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I'm in the Engineering building, and I think I may be the last girl left in the building (she just left). I've made positive contact with my supervisor (first time in months, regrettably) and I'm feeling quasi-productive. True, I'm a little terrified that tomorrow marks the first day of JULY, but it's mostly a self-inflicted terror, seeing that most of June I was preoccupied with things other than thesis work.
I know that the more I work on what I'm supposed to be working on, the less anxious and self-defeating I become. The tricky part is finding the motivation to come to school in the middle of summer.
I think I'm past the inspiration stage. I'm through with the panic-and-frantically-pray stage. I'm done with the reverse psychology, and the threatening myself stages. Now, I know I just need to get this thing done -- and if it means stranding myself in a fluorescent-lighted hell of a brick building for the next two months, so be it.
I know I won't be officially done, or graduated until spring of next year -- issues with immigration and employment are helping to inspire this delay -- but, I should be teaching my own section of business communication next term, which means I really need to get it in gear if I'm going to be at all successful.
Goal: written drafts (in some semblance) of all 5 chapters by August 31.
Means of implementation: deliberate staring at computer screen, forsaking of (some) weekend trips and summer fun, much consumption of caffinated beverages, and few shining moments of literary genius.
End result: one piece of paper that says I'm supposedly smarter.
Stay tuned, for this and other forms of pathetic graduate student angst!
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Wedding present hangovers ... are the best!
I just got a package from a good friend back home. In it were some pretty things from here and 2 homemade mixed CDs. I couldn't ask for anything better.
Here's the playlist of one of these CDs, and you'll see why this grrrl is close to my heart:
Stand by my Woman -- Lenny Kravitz
Say Goodbye -- Dave Matthews Band
Bodies -- Jennifer Nettles Band
Summertime -- The Sundays
The Water is Wide -- Lillith Faire
Waste -- Phish
Fields of Gold -- Eva Cassidy
Don't Ever Wonder -- Maxwell
You are so Beautiful -- Joe Cocker
At Last -- Etta James
Sexy -- Black Eyed Peas
You Sexy Thing -- Hot Chocolate
I Want You -- Cheap Trick
Kiss Me -- Sixpence None the Richer
Let Go -- Frou Frou
These Arms of Mine -- Otis Redding
The Promise -- Tracy Chapman
Turn Me On -- Norah Jones
I'll Close my Eyes -- Dinah Washington
Love it. The next CD has everything from Cold Play, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, to Patty Griffin.
If I had a million dollars, you can bet I'd be flying home to South Carolina to thank her in person. Until then, phone calls and emails will haveta suffice.
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The old idea of the intellectual as the one who speaks truth to power is still an idea worth holding on to. Tyrants fear the truth of books because it's a truth that's in hock to nobody, it's a single artist's unfettered vision of the world. They fear it even more because it's incomplete, because the act of reading completes it, so that the book's truth is slightly different in each reader's different inner world, and these are the true revolutions of literature, these invisible, intimate communions of strangers, these tiny revolutions inside each reader's imagination, and the enemies of the imagination, politburos, ayatollahs, all the different goon squads of gods and power, want to shut these revolutions down, and can't. Not even the author of a book can know exactly what effect his book will have, but good books do have effects, and some of these effects are powerful, and all of them, thank goodness, are impossible to predict in advance.
Literature is a loose cannon. This is a very good thing.
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| If you're interested or a part of the Make Poverty History movement, tonight they're having a special documentary report on CBC's The National. (if you don't have access to a CBC station -- poor you! -- but you can also watch the broadcast online.) |
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It looks like Mark Fuhrman is going after Michael Schiavo -- and the media, not wanting a horse to remain dead, is kicking --
Sean Hannity and the Confederacy of Dunces
Of course Hannity wants the spotlight on Schiavo. This will distract the public from the fact that Terri’s autopsy backs Michael Schiavo’s contention that his wife was in a persistent vegetative state, a claim that Hannity fought. Like Jeb and George Bush, Tom DeLay, and Bill Frist, the Fox talk show host doesn’t want to look stupid.
[...]Terri’s autopsy destroyed every claim Hammesfahr made about her condition. Terri’s brain was half its normal size, severely and permanently damaged, giving her no chance of recovery. She was also blind.
