The coffee lady has a name

I asked the coffee lady to put a little more caramel in my machiatto. "Coffee lady, could you put more caramel in my macchiato?" The coffee lady has a name I was told. Barista. Barista could you please put more caramel in my macchiato. I saw her in the supermarket - Hello Barista ! She gave me an odd look! I wonder why?


Pinkgrapefruit
100% funscientious!

I apologize - I'm a heartbreaker

To all those that I have upset - I apologize. I am still being followed around by a group of angry citizens who think i am a trou de cu and I can only say this: Yes I am. i am a trou de cu. But i do have my good side. It is with great regret that I lost my temper and went off on some of them- but they do have a way of provoking and It would be really really great if they could see that and try to work on that.

Ban Banada -
My critics have been implying through shadow activism that banada has upset them. I guess there too busy working hard trying to ban things that having to now ban banada is annoying to them. noted. BAN BANADA. But remember if there's something someone else is trying to ban that you don't want banned - you'll come back begging for banada.. so ban banada and ban the ban.

Which leads me to CHEAPSKATER:

I've been told I'm a skater. Why yes I am. I figure skated when i was young and i could do sit spins and axels ( i worked hard to land my first axel) but that is not what they mean when they call me a skater. They call me the political skater. I skate therefore I am. there's a few of them now in the library giggling and whispering Skater. a Cheapskater is someone who straddles the designer - dollar store.

The DEBAUCHER: I'm often caught with my pants down and chocolate around my mouth.

The euphemission: they are on a mission to make me feel paranoid about euphemisms that are not really euphemisms. "they are lifers" ( they read life magazine) - their translation : i want to put them in jail. - No I do not want to put them in jail.

Again I apologize for the mean things i said. I often don't mean what i say when I'm mean.
Which is probably why i will be getting doggy treats for christmas. I 'm sure it's the only bone i'll be getting this holiday season.

Late breaking news - Obama won!

Notes of late -

Obama won and I was moved by his speech on election day as he spoke of the great progress that America has made. Listening to the emotional words of prominent African Americans like Oprah, Condoleeza Rice and Jesse Jackson and the impact his victory had on them was very moving.

My joke on Obamamania:

4 people in a restaurant: One asks, where's the Server?
The other answers: She's out stumping for Obama.

Electioneering 2008

US elections 2008 -

Highlights and very little insight -

The Dems have free will to free Willy-The Reps have god's will to free Iraq and all the oil and gas in America. The Dems aerial shoot photographs of the earth - The reps aerial shoot animals (with rifles) from helicopters. The dems have Joy Behar who tell us : "I don't understand why she wants to hurt these poor animals" - the reps have Reed Dickens who tell us: "the view is a snake pit of seething liberals" and "the liberals will step in front of a bus to save a whale or a dog , but they won't lift a finger to save babies". The dems have girl power and the sisterhood of the travelling pantsuits - the reps have a lipstick pitbull ( who may need to be muzzled) who has drill and grill power. The dems have veganites - the reps have reaganites (the a is silent). The dems have a vip shocker (De Niro is supporting the dems) - the reps have vp shocker: Sarah Palin which launches red America on a love fest and blue america grabbing for the aspirin. I'm still waiting to be introduced to her Pom poms. Give me an A! Oh sorry, that's sexist. That cowgirl definitely does not have the blues.

Totheme - Gallery boutique

Looking for jewellery? There's no shortage at Totheme, a gallery boutique located on Fairmount near St-Laurent in Mile End, offering a wide assortment of varying styles by independent designers.

Aimee, owner designer, described them as pieces of art you look at or wear and many of them can be worn in several different ways: they are multifunction.

"(they are) a piece of art you can wear on yourself, all hand made and limited edition or unique, one of a kind - wearable art," she says. "We make special orders... a woman came in and asked me to make a bracelet she saw in a movie, we do it.. We use silver beads, precious stones, feather stone."

Aimee, a onetime fashion design student, started the boutique for local artists, as there seem to be a demand for wearable art. A tour of her tiny space has me introduced to a parrure de corps: something you can wear around your body; an ebony plate (124$ on sale for 80$) which is unisexe and can be worn in more than one way; a multi functional top that Aimee says can be worn in 14 different ways (skirt, wrap around), designed by De Batista (25$).

