Dreary Tuesday

Took a bunch of fotos today. Here are the ones that I photoshopped that I wound up liking. If you want to see the rest, go to my fb album here

 ^ and a collage, because collages are fun :3 

Eatz Encore

Despite the dubious name (Eatz Encore makes me feel a bit like I'm eating leftovers), this little deli/bakerty type shop thing has become one of my favorite places to pick up a lunch or a bit of dessert. They sell all kinds of baked goods, salads, soups, dinner-type dishes like lasagna . . . all with a home made taste minus the effort of making this shit yourself.

Also, the price is good. I got all of this, plus one bagel, for $8.00 for dinner:

LOOKA THE SIZE OF THAT CHICKEN SAMMICH. Also, best chicken sammich of my life k. Now, I don't want anyone complaining I never said anything good about Montreal food.

Check them out! 

4824 Sherbrook W.
Westmount, Quebec, h3z 1j8
514-482-1778

http://www.eatzencore.ca/

Canadian/History Major Derp

So! I learned something new today . . .a term with which I was entirely unfamiliar in the context of Canadian history and politics: the viceregal.

The viceregal is, apparently, the term for the consort of the Governor General of Canada. This person assists in ceremonial and charitable works, acts as arm candy for the gov. general, and also serves as the Chatelaine of Rideau hall.

Looking up information on the viceregal in Canada inevitably led me to the Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viceregal_consort_of_Canada

This page contains a list of all of the viceregals from 1627 to present. Here's where my real derp moment came in: I was surprised to see so many titles of aristocracy on the list. Ladies, and duchesses, and princesses, oh my! It had never occurred to me that the title of "governor general", and by association the person he would be married to, would have been historically tied to the nobility, or would have at least led to the acquisition of some sort of title.

Oh the things I miss.

Anyway, just for kicks, here's a likkle gallery of some of the gov's general and viceregals:

Earl and Countess of Bessborough, 1930's

(tangential derp: Bessborough Hotel in Saskatoon -- it never occurred to me to wonder who it was named after)

Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone,
who was a leader in the women's
war efforts, WWII

Madame Pierre de Rigaud de Vaudreuil, first

Canadian born viceregal, of New France, late18th c.

Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, 1901.
An unhappy viceregal who disliked Canada \o/

I'm finding the stories behind these people I knew nothing about to be very interesting. Must. Learn. More.

Derp.

Philosophies

Because its Saturday, I am going to throw down, in brief, some of the philosophies and ways of looking at the world I have developed over the years. I should preface them by apologizing in advance to anyone who may be offended, though I reckon most of you are pretty open-minded.

1) Theory of Displacement: This is probably the weirdest one, and tilts towards Descartes. There is no "reality" as such, nothing that we can know actually exists. All we know comes through what we experience, i.e. our senses, and everything we sense we sense through a series of differences, not because there is actually anything tangible to be sensed. We know hot is hot because it is not cold, and vice versa. Soft is soft because it is not hard, and vice versa. My hot may *feel* different from someone else's hot, however, because of displacement, we can both agree that there is a difference between "hot" and "cold". Extending this, my perception of "red" might be completely different from someone else's perception of "red" but we can both agree on the color because it is different from blue or yellow. I'm sure science could be used to argue that everyone does, in fact, see color in *exactly* the same way (she says dubiously). But! I am not a scientist. 

2) Higher Thought as Wanking: Along the lines of #1, and completely nullifying any value this post may have, is my notion that a life spent in higher thought (that is, being preoccupied with philosophy, trying to unravel the meaning of the universe, trying to prove or disprove the existence of God) is the equivalent of a life spent masturbating. It feels good. You might even burn a few calories. But in the end you're left with a meaningless mess, while the real thing (i.e., real life) is so much more satisfying. This is why I can never pursue a purely academic path in life. I would come to hate myself. However, also like masturbation, going without is not healthy. Ceasing to think higher thoughts altogether is tantamount to becoming a vegetable. 

3) Everyone needs to believe in something, but its should be something they have a damn good reason for believing in: I don't care what you believe--whether you're christian, pastafarian, whether you believe in the almighty dollar, or whether you believe in science, or whether you believe steadfastly in believing in nothing at all--everyone needs something to believe in. Its what makes us human. However, these beliefs only really have value if we have earned them (rather than just inherited them). 

Yes, I realize that a lot of these are totally contradictory, so I guess I'll add a fourth to reconcile.

4) Life is full of contradictions. Deal with it. 

The Expansion of Thought, expanded

Stumbled across this on Pinterest. Apparently Picasso said it better than I can. Huzzah!

The expansion of thought

Today, I'm going to take some time to think about thinking (how very meta). Or rather, the way my own thought processes have evolved over time, leading me towards, and then away from an academic path in life.

As a child, I was pretty typical. Didn't think too hard and long about the state of the world. I liked what I liked, I didn't like what I didn't like, I loved my family, and that was about the end of it. However, as I began to grow older, I found the realm of thought more and more enticing. Philosophy, politics, anything I could learn about, debate about, form my own (often very strong) opinions on was like crack to me. I decided I would go to university. I would pursue an academic career where I kept doing what I did so well.

Back then, the world was mine to intellectually dissect. A true and solid meaning to life could be found if I only looked hard enough. The power to transcend society, transcend all of the falseness, all of the blindness of everyday human life was within my grasp . . .!

And then, I grew up.

Now, my thought process seems to have come full circle. I no longer believe in some bizarre unlimited intellectual capacity that I possess which would allow me to achieve a higher understanding. All the understanding I need, and all the understanding anyone needs, I had back when I was wee, before I started thinking. I like what I like. I don't like what I don't like. I know who is important to me and I make sure I always show them affection. The world doesn't need to be dissected, it is more fun when it is full of mysteries. It is what it is. Enforcing rigid intellectual structures on things that exist independent of ourselves does nothing but make us close-minded.

In short, I have come to fully understand that there is a difference between being "smart" and being "wise". A child can have a sort of wisdom in simplicity, that a philosopher, for all of his big words and deep thoughts, is utterly incapable of.

Lazy Leftover Rice Pudding

So, following the curry escapade and the linguine shenanigans the week before, I found myself with a carton of heavy cream, a cup of coconut milk, and a whole bunch of cooked rice.

So I did the logical thing, and threw it all together into a sort of healthy breakfasty dessert dish.

Ingredients:

One cup rice
half cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons sugar
berries

Topping: cream, sugar

Directions: 

Mix the coconut milk and the sugar together until satisfied with the taste, then mix in enough leftover rice (rice should be well cooked and sticky) to absorb the coconut milk mixture to the point where it is no longer liquidy. Toss a selection of nummy things into the mix (I used blackberries and strawberries), and its as easy as that. Pretty healthy too!

I also mixed some of the whipping cream I had with sugar and worked it into a froth and drizzled it over the berries. OM NOM NOM.