Beau temps pour étendre

"Beau Temps Pour Etendre" is a Quebecois expression that means "A Great Time to Hang Out" and is the theme of this years Aires Libres festival in Montreal.

During Aires Libres Ste. Catherine Street is transformed into a pedestrian only zone between Berri and Papineau Streets...for 104 days.

Good news? Aires Libres transforms that area into a living museum, playground and theater.

The bad news? It closes on September 8...just 2 days before NLGJA's 6th Annual LGBT Media Summit kicks off.

But wait a minute...maybe you could head up to our host city a little early. Grab some sunshine. Play some beach volleyball at the corner of Ste. Catherine and Champlain or participate in a giant game of chess.

And if you go up early? You can take early advantage of NLGJA's convention hotel rate.

See that? More good news.

I say potato, you say poutine.

There is no middle ground here.

You are either a fan of poutine or you are not. 

What is it?

It's french fries.

Topped with meat gravy.

And fresh cheese curds.

You think on that.

Hush, hush. Keep it down now...

Rumor has it that there are new sessions in the works for the convention.

New. Sessions.

We're not ready to tell you about them right now.

But they're good. Really good.

Maybe now is a good time to bookmark the convention Web site.

Blogged Down

As you know (we hope), NLGJA has a few blogs running right now.

There's this one, which we like to think of as being casual, a little sarcastic and (again we hope) funny.

There's RE:ACT, the official blog of NLGJA. RE:ACT is like that person you know who is incredibly well-read, very well-connected and really fun to party with. (It would also correct that last sentence so it didn't end with "with.")

And then there's Career Watch, the online archive of our monthly e-newsletter that works to keep you up-to-date with tips and techniques to help you get the job, keep the job and/or stay on the cutting edge of things.

Here's something we noticed in the last issue of CW...which you can check out on the blog.

Three of the articles sent by our colleagues at NewsU and Yahoo! HotJobs deal with subjects our convention programming team selected for this year's Montreal event.

We're going to help you work on that Plan B.

We're going to look at how you can put social media to work for you.

And, we're going to be offering a host of tech-oriented sessions - for everyone from the luddite to the guru.

Slick, eh?

As always, you can check out the schedule on the convention Web site.

The empty calories continue...

I saw a poster the other day that made me think this would be fun.

Quick...sing the next line:

"I've been to Paradise but I've....."

Did you get it?

Okay. Now this one.

"O Canada..."

C'mon. You know it.

Or, you could come to the 2009 National Convention & 6th Annual LGBT Media Summit and ask one of the friendly residents of Montreal to give you a hint.

Empty Calories.

There is so much to like about Montreal and so many great things to talk about with the programming.

But every now and then you need a few empty calories.

Perhaps with a beverage tip?

On boulevard de Maisonneuve Est is a little spot (which was soon to sport a nice little patio when I was visiting) called Pica Pica. A tapas place with a menu that had my mouth watering I was struck by one thing. Something fantastic.

Or, to clarify, fantastic unless you're one of those people irked by the new trendiness of calling someone a mixologist instead of a bartender.

These folks are mixologists of the highest order.

And they're in the Village.

It's the best of all worlds.

Except, of course, for the fact that they don't seem to have a Web site. So you'll either have to take my word for it or...

...register for the convention today.

(Register *cough* Register)

You spin me right round baby right round...

Stop me if you've heard this one.

There are some - in both the LGBT and so-called mainstream media - who are questioning President Obama's commitment to LGBT issues.

Heard it? Really. Okay. I'm stopped.

How about this.

Has Obama's arrival...and that of a Democratic majority...changed what it takes for members of the LGBT press to cover the administration?

That will be the hot topic on Thursday at 10:45am when a panel of LGBT media journos and other contemplate Washington Goes Lavender.

(I know...it didn't really flow...but distract yourself with the really interesting blurb: From the White House on down to Congress, Democrats have taken control of D.C. What has that meant for LGBT reporters in the Capitol? Hear how they are learning to cover a gay-friendly administration and what obstacles that presents for news coverage.)

Is it a new era for Washington-based LGBT reporters or is the second verse the same as the first?

So close...so far away...

When you stop and think about it it's actually kind of amazing.

Just over there...right next door...is a place where same-sex couples can marry and out men and women can serve in the military.

I mean, there are folks from my home state whose backyards are actually, officially, in Canada.

Sitting in their living room, on this side of the border? No marriage. No military service.

Head to the laundry room though? All bets are off. Move that hamper out of the way...we're having a wedding!

That's why we're kicking off Friday's programming with a session we've dubbed: "Oh...Canada."

Okay, marriage and military service are subjects you knew about. But what don't you know about our friendly multi-lingual neighbors? More importantly, what information can you put to use in your reporting when you get back to your desk on Monday morning?

I'm going to a session in [mumblemumblemumble...]

Montreal is a fantastic city with tons to do and see and enjoy.

But that's not all that you're looking for from NLGJA's 2009 National Convention & 6th Annual LGBT Media Summit.

