... of weekends to come

Well now that summer is officially here (even though it pissed down last night but apparently that's normal here - i miss the predicability of an Australian summer) Montréal has changed from mild-mannered, creepy-looking guy into SUPER PARTY FUN TIME DUDE! Tonight marks the beginning of the International Jazz Festival - I'll be catching a few shows for sure - and a lot of free stuff around the place! Tomorrow I move into my new apartment with Gen-Gen; try to watch all the madness of 'moving day' as people struggle with fridges and curse balustrades; retrieve some furniture ninja-style from the rich neighbourhoods where people leave their unwanted junk on the sidewalk; and try to watch some free jazz/music/stuff. Then it's a Kino evening where I should be getting my official Kino Montréal membership and meeting some more loverly film people. Then it's off to Claude's family house with a Montréal mob, where her mum is having a birthday party. Then sunday if the weather permits - some canoeing! The following week will probably be passed trying to paint my new apartment and do something with all the useless crap i manage to pick up on the streets. I also have my meeting (again!) with the uni guy to suss out my sitch. Then comes the weekend again! - going to Chris' mum's place to celebrate various 30th birthdays and swim in a lake. I tell you what - it's totally bizarre having summer with no beach - apparently here you go swim in a public pool - now that's just weird huh? I mean, where are the sharks and jellyfish? Summer in Canada is cool though because you don't have blowies buzzing in your face all the time! Will post some pics of the new apartment when I get some. Might need some colour advice (mum, dad, charlie, anyone who thinks they know anything about painting and interior decorating ... something that will go well with besa blocks) love you all.

Before

Before
Originally uploaded by our travel blog.

Are you sick of your regular, boring, average-length hair?

Tired of leaving no impression on anyone at all, being bumped into, ignored and spat on because somebody didn't see you? Had enough of being an average person? I was, until ...

AFTER!!

AFTER!!
Originally uploaded by our travel blog.

... Until I tried new insta-dread! Achieve that new rasta sensation in minutes! Be the life of parties, stand out in a crowd, look like a genuine hippy! Remember - if you're being laughed at, people are noticing you! Now I'm really somebody and you can be too!

(avaliable in orange, blonde and crap)

I have new boots.

I have new boots.
Originally uploaded by our travel blog.

it's true.

I have new boots.
Originally uploaded by our travel blog.

Found an apartment!

woot, found an apartment tonight to share with Gen Gen - will eventually find someone else to fill the third room - it's in the trendiest part of town which is apparently "out" now ... so that's cool ... i don't like to be "in". was supposed to have a meeting with my uni guy today but he couldn't make it so that means i have to wait ANOTHER WEEK to find out what the stuff i'm doing! tick tock tick tock

Bling bling bla bla

well, it's been a while. how are we all? i'm quite fine, thanks for asking. now let's see, what's happened lately. i endured another two day bus ride, from Saskatoon, this time having only one seat for the fifty hours of ass-numbing journey. the evening of the day i got back was a silver mt. zion show here in montreal. it was absolutely awesome. the music just filled the room, it sat heavy around everyone's feet and rose up through bodies in a totally consuming way. so now i'm half way to seeing all of godspeed you! black emperor. i really hope they haven't broken up. the day after i was whisked away to trois-riviers, a small town nearby which was host to the national kino conference. i was given the honour of representing australia by default. there was a night of outdoor screenings and it was great fun. i got to have my first conversation entirely in french. it took a bloody long time but it worked and was pretty exciting. the guy that i spoke to in french had a room to rent that i could look at when i returned to montreal. my lap is becoming quite cluttered from all the things falling into it. passed a week in the usual way - trying to find someone to talk to about what my options are for uni. i eventually secured a meeting with the head of the cinema school which i'm going to tomorrow. but now i have a bike so getting around town is much more fun, cheaper and immensely more dangerous (=fun) the friday just gone was Québec's birthday so there were big parties all over the city. I went with Claude and a few of her friends to a little street party just in her neighbourhood. After that we went to some place out in the sticks for a bonfire. the next two days were spent doing various weekend things. painting a wall. fixing a bike. shopping at the market. walking about town. I went yesterday to check out the apartment that i'd been told about. it was pretty grubby so i'll use it as a back up if i can't find something else this week. i'm looking for a place with Genvieve (a good friend of Claude's) who also needs somewhere to live. today i rode all over town looking for "à louer" ("to rent") signs. i found about eleventy million. the next few days will be spent ringing all these people and trying to find a place that isn't going to so expensive as to force me to sell my organs and will be big enough to fit me and my organs in. well i think that's most of it. oh, i bought some boots - good old aussie blundstones. it's hot and now i'm going to go straighten a bike wheel and prepare myself a refreshing cuppa aqua. love you all.

Announcement from the pen of Jaan...

Well, if you've read my health blog (http://healthyjaan.blogspot.com) (Heath, that one's for you), then you already know the news. If not, well, I'm very pleased to announce that my fundraiser gig is back on the table and we're all getting quite excited about it. So, everyone, make sure you keep Friday the 12th of August free. Then, you head off to the Jade Monkey on Twin St for the chance to have a fantastic night of fantastic things and fantastic, mm. Yeah. So, once all the details like bands etc are finalised, then I'll make sure to post it on here. Until then, adios! P.S. I've sent out some letters re funding etc, so let's all put our positive thoughts together to see if I can get something...

Pete & Truds do fondue

hanging out to leave
Originally uploaded by jaanus83.

Well, another bunch of us is out of the stinkhole called Australia. Good luck to 'em! Seriously, that was one fab fondue you guys put on. Well delish. I'm sure the rest of us can pull together and get on with our lives even though the token 'married couple' we've so often ran to for support and advice is no longer on our sunny shores. AND I won't be able to hear any more of Pete's amusing work-related stories (not amusing for him I'm sure). Not to worry - you'll just have to update me on my arrival into London.

Adios you two - may your travels be filled with fun, laughter and apples.

Not so fast

shoes
Originally uploaded by jaanus83.

Well, after not even 10 hours of having the venue booked, we have a couple of little things that are plaguing our minds. So just hang on to your HB's and don't scribble in the 29th just yet. I knew I shouldn't have posted anything to jinx myself. When will I learn...

In the mean time, here is a pic of my fancy new shoes.

Gig is now booked!

Hi all, just a quick announcement... The fundraiser gig has now been booked, so for those who are still going to be in Adelaide, pencil in Friday, July 29th at Fowlers Live. Bands are still to be finalised, so keep checking this space for more updates, but it's sure to be a huge night! Woot!

Funny stuff...

... an email i FINALLY recieved today ... Dear Ben, Well, you've got us in a funny spot - hence the long delay in getting back to you. I apologize. You are accepted into the Major, Film Production, but the faculty are concerned that your work is already too advanced for you to be happy here. Unfortunately, we can't recommend that you do the MFA in Film Production because, as I understand it, your Australian degree is not the equivalent of Quebec's and so you aren't eligible for graduate studies in Quebec. If you'd still like to come, we'd love to have you! Let us know - and please accept my apology for the late answer. Amely ... well that's just stupid - not a circumstance I had planned for in my options ... now what the hell do I do? I think to laugh will be the first thing ... HO HO HO HAR HAR HAR HI HI HI