Hitchin' A Ride (Green Day)

Will the rain ever stop here!!! A new record has was already set last week here in Banff/Lake Louise as the rainiest month ever. And that was 11 days left to go in the month still. I have been fairly lucky to get decent days for my days off...except for today.

So Thursday I slept in and missed my day of fly fishing so I decided I needed to get some groceries for the next few weeks. Taking some others advice I decided to hitchhike from LL into Canmore, well at first it was just going to be Banff but I got picked up by two girls that were going to Canmore, so I conveniently changed my mind to Canmore. It was my first time hitching ever, another new experience in my life, and you know what I have a natural talent for this as well. Cuz on the way back, I was picked up again by a car full of three French girls!! Good on me!!!

So what did I do Friday then you ask. I went hiking with some of the above mentioned girls! Yah good on me again!! Our day hike turned into an epic journey though, leaving from West Louise, we hiked 10km to the end of a mountian valley, along a lake, up a waterfall, through an alpine meadow. Not to be outdone, we decided 10km wasn't enough and decided to scramble staright up the side of one of the mountains surrounding us where we ate lunch. Trails, who needs trails! Little were we thinking about the way back down the mountain and the 10km hike back out of the valley, and all of this in rental boots that are too narrow for my feet. Good times are not to be had for my little toes on both feet. One of the poor digits even has a big blister on both the top and bottom.

Slurpees: YAH I found them!@!! At the Petro-Can on the side of the highway, SLURPEES! I can really feel it now, the stars are coming into alignment!

Music: Gotta be Coldplay, there are two phenomenal songs on their new album, Til Kingdom Come, and Fix You.

Hmmm...If you could be a transformer, what would you morph into???

Blanket of White

Just a quick note to pass my enjoyment of waking up yesterday morning to go for my 8am run, only to look out my window and see a couple of cm's of snow laying everywhere. We got dumped on, they're saying up to about 12cm up on the ski hill. After 2 years in South China, I think this was my first time walking to work in the snow.

Scared (The Tragically Hip)

So I always told myself that if I seen a grizzly bear in my time hiking around, that I was going to be one of those stealth photographers hiding in the bushes, trying to get the National Geographic cover shot...well I seen ran into two of the big bastards the other night and I say FUCK THAT!!

I took a bike out from work and I was on my way to meet a couple girls from work for after work bike ride, I decided I would take the long way around the Bow River Loop Trail to meet them so I get some extra riding in. I think maybe it wasn't the smartest thing to do. On my way there I spotted a bear track in the ground, hmmm big bear tracks how glorious, then as I lookked up and rounded the corner there was momma bear and mid-sized cub facing me. I did the usual and slowly backed and turned around and then rode like hell. Screw you National Geographic you ain't getting no cover shots today.

On a side note, when myDad was out here last week, I pointed out a mountain surrounding the town and told him, "by the end of the summer I am going to climb that mountain". Well it took me exactly one week, I did it yesterday! 1 down many more to go.

Music: Air - 10,000Hgz some really good songs with Beck guesting on this innovating electro-space pop group's second album.

Parklife (Blur)

Some of you smart lil' devils picked up on this right away with the slurpee comment last time, but alas I have relocated again. This time I have managed to stay in the country where I now find myself living in Lake Louise. Since I was a kid I have had posters of the Rocky Mountains adorning my walls and now I finally find myself living here. I share a townhouse with two others, I look out my front window to see the Lake Louise ski hill, and the yard backs out directly onto the river and hiking trails of the valley, can you say convenience!! As for my job, I'm working in a mountain sports shop selling bikes and coordinating runs and adventure races for them. I haven't played in a playground since I was 8...until now!

The other great thing about the job is that I only work Monday to Thrusdays every week, I have every weekend off to play host if any of you are planning a mountain getaway for a weekend. And for doing all of these cool things, I am getting paid more money than I could ever find with a job in Saskatoon. So all in all I think this move has been worth it so far. Let's see now that means since January of this year I have been in China, HK, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Canada (Vancouver, S'toon, and now Lake Louise in Banff National Park). Your mission should you accept it, set the odds and place bets among each other on whether you think I can manage to stay put here for a while. I'd say the easy money is yes!

Music: Groove Armada - Another Late Night compilation album, wicked lounge tunes!

Slurpees: NONE, there are no slurpee machines here, NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Ramble: One drawback of the Rocky Mountains in spring, the wet poo decaying can be pretty ripe in some areas!

American Honkey-Tonk Bar Association

Well I think I am going to add a new feature to this blog I so adore. I think from now on the title of each entry will be the title of song. Hopefully it will have something to do with what I will be talking about, but you guys know me and my love of tangeants. So I don't want to hear any complaining when I name a blog "Hey DJ" and I just finished rambling about fish for the entire entry. Unless of course I am telling you about my hatred for Club DJ's here in Canada and how I fight the urge to smack said DJ's over the head with a raw fish everytime I visit one of these fine establishments! Then of course it will all make sense.

And my weekend, well it was interesting. I found myself at my cowboy cousin's country (alliteratioon, pretty impressive huh?) wedding. How can I describe it to you, hmmm, I have two things that should give you a pretty good idea at least. 1) The actual ceremony took place in an dingy old curling rink with old Co-Op and Esso signs hanging around everyewhere, with a small stage and some flowers around the stage. Immediately after the ceremony, everyone rushed right to the bar which was conveniantly stage right, in the same rink. 2) The mother of the groom showed up to the ceremony more than inebriated and proceeded to hoot and holler (Arsenio Hall style, no arm action though) throughout the whole process. So yah good times!! I actually did get to visit with my cousin and his new bride a bit, so it was still good.

Slurpee - Pepsi, hey its one of the last days I can drink them, back off!

Music - Zero 7, both albums Simple Things and When it Falls are both downtempo/triphop classics. They have not left my player in two years plus, I can't even recommend a single song, get the albums!

Movie - Grosse Pointe Blank, one of my all-time favourites.

Sorry It's Been a Week...

Yah this blog was supposed to have been at least a bi-weekly affair, but unfortunately, or fortunately for me I have been working all week. Yah back to a real time job, first time since January. It has actually been fun, working at Sport Chek of all places selling bikes and other gear. All the blokes I work with are all bike nerds like me, and the girls think I'm the flirty cool new guy... with mystique.

I'm heading out today to my cousin's wedding in Butt-*expletive deleted*, Saskatchewan. Its a wedding where the attending parties have been instructed to NOT dress up, and that blue jeans the garment of choice for the evening. Martinis and Wine...I think not. Jack and Beer Chasers...I think so! "Attention, we have a piper down, I repeat a piper is down"!

Music Du Jour: The Killers - Hot Fuss (whole album ROCKS) if you have to listen to one track it would have to be All These Things That I Have Done. Download it now, and when mid song comes you know the part where the lights dim down, the music fades out, and the guitars slowly build up, yah crank it for me, and when you fall in love with the song, remember who your musical daddy is...

Slurpee Du Jour - Well its only noon, not quite slurpee time yet, but I do have 3/4 of Pepsi slurpee frozen in the freezer right now, and another empty slurpee cup next to me with a melted root beer bottom.

Jeopardy Question of the Day: Suicide Hot Wings, 5 Draft Beers, and a bag of Jalapeno Doritos...What are three things that should never be consumed in any combination within a 4 hour time frame, especially when you have an important business meetings the next morning!