Sometimes I don't sleep much the night before a journey. Hardly got any shut-eye at all two nights ago, found myself awake at 2 a.m. Had intended to be on the road horribly early, could feel I probably wouldn't be drifting off to sleep again soon, so turned on the light. Read for a while, then tossed in the towel completely: turned on more lights, cranked the laptop, spent a while online. Stumbled into the kitchen alcove, grabbed some food, devoured it. Stuffed things into bags, cleaned up, was out of the room by 5 a.m., on the road soon after, heading south toward Vermont.
(One immediately apparent difference between early-morning life in downtown Montreal and life in Vermont: plenty of people out carrying on life. Couples walking together, taxis everywhere cruising for business, other drivers like me up early, bleary-eyed.)
Why traveling so goddamn early? Had reached the end of my two-week rental. Wanted to avoid the Saturday morning lines that accumulate at the border. Had things to do back in Montpelier. All of which is to say I was up and attempting to function at a hideous hour, part of me wishing I could stay, put down roots, develop a community, enjoy this lovely city.
In recent days: made a few visits to a small (and I do mean small) Indian restaurant a few blocks from the flat. A modest joint, serving good, unpretentious fare at exceptionally reasonable prices. Situated next to an anarchists bookstore, just down the hill from a comedy club, just up the hill from a raggedy used-clothing emporium that has the legend YOU PROBABLY LOOK BETTER NAKED ANYWAY painted on one of its doors. And a fine spot for people-watching, all kinds of souls walking by as I sat inside and inhaled excellent chow.
Also in recent days: Attended two shows happening as part of the Montreal Fringe Festival. Both out there enough to qualify as fringe-worthy. One so outrageously loose in so many goofy, good-natured ways that it barely qualified as anything but a bunch of sweet wackos doing whatever came to mind. The other had more focused, rigorous intentions, but didn't manage to pull them off. And given the velocity that all six of us who were in the audience (at the second show) achieved as we streaked exit-ward the nanosecond that the applause petered out, I think I speak for the entire motley handful of attendees.
Ah, well.
[continued in following entry]
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Sunset, mid-June, Montreal:
España, te echo de menos
rws 7:15 PM [+]
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