Merry Christmas and Happy New Year - Christmas letter

It has been a few years since we wrote a Christmas letter. We hope this finds you well! Here it is on google docs.

~ Molly and Eric

We Should Have Known

In so many ways. As we look back, we saw that the evidence was abundant and obvious. But somehow we had convinced ourselves that it would be otherwise.

Don't let our smiles mislead you. No, that's too harsh. We did smile, and frequently. But mostly in disbelief... and a little embarrassment. What you can't see here is that the average age of the other attendees at this concert, not including their parents, was approximately 12.

That, plus the fact that the concert began at 7:30pm, and had no opening acts. Well, that and that when we went to the library to check out cds of her music, they were only found in the children's section. And then, there was the fact that not one of our friends--and we do have friends here who *know* the music scene--knew her name. At all.

Somehow we kept writing it off. Like, she's French! So maybe our circle isn't really informed about her work... maybe we're experimenting beyond the zone of what is traditionally comfortable for us (she's also a pop singer) .... and that's why we got blank looks when we mentioned our plans for this concert?

But then, as we walked through the Bell Centre parking lot, amidst the throngs of tween girls with their moms and a few slightly sketchily excited dads, and thought to ourselves "maybe there's another event going on here tonight?" Really... then, we knew we should have known.

So this video is from the last time Marie Mai played the Bell Centre. The crowd loved her. And she loved the crowd. I bet she hardly noticed these two anglophone blonds squinting against the stroke-inducing lights and wishing they had remembered their earplugs.

Truly, we enjoyed several of her songs, although E and I differ on which ones. And how many. During the times we could get past her black lace body stocking, corset, and booty shorts crooning to the pink and purple sparkly 12-year-olds.

I know it's that dissonance that bothered E most. We're not too proud to be found in a crowd of people much younger than we are, struggling to understand the lyrics, reconciling our expectations with the experience of the thing. No. We're not too proud to admit when we're wrong. But to be one of the less than 2% males over 30 in the audience, and pretend like he didn't see the juxtaposition of hypersexed pop music and our innocent row-mates. That is what really made us cringe.

But there we have it. Another night out in Montreal, another surprise. We're wondering still what the event can tell us about Quebecois music and culture.... maybe that will be the subject of another post.

Marie Mai, Miley Cyrus

E might be the only one who sees this, but he's convinced that Marie Mai is the Quebecoise version of Miley Cyrus.... That makes me a little more embarrassed, and maybe that's why I won't admit I see it.

Don't Want to Turn off the Auto-Playback in My Head

One of the benefits of having spent time in Montreal has to be getting to know about local/regional musicians. One of my favorites - introduced by the aforementioned and fabulous Matt and AJ - is Craig Cardiff. We got to see him again last week when he performed at a small venue on the McGill campus. I did not bootleg any of his performance, but luckily there's quite a bit on the web already. So I can still share some of his work here:

Craig Cardiff (The Warehouse in Winnipeg) from Nice! Productions on Vimeo.

Thanking goodness for recordings we can take with us when we leave..... sniff.

Habs Universe

E and I have said recently that we don't think it's possible to understand Montrealers without witnessing a Canadiens game in person. Well last night we had our chance!

Gallery: Habs vs Coyotes

We went with two French friends (as in French, from France, not Quebecois). And they were apologizing for the nosebleed-section seats, saying "what you really get here is the ambiance." And E and I nodded - we're familiar with the thrill of the crowd at live sporting events, and assumed we knew what we were getting into.

But of course we didn't! It was like a party in there. First of all, it's huge. Can't-really-see-to-the-other-side-of-the-Bell-Centre huge. And it was totally packed. We were up so high there were bars in front of each row to prevent people from plummeting to their deaths--either accidentally, or on the occasion of a particularly bad attempted save. And there was the usual paraphernalia-wearing. In our section, though (basically up in the far corner behind the visitor's goal), we were also treated to a fleet of Molson-sponsored cheerleaders. Each section in that top level behind the goal had one. They were fully spandex-clad and more than fully made up. And man could they yell! That seemed to be their main job. That and slapping a tambourine against one of their many cheer cards (and their bottoms).

