Do I even need to write a word? I guess I have to.

Valeria mesmerized me from the moment I laid eyes on her. Those eyes…Damn! I met her through a random encounter during my Radiohead trip in Montreal. It was the night before the show and I decided to walk about town and see the city at night. I’d been walking around for some time and decided to stop at a fantastic gelato shop.

Fantastic, right? Well, if you don't think so then you must also hate puppies and babies.

I was enjoying my bowl of goodness when in she walked with her friend, San (you’ll get to meet her in the near future). I played it off like I didn’t notice, since, you know, I’m super cool like that. She had come in to ask directions to a Mates of State show they were going to and I overheard her mention to the shopkeeper they were in town from Mexico City for Radiohead. I told them I was in town for the same show. No ways! were exchanged and then the next thing I know Valeria grabs me to see Mates of State down the street. I bid farewell to my half eaten gelato and off we went.

They were playing at La Sala Rossa. It’s a great, intimate club for shows. This was where I was introduced to Judgement Day. They can only be summarized as epic string metal. I highly recommend catching them sometime if you get a chance. They can also be found playing around on the street sometimes in Berkeley.

The night went on, we had some great conversations about their travels and we all decided to meet up at the Radiohead show the next day with another group of her friends…in the rain.

Still looking great in the rain.

We were in line for hours and thankfully it stopped raining and we were able to doze off for a bit. In fact, it got unbearably sunny at some point.

She's going to kill me for using this pic.

We were able to get to know each other better through our time spent in line, though I have to admit she still remains an enigma to me.  I found her incredibly free-spirited and I was astounded by the vast amount of time she has spent travelling the world. Much of that time on her own. I have to admit to some jealousy on my part. I think part of her mystery to me is planted in the fact that we had to communicate at a rudimentary level of english, so I had to read between the lines and take what I could from her stories. However, I could feel an exuberance and excitement for life from her.  I was greatly motivated to learn spanish afterwards. So was he…

Hypnotic eyes can do this to you.

We finally got into the show. Unfortunately, we got separated in the rabid throng of fans. We never got a chance to meet up again afterwards, but we’ve been able to maintain contact over the years. We always talk about having some kind of concert reunion meetup. Maybe this year. All I know is that I have always had a beautiful image of her planted firmly into my brain.

In my brain.

My Montreal Muse.

For those of you curious about the show. Here are some pics. Radiohead was touring In Rainbows. Before they came on it was pouring rain, but just before they walked on it stopped and a rainbow appeared. Epic and Perfect.