Saturday, September 12, 2009

The pants that died in Edmonton (and other mishaps)



I knew their days were numbered, but I'd wished they'd had the courage to reach the Pacific. Alas, they died this morning at the corner of Whyte Avenue and 111th Street when a fatal rip across the right cheek finished them off. I bought a new pair, recorded their last moments, bid adieu and trudged on.
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It's been a week since I started. One short week that has managed to feel incredibly long. Perhaps it's all this falling asleep and waking up in new cities. Today, for the first time, I started to feel a little run down. Around 200 pictures were deleted from my camera the last time I tried to upload them to an internet cafe computer. These included pics of people I met along the way, a gorgeous sunrise over Saskatchewan, a kitschy diner at the Brandon bus station and Louis Riel's grave. All gone. Some of the people I'd hoped to see are sick or, I've managed to screw up our plans through my own idiocy. The weather's good in Edmonton, but I'm at a bit of loss as to what to do. Today I biked to the Muttart Conservatory. The bike path there was amazing, although the conservatory was a bit of a let down, especially the "jazzed-up garden" which featured paintings of jazz greats amid the begonias. On the way back, just as I was starting to enjoy the ride, I wiped out and scraped a huge chunk of flesh off that soft part of the arm right beneath the elbow. I also managed to fuck up my knee and shoulder and, like any self-respecting person, am a little annoyed that I made such a huge deal out of it in front of the crowd that gathered to help me up. I wanted to go to Fort McMurray, but the oil field tours are finished for the season. Plus, you can't find a room for under $150 a night there. (They boast on their website that they have a 1,000 rooms of accommodation in the city. Whoa!). Oh, one last annoyance, I bought a pack of cigarettes, which I hoped would ease the frustration if paired with beer, then found out you can't smoke in any bars, cafes or patios in Edmonton. Groan.

2 comments:

  1. take those cigarettes, buy a pack of beer and find a pretty park and relax! make picnicing friends and share. <3

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  2. Done and done. I biked to Horlach Park and basked in the sun. T'was lovely! Thanks for the suggestion!

    ReplyDelete