Looking for something to jazz up your cell phone? You can attach a charm designed by Chris and Alix. Want to offer an original notecard to a friend? Sonia has created cards made out of photos taken of Montreal like Bagel etc. Annik Gaudreault offers her graphic comic booklet and notecards inspired by comic book art. Ask about her Valentines cards.

You can also find recycled art: earrings and rings made of recycled leather, buttons and felt.
Painting in glass beads; earrings made out of magazine ads.

Aimee designs necklaces out of wood and beads that have a chunky look to them.

There are a few canvases for sale on the walls and visual artists are welcome. One portrait in particular stands out: a likeness of Lauryn Hill. Gorgeous.

A catalogue of artists will be available soon.

"The beauty of it (these pieces) is that they are not perfect because they are hand crafted. Whatever you want, we can do."

Totheme located on Fairmout West near St-laurent.
Montreal.

She named the store Totheme to symbolize that diversity is good and all styles are welcome; they regroup all art themes.

Ambusched

I picked up a copy of The Daily to read Candy Ambusch's Personality Type. I was starting to feel a little ganged up on and now after hearing her on the radio, I suspected something was going on. My thong source didn't seem to know anything - although I felt she might be keeping something from me. She had called me inviting me to another demonstration.

I was still trying to get a column at a major newspaper - for now I had to be content with writing on my blog. I turned to page 10 - Personality Type by Candy Ambusch : The Ex-Connie

' I once met a girl named Katie who could not pronouce Akani. She thought it was ah Connie. She kept quipping I'm so sorry, I thought it was Connie. I now know it is Akani. We forced her into rehabiliation, because she was so annoying - where she had to rehabilitate herself and she then became an ex-connie. '

It went on and on...

Dusty's Extreme Makeover

It was the morning of ambushes. I went down for breakfast to find my mother holding hedge clippers. "Good morning. Please go and trim the bushes. They are getting very bushy. You never do any chores around here. It is time you start. By the way. I keep picking up long hairs. Are they yours? Of course they are. Your father and I do not have long hairs. Go get a haircut. Are you moving out soon?"

"Ya".

"Why don't you get involved in a group. Join the tall club," she said as she handed me the clippers and left.

I went to trim the bushes.

Later, I went to the café. I ran into Omar.

"I have a present for you."

"My birthday was 5 months ago, " I said.

"Ya, what happened to you. It's like you and your column dissapeared. Who blames a 7 months hiatus on a technical glitch? Anyways. Here you go. "

I opened the box. It was a compact with a mirror in it.

"I noticed you were looking at yourself in the rear view mirrors of parked cars. Are you suffering from some sort of complex?"

No time to answer.

"How's that lug-a-mug working out for you?" He asked.

"I didn't bring it today. It doesn't fit in my bag. "

"Only 9 more years left of landfill, you know," he said.

"Ya, I do know, but, you know, the paper cup is more convenient," i said sarcastically knowing that I was violating the inconvenient truth: his favorite movie." I said.

"I guess i have to buy you another present," he said smiling and then he left.

I had been looking at myself rather a lot these past few months. Every 5th parked car or so, I compulsively looked at myself in the mirror. It was the aftershocks of that damn shop and awe.

Somebody, please give me a job, I thought to myself as I walked home.

Candy Ambusch

I awoke one saturday morning to the sounds of a woman's voice on the radio. It was the equivalent of a bullhorn - Indeed there was loads of bull.

'I'm writing a column: it's called Personality Type. One character is a Mspronouncer. She reads Ms and is always mispronouncing words that are not of the English language. For example, She confuses siempre with siembra -and then brags, 'that's Spanish'. She's a crusading feminist who keeps pissing people off because she says things like 'I like this Guam' - It's guava you idiot. One is a country, the other is a fruit. ... so she has to go to therapy and get self help to overcome her problem. That's one character... "

Was she mocking me, who knew? All i knew was that it felt like an ambush - mostly because I do confuse my words and I do mispronouce. I usually have to look up new words in the dictionary on a weekly basis. I thought brocante was embroidery; it is in fact the french for second hand goods. I thought sartorial pertained to Sartre. I have more examples - many more.

