How to Park

This morning at the C Train station, I again noticed that another moron lacks the capability to park their car.

There seems to be some type of disease going around in Calgary that stops people from parking correctly. So, I'm going to help you to do this. Consider it a favour from me, your friend.

1. Pull into the parking spot putting your car between the two yellow/white lines.
2. Check to see if you have your car parked between the two yellow/white lines
IF the car is NOT between the two lines go to step 3
3. Reverse the car, and then pull forward ensuring that your vehicle (normally a large pick up truck) is between the two lines.

If these directions confuse you, you are too stupid to drive a car. Please board the C Train, take it to the nearest registry & surrender your license to the authorities. Do not pass GO. Do not collect 200 dollars.

Red Deer

**residents of Red Deer may find this post somewhat offensive**

I had to go to Red Deer today. It's about 140kms north of Calgary, a city of about 82,000 people. It doesn't look any different than a typical western town, big roads, big malls, etc.

Arriving in Red Deer, I was greeted by this woman, 7 months preggie, wearing an 80's beach skirt & THIGH high leather boots. I'm all for pregnant women doing their best to look sexy, but NO one looks sexy in dated clothing and thigh high boots. I thought those things were reserved for Trannies.

Lunch time came around, so I drove on 50th Ave to find food. There are 3 fine choices, all of it fast food. Obviously, everyone in Red Deer eats fast food because the line was at least 50 people long, the drive thru's were jammed in all 3 places with 30+ cars.

If Americans are ever looking to solidify the stereotype that Canadians all talk like Bob & Doug McKenzie, well Red Deer is the place. One 40 something guy walks up to me, says "long line eh" then snorts through his nose. He then proceeded to talk to me for a short period of time about his "ATV" and how we was gettin' lunch then going offroadin'. Thing is, Jed never picked up on the fact that I don't get a shit about his ATV. And I swear, he said "eh" at least 500 times during the conversation. He finally went away, then proceeded to stand in front of the condiment area talking to some woman. When I was leaving, he shouts "have a good one eh".

As I am walking out the door, I hold the door open for a man & his son & daughter. The daughter walks in, but dad, decked out in his cowboy costume, lifts his hat and says "thank ya". His son, all of maybe 7, also decked out in this rodeo costume, lifts his hat and says "thank ya". Not thank YOU, thank YA. I can get people wearing this stuff during Stampede or on Halloween, but I got the feeling this was their NORMAL dress.


Calgary is a city in the west, but Red Deer is a western city. If the folk out here are worried about their culture being watered down, fear not, because Red Deer stills has lots of it. I actually saw someone riding a horse down the road on the edge of the city. I get the feeling that the kids there are kinda bored.

And I heard 3 anti-Calgarian comments from people, including the one in the business. And, the DJ on the radio was mouthing off about how he went to Calgary & had to endure what he called "Blackberry Hell", where everyone talks on their blackberry or sends messages. He was sure that most of these people signed up for spam or whatever just so they could look cool with their BB.

Revision: Drivers

Drove to Red Deer today. I'd like to revise a statement I made a while ago, that Alberta drivers are morons. I should have said CALGARY drivers are morons.

Driving to Red Deer this morning, everyone drove in the right lane unless they passed, average speed was about 130. Who woulda thunk that a bunch of country folk would have more sense driving than people in the city..

Buffalo Sabres

Go Sabres. How can you not believe in the city that created the Chicken Wing

Dave the Beer Guy

Tonight, at the Willow Park Wine store, I was back on the mission to find a new micro brewery. The task seems insurmountable, it's both fun & frustrating. I love beer.

Then I met Dave the Beer Guy. Not only does Dave know beer, but he knows and likes Waterloo Dark & Brick Amber. AND he told me they'll be carrying Brick in the near future. I can't wait to see the Pig Head sitting in that cooler, waiting for me. Heh

For the time being, he recommended Black Cat from Paddock Wood. It's heavier than Waterloo Dark, but it's good. And I kicked in a 6 of Steam Whistle to compliment the Black Cat.

Today is a good day.

