Monthly Archives: March 2013

Five bands to discover: March 2013 edition

I’ve decided to write a post to share the music I’ve been listening to in these past few weeks. I’ll try to make it a monthly feature on this blog as of now.

Most people love music. I’d consider my feelings for music as a bit superior to love (yup, quite a big deal). One of my great regrets so far is that I haven’t learned an instrument yet. I intend to change that as soon as possible (right now I’ve got a few other things to work on, like learning Spanish, writing and getting to know my new camera).

This means that for the moment, I just enjoy listening to others playing it.

I’m not so trendy and am often a bit late on the new good bands to discover, but I’m curious and I like to dig around so I often end up finding some interesting stuff that isn’t popping up in the mainstream. The musical styles I listen to go all over the place and I’m sure everyone will find something they enjoy!

Here are a few bands that I’m liking right now (the quasi total female domination is purely coincidental):

Les Hay babies, a folk trio that hails from Eastern Canada. They sing pretty prose (in French and English) over sweet/sad banjo and guitar melodies.

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8 time tested tips for an easier wake up, early in the morning

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For some reason, I always end up having a job where I am required to wake up really, really early in the morning. It’s been like that pretty much constantly for the last 6 years, when I started working at a bakery.

I’ve had to set my alarm as early as 4h45 AM to go to work. Even in the peak days of sunlight duration, it’ still way dark out at that hour.

Getting up and ready isn’t always an easy task, so people are often asking how I do it.

Over the years, I’ve managed to create a routine that works well for me. I’m well aware that not everyone is built the same way and that it may not work for all people, but I still think that some of these ideas could be useful for people who are trying, but having a hard time in becoming morning people (growing into adulthood kind of forces most of us to become that way!). Here are 8 tips to help you wake up early in the morning and have enough energy to get through the day:

1: Have more than one alarm set. This helps so you can wake up a bit more slowly. The first alarm will wake you up, then you can relax a little bit more until the next one sets off (5 or ten minutes later). I usually set 7 different alarms. I’m crazy, I know, but I rarely let them all ring. It’s just a safety so that I don’t sleep right on through and open my eyes 1 hour later, when I should be arriving at work. Knowing that all these alarms will make sure I get up helps me calm down and have a better night’s sleep.

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Untapped Cities: Quirky buildings of the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal

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In my latest post for Untapped Cities, I published a second installment of my series on Montreal’s quirky buildings. The first one covered the structures built for the famous Expo 67 (1967 World fair). This time around I decided to present two very peculiar buildings that were constructed for another big event in Montreal’s history: the 1976 Summer Olympics. Check out the article here.

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A case of the winter blues: Montreal, I love you but…

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It’s just one of those days that come at the end of a long, gray winter. I’ve had enough. For a few months, I loved the pretty white flakes, the red cheeks, the evenings spent at home watching Mad About You and the countless excuses to drink hot chocolate. Now I’m sick of it. Spring couldn’t get here fast enough and summer too…

Many Quebecers and fellow inhabitants of cold regions spend thousands of dollars each year to travel to ‘the South’ (most often, Cuba, Dominican Republic and Mexico). There are also those of us who just can’t afford that. We resort to sighing, whining and daydreaming.

Let’s muse together for a few minutes.

If only the view out of our windows could suddenly change from this:

To this:

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Cheap art: 9 tips on how to decorate without breaking the bank

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Everyone wants to have pretty things on their walls but most people don’t have the money to buy expensive works of art. This lack of funds does not have to mean that you can’t own nice, original art to display in your house.

Here are 9 tips that I live by in order to decorate without breaking the bank.

1. Buy drawings instead of paintings

Drawings are much cheaper to produce then paintings, so the price tag goes accordingly. Some artists specialize in drawing, while others will sell sketches and preparation studies that were done for future artworks.

Where to find some on the Internet: numerous Etsy shops like Old Passion, Amelia Herbertson and Teva Gallery. The Untapped Cities Shop on Society 6.

Where to find some in person: Decorating stores, Art Galleries (In Montreal: Galleries at the Belgo Building)