How did Hannity respond to the autopsy report when it was released June 15? He had as a guest that day Mark Fuhrman who suggested that Michael Schiavo had strangled his wife with a pillow back in '90. Though the autopsy revealed no evidence of this, Fuhrman explained that a police choke hold could deprive a person of oxygen without leaving marks. (Fuhrman ought to know, the ex-cop who used to brag about beating and torturing suspects.)
Shameless. Disgusting.
But Jeb Bush’s response wasn’t much better than Hannity’s. On the day of the autopsy results he directed Florida’s state attorney to open an investigation into whether Schiavo delayed in calling paramedics when he found his wife passed out in their bathroom. The pretext for Jeb’s sudden interest, 15 years after the fact, is that over the years Schiavo has given different estimates of the time he discovered Terri—was it 4:30 a.m. or 5 a.m.?
Never mind that it was very early in the morning, and Schiavo was panicking and trying to revive Terri—a far more human response than Jeb’s brother, George, showed as he sat dumbstruck in a second-grade classroom after having learned that his country had just been attacked by terrorists. ...
Sigh. I do feel sorry for Terri, what a legacy to leave behind.
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Last night, I had epiphanies at Tims. Tonight was an entirely different experience.
We headed over there a little after 1, complete with newly-repaired laptop in tow. Tonight I got up the courage to let Jerry read over my literature survey, to see if there were any gaps in my logic or flawed citations. Sometimes being married to another writer has its privileges!
That wasn't the odd part of the night. (it was actually quite nice -- not only in editing together, but in seeing how far I've come in this chapter!)
After about 2:30 or so, the crazies of Saskatoon start to appear. For some reason, tonight felt extra creepy -- maybe it was the stormy weather outside? We had everything from stoned out rich kids looking for some free donuts to soaked night drivers coming in to refill their cup.
Of course, the one night I bring my laptop is the one night it would not stop pouring outside. Poor husband had to run all the way home to grab the car. And, like magic, as soon as he leaves the cafe, a really creepy shakey guy comes in and orders a coffee and muffin and sits RIGHT BESIDE ME in the completely empty restaurant. Disturbing, to say the least.
Luckily, my knight in a shining Beretta wasn't too long in coming to the rescue. The end.
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Computer, be slow no more!
I'm content with my new desktop -- but the 256MB of memory that came with it just wasn't cutting it. I'm at heart a multi-tasker -- so while I'd be working on the computer, I would get the dreaded "out of virtual memory" message, and things would go downhill from there.
But now, thanks to a local computer store and advice from my tech guy, I now have 768MB of RAM -- installed and running for less than 100 bucks. It was even delivered to my door!
Sweeeeet.
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Welcome to the 21st century, where we're still stuck in the "you asked for it" mode.
This billboard is found in Tennessee, and it's causing notable waves. It's put out by an abstinence group for teens, and in the attempt to generate good "buzz" for their campaign -- they've opened a different can of worms.
While some find the message sexist in the way it targets girls, Scott Hughes, director of Just Wait, says it's really more about teenage boys.
"Guys are turned on visually by what they see, so it's really saying guys aren't men enough to control themselves, therefore you have to be careful on how you present yourself," says Hughes.
I hate these types of messages. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for encouraging teens to think twice before having sex -- but I'm not for reinforcing stereotypes that if a girl wears a certain outfit, the onus is on her if anything should happen. Accountability goes both ways, fellas. Sure, I'm old school enough that I think particular body parts should remained covered -- but showing a little ankle doesn't take the responsibility off of the guy. He should be "man enough" to make the right decision.
These messages in society are frustrating, yes. But typical? Maybe a little too much, these days. I just hope girls don't buy into them, or other Revolve-esque attempts to subvert them into a particular mold.
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Epiphanies at 3AM
If I ever finish writing this thesis, my next writing project will consist of observations I've made at my Tim Hortons after midnight. Interesting people come out at this time of the night, and my book would describe them and their conversations -- along with the keen observations of my favorite Tim Hortons employees.
Anyway, tonight I had some alone time. Mr. grrrlmeetsworld crashed, leaving me with dishes that needed to be finished and a thesis that needed attention. So in response to these pressing calls, I fled the apartment with my newest literary victim in hand (courtesy of another bibliophile) and headed to my favorite all hours coffee shop.
