june 2023

montreal, etc

Jul 18, 2023

As the LSAT continues to take a toll on my mental health, here's what I managed to recollect from June.

camping

We went camping this month at French Beach and got heavily rained on the first night. The rest of our time was better!

travelling

We (me and my girlfriend Ashley) travelled through Vancouver then Kingston this month. Here’s Van/Tsawwassen:

And Kingston

where Ashley got to meet the best dog in the entire world (and my brother)

And then we went to

montreal!

We stayed in Plateau for ~5 days and got rained on again (but it’s wasn’t that bad).

I ate the best pastry I’ve ever had at this lovely bakery.

And we did a bunch of other stuff:

thrifting
eating
climbing up mt royal
bixi biking
studying
speaking french (badly)
shopping

montreal vs victoria

It felt natural to compare our two cities so Ashley wrote about it:

People talk about Montreal and Victoria in terms of abundance. Montreal has SO much culture and Victoria has SO much nature. After much reflection trying to articulate what defines these two great cities - here’s what I’ve got:
Nature vs. Culture
If all man-made elements were removed from Victoria, the land would still be defined by the beautiful west coast environment (ocean, mountains, etc). In contrast, Montreal's essence is deeply intertwined with its curated culture, shaped by the people who inhabit the city. People travel to the west coast to feel more connected to the earth and inner reflection, and after two decades of enough built-up-earthly-inner-reflection to make Gwyneth Paltrow Goop herself, I was eager to experience something outside of myself and the great outdoors.
Law vs. Looseness
Victoria has a deep respect of rules and regulations, which helps maintain the city’s pristine order, while Montreal has a looser approach to authority. If the cities were two aunts, Victoria would kindly yet passive-aggressively advise you really shouldn’t be doing what you’re doing because its inconveniencing everyone, and Montreal would cheekily whisper in your ear that you can drink in the public park as long as you bring some food ;)
Gear vs. Weird
The gear gloating is very real on the west coast, and sporting the latest Lulu or Patagonia makes you feel like part of the club. The first rule of Montreal fashion club? Throw out the rules, get on your BIXI bike, get 3 piercings, grab something crochet or neon from the nearest thrift shop, and do it in French. Honestly the fashion was one of my favourite parts of the trip and while you might not see me sporting a new neon nose ring anytime soon, I definitely left with some newfound inspiration.

My final impression: Very cool city. Would move (pending winter visit).

^ I agree

Here are my Montreal pros and cons:

pros:

you can drink in the parks
there are many parks
everything👏stays👏open👏past👏8pm
ppl bike everywhere
ppl are younger
ppl are weirder

cons:

all the hand sanitizing stations were empty?
the winter is atrociously cold

quiz time!

As is now tradition, here is another LSAT question:

The number of calories in a gram of refined cane sugar is the same as in an equal amount of fructose, the natural sugar found in fruits and vegetables. Therefore, a piece of candy made with a given amount of refined cane sugar is no higher in calories than a piece of fruit that contains an equal amount of fructose.
The reasoning in the argument is flawed because the argument
A. fails to consider the possibility that fruit might contain noncaloric nutrients that candy does not contain

B. presupposes that all candy is made with similar amounts of sugar

C. confuses one kind of sugar with another

D. presupposes what it sets out to establish, that fruit does not differ from sugar-based candy in the number of calories each contains

E. overlooks the possibility that sugar might not be the only calorie-containing ingredient in candy or fruit

And another:

City councilperson: Many city residents oppose the city art commission’s proposed purchase of an unusual stone edifice, on the grounds that art critics are divided over whether the edifice really qualifies as art. But I argue that the purpose of art is to cause experts to debate ideas, including ideas about what constitutes art itself. Since the edifice has caused experts to debate what constitutes art itself, it does qualify as art.
Which one of the following, if assumed, enables the conclusion of the city councilperson’s argument to be properly inferred?
A. Nothing qualifies as art unless it causes debate among experts.
B. If an object causes debate among experts, no expert can be certain whether that object qualifies as art.
C. The purchase of an object that fulfills the purpose of art should not be opposed.
D. Any object that fulfills the purpose of art qualifies as art.
E. The city art commission should purchase the edifice if it qualifies as art.