You did cancel your credit card, right????

Mom,

Well yes, the first thing I did was cancel it. Listen, I don't have all that much left -- I've got about 9,000 NIS in my account, and I've still got to pay off 900NIS on my phone, and half the price of the ticket to the States, so all in all I'll be taking out about CA$1000-1,500 in cash. My camera cost as much as that, and I didn't take that into the shower with me. Hell, for that matter, it didn't take a hostel for meto lose it!

Look, my experiences with where I've stayed have been good. I don't know what kind of horrible savage world you think I'm travelling through, but the hostel I stayed for ten days in Toronto, handed out keys to the rooms that were never even locked. And now I'm hoping to couchsurf in most places, I don't think I have too much to worry about. What's the worst that could happen? And I do mean that -- what's the worst that could happen, that has anything to do with my money? Go ahead, try and scare me.

I love you, and I appreciate your concern, but please have some more faith in my ability to take care of myself, and trust me to ask for help if and when I require it. Ok? But just to ease your mind, here's my current status -- right now I've got CA$10 and some pennies in my pocket. That's all the cash I've got in the world... I can't get my money before the 10th or so, when the deposit can get released. So I'm going to be relying on people's generosity (if I start working I'll have some cash in hand, so that's good. Tara has inquired about a restaurant nearby that might take me part-time.) which really annoys me and makes me feel quite self-conscious. And yes, I try to be good by keeping everything tidy and clean and doing the dishes and putting them away when they're dry and cooking for them occasionally and any help I can offer. You wouldn't know me if you met me :-D

The only problem you should be concerned about is that I haven't had any alcohol in three days and I'm starting to show signs of Excessive Sobriety Syndrome... I think I might have to see someone for that.

Hmm. I like what I've written here. I think I'll post it online :-D

Love you and miss you very much,

Jonathan

Minor tragedy hath struck

Well, it`s been one hell of a week here in Montreal. There`s a Couchsurfing.com gathering going on, so people from all over the world are congregating for this thing.

First night, Saturday, was at Le Dogue, downtown. I wasn`t sure what I was expecting, but what I found was a congregation of many good friends who had met each other in all sorts of odd places around the world, by crashing on each other`s couches. Pretty damned anarchistic, if you ask me. I love it. It`s so anti-commercial, so friendly and welcoming. Like the website says " the world is smaller than you think!"

 

So I crashed with some couchsurfers (seven guests and three room-mates) and the next day we all went out to Mont Royal for a picnic in the icy breezes of the early winter.

Man, it was beautiful. Sunday was THE day that all the maple trees started dropping their leaves. We came in, it was green, we walked out the ground was covered in yellow leaves. We were just watching them drop.

 

So we were hanging out, having our beers and sandwiches, someone brought some chips and dip, and so on. Cameras flashing, a hoookah lit up. Francis whipped out his propane burner and made expresso. I was happily speaking French with anyone who`d give me the time of day and the patience to help me out...

 

Now why don`t I have pictures to show you? Ah, here`s where the story turns dark and sinister... the tragic tale of a lost fool...

 

I went back to Ville St. Laurent to get some stuff for staying downtown - clean clothes, toothbrush etc.

I left the flat in the Ville and went out to the bus station. After a few minutes waiting in the cold for a bus that might arrive in 20 minutes, I figured I`d move to another bus station with better odds. Then I did that again. It`s a whole bus-lines-convergence thing and where`s the best place to wait for which bus that might come at which moment... forget about it.

The point is that I realised suddenly that I`d left my camera bag somewhere.

 

Yes, my camera. My brand new, all-powerful Canon Rebel XT 8MP digital SLR. That one. The one I bought for over a $1,000 just last month.

Oh, and not just the camera and accessories (1GB memory card, card reader... 950 odd megabytes of PHOTOS....)

Now what else was in that bag, you might ask? Because it doesn`t stop there, no... I had to have my credit card, driver`s licence and mobile phone in there, too...

