rueben releeshahn
tried and tested, finding focus
Dreary weather? Leave that in Edmonton
0138 days
by Releeshahn
in off the top...
Just a few weeks ago I was wondering how I was going to spend the New Year celebration; was it going to be fireworks with my friends, was it going to be cheese and crackers with my parents, was it going to be out having a drink, or at home here– playing games?
None of the above were applicable!
A friend of mine moved home to B.C. at the very start of November, and I had an open invitation to visit her on Vancouver Island, so that’s exactly what I did. With some planning and an unused WestJet travel credit, I had tickets and a loose itinerary.
B.C. is the place my mom grew up, it’s where I was born, and it’s sometimes considered a mystical place by an Albertan that wishes to travel. The coast of B.C. is one of only a few places that Canadians can visit where the ocean water is reachable, tangible, and an inexpensive flight is all it takes for westerners to be able to get their feet wet… it’s that– or fly to the east coast, or north to the cold arctic waters, or south to someplace not Canada.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I left Edmonton around 5:30 in the morning on Friday, the 30th, drove myself to JetSet parking and had them hop in my car and drive it away to park it for me. The JetSet building has a WestJet kiosk with a ticket-checker and bag-checker attendant at the ready, so I was able to get my boarding pass and have my luggage sent right to the airport, and then to the plane without me having to fumble it around from that point on. I’ll admit that I was really nervous about leaving my car in the hands of another person, and then they also took my baggage and carried it off?! Time to let go of some inhibitions, I guess. With a quick shuttle-bus ride to the terminal, I was able to skip the ticket line and take the “have checked in” line as I had my boarding pass already, and then I headed off to the security screening area.
I think by the time I was through the security checkpoint, my boarding pass had been scanned by some device or another about five times. Luckily, I think, the airport was not busy. The security checkpoint lineup area was massive, and could probably fit 300 people in the zig-zag maze of seatbelt barricades, but I was up to the front and taking off my boots in less than four minutes. Now here’s an important lesson I have learned– don’t wear work boots to the airport. Don’t wear a belt, and don’t take change… it’s just easier that way. Back on track after redressing and being metal-free, I zipped off to the gate to find it boarding a little early and I was in my seat right away.
Important decisions in life: “Window seat” and be trapped inside against the wall of the plane, last to leave but a place where one has the ability to set their sleepy head against the interior, or “Isle seat” and be required to get up and move each time someone wants to hit the can, but be able to get off the plane rather swiftly… given one is seated close to the front of the plane. I had a window seat on the flights to Comox, and an isle seat on the way back, so I have had both experiences. I will continue to choose a window seat if possible.
Landing in Comox after a one hour time displacement event, my friend and I were off to experience the island in her Chevy utility van. That is, after I had a rather tasty cranberry scone from the cafe in the airport, and it was really, really good. First scone ever for me!
The drive from the airport to the highway was pretty normal, I guess, being that the airport was on the other side of the city from where we needed to be. Traffic, more traffic, and finally… the Magic Bean Espresso Hut owned and operated by Miss Scroffel’s own mother. My chai with steamed rice milk was very enjoyable, and the hot chocolate for my friend was of high class, creamy and hot.
Once on the highway, the tour began! I sipped chai and I listened. The island is where my friend grew up, this was her home, where she was from, all of her important memories were here. She had moved from B.C. to Alberta six years before my current trip, and returned as the whispers from the ocean had filled her head to the point of bursting. I had met her just as her time in Alberta was coming to an end, and yet, here I was… sitting in her van as we cruised down the old Island Highway towards Parksville.
We stopped near Fanny Bay to see (and hear) the sea lions causing a ruckus out on a flotation of some sort. Sea lions… interesting flipper-ed creatures! They seem to like barking at each other and lazing about on top of the platform they occupied, and they were very, very loud about it.
From there, we traveled to Rosewall Creek Provincial Park, and then farther down the coast to Qaulicum Bay.
It was here that I really had my first taste of the ocean in years, right out on the beach at low tide to sift through seaweed and rocks to find bits of shell and beach glass. Now, I understand that this beach is a manufactured beach, but it has naturalized itself over many, many years and has turned out to be quite the place. My friend and I strolled along the beach for the better part of an hour before the wind became just too chilly to tolerate in my traveling clothes, so it was back to the van and on to the French Creek Harbour.
