Live from Montreal!!

Bonjour! 

That's the "petit" amount of French I know right now. Merci! 

So, I finally did it. I made into another country. Sure, Canada is right next door, but I must say, of the Canadian cities to visit, Montreal seems to have a very "foreign" or "exotic" feel. As soon as I crossed the Quebec border in my tiny little Prius, fighting off the beastly winter storm, English and French no longer partnered with each other on the highway signs. From that point on, only French was what I saw in everything, including: signs, buildings, and advertisements, which understandably makes sense. French is the primary language of the province and was quickly revealed. Thank, God for the psychology behind graphic design. Without those helpful, self-explanatory symbols, who knows how many epic fails I would have. 

A few things right off the bat: 

1. 100 kph is a lot slower than it sounds. 

2. 90 cents p/l is a lot more expensive than it sounds. 

3. Right turns are not a thing in Montreal. 

4. It's only about an hour away from the northern New York border (the state) and an hour and a half from Vermont border 

So, you might ask, why Montreal? especially during this crazy winter storm? 

Well, I'm at the one and only Folk Alliance International Conference, which happens to be in this lovely city to the north. It's my second year doing it, and I continue to plan on going to it on an annual basis. Unfortunately, due to previously diagnosed vocal cord issues, I have had to practice my "silent" conversation on this trip. It's proved to be a bit difficult, but I think I'm getting the hang of it. I've been doing a lot of writing! 

Music updates: 

1. I have cancelled most recent performances due to recent vocal cord issues, but it doesn't mean I'm not still playing music. I have handed off my happy hour performance to my dear friend, Cylia, over at the Shrunken Head NEXT Saturday who will be sharing a set with my friend, Matthew Neill. I would LOVE to see you. I'll be trying out some glockenspiel stuff along with some piano. 

Happy Hour performance at the Shrunken Head 

Saturday, February 23rd w/Cylia Queen & Matthew Neill 

251 W 5th Ave, Columbus, Ohio 43201 

6 :00 - 8:00 PM 

2. I have a few performances scheduled in March, which are still ON right now, but will keep you posted after my next doctor appt! 

Thanks everyone! Respond to this e-mail to let me know how you are doing! If you don't know where to begin, answer this question: 

What is your current dream or project? (a new job, home remodeling, cooking, etc) 

Thanks for all that you do!

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