Buck--A-Beer

Tonight, while paying 12 bucks for 6 Grasshoppers, I realized........Alberta doesn't have Buck a Beer beer. No Laker, No Lakeport. They do have this swill called TNT Lager which is an incredible 4 dollars for a 6 pack or 10 99 for 15. I'm not sure I'd drink that tho. I think it's designed for homeless people and underage teens that don't have enough for real beer & smokes. Bleh. There is also Alberta Genuine Draft. Least Laker and Lakeport were decent......

Also, if you are moving here and you smoke, I suggest you quit. I don't smoke, but I notice that smokes are around 10 dollars for a package. Crasy.

My new Alberta plates

So I got my new Alberta plate. Out here, you only have 1 plate, one in the back. My first thought was "right on". This way they can't park photo radar vans on the other side of the highway to nail me.

Driving to work this morning I was listening to CBC Radio 1, ironically at 99.1 FM in Calgary *just like Tdot*. Some guy came on the radio saying he figured he'd drive the speed limit on the Glenmore and was "shocked" how fast everyone else was driving. Slick, I have some advice for you. Don't take a vacation in Toronto and if you do...take the TTC

The Luxury Apartment

Read an ad for a "luxury" apartment in a good area of the city. I call the guy, and he answers with a grunt. I inquired about the flat and halfway through the call he tells me to hang on, and goes to yell at his kid. When he returns I tell him I'll think about it and call back and if he's not there, I'll leave a message. He replies to me "I don't return calls".

I replied "I don't rent your apartment then". Sorry moron, I make enough, I don't need a moron for a landlord.

So I drove by the place. The "luxury" place was rundown AND above a store. Yep, LUXURY CONDO above a store. I can't help but laugh. I hope he ends up with the loudest, most stupid redneck in the world as a tenant.

Flames.......

The Leafs need a captain like Iginla. And a goalie like Kiprasoff.

My Out of Province inspection & cars

Well it's going to cost me 150 bucks to get this done. I drove to a bunch of places & this is the average price. Any repairs required are on top of the 150 bucks.

If you're moving out here, you have 3 months to change your plates. You could probably get away with it longer if you had too. I don't see alot of Ontario plates, but I see alot of BC & Sask plates. You might get pulled over & asked how long you've been here. Make up a good lie :?)

Car insurance seems a touch cheaper out here. I can't argue with that, but I must admit to wondering why. Given how people drive out here, it seems weird.

One thing to note if you drive out here. The province puts these stones on the road when it snows (or so I think). It's somewhat common to have one of those rocks coming flying up and hit your car. Today, I was looking at the front of my car, and there are hundreds of tiny stones chips in the car. I'm going to have to buy a bra for the car or risk having no point. Those rocks will also hit your windshield. I now have this crack in my car windshield that also needs to be repaired. It's a real wake up when a rock hits your car on the deerfoot.

Airdrie

I drove up to Airdrie today. One of my co-workers raved what a great place it was, so I was out & I thought I'd waste more gas and check out the place. Not much to say about it, other than it looks like a typical suburb & you'd swear it's just part of Calgary.

The Yukon

Later this summer, after going to Ontario, I'm going to go to the Yukon in the fall. The Yukon is a place I've always wanted to see & now it's within reach. On Air North, it's 200 bucks to fly there. Maybe I'll like it enough, I'll move there for a year or two.

Alberta Government: Bandits

When you arrive in Alberta, you have 3 months to change your plates to Alberta plates. To do so, you have to get an "out of province" inspection. This inspection is required even if your car is 1 day old & was plated across the provincial border.

While this might seem like a good idea, it's nothing more than a tax grab. You see, once your car is in Alberta, you're free to drive around with a missing bumper, rusted out car or my favourite example, the guy with NO door on his car (just two bars across it). There is no "certification" process when you sell a car.

This isn't about highway safety. It's about revenue generation. And the most humour part is that it's a "Conservative" government that engineered this. Aren't the Cons all about letting the people keep their money? Or so they & their blind, obedient supporters state so loudly.

The Calgary Flames

Are you a hockey fan? Calgary Flames fans are. On a game day, you'll see a sea of red jerseys around town, the bars are full, people are buying and having fun. Everyone loves the Flames. As Iginla says, we have great fans.

Yeah, they do. But 5 years ago, the team was in the dumpster & you couldn't give away tickets to save your life. No one cared. The team was ready to pack up and move away. And it's a good thing that the fans really care.......