Who was this person ambushing me so early in the morning? It was Candy AMBusch - the rival writer. What a coincidence! I had just watched Psycho Beach party on TV last night.

In a way, it was refreshing to be awoken so early in the morning - these days, i was so used to being caught in a nooner.

The Cleaner on A&E-review

The Cleaner which airs on A&E on Tuesdays at 10 pm is the sleeper hit of ther summer. TV Guide calls Benjamin Bratt addictive and I would have to agree. Inspired by a true story, Bratt portrays a moustached and goatied character named William Banks who is hired by clients suspecting their loved ones are using drugs. A former addict who hit bottom and spent time in prison, he commits himself to helping those in need and getting them clean. He is a private investigator to the afflicted and works with a team that consists of himself, Darnell played by Kevin Michael Richardson, Akani played by Grace Park and Swenton played byEsteban Powell.

The home page on A&E describes Banks as an extreme interventionist who uses unconventional methods to uncover the truth about the people he is hired to spy on. His team will go undercover, snoop through their personal belongings, pose as buyers and eventually get them cut off from their dealer at which point they bottom out and this is where the recovery is supposed to begin and the episode usually ends. It is like a Crime Scene Investigation meets Intervention with a tone that is at once mellow, spiritual and suspenseful. It is always intriguing and it forces us to empathize with the characters' struggles: their struggles to come to terms with a problem that is ruining their lives. The recovery is not the central focus of The Cleaner - the chase is the focus and that is what makes it compelling.

Banks is a very human character trying to balance his devotion to helping others like him and to his family who has recently let him back into their lives. In contrast to the manic scenes of cocaine sniffing of the intervened, his home life feels like a slow dance waiting to combust. With each new episode, he and his wife Melissa, played by Amy Price-Francis, talk their way closer to a sexual reconciliation - William sleeps on the couch and his bemused expressions of sexual frustration make him charming. Lula, his daughter, played by Liliana Mumy has embraced his return home without a second thought but his son Ben, played by Brett Delbuono is a little more sceptical.

In last week's episode titled Chaos Theory, the team is hired to follow a university professor who uses to cope with the pressures of publishing a thesis.

The opening sequence has Melissa explaining to Lula and Ben about Quinn, a friend of William's he met in prison and who is credited with saving William's life. These are some of the hard issues that they must tackle as a family but it is done with a finesse and warmth that is very powerful. They are planning for a party in which the very rich and hearty folky theme song is sung: Follow That Sound ( until I can't be found) by Sharon Little.

After the party, Ben finds a siringe on the bathroom floor and suspects that his father is using again. He tells his mother and she confronts William asking 'Is it yours?' And then adds: " I used to pick them up" and "You were a great liar". He says no and vows to find out to whom it belongs.

Meanwhile, the team has 'moved in' on Teddy, the professor and he is close to bottoming out. They find him in a park trying to score, tranquilize him and transport him to the recovery house.
William confronts Quinn about the siringe and at first he denies it is his but then admits that he is the one who brought it into the house. William tells Quinn he is no longer welcome in his home.
The episode ends with the lyrics to a song by the Band of Horses: 'When I lived alone, was there a ghost in my house?'

Much of the intrigue lies in the family drama and the ways in which they deal with the issues that recovery forces them to confront as well as in the new strategies the team devises to pursue the addicted.

Gallery AKA-Corno

You will find one artist on the walls of Gallery AKA: Corno. An artist who began her career in Montreal, she is now based in New York and has achieved international success. I sat down with Linda Corriveau, gallery director, about the gallery and the artist she represents.

"Corno has been a painter for 30 years. I was working with her in New York before opening this gallery," she said.

"I've been here 2 years. We were so focused on the international market that now at last she can turn her interest back to Montreal. She was away for 25 years," said Corriveau.

Corno was born in Chicoutimi and completed a BFA at the Université du Québec a Montréal. She began living off her paintings at the age of 23. She was the featured artist for Cirque du Soleil's London performance of Alegria. She has adorned the same walls as Georgia O'keefe and Salvador Dali.

As I look around the gallery, I am struck by the strength and beauty of her portraits. They have a very punk look to them as the hair of many of these figures are multicolored: red, purple, orange, yellow - like they have just had a hairstyle at Coupe Bizarre on St-Laurent blvd.

