#18: Have a study sesh at a cafe in the Mile End

Technically, school is over, so I don't have anything to study. However, my lovely co-prez and I left some POWE business on the back-burner til now, and we decided it was about time to get it done.

Now I've wanted to study at a cafe in the Mile End because it's the ultimate hipster thing to do in Montreal. The Mile End is a super trendy (trendy in a hipster way) neighborhood, with old but gorgeous apartments, amazing little shops, and fantastic food. A lot of Canadian artists from indie bands live in the area, just to give you an idea.

I think I outdid myself because not only did I go to a cafe, I'm BFFs with the owner.
That's right, PLOT TWIST: Vanessa (my POWE co-president) and her family own the #1 cafe in the Mile End, Olympico.

When I found this out I laughed hysterically, and then obviously V and I agreed I HAD to complete this item of my bucket list there with her.

It was total hipster central, yet really normal. Like you have the guy making coffees with the ultimate mustache (curled ends and all) but meanwhile there's Vanessa's nonna (her Italian grandma), chatting up her mom nearby. There's artsy folks on their Macs or reading old books, and there's regular dudes watching the game. It's also full of history, as V's grandparents bought the place agessssss ago.

Anyways it was cute, we did our work, and I got free tea and cookies. No big deal guys, I'm tight with the owner.


For more on Cafe Olympico (or to get the address to go drink the best coffee in town): http://www.cafeolimpico.com/en/

Spice Girls Lovin'

Re-watched Spice World not long ago and I remembered what I thought the first time I saw it when I was ten.........

OMG I WANT A BIG COMFY ROBE AND A COLORFUL TENT-LIKE HAVEN IN MY GIANT BACKYARD.

The feeling hasn't changed.

#8: Play beer pong at BDP

There is, at McGill, a long standing tradition where the most sketch-tastic bar near campus transforms into a beer pong war zone every Tuesday night.

Embarassing fact #1: In first year, I lived in a residence directly across this bar and NEVER went.

Embarassing fact #2: I'd actually never played beer pong. Ever.

That is.......... UNTIL NOW (and by now I mean about a month ago, because I wanted to post a picture along with this but the person who took pictures still hasn't posted them so I decided to blog without them).

Turns out beer pong is SO. FUN. And I don't suck, which might be why I think it's so fun? As with most things on my bucket list, I really wish I'd done this before. And more often!

Re-match in the new year?

Christmas dream wishlist

This is my ultimate wishlist, to which Santa would definitely say "dream on".

1. Bracelets
I don't know what my deal is, but they're making a comeback in my head. I kinda wanna go back to that look of stacking a gazillion on each wrist.

Love this. Also navy + gold = amazeballs color combo.

I need to throw in a bit of shiny.

I'd like one in each color please.

2. A new duvet cover
I love my current duvet. It's amazing visually and also I'm totally emotionally attached to it. I originally bought all the fabric with these great plans to make a patchwork duvet cover and then realized I kinda didn't have much sewing skills. I put them away for almost 2 years until Amanda, my amazing coworker for the summer, helped me get it done. The duvet isn't just like oh cool, check out my arts and crafts project, it's more like a statement that I can do anything I set my mind to.
...Nevertheless it's getting pretty worn out, and I'm ready for a bit of new visual stimulation. While I put the other one away and pretty much save it for my kids.

This super cool website, DENY designs, lets you pick a piece of artwork and turn it into various things, like a duvet cover, a shower curtain, etc. I love love love this one and the one below.

This with some emerald green sheets would be amaaaaaaaaazeballs.

I've been in love with this for 4 months now. Probably good Anthropologie shut down their website in Quebec, or I might order it.

3. Annnnd some clothes/shoes.... obvi

Sick chevron pattern on this cozy sweater.

This with some royal blue pants would look amazinggggggg.

Hearts. On elbows. THAT IS ALL.

I've been looking for caramel-colored boots foreverrrrr and these are pretty much perfect.

I've been wanting nude pumps forever, and between the almond toe and the thicker heel, these are fantastic.

Fresh take on herringbone.

Saw this one on Nashville.. I'm in love. Half with the show, half with the dress.

#26: Get published

Last year, when I decided to re-align my life ambitions and goals, I had a conversation with Judy Pharo, the associate director of McGill's Engineering faculty. Two things to note are that, a) I loveeeee Judy Pharo and b) this conversation marked me, for some reason. I guess it's because she was the first to suggest that I could mesh my love of engineering and my love of ...well, everything non-engineering. But mostly casual writing. Like right now, for instance.