BUT.......

If your a fan, aren't you supposed to be a fan in good times and bad? The Flames are playing Detroit. The marker on the ice in the Joe Louis arena says "Hockeytown". And it is. People show up whether the Wings win or lose. It's not JUST about having a winning team. And back in South Ontario, we call it "Leafs Nation". When they closed Maple Leaf Gardens, the last time the leafs didn't sell out a game was in the 60's. People love the Leafs even when they suck. It's no different up the road in Montreal. You're a Habs fan, good or bad.

So call me a little skeptical on the whole "Red Mile" thing. When the Flames are in last place, I want to see the fans on the street giving a damn. Until then, it sounds like a flavour of the month thing.

The Palomino

The Palomino:

I had read about this pub in FFWD Weekly, Calgary's Art's & Entertainment Weekly. It's located on 7th Ave near 1st Street in an area that's....shall we say, rundown. The building is old, the sign just plain and simple. After seeing all of this, I just KNEW the place must be good.

Stopped in for breakfast around 1:30PM on Saturday. The Flames game was on the 20 foot TV set they have on the wall. The pub is obviously not a sport hotspot, which is a good thing in my eyes.

Inside it's a touch "old" but with classic western flare. It gives you that feeling of being someplace that's not pretentious where you just go to go. A guy was sitting at the bar eating lunch, alone, watching the game. Another sign it would be a good place.

The customers; a Chinese couple, some construction workers, a punk rock couple & some average looking types with Flames shirts. No one seemed concern about each other, they were just there to do their thing.

The food there is good. Breakfast is interesting, they offer a peanut butter & banana sandwich toasted on French toast. Another option was the usual omelette but it was served on top of beans, covered in cheese with tomatoes & green onions on top. The potatoes they serve are cooked in what tasted like garlic & olive oil, covered in some type of seasoning salt. A little different than the normal breakfast, but I like it. Only they don't serve toast. They also sell Big Rock Beer for 4.50 a pint until 3 PM.

The decor is interesting, it's truly old skool, with a western flare. As if they went out to find rickety old chairs & tables that had been rotting away in a barn. It gives the place a style of ambiance I've never seen prior to going there. In the evening, it doubles as a live music club, with it's focus on Indie Rock with a western flare (rock-a-billy).

Worth the trip just to eat and have a Big Rock Grasshopper. I'll check it out one Saturday Night

All Good Things Must End

Talking to locals around here, you'd get the feeling this "boom" will last forever. People fret about house prices going up and up and away, well beyond their reach. They fret about inflation, etc, etc. Then some of them whine they wish the boom would end.

Taken from the Calgary Herald:

For oil-rich Albertans in the midst of an economic boom, this week's budget presented the sobering prospect that falling resource revenues could put an end to the province's free-spending ways.

According to budget projections, oil and natural gas revenues are expected to be nearly cut in half within two years, dropping to $7.8 billion in 2009-10 after peaking at $14.35 billion in 2005-06.

The $6.5-billion drop in petrodollars has prompted questions about whether Alberta has hit its budget peak, with fewer resources available for the future.

So some of these types that wish the boom would end. Well, you might get your wish. When the government says it will be getting lower revenues, that also means the businesses that pay them will have lower profits. Lower profits translate into lower salaries. And if not lower salaries, it translates into layoffs. So here comes the end of the 350K 1 bedroom condo in Calgary. This place is so overheated, it's a nuke waiting to explode.


"David Taras, a political analyst at the University of Calgary, said Stelmach -- like his predecessor Ralph Klein -- has no vision for managing the province's enormous wealth."

......

People out here seem to lack the economic sense to understand one thing. Higher oil costs do not always mean higher profits. There is no magical secrets, it's just simple old business. Return on Investment. When it costs 10 bucks to suck a barrel of oil out of the ground, selling it for 60 bucks pulls in alot of money. But when you dig it out of the tar sands, the energy input is huge. That same barrel of heavy oil now costs 30 bucks to extract. And if the price of oil hits 100 bucks? You're still not safe, because the cost of extraction increases with the cost of oil. The tar sands are incredibly energy intensive. If you've ever wondered why Kyoto is not the friend of Alberta, now you know why......