I didn’t mange to find the time to buy any seafood at the Marina, but it was a nice place to stop for a second and see all the boats cluttered around the docks. From there we passed though the town of French Creek and made our way down to Parksville, where my motel room waited for me.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Saturday morning started with a stroll through the lower part of Parksville, close to the ocean. Up the hill is mostly residential deveopment and some smaller shops. East from Parksville is developed into resorts and retreats, most of which were far out of my price range, even for being the low season. I grabbed a coffee and a granola bar from the Husky, noticing the oddities in the store that set the island apart from a place like Alberta: the shelves had fresh, local goods on them, things like honey and snacks made on the island or on the mainland.
At 11 it was time to check out, I packed up my suitcase and put my boots back on after taking some pictures of the Englishman River as it ran under the bridge behind the motel. My friend was on time to pick me up, and with another loaded van of moving goods, we headed back towards Union Bay to set up her apartment.
We offloaded the van easily enough, and it took until around 2 in the afternoon to get the desks and shelves rebuilt. With the apartment assembled, we set out again to do another ’bout of sightseeing before dark was to arrive. The loose plan was to make it back to Parksville before the shops were to close so I could get some shopping done, but that didn’t happen! A slight miscalculation in the timing of when stores close on an island on a holiday meant there was nothing open by the time we arrived back in town. Stopping back in at the cabin, we sat around an outdoor fire and chatted as the night crept out from the massive trees.
We started back to Union Bay in the dark, a little sad for no shopping, but I’ll be back. Pulling up to the apartment, we were invited upstairs to have a drink with the neighbors and bring in the new year with a small assortment of fireworks. With the night complete, and the new year started, I rested on the couch with a VHS of Bubba Ho-tep to sooth me (literally, this was like a soother) while my friend puttered about the room setting up bowls and movies and books and towels, sorting clothes and arranging trinkets to make the house a home.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sunday arrived far too early, far, far too early. I woke and began packing my things, knowing that my time was limited, and planned to get as much done in the day as I could. Qualicum was on the list– to find a nice place for the two of us to have a breakfast. Most of the town was shut down completely, but we came across a restaurant named Lefty’s, where the theme is left-handedness. The menu may have even opened the other way… I can’t be certain. Breakfast was delicious, tasty, well-prepared, served hot, and all done for an acceptable price.
We set off with my goods towards Coombs, taking the Alberni highway across that part of the island. We passed through Coombs, and although there were no Goats on the Roof, it was a treat to see the place that I had heard so much about. Butterfly World was also closed, but that’s expected, given the season. With Coombs just behind us, literally, we made tracks for the Englishman River Falls Provincial Park.
Now this, this is a beautiful place! The Falls were rather noisy, and alive, and everything I had imagined a waterfall to be. I think this was the first time in my life that I had seen something so cool this close. The park was arranged nicely around the falls, starting with a campground a short distance from the river, and the trails leading in a swoopey path back and forth path across it. We spent the better part of two hours shuffling our feet along the mossy, earthy ground, and I was snapping pictures left and right. I had never been so happy to call myself a tourist! Exhausted and back at the van after almost two hours of hiking, I put away my camera for the last time. With time running short enough to make me ponder if I might have time for anything else, we started off towards Courtenay.
Dark and wet, the highway to Courtenay was a sad kind of memory lane, I had to keep telling myself that I would be back one day soon enough.
My friend and I parted ways at the airport departures terminal, and I wandered inside to get checked in and have my bags swept away by the belts that do such things. It turns out that my flight to Edmonton didn’t require a change of planes, but we still had to stop in Calgary. I thought about hitting the gift shop for a souvenir, but realized that those kinds of souvenirs are for people that are not already Canadian. I bought a fresh banana miniloaf at the cafe where my time on the island began, and got into the security line.
Again with the boots… and belt… ah, well, maybe I’ll remember to wear something else for next time.
The 24/One challenge
0232 days
by Releeshahn
in off the top...
