Thursday, September 3, 2009

Note to Self

I was walking down the streets of Montreal today in my stylish brown leather sling backs, carrying 3 shopping bags filled with shoes, sipping a coffee and taking in the atmosphere. It was a successful morning, but I was on a mission to get to a meeting on time.

Note to self: Finish shopping tomorrow!

The sun was shining. The temperature, warm. On the corner, there were two young musicians playing classical music - it took my breath away. I stopped and listened, and watched the young woman as she played her violin, eyes closed, lost in her music. Her case was open, with 5 dollars in loonies.

Note to self: Love what you do, and do what you love.

I walked past a group of burly, muscle bound workers who were taking their lunch break, sitting on a picturesque ledge with their lunch boxes open, just like in the movies. As I walked up the street toward my hotel, cabs whizzed past, nearly clipping each other`s bumpers as they raced to the finish line to pick up the next fair.

Note to self: Move to this city someday.

Tonight, my friend and I went to a quaint french-named Italian restaurant where I enjoyed grilled fish and vegetables, a not so great martini, and a great glass of wine - all punctuated with a Witty Italian waiter who speaks French. He humored me with my frenglish, and made me believe I was an eloquent linguist. I tipped him big time.

Note to self: Practice my French. Learn a new language.

We visited Hurley`s, an Irish Pub where we met Gilles, a local industrial Realtor who had remembered us from the night before. We listened to Scottish band, sipped wine and just enjoyed the night air. Everyone knows Gilles, he says, since he has been coming to the pub since it opened 15 years ago. Gilles was a wealth of knowledge. He regaled us with tales of travel, set up straight on wind chill (apparently we don`t have it in Saskatchewan and it doesn`t make it colder) and I learned the french name for Moose Jaw - Mâchoire d'orignaux. . How did I not know that, I wondered.

Note to self - Learn more about the history of our country.

As we were leaving, a local asked us for a dollar in poetry, and swore he was going to use it to get drunk. We laughed and walked away. He was charming . . .but not enough to give him money.

Note to self: Write down the poem.

We walked by the Ritz Carlton and peaked inside the front doors - oh, that`s what an obscene amount of money will buy! We cruised by McGill where university students were pouring out after a big game.

Note to self: Live more. Play more.

We stood and gazed at a collection of beautiful sequined gowns in a store window. My friend loved the blue sequined gown with matching bag. I loved the little black number.

Note to self: Attend a gala event so that I can wear sequins again.

No comments: