Journal of an Invisible Yokel ! - Oh Invisible Me !

I had a crazy night on December 31st. After several years of spending New Year's Eve with my family, I was invited by some new friends I made from my BJJ club to a New Year's Eve Party. Of course I accepted since I didn't have the stomach to spend another last day of the year with uncles, aunts and homely cousins; and at around 11:30 pm, I hit the cold and icy Montreal streets, made my way through St Catherine to Chantal's house where the party was already roaring.

I drank more than I have ever drank before, smoked to the point of coughing up chunks of tar and danced like it was that last day of my life. At some point in time the room started spinning, Chantal was smiling and   the scent of her lovely French Canadian red curls and her piercing green eyes shocked my system into sweet demise, and I collapsed.

I awoke in a strange bed in a strange room on January 1st 2013; the bed was made save for the slight torment my body inflicted on it, and the room was neat. Aside from a terrible heachache everything else -regarding my body at least- seemed to be in place without any warning pains. I crawled out of the King Size bed and made my way to the gold rimmed erect mirror that stood gazing at what was left of my pride, across the bed.

I confronted the arrogant piece of glass and silver, and discovered that on the morning of January 1st 2013, on what would have otherwised passed as a below average Montreal day of an average Canadian life, I was quite invisible.

Romeo and the gun

There was a restaurant, in the old days, in Park Ex in Montreal called Park View.

That's the place, for those into Greek politics, that the PAK movement was launched from the fabled Andreas Papandreou. The PAK movement later became PASOK , the Hellenic Socialist Movement which ruled Greece for over 20 years. As a matter of fact, the Park View Restaurant owner John Papadopoulos, rumour has it, paid for Andreas' Tickets upon his return to Greece in 74.

A more interesting development was an event that occured in Park View in late Feb in the 70s.
Romeo, a button, was eating when a rumble broke out between Romeo and one of the waiters. The waiter insulted Romeo and Romeo pulled out a piece. The waiter threatened to call the Montreal cops and Romeo loaded; the waiters fate seemed sealed.

At that minute, the patron John Papadopoulos walks into the salon and shouts at Romeo to put the heat away. Romeo, always respecting the patron puts the piece down but alas the cops were on their way.

Papadopoulos orders Romeo to give him the iron, and tells him to scram through the back door. The cops come and John tells him that it was a misunderstanding; nothing happened. The fuzz respected John since he gave lavishly to the policemen brotherhood.

the next day Don Frank comes in and requests that John forgives Romeo's actions. John gives the piece to Frank and Frank submits his mutual respect and tells John that whatever services he may need, Frank and the boyz were at his disposal. John thanks Frank but services were never needed.

the years passed by and he 80s and 90s came along, Frank ended in jail and John is now senile in some hospital but the legends survives.

So it was some time in Montreal.