Monday noon
I couldn’t tell you exactly when it was, maybe 2002 or 2001, that I received an email from a photographer by the name of Paul Buceta. He had come across a portfolio of my pictures on a model bank website, but the pictures were old and weren’t at all the same quality as the work I was doing at the time of the email. I had completely forgotten about the existence of that portfolio until Paul reminded me of it in his message. In it, Paul introduced himself and asked me to check out his site, devoted to glamour photography, to see if I would be interested in posing for him. His site, which was new and on shaky ground, had a few photo shoots on it that he’d done here and there with more or less amateur models, but also a humorous private journal that I really liked. From his photos, remarks, and way of expressing himself Paul struck me as a friendly and approachable person. From a photography perspective I felt he could use a little bit of improvement because his pictures, though satisfying, did not justify the time and money it would take me to get to Toronto (6 hours from Montreal.) I thus politely declined his offer, though I did hang on to his site. I was after receiving my email that Paul made the connection between those old photos and the Lair, which he was already familiar with. In his response Paul seemed embarrassed at not having recognized me, but then who would have? My body, my face, my clothes, the lighting… everything about our photography had evolved.

Paul wrote me back about a year later, I think. His pictures had gotten much better and made me more interested in working with him, but because I didn’t have a lot of free time I couldn’t really travel. Recently, Martin and I had decided to cut out a few of our trips in order to work on our photography book. The bureaucratic work was almost finished and today I now find myself having extra time, and I am in the mood to start modeling again. I remembered Paul and revisited his website. I found that the quality of his photos professional, his models pretty, and the hair and makeup interesting. I thus contacted Paul and am now sitting on a train heading towards Toronto (I don’t like driving for several hours straight.) I remember my trip on a train in Europe. I had a first class ticket but there was a family with an endlessly crying baby in my car. Anyhow, for this trip I decided to try economy class to see the difference. It’s much better, in my opinion! Not only do I have a lot of room and an outlet for my laptop, there are no babies yelling in my ear! Now all I have to find are the bathrooms and the bar. Muahaha!

1 pm: Totally unnecessary whining, but oh it feels good to vent!

OK. There is no booze on this train, but there’s plenty of McDonald’s food Pew! When we were leaving the Montreal station it smelled of McDonald’s fries and cheeseburgers. Just when the odour was finally starting to leave we arrived at another station, and there, more people boarded with McDonald’s! What exactly am I missing here? Hurray! We’re taking the train so we can let ourselves have some McDonald’s? You couldn’t eat your damn cheeseburger at the station? Ok. Personally, I think it’s a plot by the train company to get you to buy a first class ticket instead of economy class. At least there they serve meals that don’t smell like McDonald’s! I worked there for 6 years and I think I’m a bit traumatized. I am sitting next to the emergency exit window and that little hammer suddenly seems very intriguing to me…That, or jumping out of the train. But hey, I’ll admit it could be worse. Like the time I was on the plane and the passenger in front of me brought himself an ENORMOUS salmon fillet with raw onions and was eating slowly, completely oblivious and inconsiderate about the nauseating stink he was generously assaulting everyone with. But I swear, if you elect me president, there will be no more McDonald’s or raw fish permitted on public transportation!

