Crazy Fun Extravaganza! Part 1

Well folks as those of you who read this blog or are friends with me know, the past week and a half has been a great explosion of fun and travelling. I'm gonna go through the whole week here... boring or not, just so I can fit it all in. I've linked to each section of the week so you can skip around if you're not interested.

Wed Aug 23 - Departure for Calgary
Thurs Aug 24 - Calgary Zoo, Tool
Fri Aug 25 - Esterhazy - Dave's Wedding
Sat Aug 26 - The Binns Farm, Dave and Amanda's Gift Opening
Sun Aug 27 - 31 Crash and Burn - Red Paperclip Announcement!
Fri Sept 1 - Family Intoxication
Sat Sept 2 - Saskatchewan's Largest Housewarming Party in Kipling!
Sun Sept 3 - Labour Day Classic in Regina
Monday Sept 4 - Housecleaning and Procrastination

Aug 23 - Departure for Calgary

Andrew, Jon and I left Weyburn early in the evening, arrving in Regina around 7:30-8 where we sat with Kat at the house conversing with one of the odd eccentrics that live in their area of town. Rob arrived shortly thereafter and we were off. It's beleived that Rob's decision to leave with the car in reverse would come to haunt us later.

A fairly uneventful trip West, a desperate search for an A&W and an even more desperate search for a campsite in Brooks AB left us curled up snugly in a campsite of ill repute on the edge of that town... little did we know at the time.

Aug 24 - Calgary Zoo, Tool

The morning awoke with a row of tents with shopping cart adjacent parking. It appars we had set up camp in the the heart of a hobo village. To the side of our campsite lay a pile of what could only be human hair. We enjoyed a quick breakfast of delicious oatmeal and horrific rosehips (Thanks Kat!), then hit the open road.

Only moments later it seemed, we arrived in the vast wasteland that is ... the Calgary Zoo Parking lot. For a score of days it seemed we wandered the lot, ignoring the direction of the lot signs opting instead to use instincts and a long abandoned form of magic to find our way. We foraged the bushes for food, shared stories to keep our spirits up. Eventually someone looked up and we were on our way into the Zoo. Highlights of the Zoo : The massive hippos, the very large, kinda gross fish in the hippo tank, the kick ass butterfly room (I never really pegged myself a "butterfly" person, tooy faggy, but I really dug these guys), the red pandas (what can I say, they were kinda cute), the pissing monkey, the fucked up cafeteria/food court thing we ate at... blew my mind for only the first time that day, the tiger, the peacock, smoking in the dinosaur park, and on the bridge (damn you Captain Black!), seeing the sad gorrilas (one had recntly died), and really just the scale and scope of the whole place. I hadn't been there since I was a small child, it was great to get a new view of the old place.

Off we went from there to find Davin, then lose ourselves, then Davin found us again, then off to the downtown where Davin and I lost Kat, Rob, Andrew and Jon, then we were all found, then we went into Davins, found ourselves a bit, then Kat and I gained something else, lost the rest, then headed off to see Tool.

On the way, whilst dropping off and picking up at the car, we discover that the trunk will no longer shut. Some bungee cord and creative parking left us in acceptable shape to go to the show, but only because it was Tool.

Over two years ago, the Calgary Flames were in the Stanley Cup finals. I and my mate at the time would join much of the rest of the country in anxiously following wether this rag-tag gang of hockey players could bring the coveted Stanley Cup back home to Canada for the first time in a decade. I watched, jealously wishing I could be there in the Saddledome, part of this bit of Canadian history possibly unfold.

In the end, they lost the cup, Canada lost it's NHL hockey and I lost the girl. I never thought I would ever feel so romantically about the Saddledome again.

Thanks Tool for giving it back.

I'm not gonna insult Tool by trying to describe the show. Call me or something if you want to know what I thought of the show. When you see me cry in person, you'll know how fucking good that show was.

Leaving the concert on cloud 9, we were unfortunately to be immediately re-submitted to the horrors of the trip to Regina. Two latenight driving shifts and a shower in Regina later and we were saying goodbye to Jon, and hello to the road to Esterhazy (and goodnight for me for the first time since Brooks).

Somewhere in there, it changed to

Aug 25 - Dave and Amanda's Wedding!

At long last we arrived in Gerald, population YOU. A pretty small place, but neat nonetheless. Rob and all the rest of us went and took some pictures of the wedding crew... well Rob did, I held a big white circle and I think Andrew picked his nose a bit. Eventually, Andrew and I were used to our full potential when the soon-to-be-newlyweds catch a Robertson head screw (the unluckiest of screws as I would learn from a bad curling broom) in the tire of their car. Into action we sprung, changing the tire before they had even left the yard. We then took the car joyriding, picking up gallons of malt liquor and dozens of loose women, consuming both in quantity whilst tearing down the gravel backroads on two wheels, one of them a doughnut eventually arriving at the church doors just in the nick of time for a quick bathroom break and the wedding.

I accompanied Dave on the procession song, blew it (sorry. I trainwrecked) and enjoyed a great wedding. Surely dissappoining thanks to a total absence of lazers, smoke machines, hundreds of blinding, colourful lights, giant screens, white stage, intense metal rhythms and volumes in excess of levels safe even for short periods. But it was nice, and the newlyweds looked wonderful.

Here's where I believe Rob;s Portfolio of "Embarrasing Pictures of Jeremy" starts. Keep in mind : I'm sober the entire time, I just get into party mode... and it's not stopping me. Dave, sorry I sic'd all the homo men at the wedding on you there. I just didn't know there were so many of us "Friday Warriors" out there. The food was also fantastic, the Chilean dancers were wonderful and the toasts were tear-jerkers. Why did Mr. Roman's toast seem like a eulogy for Linger? Kidding guys... kidding. But it was cool to hear what everyone had to say about each other. The dance was also off the hook.

Around 1:00 Rob, Kat and I acquired a new party member (Mark) whilst losing another (Andrew who went back with KT and Steven) and left to the Binns farm. There we set up camp, waxed philosophic, smoked (damn you Captain Black!) and went to bed.


TO BE CONTINUED!!!!
For now, you can also enjoy the pictures on my Shutterfly account!