I left while the moon was beginning to rise on the horizon, and came home just as the sun began her appearance in the skies. I love living on the prairie!
I'm having a hard time placing who I am nowadays, on the whole introvert/extrovert scale. Where do I find my fueling time? I once thought I was a full fledged extrovert, but these days I'm not so sure. I'm finding myself becoming quite reclusive, save a few lunch dates with some fun grrrlfriends. I don't think I'm quite the introvert, because spending time by myself makes Becky a bit lonesome. Ah well.
But my book and Apple Cinnamon tea were good companions tonight. Here's one passage that struck out:
Relationships aren't the best thing, if you ask me. People can be quite untrustworthy, and the more you get to know them -- by that I mean the more you let someone know who you really are -- the more it feels as though something is at stake. And that makes me nervous. It takes me a million years to get to know anybody pretty well, and even then the slightest thing will set me off. I feel it in my chest, this desire to dissociate. I don't mean to be a jerk about it, but that is how I am wired. I say this because it makes complete sense to me that we would rather have a formula religion than a relational religion. If I could, I probably would have formula friends because they would be safe.
Searching for God Knows What, Donald Miller
His feelings on friendship is what made this passage stick out for me (and cause me to dog-ear the corner). In another book I'm reading, there's a scene where the main character is forced to make a choice to trust in a precarious friendship -- and in the process, show a bit of himself, with the possibility of his vulnerability coming back to bite him in the end. When we got to that part of the book, Jerry asked me what he (the character) should do in this situation -- without flinching, I said that he should be himself, and not hold back out of fear.
I realize now how often I don't "play it safe" in my friendships -- and this attitude often comes back to get me in the end. Dissociating and being formulaic in my friendships is something I have to force myself to do -- usually I'm the one laying it all out there, taking risks and occasionally getting burned in the process.
And in those times where I'm burned, I always think to myself that I should know better -- and not trust as much or take the risks that I do. I always swear that the next time, I will. But of course, that doesn't happen.
Hmm, my apologies that this epiphany is a bit of a downer. My supply of this must be running dangerously low. (incidentally, you wouldn't believe some of the crazy things Google dredges up when you type in "happy thoughts")!!
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THE MALL'S BANANA REPUBLICS
FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM.
By Kate Hahn Oligarchy & Fitch
Forever Totalitarian
Club Monarchy
babyJunta
Dictatorship's Secret
J. Crony
American Eagle Occupiers
French Colonial Connection (FCCUK)
Old Duchy
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I just got home from a grown-up dinner party. I realize that I'm now technically in the age realm of "grown-ups" -- but somehow I'm always surprised when I find myself conversing about serious issues, surrounded by adults, complete with a glass of red wine in hand. It's a bit surreal.
Then again, I suppose it doesn't help that I'm still mistaken for a grade schooler. Really! Just last week, while we were visiting the Western Development Museum, one of the curators there asked me what grade I was in. And if that's not funny enough, I'm pretty sure he was serious.
Ah well. I enjoyed tonight, but tomorrow presents itself as a must-get-motivated-and-write-furiously type of day. My holidays are officially over. (sniff) |
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Happy Pride weekend!
I'm not silent when it comes to my support of all my homosexual friends -- in fact, I'm a bit of a bulldog when it comes defending any discrimination of them.
But I haven't always been this way.
 I'm from a long line of evangelicals, many of whom take the position of "hate the sin, love the sinner" (of which, I despise). I have a hard time with this type of discrimination -- not only is it a ranking of some sins as worse than others, but it's condescending and anything but compassionate.
Most of the people I've encountered who label gay people as "depraved" usually have never had a relationship with anyone other than middle-class, fellow WASPs. It's amazing how much your perspective changes when you have a friendship with someone with an "alternative lifestyle" and you see the challenges they face every day, and some because of these God-fearing people.
Since high school, I've had the privilege of having several friendships with all sorts of people -- gay, straight, brown, yellow, odd and downright peculiar. But I'm not sure what's worse -- having people who outwardly label and condemn ... or those who subtlety condemn under a guise of passive aggressiveness -- in other words, those who nobly reach out to homosexuals as if they were a different species of human that required extra precautions and prayer.
Sometimes I wonder if people really can hear themselves speak when they're spewing out such vitriol. I've seen friends I know as loving parents suddenly morph into a labeling sin-machine, casting out the depraved in "defense" of institutions.
