C’est le week-end! That means Sammi‘s prompt word comes to torture and inspire…
A word prompt to get your creativity flowing this weekend. How you use the prompt is up to you. Write a piece of flash fiction, a poem, a chapter for your novel…anything you like. Or take the challenge below – there are no prizes – it’s not a competition but rather a fun writing exercise. If you want to share what you come up with, please leave a link to it in the comments.
Yeah, that’s right, DK… I’m stealing your style. (My favourite posts of yours, as you well know.)
I met my friend France downtown at 6:30 at The Eaton’s Centre for drinks and dinner. The place is under a mega-renovation so we were lucky we found each other! France’s friend had told her about the new Timeout Market that had opened. Call it the Bougie (Bourgeois) Food Court, if you will. (Thanks, B, for such a great term). Instead of your usual, Greek, hot dog, Chinese, etc. counters, these are all from some of our fancier restaurants like Le Club Chasse et Pêche or T Burger which is the baby of Toqué or Olive et Gourmando, to name a few. They have a bar for mixed drinks or beer, a soda bar and a wine bar where you can buy by the glass or the bottle. The concept is simple. Get yourself a drink, stand somewhere while you pray for a couple of seats to liberate and, should you be lucky, grab ’em as soon as you find ’em. Then, you leave your coat on your seat, tell the person(s) sitting across from or beside you that you are just going to choose your meal (not that anyone would consider moving your coat or stealing your spot, so really, it’s just an unnecessary added assurance) and go peruse the possibilities. There are tables outside of the bar area but you can’t bring your booze there so, needless to say, not an option for us.
Soda Bar
Some of the Counters
Cocktail Bar
Wine Bar
Everything is made to order so, once you have chosen what you want, they give you one of those light buzzer doohickeys (mine was no. 40) that let you know your food is ready. So off you go, back to your now-precious seat, sip your wine and chat while you wait. Or, as was our case, by the time we had our first glass of wine and found a seat, it was close to 8:00 pm so we chose to just wait near the counter for our food as there were no line-ups. We both ended up getting our eats at “Charles-Antoine Crête and Cheryl Johnson”. France went for the char tartare served with popcorn and shrimp “croutons” and I went for the Yaki-katsu which is a big bowl of Boston lettuce, fried beef, paper-thin pineapple and kimchi.
Char Tartare
Yaki-Katsu
Our meals were tasty, and at $17/plate before taxes and tip, we ate every last crumb, and managed to refrain from licking the bowl. The wine was wonderful – at $20 for a 9 oz glass (tax and tip included), not a drop was left. The place is happening and loud. Way too loud. We were both glad we could say we have been and neither one of us is in any hurry to return. It’s a great concept to give you a taste of a restaurant you would love to go to but that you know you need to sell your first-born to pay for the meal.
Despite the insane noise decibel, we did manage to catch up and promised each other we would not wait another year for our next one. I had parked a few blocks away to get my steps in, but France went even further so we walked to my car and I drove her the good six blocks (at least) to her car. Just as we got close to my car, I had to stop and grab a picture of the Cathédrale Marie-Reine du Monde (Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral). She’s a beauty though this nighttime shot of crappy quality barely shows it. What are you gonna do? You do what you can with what you have! However, I am now wanting to return during the day and try again.
Whenever I go downtown, I like to drive back towards the Jacques-Cartier bridge via Notre-Dame Street. It’s just so pretty with its boutiques and antique dealers. Odario Williams is the “Afterdark” host on CBC Music from 8 till midnight, Monday to Friday, turning out the music for our “nighttimes feels” as he says. From 8 ’til 10 there is a mix that is groovy and has good beats but come 10 pm, he slows it down. Just so happens it was close to 11 by the time I got to my car. My drive home was dreamy, starting with Imogen Heaps’ “Hide and Seek” then the very lovely “The City Holds My Heart” by Ghostly Kisses
A sweet French song “Les animaux” by Klô Pelgag and finally, bringing me to the last leg of my drive, “Stay Going Nowhere” by Jodie Landau & Wild Up, for which, unfortunately, no YouTube exists. Well, it does, but not the studio recording, but the one I’ve provided is with Valgeir Sigurðsson, a close enough match. All songs I had never heard, some a little more ‘new-agey’ than I normally listen to but felt just perfect to bring things down from the buzz in my head brought on by the noise and loud talking we were obliged to do. Thanks, Odario… you never disappoint!
Hello, hello and welcome to Thursday! Crispina has given us this cute little alpaca to play with this week. And lo and behold guess what I have in my archives? You got it… A little grass is greener on the other side happening here. Hey, if you want to play, Crispina is open to pretty much anything. Click here for the what’s what’s What!