Anyways, she suggested I get an article published, and even recommended a particular magazine here at McGill. It mostly went in one ear and out the other, until a friend who worked for said magazine asked me to write (or more so said something like "if you want to, that'd be ok").

I got a little too excited and then procrastinated for about six months. Finally in July I finished my article, sent it away, and then obsessively checked my email every day (and the magazine website), to see if a) my article was approved and b) the magazine was out.

Finally a) and b) came true so here we are. It's not a big fancy magazine. More like tiny and technology-related. But it fit my topic (women in engineering, duh) and I had "connections". And now it will fit in the dramatic tale of how I got to the top starting from humble beginnings.

Here is the link to my first published article, in the magazine Technophilic:
http://issuu.com/technophilic/docs/f2012-mcgill/21

P.S. I may have stolen like 15 copies and mailed some to my parents. One day they could be worth a lot on ebay. But I felt guilty and had to get that off my chest. Phew.

I love: outerwear

I must preface this with a little story: years ago, I was really into The Hills (who am I kidding, I still love it). In the second or third season, Lauren goes to Paris to help with this amazingly ritzy ball, complete with gowns and a ballroom. Then a gorgeous Frenchman whisks her away in her gown (and a really cute coat) on the back of his moped. If my memory serves me right, there's champagne under the Eiffel tower in there somewhere too. Anyways, at the end of her perfect night, she runs up the steps of her hotel and when she looks back at him over her shoulder (how coy), it's like a giant love slap in the face: HER COAT IS GORGEOUS (and has a bow). It's in that moment that I discovered that love at first sight really does exist.

In my search for true love (aka finding this coat or a similar one), I've seen a LOT of coats. Here's a few that have inspired a bit of love lately.

I ordered this jacket in smoky coral. Results TBD, but I'm excited.

A bow!

I loooooove how the sleeves are black like the top.

Okay so Black Friday was a little too successful, I also ordered this one. Basically in my mind, a camel toggle coat looks exactly like that. So shouldn't I reward myself for finding a perfect mind match?

#32: See Redpath Museum

This is super embarassing, but I've never actually been to this museum, which happens to be right in the middle of the McGill campus. Also, as I discovered Friday night, it's also Canada's oldest museum.
And really shouldn't I have gone into most the of buildings of my own campus?
SO I DID.

I would have probably never actually gone to the museum, but Saturday night was flashlight tours! Starting at 11pm, every hour on the hour, you could get into the museum and do a visit.... in the dark. So I grabbed my awesome POWE co-president, Vanessa, woke myself up (this was the same evening as iron ring), and we headed for "a night at the museum, where everything comes alive," as Vanessa put it. Clever girl.

Turns out we didn't make it to the 11pm entrance, but instead went to the midnight one (maximum darkness outside, right?). I learned a lot of cool stuff about McGill and Montreal, downloaded a flashlight app on my phone due to pitch black-ness, and saw the biggest collection of rocks and shells I've ever seen in my life. And also a lot of embalmed animals.... that looked a little too real and alive in the darkness.

Here's the only picture I took due to no lighting whatsoever and no flash allowed... It's Vanessa and I in the first Canadian lecture hall, located near the entrance of the museum. Before the lights were off. Before things came alive.

#38: Get my iron ring

Wow I have super duper neglected this blog. Fortunately, I'm coming back strong with a tear-jerking story: how I got my iron ring.

Let's do a little reflection on the last 5 years. I've cried my weight in tears about 10 times, I've lived weeks in the library (and considered getting my mail delivered there), and had countless meals from vending machines. It has not been easy. But how did I keep motivated, you ask? I think I've been around my hockey-playing brother too much, because I started using visualization. Apparently a lot of them do that before a game. Focus on winning, seeing yourself make the right plays, blablabla sport talk blablabla. Anyways. My visualizing was iron ring ceremony. I saw myself walking up to my dad, him putting it on (usually, in my head, he also had one tear strolling down his cheek for dramatic effect), and so on. I just kept thinking that when I got to that, I'd be almost done. I'd be an engineer. I'd wear it til I died. (Let it be known I wish to be buried with it if I die before I have children. Otherwise, let it become a family heirloom to be protected WITH. THEIR. LIVES.)

Well Saturday, that all came true. Minus my dad crying. Sorta.