"I get the works directly from the studio. It allows the public in Montreal to become abreast of her most recent works. Her career started in Montreal, but she lives in Soho in NYC for 16 years now. It inspires her. She has been living from her art for 30 years, " she said.

"She is known as an intense colorist who combines the figurative with more abstract ( described as new expressionist on the website). She works big; focuses on faces and torsos, large scale close ups. She is doing more and more murals... dyptichs, tryptichs."

I commented they were very expressive.

"She is represented around the world. She went to NYC with a dream."

And she succeeded.

2122 Crescent
Montreal, Qc.

http://www.akagallery.com/

Going Against the Grain

I recently asked an owner of a local bakery if she uses fair trade and organic products to make her cakes and cupcakes. It is part of a survey that I have began to undertake. The reason being is that often, farmers are not always paid a fair and living wage for their sugar, cocoa etc. as I was told by a member of 10 ooo villages along with a fact sheet explaining me this. For more information about this, Oxfam and Transfair, the organization that certifies products are resources to consult. Make Trade Fair is an Oxfam campaign.

She replied that she wasn't all that familiar with fair trade and that she wasn't able to compromise because she had to use nut-free ingredients as it was nut-free environment. There's a sign on the door: nut-free environment. She was however open to the idea and expressed a support of paying farmers a living wage. She than began discussing her flour which she said she purchased from the health food store.

I decided to go to my local health food store to do a little research on flour and discovered there are many sorts of flour. Flour I had never heard of. There's quinoa and potato flour. Who knew you could make flour out of potatoes? I've always been a wheat flour kind of girl. There's coconut flour. There's gluten free flour and white bean. There's stone ground and buckwheat and organic and vegan. I've had buckwheat. I must say I'm not sure I want a flour with the word glu in it, but then again I'm not a very sensitive person.

There is a brand called gogo quinoa and they are a cooperative in Bolivia and on the back of their package they write their flour is certified fair trade. There are quinoa oats. There is Red Mill and Capucine and Tournesol and Cuisine Soleil. I have eaten organic pancake mix.

You could say I've been sowing my new oats.

It is a whole new world of grain out there.

Dusty+Crutchess=The Novel

To all those reading Dusty And the Crutchess: Shop and Awe, these are only small bits from a larger novel i am working on. Little parts of chapters. So those of you inspired by it, i am flattered really.

Thank you for reading.

Dusty+Crutchess-Fryer Power

There was enough fryer power in those cakes we ate to fry an entire chicken. Indeed we were roast chicks. We were like reindeers ready to light the way. Was there a message in all of this?

We felt stuffed and sunburned and I had to start asking myself some questions. Between having my shoes sandalized, my indigestion, my nose torched and frequent hate mail, I was starting to wonder was somebody out to get me?

What were the reasons motivating this attack? I had to do a little bit of sole, or was that soul searching? Would I have to start investigating or were my attackers going to communicate with me? Would I have to become Jane Bond - 007-up?

And what was in that cake? Between my just desserts and my sugar fix, I was starting to think this was some kind of Operation Dessert Storm.

Dusty - busted for coke

To Crutchess over phone:
"I've been busted for coke,"
"Cocaine?"
"No, coca-cola."

Sinnovation-DIY dictionary

Sinnovation: Making something that was not once a sin, a sin.

Frictitious - Dusty is left in the dust

Frictitious: When you suspect that the facts given to you are made up - fictitious - and it causes friction.


Dusty: " I get the feeling that I am being miss informed and miss guided by some of my sources."

The crutchess: " Maybe they are trying to challenge you".

Dusty: " Ya, that is what they are probably trying to do."

Crutchess: "You need to become an expert fact checker,"

Dusty: " Ya, i have to check iif that café I wrote about actually has customers playing checkers. No seriously, I need to rise to the challenge - the cultural challenge. "


Pinkgrapefruit - 100% funscientious !

Interview-farfelu-craft coop

I walked into Farfelu, a craft coop in Westmount and found 3 members ready to talk. Call it a cooperative interview.

