Sep 1
2010

With anticipation absolutely killing me, I paced circles from the huge front windows to the door with the sunlight streaming through the panes on either side and back. I anxiously talked to Katelyn while I waited and stressed and paced, but ended up hanging up the phone because my nerves were making it hard to carry on any semblance of a conversation. When I saw the vehicle pull up outside, I nearly exploded with pent-up energy and butterflies, and quickly grabbed the phone again so that when I opened the door, it looked like I was important and popular and was constantly barraged with phone calls. My goal was to impress, and in my teenage mind, zinging with hormones and excitement, that was the best way to go about it. Opening the door, he stood there with a goofy grin on his face, overwhelming me with his instant charisma and towering height. That moment, looking into his blue eyes, was the first of a few times that night where I fell hard.

I quickly gave him the tour, fidgeting and as wound up as a new violin, before we proceeded to walk down from my house to the shop so he could buy a new skateboard. I was enamoured by his humour and our similar tastes in actors and movies. Walking along the loading-dock side of Chinook Mall, we discussed Adam Sandler and how his friends often told him they saw resemblances in his jokes and mannerisms. It was one of the few times in my life when I was paradoxically so eager to talk and share and laugh, and so shy and in awe that I was speechless.

After the purchase and the walk back to my house, he decided to try out his new board, and I happily sat on the small curve of grass outside my house to watch him rip up and down the road, showing off as any seventeen year old boy would in that situation. He urged me to try it, but I wanted to avoid making a fool of myself as much as possible. His coaxing eventually broke my veneer of strength, and I stood wobbly-kneed on the board and inched down the sidewalk, gaining momentum at a pace far too fast for my liking. I ended up falling forward onto my elbow and hand, but it was my ego that was bruised the most. I felt like crawling under a rock and dying, after looking like such a noob in front of him. He helped me up and brushed me off, feeling terrible for not catching me. I have not been on a skateboard since that day.

I cleaned myself up inside, and guzzled half a litre of cranberry juice, trying to distract myself from how awkward I felt now that I looked so foolish. He calmed me down, and we ventured to the basement to watch “The Brave Little Toaster” while sitting on the squashy beige and green-accented futon. We were wrapped in a blanket that my mom had for years, a needlepoint of a big teddy bear, and the warmth between us was electrifying.

That night, with my sister “babysitting” us from across the room, I got my first kiss. That sealed it. I have never felt such tentativeness, tenderness… we snuggled closer and smiled like co-conspirators at each other, going in again and again for the soft brush of lips. Playing it cool in between, I was dazzled by his elegantly long fingers, so much longer than my own dwarf-sized hands. When he went home, the sweater I was wearing while with him, that still smelt like his cologne, was draped across my pillow and that night was one of the happiest, most fulfilled nights I have ever had.

–

The second time we met was at Chinook Mall, by the Starbucks within the Chapters at the far corner of the building. I was as nervous as ever, worrying he wouldn’t remember what I looked like, worrying I would mistake someone else for him, worrying that he wouldn’t even come… but he did, with that same smile that melts my heart to this day. We spent the day wandering through the mall hand in hand, blissfully unaware of everything but our blossoming romance, looking nowhere but at each other. With a group of mutual friends, we stood outside Spencer’s and tried to figure out how to spend the rest of the afternoon, and what movie to watch later. I wandered apart from the group and stood grasping the railing and looking down at the floor below us, watching the tops of people’s heads and just completely caught up in my own thoughts. Suddenly, his long arms engulfed from behind, encircling my waist as he held me tightly and looked down below with me. Six years later, I have never felt more secure and happy and safe than I did at that moment.

We ended up slipping away from the movie before it even began, just he and I, and walked to the little park I knew was nearby. It was night, and we laid in the field, shivering and keeping each other warm with hugs and a rain of kisses, getting closer than we expected or thought possible, and staring up at the ocean of stars twinkling brightly above us. Walking back to the mall so we could get picked up by our parents, he carried my purse because the weight of it was bothering my shoulder, and I felt so much love in that simple act, that he wasn’t like most boys with the attitude of not wanting to be caught dead holding a purse.

Outside of the Chapters, waiting for his mom, we leaned against the red brick support beam and kissed, the cold rock against my back juxtaposed with how warm I was where my body touched his while we kissed…

—

We’re wandering around downtown at twilight (which in the winter months is pretty damn early in Calgary), exhaling plumes of condensation like dragons, running inside from the cold. As we passed HMV (a music store), the song “Are you gonna be my girl?” by Jet is blasting from the speakers, and I playfully sing along and swing his arms dramatically, dancing with him in the middle of the hallway of the mall downtown. He laughed, and his eyes just shone.

Coming across a plus 15 (the indoors pedestrian walkway approximately fifteen feet above ground, connecting most of the buildings of downtown), we watched the cars whiz by beneath us through the windows, his arm around my shoulders, before he pulled me closer to him and brought his lips to mine again…

—

It’s funny what we remember from when we were younger. All of these images, and so many more, memories stored permanently within my heart, they’re all there, and nothing will ever make them go away. Even when we broke up, and because I knew I had no way to move out of the city, I wished all of Calgary would burn to the ground and take my memories and thoughts and heart with it. The moments of unadulterated, pure happiness like that are so far in between for some people that I guess they just forever remain ingrained within their psyche. At least, that is my experience, six years later and still as crystal clear as if it happened six hours ago.