The only saviour might be that 2/3's of the provincial revenue comes from Natural Gas. The price has plunged over the past 3 years on the commodity exchange. We've also had much warmer winters than normal & I doubt that's going away. Ironic eh, Global Warming may very well lay an ass kicking to the very industry that is so heavily responsible for it. On the other side of things, there is only so much natural gas....and it's bound to increase in price.

So......for all you types that cry & whine about the boom, careful what you wish for. You just might get it. Because if an profit recession hits the oil & gas industry, it'll be the nuke that takes this place offline. And no one will understand how it's happening when oil prices are still at record levels.

All good things must end.

17th & 52nd SE

I've mentioned before that 17th Ave SE is known as International Ave. It's a dirty, grimy place, but full of very cool & interesting stores.

I found a really great place to eat a true Lebanese falafel. The place is at the corner of 17th and 52nd, buried in an old strip mall. The food is awesome, comes at a good price & the owner was pretty nice. He offered me some olives & a dessert on the house to welcome me to his restaurant.

Flickr: My pictures

I've decided to post some photos of around Calgary, so I started carrying my camera. Unfortunately, it's rained here for 3 days (something that never happens).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7850853@N06/

Contrived Communities

It is now week 5 of living in suburbia. I'm not here by choice, but out of necessity until I find a place in the core of Calgary.

One thing I find about living in suburbia is that you need to drive everywhere. That includes 7-11, the only store within 2 kms of this house. I find it amazing I can drive so many kms each week JUST to go to work or go out. And no matter how many times I drive around these areas, I can never find anything interesting. People seem so excited because of the large power centre nearby, but my god, is life ONLY about shopping? What is with people & their need for recreational shopping?

The weird thing about the suburbs is that it's not an ugly place. The houses are nice, the streets wide, the atmosphere pleasant. Yet, it's a place without any soul. It's devoid of life. It's absolutely boring. They call it a community, but it's not, it's just contrived.


June 1st I will be out of here. And none too soon. For the life of me, I can't understand why anyone would want to live here, then venture off to the mall. It reminds me of some twisted version of Disneyland. I'll take an urban street scene over this any day.

Forest Lawn

If you mention the words Forest Lawn to a typical Calgarian, they'll likely laugh or put down the 'hood. Forest Lawn is 17th Ave SE and the area around it. It's also known as International Ave.

Unlike many Calgarians, I like Forest Lawn. It's a nice escape from the over priced shops of the downtown neighborhoods. No high priced gelato in Forest Lawn. Even the Safeway is old & gritty. BUT....the area is full of interesting shops with cheap goods & ethnic food. Often the best food is served in those hole in the wall type shops that cannot afford the rent of the inner-city.

I'll say the same for the NE of Calgary. It's another area that's despised by many locals, yet it's another breath of fresh air for shopping & interesting stores. It also seems to be home to most of the good grocery stores.

Another little known secret about the NE is that their C Train isn't crowded. I'm guessing because it's a lower income area, fewer people have office jobs in the city core? Whatever the reason, I drive there in the morning to park my car so I can ride a C train that isn't a wall of people.

The Inevitable question arises

Do I miss home? The answer is not really. There are a few things I miss...

1. Microbrewery Beer. I can't find a good beer out here. Big Rock is OK, but I wanted a small, indie brewery. I'm now looking into BC to find something. Alley Kat is just OK.

2. Being on the radio. Not as much as I thought, but I still miss it. I still follow the music scene and will do something radio in the very near future (as soon as I get a house).

3. Pizza slices. It's nearly impossible to find pizza slices out here that are any good, so I give up. I no longer eat pizza. Someone, anyone, should set up a shop out here and sell slices. I wish I had 200 grand to start up a store. I went so far as to email Pizza Pizza and beg them to come out here, and I don't really like Pizza Pizza (but it appears wonderful given the options here).

4. Huether Hotel beer & wings. The Huether is the centre point of Uptown Waterloo. The owner is a bitch, but the place has THE best wings outside of the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY. AND I miss having their low cost beer. It will be the first place I go to when I go back home this summer.

