Trans

Tonight, I took a walk up past the house where I grew up. Wow, that sounds like a dusty, old sentence.

I grew up across the street and over a little hill from the Trans Canada Highway as it cuts it's way through Calgary. I remember the week they built the concrete acoustic retaining wall at the top of the hill. Us kids played with our little green plastic army guys in the giant (to a 6 year old) holes they bored in the ground for the posts. We built an elaborate network of bunkers for our men until the holes themselves became bunkers for each of us to hide out in. On the last day before they filled them in, we could see the workers coming, working their way towards our holes. I remember thinking they would never think of filling our bunkers with concrete after they see what we made them into....

Later, as a teenager, I would spend many nights sitting on top of that wall with friends. It's where I had my first "smoke", a dark brown cardboard Crispy Crunch tray with dried grass rolled into an unholy pesticide cocktail by my friend James. We would sit up there dreaming of all the places we would go on that highway once we got our licenses.

Every Morning, I Get Up

My walk to and from work takes me a half an hour depending on my path. I hate the feeling I get when I sense that I'm repeating myself, so I do my best to create a different route every day. Just when I think I've worn out the possible combinations I duck down some street that changes my course and I've created a new experience.

On the days I wake up in a sour mood, I always walk the same path. Straight up to the Citadel and across town. On the really good days, I walk along the ocean.

I often imagine the people I come across on the street dancing to the music on my ipod. Skater jocks arm in arm with financial advisers. That guy spreading salt on the icy sidewalk slow dancing with that sketched out addict. That whole clump of people on Barrington Street waiting for the bus all of a sudden burst into a chorus line.

Halifax really is a beautiful town. I often get the sense that I've dreamed of this place in the past and I think after we've left, it will haunt my dreams for a long time to come.

The Butcher is Getting Ready for Some Choice Cuts

I'm thinking it's time to get some blood on the table. Stay tuned for some new and semi-regular posts.

Greenwash Gang

Here's my bro's entry in the Edmonton 24 Hour Film Fest. He's the one in the middle in the back seat. They won best director.

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Holy shit, what's happening to me?

I hope Kallen doesn't read this, but I just listened to an entire Ani Difranco album...and I enjoyed most of it. Actually enjoyed it!

I guess I now have something in common with all those girls who thought maybe, just maybe they were a lesbian.

PS.

My mom will be confused now and will ask my brother who Ani Difranco is....

Gainfully Employed

I start a new job tomorrow and I'm very excited. I'll be doing carpentry work for a company (http://halforbes.com) that primarily does restorations on Victorian era houses and buildings.

This is a great opportunity to be doing the kind of wood work I like to do on a daily basis. No stinky bathroom renos here. This will be my first nine to five job since I left the radio station and I'm looking forward to the structure it will give my day to day livin'. Did I mention I'm really excited??

I couldn't have asked for a more fitting opportunity. The job market is obviously a lot tighter here than Calgary, so I wasn't expecting to find something even remotely as interesting. Jen and I were out with some of her friends the first week I arrived when I met her friend Scott (http://www.photomunn.com/). He mentioned this company that a friend of his works for and that I should check it out, he heard they were looking for carpenters. With loose directions as to the location of the shop, I set out to find this mysterious wood shop. I found it on my second day of trying and then it took me a week of going back everyday until someone was around I could talk to. Jen was talking about the power of positive thinking and this is a perfect example. I knew this was the job for me and that I was going to get it.

I have a habit of setting too high of expectations and getting burned, so while I'm excited, I'm trying to keep things in perspective.

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It was my Day of Life (Birthday) this weekend and Jen and I went down to Lunenburg to celebrate. Lunenburg was beautiful, not nearly as touristy as I expected. It's a world heritage site, so aside from cars and the odd Crocks wearing tourist, there are few signs of modernity to be found.

It's also where the Bluenose is moored. Apparently they only give out dimes as change because after ordering a coffee I received 40 cents in dimes when a quarter, a nickle, and a dime would have sufficed.






The town before Lunenburg - Mahone Bay was crawling with middle aged white people who all looked like they could be distant relatives, double fisting double-doubles. It was the annual Scarecrow Festival.

The End is Not Near, It's Here - #1

Third week of August in Fernie, BC. Gas supply led Petro Canada cut off deliveries to the Kooteneys.



Remember when you had to line up for 2 hours to get a donut when Krispy Kreme first opened? They had security guards directing traffic. I've never had a Krispy Kreme donut. Does that make me better than you? Perhaps.