Sure, I have been happy in the interim between then and now. But I think we live things more vibrantly as kids, and simple moments of bliss mean more and stay with us longer, because we live more in that moment, back before bills and kids and jobs and responsibilities dull the shine of simple things in our lives. I wish I was as carefree as I was back then, as free with my emotions and my thoughts and heart, I was less guarded, more trusting, more open to being loved and giving it. Our lives seem to go from HD to rabbit-ear signal black and white vision, and how I wish it was the opposite way. Maybe it’s just my experience in life thus far, that the shine and colour seems to fade and seep away with age. The rose in my cheeks is losing its pallor with every day.

It’d be nice to have colour back one day.

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Aug 25
2010

On Friday morning, there was an accident in Calgary, and there is video footage of it (though not available to the public.) A twenty one year old man was killed. This happens every day, car accidents are an inherent risk of being a driver. What happened to this particular man, though, really speaks to how apathetic people are becoming, and it’s especially sickening that this callousness is recorded.

Early in the morning, Philip Harper was in this car accident, but what makes this case stand out is that he was thrown out of his minivan, was laying on the pavement, and drivers drove around his body. No one stopped to see if he was okay. No one pulled over to check his pulse, to see if there was anything they could do, or stopped to give what little they could, just comfort in his last moments. I went to school with Phil in junior and high school. He had celebrated his birthday two months previously. Friday morning, Phil spent the last minutes of his life on the cold asphalt on a street in Calgary, and people gawked and kept driving.

I am completely and thoroughly disgusted. It’s not that I was close to Phil, because I wasn’t. We were always in different circles in school. It wasn’t that he was barely twenty one years old. It’s that people could harden their hearts to the point where they clearly see someone that was obviously in an accident, laying on the ground, alone in his pain and fear, and they can continue to drive. How is that even possible? I have been lucky enough to have only seen one accident in the two months that I have been driving, and it was already being dealt with by the police. But this accident went unreported by almost everyone that saw it happen, or saw the results.

Although I didn’t ever really talk to him, it is clear through the status updates from my friends on Facebook, and on the memorial page that has been set up for him, that he touched a lot of people’s lives. This accident has impacted a lot of people, and I can’t imagine how his family is feeling after learning that this horrific accident was witnessed by so many, but reported by so few. Even worse that no one stopped to comfort him, or even check on him.

It made me stop and consider what I would do if I saw this unfold before me, or what actions I would take if I saw the wreckage of an accident. And the results were fast, and painfully obvious… I would at the very least call 911 and report it. If I saw that no police were there, and someone could be hurt, I would pull over and see if there was something I could do… how is the answer not the same for everyone? How is it possible for people to be so heartless?

I have read the comments that are on the news articles, and they are disturbing. Some are justifying their inaction by saying that when they call 911, they get snotty people answering the phones, giving a bad attitude and saying that they have already received plenty of calls about that particular incident. They also use a roundabout reason by saying that because the police don’t want us to use our phones while we drive, we are setting ourselves up to get penalized for doing this. Seriously? You don’t think that they would look the other way in this case? Reporting an accident is a necessity. They can’t know something happened unless they are TOLD, or happen to have a cruiser out and about and come across the carnage. What if it was your son or daughter that was lying on the street after a horrific accident, and people slowed down and swerved to avoid any contact with the vehicles, and carried on their merry way? Could you live with yourself if it was proven that had you called the police, the person would still be alive? The first ten minutes after an accident are the most critical to save the victim’s life.

R.I.P. Phil. It’s obvious that you were a great person that brought a sparkle to a lot of people. I’m sorry the world had to lose you when you had so much more life to live. You, your family and everyone else that was affected by your death are in my thoughts.

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Aug 2
2010

What a weekend!

On Friday, everyone from work went out to a nice restaurant downtown to unwind after a busy surgery week, and it was a nice way to welcome the new surgeon to our roster. Straight after dinner I drove out to Arrowwood to see Badger, and the drive out there was crazy. Calgary (and surrounding area) has been having insane storms pretty frequently this summer, and I was lucky enough to drive right into one. At times, the rain was coming down so hard and steady that I had zero visibility, and was just hoping that no cars would be on the road when I was blind to the world around me. There was a magnificent rainbow right in front of me as I went though, and rainbows always make me feel a little brighter.

Upon reaching Arrowwood, the lightening was happening so swiftly and vibrantly that I called B to come sit with me in my car so we could drive to the park and watch the show that nature was putting on. It was pretty anticlimactic though, apparently just as I came into Arrowwood, it all but ceased. Oh well. We went inside and had a nice, relaxing night together.