5. Ethnic Food. By a stroke of good luck, I found this place in the North of the city that sells Jerk Chicken, Curried Oxtail & Curried Goat. It also sells fried plantains. Finding decent & cheap ethnic food in Calgary is a real challenge & requires one have a car.

6. OMNI TV. I used to watch a couple of TV shows on OMNI, most notably Saturday Night Cinema on OMNI. It was Chinese films, usually in Cantonese but sometimes Mandarin. That'll probably seem whacked, but they're better than the rest of what's on TV. Sadly, SHAW Cable does not offer OMNI.

Another benefit of living in Calgary

When you live in Toronto, you're most likely to run off to NYC, Chicago or Montreal for a weekend. Out here, it's a short flight to Vancouver & Seattle & not much farther to San Fran & Los Angeles.

I've never really had a desire to live in LA, but I would like to see it. I'm told it's a grimy, polluted city, but it's one of those international cities i want to see before I'm old and drinking food from a straw. Much the same for San Fran, which strikes me as an American version of Toronto.

The other place I'm key on checking out is Whitehorse Yukon. I've no desire to live there, but I would like to see the "true" north of Canada that has yet to be run over by real estate deals and traffic congestion. It's a short flight from here on Air North.

For those of you into Indie rock, check out Indie 103

The Flames

I was downtown today after the Flames game & without knowing the score, I knew they lost. It was very quiet.

I watched the first period of this game. The Flames......well they sucked. 2 goals in the first few minutes and a slew of penalties. Coming from Southern Ontario, one gets to know Detroit & giving them a lead in the Joe Louis arena is NOT a good thing. Detroit fans are also rowdy & very passionate about the team. It's hockey town & the wings are one of the original 6.

I must give Flames fans credit. Back in 2002, the team was in the basement and about to leave town. The owners signed Iggy & things changed. Today, most of the city is splattered with Flames flags & logo's. Reminds me of Leaf fans who are arguably the most devoted/blind fans in the entire history of sport.

It'll take some time to dig the Flames. Growing up in the Leaf Nation, you can't help but have a sense of attachment to the Leaf jersey. The Leafs suck sometimes, but they are an embedded part of Toronto & Southern Ontario. Nothing says Saturday Night more than the sound of Hockey Night in Canada starting at 7 PM on CBC Toronto.

I hope the Flames do well, but Im not holding my breath.

Movie: Radiant City

Just saw the movie Radiant City, which is playing at the The Uptown The Uptown is the local Arts & Rep cinema, located on 8th Ave in Downtown. It's a decent cinema & the place holds much potential. It is right across the road from The Globe, another local arts cinema. Calgary has 3 art cinemas (to my knowledge), the 3rd being The Plaza in Kensington

Radiant City was filmed in Calgary & it's about suburbs. Calgary is truly the king of suburbia so it's rather fitting.

The film is good, it's not too condescending, and if you pay attention it points out the paradox of the "suburban community". It's easier to watch than "The End of Suburbia" another more alarmist film. Noted in the film is James Kunstler a well known advocate of urbanization & author of The Long Emergency

The actors in the film are surprisingly good, all of them local. They all really pull it off. Well worth the few bucks to see it if you're into living the "urban" lifestyle.

Calgary Pictures

I think I'll start a Flickr Account for all of this...........

This one blows my mind

I got asked for ID at the beer store today. The legal age of drinking in Calgary is 18. I guess I look 18

Downtown Calgary with a slight view of the Rockies in the background. This was taken from the NE area on Maynard Drive.

Record Sales

The Shins ( a good indie rock band) outsold J-Lo last week. Guess that explains why J-LO was on American Idol. Seems American Idol is the home for musicians with dead/dying careers. Then they move on to the Surreal Life.

In 2007 it seems it's best to be low key. The flash and glam of yesterday is over. Thank God. The greatest example of low key is LA's Indie 103 FM, one of the best radio stations on the planet.

So you want to move to Calgary.....

TOP 10 MOST EXPENSIVE DOWNTOWN MARKETS

- Paris $1051/sq.ft.

- Moscow $688/sq.ft

- Seoul $630/sq.ft

- Vancouver $577/sq.ft

- London, U.K. $532/sq.ft

- Calgary $500/sq.ft

- Athens $375/sq.ft

- New York City $375/sq.ft

- Tokyo, $325/sq.ft

- Edmonton $322/sq.ft

BTW, Toronto is $209/sq foot.