Iron ring is a tradition for Canadians who graduate with an engineering degree. There's a big ceremony with rituals and all (top secret!), culminating in receiving a ring. The ring is put on by another engineer, someone who also has a ring (hence my dad... yay forestry engineering!). The ring is worn on the pinky of the engineer's writing hand, to "seal" calculations and signatures. It represents the weight of our responsibility (falling bridges, Chernobyl, etc...) and so on. Also there is a legend, which I like to pretend is true, that the rings are forged out of the remainders of the Quebec bridge (it fell a gazillion years ago TWICE because of calculation errors) to remind us not to get complacent in our work.
Anyways I'm a huge dork clearly, because I think this is all super cool. Also yes, I'm such a girl, I went into engineering for the jewelry. Obvs.

Saturday I stood and performed all the rituals. I took my ring to the front of the room, gave it to my dad, and he put it on my pinky while reciting something that I forgot cause I was too entranced in the moment and also I was searching for tears in his eyes. He definitely choked up, but so did I.

It has been a totally crazy, horrible, wonderful, and life-changing experience. And now I have this super cool ring to remind me every day of how I can accomplish absolutely anything I want.

#31: Go apple picking

Another week, another thing crossed off my list! POWE visited an apple orchard for Thanksgiving and it was AWESOME.

We took a cute little trailer/truck transportation to the section with Cortland apples. I picked the biggest apples I've ever seen.

Major con though... Now I have 10 lbs of apples to eat. And every time I offer one to a friend, I get a total Snow White flash. Except these apples are less red but way way bigger.

Also, if you aren't there to pick 1000 lbs of apples... it's a pretty short adventure. So I think it's one I'll repeat when I have little kids so a) it will feel like a whole day event (because really between lunch and naps and all that jazz, a two-hour outing with kids really is "all day") and b) I can turn it all into applesauce (read: get my dad to turn it all into applesauce).

An Interview with Myself

I've been experiencing a lot of mixed emotions about the next step in my career. For those who don't know, upon completing my engineering degree in December, I'll be heading to Toronto to pursue Fashion Marketing and Merchandising. I'm excited to do something I feel passionate about, but I'm obviously nervous to leave the stable, cushy life of engineering to the crazy, unpredictable world that is fashion and writing. So to create a bit of vision and feel more encouraged and positive about the move, my advisor recommended I try interviewing "future me"... What kind of things would I have to say? How would I explain my dramatic switch? What would I be doing?

It helped a lot. I feel like all my confidence is back, like I can make my wildest dreams come true. Why?

Because I say so.

Disclaimer: May contain traces of exaggeration. Just a bit.

As I arrive to the interview, she is already seated, simultaneously flipping through the latest Vogue and reading today's issue of the New York Times. Weird combo? Not when you're meeting the always surprising Elisabeth _____ (fill in blank with my future last name, as I plan to chuck Perron out the window as soon as I get married - too hard to pronounce), nee Perron, accomplished author, celebratd magazine editor, and overall, one cool empowered chick. On the eve of her twenty years of career, we're here to discuss the early days.

Interviewer: Describe the last twenty years of your career in three words.

Elisabeth: Ambitious, non-traditional, and passionate.

I: You mention non-traditional. For those unaware, you actually studied engineering in university. What gives?

E: Engineering was this big challenge for me, almost a forbidden field. When you keep getting told it's demanding and so difficult, and so few girls do it, it provokes one of two reactions: you do it or you bolt. To me, it was almost like a dare. I said, "Challenge accepted!" So I did it.

I: And how did you progress into fashion from there?

E: About halfway through my program, I realized it really wasn't for me. Like Lizzie McGuire taught me with her rhythmic gymnastics, just because you can do something doesn't mean you love it. I still finished my program, mostly for completion's sake, but in my last year I crafted my escape: found my perfect job, the right program to get me there, and I broke the news to my parents.

I: How did they take it?

E: Not so well! In their defense, engineering has job stability, good money, and some prestige. So to shove all that aside is definitely not something parents want for their kids. But in the end I think they saw how miserable I was, so they agreed to let me try it.

I: What was that dream job at the time and how did you discover it?

E: Working at Glamour as a features editor. 

While I was studying engineering, I had started keeping a blog with little blurbs of writing, pretty clothes I liked, etc. For me, it was about balance, writing funny silly things to balance my very serious major. But I found myself really enjoying it, I got good feedback, and so I started thinking maybe I could do this as more than a hobby.

I: But why Glamour?