Here’s a quick little blip about a small film set I visited with a friend! Before the Oktoberfest on Rudi’s Farm, I was to pick up my good, good friend Miss Danielle and steal her away from the shooting of a 24/One entry being filmed by Shaun- an aspiring director. It’s not really a set at all, this close-to-final scene is being filmed in a park in north-central Edmonton on a very beautiful autumn day. The film is called Pretty in Pink, showcasing one man’s adventure to overcome obstacles and obtain the Cup of Destiny from those that would use it for themselves. …I think. I will edit this post once I have seen the film!
Shaun Lang and Nate in the background
A good time had by all
...busted. Apparently I was a ditraction!
Oktob-Septemberfest
0237 days
by Releeshahn
in off the top...
Our host, Rudi!
“Oktoberfest on the Farm” is what he calls it! Rudi’s gathering of friends and customers happens in late September; people are able to enjoy the weather, they’re not too pressured to attend something during the day, and they get to know one-another in full light. The sun eventually sets, however, and the fire becomes the only thing we can see by. I even had a drink or two this year– Alley Kat had supplied two kegs of micro brewed beer for Rudi, and there were Peach Schnapps and Jagermeister welcome shots. It’s a really great way to spend a Saturday night in September in Alberta, and a comfortable way to meet some friendly folk from around the country.
The food presented was really excellent, the wurst was good, really good… and the sauerkraut with ham was extra tasty. There’s this strange white noodle dish that I like very much, and could eat three plates of– but I have no idea what it is called!! Dessert was a very large Black Forest cake with fresh cherries, and coffee cake with, of course, coffee to go with it.
Around 11 PM it was time for people to start making their way home… I think the only downside of this Oktoberfest is the location. Rudi’s acreage is about a 25 minute drive from the nearest urban centre, and almost an hour from my own house in Edmonton. The pictures I took are in a Picasa album with the link just below the post. Enjoy!
It’s on the Fringe, but I can still wing it.
0281 days
by Releeshahn
in off the top...
Welcome to the 30th Edmonton Fringe, they said! Welcome to the 1st Edmonton Fringe, I said!
This past Friday was the second day of the Edmonton Fringe Theater Festival, and for it being my very first time to the highlight event that catalyzes Edmonton’s summer into fun, I think I made out alright. The face of the event is bold with the street performers, shopping stalls and edibles tents that dot the Old Strathcona area of Edmonton’s ‘just south of the river’ south side, and the soul of the event is embodied by the Venues and activities that are going on virtually every minute of every day for the entire festival.
The Venues are the plays and performances that really make the Fringe event worth the time to visit. Of course there are the street performances and the large stage at the center of the Old Strathcona area, all of which are free to view with donations appreciated, but behind closed doors are the ticketed, pay-to-enter, don’t-you-dare-be-late unique stage presentations being brought to life by very talented and dedicated full-time working-class peoples from Edmonton and beyond. One of the very first persons that I bumped into– once I figured out how to enter the grounds– was a man handing out free tickets to a venue titled “Notes from a Zombie Apocalypse”. A Fringe premier, his pitch made it seem promising and I took up the offer to go and see the performance that was actually promised to be an atypical zombie story.
With my zombie date not set until a little after 2 PM, I took a chance and visited some of the stalls and vendors scattered around the perimeter of the Library area. Paintings, glass birds, leather works, clothing, and jewelry made from vintage and antique goods including skeleton keys were the contents of most of the stalls. I had imagined that there would be more vendors to visit, but then reminded myself that the Fringe is not about buying things; it’s an experience. ”Experience Food!” is what my stomach said right about this time. Wandering the foodly arena that was once 83 Avenue NW, I was drawn to a stall split between deserts and some rather tasty-looking naan butter chicken wraps. $8 later, I had myself a spicy wrap garnished with shredded carrots, lettuce, and ranch dip that didn’t disappoint. Fresh cherry lemonade was my drink of choice and I sat down on a picnic table not too far from the main stage to stuff myself.
The performance on the stage was an odd one to behold. There’s a half-nekkid feller spinning a whip around and promising to swallow 4 feet of ballon while handing out cups to some ladies in the
audience… he actually had one of those white-tipped wands in his hands. Anyway!