The Globe and Mail

In the online version of the Globe and Mail, there is a huge discussion about Toronto and whether everyone should hate it.

Stupid Politicians

I dislike politicians. While some people blindly follow the Liberals or the Conservatives, my choice on the ballot is usually "None of the Above".

To further help entrench that feeling, along comes Howard Hampton. Howard is the leader of the Ontario wing of the NDP. Mr Hampton's save the environment plan is notable because......get this.....he wants to save the world without eliminating large vehicles....such as the SUV. Sound sorta odd? Not really, when you consider he picks up more than a few votes from the CAW crew who happen to make good money building SUV's. Is this any different than Harper protecting the oil business? Or the Liberals kissing the asses of their old money buddies in Quebec? Isn't it ironic how each party points out the weaknesses of the other party, yet often commits the same crime.

And these morons all spend money trying to figure out why we don't vote. Then, they'll claim the reason is, we're too busy or we're preoccupied, etc, etc, etc. Maybe they should just stand up and realize a whole pile of us don't buy their bullshit anymore. We're just not as stupid as we were 20 years ago.

In fact, I'd venture to say that the only people that blindly support a political party are indeed blind and stupid. If you want to be blind and stupid, find a religion. At least they talk about "hope".

The Bottle Depot

Calgary has a bottle depot system. It works like this. U buy a can of beer and pay 10 cents extra, then return it for the 10 cents. Problem is, the depots all close at 5 30 on weekends and I don't need to spend my Saturday returning bottles. The city wonders why only 78% of bottles are recycled. hmmmm.........

I drove to 10th Ave, in downtown to the bottle depot near the train tracks, pulled up and gave my bottles to the homeless doods waiting around the corner. Bottles are like gold to these brothers.

"Oh, I'm outta here in a few years"

I hear that comment regularly from people in Calgary. Calgary is like a ho of sorts. She's here to give you what you need ,then you're on your way. Everyone I talk to is here only for the money & they're planning their exit. There is nothing long term. It reminds me of the commuters that would move to Cambridge because house prices were lower. The city itself was secondary.

Calgary has it's faults. It's a city that lacks leadership at the local government. It's a city that has no vision of it's future unless it's a "ring road" or some code word to soothe bitchy pocketbook citizens. But Calgary is on the up & up. Putting the whole job thing aside, it's got a great club & live music scene. It's got a solid arts scene. It's got a great Indie Arts Weekly called FFWD. It's got some good local TV & some good local radio....including it's local college station CJSW. It's also got some great downtown neighborhoods....The Mission, Marda Loop, Kensington, Inglewood & I suppose to some degree, The Beltline, tho it seems to be more about 21 year olds renting houses to be close to some bar.


If you ask a Newf or Maritimer about home......u won't hear about the faults, but about the good. Same for a Quebecois, Ontarian, Torontonian & anyone from Van City. Yet you don't seem to hear that much out in Calgary. What you hear is a litany of complaints...

Calgary lacks cohesion. Calgary is a whore & it's populated by a group of people here to take what they can get, then sell & get the fuck out. And that should worry the local government alot more than some ring road or how tall the new Bow Centre would be. And it should worry the citizens. Great cities are build on the strength of their communities which make for a great city. That's lacking out here. And that's really too bad. C Train & stupid drivers aside, this is a pretty damn good place

Now if they could just LOWER the beer prices.

Sanjaya: American Idol

Not sure why I've taken an interest in this show. In every way, the whole concept of creating vapid pop music is nauseating.

Yet, watching this, it's clear that performance matters as much as vocal talent. The final three contestants put on the best performances even with only so so vocals. Granted, it's very hard to emulate a latino sound and add that spice to the music. Latin music is either very smooth or very sexy, but in a spicy style.

Sanjaya.....if this kid doesn't win American Idol, there is surely a place for him somewhere on TV. Unlike the rest of them, he knows how to work a camera. It was a little overblown, but he knows that America is both enamored with him & wants him to fail. And if he put aside the Sanjaya persona aside, I think the guy could likely act or perform.

Kelly Clarkson was the same. She's a good singer, but shes just as good behind a camera. That's clear in her videos.