Wednesday 6:35 pm
Believe it or not, since leaving Montreal I have had neither the time nor the energy to write anything. It’s funny that this has become sort of a travel log, as I am currently back on the train, on my way back to Montreal (By the way I once again have a laptop outlet. Who needs first class?!) Since my trip was interesting, I thought I might tell you about some of what happened. First off, I arrived safe and sound in Toronto (hurray) and met Paul in the wrong part of the station. But whatever, what do you expect from me? I’m always lost.:) Paul immediately struck me as being nice, sociable, and funny: exactly the impression I got from his website. I was relieved, because a lot of the time people are not how they say they are, or how they give the impression of being. (I hope he found me as agreeable as I think I am on my site Ouf!) After kindly taking my suitcase (only one, but it weighed like 60 lbs!) Paul drove me to what I thought was going to be a cool store belonging to Rue Morgue magazine (A magazine devoted to horror movies) but was in fact their publishing house (sniff sniff,) which was filled with kind employees, but not a single morbid object to buy. As you know, I am a horror movie fan. But at least I could talk about it to Richard, who made me promise to go spy for him. After that we headed to a restaurant in downtown Toronto where I met his friend Sophia and significant other, whose name I don’t remember. (I’m bad with names. Oops!) It was a really fun supper where Paul laughed the whole time (actually he did this during the whole trip) and I learned that Sophia works as a model for the show Naked News (The name says it all: women give the daily news in the nude.) Aha! I’ll bet that got your attention and that you want to know what Sophia looks like! Well, she is thin, has black hair in a Bettie Page style, and a very charming and honest smile. I was pleased that I had good chemistry with the others as I sensed that Paul was very excited to finally meet me and that Sophia had heard about me, probably from Paul who can’t keep his mouth shut for more than 10 seconds (hahaha.) But I think I made a good impression, while happily drinking “a few” shooters. I’m not telling you how many! I don’t remember anyhow. :) But no, I’m exaggerating! After all, I had to make a good impression. On the other hand, French Canadians have a reputation for knowing how to party, muahaha! After the restaurant, where we had the worst burgers I have ever tasted in my life, the four of us went to have a drink at a local bar where a live band was playing. They were worshipped by a horde of old people, one of whom bluntly told us to shut up because we were being too loud. I was so embarrassed. I don’t know why, since it’s a bar, not a Pavarotti concert! Anyway, despite that little incident the night was filled with laughter, stories, and new friendships. I was nonetheless happy to go back to my hotel room around midnight, where I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow. Ahhhh…

Even though I have a pretty high alcohol tolerance (Hello! I worked as a waitress in a strip club!) I woke up with a migraine! Ouch! Luckily, Paul isn’t too much of an early riser and he came to get me at the hotel around 10 am. He was in pretty good shape, considering he had drank also (bah, just saying. Such a sissy, hey hey,) and we headed to his house, where he wanted to do the photos. The makeup artist he works with joined us there shortly afterwards. Lori is young, tiny, and cheerful. It is always nice to work with someone who isn’t prejudiced towards my body or my career. For the first set we started with light makeup, jeans, and a tank top. It was very cute and a good way for Paul and I to break the ice, because even though we got along immediately, we’d still never worked together. Every photographer has their habits, the same way every model has theirs. But everything went well. It was easy and fun, because the three of us spent pretty much the whole time laughing, which would inspire Paul to take out his camera much to Lori’s dismay, as she is camera-shy. I has to be said that Paul wasn’t going for the pretty shots, but rather for the comical moments where I would start making stupid faces, or when he would start dancing because he was happy to finally be working with me. It was the kind of video that you all enjoy as well. After the first set, I changed into a pretty cute latex outfit from Torture Garden. It is a black and pink skirt and long sleeve top. It also has an adorable tie. It’s pretty cute. It is the same, or almost (it has bows on the butt of the skirt) as the white and pink number I wore when I did a shoot in the desert of L.A. Since we weren’t really sure what to do with my hair I suggested I put on my black Bettie Page wig. And I must say it was a great idea (coming from me no less, ahaha!) It was a very pretty and sexy transformation. I mostly posed in a chair in front of a black background, which gave a sensual and playful effect. Not being used to working with latex, I think Paul had a few surprises on his computer because he felt it wasn’t reflecting enough. It’s like Martin always says: latex is difficult to shoot because of the glare.

During the shoot, our stomachs were “hungry like the wolf” like the song says, because none of us had eaten breakfast. What better than a burger to get rid of a hangover? (Bah, mini-hangover.) So we took a Burger King break and then started yet another set. This time it was a classy glamour style and I wore a jacket, pants, and a gorgeous bra (thank frederick’s for not forgetting that there aren’t just small chests in the world!) that was black and fuchsia. Very fashionable, with pink square sunglasses. I really liked the results. After that it was time for a more rocker style look that I really liked me cause it gave me some attitude and, as you know, I prefer the villain look to the sweetheart one. I was simply wearing black high heels, a thong, a black top, and let’s not forget the super sexy 80’s police officer style sunglasses. They made a huge difference in the look! Also, we were able to do full length shots, which I appreciated because it’s fun to show the legs in high heels. Mmm, high heels! I once again really liked the results. The other shoot is one I call the “Julia Roberts” because I was wearing a strawberry wig that reminds me of the one the actress wore at the beginning of Pretty Woman. This time I posed in front of a bubble mirror (Paul’s trademark) and I wore a black robe that was sort of 80’s style, and under that a super cute fuchsia bikini (me and my pink!) I think this was my favourite shoot from both days because I love the look with that wig, and the bikini contrasted well with my skin and the silver mirror. Very sexy. Good job Paul!