These women riled up the crowd like you wouldn't believe. Not that the crowd really needed riling. It was so loud in there you almost forgot there was a hockey game going on. We heard none of the refs' calls, none of the goal buzzers, nothing of what the announcers or guests said on the massive television monitors. E and I barely heard each other as we shouted our amazement at said "ambiance."

So yeah. Now we get it. We also get why after a win the streets of downtown are filled with honking and shouting - we are serenaded in our building even, many blocks away. The emotions drummed up at a game like that don't just end with the third period. And we're grateful to our two friends for inviting us along! A whole new insight into the Montreal psyche....

We finally made it to the nation's capital! And yes, fun was had. Matt and AJ rock. Can't say exactly why, but something about Ottawa reminded me of Colorado Springs. Is it just me?

If you're wondering about the shots with AJ and a small tree, suffice it to say she was revolutionizing the process for self-timer photography.

Oh yes, and the furry friend there is Sasha!

One more shot from the window for tonight....

Documenting Fun Times TOGETHER!

A few recent pics of the two of us hiking, leaf-peeping, and generally goofing off.

Autumn from Our Window

Montreal Moments

OK, so pretty much every day I'm reminded what a unique city we live in here. I've started to think of these little sights/sounds/experiences that define the city for me as Montreal Moments. Here are just a few to get us started:

1. Out on the mountain (Mount Royal) last week and an old man biked by me. He was wearing a down parka, a hat, white brief underwear and knee socks.

2. Last night we attended a jazz concert in Cote des Neiges. The mistress of ceremonies introducing the performers seamlessly wove back and forth through English, French, and Polish (it was an event hosted by the Polish Consulate in Montreal). She didn't repeat everything in the three languages, rather she transitioned through her different topics in the different languages that occurred to her at that moment. Such stunning linguistic flexibility.

3. More than once when walking downtown just after office hours, I have seen professional women walk out of their buildings, dressed to the nines in business formal, and light up a joint.

4. The tattoos! Oh the tattoos. This is a place for body art. And as an active student of yoga, I get to see a lot of skin on a lot of different people. You have to see it to believe it, but there are some of the most gorgeous colors and designs on the backs and calves of Montrealers.

I'll keep my eyes open for more and share them here. Perhaps they'll serve as enticements to bring more friends and family to our current favorite city? Or perhaps they'll cinch the deal that you'd rather wait till the next Post.... :)

Where oh where

I was thinking last night - how is it that now that we're in a country where we can speak and write freely about our opinions and experiences, I have let this blog run dry for so long? Well duh. It's because there's so much going on out here that I rarely have free time hanging out at the computer.

That said, we're on the cusp of the cold season now. I have a feeling that there are many more opportunities to hole up and tip tap away on this keyboard in the *very* near future. Feeling careful for what I wish for...

Back at it?

There's nothing like a vacation to get you thinking about all the things you haven't done. Well... it's not really that simple. Our recent vacation (just got back last night) did a great job of getting us thinking about the things that matter - time together, time with friends and family, learning more about the world. But it did also get me thinking again about this blog.

As you know, our time in Khartoum got rather complicated towards the end. I stopped writing not because I didn't have more to say, but because my experiences felt too complex for words. And that was coupled with an increasingly strict security regimen which kept us closer to home much more of the time. I started to joke that the only travels/experiences worth writing about for those last months in Sudan were the "inner journeys" through the thoughts/memories/reflections/imagination in my head.

But that's time gone by. Since then we've spent most of a year in Washington, DC and now almost 8 months in the beautiful Montreal! We have new vacation photos to share and so many "Montreal Moments" (those things that happen here that are so wacky and funny or strange that it could only be in Montreal) that we should be set with fuel for posting... But we'll see. It's all about how disciplined I can be with my time now....