Memento

My roommate moved out of the Villa a couple of days ago. She is now getting settled in her new dwelling, with her boyfriend.

They have been together for, if I'm not mistaken, about three months. They decided to make the move when they were one month in.

Now, a lot of people say that what they did is risky, temerarious even. But I say that it's incredibly beautiful. They are going past the common knowledge, the current thinking of dis-involvement and self-reservation. They want to be together so they take steps to ensure that they will be together. They fell in love and are rightly living that love. I applaud them for that, for their courage to move forward and embrace one another and the love they have for one another.

Rock on, Anne-Marie et Guillaume!

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Anne-Marie moving out cleared up the big bedroom of the apartment. So, since I'm now living alone there, I decided to upgrade to the bigger room. In the process of moving furniture around and cleaning up, I've found a pair of underwear under my bed. Not MY underwear, but a pair belonging to François.

It was one of those moments you'd wish there was a hidden camera filming the event. I was just sweeping when I stumbled unto the underwear. At first I was puzzled and then, when I realised what it was and who it belonged to, I started laughing. A nice, genuine laugh. It's quite the memento, I have to admit. I was doing laundry at the same time I was cleaning up the rooms so I threw the pair in the washing machine. They are now perfectly clean.

Of course, I could make a plaster mould out of the underwear and then make a cast of them out of acrylic, but that would be time consuming and really worthless. So, I will send the underwear back to François with just a note saying that I found them under my bed and that they would probably be more useful to him then they could be to me. I'll also specify that I washed them so he doesn't think I pulled a practical joke on him (though, if he knows/knew me just a bit he'll know that that's not my style). I'm guessing he'll be happy to have them back...

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This morning, on my way to school, I witnessed a great act of kindness performed by a stranger. A blind man was getting out of the metro and, using his white cane, was hunting his way to the stairs. A stranger, coming from behind, took him by the shoulders and softly directed him to the stairs and then just quietly left, with the blind man back on track and going up the stairs.