Saturday was the day of my birthday party that I was throwing, so there was a lot to do. I went to the grocery store to pick up buns and condiments for the barbecue (having already thought ahead and getting the frozen stuff last week), and then I hit up the liquor store. But you know… I realized that sending someone who doesn’t drink (me) to the store to choose booze for a party was a bad choice. It was BYOB, but I figured that I should have at least a few cans of beer to accommodate those who didn’t think to bring their own. I also bought myself a bottle of Sour Puss, which is basically the only thing that I can stand to drink. What an overwhelming array of choices, though! And I had no idea how pricey alcohol gets. Of course I know that there are thousand dollar bottles of wine and champagne and the like (Veuve Clicquot being a favourite of celebrities, right?) but “real” alcohol, the 40-proof stuff gets way up there too.

I pick up M from her house (after getting thoroughly lost, that will teach me to trust her meandering directions over opting for my GPS!), and bring her over to start preparing things for the barbecue at the lake in my community. B and M are introduced here, and get along swimmingly. And huzzah for me, they are both sarcastic assholes like I am, that’s why I love them both so much! (Except when they are making certain remarks about my parking or driving… haha.)

The three of us head to the lake and set up at the little picnic table hut that was reserved for us. It was kind of overcast outside, with the slightest tinge of a chill, so going in the water was something that we attempted, but ultimately decided to forego. Before stepping foot in the huge lake though, B and I kicked sand at each other and he came over and picked me up, Hollywood-lover style, which had me all starry-eyed, until he quickly turned towards the lake. Realizing his intent to throw me in, I start bucking wildly to escape his grasp (and the subsequent soaking that would ensue.) He is so damn lucky that I managed to drop to the sand right in time.

Nic and her fiancée L came to spend the afternoon with us, bringing such essentials as plates and cups. L manned the barbecue and we had a nice lunch, then we went out on a four-person paddleboat, Nic sitting on the hump of the boat playing “captain.” The bugs on the lake were monsters. Giant, Jurassic Park-style beasts that fly. It was horrible, and that paddleboat, even with four people working as hard as they could, was no match for their ferocity. Yuck!

When we finished up at the lake, then Nic and L got into their car and followed my car to the house where the party would be continuing. We were driving down a big highway when all of a sudden, lights are flashing and Nic and L are being pulled over. I was so confused, they weren’t speeding, they weren’t driving erratically… I had no idea what was going on and why they were pulled over. The only thing I could think of was that the headlights weren’t on, but it was midday and mine weren’t on either, so I didn’t think that was it. I quickly pulled onto the shoulder where there was a little section to fit a car. I text her and ask what happened, and find out that their registration expired and they had to park the car until Tuesday, when the registration offices opened again. (Monday is a holiday here, so they have no way to get around for the long-weekend.) To add insult to injury, they also got a $200 ticket. Bah!

Throughout the day, text messages kept arriving saying that people had this and that reason to not come, after saying they would. That is my ultimate frustration, people saying that they are definitely coming to something, then skipping out last minute. However, at least they TOLD me. There were a few that didn’t say a damn thing, they just didn’t show up. Not only is it disappointing, it pissed me off to just have no-shows. If you aren’t coming, at least have the decency to let me know. It’s not a hard concept to understand. Whatever. Some people are just inconsiderate, I guess. The people that did come were awesome, and we had a fantastic time.

I actually played my first drinking game ever. Everyone else but one guest was drinking beer, and I had a big glass filled with straight Sour Puss. Suffice it to say, I got pretty tipsy. I wasn’t full-out drunk, because after a bunch big gulps, I got sick of doing the shuddery-scrunch face that resulted after each sip, and I started to feel sick. I didn’t want to be wasted and projectile-vomiting all over the place, so I took it easy and let it stop and just-about-drunk. Most everyone left, so the remaining bunch of us made a midnight run for drunken-munchies at the 24-hour grocery store down the block. It was an odd feeling for me, since it was the same street that I used to live with A, the same Sobey’s, everything but ME was the same. It was a strange feeling. The hardest part of being there was walking the same paths I took with Sadie. I put those thoughts out of my head, kept my chin up and enjoyed myself. I have discovered that when drunk, some people get weird cravings. I stuck to a simple salad of lettuce, but they bought cheese buns with pepperoni-sticks inside of them, crullers, candy and sandwiches. Haha. The salad was wonderful, being tipsy makes for a good meal of lettuce and dressing.

We then put in “Paranormal Activity,” which thoroughly freaked out Badger and the other party guest who stuck it out until the end. They were too freaked out to sleep, and I was tired and in a pleasant mood. Thanks for that choice, M! Babysitting was not what I had in mind that night after you left ;)

On Sunday, I drove Badger back home, and brought my camera along for the ride. Along the way to his place there are a bunch of dilapidated farmhouses that are falling apart and no longer in use, and I have always wanted to stop and photograph them with my wide-angle lens. B was patient enough to do that with me, which was really enjoyable. We found some beautiful rocks along the train tracks beside old grain elevators that were no longer in use, and it was a really relaxing way to spend a few hours in the sunshine outside. The bugs were plentiful though, which put a slight damper on things.