Look at her over there, she is so lucky
She has friends to play with, she’s not alone
And is that a roof and a fence? She’s protected by the elements
Over There
Look at her over there, she is so lucky
She is alone, she doesn’t have to share
Green grass, no fence. She’s free to go where she wants
It is Wednesday which not only means Hump Day and mid-week, it also means Friday Fictioneers. I just had to have a little fun with my blogging buddies. Thank you Na’ama for allowing us to use this photo. And Thank you, Rochelle, for being here week after week with nary a complaint! G’head, peeps, add your 100-word story by clicking on the frog below!
Na’ama Yehuda
Not Talenti
I am so glad you let me know you were coming to Montreal and were able to stop by for a visit, DK. I’ve been dying to meet you in the flesh for so long.
Well, you did hound me and after you got to meet Sawsan, I was a tad jealous.
I believe I said “If ever you find yourself in Montreal, do please let me know”. That is hardly a hounding.
Same difference.
And, I even have some mint chocolate chip ice cream just for you!
Here you are, feeling rather fabulous. The one who means the world to you tells you you are sexy. Your friends tell you you are looking great. Hell, you look at yourself in the mirror and say, Damn, Girl! Looking good!.
You meet up with your beautiful and fabulous friend, Michèle, for a way-past-due lunch and you laugh and giggle and enjoy your tuna tartare and wine and dessert and coffee and next thing you know, you are the last ones in the restaurant and it’s been three hours of catching up. A hug and a kiss and a promise it won’t be so long ’til the next time and we part ways.
I am right next to a large shopping mall so I figure I shall treat myself to something pretty and lacy. I have something in mind so I enter the store, walk around, don’t see what I want and move on to the next one. Same thing until, bingo! Exactomundo! And they have my size. Now we’re talking. I enter the changing cabin, strip down to try on and suddenly, I am Cathy (shopping for suimsuits is just as disheartening).
So now my fabulous mood has vanished and I’m calling myself all sorts of names. I chastise myself: “Of course you had to ask for more croutons. Did you really need them?”
I get home, change into my workout clothes, bundle up and tell Zeke, who manages to work up a smidgeon of enthusiasm, that he cannot come as he is till limping and even if he were in fine form, I am on a mission and I have, no time for three hundred stop, sniff and pisses. I look at my Fitbit and see I have 7000 steps to go. Or is it 8000? I don’t have my glasses and can’t see shit. Either way. I am out the door.
My pace is quick and my rant in my head turns into a composition for this here post. I walk and walk and walk. Check the Fitbit. Wha? Only 5K? Jee-zus. Turn onto every curvy street determined to march off this mood. Check again. 6K? WTF? Is this thing working?
Get to my house and I am a good 700 steps short. Screw it, I keep on and go once more around the block. I can’t believe it took me an HOUR to get my steps in!
I enter the house, pat Zeke on the head, strip and wash off because, despite being freeze-your-face cold, I have managed to work up a sweat. Change back into regular clothes, take a look in the mirror, ignore my hat hair and note my bright eyes and rosy cheeks.
I then give myself a second scolding: “Don’t you dare talk to yourself in that tone of voice again, Missy. D’y’hear me? You are fine, just like you are. Next time go shopping BEFORE you eat lunch and drink half a bottle of wine. What the hell were you thinking?”
A word prompt to get your creativity flowing this weekend. How you use the prompt is up to you. Write a piece of flash fiction, a poem, a chapter for your novel…anything you like. Or take the challenge below – there are no prizes – it’s not a competition but rather a fun writing exercise. If you want to share what you come up with, please leave a link to it in the comments. Thank you, Sammi, for hosting!
Well, hell. Crispina finally chose a picture that I had no matchy-matchy for! And no, I was not going to go out with my camera searching for a similar situation. Nope. That’s not how I roll. So this week, for Crispina’s CCC, I am going a more classic route, if you were. With a story of sorts. Actually, I am doing something I thought I’d not done before but upon checking, not only did it once before but did it for THIS very challenge… go figure. So, for this challenge, a haibun.
ZIPPED
They were such a bright and colourful couple. No, not that they were colour-matched – he preferred earth-tones to her more jewelled ones. I mean colourful in manner. They were funny and entertaining, each sharing their part of the story they were telling; one speaking over the other but not in a rude take-over manner. They were just so enthusiastic it bubbled out uninhibited. There was never a dull moment when these two were on a roll… They each had their roles, working in harmony without losing themselves.