"Farfelu is a cooperative and has been in business since 1991. We used to rent from Visual arts and moved here in 1998. Originally there were 18 members and now we are 13," said Chris Oosenbrug. "There is a lot to work out to run a cooperative: Learn how to share space, make money, how to make sales, everybody has to pitch in;, ... solve problems, we meet, we vote."

"i am a woodturner...wood worker...I make those salad bowls," he said. "And I am one of the original members. Each of us works here for one day or one and half days a month."

He points to Janet Keefe and tells me she is a potter and to Renée Lévesque at the cash and tells me she does collages, books and notecards.

Janet points to some scarves: " Sylvie does painting on silk and wood, ties and scarves."

"I am one of the newest members".

Renée is talking to customers : "I am a book artist (book binder).

Chris continues: "We make everything here. It is all made by us. ... We teach, do demos, shows, give workshops, do wholesale, retail..."

Janet says: " Students of Ikebana (from the Visual arts Centre) come to my studio to make their own containers for flower arranging.... In the spring, we have a window to display the pots that they made. ... Don Goddard does Japanese ceramics for Japanese tea ceremony."

Janet continues: " Our (store) window is our main communication. We change our display every two weeks. Each member has their own display at least once a year. It is a one (person) show - they can do whatever they like. In December, it is a group window... sometimes the window is all wood, or all clay; at valentine's, it is for the jeweller's. ... We run the gallery ourselves. "

"Each one of us has a following, " says Chris. "It (contact) is personal. The customers can interact with us. We represent ourselves. It is a hard business. Making a living selling crafts is not easy. "

Janet continues: " We are supported by the community... In summer (june) we have a sidewalk sale. It is the only time anything is on sale."

Chris adds: "You will find some of the best potters from Quebec (at the coop)."

Janet finishes: "We are tucked away, but we are worth finding."

Farfelu
Located at 39 Somerville, Westmount, Quebec.
T: 514-488-3163
Hours: m-f: 10-6, sat: 10-5

http://www.farfelugallery.com/

Interview - Chef Pâtissier

I sat down with Marilu Gunji, chef pâtissier at Bronte to talk about her art. I walked in to her kitchen to find 2 trays of small, pink round cookies. What are these, I asked her? "They are macaroons," she replied. "They are for a wedding."

"Where did you study?" " I studied the pastry program at Cordon Bleu in Ottawa. I started to cook when I was 15. I studied in Japan for 3 years and got a chef license... and learnt the basics of french pastry at the Cordon Bleu, " she told me.

"Pastry requires a lot of skill. It is about texture. How much you dry it; how you mix it; how you fold it. It changes everything," said Gunji.

What type of desserts do you like to make ? I asked.

"I like to make ice cream and doughnuts... I make palm sugar doughnuts... they are South American inspired. (on the menu)"

I asked about the ingredients they use.

"We use good quality ingredients. I like to use chocolate, vanilla, caramel, salt," she said.

She offered a taste of her ice cream.

Outbursts of flavour:

The first was chocolate chipotle. The first had a texture like mousse and was a little spicy. She described chipotle to me as smoked jalapeno.

The next was honey and white sesame ice cream. I told her I thought these combinations were really good and asked her if she created these recipes herself and she said yes.. I don't think my taste buds have tasted anything quite so energetic.

The last one was roasted coconut ice cream.

Gunji said she has a lot of room to create her own recipes.

How do you come up with recipes, I asked her.

"Sometimes a recipe comes out, sometimes it is about a flavour; a combination is there. I can create in a day or month. ...it depends what is in season, what goes with strawberries, black pepper, coconut...start playing around... sometimes i start with a shape-a square... "

Would you describe your pastry as a fusion of various cuisines (asian, south american, European) ' I asked her.

"Yes", she said.

Gunji told me she wished she had more contact with customers. That is what is missing for her. She plans on one day opening her own pastry shop. She will be featured in En Route magazine alongside other chefs in the fall issue. The dessert they are featuring is Japanese inspired. It is strawberries with rice flour, is chewy, looks like a snowball made with azuki bean paste which is a red bean and is a base for japanese pastry and contains whole strawberries inside.

She uses two types of cocoa powder: cocoa de barry and valrhona.

I asked her if her ingredients were organic and she replied they were not but they were of a very high quality.

