Can You Hear Me Now?

I have so much to talk about regarding my trip to Montreal that I don’t even know where to begin!! It’s overwhelming to think about writing it all out. I had the best time of my life and I love everyone that was there so much I want to burst. I’ve been through a hell of a lot of shit in my life, A LOT, but I tell ya, everything I have been through played a part in my being in Montreal with these people last weekend, so it’s all been worth it.

I guess I’ll just do a day-by-day account and as it gets too long I’ll break it up into separate entries like I did in February ’05.

Thursday, September 14 ~

I arrived at about 1:30 p.m. My friend Lobelia picked me up from the airport. We only knew each other from MySpace before, but I wasn’t worried about us getting along because she’s good friends with Emma and Rob too. She had a rose for me She was awesome. We totally hit it off and I love the internet even more now for bringing me so many great friends.

Once we got my suitcase and walker loaded into her car, we needed to figure out where to go for lunch. Downtown Montreal is not the most accessible place, and I really needed to be somewhere that I didn’t have to walk much from parking, do stairs, handicapped bathroom, etc. I avoided the little airplane bathrooms and asking everyone around me to move so I could struggle to get up and make a scene, so I really needed to pee by now!

After driving around who-knows-where for who-knows-how-long (and after a bus tried to push Lo’s car out of the way when she legally parked downtown for a moment to check the accessibility of a restaurant) we decided on a Boston Pizza near some mall I can never remember the name of (it’s French). Not exactly an original or different Montreal establishment, but that is okay, that would come. We ordered food (including a poutine to share; our Boston Pizzas here don’t have poutine; but I bet even McDonald’s in Montreal would! It’s everywhere) and ate and talked and talked and talked. Lo didn’t have to be anywhere until her rehearsal at 7:00, so our next stop was the coffee shop in the mall so Donna could get her vanilla soy latte, and we talked and talked and talked some more. Then she brought me to my hotel, which was in a great location in the heart of downtown on Avenue du Parc, across the street from the famous breakfast place Chez Cora which would soon become my favourite… I could eat there every day. YUM.

Once settled in my room, I blasted the air conditioning and spent the rest of the evening resting up for the big weekend. I called Emma to let her know I had arrived safe and sound, ordered a sandwich from the Pita Pit up the street, watched TV, and slept.

Friday ~

Emma had class until 10:00, so the plan was that she would run home, grab her stuff, take the Metro downtown and be at my hotel by noonish, and then we’d go eat. At about 12:20 I called her to see where she was, and unfortunately she had missed her first bus. Which meant she missed the connecting ones, and would probably be another 90 minutes. So I wandered down to the restaurant in my hotel and had a late breakfast. I have to laugh at myself for ordering oatmeal, toast and peanut butter, as that is what I ate every morning at the care facility when I broke my wrist. Hehe. This was better though, because it had fresh fruit and maple syrup, and it was in Montreal.

Emma finally arrived, and after a ton ‘o hugs we decided to find an internet café so I could get a latte and check email and stuff. There was one just up the street, so we headed in that direction, when I noticed a Second Cup on my corner. Okay, screw the internet, I can get my usual latte here! So we went in there instead.

Emma’s friend Gaby was in a panic, calling Emma every 1 minute and 43 seconds, because the girls had made T-shirts for Lindy, Rob and Dave Martel (the music of the weekend) and her mom had washed them and ruined them, so new shirts needed to be bought, but oh my god what colours should I get, ask Donna what Lindy’s favourite colour is (?), oh my god what sizes should I get, then words needed to be ironed on, but oh no Gaby’s iron broke, but it’s okay Donna’s hotel room has one, and we don’t have much time so why don’t we just do this tomorrow, NO WAY, okay fine, and okay sure we would love you to pick up some Tim Horton’s bagels, Timbits and coffee on the way, and how are you going to carry all that on your bike, and okay it was fine until you were rear ended and the coffee went everywhere, that’s okay just hurry up, we need to be at the Yellow Door by 6:00. ‘Whew.

Gaby made it to the hotel in one piece and immediately set up the ironing board to work on the “Good Tunes, Good Times” T-shirts for the guys. Emma and Gaby volunteer at the Yellow Door, so we did need to be there by 6:00 to let the musicians in to set up. Emma and I ended up leaving Gaby to finish up the shirts or we’d be late, and grabbed a cab. It was the only cab I would take the rest of my trip, so that was pretty cool! We arrived at the Yellow Door about the same time Rob did. Hugs and kisses ensued, and Emma went around front to unlock doors and stuff. Then Lindy and Dave arrived and many, many hugs and kisses with Lindy followed. It had been almost a year since I had seen him in the flesh! It was my first time meeting Dave, and I had never seen him perform before, but Rob told me he would “blow my mind”. He was right.

So, after helping me and my walker down the stairs, the guys set up their guitars and did sound check while Emma and Gaby (who had arrived by this time and presented the guys with their T-shirts. And wine gums, because Rob has a silly song called “Wine Gums” that we all wanted him to play. That was a direct hint) set up the room for the show. The Yellow Door is a non-profit organization, and the coffeehouse, where the live music happens on weekends, is actually the basement of a house downtown. It was a very intimate setting, and we all know how much I love to be right down in front. You can’t get much closer than this:

Lobelia, Rob and myself watch Dave Martel blow our minds

Then Rob played an amazing set

Followed by the incomparable Lindy

And it was the second best show ever. Because the next night was even better.

After the show, lots of pictures were taken:

Me and Lindy

Me, Lindy and Emma

Me, Rob and Emma

I love Rob Szabo and I don’t care who knows it!

I had the opportunity to meet a lot of Emma’s friends that she talks about all the time over that weekend, including the very cool Catherine Vidal (check out the hair!) a young musician/singer/songwriter that made it down both nights as well.

What a great looking group! Lindy and Rob are the tall ones in the back, and front L-R we have Lobelia, Dave, Me, Gaby, Emma and Catherine. This is my new family.

Emma will have a ton of pictures from that night in her blog soon, too. She’s just a little too busy going to Toronto to see Rob again as well as Peter Katz and Scott Cooper to post yet. Whatever. (I’m NOT jealous!)

Around 1:00 a.m. Rob gave us a ride back to the hotel. I wanted to go straight back to the hotel and get into bed because I knew the next day was going to be super busy!

Next up, we have Saturday. A very full day featuring the above people and Old Montreal, followed by the best live show on earth featuring the above people, followed by hanging at the bar until 4:00 a.m. with the above people. So check back soon! (Of course, those on the notify list will be the first to know!)