On the agenda for this week? Well, I work today (Monday,) so nothing exciting today. Tomorrow is my birthday, so I took it off from work. No plans, I just didn’t want to spend my 21st birthday in the clinic. Apparently one of the detailing-places in Calgary does a free car-cleaning on a person’s birthday, so that’s what I’ll be hitting up tomorrow! Hooray for clean cars. The only other thing worth mentioning this week is a meeting I have with my newest employer/venture. I will be writing posts and doing product reviews and copyrighting projects for a local designer, which I am really excited about. Wish me luck with that!

I leave for Halifax in eight days, so I also really need to get some more concrete ideas about what I’m going to do with myself while I’m there. Things at home have been kind of rough lately, so I’m glad to be getting away from all the crap here and relaxing.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

XOXO

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Jul 28
2010

I must have. I must have been out to lunch when this little tidbit was shared with Calgarians. Apparently though, if you have a BMW, you can be a complete asshole on the road.

I’m not sure what it is, but whenever I’m on the major road in Calgary (the Deerfoot,) I consistently see BMW drivers cutting people off, merging in really suddenly without even a cursory flick of the hand in thanks, nothing. It’s as though because they have pricey cars, it completely entitles them to do whatever the hell they want. Even if they are ugly, old beat-up B-mers, they are kinds of the asphalt.

So, the person has some super-charged, epic BMW with ridiculously expensive rims, and a over-tinted tint on every one of the windows, naturally us other lowly cars on the road should part like the friggen’ red sea and let them through, as though they are on a runway, merely allowing us peons the pleasure of seeing its taillights (because of course, they are going so fast that we are basically searching through dust just to see those).

M says that I may have a bias against BMW drivers because of a certain someone I know who does… but he drove the same way as the rest of them. It’s so damn aggravating. I hate seeing them on the road, especially in rush hour when I’m tired and not overly-happy to be fighting through the sharks in the morning and afternoon.

Geez. This was a pretty sarcastic post, usually I try to tone that down a little. ;)

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Jul 17
2010

Alright, further clarification about my views on the Stampede animal deaths and the rodeo. People in Calgary (and elsewhere) are decrying the whole shebang, saying that the animals are being mistreated and abused. I don’t feel that way. I’m sure the animals (at least the horses) have pretty cushy lives, especially the ones that are worth literally hundreds of thousands of dollars. I don’t think they are being starved or beaten or neglected. My issue isn’t at all with any allegations of abuse. It’s the cruelty involved in watching and promoting a sport that so recklessly and unnecessarily endangers the lives of these animals. To me, it’s small consolation that these animals are treated well (which is how they should be treated regardless) in between doing things that could end their lives. There are people doing small protests and things of that nature in support of the rodeo and the owners of these animals, vehemently denying any abuse. What they don’t seem to understand is that most of those who oppose the rodeo aren’t upset over the general welfare of the animal in the “off-season,” it’s the terrible risk that they are in each and every time they train and compete in these sports that are completely archaic in this day and age.

Just thought you should know.

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Jul 17
2010

I’m here! Sorry about the gap in posting, things have been crazy. I have a backlog of emails to reply to, and phone calls, it’s chaos at the moment!

I drove out to Arrowwood on Tuesday night after work and spent Wednesday with Badger before heading back to the city. As always, it was a nice getaway from things here. And right behind his house is a huge field of canola, so it’s like looking at an ocean of such a vibrant yellow… it makes me pause and stare every time I’m outside there because it just puts me in awe. It’s gorgeous and so strange to see.

When I got back into the city, I stopped at a strip mall to do some shopping for M’s birthday present. I parked in the lot, grabbed my phone and started replying to the bunch I got on the drive back in (I can’t text and drive) so my mind was instantly consumed. I went on my merry way throughout the various stores, picking out stickers and finding the perfect day-planner. (She wanted a day-planner to help her keep everything together in one place to stay organized, so I found her a gorgeous academic one, then decorated it with stickers and wrote random facts, jokes and FML submissions on random days, to give her something to look forward to.) When I got back to my car, I started shaking my purse, listening for the usual jangle of keys, but alas, there was no tinkling sound emanating from my purse. I started furiously digging through it, taking out things and putting them on the hood of my car, desperately searching for them. No luck. I looked on my car seat, in the middle console, on the floor, but I couldn’t see them anywhere. Then the clouds shifted just a bit, and there was a dazzling shine coming off of them, sitting happily in my ignition.

I panicked. What the hell was I going to do? I had no way to get into my car, my laptop and a bunch of clothes and stuff were in there as well as my GPS and Ipod. What if someone broke the window and stole it while I walked around? I called my mom and asked what I should do, but she didn’t really know. I basically had two options. Wait for her to get off of work in a few hours, drive home and try to find my spare key before coming back and helping me in, or calling a tow truck. I chose to wait, since I really don’t have the money to toss around on tow trucks. My uncle was conveniently at the same place I was and offered to let me stay at his house until my mom was done, but I was too stressed and wanted to remain close to my car in case anyone tried to break in. He did his best to reassure me that no one would steal my car, but it’s a big city, of course it could happen.

