I’m lying here in a hotel room in the historic district of Montreal, Ontario, Canada staring at the “Mazda Lifestyle Drive” mascot or character and trying to figure out what to name him. Chris, the man behind @MazdaUSA and @Mazda2USA, declared at dinner that I could suggest a name for him but all I can think about is how I’m going to turn him into the roaming gnome of Travelocity fame.

What am I doing in Montreal anyway?

I have been invited by the amazing folks at Mazda USA to take part in the “Mazda2 Lifestyle Drive.” Tomorrow morning (Saturday), they’re unleashing a team of nontraditional media (bloggers, forum moderators, and other influencers) into the streets of Montreal with fresh-from-the-factory 2011 Mazda2 cars.The goal is to be one of the first people in North America to drive and experience Mazda’s new product and share the details with you, some will have to be withheld until after the press embargo is lifted on June 25th. Rumor has it there’s a photo contest between the participants and the details will be shared with us tomorrow morning before being introduced to the cars. Accompanying me on this experience is my husband and writing partner who has already published a brilliant prologue to this event on his blog.

So stay tuned!

There’s a lot of fun in store for us in the next 24 hours. We’re going to try and keep you posted via Twitter, so be sure to follow me and John over there, or the conversation #Mazda2.

Zoom-Zoom, my friends!

Full disclosure: Mazda USA is providing travel and accommodations for this trip, The Mazda2 Lifestyle Drive Experience. Thoughts, reviews, and opinions are still my own.