Upcoming bike season

   

"Montreal gas prices jump 17 cents in a week"

Titles The Gazette this morning. Prices went from 1.26 $ to 1.44 $ a litre. A litre!!

That's quite a jump in a week and I truly hope it is only the beginning. Read the rest here. It can only go up my friends! It is a structural situation you see.

It is official now, peak oil is behind us. Authoritative figures have admitted it. It is no longer an issue for underground greenies and pinkos. In Europe, the issue is beginning to get discussed in the open by regular people.

Shale gas exploitation is being bravely fought by the people of the Eastern townships. A provincial source of gas is not for tomorrow let me tell you!

As everyone must know by now, Montreal's road infrastructure is falling apart. We are up to billions in repairs. That alone is enough to seriously disrupt the normal course of traffic around town. More here. And I am not even mentioning the possibility of the streetcar as well as the Turcot interchange mega project. Let alone the gazillions of new condominiums being built in town!

Bridge tolls are coming our way. Oh yeah, by the way, Montreal is an island. Which means that if you are to come onto the island for work, you MUST cross a bridge. Ahem... Hard times in sight...

Montreal metro system (the underground or the tube) is having more problems than ever before. EVERY goddamn freaking day there is an "interruption of service" due to (plug your own valid explanation). So much so that everyone's butt is totally itching to get back on their bicycles!!

Consequently, I forecast a tough year for motorists and another big increase in cycling rates!!!

The sum of all my fears

       
A few weeks ago, I posted the weirdest of all posts, the very first of the year, called "Disturbance".
Disturbance, indeed, was I sensing in the Force as some of the people closest to me had started behaving in odd and shady fashion...

Something was cooking...

Soon enough, things came to a head. I corned him. He flaked, then admitted. He confessed. He had been recruited. He had be seduced by the dark side of the Force, dammit. He had joined the evil ranks of the damned ones. Those whose name must not be spoken.

Friends and colleagues of his have worked their evil way into his soul, irrevocably corrupting it per saecula saeculorum. Possessed by the devil himself, he went out and, in a reckless fit of depraved decadence, ruined our finances forever acquiring this:

Yes, my friends, my husband has been transmuted into a freaking roadie, can anyone believe this shit?

The filthy instrument of  evil already received royal treatment, with a custom-made special resting area and that's only the beginning. Soon enough, the creature will get sent to spas while I'll get summoned to vacate the conjugal bed so it can replace me!!!!

But don't worry my friends, I shall find a way to defend myself and rescue my prince in distress from the spell cast by the devilish creature.

Avada Kedavra!

Hum... Does not seem very effective.

Meanwhile, Dear Hubby, poor innocent soul, started "preparing" himself for bike season, which should hopefully start in less that two months. In particular, the man decided to start strong on the diet front, an sample of which you can see below.

 Yes my friends, canard confit and potatoes sauteed in duck fat. Talk about building some muscle!
Satisfied with himself, he topped the whole thing with a high energy, electrolyte replenishing, endurance developing drink. Pathetic...

Cheers!

Retour sur Terre, i.e. Back to Earth

    
Such is the title of a Swiss documentary on Peak Oil directed by Pierre Lacourt. It came out in November 2011 and is nowhere to be seen on Canadian screens yet. Soon maybe...

Teaser

BACK TO EARTH - Teaser from C-Side Productions on Vimeo.

Trailer

BACK TO EARTH - TRAILER from C-Side Productions on Vimeo.

This will be a biggie in 2012. Keep posted!

The man who lived on his bike

No comment!


THE MAN WHO LIVED ON HIS BIKE from Guillaume Blanchet on Vimeo.

Montreal's BIXI anthem

    
Da Grytions rocks the casbah! Totally hilarious!!!
I only found out about this very recently, can you believe this? Well of course, when one does not watch TV, what can you expect...

By the way, this is *very* old news... They're talking about keeping BIXI  as a year round thing. Now THAT's a really good idea to increase winter cycling... I would use it if it were available in the winter...