Done my lunch and seeking adventure with but an hour to spend, I marched back around the performer and vendor area to find that some of the busker circles had started to sprout actual performers! Nearest where I was sitting was a man with what looked like a cross between a clarinet and a trumpet, it was loud, but enjoyable. It’s about the experience! Farther away and towards the Library was a odd man named Wally sporting blue pinstripe pajamas and standing on a suitcase scaring children away. His performance had a lot to do with audience participation and feedback, but isn’t that what the whole thing is really about? I stayed for most of his show, but with the end of the world as we know it fast approaching and my ticket being worthless if I show up even a minute late, I was forced to walk my way to the King Edward School and find the entrance to Venue #5.
Some of the Venues about the Festival aren’t all nicely packed into one city block, see. The walk to the school was almost 2 blocks in one direction from the main grounds. Some of the events are even farther away, but with thousands of performances going on over the week of the festival, they use whatever space is donated to the event while still making it as easy as possible for people to get around. The maps are clear and the destinations have adequate signage to bring people to the proper entrance, and one can always follow the streams of people that lead in and out of the main area.
Entering the school right on time and finding my way to a seat in the gym, I am looking down on a blacked-out prop-less stage with no idea what to expect. There is a light atmospheric track playing over a substantially clear sound system, and as the lights start to dim I realize that this is exactly where I should be. The play starts and only has two actors, one tall, one short; one bathed in cool, calculating light and the other in a warm glow of orange emotion. Though I’m sure this style of presentation has a proper name, I can only say that they took turns telling us the story of a small portion of their travels through a wasted world filled with the Undead. Without the use of gore or violence, using minimal props and very accurate and convincing sound effects, the storytellers reiterated letters they had sent to each other after crossing paths in the wasteland that was once North America. Obviously, even with a reliable method of sending letters in a wasteland, the chance that the letters would reach the appropriate destination with literally hundreds of millions of zombies between sender and recipient is very, very small. The letters recited were more like confessions, human and sensitive, each of them filled with unspoken fear as the adventures are acted out. I found myself sitting in complete silence, taking in every word, sound, and movement that happened on the stage and being very glad I had attended just this one 40-minute show. I need to see more plays.
Removing myself from the awe that was Notes from a Zombie Apocalypse, I meandered back to the main Fringe streets and avenues to take one last look around the area and make a couple of purchases before heading home for the day. Well! That was the IDEA. The busker circles had blossomed into what was now a bizarre assortment of musicians and magicians, performers and jugglers, talkers and singers, and people had begun forming impenetrable circles of glee around them. I stayed for awhile longer and watched a magician do some tricks, I enjoyed listening to a cellist play some rather amazing tunes via his attached effects pedals, and then saw a young man perform death-defying stunts upon stilts. I donated to all of them.
Being finally exhausted from the 28-degree heat and expressing pure happiness for almost 6 hours, I decided “No more pizza. No more peanut butter and jelly cupcakes. No more lemonade. No more Wally… well maybe more Wally next year. It’s time to go home.”
I boarded the 4 for University and my weekend started.
http://picasaweb.google.com/111330268657559044695/EdmontonFringe2011 Here’s the trimmed collection of pictures I took while I was at the Fringe, ENJOY!
Things to bring along! A small amount of bug spray and sunscreen. I also packed a 1L bottle of water, two granola bars, two apples, and some Pepto in case I ate something that didn’t agree with me. Hey, it’s happened. Bring cash also! Though a majority of the vendors have the debit card option, it’s nice to be able to slip in-and-out of a stall with only having to drop $20 on the table and it’s much easier to limit spending this way. Most items are rounded prices with no tax, or tax included. Bring sunglasses, but not JUST sunglasses, most of the plays are indoors and one won’t want to be waiting for their Transitionals to change over or be unable to see the stage in the darkness of live theater if they have to take their glasses off to “see”. Everything fit nicely into one backpack.
Total cost for the day! From the time I left to the time I arrived back at home, I will outline my entire expenditure. 1L bottle of water I had already. I also already had my other edibles at home. Bus ticket was $2.85, and the next thing I purchased was an event guide, $7. Donation not required but appreciated for entry $3. One free ticket was acquired for Notes from a Zombie Apocalypse, but another was needed for my friend Miss Danielle, $14. Donating to the magician was $3, donating to the musician was $3. Lunch! Naan butter chicken wrap with veggies sides, $8. Cherry lemonade (with minimal ice requested in my cup) $4. Moving from food to my venue was free, so was the trip back. One trinket acquired for my friend “Hazmaster”, $15. Donating to the stiltwalker $3, and donating to the cellist was $3. one wood-fired pizza and watermelon soda, $15. One irresistible peanut butter and jelly cupcake $4. Bus fare home was another $2.85. This all equals one adventure from 10 AM until 5:30 PM, but the price was $87.70
In the event of an Event, well, DO IT!