The end.

The return of Dusty and the Crutchess - Sugar Fix

The other day I met the Crutchess at a swanky restaurant in the West end of Montreal. She was helping me do research for a story about a dessert. which I was writing for my blog. The research aspect of it involved tasting them which sounds like it should be fun. This is what transpired.

Dusty to waiter: "I'll have the chocolate truffle cake."
Crutchess: "I'll have the vanilla strawberry cheesecake."

Our waiter brought us our desserts.

"Enjoy," was his comment.

Dusty: "These are delicious, savoury"
Crutchess: "sinful, really.

At the next table. A group of people began a conversation.

Person no 1: "Ya, sinful, and s(l)avoury"
Person No 2: "They are a sindulgence"
Person no 3: " They are an ex-travagance"
person no 4: " hot stuff".

Dusty: Do you get the feeling we're being made fun of?"
Crutchess: " Something to think about. I'm starting to sweat."

Dusty: "Your nose is turning red".
Crutchess : "Little beads of sweat are starting to run down your face. "

What transpired that day was we started to perspire.

They were trying to tell us something: that often times savoury meant slavoury. It was something I would have to look into it.

New café - Café 92% - NDG

There is a café located on Sherbrooke close to Loyola that has been opened for a little over a month called café 92%. I spoke with Claudia, one of four owners about it.



"The name for the café comes from the temperature of an espresso - 92%", says Claudia. "Carlos came up with the idea for the logo on the business card, a cup shaped out of 92%, and Maria, third co-owner, designed it. Maria also did the pictures for the flyer which requests customer coordinates in order they may be contacted about events or promotions."

Maria and Claudia dreamed of opening up their own coffee shop back in Mexico where they are from and decided after a short stint as coffee shop owners, they decided to come to Montreal and study food service and restaurant management. Opening café 92% has really been a group effort.

"The benches are church benches we found on the internet for 300 $. We met someone next door at Mama Rosa's who builds kitchen cabinets and counters at a reasonable price; we did our own painting. I had never painted before. The ceiling was red and we had to paint over it, " says Claudia. " We picked up cushions from restaurant auctions and picked up things here and there. We already had the coffee machine. Maria and friend did the tiles and reda, fourth co-owner installed the lights."

It took them about 3 months from concept to opening. Concerning the menu, they offer a series of coffees from regular to espresso and macchiato to ice caps and ice chai lattes. I asked her what a mexican milkshake was.

" It is like a smoothie. In Mexico, they call it a Licuados. It is milk, sugar and fruit. It comes in different flavours, some with vanilla, guava, soursop ( tropical fruit in South America), mango, banana. "

"Aguas frescas (fresh water) is made with water, fruit and sugar. We also have hibiscus tea and the flower is also used in salads and adds flavour.In Mexico, they call it agua de Jamaica because they thought it comes from Jamaica," says Claudia.

They also serve sandwiches, soup, quesadillas, pastries. I asked her about the brand of coffee they serve and she replied Union. I noticed they serve 4 oclock tea which is a fairly traded and organic brand of tea. I myself have tried their earl grey which has a very strong bergamot flavour. As for the pastries, I am not sure whether they make them with organic or fairly traded ingredients. I do know that when I asked for sugar, I was offered 2 choices of brown sugar. Intriguing...

They are open to artists exhibiting on their walls and to musicians performing. Their website is coming soon.

"Our goal is to share something, what we like, with people."

Café 92% located at 6703 Sherbrooke W., Montreal, Quebec.
T: 514 750 4392
Open 7 days a week. (closes 9:30 during week and 9 on weekends).

Galerie d' Este profile

I sat down with Suzanne Rackover, an art consultant for Galerie D'Este, an upscale art gallery situated on Greene avenue in Westmount, specializing in contemporary Quebec, Canadian and international art. I asked her to tell me a little about what the gallery is about and what it has to offer.

The gallery was opened in June 2006 by Mark Leibner. A business person with a special interest in art who has been a collector for 25 years, he was inspired to take his passion to a new level by becoming a gallery owner and representing young and established artists.

" 3/4 of the artwork we represent is Canadian, while 1 / 4 is mostly European," says Rackover. "The pieces on the walls rotate every month and during the month . We make changes depending on what's coming in and out of the gallery."