E: I remember the first issue I ever read, September 2009 with Jessica Simpson on the cover. (Shoutout to my cousin Adrienne who gave it to me and started my Glamour love story!) I read it cover to cover, and felt this huge wave of relief, thinking, "Wow, there are other girls who think JUST like me!" It was this amazing mixture of fashion, wit, pop culture bonanza, and topics that empower women, which are all things I care about in my own writings. I never found another magazine that came even close to how I responded to Glamour.

I: So to get there, you pursued an associate degree in Fashion Marketing and Merchandising. Why not a writing program?

E: There were a few aspects to that decision. First, I didn't want to go back to school for another four years. So a program lasting only a year and a half made more sense. Then I felt like this program would give me lots of options and possible job opportunities. I remember reading an interview with Amy Astley (editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue) saying that her first job was with House and Garden. I feel like sometimes you have to take the backdoor to get in, not the obvious route. So I didn't start with my perfect job right away, but my fashion education was so diversified, it got my foot in the door. And I eventually made it to where I wanted to be!

I: Well your path certainly emphasizes the "alternative" approach.

E: I think my path turned out to be my greatest asset. It gave me a different perspective on everything and it definitely helped me stand out!

I: Considering that you did make it to Glamour, any words of advice for those trying to make it in a difficult career path?

E: Don't give up and use your differences to your advantage! I was president of the club for women in engineering in university, and it really opened my eyes to the empowerment of women. It made me want to help women discover things that aren't normally discussed in "girly" magazines: science, technology, etc... Combining that with my fashion background and love of writing gave me a winning combination! Glamour was already very focused on promoting women and all the cool things we do, so I'd say finding the right environment to foster your passion is important too!

I: I have noticed that a lot of your philanthropic work involves female empowerment.

E: I don't think girls know what they're capable of! We need to take what we want, aim higher, and move the world forward. But we can't do that until awareness is raised about those fields where women are in minorities, until more information is made available to help us... So really that's what my career has been dedicated to. The advancement of women. With a pinch of pop culture references.

#6: Dance on a bar

This is probably the one thing on my list I'm most ashamed of. And I blame Coyote Ugly for making it look so fun.

So I'll keep it short and sweet and just say it's done. No need to discuss it ever again, or do it ever again.

I love: desert boots

Desert shoes, my new obsession. I discovered them last winter, but now this fall they are everywhere (making it easier for me to buy and love).

Enjoy.

As I will.

J.Crew - They can do no wrong.

These babies are the ones that sparked my passion for desert boots.

Love the details.

They're a bit quirky, but I heard they're incredibly comfy. Might need to try them on...

I like the sporty feel of these.

#34: Go out every night for a week / #14: Attend the engineering bus trip to nowhere

Since my first year, I have heard the legend of students going out every night for an entire week. I always wondered who did that (and mostly how). Well since school only started last Wednesday and clearly the first few days are unimportant, I decided to see if I could turn myth into reality.

Our wild week began Tuesday, the night before school. Monday was left out due to Labor Day and the fact that I'd just flown back from vacation. All week, outings were planned, all leading up to the engineering bus trip to nowhere on Saturday. Now before I tell you lessons learned from this epic week, a bit of info on the bus trip!

There is a long standing tradition in engineering at McGill in taking the bus trip to nowhere. The idea is to board a bus that takes you to a small town bar, where the participants proceed to drink it dry. It's also called DUSTED (Drink Unsuspecting Small Town Establishment Dry) at other universities. I missed the bus trip last January, expecting to do the one in September................ which doesn't exist. Oops. So I went, panicked, to my friend Ashley. I guess my despair at the idea of not finishing my list got to her, because she came back within an hour with a solution: do Concordia's DUSTED. And so we did friends. SO. WE. DID.

5 things I learned during my week of wild nights:

1) One does not simply plan to go out every night for a week.
Out of the five nights planned, only 2 went according to plan. I think the people who live out this experience simply have it happen to them. You can't plan. You must simply do. And drink.

2) Ashley makes a damn good going out buddy.
She followed in this week of adventures fearlessly.

3) A full week of no sleep and alcohol will get you sick. Most definitely.
As I write this, I am surrounded by kleenex and Tylenols.