0330 days
by Releeshahn
in off the top...
yee-haw!
2011 Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo!
It’s a story, it is! I’ll start near the beginning and work my way towards the end, as all adventures should be laid out.
The plan was to leave Edmonton on Friday around 3:30, and with only a single, minor setback, that’s what happened. We arrived in Calgary around 9:00 and managed to get lost first thing on the way to the hotel. I have to say that the Crowchild Trail is a lot nicer than Edmonton’s Yellowhead Trail. After finding the hotel and checking in, and a fruitless trip around Calgary to try and find a PS3 A/V cable, it was time to sleep around 11:30. Danielle’s friend Victoria joined us at the hotel with a keycard I had the dude at the desk hold for her so she could get into the room. This was the first twist to the weekend– Victoria was working one of the booths at the Expo, but didn’t really have a place to stay, being that the hotel had multiple beds– I offered one up.
Imagine staying in a hotel room with a couple of girls… and keep your mind on the edge of this knife, really… it was a gigglefest until my mind simply gave up and I passed out at around 1:00 in the morning.
So begins Saturday! The plan here was to get up and hit the Expo by 9:30, which was the time of entry for those of us that had Advance entry passes. Well, it turns out that it takes a couple of ladies a little longer than 40 minutes in the morning to get ready to go. I’ll set my alarm for earlier next time. We had breakfast at the hotel room and we managed to meander into the main hall around 10:45 Saturday morning after I almost forgot the tickets. Instantly we were greeted with a massive display of costumes and excitement, the Expo center in Calgary is huge!
We began our journey through the hall in a bit of a haze, at first, there was far too much to take in in just one pass. After meeting with Dani’s brother Andrew, we split up for a bit and decided to meet back at the main “CCEE” booth in the middle of the palace an hour after breaking party. This gave me the perfect opportunity to attune my camera to indoors, high intensity lighting, and start taking shots of costumes.
There were costumes, oh yes. There were people in character, out of character, people like me taking pictures of everything, and some people that just seemed to be happy in a crowd. I managed to snap around 500 shots over the course of the two days I attended the expo, and probably spent way more money than I should have, but it was fun! By 2 in the afternoon the place was shoulder-to-shoulder, and there was no doubt that it was time to get something to eat. I had brought granola bars and some sugar-free cola, but it wasn’t cutting it anymore. We went to a place inside the expo for some pizza and some fresh lemonade, both of which were absolutely fabulous in flavor, or maybe I was just that hungry!
Saturday ended on a high note, finally waddling back into the hotel around 7:30 with arms full of goodies and a stack of business cards in my pocket. I took a snap of my loot and stuffed it all into my suitcase so as not to forget anything when I left on Sunday. Danielle and I went to find food and discovered that Calgary has a lot of odd one-way streets and iron gates blocking what would be perfectly normal, usable side streets. We ended up at a steakhouse only a few blocks from the hotel around 9 and decided to have a teriyaki dish, as it was only an hour until the restaurant was to close. Victoria joined us back at the Best Western shortly after 11:00 and the chick flick popped up on the TV not long after that.
I slept like a baby that Saturday night.
Sunday started much the same as Saturday had, alarm went off, I was first in the shower and first ready to go. The ladies were still mumbling and rolling around for a time after I first prodded them to get up and get ready. A surprise phone call came through my cell… a local Calgary number. It was Dani’s brother, he had been stuck at his own hotel when his ride bailed on him, and now needed a lift to the expo, making him officially on my schedule. He seemed upset with my arrival time, but I don’t think I did very poorly given the short notice. We once again arrived at the expo after 10 but before 11 and began the final day hunt for goodies and memories.
