Oh Dear

The Dears were quite incredible last night. I didn't know anything about them until this week. They're from Montreal. The singer/guitarist is married to one of the keyboardists. They're a very attractive looking band. There was a lot of variety in their songs and the atmosphere they created was astounding. I recall one of their songs from JJJ.

I'm leaving Toronto today. First off is a quick stop at Niagra falls and then a nasty 13hr bus ride to Chicago. I'm dipping into the US to go south of the Great Lakes before heading north to Winnipeg.

When I was planning this cross-country jaunt I drew a map of Canada and plotted all the cities. Below the Canada/US border I drew a skull & crossbones, H-bomb, gun and syringe to remind myself to stay out! Well I changed my mind. It's going to feel weird going back into the US.

And how appropriate that I drew a gun on my map. I was sitting at a bar in Toronto the other night and got to talking to this guy who had just been released from prison in Atlanta and was kicked back into Canada by the authorities. He'd served time for conspiracy to traffic in guns and narcotics. He was only a few years older than me and admitted that he'd done something really dumb and that the whole thing shook him up big time. So I asked him all about prison and he had a lot to say. All things considered, he is an incredibly lucky guy to have served his short sentence and is young enough to start all over again in Canada where he doesn't have a criminal record. It would be an absolute tragedy if he reoffended.

MG