It all started exactly 2 weeks ago when I left Redvers for Saskatoon, logging in my first 5 hours on the road. Aside from lunch at my favourite café in the city, and a wonderful and much needed catch-up beer (or 2) at one of my favourite pubs in Saskatoon with soon-to-be-Captain Will, it was all very chill. This was fine though, because Saskatoon was just a prelude to Jocelyne, an old colleague of mine from the Cercle Français, picking me up the next day on Broadway to give me a ride to Edmonton, officially starting the trip and logging in another 5 hours. It was beautiful. 5 hours on a double lane highway in a Jetta at sunset, one person asleep in the backseat, and 2 more talking non-stop for for the entire 5 hours (bet you can't guess who that was... ). The drive ended up costing me a grand total of 14$ in gas, and by 18h30 I was in Edmonton at Samara's beautiful basement suit, trying to coax her terrified-of-suitcases-cat out from under her bed.
This cat also signals the beginning of me popping allergy pills like m&ms basically for the entire time I was in Edmonton. Mom's cat Fred, as he is over 20lbs and three-legged, doesn't really kick up much hair or dust because he doesn't move very much. I mean, he has trouble turning around on the arm of the couch without falling. So I only have to take an allergy pill from time to time. Sam's cat Carmen however, is long-haired, very energetic, shed's like mad, and loves to sleep directly where I slept, thereby covering it and everything else in long cat hair. However, thanks to Reactine, Claritin and about a box of kleenexes I survived. She is adorable though. She can play catch, and does side-arm snags better than most goalies.
I spent the next 4 full days in Edmonton. 2 of which Sam was off work, (aka, actually took a day off, something she failed to do in the last 3 consecutive weeks of 14 hours days - yes, she absolutely loves her job), and the other 2 (shockingly) she picked up a few shifts. To clarify a bit, at the moment Sam works about 5 (or 8, it's hard to keep count) different positions at the hospital, varying from Bed Clerk to working in the ER, to the OR, to Clinical Research, just biding time until she gets accepted in to Med School in Bristol, UK for Surgery.
Day 1 started off amazingly. We went for a fabulous breakfast at this place called Cora's, which, had it not been for the atrociously loud American atmosphere of the place, would have won my heart for favourite breakfast spot. After this we grabbed some Starbucks and went to the Alberta Gallery of Art. I should clarify that in Edmonton, it takes about a half hour by car to get anywhere, and twice to three times as long by public transit. It is a Prairie city that has expanded dramatically in the latter part of 20th century, putting its population at about a million, but still with the infrastructure and expansion style of any other prairie city. Making it a nice clean green city, but lengthy to get anywhere. So by the time we left Cora's, got coffee and made it to the Art Gallery, it was probably close to 15h. The Gallery though, boasted exhibits by Renoir, Monet, and the likes. What we found however, was one single painting by Monet, a single painting by Renoir, and 300 other no-name sceneries, not even of the same style. I am a huge art lover, but had I wanted to see beautiful realistic green scenery, I would look out the bloody window!
Despite this, Sam and I did have a wonderful day, as the last time we'd actually seen each other in person and spent time together was when we both lived in Saskatoon, which she left in 2009 I believe. After this, and a quick disappointing look at the Titanic Artifacts exhibit at the Science Centre (which cost an outstanding 25$, so by quick look I mean we saw the entrance and turned around and left), we went and got some groceries, running in to a German girl of all people while we were there, got some Danish beer, picked up some Wok Box lemon chicken and chow mein takeout, and went home. To cap off our enriching, multicultural day with Canadian/Chinese food and Danish beer, we decided to go very Saskatchewan, like the Prairie girls we are, and finish off our catch-up day by playing cards sitting on the floor in her living room drinking cocktails mixed with Krakken Rum, Hypnotiq, and Fruit juice. They were delicious I might add.
The next days, Monday and Tuesday, Samara worked until 17h, which worked out wonderfully. She got to work and I got to spend the day at home alone for the first time in months. I read, I research, I responded to emails I'd been putting off for months. It was a fabulously productive day. Then I walked up to Whyte ave, Edmonton's Broadway, got my hair cut and had wonderful conversation by Brandi from Wired 96.3's little sister, and continued reading my words-cannot-describe-amazing-book that Jasmin had lent me on one of her "You just need to read this" book swapings. After work Sam took me out to this seemingly great place that we wanted to try. French chef, French wait-staff, edgy yet classy decor, it all seemed great on paper. Turns out however, the waiter was one of those arrogant Québecois who clearly did not realize that the Prairies, Edmonton in particular, has a very prominent francophone populations, as he went off on this Québecois swearing tangent while trying to impress us with his french. It wasn't even a funny swearing tangent, it was just highly unprofessional. I didn't let on in the moment that I knew perfectly well what he was saying, we let his tip do the talking. The meal itself was just as disappointing. Our cheese and meat plate appetizer tasted like it was bought in bulk, defrosted, and dumped on the plate. The entrées tasted very much the same. It honestly tasted like the chef wasn't in that day, and the waiter himself was defrosting some frozen Stroganoff to put on our plate.
Anyways.. To wrap this already too long blog up, despite the meal being terrible, the experience itself was good. Tuesday went down very much the same way with a fabulously productive day marking the beginning of my existential crisis of sorts, or rather the culmination, as truly the beginning started in Switzerland. The evening was extremely chill, as we had to get up around 5h the next morning to leave for Vancouver. Just sitting on the couch, sipping beer, having ground-breaking brownie-induced conversation, finishing things up with Avatar. Next thing we know were dragging ourselves out of bed at 5am after what felt like 20 minutes of sleep.
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