She called me hours later to tell me that I must not have given her the key, because she couldn’t find it. I was freaking out, because I can specifically remember when I gave it to her. I didn’t handle it as well as I could have I’m sure, but I was stressed to the max. Luckily, she did end up finding the key and rescuing me. What a disaster. I sure learned my lesson though, now I always ALWAYS double-check my keys are put in my purse before I exit the vehicle. The problem was that I am so diligent about locking the doors and closing the windows tight so no one breaks in, when I locked myself out there was absolutely no cheat way to get in (the ol’ hanger through a cracked window and whatnot). Fun times.

Thursday, I went to get summer tires put on my car so I could finally stop driving on my new winter tires (that came with the car.) I went to a dive-y little restaurant to wait out the tire exchange, so I could read and write while I waited. After perusing the menu and not really finding anything that appealed to me or that I could eat, I asked for the penne with marinara sauce instead of the alfredo sauce. The waitress was like “No, I don’t think we can do that.” I was perplexed. “You can’t put a tomato sauce on my pasta instead of the cream sauce? I’m vegan and don’t eat cream or meat.” She said she would ask the kitchen for me, and I uneasily left her to do that, trusting that someone with common sense would realize that switching the sauce is not a difficult process unless it was all pre-made and frozen or something, which it shouldn’t have been. Twenty minutes later she comes back and says “It’s going to be a while, we need to defrost the meat sauce.” Holding back a sigh of disdain, I calmly said “As I said, I don’t eat meat or cream, that’s why I asked for the marinara sauce.” Shaking her head, she replied “We only have meat sauce.” *Headdesk*
“You don’t have a plain tomato sauce for your pasta?” Again, she went back to the kitchen and asked. How hard was my request? Why couldn’t I have just a plate of pasta with tomato sauce on it? What am I missing here? Half an hour later, they brought me a disgusting plate of food. Oh, how I regret choosing that place to sit in and eat at. Never again.

M and I then got together to hit up the Stampede, which was so much fun. We started with one of the craziest rides in the park, and in front of us was this family from Quebec that was the least classy mix of people I have encountered in a very long time. The daughter of the group was wearing short-shorts and a plunging v-neck top that was cropped, was smoking up a storm and punching her idiot little brother in between drags. The …mom? Aunt? was with her clearly newer boyfriend, making out with him and teasing him and her leather-brown skin was covered in trashy, terribly-done tattoos. They were being loud and raucous and rude and both M and I were just… embarrassed for them. It’s hard to describe the bunch, but it was painful to be stuck behind them in a very long line for so long. M and I had wonderful luck on the rides though, and always managed to get to the front seats of whatever one we happened to be on. I also watched horses doing cow cutting for the first time ever, and it was remarkable. The way those cutting horses move, with so much agility and speed, was spellbinding to watch. They looked like border collies with sheep; they were so swift and easy to maneuver… I love those kind of sports, that actually have a purpose other than being the fastest or staying on a bucking bull’s back for a full eight seconds. These horses were so well trained, worked so hard and looked like absolute naturals in there. It was a fantastic experience.

My stupid moment of the day? I won thirty percent off of a flight to anywhere Westjet flies, which is amazing. Not so amazing is the fact that I gave them the wrong email address, so my little coupon is lost somewhere in the abyss of the internet. I called Westjet when I got home (the kiosk had closed by the time I really started freaking out, worrying I gave my wrong email address) and they told me to email someone, though they never told me how long to expect to wait for a response. So I proceeded to call them the next morning and reiterate what was happening, hoping against all hope they could find my name somewhere on the list of people that won… I have to wait about a week to hear back. Now that it has been a few days, the major anxiety over it has waned, because as M put it, I lost something I never really had. It would be fantastic to have it, but if I end up not being able to get the discount, I just won’t be booking another trip any time soon, no harm no foul I suppose. I really felt so stupid though. What a ridiculous issue to have. If it had been a normal keyboard I would have been fine, but I didn’t double-check the spelling on the stupid touchpad. Bah!

M and I went on the skyride, which is a mutual favourite of ours. It’s a simple little seat attached to a wire that slowly goes in a straight line over the whole Stampede grounds (kind of like a gondola), providing a lovely respite from the crowds. As we were on our leisurely ride, a compartment going in the opposite direction held two young boys, no older than ten or eleven, and they got my attention and one hollered “I love what you’re wearing!” I was taken aback, so I just smiled and said thanks, until a little further up we both burst into laughter. It was so random! Usually younger boys like that aren’t really noticing girls my age… are they? I don’t think so… unless it’s the whole baby-sitter crush thing that sometimes happens… anyway, it was amusing. Then two or three compartments behind those boys, another cart holding two young men (probably eighteen or nineteen) went by, and one of them said something about how I looked and asked for my number. You know, I have never, EVER been asked for my number before. Guys have asked for like, my email address (for MSN, the phone of the new millennium!) or my Facebook or whatever, but never for the oldschool method phone number. Again at a loss for words, I merely mumbled a thanks and smiled as the ride carried me away. M and I looked at eachother and were like… “What is going on!?” Getting hit on twice in the span of forty seconds was definitely a nice feeling, but it was very strange at the same time. I got a lot of coy looks and smiles and some waves (and one girl telling me it was her birthday), and M asked what it was that made people speak so openly to me, and I had no idea. I guess I look approachable? (This must be so, because I went to the Stampede again last night and had literally five or six people ask me who was playing on the Coke Stage, to the point where the woman standing next to me actually said something about it, then later said “Since you seem to know everything about what’s going on with the concert, are they finished now?” Of course, there was the overly-contrived encore to come, so I told her there were a few more songs to come.)