The big show in the fall is Jean-Paul Jérôme. "He was a member of Les Plasticiens - a movement which began in 1955 and was a founding father of Quebec geometric abstraction which is a strong current in Quebec art. He's in the National gallery and in major museums," says Rackover. "It is our big show for the fall season."

They also represent Angela Grossman who has a Masters in Fine Arts from Concordia and is a professor at the Emily Carr Institute.

"She is also in the National gallery and has been around for 30 years. She is a strong artist and we are very happy to have her in the gallery. Her pieces are special, " she says.

I asked Suzanne if there was a lot of interest in art and she replied that yes there is a collector's market. "People want to own and collect art. There is a lot of interest in artists with singular voices," says Rackover.

Este also represents Susan Szenes, a Toronto artist who I was told won an honourable mention at the outdoor art exhibition in Toronto and won a prize last year.

It is the owner, Mark Leibner and the director, Charlotte Racine, who decide which artists they will showcase. They look for artists who they can build upon and grow with. They look at portfolios and attend art fairs and shows in search of artists appropriate for Este. They will take on young artists, recent graduates, established- anyone with potential. Is the work good, does it inspire: these are the things they look for.

I myself was drawn into the Gallery D'este by a aluminum wire mannequin sculpture in the window. There is a fanciful, yet very strong comment that is made by the piece. There are several of them around the room and one of them is called Miss Nice and Easy and is wire mesh mannequin with a black tutu. I asked Rackover about the artist.

"The artist is Sophie de Francesca and she is a sculptor based in Ontario who studied at the Ontario College of Art. She did large scale sculptures during her student days. She saw the intrinsic beauty of the properties of aluminum and wire. Her work, and this is my interpretation, is about the role of women and the push and pull," she says.

Another piece that drew me in was a painting by Angel Mateo Charris, an artist based in Spain, and one of their international artists.

"He is a member of the contemporary figurative movement in Spain and is housed in 2 major museums in Spain, "she says. " He is inspired by American mid century figurative and by artists such as Edward Hopper." Los Estoicos II translates as the Stoics and depicts a man with a camera standing in front of a huge wave that is about to sweep him away.

Their website is a tool that offers artists' pages, the walls and reserves. No prices are listed but you are invited to call or come in, look and ask questions. Everyone in the gallery has an excellent knowledge of the art they represent.

From a press release: Galerie d'Este is named in honour of Isabella D'este (1474-1539), the Renaissance art patron who supported the most gifted artists of her time. The gallery's mission is to promote the work of the best Quebecois, Canadian and international contemporary artists.

Galerie d'Este located at 1329 Greene avenue, Westmount, Quebec.
T: 514- 846-1515
www.galeriedeste.com

Polemiclerk - DIY is back - sort of

A customer service agent or clerk who when asked a question about a product gives a fiery and passionate speech about the evils and or political virtues of said product.

Lola Rosa's - bite sized review

I went back to Lola Rosa's to take advantage of their taste testing and tried their pleasure pie. It was a pleasure. Their portions were not bite sized however this review will be. Their portions were generous and hearty. The pleasure pie consisted of mushrooms, leeks, potatoes and leeks in a flaky pie shell. It was flavourful and filling. I also tried their spinach pie which consisted of well you guessed it, spinach, feta, pine nuts, curry, leeks, and pastry shell; their name for it is boarek. For dessert, i had the key lime pie which tasted like lemon pie however it was still tasty. Maybe if I was a chef I would understand how lime juice and condensed milk could taste like lemon but I am not and therefore can not explain this to you. But as I said it was still tasty.

the end.

David Sedaris- we have the same vision!

I was at Chapters the other day listening to David Sedaris speak when i thought to myself, damn david you stole my ideas. Have you sent spys out on me to well spy on my whereabouts and riff on them. Like for example, he went on about a guy who, whereever he is, people always think he works there because of the clothes he is wearing- when in fact he does not. And I thought wow, that's so funny, just the othe night I was walking down St laurent blvd when i saw a guy dressed all in black standing outside a restaurant and i thought, do you work there? As it turned out he did not. well actually i wasn't sure. but i did think: does he or doesn't he? you never know. I wanted to know. it was important because i wanted to go back and ask him out. So i stood out there like a crazy person trying to see if he was sitting like a customer of serving like a waiter. He dissapeared. I think it was a trick. Anyways David went on about what a weird life that would be. and he's right , it would be a weird life. It's even weirder wondering whether a famous writer you really admire may be somehow telepathecally honing in on your experiences and writing about them in ways funnier than you ever possibly could. Now that's really weird.