Nappy Head Ho's.

Some sports moron named Don Imus who is a radio personality on CBS radio called a High School Basketball team a bunch of nappy head ho's. He was suspended two weeks and now "finally understands that his comments were offensive"

Where does one start? He finally understands that his comments were offensive? LOL, and you finally understand your car needs gas to start? And while we're on the topic of appearance Don....I saw ya on FOX News last night. U might spend some of that wad you're earning and......get a haircut & some clothes.

He's being suspended April 16th. They'd have suspended him right away, but he's doing some charity show. For who? The fucking Klan?

Don also says he feels he shouldn't be fired for his comments. Neither should the dood that beats your ass in the street with a crowbar.

Canadian Music

I don't pay alot of attention to the pop music scene, being more of a fan of Indie music. I still here stuff that catches my "music filter". One of these songs is from some guy called George - Lie To Me. I had heard it on Z103dot5 in Toronto, and hear it out here on Vibe 98.5 in Calgary. I had just assumed it was some American artists on a major label

Wrong

20 years old from Tdot. And some world class music. This song could OWN the charts and has complete appeal to women

http://www.myspace.com/georgeexclusive
listen to Lie To Me.

Beer in Calgary

I've tried a whole stack of microbreweries out here, but I still cannot find one I really like. I like Grasshopper from Big Rock & I like their other stuff, but there is something missing. This seems to be a problem with all the micro's I try out here. Something is missing. And I think it's the water. Beer is apparently best brewed with hard water, something that the area from Fergus to KW is famous for. If you don't know what hard water is, wash your dishes in it. It leaves spots that become nearly permanent in the glass. It also rots away your bathrooms & your pipes...

But it makes for great beer. And there is no hard water out here...and the only Ontario brew you can get is Sleemans (which I might add is much cheaper here). Just I prefer Brick.

The Wildwood Pub

Location: 4th Street, aka The Mission, probably the coolest area in Calgary.

Back in Waterloo, I spent alot of time at the Huether Hotel. The Huether is a giant pub, restaurant and cafe located in Uptown Waterloo. It's 5 levels which includes everything from Cafe 1842 to the Barley Works. The wings rival The Anchor Bar in Buffalo (the creator of Chicken Wings) & the beer is very very cheap and brewed on site.

Wildwood is something like this. The beer isn't anywhere near as cheap, & I didn't have any wings, but the atmosphere is much the same. It's more laid back and low key, where people just do their thing vs a joint like Melrose Place. Much like the Huether, there is a restaurant, but it's the upper floor. The pub is in the basement. Good place to go & hopefully I wil be living in that 'hood.

Rocinha

Visit 2bros.org to see what's going on. I'm hoping to set up a radio station (FM style) for this place.

Virgin Mobile

Usually, I hate cell phone companies. They're full of people trying to sell you shit you don't need or long term contracts, blah blah blah.

Virgin kicks ass. I just called them to change to the 30 dollar a month plan rather than paying by the minute. It took 1 minute to get through and the guy answered "Virgin Mobile, what's up". No automated voice crap asking me what department I want, just a guy on the phone. And no sideshow trying to get me to sign up for some package.

Now that you can transfer numbers, I hope Virgin gets bigger, but not too big. Big enough it makes the rest of the industry change, but small enough to still say cool.

Calgary City Services

If you listen to locals you'd believe that Calgary is a rich, modern city. And it is rich. Just the government doesn't get that.

Calgary city services are a fucking train wreck. I ride the C Train to work, and it's so crowded some mornings I can't move my arm to get my cell phone. Sometimes I let trains go by and wait for ones that are less crowded and after work, I go sit in the Second Cup on Stephen Ave and read the Herald waiting for the people to leave. What's worse is that there is NO AC on the transit system, so in the summer, we'll all be jammed in. I won't be part of that....because I'll be living downtown. I wrote the mayor and asked him why they just don't remove the windows on the buses and trains, that way we can hang out the side like they do in India.

Another REALLY annoying part of C train life are the Nazi C Train cops. During non rush hours, they enter trains and impolitely ask you for your tickets. Of course, they don't come on the packed trains, so if you want a free ride, just take a busy train.

