'avais à peine commencé à dormir. Il peut y avoir du vacarme en hiver, mais pas autant. Peut-être parce que les fenêtres restent fermées.

Rum and Coca Cola

I found this song four years ago on YouTube, out of total chance, because I had listened to Underneath the Mango Tree. I was looking for summery songs to listen to, I wonder why I did not upload it then. But it feels and looks like summer now, so I have decided to upload it. Of course I have heard of Rum and Coke, or Cuba Libre as it appears to be properly called, before, but I don't think I ever tried that cocktail. Last time I remember having rum was in a cheese fondue, in lieu of kirsch, which I could not find. I rarely have cocktails and spirits anyway, I find them too treacherous. But I love to listen to Rum and Coca Cola on a hot summer day. I often listen to it drinking a Coca Cola, without the rum. I don't even know why I love it. The most famous interpretation is by the Andrews Sisters it seems, so it is this one I uploaded here.

Une image de Chicoutimi

Je publie cette photo sans raison véritable. J'aurais pu attendre qu'un thème de la Photo du Mois me donne l'excuse de la télécharger. Mais je ne sais pas si on en trouvera une récemment. Et la photo est superbe. Elle a été prise par mon père en juillet 2005, je crois. Elle a été prise des hauteurs de Chicoutimi-Nord. Une photo très estivale, donc. Je n'ai pas vu Chicoutimi en été depuis des années. Ici il fait beau et chaud, le temps est tout ce qu'il y a de plus estival. Je cherchais une photo pour colorer ce blogue, je suis tombé sur celle-ci. J'imagine que c'est un prétexte comme un autre.

Cela dit, cette photo me laisse un peu songeur. Chicoutimi n'est pas belle tout le temps, mais elle l'est ici. Je me suis souvent demandé s'il y avait grand-chose à voir pour le visiteur, en fait Chicoutimi elle-même est regardable. Quand je m'en ennuie, je m'ennuie surtout de l'hiver (dans le Temps des Fêtes) et de l'automne. Mais je songe que Chicoutimi peut être plaisante (à dire avec l'accent saguenéen) en été aussi. Bon, on n'a pas des terrasses comme à Montréal et le choix de restaurants s'est considérablement appauvri. Mais on a toujours le Saguenay, les côtes qui n'en finissent plus de monter (ou de descendre), une librairie indépendante fort honorable, des parcs en général jolis avec beaucoup de verdure.

A piece of Irish wisdom

After work, I stopped on the way home to the local Irish pub. I do sometimes on Friday, it is a special treat I give myself. I usually don't drink much, socialise even less. The bar was unusually half empty this evening. And I noticed something written on the beam of the ceiling. Something I found very funny. It is not enough of an anonymous quote so I cannot really label it a great unknown line (and unfortunately, as my last great unknown line dates back to May the 10th). I am not even sure it is an Irish line originally (I know you can find it on t-shirts), but since I read it in an Irish pub, I consider it Irish enough:

"I am somewhat of a bullshitter myself, but occasionally I enjoy listening to an export, so please carry on."

I need to use it one day, even though it's the kind of line that gets you into trouble. But what a line.

Question existentielle (130)

Terminons la semaine avec une question existentielle à la fois gastronomique (elles le sont souvent), culturelle et (quasi) religieuse:

-Est-ce qu'il y en a parmi vous qui mangez du poisson un vendredi et quelles sont vos raisons pour perpétuer une tradition désespérément catholique?

Skyfall: the teaser trailer

Today I watched the teaser trailer of Skyfall. I am getting really excited by the upcoming movie. I blogged about it before. Here is the trailer, followed by my observations:



Some observations:

1)I love the interrogation scene with someone who I think is a psychologist. Especially the line: "Agent"... "Provocateur". It is witty and very Flemingesque, a word play which is not a stupid one liner. The whole scene shows a Bond very close to the novels.
2)I think we will see Bond in training, in a scene similar to the one in the beginning of the novel Moonraker. And not a dumb, sci-fi virtual reality training scene like in Die Another Day (the nadir of the series) but a proper training scene in a proper, low key training environment.
3)The Bond girl shaving Bond: it is a very nice touch, with sensuality and just enough danger inuendos.
4)The images are dark, much darker than most Bond movies, but they are not gloomy. It looks lush and darkly glamourous.
5)We only see glimpses of the villain. It is the biggest quasi-absence of this teaser. Is he this shadowy figure? Or this hooded man? I am glad we have (so far) a mysterious villain. We know he is Raoul Silva played by Javier Bardem, but so far he is nothing but a shadow to us.

J'envie (parfois) les ours polaires

Photo prise par mon père au Zoo de Saint-Félicien. Ce billet est une excuse pour télécharger la photo ici. Je suis incorrigible. Cela dit, il fait chaud, chaud, chaud. Ce ne serait pas insoutenable, mais puisqu'il faisait encore froid dimanche dernier (lire: je portais un gilet de laine), le contraste est saisissant. Alors je regarde cette photo d'un ours polaire qui se la coule douce et je pense que ce serait le temps idéal pour se baigner.Ce n'est pas la seule excuse que j'aie trouvée pour publier cette photo: j'ai par le passé donné des nouvelles des ours polaires du Zoo de Saint-Félicien. J'étais  l'époque sans emploi (pas pour longtemps, c'était juste avant que j'aie le travail que j'ai maintenant). Je crois que j'ai certaines affinités avec les ours en général, ceux-ci en particulier.

Dracula's Castle

Strange, today May started to look and especially feel like May: from a cold and grey morning it turned into a warm and sunny day. I am glad, I love cool weather, but I need some seasonal changes to appreciate when autumn comes. But today was for me the day of a very different treat: I received Dracula's Castle in the mail. I had ordered it on Amazon less than a week ago. It is a second hand one in a relatively good state. I will take good care of it. I don't think there are so many original copies of it left, so in a way I bought an antique of childhood entertainment.

I blogged about the book, or more precisely what it inspired, in this post. I read it a number of times, playing both Dracula and Jonathan Harker (that was one of the book's originality). But it was mainly the primary material for the Dracula game, as my brothers and I called it. I will reread it with fondness. I will also come back to it on this blog (I already took a few pictures of the book's images). Of course, it will be among my reading list on the weeks before Halloween and also when I long for Halloween in the upcoming months.

Ce lundi de congé férié que je n'ai pas

C'est la Journée nationale des patriotes au Québec. Qui est l'ancienne Fête de Dollard des Ormeaux. Qui est Victoria Day au Canada. Qui ne veut absolument rien dire ici en Angleterre. C'est jour férié au Québec et au Canada, mais je m'en rappelle à peine. Ce n'est pas comme la Saint-Jean-Baptiste, c'est une fête qui passe inaperçue, sans doute à cause de tous ces changements de noms. On ne sait plus qui ou quoi on fête. Au moins j'en sais plus sur les Patriotes que sur Dollard des Ormeaux, mais pourquoi les fêter en mai? C'est une fête un peu arbitraire. En fait, c'est une fête printannière comme on en trouve souvent en mai dans bien des cultures.

Enfin bref, aujourd'hui est une excuse pour publier ici le monument à Dollard des Ormeaux du Parc Lafontaine.