Bonjour

Made it to Montreal! Had extended meandering trip over here punctuated by stop over in an industrial area of Queens, NYC, near the airport. Now, after one night in Montreal, and making myself sleep for 12 hours, my body clock seems to have stopped swinging from 'ON! Excited! Let's go sightseeing!' to 'OFF! Can't move/ eat/ walk/ think - must sleep NOW' every 3 hours which was what was happening before. I'd just go 'woo hoo, second wind, I'm going to go and grab a meal, and explore' and no sooner would I be out dointg that then I'd switch back to 'ooh shit, run out of batteries' and long for bed. Then from midst of deep sleep would 'bing!' to wide awake, after realising I'd only been asleep for an hour and a half. Realising now that a few days of acclimatising pre conference would have been a great feature for the itinerary!
So. Montreal. This not a long post because I promised myself I'd stay offline, and focused, till I presented at the conference - I am so easily distracted! - but felt like a quick and sneaky little post wouldn't hurt anyone.
Grey today and cold. I'm wearing just about everything I packed, all at once.
Bed and breakfast lovely, feel like it was a great decision not to stay in a big hotel. Much cosier here, human touch.
Conference. About to go register, exciting. Slightly nerve wracking. New conference like a big party where you actually don't know the hosts, or what anyone else will be wearing, and whether you'll find anyone to mingle with. You also don't know whether the conversation will be tedious, slightly batty, informative and stimulating, same old, or so esoteric you feel the need to creep away backwards wishing you'd read Foucault and Derrida. Going alone to a confernec very similar to going alone to large party also, you know you're going to have to make a bit more effort on the mingling front, and as a result you may be more likely to meet new people.
I have to remind myself sometimes that I'm actually ok at this stuff - you know the 'hi, so where are you from', the smile nicely, the listening and note taking, the presenting even. I seem to forget and get nervous all over again each time, when really, it's not that hard.
Sorry, just blathering on about me and the conference, very little about this city. First impressions have been good - city feels self contained, grey, grungy, cool without trying, sleety, crouched figures with hoodies under jackets, pedestrian friendly, cycle studded, balcony dotted, spiral staircase wrapped, fillagree treed and delicate morning songed.