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I’ve been neglecting to say something

January 25, 2003 by Michael Boyle

I’ve been neglecting to say something

else for ages, out of a fear that it would be misinterpreted. But today seems like the day. First off, I strongly recommend that anyone who speaks French, well or poorly, should go and visit Les coups de langue de la grande rousse. At the same time, I must admit that I find the concept implicit in Dolores’ site simultaneously funny and frustrating. The site is based on the idea that there is one correct word for everything, and a proper way to use that word in practice.

The very idea that there could be one correct English is incomprehensible to many, if not most, who are proficient in the language. And the idea of forming – and listening to – a body who would make such decisions? It could never happen.

The frustrating part is that attached to the idea that there is a single correct French is the idea that language determines culture, which is, I believe, precisely backwards.

Tags: French, Language, Montreal

I’ve been in a state of general busy-ness

January 25, 2003 by Michael Boyle

I’ve been in a state of general busy-ness

during the past few months. It’s great – buying a house, planning to get married, starting to do interesting things at work; these are all good things. But in the process I’ve missed some very nice weblogs that I intend to start to read. One in this group has to be the great dandruff by Stephanie Troeth, newly arrived to Montreal from Melbourne near as I can tell. I met Stephanie at the last YULBlog night out, but until today, I am ashamed to say, I hadn’t seen her lovely site!

Tags: Montreal, Personal, YULBlog

And so a hectic holidays comes to an end…

January 3, 2003 by Michael Boyle

And so a hectic holidays comes to an end…

I haven’t posted in ages, but luckily that’s because I’ve had a super-long Christmas-thru-New-Year vacation. I spent the first week – 20th to 27th – mostly relaxing and doing family stuff up at Mont Tremblant for Christmas, then back to Montreal where we hosted a party and then off to Quebec City for a splendid New Year’s Eve with friends at a dinner and another party later on.

Things I’ve learned over the holidays: our dog is a great tracker of large and small animals in the brush, and loves the snow though bred for the savannah; sparkling cider from the Eastern Townships of Quebec is really excellent with dessert; people from France have rarely had good California wines, and so it is easy to impress them with a half decent red; Hilton Hotels welcomes dogs, making travel quite a bit easier; and I finally learned that All-Season radial tires simply aren’t up to snuff in the Canadian winter.

Things to look forward to in 2003: following through on the plans of 2002. We’re closing the deal on the house we bought a couple weeks ago in March, getting married in April, and then moving into aforementioned house in May. I think that’s enough for a pretty complete year and that’s just the first five months!

Tags: Montreal, Personal, Quebec, Travel

You don’t have to be in Montreal

November 8, 2002 by Michael Boyle

You don’t have to be in Montreal

to have a quintessentially Montreal experience, as meg hourihan described yesterday. “The cheeseman switched right over to English from that moment on. I insisted on French. Back and forth we went, but I wouldn’t budge a linguistical inch.”

Tags: French, Hour, Meg Hourihan, Montreal

Urbanphoto.org:

November 4, 2002 by Michael Boyle

Urbanphoto.org:

two months in montreal by Christopher Dewolf.

Tags: Montreal

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