Perhaps, like me, you're working on how to pronounce the names of the breakout session rooms in a way that isn't too terribly offensive to our French Canadian hosts. Auteuil? Alfred-Rouleau? Ete des Indiens?

Just me? Okay.

Then how about the sessions. You can read all the snappy blurbs we've written to describe breakouts on trainings and panels like Ad Wars and Training on the Side and What's My Plan B?

But why these panels?

Planning a convention is a bit like inviting a half dozen friends to dinner. Three folks are vegan, two aren't doing wheat right now and one won't eat anything beige. (You know what I'm saying. You've been there.)

For this year's program we've focused on creating sessions that can give you something to take back and put to use on Monday morning. Whether you're a freelancer or newsroom staffer, editor for an LGBT weekly or on-air talent for a major cable news network. Our goal was to offer training that would cross platforms and cross skill levels.

Okay now. Vaudreuil? Anjou?

Anyone?

Livin' La Vida Local

My favorite way to travel is like a local...so what better way to get the low down than from a local.

Or a bunch of local. Bloggers.

Local bloggers.

Tourisme Montreal (a group of folks we really do like quite a bit) have invited a quintet of locals to blog about their favorite things in Montreal.

Daniel Baylis is the "gay blogger" of the crew but I gotta say. I'm a big fan of Katerine Rollet...the "epicurean."

I mean, c'mon. The woman took a pie in the face. That's dedication!

Student Project Applications Now Being Accepted

Know the next great LGBT journalist? Or maybe the next great journalist with a passion for covering LGBT individuals?

Make sure they know about NLGJA's National Convention Student Project.

Sure we could write all about how student participants will be given the chance to hone their skills while working with professional mentors. We could talk about the opportunity to be part of NLGJA's first National Convention to take place north of the border.

We could talk about a lot of things.

Or, we could link. Right here...so you can spread the word about a great opportunity no student journalist should let pass them by.

Best viewed with the theme from 2001 playing on your iPod.

So I bet you've been wondering where the tallest inclined tower in the world is located.

No?

Really?

Well, pretend for a minute that you have.

Pretending? Good.

The tallest inclined tower in the world is the Montreal Tower at Olympic Park. The tower actually juts out at a 45-degree angle...making that 5-degree tip of a certain tower in Pisa seem a little less precarious.

Built for the 1976 Summer Olympic Games (though it wasn't finished until about 10 years after the games were over...what are you going to do...) the tower was designed by French architect Roger Taillibert. There are three observation floors located in the tower and the attached sports stadium boasts six aquatic pools and a multi-sport facility.

The tower is open to visitors almost year round. A bi-level funicular elevator carries as many as 500 guests an hour up and down the structure.

You'll have to give me some time to figure out what a "funicular elevator" is exactly.

Looks cool though, right?

Sirius-ly...he's coming back.

I know, I know.

No good can come from a pun.

But he is coming back. NLGJA's 6th Annual LGBT Media Summit will once again close with a live broadcast of the Michelangelo Signorile's Sirius OutQ radio show.

If you're not already familiar, you can get a preview of Signorile's work over at his Web site, The Gist. But it's not going to beat having a front row center seat for the real thing.

Sirius-ly.

And they're nice about it.

You do not need to know how to speak French to enjoy Montreal.

Personally, I make sure to have a "bonjour" at the ready when hitting the hotel registration desk but I'm not fooling anyone and we quickly swap over to English.

Honestly, the only language issue I have when in Montreal is with the bathroom faucets.

The "C" on that handle? It doesn't mean "C" for "cold."

It means "C" for "chaud." Hot.

You might want to post a note on your mirror for this one.

I do.

No. It's a pastry.

Following my last trip to Montreal I told a friend that I hadn't gotten the chance to have a beavertail which was a shame because they're a favorite.

To which she replied, "Are they tough?"

In fact, they are not. Because it's a pastry and not the tail of an actual beaver. Think the doughboy/funnel cake family (depending on where you grew up).

President Obama actually got good press for making a beavertail stop on his trip to Ottawa. It made for the kind of headlines that made those not in the know say, "Huh?"

Bad blogger. Bad blogger.

So, I've commited blog blasphemy.

I started a blog and then left it sitting there on the corner, crying for attention. Probably playing acoustic guitar versions of popular tunes to earn pocket change. Shouting about "The Man."

But no more. It's June 1st. NLGJA's 2009 National Convention & 6th Annual LGBT Media Summit is just about 14 weeks away and it's time to get serious. To hunker down.

To blog.

About important things...like the new passport rules that just went into effect.

And completely unimportant things. Like Mr. Dressup.

Not familar?

Let me lay it down for you. Mr. Dressup was a Canadian children's show that starred the late Ernie Coombs. There were puppets and crafts and, of course, the Tickle Trunk. (Yes. I'm serious. It was fan-tast-tic.)

For a lot of us who grew up just this side of the Canadian border, Mr. Dressup ranks up there with Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers in terms of television memories.

Subjects more important than Mr. Dressup will soon appear on this page...like notes about how the full convention schedule is now online.

But you have to work your way into these things.