Usually, if I can change the tone of the conversation away from the indifferent "other" of the homosexual, and then put a face on them -- perspectives suddenly change. For example, it's easy to label someone as "deviant" -- but if I ask if a committed couple should have the visiting privileges of family at a hospital, when the other is deadly sick ... well, then that's a different story. The same goes with insurance benefits and other non-religious rights.
I'm verging on ranting here, I know -- but this is something I'm passionate about. I'm fully convinced that the current atmosphere of the Church concerning homosexuals is not only wrong, but it's harming people more than its helping them.
I know there's many out there that disagree with me -- and that's okay. But this is an issue I won't be quiet about. |
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See my little sister blog at See Suzy Spin (yet another member of the grrrl meets world family!).
Fair warning, she looks to be a better writer than I -- so I post this link with a little trepidation!
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You know, there's so many times where I've felt ashamed over different actions (or inactions) of my country -- but today, I felt somewhat ashamed of my adopted country, Canada.
Today marks the 20th anniversary of the bombing of Air India flight 182.
It was deemed the worst act of terrorism in Canadian history: 331 people were killed in two decisive and deliberate explosions — one in a Japanese airport, another aboard Air India flight 182 in 1985. For the families of the victims, most of them Canadian, this was just the beginning. Charges of investigative bungling would be followed by the more startling accusations that CSIS, Canada's security agency, intentionally initiated a coverup. For [20] years Canadians have grappled with this unsolved crime for which no one has yet had to pay.
Today is the first anniversary where any public or political attention was given to the victims and the families of this tragic event.
Earlier this year, two men were aquitted of the crime, and now the families want the government to conduct a public inquiry into this event.
I'm shocked that this is the FIRST year where this event is being publicly commemorated. Today, the Prime Minister and other political bigwigs made a PR appearance at the memorial service in Ireland, and flags around Canada were flown at half mast.
Why did it take 20 years for the government to acknowledge these families? This strikes me as very un-Canadian -- and, dare I say it? Racist? Most of the victims where Indian Canadians -- and part of me can't help but realize how different this tragedy would be regarded if the plane had been full of white business men and tourists.
I hope the government will do the right thing -- and beyond sighing and posing for the cameras, I hope they'll look into this event and give it the fair investigation it deserves.
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Cheer me up headlines for a gray Thursday afternoon:
- Bush to Shun G8 Allies on Global Warming: OSLO (Reuters) - Unconvinced that the world is warming, U.S. President Bush looks set to shun pleas by his main industrial allies to step up a fight against climate change at a Group of Eight summit next month.
- Pentagon Creating Student Database: The Defense Department began working yesterday with a private marketing firm to create a database of high school students ages 16 to 18 and all college students to help the military identify potential recruits in a time of dwindling enlistment in some branches.
- Supreme Court Rules Cities may Seize Homes: WASHINGTON - A divided Supreme Court ruled Thursday that local governments may seize people's homes and businesses against their will for private development in a decision anxiously awaited in communities where economic growth often is at war with individual property rights.
- US Votes to Slash UN Funds: The United States House of Representatives has voted to halve contributions to the United Nations unless it introduces radical changes. Support for expanded and future peacekeeping missions might be refused if a list of demands are not met.
- Bush's bulldog speaks: Democrats demand Rove apology: Rove, in a speech Wednesday evening to the New York state Conservative Party just a few miles north of Ground Zero, said, “Liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers.” Conservatives, he said, “saw the savagery of 9/11 and the attacks and prepared for war.” He added that the Democratic Party made the mistake of calling for “moderation and restraint” after the terrorist attacks.
Video of the douchebag's comments here. Imagine, the Bush administration exploiting 9/11 and mocking/demeaning those who disagree with their regime's policies. Shocking, indeed.
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It's never fun to be the one left behind when company leaves. After having some semblance of family here over the last two weeks -- now that they're all finally gone, it feels awfully lonesome.
My relationship with my family is funny (in that odd sort of way, not as in funny ha-ha). There've been times when I wanted to get as far as I could away from them -- you know, those I'm-a-teenager-so-I-won't-walk-too-close-to-them type of times. But now that I've settled down and started another family of my own, I'm finding that it's harder and harder to be so far away in another country.