After this tomfoolery, M and I met up with her sister and two of her sisters friends, a boy and a girl, making for one lucky man with four blondes all to himself! We were all sitting at a table talking while I had my first candy apple, which was massively disappointing. And MESSY. You should have seen my face after I finished with it; I looked like a sticky four year old, red dye all over my face and teeth. It was totally unattractive. Haha. We went outside to peruse the midway, when Pat (the guy) and I decided to go on the reverse-bungee ride together because M wimped out (I’m calling you out on that, your damn candy apples were a fourth of the cost!). We stood in the line and had a fantastic conversation about travelling, school, careers, relationships, and our plans for the future, all in the span of half an hour while we stood waiting for our turn. I was trying to keep his mind off the ride, because he was freaking out and was near tears due to his huge fear of heights. I didn’t want him to chicken out so I had to go alone! I told him that he would regret not doing it, and when we finally got to be flung into the air, he was exhilarated (as was I) and was so glad that he did it. It was worth the forty dollars, but I don’t think I would do it again just because of how short the ride is. The Skyscraper I went on last year lasted way longer, and is better bang for my buck. Here is a picture of what we went on. You get shot up into the air (it takes 1.8 seconds from the ground to the top height of the ride, then bounce up and down a few times before returning to solid ground.

That was all on Thursday night. Last night (Friday) I went with my friend O to see One Republic, which was a really enjoyable show. I was pretty impressed that they were on the lineup to play the Coke Stage, because they are a pretty big band now and the star-power over the past few years has been on the decline. I also saw Marianas Trench on Monday night, which was nice. I love how polite the Canadian bands are in contrast to American ones, there really is a significant difference in their demeanor and attitude towards the fans and crowds. You can’t beat our Canadian boys! (Alexisonfire (especially Dallas Green,) Our Lady Peace, Matthew Good, Marianas Trench… the list of awesome Canadian bands keeps getting bigger and bigger).

I also thought I should mention that for the first time in for as long as I can remember, and can search through Google, there was an accident on one of the amusement rides at the Stampede last night. The compartment became detached from the arm of the ride and threw riders against the concrete ground. No one died, but at least six people were seriously injured (nothing life-threatening.) This has been a terrible year for the Stampede with six horses dead in five days and now a ride mishap. Alberta as a whole is not doing well this month. I don’t know if any of you Americans or otherwise have heard, but there is some special-interest group in the US bashing the shit out of Alberta and saying that our oil sands (out East they are called tar sands) are just as bad as the BP spill in the gulf, and are spreading propaganda through a few cities in the States and are bringing their campaign to the UK soon as well. They are basically telling people to not visit Alberta because we are a dirty province ruining the environment and killing things. The truth is that 1,600 ducks did die in the tailing ponds from the oil sands, and Syncrude was found guilty in their deaths. The company could face a maximum penalty of $500,000 under the provincial law and $300,000 under the federal law, and I hope that they are fined to the full extent because of the damage they caused and the death toll. Syncrude has been very publically flogged because of this, and they are bound to be more diligent in taking care of things in the proper way, which is fantastic. However, for an American company to start slinging mud at our province, trying to tell the world how horrible it is here, they should take a look in their own backyards. The BP spill was under control as of what, yesterday? And there are still questions about the effectiveness of that, and a massive, massive economical and ecological fallout from that, affecting far more than 1,600 ducks. So forgive me (and the rest of Alberta) for being pretty upset over the ridiculous parallels this group is trying to make. Once everything is perfect down there in the US, THEN you can start casting your stones. Until then, let us deal with our problems without you trying to ruin our tourism here. In case you were wondering what the purpose of this advertising was, the group wants the entire world to stop using fossil fuels. Well, when that group lives in caves for a while and realize how ridiculous it is to say that they want the world to instantly stop using these fuels, I hope they realize how foolish they look. Scientists are working on alternative energy and fuel sources. However, because these are not viable yet and not implemented, how about we continue to grow and learn and make the best of the situation? If your group is so dead-set against fossil fuels and the way we do things, how about making a move to get America to stop buying oil from us. Oh ya, the rest of the world isn’t a huge fan of you, so good luck with finding alternatives to our product.

Alright, rant over.

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Jul 16
2010

Dead.
The total is now six dead horses in less than ten days.

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Jul 13
2010

Just in case any of you thought I was being dramatic in my post about the rodeos, I just thought I would mention that since last Friday, three horses have died. One had a fatal heart attack when doing a practice run for the chuck wagons, another had a heart attack in a herding exercise (and ended up landing on a female rider, who now has a broken shoulder and a traumatic head injury,) and the horse Sinder Mountain had to be euthanized after breaking his back during a novice saddle bronc run. And a province over in BC, an eighteen year old boy died after being bucked off of a bull then trampled on during a rodeo event.

Entertaining, right?

Update: A fourth horse died last night, during (surprise surprise) the Chuck Wagon races. The Stampede goes on until Sunday. I wonder how many more animals will die in vain.

