Fall is an exhilarating and exhausting season in the life of pretty much everyone connected with the university, whether you’re a student, a staff member, or a faculty member. It’s go go go! So much of it is great, but it’s still a lot. As dean, I’m often double and triple-booked into the evenings and weekends. I can’t believe that Halloween is over, it’s now November, and my mother and I are looking at dates to go Christmas shopping.
What I haven’t been so good at doing this fall, as I have in years past, is taking little breaks. In recent years — I know, because the “memories” feature of Facebook reminds me — we went autumn camping, biking on the Guelph to Goderich trail, visiting Miles at his northern job, attending conferences in the US, and going to plays in NYC. But there’s been a lot less of that this year, all for different reasons.
Also, since November is my least favorite month, it’s an excellent time to get away. We’ve been talking about visiting Montreal and hanging out with our favorite nephew. We might even take our bikes and go for a big-city ride. Then there’s my favourite Montreal spa, Bota Bota, a spa on a boat. Oh and the Kent Monkman show History Is Painted by the Victors is on at the Montreal Museum of Fine Art.
I love Montreal.
