of metro and movie(s)

What I liked about life in France was the general challenge of the quotidien. Buying a baguette required a certain savvy, the appropriate pronunciation. Montreal, though less challenging (the streets are on a grid, and unfortunately most Montrealers speak English fluently, in addition to their French), offers its own set of rewards for even the most insignificant activities--including moviegoing.

Today I took the metro for the first time (up to this point it had been unnecessary--I can walk to any place I'd really like to go in 45 minutes), finding myself at the Forum theatre to see Fatih Akin's rockumentary "Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul." [I highly recommend checking out the film, or at least the trailer: http://www.crossingthebridge.de/.] Ah, IT TASTES SO GOOOOOOOD!--both to challenge myself, to succeed, and, well, to be back in a movie theatre. Somehow my familarity with a city's movie theatres is a direct gauge of my comfortability and/or enjoyment of a place. It's clear that I could blow a lot of time, money, and potential social opportunites at the cinema this year.

Sidebar #1: I noticed an old woman on rue de l'Esplanade that made the sign of the cross in front of a fountain with a statue of the Virgin Mary. When I pass her, she says, in French, "the dust is free."

Sidebar #2: Since city people seem to be keen on therapy, I've decided to enroll myself in my own sort of therapy. Thus, to keep my mind straight, I plan, at least as the weather holds, to watch tennis matches at the park. oh, that glorious white noise.