I'm not sure what the solution is to help this achy feeling dissapate. I know I'm exhausted, so that's not helping things -- but somehow I think this hurt I have is because I'm finally feeling like I'm connecting again to my family, and just when that connection is beginning to feel comfortable, I've got another 6 months to wait until I see them all again -- that is, if I can get home for Christmas.
Maybe I'm just this way because I've had a long-needed 2 week holiday from everyday life, and I'm selfishly wanting to hang on to that as long as possible. Oh well.
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5 hours from now, I'll be company-less.
These last two weeks have been a whirlwind of family time. It's hard being so geographically far away from my family -- so while they've been here, we've squeezed in as much time as we possibly could. From driving all over Alberta to showing off Saskatoon, we've covered the gambit. (pictures of our Saskatoon experience here)
I'm exhausted, but I'm also dreading the departure gate at the airport this morning. I know that I've missed the normalcy of my life, but a part of me likes knowing that a hug from my parents is only a room away, rather than 2000+ miles or so. I know I'm an admitted sap when it comes to my family, so it didn't take much for me to put my life on hold for these two weeks to enjoy all the time I could with them.
So tomorrow I'm expecting myself to be a bit mopey as I recover from these visits. I'll do laundry, straighten up my apartment after 2 weeks of visitors, and organize my school stuff so I can be productive starting Friday. I think I'll give myself a day before I begin berating myself over my lack of thesis-work accomplishments.
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"Regina is hell." -- my husband Got back early this afternoon. It seems like we always run into bad luck, crazy traffic/construction, and frustrating times when we go to Regina.
But, we did get out to the RCMP museum, the legislative house, and to Wascana Lake -- the pictures of it are here.
Saskatoon really is the Paris of the prairies -- and yes, I definitely am biased. (and glad to be home!)
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Looking for a scary bedtime story? Read this article from last month's Harper's:
Soldiers of Christ II
by Chris Hedges
[...]What the disparate sects of this movement, known as Dominionism, share is an obsession with political power. A decades-long refusal to engage in politics at all following the Scopes trial has been replaced by a call for Christian “dominion” over the nation and, eventually, over the earth itself. Dominionists preach that Jesus has called them to build the kingdom of God in the here and now, whereas previously it was thought that we would have to wait for it.
America becomes, in this militant biblicism, an agent of God, and all political and intellectual opponents of America’s Christian leaders are viewed, quite simply, as agents of Satan. Under Christian dominion, America will no longer be a sinful and fallen nation but one in which the Ten Commandments form the basis of our legal system, Creationism and “Christian values” form the basis of our educational system, and the media and the government proclaim the Good News to one and all. Aside from its proselytizing mandate, the federal government will be reduced to the protection of property rights and “homeland” security.
Some Dominionists (not all of whom accept the label, at least not publicly) would further require all citizens to pay “tithes” to church organizations empowered by the government to run our social-welfare agencies, and a number of influential figures advocate the death penalty for a host of “moral crimes,” including apostasy, blasphemy, sodomy, and witchcraft. The only legitimate voices in this state will be Christian. All others will be silenced.
[...]
I can’t help but recall the words of my ethics professor at Harvard Divinity School, Dr. James Luther Adams, who told us that when we were his age, and he was then close to eighty, we would all be fighting the “Christian fascists.” He gave us that warning twenty-five years ago, when Pat Robertson and other prominent evangelists began speaking of a new political religion that would direct its efforts at taking control of all major American institutions, including mainstream denominations and the government, so as to transform the United States into a global Christian empire. At the time, it was hard to take such fantastic rhetoric seriously. But fascism, Adams warned, would not return wearing swastikas and brown shirts. Its ideological inheritors would cloak themselves in the language of the Bible; they would come carrying crosses and chanting the Pledge of Allegiance... Adams told us to watch closely the Christian right’s persecution of homosexuals and lesbians. Hitler, he reminded us, promised to restore moral values not long after he took power in 1933, then imposed a ban on all homosexual and lesbian organizations and publications. Then came raids on the places where homosexuals gathered, culminating on May 6, 1933, with the ransacking of the Institute for Sexual Science in Berlin. Twelve thousand volumes from the institute’s library were tossed into a public bonfire. Homosexuals and lesbians, Adams said, would be the first “deviants” singled out by the Christian right.
