THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE:                        8Tth June 2009

Another turning point for Mona: An apartment on St. Urbain

As the song says "Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go

So make the best of this test, and don't ask why

It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time"

Well fortunately for me, something grabbed Murray last Sunday and he turned up at my place just as I was about to leave ( by myself, you lazy so-and-sos!) to help Monica move.

If you don't know, Monica is a second row forward for the SABRFC. Never mind she is probably the best looking second row in the world, and I include Dion and Cundall in this, and never mind she is a hardworking, talented player who is a joy to watch, the real point is that she needed help. Her apartment supervisor was giving her grief, and she needed to get her stuff out fast.

 I hate moving, but of course I was there to help her. It's instinctive, and this goes way back to my first years of Rugby back in 1977, or maybe it was 1976, when we had to move Bob Clark's ex-girlfriend. The whole "situation" with this girlfriend was kind of tense, but a bunch of us pitched in because Bob was on our team, and that's what you had to do, or so it seemed. On that move, we used the baby blue Chevrolet pick-up truck  that I owned back then, and we piled everything high, and made several trips through the streets of Ste-Anne's.

We had our dogs then, too: Crazy Raleigh and Booley, and we stuck them in the truck with all the furniture and junk. We just negotiated the ups and downs of the narrow stairs, loaded down with tons of heavy stuff, and contemplated the sort of no-win angle of the whole day (I mean after all, this was an ex-girlfriend, so there were no bonus points).

Good things can happen though, as we were to learn later that two other SABRFC team-members ended up with the girl in question. Not me though, so I was just investing for others. However, I did meet another gorgeous girl ( picture attached ) who fell in love with my dog as we waited outside the apartment on Ste-Anne's street. After our last trip, we saw a party taking place in another apartment and so we joined in. The beautiful girl who fell in love with Booley was there! I'll let your imagination take over here, but all I can say, is that ever since then I have always had mixed feelings about moving people.

Over the years, and owning a truck as I did, moving was something that I often did for people. And recently, I have tried to make money for the Club, while employing Club members, and this has worked well. And, although I don't have a truck any more, guys like Brad are always ready to help and Old School too. Both have lent us their trucks.  Anyway, my point after all this (if I still have a point), is that when Mona put herself out there asking for help, it just seemed like the thing to do.

Murray and I were the first ones to arrive at Mona's apartment. Of course Murray has to take the stairs up to Mona's and this climb almost killed me. Then I had to go to the bathroom and that's when I saw the naked wallpaper. Wow, flashback to the beautiful blonde who loved Booley.

Anyway, we got going and just when the heavy, big stuff had to be moved, Sommer, Meghan, Jason, Alex and Chantal LEGER!!!!! showed up. If there is one saying I always go by, it's that many hands make light work and suddenly I wasn't moving much stuff. Instead I was taking pictures and gawking at the great-looking girls (sorry). And, then driving through the plateau, stuff piled high, was fun, especially with the threat of rain giving us extra incentive.

Murray and I pulled a fake drive-through to turn left onto Mont Royal (THAT'S WHERE THE STREET IS GRIDLOCKED AND YOU ASKED TO DRIVE STRAIGHT THROUGH, THEN AS YOU GET IN THE MIDDLE, YOU PULL LEFT. I guess you had to be there). And, while I waited outside Mona's old building I got the chance to talk to some girls selling hot-dogs in front of Provigo. Hmm 1$ for small dogs, means that our prices look very competitive. And then, at her new apartment, we ran into Chantal Archambault and her sister. I took a pic with Murray, and by now, I tell you we were having so much fun that even the Murr was acting like a human.

We got Mona settled in and we met her new roommate: Who knows JP Philion and who used to play second row!?!?! He has travelled to the country which boats this flag. Can you identify it?...i doubt it.

Oh yes I forgot. While I was outside the Bancroft Building I saw a Nautilus Plus gym, with a pizza place underneath it, and a woman putting out her cigarette, I dunno. It was  just one of those funny moments. And then so fast, the move was over, and we were drinking beer and laughing and even Murray wasn't giving me the old, "Let's go."

No if the truth be told, I wish I had stayed longer. I enjoyed being there with those good friends after the move. But sometimes, you just gotta go. The rain caught us on the way back, but we had covered Finn's mattress with cardboard and we returned it with just a couple of wet-spots. And, Murr and I agreed to blame those wet patches on Florence.

All in all, it was a great day...THANKS MONA!!! AND just like the Green Day song says:
 

"It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.

I hope you had the time of your life." I know I did.