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Jul 9
2010

Alright, so anyone that knows me knows just how much I love the Stampede. I love the intoxicating buzz of excitement that sweeps through the city, the solidarity that we Calgarians show in banding together and showing tourists a rip-roaring good time, I love the cute little red flags they put up along one of the busiest roads in Calgary, I love the pancake breakfasts (though I have hated those gross things since I was a kid, I just enjoy how happy everyone else is at the prospect of free food,) the cowboy hats and denim… it’s a wonderful time to be in Calgary. You just have to get used to the crowds and the tourists and kids on the train and the terrible country music blaring around everywhere.

There is one thing that I really wish would change, but never will, and that is the rodeo and events like it (chuckwagon racing, steer wrestling, etc.) As much as I (and others who feel the same way) would be ecstatic, the cold reality is that it will never be eradicated. Our rodeo is the largest one in the world, with a million dollars up for grabs, and it’s too engrained into almost everyone’s minds as necessary. They justify these events by saying that we are simply going back to our old-western roots, it’s a fun time and people enjoy it. You know what else was prevalent in the old west that was a ton of fun too? Bar fights, pistol draws, coups on Indians, brothels, and cholera. Oh wait, only one of those sounds fun, until that burning sensation arrives upon urination. The joy of advancing as a society is foregoing outdated, crass and sometimes cruel pastimes, and moving forward towards things that are enjoyable but don’t cause destruction and pain. There are no longer public hangings (in North America, at least…), though I hear those were pretty fun times, we no longer use horse-drawn buggies as transportation, we have medically advanced to the point where polio and cholera and dysentery are things of the past, yet we still revert back to the use of animals as entertainment.

Now, I’m not just bitching for the sake of bitching (though I admit, I do my fair share of that.) If these events were perfectly safe and weren’t harming animals (and, to a less important degree in my mind, humans,) I wouldn’t care. But the fact is that animals do get injured during these events. It’s inevitable. First of all, there is the transportation of the animals from their homes to the Stampede grounds, in poorly-ventilated, sometimes pretty downtrodden trailers. For others, there is the dangerous task of having the horses walked from one place outside of Calgary into the city, which resulted in the death of nine horses when they jumped off a bridge and landed in the Bow River. Luckily, they stopped that practice once those deaths occurred, but the risk was always there, and it took that terrible event to make them step back and consider the lives of these animals. Now let’s delve a little deeper into the most problematic events, shall we?

Calf roping is one of the worst events in my eyes, and with good reason. They take three or four month old calves, stuff them into the chute, and release them once they are good and scared from having their tails twisted and being poked with prods so they shoot out as fast as they can away from these taunting actions. Doesn’t sound so bad, until a huge horse and human come barreling towards the baby, getting as close as possible before the man tosses a lasso around the calf’s neck which makes them airborne before falling hard and heavily onto the ground, stunning them, when the contestant jumps off the horse and ties a rope around three legs. It all happens so fast, most people don’t take the time to realize just how terrifying this would be for the calf. Many injuries occur (and obviously go unreported, wouldn’t want to stop the massive amounts of cash from rolling in from spectators,) and when they do, clowns come out to entertain the people watching and distract them from the fact that a baby cow had its spinal cord or neck or leg broken, so they don’t watch it get dragged off to be euthanized. Neck and back injuries result from the rope that jerks them from their feet, and then they get slammed onto the ground by big “cowboys” which also can cause bodily harm.

The chuckwagon racing is another dangerous event for everyone involved, horse and humans. In this one, large wagons are pulled by a team of four horses around a track at breakneck speeds, and you can imagine the horrific injuries that occur. Horses die from heart attacks (two just last year of this very reason,) broken legs that are cause for euthanasia that are results of slipping around the tight corners, collisions with wagons or fences that can bring entire teams down, causing numerous injuries… And this isn’t a hockey fight where people are excited to see some bloodshed, this is animals downed, scrambling in turmoil and pain, until they are dragged away to be killed. I’m there are some sick people who enjoy seeing these injuries, but I imagine (and hope) that most people are horrified when it happens. Unfortunately, that horror (disgust, outrage…) isn’t enough to make them stop watching the events, stop paying money to encourage companies to sponsor these events… it just doesn’t. People overlook these tragedies as unfortunate mishaps, but they don’t seem to realize that we are supporting the carnage by watching it, because these deaths don’t have to happen.

Then there are the bull- and buck-riding competitions, where thick leather straps are pulled tightly around the horse or bull’s loins which makes them really uncomfortable, resulting in the bucking (that is aimed for) in a feeble, desperate attempt to stop the pain caused from this flank-strap. Not to mention some cruel people pulling their tails and poking them with various implements to aggravate them further, and the steel-spurs that are used to dig into tender flesh, to make those jumps big and entertaining. Dr. C. G. Haber, a veterinarian for over thirty years, has seen many animals sent to slaughter after being used and discarded from rodeos, and said that they are “so extensively bruised that the only areas in which the skin was attached (to the flesh) were the head, neck, leg, and belly. … I have seen animals,” he said, “with six to eight ribs broken from the spine and at times, puncturing the lungs. I have seen as much as two to three gallons of free blood accumulated under the detached skin. Bullfights are merciful compared to rodeos.” Yet year after year, about a million people pour through the gates of the Calgary Stampede to watch these events, and it just continues. Money talks.