We would be the next.
It is a scary thought -- the rest of the article is filled with all sorts of scary evangelical crazies. I know that these are extreme examples, but I'm mainly posting this article for the sake of discussion. (note that disclaimer before you flame)
And yes, there's a Hitler reference -- did anyone catch the Daily Show's "A Relatively Closer Look: Hitler References last week? It'll be a nice distraction for you after reading that article above. |
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We're off for a day trip down to Regina -- mainly to pick up my fixed laptop, but we'll see some sights down there, too.
When I come back, I may just have a post full of Qs and 2s -- just to celebrate having a full keyboard again.
UPDATE: QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222
Yay! My laptop lives and is complete again -- now with a new (not defective) power supply, a brand spankin' new keyboard, and a cleaned out fan (so I won't burn me lap when typing on it). Now I'll have NO excuse not to thesis write -- though I'm sure I'll find one. Or two.
My parents also bought me a handy carrying case for it -- which included a wireless optical mouse, as part of the deal. Not too shabby, and it'll save me from the horrors of my lappy's trackpad. Plus, it's just sexy geeky cool.
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Out of the twelve or thirteen tables we set up, I knew people on 3 of 'em (so, maybe 10-20% of all those who attended?). Anyway, here's a shot of the crazier of the bunch -- thanks for coming out, y'all. (one ironic sidenote: the one photographer of us is the one most covered up -- sorry about that, Ang!)
There's more pictures from the reception and gift opening here. It's quite something to be the recipient of such gifts! It's really humbling to see what people are willing to give you, just to wish you well. We've got everything from cash to an amazing smoothie maker to cookbooks and gift cards. It was like an undeserved Christmas!
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Well, I survived it. I've met my share of uncles, aunties, great-aunties, grandmas, grandpas, cousins, nieces and nephews, and a host of other relatives whose names now escape me. After tonight, I may just become an introvert for a few days.
But what a grand time.
I have some amazing friends and family. Lately I've been belly-button gazing and feeling sorry for myself over a couple of instances that were out of my control -- but tonight showed me that my friends will come out of the woodwork to support me (even with some renting a car to get there!). Thanks, y'all -- you don't know how much you mean to me.
Tonight -- I was hugged, applauded, teased, serenaded, read aloud to, photographed, toasted, kissed, and just loved. It was great.
And thanks to super-quick-posting man Randall, not only do I have this picture of the event:
 and also thanks to him, I now have the song that LT and Scotty sang saved and uploaded for all posterity. LT & Scott, you boys are wild, and yet -- talented? The harmonica and "and...and...and" parts completely won me over. Thanks for that. And thanks also to those of y'all that said something nice about me, or us. You've given us some great memories to add to our pile. I'll be adding some more pictures of the experience as I get access to 'em. But for now, I'm going to practice not smiling ( my cheeks are sore) and enjoy the rest of my evening with my handsome husband. |
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My weekend (or, how my sister is one crazy vacation itinerary planner) --
What a great time Jerry and I had with my sis and her hubby. They arrived on Thursday night, and Friday - early Tuesday morning, we had a whirlwind tour of the prairies and Rocky Mountains. Pictures of all these experiences are on my Flickr page.
Friday:
We had planned on getting out the door and on the road by 10AM. Of course, after staying up til 3 or 4 the night before (introducing them to the wonders of Tim Hortons), we got out by 11.
In Kindersley, SK, my sis noticed an electric plug hanging off my car in the front. She held it up, and with great concern, asked me if this was supposed to be hanging on the front of my car. Oh, to be in the naive state of not needing block heaters!
 We inched our way to Drumheller, Alberta. After a brief stint of being lost (damn that elusive Alberta road 838), we reached the dino-friendly Welcome sign. We then proceeded to the world's smallest church, Horsethief Canyon and of course, The World's Largest Dinosaur. In between that time, we enjoyed watching all the prairie gophers and two boys run up and down the badlands like crazy men.
We finally made it to Calgary, only to discover that I had forgotten the carefully-packed bag of tolietries for myself and my Mr.
We were in need of them, so after a late supper, we began a desperate search for a Shopper's or some other drug store that would be open that time of the night. Not only did we search and get lost, but after finally finding one (a half hour before it closed, no less), we had the experience of watching an extremely drunk woman assault a rent-a-cop of the mall we were visiting. Fun times?