4) Never do DUSTED again. But tell future generations the story of this epic night.
There were 900 people. 900. That is bigger than the full army of men from the story of 300. Just sayin'. This is how intense the night was: after standing in line for an hour and a half, we got inside to pick up our shirts. We had just enough time to throw them on before someone came toward us with a bottle of alcohol (shot #1). Then we walked forward to someone offering us mini cups (shot #2). We got on the bus, were offered a beer, and immediately had to chug it. And that my friends, was before we even left Montreal toward our secret location. I can't betray the secrets of the night, but I will tell you I got home at 4 and still haven't fully recovered. No lie.

5) Confession: I now feel like I've lived out my youth fully.
Yes it's silly to say! But this one week of being extremely crazy, going to bed late (or early depending how you see it), meeting people, juggling responsibilities and carelessness... it was stupid.

Stupid good.

#9: Go to Jean Talon market

Jean Talon market is a ginormous farmers' market full of fresh produce, local farm products, and everything else a farmers' market holds. I've always wanted to go because frankly the fruits and veggies section of my grocery store is just appalling. The produce isn't very fresh, it's pale, and it's not the most flavorful.

I ended up buying enough fruits/veggies to last me the entire week, but really everything looked so delicious and fresh, I could have bought for a month.

I took literally one picture because I was just too busy tasting and looking at everything. But seriously. This is unreal:

SO MANY TOMATOES. SO COLORFUL.

Basically one you go to Jean Talon, you become this huge fruit/veggie snob because lesbihonest, nothing else will do.

#13: Go to La Banquise

While I've been at McGill for what feels like an entire millennium, I've missed one important university student ritual. The post-wild night out 3AM poutine.

I tried. I orchestrated, I made all these plans to try to make it to the wee hours of the night fully awake. And time and time again, my plans failed. Never made it that late.

Then, last night happened.

My summer bromance, Ashley, and I planned to go to Chez Mado (a very famous drag queen joint) to catch a show. But we met up too late and missed the 11PM show.

But guys........ there's a 1AM show. And WE. MADE. IT.

The show was amazing, flawless costumes, more makeup than I'll ever wear in my life, and about ten tearaway costumes. Also there was a number with the song "Call Me Maybe" so how could I not love this?

Now by the time the show ended, it was about 2:30AM. And we were hungry. So we headed to La Banquise, the ultimate poutine joint in Montreal, open 24hrs a day.

This is the picture of the bacon poutine Ash and I enjoyed (more than any poutine EVER in our lives) at 3AM after a fantastically wild night out.

Having now lived this experience, I understand why it's a student life staple.

#35: Go on a roadtrip

So I've been cooped up in Montreal for three school years and two summers now, my only escapes being going home for a few days during summer and Christmastime. Depressing! So OBVI when I made my bucket list, I was positively planning to escape to a new location for a bit. And a few weeks ago, I totally did.

One of the best friends I made at McGill (but have known for the shortest time?), Mackie, lives in Maine and I decided that since I hadn't seen her since February and Maine is decently close, I obviously needed to head there and see her. I rented a car, took a (paid) day off from work (the only one I got this summer), drove six hours to Kennebunk, Maine ALL ALONE, and made it alive. Which totally impressed my mother more than anything I've ever done in my life.

ANYWAYS. I had the best time, it was that amazing mix of big serious talks and ditzy girl talk, outlet shopping, tv watching, and Maine-exploring. Flawless.

So because I have no pictures and no desire to recount my trip by the hour, let's do a top ten things you should just know about it:

1. There was a lot of screaming lyrics to songs to stay awake during the drive.

2. I envisioned my "Maine lifestyle" the same way I envision lifestyles I could have when I go to J.Crew or Anthro or home. My Maine lifestyle: living in a big big house with a white picket fence, taking my dog to the beach for a run/walk, cooking lobster every week, and doing some antique shopping in tiny shops on the weekends with my boyfriend who is not afraid of wearing pink sweaters.

3. We made a fire in the drizzling rain. And stayed outside in the drizzling rain, by our fire. Making s'mores.

4. My friend choked on water (we're equally gifted with poise and grace) and I had the fleeting thought of OMG I CAN'T REMEMBER HEIMLICH!

5. We watched the Olympics and I referred to the U.S. as "our team."

6. I want to be American. I can't explain it, but every time I go I feel understood. Accepted. It's the mothership.

7. I listened to 2 hours of Dalilah giving love advice to weird people on the radio. And dedicating truly horrible songs to them. Shoutout to the girl who "had a baby with my best friend, but we're just friends, but he doesn't know that I want more, and he's coming to visit his baby this weekend, because he doesn't actually live in the same town as me, and it's complicated, and I love our friendship." ...say what now?