This time around we had a rough plan of attack, back and forth– top to bottom, making sure not to miss any booths. I discovered entire sections of the expo I had missed on Saturday, and I’m glad this pattern worked out!! This was the day to finalize any loot gatherings and the last chance for pictures of costumes. I had agreed earlier to give Dani’s brother a ride back to the city, and although the truck was a bit cramped, we made it home safe but completely pooped out. Grats, us!
Here’s a rough list of the loot I managed to purchase or acquire:
- One limited run “Show Print”, a painting of the special guests attending the Expo. Number 86 / 85, this piece was signed as an Artist’s Proof.
- One unique and one-of-a-kind Totoro watercolor painting
- A signed comic book and Red Riding Hood print by artist Craig Wilson
- A plush Catbus toy from My Neighbor Totoro
- Various pins, buttons and badges from the assorted vendors
- Posters, cards, and memories from wandering the best Expo I have been to
- All seven limited edition Art Books showcasing a vast number of the artists and their work for the expo
All my pictures are up in a Picasa Web Album: https://picasaweb.google.com/ArchTaib/CalgaryComicAndEntertainmentExpo#
Dag Nabbit.
0382 days
by Releeshahn
in off the top...
WELL it’s been one heck of a week. I have some pictures to post up– see– some things happened that I’m not too happy about.
The side of my truck all prettied up!
Monday, April 18th was a wreck. Food poisoning, I imagine, and I would’t have given you pictures to prove it anyway. It was at about 7 PM that I think I started to feel just… ill. I scooped some pepto from a friend and decided it was time to head home after a bit of a visit, and I’m glad I left when I did: I barely made it home. It wasn’t a fun night, I think almost everyone knows what it’s like to have that kind of a sickness inside them. I didn’t sleep all night, and it was 5:30 in the morning on Tuesday when I was finally able to wrestle some sleep from the alarm clock, and I didn’t have my eyes closed for more than seventeen seconds before it was blaring at me at 6:30 AM.
I got up and started to get ready, though it took me awhile to get things together. I drove the work truck all morning in a bit of a haze, partial dehydration, exhaustion, still feeling very sick inside. I had a nap in the work truck at about 10:30 AM and slept for only about 20 minutes before it was time to find a washroom again.
I drove like this out to Fort Sask– I had a delivery to make. Such a simple thing. Drive in, offload a normal item at a normal place, and away we go. Well, not this time, nope. My miscalculation coupled with the sickness in my guts and the zombified brain that was powering my body caused my work truck to collide with an innocent Chevy Astrovan in an alleyway. Entirely my fault. I had thought of getting out and finding the owner and asking him to move it out of the way, but the miscalculation I spoke of was assuming my 5-Ton would fit anyway.
This has already set my insurance rating to the lowest number possible, doubled my premium, and the claim for the damage is in the range of $3,500 for one fender and one grille. I have personally fixed worse damage than that for less than $900. What a rip.
Well, that’s all behind me now, if I can go 4 years without an incident I’ll have the highest possible rating again, hooray!
The rest of the week was ENTIRELY uneventful, work, more work, a slight relapse on Thursday kept me from working, and Friday started the Easter long weekend. By Saturday I was back on solid food and by Monday morning I was all fixed up and ready for work. The next week also passed swiftly and without anything odd happening. In fact, I barely remember a thing.
Moving on to Thursday the 28th now– try to keep up!– was a bit of a show at the Alberta Art Gallery, Ben Disaster played for a bunch of cheese-eatin’ architects, and I got to hang out with some friends for a few hours. The night ended on a pretty good note and I got home around 10:30 I think. I slept for a couple hours and then Dani called me out of the blue, we had a pretty good late-night chat, we did. I still like ‘er. A lot.
So Tuesday morning starts. This past Tuesday morning… yesterday, in fact. It feels like 6 months ago already. I got rear-ended for the first time ever, and It wasn’t enjoyable. My ol’ Chevy is built like.. well.. like a rock actually: no noticeable damage. The other guy’s Taurus, however… not so much. Eventually I will get the police report and an insurance thinger in the mail and will get to see what the cost was to fix his front end.
I’ll have pictures of these two crash events up in my Picasa Web Albums eventually, so check there soon!
When the call comes…
0399 days
by Releeshahn
in off the top...
I’ve got this wee bit of a problem.
