Do you ever just not know how to feel??

Alanna is getting ready to hit the stampede! Yahoooooo!

settling

Moving. Oh moving. What an…ordeal? Perhaps that’s not the right word, especially seeing as it went particularly smoothly thanks to a few amazing people. Nonetheless, I’ve been technically moved in to my place for two weeks as of today & it’s only finally coming together now. I don’t have very much stuff, certainly not enough to fill a one bedroom apartment, but my studio is packed to the rafters it seems. & I still have a couple of things at my old place (although one is the chair to my desk & the other is a tiny bookshelf).

I’ve been playing with different set up for my apartment. I’m sure it will continue to change over the next few months until I get it all figured out. The hardest part seems to be my bed & chair. 

The day after moving in. Not much has changed in this corner of the room aside from it being more organized.

Configuration One.

The way I’d originally had it set up is slightly awkward for my bedside table (which doesn’t quite fit on the wall beside my bed & sticks out a bit) and my dresser (which sits awkwardly at the foot of my bed.) Basically the set up is awkward all around. Especially since my bed is then up against the wall so if anyone stays with me, they have to climb over me to go to bed – I won’t be forfeiting MY side of the bed…. Sorry.

Configuration Two.

Deux

The latest confuguration looks a lot nicer, but makes for an awkward set up for my coffee table (Yes, I know it’s awkward that my coffee table is just sitting there on it’s own to begin with…I’m not sure what to really do with it.) & in some ways makes things feel smaller.

Basically, I’m almost totally unpacked & moved, but I’m still figuring out the logistics of this apartment of mine.

Prettier, more organized view of my desk/table & balcony

My tiny little kitchen.

Now if only I had an extra foot all around, all of my apartment problems would be solved. I guess I can’t complain too much however, I do have A/C & in 42c, not a whole lot else matters… 

move along

I’m officially moved. Well, according to my old lease & my new lease anyways. & for the most part I am actually officially moved into my new place as well. I left a few things at the old place – 2 mirrors, my desk chair, photo collages, and the modem & cable box – but aside from that everything else is here.

Up until it actually fell together, I was fairly certain that I was going to end up crying on the sidewalk halfway between apartments, France 2005 style. (When, after over 24 hours of traveling, 2 hours of wandering around Rennes like a lost child, with no idea where my residence was & unable to find a single person who would help me out, I sat down on my giant suitcase & bawled. Don’t fret for my 21-year-old self, however. I did manage to pull myself together enough to check into a hotel for the night & get enough sleep to easily find my residence the following morning.) I had 2 sbux coworkers & a friend from school (with her station wagon) help me with the move. & thank god for that station wagon. We managed to fit almost everything in it & only had to carry a few minor things the 4 blocks. I know 4 blocks doesn’t seem like much, but talk to me after you’ve carried a metal legged table that distance. It’s far enough.

The following evening, Kat helped me with the last few things & I’ve been (very) slowly settling in since. Normally, I would have my entire place figured out almost a week into living in it, but there are a few last minute touch ups that need to be finished so with the knowledge that worked will be coming in a out tomorrow, I can’t be bothered to set things up for real & get everything cleaned to my satisfaction only to have them trek through in their work boots. We’re in the middle of a disgusting humidity & high heat warning, so keep your fingers crossed for me that my AC gets fixed tomorrow as promised.

Until all this gets sorted, you’ll just have to keep on waiting to see my new digs. I know, heartbreaking.

sappy sappy sappy

I'm not usually one to share this with the whole world, but it's been well over a month & I still have well over a month to go. he left for europe this week & my world is a whole lot lonelier. i made him this, like the big, sappy, romantic sucker that I am sometimes....

I'm not very good at not being jealous.



I need to work on this.

ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall...

& so it begins... The season of (outdoor) festivals in Montréal, that is. Every person I've mentioned the fact that I'm spending my first summer in Montréal to has had more or less the same reaction: You're going to love Montréal in the summer!! Needless to say, I'm pretty excited for all this city has to offer this summer & hope to experience as much of it as humanly possible. That said, I kick-started things with the annual Mondiale de la bière. Given my love of beer & train stations, I'm was pretty impressed with this festival (although the emphasis is much more on the beer than on the fact that it was held in gorgeous Windsor Station). 
The festival ran June 2 to June 6 & I had the opportunity to attend twice. First with the roomie for a couple after-dinner beers Thursday evening & then with a co-worker on Saturday Night. Thursday, we sauntered in around 8:30, waited in line for our beer tickets & glass mugs & tasted a few delicious brews. 

Saturday wasn't quite the same story. We headed down around 5:30 once Deanna had gotten off work to find a line that snaked around the side of the building. Apparently we weren't the only ones who thought a beer festival was a great way to spend our Saturday evening. Seeing as neither of us had any other plans & we'd been excited about it all day, we decided to try the line....at least for a little while. We ended up waiting a little over an hour, sticking it out in a torrential downpour that soaked our shoes straight through. At least we had umbrellas.    

Finally we got in & waited in another line to buy tickets & a mug for Deanna. Once we had all the necessities it was beer tasting time. We each had about 12 tickets ($1 each) & beers were usually 2-3 tickets, with a few slightly pricier ones. In the end we probably had 5 beers each. I tried to stick to micro breweries & beer that I can't get on a regular basis. Some of my favourites were Muskoka Cream Ale (which Deanna was very excited to find, being from ON & familiar with this smooth cottage beer) & Ma Première Blonde (a play on words: Blonde can mean both girlfriend & beer). The evening wouldn't have been complete without a large poutine, which we enjoyed with our cottage beer, picnic-style in the courtyard.

We parted ways & wandered home a few hours later, leaving me even more excited about the upcoming summer of festivals. 

my shoes however, might not be quite as ready...

my poor shoes are even more worse for wear....water now leaks in everywhere