5.27.2015

facing your fears...

...and realizing that they're still frightening! this is pretty much the definition of life in my new place. i started out with a grand notion of documenting the experience with daily photographs, but that plan was abandoned by day two. what follows is a sampling of the past week and a half in our new digs.

we had our first look at this place in the middle of a winter storm. i recall it being near-impossible to open my eyes in the driving snow and ice as we made our way along the sidewalk. after the mandatory foot-stomping at the front door (to remove the accumulated snow from one's boots, and to regain some sensation in one's toes), we made our way up three flights of stairs to the top floor of the building. the view inside the apartment was instantly breathtaking. french double-doors gave way to a massive space that ended in wide glass doors and a balcony beyond that.  beyond that was an expanse of naked branches covered in picturesque lines of snow.  the rest of the apartment was equally lovely, but that first look was all it took to know we'd found our new home.

so, now that we've arrived at the warm(ish) time of year, i find myself being forced to confront my worst fears... and the fears are winning!  first and foremost, let's talk about that balcony up among the treetops.

this is the view to the north/west (i was playing with a new lens)...



and the view to the south/west...



what's important to note here is that i took these photos while standing with one foot on the balcony and the other foot firmly planted on the living room floor.  if there is ever a life-threatening situation requiring me to climb out onto the balcony to be rescued by a fireman on a long ladder, he'd better bring a tranquilizer gun and one of those harnesses they use to air-lift sedated animals from treacherous terrain.

basically, i'm surrounded by a whole lot of these...



and if you look closely between all those leaves, you'll see quite a few of these...



which brings us to the second item on the agenda of irrational fears. do you see it?



it's not enough to be living in a squirrel playground, they're nesting just a few yards from my balcony. the hollowed out section of that large branch is home to a small, furry family.  i probably could have gotten a shot of the interior, but that would have involved leaning over the railing... so... uhm... yeh... not gonna happen!



as if that's not bad enough, i woke up one morning to find a squirrel fast asleep on the windowsill outside the (new) studio. he's been napping there on a daily basis since that first frightening encounter. [note: this photo was taken through a closed window, as there was no way in hell i would allow such close contact without serious security measures in place]...



this may seem harmless (or even cute) to some, but my aversion to squirrels is pretty well documented at this point... and they all seem to have read said documents.  turns out that living eye-level with the canopy of large trees means that you end up with squirrels as neighbors. go figure!


but wait... there's more! now, while my dislike of pigeons does not quite reach phobia status, they rank pretty high on my 'could live without it' list. urban wildlife has a tendency to lack shyness, and many of the pigeons i encountered back home in NYC could be classified as enemy combatants. these two seemed to be engaged in some sort of courtship ritual on the rooftop across from my kitchen window.  i was so mesmerized by the display, i almost forgot the camera in my hand.  they're almost majestic... from a distance.



i may be busy having a minor panic attack every time i walk by a window, but the cats are loving the new place. mama kitty—whose default setting is unamused—has undergone some sort of personality transformation. for the first time in the two-and-a-half years that we've had her, i find myself using words like playful and affectionate to describe her behavior...



as for baby bear kitty, she is busy climbing, jumping, and getting into heaps of trouble, with the occasional pause on the mantelpiece for a yawn and a stretch.  that is eight pounds of fur and mischief...



in other news... it's been cold, windy, and overcast most days...



there was even something in the distance that appeared to be a failed tornado (or some sort of Death Eater warning)...



but, every now and then, the sky cleared just long enough to remind us to enjoy the view.

(the tiny, white dot is Polaris... the North Star)

5.15.2015

i'm supposed to be dismantling the bed while i write this...

the only thing more dangerous than taking stock of your life is taking stock of your life with someone else [by which i mean, you and another person jointly engaging in stock-taking].  it all began a day or two into the new year.  my side of the conversation went a little something like this:

we should make it our New Year's resolution to declutter the apartment.  [two minutes later] clearly we have to move... [two more minutes later] ...to a different city. 

yep.  that is all it takes to plunge your entire life into the total nightmare that comes with a change of address. my favorite animator grabbed the first box he could find and set off packing the mountain of toys inspirational figurines that inhabit the in-home animation studio, and i... well i climbed under the nearest blanket and started working on a truly epic case of heartburn.  

fast-forward five and a half months, and we are moving... in less than 12 hours. after several weeks spent checking out the housing scene in Ottawa, we came to the conclusion that there really is no place like home, so we are moving a grand total of 4 blocks from our current location.  we weighed the benefits of some of the trendier neighborhoods in Montreal (the Plateau, Marché Jean-Talon area, even Monkland Village--which is just a sub-division of our own neighborhood), and realized that we really like NDG. gentrification has not (yet) robbed the neighborhood of all of its charm, so we get to enjoy a magical blend of interesting characters and (most importantly) affordable rent. [friends back home in NYC turn green with envy when i bring up that last point].

i have been doing all sorts of crafty stuff (i swear), but the last few months have been so stressful, that i've neglected to document most of it.  i vow to get back to all of that... if only to distract myself from the painting, unpacking, and furniture (re)arranging that will likely occupy the next few months. [berto... i promise you i have not abandoned your sweater]