I got a peppermint mocha from Starbucks today, and realized I haven't had one of these for almost a year, and this was the second time in the past year that I actually went to Starbucks. Wow...And I think it might have cost cheaper than what it used to cost me in the U.S., although I can't be sure because I don't remember exactly what it cost before. It just remember it felt ridiculously expensive (probably because I drank it often), and today it didn't sound that bad when the cashier said the price, as I was prepared to pay upwards of $4. I found that at the grocery store right across the street (where I don't shop that often), lemons that come from the U.S., the same brand that I used to buy in the U.S., are also cheaper here. I don't understand how that can be, something doesn't make sense. At my "independent" neighborhood grocery store where I shop most of the time, everything is so cheap I sometimes buy 3-4 bags full of groceries (mostly fresh fruits and veggies of all kinds, bread and dairy products like milk and yogurt) for only $15. I read somewhere that Montreal is famous for it's cheap fruits and veggies because Montrealers don't like to pay a lot for produce. Also, there's no tax here on fresh produce or basic food needs, you pay only the total of the prices you see on the labels, so it makes it feel even cheaper. All in all, I feel very lucky to live somewhere where buying real food (like tomatoes...or peppers...) is not considered a luxury.

M. took the morning off from work today because we had to go get our health cards, and he had to renew his social insurance number...Two different government offices at two different locations, and we were done in about an hour total. Apparently we chose a good day to get all that stuff done, because I waited an hour to get my social insurance number alone from only one of those offices before. It felt nice to spend the morning with him, kind of like we were on vacation or something, because we never get to walk around, have lunch, ride public transportation etc. together during the week (or the weekends for the past two weeks for that matter) . Around 1 pm. he had to go to work, and I went to Eaton Center to buy some shampoo and look for a wallet for myself (as I had mine stolen about 2 weeks ago). I found the exact wallet I've had stolen, but I had a bad feeling about it for some reason, so I didn't buy it. All the other wallets I liked were out of my price range, so I guess I'll have to keep looking.

Tomorrow I am going to a seminar about the job scene here in Montreal and starting your own business. I hope it will be useful and give me some clues as to where else I should be looking for job ads/opportunities. I am also looking into self-employment options, although I am not sure if I can realize what's in my head for a lot of reasons, an important one being that I have no clue what it takes to set up one's own business here and how to market one's services and how I would create a client base, all the legal aspects, etc...Well, hopefully I'll know more after tomorrow, but I am sure it would feel so good to be your own boss. Ahhhh, did I mention before my fantasies have no boundaries?