Spring Blues

Not sure if it is missing Japan, the inability to find any kind of job, even a crappy kind, still sofa-surfing at my mother's house, or just the crazy, changeable weather of spring. But the spring blues are in full force this week...

Daylight Saving Time

As I have mentioned in other posts, somewhere, I've been going to bed later and waking up later here than I used to do when in Japan. Part of this is likely because I am still not working, and therefore have no need to be up at 6 a.m. But part of it is just that, here, people go to bed at 11 p.m., not 9 or 10 like I used to do. And they certainly never EVER get up at 4:30 a.m. on a sunny, Sunday morning.

And now I see why. The sun does not rise here early in the morning, even now in spring. But, I noticed for the first time last night, even though it is still March, the sky was still light even just before 8 p.m. So - when you can ride your bike or go jogging at 7 pm and not be in the dark, it makes sense that you go to bed later and wake up later.

 

Spring Irony

Today is the first day of spring, and I sit here, gazing out the window, and see... a huge, huge snowfall.

I will admit that I am becoming discouraged by the constant snow and home-bound lifestyle it is leading too. But what can we do about it, really? I mean, short of moving to a more live-able climate? Which, by the way, is what any sane person would do...

But no. I will grin and bear it. I guess I wouldn't mind so much if I hadn't promised a friend that I would use her car to pick up her disabled husband tonight; during rush hour, of course. I am still not at all accustomed to driving in this weather, and if I am going to wreck a car, I'd rather it be my own, not someone else's. But as I still have not bought a car, that is out of the question.

So I either break my promise and cry chicken, or I drive really carefully and try not to fishtail into anything!

Daylight Saving Time

Last night at midnight marked the beginning of Daylight Saving time here in Montreal (Eastern Time). Since Japan does not have Daylight Saving time, this was the first time in thirteen years that I changed my clocks - everything sprang forward one hour.

And now, at 7:15 p.m., I see that the sky is still reasonably light, and I guess, after all these years of early-onset darkness, I appreciate it!

Re- and De-motivated

My trip to New York and New Jersey was a really good chance for me to regroup; to get my own self back together, to form an action plan for employment, for remembering that the biggest part of my problem was lack of mindfulness. I, a creature who really does need to be alone, had not had even half an hour of solitude since my return in September. Sofa-surfing in your mother's home, while a blessing, is also a bit of a curse!

The extended train journey to and from New York, and the chance to spend lots of girl time with Cheryl (who, it turns out, I had not seen in five years!!!) provided me just a little bit of relief and a bit of focus.

But my current focused job search is not going so very well. My lack of French is a very big detriment, and unless I knuckle down and truly dedicate myself to studying and improving, I may find myself moving yet again. Moving to another province where French is not the main language...

And to tell the truth, I returned here, to my hometown, for a reason - I have an extended support network here. I do not want to relocate and find myself alone in a foreign city again just yet. Oh sure - in the future, I may become bored, and need a chance of scenery, but for now, here is where I want to be.

So - although demotivated by recent responses to my job equiries, I intend to press on. In happy news - I have another three day paid stint as painters-assistant coming up next week!

Embracing Winter in Mont Tremblant

Go big or go home, as they say. Winter is here, and instead of hiding from it, I accepted an invitation to go to Mont Tremblant, a popular winter (and even summer) retreat about an hour and a half north of Montreal. Some friends are renting a lovely country home there with a lovely fireplace even. So, I spent a couple of days taking mountain walks (my muscles still remember hills and I did quite good at the walks!), and relaxing with a cold beer, and warm wine, in the evenings.

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Christmas in a Christmassy Place

A very brief post this time,  just to say that Christmas has really snuck up on me, and I really am not at all in the holiday spirit. This is because for the past many years, I've not even bothered to acknowledge the holiday, and more often than not, I'd wake up on a beach in a gorgeous, Asian and non-Christian country,  and enjoy a breakfast beer.

This year I am determined to still enjoy the breakfast beer, and I plan to do my Christmas shopping tomorrow, and will be done by X-mas eve.

I am not going to go into a rant about the superficiality of the season, and I actually to wish I were in the spirit.

Desperately Seeking Onsen

I've been in Montreal for nearly two months now, and have settled in quite well. Am I missing my former home, however? You bet I am.

Although I am content with things here, I do miss a lot of things from Japan. And Susono. Of course I miss my material possessions like the car and motorbike, but really I miss cultural things, like the way people communicate, like izakaya (especially tori-ichi in Susono), and, especially especially, onsen.

In my search to replace what I am missing, I found a spa in the mountains north of Montreal. Actually, there are several, one of which is even called O-Furo (which means bath in Japanese!). And on Sunday, I went to a spa called<a href="http://www.spalerefuge.com/index.php"> La Refuge</a>, which comes as close to an onsen as I'm likely to find here.

It is a lovely spa, less than an hour's drive from the city. Yes, different from onsen - people have to wear bathing suits unlike in Japan where we go naked; the water was not as hot; and, the worst thing for me - it smelled like chlorine.  However, as long as I turn off my comparison-meter, La Refuge was excellent. A wet and a dry sauna, a cold bath, including a cold river plunge!, and two hot baths. Big comfy sofas to relax on, herbal tea on demand - a very relaxing day, really, and I hope to go again for sure. Or even, maybe I could check out O-Furo!

<a href="http://www.spalerefuge.com/index.php">http://www.spalerefuge.com/index.php</a>

Short, Dark Days of Winter

Although it is still only October, we've already had our first snow of the season; it was just a little snow, but after having spent so much time in a place where snow only occurred once every two years or so, it is a bit of a shock! However, more than that is the difference in times for the sunrise.

The days here are already quite short, and so dark. I woke up at 5 a.m. today for the first time in weeks; I've been sleeping in because the world is still so dark. And in fact, even now at 7:10 a.m., it is not exactly bright yet.

I did a quick comparison of sunrise and sunset times for Japan and Montreal:

October 31st

Montreal - Sunrise: 7:32 a.m.; Sunset: 5:43 p.m.

Japan -Sunrise: 6:02 a.m.; Sunset: 4:47 p.m.

Okay, so Japan will see sunset a half hour before I do, but as a morning person, if I could choose, I would have the early sunrise over the early sunset.

In either case, I realize that I need to re-stock my Vitamin D tablets:)