Of course, after years of heat from protestors, media relations-people are saying that they are implementing new rules and regulations to try to cut back on animal injuries. Well what else are they going to say? “Animals get hurt, and we have to waste the money on killing them humanely”? Obviously they are going to try to appeal to people that are upset and outraged at the senseless and completely avoidable injuries and deaths by saying things like “Nobody cares more about these animals than we do. There are injuries and we do tend to these animals as quickly and humanely as possible.” (Which Doug Fraser, media relations manager of the Calgary Stampede did say.) The thing is, these new rules are rarely enforced, and if they are, it’s not like the fines are significant enough to stop the competitors when the prize-money is so high.

I have never watched any of these competitions, though I have been invited to sit in cushy box-seats with free food. I have outright refused to participate in these activities in any way, because I do not condone what they represent, or the injuries resulting to animals and humans. (I must say that I care far less about the humans, since no one is forcing them into this dangerous way of making a living. They see the injuries that happen firsthand, they have been injured themselves, and yet they continue to do it. No sympathy from me.) I don’t support Bell and would never use them as a provider for any service, because they are huge sponsors of the rodeo. So call me a stick in the mud, or a wet blanket, or whatever other (old-fashioned, to keep with the theme) insult you want to sling my way, but I will fight for what I believe ‘till the death. How can we call ourselves an advanced society when we still rely on the psychological terror and physical pain of animals to entertain ourselves? It’s the same argument I have against circuses. We need to grow the hell up, realize that there is nothing “forward thinking” or “advanced” about us if this barbaric form of fun is still used and defended today. There is no reason for these events to take place, other than the millions of dollars coming in from people attending the rodeo live, and from watching it at home on television.

2010, and we still act like we live in the middle-ages. Yeehaw.

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Jul 7
2010

1) A woman’s cat was potentially poisoned by a neighbour. She can’t afford the $400 fee it would cost in order to verify for certain what it was, but the city will actually pay for it because they want to know if the cat was indeed poisoned. If this had been my pet, I would be devastated and angry, but I’m finding it hard to have tons of sympathy for this woman. It is against Calgary by-law to let your cat roam free. I don’t care that it is tagged and neutered and immunized. You are not allowed to let your cat wander. In my mind, if you let your animal wander the mean streets of Calgary, they have a good chance of dying without you ever knowing, be it being struck by a car, eating something in the garbage it shouldn’t have, being eaten by a coyote or stray dog, or being at the mercy of cruel children with too much time on their hands and not enough supervision. How much do you really care about the life of your pet when you let it wander off in a huge, busy city like Calgary? Frustrating.

2) A guy went over to Europe for a trip, and he used his phone overseas to do things like stream the radio from Calgary. He was surprised that his cell phone bill was almost $8000. First of all, it’s his own damn fault for not just calling his provider and getting a roaming package while he was gone. Second, why the hell was he streaming the radio through his phone, OVER SEAS? It’s called an Ipod. No commercials! Idiot. So he was pissed, bitched to the media about the bill and how it was basically “extortion,” and the company reviewed his bill. They reduced it to about $2000, which is similar to what he would have paid had he got the roaming plan while he was gone. You know what the kicker is though? The company gave him such a significant amount of money off of his bill, which they totally didn’t have to do, and he is saying that he will be switching his carrier. So let me get this straight. You are too stupid to plan ahead and get a roaming package, you stream the damn radio from Calgary on your trip in Europe, you are shocked at the bill and complain to anyone that will listen, they give you a substantial amount off of your bill, and you are STILL switching providers? Really? Because they charged you according to what their rates are, you signed a contract and agreed to said rates, they gave you leniency and reduced your bill even though they did nothing wrong, and you have the balls to still complain and say that you are switching carriers? I wish they would have told you “Too bad, so sad.” You make your bed, you should lie in it. Especially with your entitled, ridiculous attitutde about things. Ass.

3) A woman was killed while she was driving yesterday. The brake drum from a large truck fell of, was shot into the air by a large truck behind it, flinging it through this woman’s windshield and killing her. Police are looking for the truck that the drum came off of, as a matter of public safety. How horrific. It was a freak accident, but horrible that she could be driving perfectly fine, being cautious and being a safe driver, and she still gets killed on the road. My condolances to her family.

4) Thank god the World Cup is almost over with. I am so sick of hearing about it and seeing it and having the entire world consumed with a stupid sport. END already.

5) Lindsey Lohan is going to jail. She was sentanced to 90 days behind bars, then 90 days in an in-patient rehab facility. Being a celebrity, it’s pretty much left unsaid that she won’t have to stay in jail for her entire sentance, how nice for her. If it were you or I, you can bet your ass that after being given the same amount of chances she had, and continually messing them up, we would have the book thrown at us. Not the famous, though! Last time, she was in jail for 84 minutes. Hopefully this time, she stays at least four hours.

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