Saturday:
 We decided to hit the Tower for a brunch, only to miss its breakfast time by minutes. After a quick look at the Calgary skyline, we settled in for a lunch in the revolving restaurant. The menu was not very inviting, and I decided on a Caesar Salad -- when it came out, I was presented with a small head of romaine lettuce and a small slice of prosciutto. I knew I must be in a fancy place when they made me make my own salad!
Our poor waiter, Albert, couldn't carry a tray to save his life -- so our ambiance was complimented with dropped dishes and trays, in addition to a very squeaky section of the tower that badly needed some WD-40 to allow the restaurant to pass over it quietly.
In addition to having an overpriced and under-prepared meal, I had a mini-celebrity experience. While we were waiting for our food, Jerry looked up and after a few glances, he recognized a friend from Saskatoon who was passing by. After a few minutes conversation, he turned to introduce me to him -- and his friend looked and recognized me as "grrrl meets world". He's a fan, so hi to you, Andy Mark! My sister thought it was hilarious someone would recognize me and know me as grrrl meets world. Stranger things have happened, but I got a kick out of it too.
The rest of the day was spent visiting MEC, finding me an outfit for the reception on Saturday, eating supper at Old Spaghetti Factory (spumoni, yum!), and a night at the hotel's jacuzzi. Not a bad day.
Sunday:
Okay, so by this time, I am one tired grrrl. Little sis and her hubby go non-stop, so  they got up first thing and checked out the Devonian Gardens they missed the day before.
But, she loves me and brought me coffee and some of these tasty confections as incentive to get up to drive out West. It's a good thing there's none of these shops nearby -- though Jerry didn't care much for 'em (sad thing, indeed).
We headed out on the Trans Canada, and stopped at the Canada Olympic Park for a soggy touristy stop. Great fun and silly poses were had by all. (we later had to rent Cool Runnings to fully appreciate the experience)
We then proceeded to Canmore, lunched at the Bolo Ranchhouse and had quite the waitress. I now know the "correct" way to reheat cold pizza. We then walked around some shops, dodged the ever-present raindrops, and had a blast at a used bookstore, a candy shop, and scored some amazing trail mix.
 Then it was off to the infamous Tipi (or teepee) experience in Kananskis. Again, raining non-stop, we were forced to roast our marshmallows over tea lights and not the campfire we had envisioned.
I suppose it didn't help our camping experience for me to talk about the bear attack that happened in Canmore earlier this month.
But despite the rain and unseasonably cold weather, we had a fun time -- it was such a great campground, we're already making plans to go again. There's just nothing like waking up and seeing mountains in your backyard.
Monday:
Today was the last day of our cross-province trek, and we left the campground a little after 9AM, not to return to Saskatoon until after 3AM Tuesday morning. Lots of driving and weather-experiencing took place in between these 18 hours.
Monday gave us quite the taste of Canada's meteorological delights -- in that one day we experienced rain, wind, snow, sun, hail, and heavy fog.
 First up: Lake Louise, a mountain lake filled with blue-green glacier water. Beautiful lake, not-so-beautiful gray skies and rain.
We then checked out the rest of Banff National Park, including Crowfoot Glacier and Peyto lake. While we were up in the mountains, we had a pretty good dousing of summer snow, as well. (I think snow has forever lost its romantic appeal to me, after spending 3 winters in Saskatchewan)
We then acted as tourists and played in Banff for the rest of the day. We saw an incredibly creepy merman skeleton,  ate fondue, and enjoyed the fleeting sunshine falling over the mountains around us.
Eventually we begrudingly began the quest home and had quite the "dining experience" at one of Hanna, Alberta's finer dining establishments.
Not too shabby. Thanks for this, Suz and Tim.
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Well, the folks have landed safely -- and they brought me a suitcase-full of goodies. I'm now stocked up on rainbow goldfish crackers, grits, cornbread mix, Amish peanut butter, and my share of Bath & Body supplies. Life is good.
I've got a list-full of stuff for us to do around town. My dad is adventurous when it comes to cuisine, and there's Thai, African, Vietnamese, and a host of other countries to sample. And -- the sun is actually shining outside! We're going outside to enjoy it.
I still have that looming post of what we did this weekend to post -- but until then, check out the pictures. |
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