Ya Ya, first things first: I’ve been neglecting my site.
That’s it! I’ll just update every day! No more problem! I wish it were that simple. Let me give you a run-down of the last few weeks (the last few DAYS, if I were to update the WEEKS I would be here for one).
The days before this Wednesday were unremarkable with a lack of events, practiced my bass a bit and mostly just relaxed.
Wednesday was a normal work day, Wednesday night was my second outing with Dani. We were to meet at West Ed, but to save her the trip on the bus I picked her up at home and drove us to the mall. This was the second time I was meeting with Dani, the first time was at the previously attended collectibles and comic show. It was during this outing that I realized I have a “thing” for her. The night was good, though! We walked the mall, stopped in Sanctuary and the Disney Store, got some Orange Julius and then bumped into a friend of hers from when she was in school. The three of us decided to go for some bowling– an exceptional bang-for-the-buck way to spend the night and extra fun for me– something which I hadn’t done in many, many years. Her friend left at around 10:30 and her and I decided to go for another round (now I know that each person is a “game” so technically it was two more “games”. I guess a person can play a game by themselves?) of bowling before heading home. This was when I realized I had lost my apartment keys, but some quick backtracking revealed that I had left them at the bowling alley. This night ended with a headbonk hug and a promise to talk more later.
Friday and Thursday were averagely entertaining but busy days of normal work, normal runs. Thought about Dani a lot, I’ve found myself a friend in her.
Saturday was a day with Dani, the prior Wednesday that we were out she developed some kind of allergic reaction to something from the previous day, and by Saturday– although the swelling had gone down considerably– she was still a mess. Waiting for her dad to get home and give her a ride to a clinic, I offered to go in his stead. 2 PM beats 6:30 PM. I picked her up, we went to the clinic, and we sat listening to music from her iPod and chatting until she was called. I sat in the waiting room for what I think was about 30 minutes… I was reading a book and checking out the news on the TV (something I don’t have), and then with a startle I realized my name was called. MY name! I hadn’t signed up for anything… maybe something terrible happened to Dani!! Well! As it all turned out, she didn’t want me sitting alone in the waiting room while she was getting a Benadryl I.V. How candid was this, sitting in a hospital room with someone I really barely know while she has a hose attached to her arm and we talk about “life and stuff” as her swelling decreases noticeably. I think I got home that night at… I don’t even remember. I was at her place pretty late, watched her play some Resident Evil and then we played Mario on the Wii until my eyeballs were burning.
Sunday was a normal Sunday, I had some things to do on the Chevy and the work truck, silicone the tub in the washroom, fix a doorknob, get some new blinds up… I canceled my bass lesson out of sheer exhaustion and had supper with my parents for the first time in about four weeks.
Monday and Tuesday were uneventful, aside from working a bit late and being unable to practice my bass. My instructor can tell when haven’t practiced, but I live in a kind-of apartment and can’t really be jamming at 9:15 PM.
This Wednesday was a bit of a late one… Dani and I had been chatting on the net for some time and hanging out almost every week and weekend since we actually met in person at a collectibles and comic show here in Edmonton. She’s fantastic, clever, has a creative streak that I would encourage to bloom into a real lifestyle or career, given the chance to spend more time with her. She’s a gamer and a sinister joketeller, she has a soft voice and beautiful hands, and warm, caramel eyes.
Friday before the weekend my work truck died at about 9 in the morning. Electrical problem. I can’t even begin to get into how this problem exceeds my level of experience troubleshooting broken shit.
The weekend has been nearly a complete bomb. If it hadn’t been for GZ and I hanging out on Saturday, I’m pretty sure that my sanity would be down the drain right now. We fixed a vehicle together, we had lunch together, we chatted for a while, we YouTubed for a while, we had dinner at TR’s, then we went to see some live music performed by some friends of mine. I dropped her off at home and then I was soon on my way towards sleepy dreamy land my own self. It couldn’t have been better, and I mean that. Friends hanging out. I don’t do that enough anymore.
5 hours on Friday, 3 hours Saturday morning with GZ, and today– Sunday– I have a GMC tech coming to look at the thing for me. I can only hope it’s not something simple and stupid that I have overlooked.
I’m exhausted… Catch up with ya later!