This morning, in my mailbox, I found the library card for my membership at the new Bibliotheque nationale du Quebec. Bibliotheque is French for library.
I’ve been a member of the public library ever since I was born or since whatever minimum age is required. I knew all the fuss about the opening of the national library. I was even there when they were holding the contest for the architect/designer who would make the building. Last year, a few classmates made a presentation on that building. I’m just saying that I’ve been on top of things and I never ever thought about membership. Registration is such a trivial thing and I forgot all about it. Fortunately, they send out by mail, membership cards and passwords to all members of the municipal libraries.
The official website is much less appealing than the Quebec Portal. Something ought to be done about that header. On the functionality side, if you use search feature on the homepage instead of using the Catalogue tab, you end up with popup windows all over the place.
One of the sad things is that it only holds 4 432 617 documents. Not that it’s relevant to me, but libraries are often measured by the quantity of information they have. For comparison, the library of UQAM holds about 10 million documents or so says my economics teacher. Nonetheless, I am eager to step foot into that new place which seems, by the way, very welcoming.

That’s just a headline, it’s not true, but I hope it will be. Andre’s trip to the passport office wasn’t the most pleasant thing in the world. I’ve been there. It all sounds like a way to make some more money.
People who cross the border very often must hate the idea of needing a passport and it seems that president Bush is on their side. I don’t go to the south a lot, but I definitely don’t like the trouble of taking a few hours to get a passport. It’s almost physically impossible. Yeah, I’m exagerating, but I would very much like it all to be the way it’s been. That would make one thing less to think about. People just need to be good…

Go to the Google main page.

Search for “insignifiant”…which is French for insignificant.

Hit the “I feel lucky” button.

Thanks Alex.

Last week the US govmint announced that, starting in December 2006, Canadians will need to have a passport if they wish to enter the land of the (not so) free by air or by sea. People entering by car can wait until December 2007.

Please reread the above paragraph and note that you still have 20-32 months to get your passport!!!

Right now passport offices are being overwhelmed by the first-timers, the confused and the dimwitted, thus wasting the time of people who (1) know how to fill out forms, (2) need to renew their expiring passport and (3) are actually going to a passport-requiring country in two months.

To top it off, I forgot to bring my iPod so I had to spend 2 1/2 hours going through an entire Time Magazine while listening to people complain and make excuses.

Once I finally made it to the booth, I got to do what I always have to do every five years…confirm to the passport agent that there is indeed another Nantel, with the same birthday, who looks exactly like me and is currently living in Sherbrooke.

This is why I don’t like humans despite the good things coming out of them. Two… I wanna say kids but they might as well be 60… two vandals stabbed a man because they were caught vandalizing. It’s like a defense mecanism for human to become violent when they do something wrong. I observed that, because I have to deal with it on a daily basis. Why is it so hard to admit that we’ve made a mistake? It’s the first time I brag about it, but I’ve always admitted my mistakes (if someone tells me to) however monumental. Sure I feel embarrassed, but what kind of creature are you if you’re not? Here’s an example of me feeling embarrased making a fool of myself right on this blog. As I am writing these lines, I’m laughing about it. How can I dig up embarrasing moments in my life? Well, it’s very easy when you don’t care. People just need to make a nice joke out of it and everybody is happy.

You know I’m writing all this, but I don’t know what kind of punishement vandals get when they are caught. Those two aren’t very smart if they know the punishment and don’t want it. The problem is, they went a step further and stabbed a man. I’d let those two vandals go with punching, but stabbing? I don’t know the punishment for stabbing either, but it’s gotta be bigger than for vandalizing.

Okay. Andre was right. As a member of this Mtl metroblogging community i should kick my ass. Thx to our captain, otherwise i probably wouldn’t be writing here - sorry to say, but my head’s so full and i totally forgot that i was a member of this blog.

So yeah.

It is not because i haven’t got anything to say that i am not blogging over here. Its a lack of time and discipline. But i love to write, i love to blog ’bout everything and anything, so let’s start with something to blog about : some events happening around.

Erste mal: Expo des finissants en design de l’environnement de l’uqam, vernissage le 20 avril 2005, à 18h, et l’expo se tiendra jusqu’au 24 avril - www

Secundo: After a long and quiet winter, Montreal will finally come back to life with a handful of bands coming around. Starting with Hot Hot Heat playing next week at the metropolis, The Arcade fire at Corona (sold out) and the great LCD Soundsystem and The Killers in june.

Do you guys know about Upcoming.org? If you like to hang out and get to know who’s going to see what, then you gotta check that out.

And finally, I’d like to be nice for readers who aren’t around, so i’ll post something for them too. It’s about blogging, and about Montreal. Montreal bloggers, here is a handful of pictures on flickr - for you to see how nice we are.

Bis bald!

Don’t miss Zeke’s hilarious translation of a recent interview of Marc Mayer, director of the Mus

Add one more consequence to the proliferation of cell phones. Manicurists rejoiced when it was announced that, starting in June 2006, everyone in the 514, 450 and 819 area codes will have to dial 10 numbers (instead of the usual 7) to make a local phone call.

Furthermore, by 2007-2008, new numbers in the island of Montreal will be getting a new area code, the 438. I am reminded of an old Seinfeld episode where Elaine was willing to do anything to get a phone number with the old (and way cooler) 212 area code. I first wrote 212, then changed it back to 202 after reading it in La Presse, then switched it back upon further verification.

Does it mean that 514 is destined to become “cool” and will I be able to hawk it on eBay?

One of the things I hate most in Montreal (and other cities like it) is the changing temperature during the day. In the morning, it’s always very cold and people usually wear a coat or jacket, then around 10-11 A.M., the temperature gets high, so people are stuck with a no longer useful piece of clothing. Frequent changes in temperature within such period of time is also a cause of getting sick. For some weird reason, it hasn’t happened to me this year… yet. I envy people who are living between the tropics. Between the tropics, the temperature is more or less the same all day long. I’ve been there, I’ve lived there, I love it there.
On the bright side, that temperature change in Montreal is also a great thing. The good part of the day happens only once making it unique in its own way. For that, I love it. It’s like life. In the movie Troy, Achilles said “The Gods envy us because we’re mortal, because any moment might be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we’re doomed.” Let’s all cherish that beautiful day while we can, wherever we are.

Martine had the coolest idea, take a picture of yourself as a baby or a young kid and post it on Flickr with the tag babyblogger.