8. I did some flawless driving for all 13 hours of my trip. My only problem? When I got back to Hertz to return the car, there was no space to park, so I just stuck it in this little weird area with about one centimeter for the door to open. You're welcome, man who had to get in and park it elsewhere.

9. Somewhere in New Hampshire, this guy asked me if I spoke French because my pants said McGill on them. But it was late and I was tired and I said no. Then I realized but I was too lazy to correct. Clearly already in the American mindset, I am denying my French Canadian ties.

10. My friend and I bought the exact same shoes. And I secretly hope we wear them together one day, even though that is super tacky.

So all this to say I had a blast. And Mackie, if you see this, thank you for a fantastic weekend. I'm usually decent with my words, but I don't think anything in my vocabulary can begin to cover how great a time I had. Until next year in San Fran!

#33: Attend the Jazz Festival / #37: See a "Just pour rire" gala

Well this post is much delayed! Much much. I've just been too busy enjoying my summer! I feel bad... but I don't.

Anyways.

Montreal is absolutely lovely in the summer, it's one festival after another. First there was the Francopholies, a French music festival, then Jazz Fest, and finally Just for Laughs (which is still going on). Jazz Fest is a hugeee deal, everyone who's anyone in the jazz industry had graced the festival over the years. So of course I had to go. But it was... weird. I didn't hear any jazz music. And I went three times.

Then there's Just for Laughs (or Juste pour rire, in French). Almost every year since pretty much I can remember, my family rents the "galas" on pay-per-view. The galas are events that occur during the festival, it's basically one show with a ton of French Canadian comedians. Anyways this year, I convinced my mom we should attend, and we made it to three galas! It was amazing to live out what I see on tv every year. Also not gonna lie, I totally worked my laughing face, in hopes that I'll make it into the pay-per-view version (which shows audience members laughing once in a while). I would do that.

Mastering the Art of (Actually) Breaking Up

I sometimes like to start a post by defining a word, usually the focus of the piece. Then I launch into a rant and the likes. But today, when I looked up "breakup" on Wikipedia, the explanation stunned me a little (to say the least) and distracted me from my main topic. Here's why:

"A relationship breakup, often referred to simply as a breakup, is the termination of a usually intimate relationship by any means other than death."

Ummmmmm. Why is DEATH in this sentence? I'm not sure this is exactly how I'd define a breakup, but we'll go with it. Thanks for the harsh words, Wikipedia.

So breakups.
I totally lack the finesse required to execute a clean breakup. Mine are messy, sad, and dramatic. Yet somehow, most of them have ended up being non-binding. Not final. Just a prequel to the sequel.

When I was younger, I was under the impression that breaking up meant the end. Cut the cord, adios, see you never. Then I got older and started understanding the cliche, "It's complicated." I've seen that couple totally in love break up, but keep talking and texting as if it was still on. I've seen the post-breakup hookup. There's the whole "I still love you" move, or the early breakup deemed a mistake so the couple's back together.

In the words of My Sassy Gay Friend... WHAT ARE YOU DOING? What. What. WHAT are you doing?

I think it's a mistake a lot of us make, going back for seconds (or thirds in some cases). And it's understandable, there's this little thing called feelings involved, and they're a tad hard to get rid of without massive help from our friends Ben and Jerry. But still. After a few experiences of the like, I'm trying to now remind myself that my man of the moment and I broke up for a reason. And that reason would still be valid if we got back together. So maybe it would be blissful for a few weeks, months even, but eventually it always pops back up.

Anyways. My point here is not to help women around the world figure out their post-breakup feelings, it's to figure out how to make a clean break. A definitive break. I've tried a few things, but none of them really deter my gentlemen callers. Why is it that I yell and they run back (besides the memory of my stellar personality and good looks)?

I thought and thought and thought and I think it clicked for me. Closure. If it wasn't 100% clear why it was over, even though it was well understood, if we don't word it veryyyyy clearly (men aren't so good at deciphering implications), it's not really done. It leaves feelings of sadness, sometimes guilt, and so on.

Next time I have to orchestrate a breakup, I'm gonna make sure to have a nice two-way conversation, reallllllllly clarifying why this is happening, to shut down any chance of round 2.

After the messy, dramatic stuff of course.