Or like his riff on how he met a couple whose last names are Stork and Crane and what a great love story that is. Well funny but i know a former couple ( it might be me) whose last names are Friezen and Nhutty,; now there's an anxious love story. I'm anxious - I'll never be a David Sedaris, but at least I got to hear him speak.

It is really a weird life.

100% funscientious1

Banada revisited

I am being literrally hounded by anonymous readers who when in my presence say at cafes or libraries are jeering and hissing that i am too skinky and that they are unpleased with my blog postings. I will take in their comments although anonymously hissing almost threatening insults is not realy my style. You could email your opinions . I believe in freedom of expression. Fine you did not like banada because you say are not zealots. Did i name you or point the finger at anyone. No i did not.

I can understand that banada might infuriate those who have worked hard to ban things that have harmed humans such as DDT, certain kinds of chemical pesticides, etc.

But i believe in freedom of expression and a little bit of satire is never harmful. Verbally and physically harassing someone is. I hope you might think about that before you hiss. Please feel free to share your opinions with me. I am very open to listening to them.

100 % funscientious !

Lola Rosa's grand opening Westmount

If you live in or near Westmount and love vegetarian, you will be happy to know that the famed Milton ave. eatery Lola Rosa's has opened a new location as of yesterday 11 am on Sherbrooke near the Bureau en Gros. I spoke to Eric, one of the co-owners about the lack of seating (there are only 3 tables and a counter) and he said for now they will catering to mostly take out clientele. There may be more tables eventually. Their menu will be similar to the one on Milton and if you are not familiar with it, here are a few dishes they will be offering: Vegetarian chili, Indian curry and tunisian ragout; sandwiches and paninis, quiche, boerek. Their desserts have always been a big hit, especially their brownie, which is not presently on the menu, but he said should be soon. Right now, they only have about 30 to 40 % of their menu. Other desserts include key lime pie, chocolate banana pie and cheesecake.

Eric told me that most ingredients are fresh and local and 40 - 50 % are organic. Las Fincas is the brand of coffee they serve. It is organic and imported. Pascal, co-owner no 2, said that Las Fincas is fairly traded although not certified.

Pascal said if you bring your containers or lug a mug, you will be entitled to a 50 cent discount.So for those keen on reducing trash, Lola rosa's offers an option.

They will be doing taste tests (free) all week for people from 11-3.

You might want to speak to chefs, Shayle or Michael if you have any questions.

Lola Rosa's on Sherbrooke in Westmount. 11-3.

Hiatus interruptus

Hello again.it is good to be back on my blog.Much has happened over the course of my 7 months hiatus which i plan on sharing with you. Technical glitches have prevented me from creating new posts but i hope that in the future i will be a little quicker at resolving them. Today's entry is a short one. For today, i am happy to have finally gotten my wifi going and am now sitting outside a wifi cafe typing my entry. I am thrilled. there is a lot of hoop jumping to get this wifi thing going but i have finally done it. Now all i need is a job, and i'm good to go.

It has come to my attention that certain readers did not like my Banada entry, this could be why i have now developed allergies to ddt, pesticides, gluten, non fairly traded sugar, but i will survive in the face of adversity; i always do. to those I've threatened to send them to bordeaux ( not france), i say i am sorry i know it is not pleasant to have someone shout I'm taking you down but i can not eat wheat or sugar any more without breaking out and getting weird stomach pains. i am not happy.

To those i screamed what some might consider to be a little height insensitive, i say i am sorry but sometimes i can become a hot head and i can be a little insensitive. i am sorry.

I wil try to write a poem later about my apology. i just need to find free wifi.

that's it for now. i hope to get back on a regular basis.

Again i apologize. but i need my sugar and my wheat.

100% funscientious ! The fun never stops in my world!