I must have been around 9 pm that I started getting really tired, but I kicked myself in the ass and we did a last set, this time in the bath. This set won’t be for all tastes because, you see, I thought it was lacking accessories and a story line so I suggested we use a knife and some fake blood. These photos might be disturbing for some people because I simulate a suicide and at the end I am covered in so much fake blood that I look like a crazy mini version of “carrie” (the movie.) I don’t think I’m going to show these pictures on the Latex Lair or on the glamour site, but I’ll show you some of them here. I personally really enjoyed doing this shoot (despite the freezing bath water!) because it allowed me to take on a new role similar to my Crazy Girl in the latex straight jacket. We finished at around 10 pm after looking at the bath photos (I was wondering how Martin was going to react,) and then Paul and I went for supper (which was lunch for us.) Not burgers this time, thank God! I had a chicken sub. Still, a bit healthier. Then I went back to my hotel room where I could have written a bit in my journal, but instead watched a half hour of what I call no-brain TV shows. Ahhh, relaxation.

It’s funny how fast time passes! My alarm clock rang at around 9:30 am. When it went off, I really thought I had just gone to bed! It’s strange because I slept a full 8 and a half hours, which is pretty close to what I normally sleep. Oh well, I guess the shoots and the shooters wore me out a bit… Once more, like a gentleman, Paul came to get me at the hotel and we went to his house. Sort of on topic, do you leave a tip for the maid on the pillow? I couldn’t because I had nothing but lip gloss (never without!) in my pocket and I felt terribly embarrassed. But neither Paul nor Lori were familiar with this practice, so I’m wondering if maybe it’ a Quebec thing. I don’t think so though…I should start a poll on my forum, if it hasn’t already been done. So anyways, to put me in the mood to shoot Paul decided to use his famous ball mask (never before worn by a model. I bet Paul was saving it for me, hey hey!) so I could rest my facial expressions, but still look glamorous. We added a black leather choker and bracelet to the look to give it an “Eyes Wide Shut” feel. Everything seemed like it would be nice and relaxing until Paul had the brilliant idea to have me where black ballet boots, that luckily (or unluckily for my feet) I had brought with me, and to have me tied at the neck with a chain that must have weighed 30 lbs! But I was say that the contrast between the softness of the mask and ballet shoes with the chain was really successful! Very beautiful nudes, and without a doubt my second favourite set, which will also be gorgeous in B&W. After that, since we were hungry we ordered submarines (it’s as though Paul always likes to have the same thing twice in a row, teehee,) which it seemed took forever to arrive. It must have been around 2 pm that I was able to calm my stomach, that was outraged I had been neglecting it in such a manner. Afterwards, Lori removed my makeup because I had raccoon eyes (I call it the Zombie Look) and gave me a more glamorous look to match the next set, where I was going to wear my knitted bikini before a brick wall background. Simple, effective, and cute.

We decided to end the photo shoot after the bikini set because it was 3 pm and my train was at 6:30 pm. Just repacking my suitcase took me 20 minutes! That’s insane! Then, I wanted to stop by Hiscott beauty supply (where I order from by phone,) where I bought a short, curly brown wig. It gives me sort of a 20’s look. Like I promised you on the forums, I won’t change my hair colour, I’ll just invest in wigs. After that, Paul had the wonderful idea to go visit George and Ana at their shop, Northbound Leather. I had never been in it and was impressed to see the quantity of clothing, as well as the originality of it. Wow! I think I should invest in more leather! It’s a good thing George was able to take my measurements on the spot. Afterwards we headed to the train station. Headed is a euphemism, what I should say is ran towards. Paul, who is naturally hyper, was pretty stressed I think. Me, I was more relaxed. And anyways, we got there early enough to have a drink in the bar at the station. Oh damn Paul! And so, here I am writing to you aboard the train. It is now 8:22 pm and I realize that my back hurts and I’m hungry. But before I jump on my meagre sandwich and take an anti-inflammatory which is likely to make me a bit crazy for the rest of the trip, I would like to thank Paul and Lori, with whom I had the pleasure of working with and hope to soon see in Montreal. I say, it’s their turn to suffer the smell of McDonald’s on the train! Hahaha!!

No but seriously, there’s McDonald’s on the train again. Pew!