#16: Visit St. Joseph Oratory

Yesterday was part 2 of tourists in Montreal with my dear friend SW. I need to preface this by saying that we had a hugeeee (but delicious) breakfast and for some reason didn't manage to shake off the sleepiness that ensued for the rest of the day. Between that and the fact that the Oratory is the biggest, most confusing church I've ever seen (and I've seen my fair share of churches in Italy so that's saying A LOT), we kinda died.

St. Joseph Oratory is nicely nested on Mount Royal and apparently has healing powers. Inside the church, in the COOLEST chapel I've ever seen (candles wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling), there are giant stands filled with crutches, canes, and the likes. According to what my mom told me, people would come to the Oratory for a pilgrimage and during/after, would find themselves healed. They left behind their walking helps. Seeing them all like this together makes for kind of an awe-inspiring moment.

One of four of the stands with crutches/canes/etc. in the Chapel of Votives

Now aside from the chapel, there is of course the Basilica at the very top. Lots of stairs. Looooots of stairs. But the view is amazing (and I imagine even more amazing by night) and the Basilica is breathtaking. The ceilings are so high, you feel like a tiny speck of dust. It's very bare, plain, yet so impressive. Complete opposite of Notre Dame, which was decked out to the nines, without one tiny piece of wall left unadorned. But St. Joseph has its charms. So much in fact that I found out it's used as the picture representing Montreal in the "around the world" version of Monopoly.

Like I said. LOTS OF STAIRS to the top. But so worth it.

#36: Hang out at Jean-Drapeau park

One of Montreal's best kept secrets, in my opinion, is Parc Jean-Drapeau. The park is comprised of two islands, where you can find an aquatic park, a beach, La Ronde (kind of like a Six Flags), the Montreal Casino (originally built for the Montreal Summer Olympics), the Biosphere (not to be confused with the Biodome), and tons of grassy areas. It's also the location of Piknik Electronik, a chill Sunday afternoon event that runs all summer long, where you can listen to a couple DJs, enjoy the outdoors, and have a beer with friends.

I had planned to stay for only a few hours, but ended up having such a nice afternoon that we extended our stay by an hour or two. Oops?

Given the heat we've had lately, I plan to go back and check out the beach soon too!

In front of the Biosphere

Piknik (it got way more crowded within the hour)

They were celebrating their ten year anniversary or something by asking people to wear these and say how long they'd been coming. I wrote, "today".

Grumman's is a local food truck that's made it onto all the big foodie shows for its famous tacos. When they show up to an event with their yellow truck, it sells out within hours. I made it before that!

#1: Walk up Mount Royal

First off, a little geography lesson for those who haven't been to Montreal: Mont Royal (or Mount Royal for you anglophones) is a mountain (or a hill if you compare it to the Rockies really) set in the middle of the city. McGill happens to be right at the foot of it. It's a giant park where people love to go jogging, biking, and so on. On top of the mountain, there is also Beaver Lake (Lac Castor) where you can skate in the winter and have fun outdoorsy times in the summer. Here's a picture at sunset:

Then, about a kilometer further up, there is a chalet and lookout where you can see the whole city. And last night was the night we decided to tackle said mountain.

We made a plan. We were gonna leave about an hour before sunset, to catch it from up there. But neither of us really knew how to get to the top of the mountain. Turns out there's a loooot of ways. Just walk toward the mountain and eventually you will see a path or stairs. We started on this path, and were a bit lost. Someone noticed and gave us some information. Then he added, "on an esthetic note," that Mont Royal was designed by the same person who did Central Park. It's a giant loop until you get to the top, designed to give a sense of infinity. It goes from covered areas with dense trees to open ones, to keep a sense of awe in its audience.

And it's totally true. We enjoyed the loooonnnnngggg walk up (7 km) and eventually got to Beaver Lake, as you can see above. We continued and eventually made it to the lookout. Well worth it when we saw THIS:

SW and I agreed that our pictures did a bad job showing how incredible it is to have the whole city at your feet.

Little extra comment: if you go for sunset, bring a flashlight... We fully expected to get killed on the way down. We took a different way down, following where the lights were, and ended up about 30 blocks away from our houses. Our legs were not happy with us!

#15: Visit Notre Dame Basilica / #2: Explore Old Montreal

Yesterday, SW and I went all out and had ourselves a tourist day around Montreal. It seems like a funny idea, but you don't realize how much you missed when you get caught up in your routine. Yes, I've been to old Montreal a few times, but it was always quick and I never knew much about it. To the point that I've been calling it Old Port for years, when Old Port is actually the area of Old Montreal where the actual port is. With the boats. Oops!

