Paul Georges . Alterego Construction

Some classmates of mine from my game programming course that I took this last semester were kicking off their annual exposition of graphic design. The whole thing took place at la Fabrique which just so happens to be Université Laval’s art faculty (beautiful building, I wish I was studying there). The pieces created by the graduating students of graphic design will be on display at the gallery for 2 weeks. If you are in Québec City and happen to pass by the art school downtown, you should definately stop by and check it out.

Chapeau à tous les gars en communication (design!) graphique, vous êtes des bêtes! Vous avez tous un futur prometteur devant vous! Je suis jaloux de votre talent! Lâchez surtout pas; félicitations.

I had a shitty weekend, but Sunday Monday (the long weekend’s got me off track) was nice. I’m officially blaming it on the gloomy weather. However, there is no reason to worry any longer; sunshine is (supposedly) on the way this week.

So here’s what’s new:

• Garden State is by far the best movie I’ve seen in a long time. Zach Braff is God… really and truly. Go out and buy/rent/steal it!
• Beer has been tasting so much better these last two weeks (it’s always tasted great, but the context changes everything).
• I may be getting my Canon Rebel XT soon… I’m gonna have to live off bread and butter for one fuck of a while to pay it off but it will definately be worth it.
• I received my letter of admission from Linkoping today: Sweden here I come!
• Tomorrow evening, I will have an apartment on Lockwell to call my own. I can’t believe that I’ll finally be a resident of le Vieux-Québec (no more carpet)! Let the packing of my shit begin.
• This year is gonna be the bestest Festival d’Été de Québec ever (they must have known that it was my first summer in Québec). Lemme drop some names:

1. Dobacaracol (met them at Benjo)
2. Pierre Lapointe (for Prisc!)
3. Calexico (missed them last year, was so bummed out)
4. Feist (omg)
5. Broken Social Scene (omfg)
6. The All-American Rejects (guilty pleasure)
7. Karkwa
8. Malajube (ec-que vous parlei franca?)
9. Louise Attaque (malade)
10. Anberlin
11. Hawthorne Heights
12. Yellowcard
13. Story of the Year
14. Jesse Cook (acoustic guitar goodness)
15. Wilco (craziness)
16. Live (back from the dead it seems)
17. Streetlight Manifesto (Dom said they rock, so I’ll be there)
18. MxPx (Greg, we’re so there!)
19. Reel Big Fish (been dying to see them since forever)
20. Hot Hot Heat (just… wow)

Life is beautiful!

Happy mother’s day mom! You’re the best, I wish I could be closer to you on this beautiful sunny day… can’t wait to see you! Thank you for being you; I think of you everyday and remind myself of how lucky I am to have an extraordinary mom such as yourself. Love you!

20 degrees outside. My apartment is filled with warm yellow light. It’s clear that summer has officially arrived. Calexico and Teitur is playing loud on my speakers; life is beautiful!

I received news from Sweden today, things are moving along quite well. I should receive my confirmation from Linkoping by the end of may. I’ll be bringing in my passport papers on monday, and then all that will be left to apply for is my student visa to enter the country that I’ve been reading about for the last few months. Best news of all, my marks are in and my average is high enough to depart; there’s nothing holding me back now!

First BBQ of the summer, now this is the life!

Chandler, la ville de lumières. I arrived Tuesday afternoon with my grandest of pals Jonathan (the Minou too). The trip down was classic; it consisted of childish laughter combined with mumbled sentences about our hopes, dreams and letdowns. Talk of the future and that which is yet to come in our increasingly distant lives constantly re-emerged throughout our fart jokes and reaccounts of silly memories. I loved it…

I must admit that it feels great to inhale the Gaspésie’s clean air. This last week has given me a chance to see the folks (love you Mom and Dad) for a couple of days before I start working. I’m guessing that I’ve gained a few pounds since my arrival; Dixie Lee, chinese food, mom’s cooking… craziness. The séjour has made me realize that this place is definately a symbol of peace and tranquility; a haven from all things noisy and superficial. This retired refuge is what I hope to always call home… the sound of frogs and crickets will always remain burried in my memories.

Althrough Chandler is a magnificent coastal village with great assets and qualities (ie. beaches, rivers, friendly faces), its status is ever approaching that of “ghost town.” It’s seriously frightening how old, uninterested, uninteresting and hopeless the population has become. It’s truly a shame… such a lovely place. Nevertheless, there are still some key players that have the ability and the ideas to turn the tide and make Chandler the place it used to be when I was a kid; I just wish I could take part…

It’s Sunday, I’m back in Québec City, and I can confirm that crossing the Pont Pierre Laporte still makes me feel the same way as it did when I was still a kid in high school, visiting my brother for the summer. I can’t explain the feeling i get… but I love it. As I drove into the city I’ve inhabited for these passed two years, I silently whispered “I’m home” to myself and grinned. Then it happened, my ‘lil brain triggered and deployed a conflict signal. What and where is home? I can’t say… hopefully I’ll figure it out when I’m away in Sweden! For now, I’m going to enjoy and take full advantage of my first summer spent in this city that has so much to offer.

“I left my soul there,
Down by the sea,
I lost control here,
Living free”

A message on my answering machine and a phone call have finally set my dream in motion. I was offered an internship at Ubisoft, game-developping giant, here in Québec City! I am totally psyched about it and I can’t wait to get to work. L’été s’annonce innoubliable! More news to come!