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.