We left very early to beat the heat, and we ended up getting lost in old Montreal for about four hours. It was amazing. First we visited Notre Dame Basilica. I visited Italy in high school, so I've seen my fair share of gorgeous churches, but Notre Dame still took my breath away. The amount of detail, the colors, the grandeur of it all! Amazing. Here's in front of and inside Notre Dame:

After that we just walked and walked and walked some more. Some of the streets in Old Montreal are still cobblestone, which kinda feels like an odd foot massage. Eventually we got hungry, and settled down on a patio to have brunch. On the street beside our patio, we discovered a Just for Laughs gag was being filmed! The gag involved getting a couple, getting the guy to put on a bra while the lady was distracted. After, they would walk up the street, where a "security guard" was doing scans. There he would reveal how the guy had a bra on, leaving the lady confused. We saw two of them get caught, it was kinda cool to see it live!

After that we walked some more, got hungry again, and had Beaver tails (don't know what a Beaver Tail is?). We sat down and I began feeding cute birds bits of mine. And then SW learned a valuable life lesson: sharing is caring. Otherwise giant birds will attack you.
She didn't feed the birds, so a big one flew right on her beaver tail, grabbed some, and then continued hovering over us. Scared us both a bit. Poor SW had to throw out her beaver tail, scared of bird diseases. I wish someone had gotten the whole thing on tape.

We ventured back around Notre Dame, only to discover a big protesting dance party going on. It was cool for a while, but when the music ended and they started talking about their "social cause," it was time to leave.

All in all, we had a really good day. Sore feet but happy faces!

I love: pristine white

Sometimes, all you need is a crisp white shirt to spruce up any outfit. Work and play.

Obviously I'd pick one with a bow.

I want this for work. NEED.

I love this one. I feel like it works for every occasion I can think of.

Peter Pan collar. Scalloping. AHHHHH.

Ruffles!

Puuuurdy

#19: Attend Tam Tams

Every Sunday afternoon during summer, people gather from all corners of Montreal in this giant park at the foot of Mount Royal for Tam Tams. The name originates from the fact that there is a massive tam tam jam session happening at the heart of the park.
I finally had the chance to check it out today and it was pretty cool. I saw everything from an old man juggling, to nerds larp-ing (live action role playing.... it's like a big simulated battle), to people walking on thin cords set up around trees. I was also shocked to see how many people attend this "event". There was musicians playing guitars, crafts people selling their trinkets, children, dogs, couples, non-couples (me and Sarah included)...

LOVED IT.

A picture taken from our spot in the sun.. My foot looks happy here, am I crazy?

I love: jumpsuits

A jumpsuit, for the confused, is basically like a dress but the skirt part is pants. A jumpsuit refers to one with long pants, whereas a romper has shorts.

Basically, jumpsuits are hard work. Hard to design, hard to pull off... Different leg lengths, elastic waistband location, sleeves or no sleeves, solid or pattern: these are all factors that make the difference between looking like a child, a glamazon, a hoochie, and a fatty. I feel like a designer could decide to specialize in jumpsuits, and that would be enough work for an entire career.  The other problem is that the average woman will run away when presented with the challenge of a jumpsuit. It's not that it's soooo fashion-forward, I mean they've been around since the 70s for Pete's sake, but it's risky.

BUT. When they're rockin', they're rockin'. Big time.

I convinced myself to try one on last year, and I gotta say I luuuuuuuurve it. It's a whole lot of curvy me, but it's such a thrill! I also remember making a friend try one on at Forever 21 a few years back, and in 30 seconds she morphed from childish to a 50s pinup hottie. Obvs I made her buy it and she proceeded to get a lot of compliments on her slammin' body after that.

And that's the true beauty of a jumpsuit. If you find the right one, THE ONE, you will look amazing. Like truly AH-mazing (see rockin' comment above).

So here are a few picks... They're mostly dark material or black, and that is simply because it's a one-piece. If you're gonna wear the same color head-to-toe, sometimes less is more. Plus more room for fab accessories. Obvs.

Yes, that is an anchor pattern. DROOL.

I love jumpsuits (or in this case rompers) that look like separates. Also, duh. BOW.

I've had this picture for 4 months, not even gonna lie.

This+red blazer+work = jealous ladies at the office.

WHITE! SCALLOPING! AHHHH!

This one has been "winter-ized" aka see black tights there? The perfect jumpsuit/romper will do that for you. Hot legs in the summer, playful new outfit in the winter.