 

Well, the camera`s just a thing. And the credit card was...well, worthless, really, `cos my bank won`t give me my money. Driver`s license can be replaced. The SIM card is locked with a code anyway. But the photos.... and all the numbers on my cell phone... it`s like I`d severed all ties to the world back home. What the hell was I thinking? Or wasn`t.

 

I`m writing this now at 13:40 (or 1:40pm, you annoying pointlessly individualistic North Americans!). Around three o`clock, I`ll be calling the Lost & Found of the STM, when they will have sorted the incomings from Sunday. Until then, my heart is set that it`s gone and there`s nothing I can do about it but file an insurance claim for what little they can compensate me.

 

--addendum--

Four o'clock, and they told me to try again demain. I'm praying, but I probably shouldn't.

 

Shit happens, right?

 

Oh, but by the way, I don`t have my phone now so don`t expect any more phone calls until I get everything together, eh?

short and sweet and to the point

Because internet is fucking bloody pricey here and I don't want to spend too much time doing it...

 

So here I am in Montreal... These last couple of weeks I've been suffering from really annoying fatigue, and I'm hoping it's psychological not physical. Man, shouldn't have stopped taking my pills! :-) too late to fret now, we move on.

Yom Kippur has come and gone, and I spent it with some nice people I met here. I even (gasp!) fasted and went to services. Following which I went to one heck of a Friday night dinner, at the Shemeshes. This family has come from Israel to spend a year or two talking about Israel and what it's like and just do some not-exactly-missionary-but-similar work. But these kids were really nice, they had me over for dinner and everything. (Kids, heh... they're 28, who'm I kidding?)

Trying to practice my French here in town, and je pense que I'm making a bit of headway, some of it is coming back to me, but trying to speak it for even ten minutes gives me a pounding headache.

Sent some postcards -- did everyone get theirs? I hope so...

 

Any ideas for work? 'cos Bank Leumi is really starting to piss me off.

 

Cheers all!

Montre-all or nothing!

Well, obviously I've slightly disappeared, and people are asking. Well, fair enough, but guys -- remember, I don't always have access to a computer and I'm too busy (read: cheap) to stop into Internet Cafes just to satisfy your insatiable cravings for more info on my adventures. So suck it up, will ya!?

 

I'm in Montreal, as you may have guessed. It's Yom Kippur tonight, and even though I'm online, I've actually gone to service and I'm fasting today.

I'm staying with Lara from Berkeley and her friends. More on that when I can actually sit down and write. Or not, you know me. Bleah.

 

Some pictures from a Saturday night party in Toronto.

"Montreal your base are belong to us!"

Ontario OUT, Quebec IN.

Don't mind the dust.

Greyhounds have nice, roomy seats, and that rocks.

On the other hand, it's seven hours away.

 

Bring on the booze.

Ha-ha funny.

http://www.fun.from.hell.pl/2003-02-18/peeping.swf
 

No serious post. Just a link to something funny. you've probably all received it by now, though, heh?

Rochester pics

(Please note, all links in this blog entry open in seperate windows)

So I've been in Rochester for a few days now... yesterday I went biking a little bit.

This is Suburbia.

I started by first going up Mt. Hope Ave., and took a quick turn through the cemetary instead of going past it.

Pretty interesting if you look at the details...
Who marks their rank on their grave?
Which families keep whole crypts?
How far back has this family lived here?
What do these people note about their ancestors?

Also, some interesting names (2) you might notice.

Then down to Riverside Park... at first I didn't see much of the river, but the whole route goes past Rochester U, where I stopped to watch a few innings with the folks.

I'm hooked on bagels. Nothing to do about it. Especially if they also serve a nice cup of hot soup. Takes me right back to Prague.

Then back up to Highland Park for a couple hours relaxation.

And home.

Also, here's some nice pictures from Saturday-Sunday, with Sharoni and Shai and itty-bitty-Ivry :-)