I probably pushed myself too hard. I left Montreal this morning at 9 a.m., just after breakfast. I didn't stop for gas or lunch until I made it to Kingston. I made it into Kitchener close to 4 p.m., after one more stop. Traffic was light, except for a stretch in (surprise!) Toronto, but I avoided that patch by nipping over to the 409, then the 427 and then onto the 407.
Enough gratuitous local references for today.
Anyway, I didn't get seriously drowsy in the car because, when the first signs of drowsiness set in, I pulled off the road and sat for a while in a Tim Hortons having a coffee and a donut. More drivers should think of doing this, as I made good time afterwards.
I bought a new CD for the trip: Tori Amos' To Venus and Back, which got me to Montreal and back. I think it's her best album. The lyrics are her most original and playful, and the songs vary from loud and bouncy to soft and sweet, never straying too far into one style for it to become stale or grating. There are several songs that I just love and (a first for me, here) not a single song that I hate. The pick for my favourite is wavering between Glory of the 80s and Josephine.
Megan's wedding was great fun. Thanks to Matt and Megan for inviting us over and thanks again to them and their families for making the event happen.
It took place in this old mill that was just off Montreal's island. The service was quick, to the point and Unitarian (probably the best compromise given that the family religions behind this marriage are Catholic and Jewish), the reception great fun and the food excellent. It was great to see the entire Smith family back again, and I got to see how a Russian Roulette was made.
No, I didn't drink it. I just stood by the bar on the off chance of seeing drinks (and perhaps people) get set on fire.
Unfortunately, Erin couldn't make it, much to her disappointment. She pulled her neck on Thursday and, on Friday, the chiropractor ordered her to spend the weekend on her back. She couldn't have handled the drive to Montreal. My neck is fine, but it was very stiff after my trip back. So, it wasn't a good weekend for Erin. Things were pretty hard for her Friday night when she couldn't even prop up her head to read a book or watch television. I would have stayed at home if I'd known it would be this bad, but she was better on Saturday, and she's better today. She'll see the chiropractor on Tuesday for an adjustment, assuming that the swelling has gone back down.
So, I was alone in my own hotel room over the weekend, which dampened some of the fun. I did take the opportunity to rest up, write a little Fathom Five, and watch a little television. I saw Wes Craven's The Serpent and the Rainbow, which is an excellent movie about Haiti and voodoo. It's Wes Craven, so you know it's scary, but it was also intelligent, featuring strong characters.
There was one scene, though, when the lead character, an American scientist, goes through the zombification process. The baddie, a corrupt police chief with Haiti's tom-tom-macoute (also a voodoo priest) pauses in burying the paralized scientist alive to drop a large spider in the coffin "to keep you company". Then there's this shot of the scientist, unable to move, staring at the top of his coffin, and the spider climbs up his face. And I said to myself "that would be the point that most arachnophobes would run screaming from the theatre." I'm pleased to report that I had no nightmares.
Erin did get some great news over the weekend. I can't tell you here, yet, because she wants to tell my parents about it in person.
No, we're not pregnant.