But what's more annoying is that while these Nazi C Train cops are harassing people that might have skipped out on the 2.25 ticket, hordes of noisy, stupid morons hang out at the C train stations blocking doors, turning off escalators & leaving garbage everywhere. Nothing is done about this at all. Nothing pisses me off more than some moron kid decked out in his "anti authority" overpriced clothing he bought at the nearby mall after hanging out in the food court having KFC. Do these morons believe that's anti authority? Do they think it's "punk" to change the world by throwing their 7-11 Slurpee cup on the ground? The Dixie Chicks are punk rock. Rosa Parks was Punk Rock. Nellie McClung was punk rock. Jello Biafra was punk rock.

Sorry lewsers, but you're not anti authority & you're not cool. You're a bunch of fucking morons that have nothing better to do with their life. So get your ass out of my way before I'm tempted to go "Ontario" on you.

The Ramones - Beat On The Brat

Beat on the brat
Beat on the brat
Beat on the brat with a baseball bat
Oh yeah, oh yeah, uh-oh.

What can you do?
What can you do?
With a brat like that always on your back
What can you do? (lose?)

Casual Wear

So I did it........

I've finally started to watch American Idol. This probably sounds the death bells for this show, but anyways.........

What first struck me as amusing was that most of the people on American Idol can sing better than most pop stars. While listening to these doods sing Tony Bennett tunes, I thought how it would sound if Fergie or 99% of the rest of the "musicians" on the pop charts had to compete based on vocal talent & performance sans their billion dollar "teams". Even the worst American Idol singer has more vocal talent than most of todays pop acts. And you wonder why people steal music. Then again, is taking something with no value really stealing?

Anyways. The black guy that is a judge is pretty bland & reminds me of some record label dood from 15 years ago still hung up on 15 years ago. Paula Abdul seems like some pointless prop on the show who really belongs on the surreal life. I like that Simon Cowell guy, he says whatever the fuck he wants & he's honest, even if he's an asshole. And he has a real ear for music to cut thru the bullshit & see what's actually interesting. One can be a great singer, but uninteresting.

And that's why that Sanjaya guy should win. He can't really sing, but he's better than Fergie AND he can actually engage an audience. He's alot like Simon Cowell, he doesn't really give a fuck what anyone thinks, he just does what he feels like. When Simon rips apart the rest of them, they look down like they might cry. Sanjaya just sends a smart ass barb back to Cowell. It's almost a punk rock attitude.

And yeah, Sanjaya sucks...but so what. He's at least got something about him that makes him stick in your mind. Strong opinions about someone are better than no opinion at all.

The C-Train

The C train, otherwise known as the LRT is Calgary's "subway" but it's above ground. It's pretty vital to city like this which is just endless miles of wasteland suburbs (known as sprawl).

Riding in today, I could not believe how crowded this is. I spent a year on the GO Train and TTC, and it was nothing compared to this. It was so crowded you literally can't move. This city wants people to take transit, but the option of taking transit is so bad even a bus riding dood like myself thinks about taking the car.

But what really needs to happen is that this province & city get a real government that "gets" it. For far to long, Calgary and Alberta have been run by backwater morons more suited to live in some farming town baling hay or making moonshine. Klein's "pay the debt" legacy is now clear. The infrastructure of Calgary is crumbling. The transit system is maxed out and the road system is designed for a city of 500K. Not 1 million. I've no doubt that this city will CRASH and BURN if it continues to grow at the rapid pace it is growing. Or people will just get fed up and leave.

And who runs Alberta? Some backwater hayseed named Ed Stelmach. He's apparently a farmer of some type from Northern Alberta. That's exactly the kind of guy you need to run a province like Alberta (note sarcasm).

What's also telling is that almost my entire office wants out of this city. When I worked in Toronto, the residents of downtown lived there by choice. Not here. Most people seem to be ready to flee and many of them are fed up with high costs and poor services. That does NOT bode well for the future nor does it build a city.

And if you're a TTC or GO rider, don't whine. The system isn't perfect, but it's sure alot better than what we currently have. I'll soon be living downtown, so transit isn't an issue, but it is for the rest of this city trying to get to work.

Alcohol in Calgary

One good thing about living here is that you need less beer to get drunk. I'm guessing the higher altitude & thinner air?