Travel Diary Part 1: February 24 - 27

In typical fashion I elected not to sleep the night of the 23rd for fear of missing my flight the next morning. I checked in, boarded and got situated pretty quickly. Lack of sleep the night before meant falling asleep on the plane effortlessly.

I woke up just as the plane was descending. It was snowing pretty hard in Montreal and I definitely did not pack appropriately. Being a smart person I decided just to get on the first bus I saw upon leaving the airport, logic stated that it would eventually end up at a metro station, and I'd be fine from there.

I ended up in Dorval.

Fucking Dorval.

I called Sarah and she did some Google-mapping and figured out how to get me into the city. Keeping in mind, it's snowing really really crazy. At the Papineau bus station I run into some people from home who by coincidence were in Montreal. I knew that Lindsay was working until 3, so I do the logical thing, go hang out at work.

I head back down the street to where Rose and Lindsay live, I start freaking out because I can't find it. By this point I'm cold and soaked. I see Rose leaving her apartment though and she lets me in. I make the decision to head to Toronto the next morning, the internet says tickets are $28, so I figure it's all good. Are You Afraid of the Dark followed by and early night ensue.

The bus leaves at 7:30 am. I go to the desk to buy a ticket.

"That will be $104.40"

I recoil in fear, then go to another booth and lie and say I'm a student, I get questioned about my ID but simply say I left it in Halifax, the con works. I left my i-pod in Montreal (why?) so the bus ride is un-fucking-bearable. I spend most of the trip riding poetry in my head, trying to sleep, and reading the people around me's text messages as they write them.

We arrive in Toronto around 2, hang out for a bit and go for food. I make plans to meet up with a former coworker. I drink a bottle of red wine. Other friends are staying at a hotel nearby so I head there. I drink another bottle of red wine. Sometime before midnight I head to some party in an alley to meet up with Gerry et al. The party isn't really that fun, I'm really tired and in a really sluggish drunk. I wind up back at the Primrose Best Western and sleep on the floor.

Friday morning I eat Subway for breakfast and then wash my entire body with hand sanitizer in a coffee shop bathroom. I meet up with Rose, Lindsay and Jenn again in the afternoon. We eat pie and "play" Jenga. After an evening of floating around I head to the Silver Dollar for the North of America show, finally. I miss most of the first band (Boars) but see all of Germans' set. They were a lot synthier than I remember. Then the Norts play and it's spot on and awesome.

Around 3:30 I decide I should try to sleep at the Best Western again. I call the people in the room to no avail, then I pretend to be one of them at the front desk, but that also fails. It's after 4 at this point, and I have to meet my ride back to Montreal at 9, so I do the most obvious thing. Spend the fucking night wandering Toronto. I passed a bunch of prostitutes on Carleton and am asked if I "want some company", I respond by saying "I like boys", it seems like the easiest out.

I pick up a copy of the New Yorker at a 7/11 and decide to read it in the Second Cup in the hospital. It is important to note that I look fucking crazy at this point.

Somehow I made it through the night and was able to sleep the entire drive from Toronto back to Montreal. I fed Rose and Lindsay's cats and got my first shower since Tuesday.

North of America at Il Motore tonight with Rockets Red Glare, should be a shitshow.