pop goes the (blogger) cherry!

It's a beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon in Ottawa and the city is positively teeming with super slim and athletic people. Mais pourquoi? It's Ottawa race weekend! Go runners go (especially our local Roberts)!


I've never had a blog before, and I'm not really sure how to start one off. Wait... did I attempt one in Japan? Well, either way, it didn't stick. So, let's call this my first shot at one.

.....

At the moment, I am sitting in my beautiful kitchen. It's my favourite room in this apartment. It's like a cozy bedroom for my food. It's tall and narrow, but there is enough room for a kitchen table by the window and a radio on top of my fridge. What else do you need? I get my CBC every morning over breakfast while staring out my window to the beautiful view of a brick wall and vents. Perfection!

Why am I feeling so nostalgic about this room? Pretty much because I only have four weeks left in this place (single tear). And looking at how time has suddenly decided to up and drive into supersonic mode, it's going to go by so quickly. In case you didn't know, I am moving to Montreal in August/September to start my PhD in art history at McGill. I was awarded a Fellowship with the McCord Museum, which is pretty rockin'. I think it still slides me in just under the poverty line, but it's a reliable and steady income. A lot (too many, in my opinion) PhDs in the arts do their whole 5 years scrambling from grant to bursary to scholarship. It can be tough!

I'm going to do the ol' doctoral research on cultural race politics in Canada. I can see the quizical looks already. Essentially, I'm looking at Canada's history of race relations, nation-building and identity complexing. Although I think that Canada is truly a strong model for other countries, I also think that we have a long way to go when we talk about race here. And I think that it all comes down to the way we speak about issues like immigration, refugees, illegal aliens, diaspora etc... ... the kind of language we use and silent/overt stereotypes we unquestioningly rely on.

I've been really worried that I wasn't "passionate" enough to do a PhD. That I don't have it in me to study for another 5 years and (most likely...?) forego the nicer things in life until I'm in my early 30s. But... then, I spent about an hour sitting alone on a patio this afternoon, drinking a daquiri and reading the results of the Bouchard Taylor Commission on reasonable accomodation in Quebec. That kind of dorkiness can only lead to more school. Let's be serious! haha.... le sigh.


Ok... that's probably enough for my self-indulgent first go at this, eh? Thanks for reading!

AND - - - GREAT idea on the blogs Simon...! :)