Cinco de Mayo - 2011
"...so I threw the Mexican Chef into a laundry sack and then beat him with a broom. Because it's Cinco de May."
I'm explaining the holiday of Cinco de Mayo to the boy, he doesn't know it and so I tell him it's the day Canada became independent from Mexico.
And the story about the Chef, it's true, he took it in good humour as I tricked him and did it yesterday, today being a day off.
***
First thing today, make a list. A very long list, as it turns out, as there are countless things I've neglected. And as I plot my day I resolve to begin with the trivial, this is a sure way to ensure that nothing important gets done.
***
First stop a couple of thrift shops. At the Mennonite thrift shop some rather unique vintage cufflinks, at Value Village I find a magnificent 70's Velour pinstriped jacket that makes me look like a rockstar that hasn't stopped tripping, at $15.00 a little pricy for my tastes but, hey, where would I find another one like it? And a briefcase, leather, vintage, because one day I just might need it....
From here to Sobey's, where I mail my daughter a couple of postcards from my imaginary vacation.
Next stop the watch dealer
***
Wherein he tells me I'm only allowed to drop off 4 watches at a time. "I'm trying to retire" he explains to me, but he fixes one on the spot and picks from the dozen I've brought the 4 I most want repaired. While I'm waiting for him to examine them he tells me to look through a box on the table, there's some vintage stuff dropped off by a friend, I find 3 more watches to purchase, two of which will need repair and he sighs, he's just made more work for himself....
***
The radio, irrelevant news as I'm driving, except for this: A soldier has vanished while on a hike through a public park in Edmonton, and as it's a place I know well I wonder what could have happened, probably all will be clear when the soldier is found, but right now it's a proper piece of Forteana.....
***
From here to Forest Lawn, where I check the pawn shops for watches. One in particular, a giant one just off 17 ave and 36 St, has an immense selection of 80's Movado's, Omega's, Rolexes, all at ridiculously high prices, and I wonder how they all ended up in the worst neighborhood on earth...the answer, of course, is simple....gangsta's...
***
home, a brief nap illuminated by flashes of brilliant dreams, then off again to pick up the boy.
Tonight is IFN, but we're going to Art Central as nothing has caught my eye by way of films. Some inspiration, some rubbish, still, it's always worth a look. I run into someone I worked with back in the day, she recognizes me, it takes me a few to recognize her ("where do I know you from....?") but eventually she advises me....and we reminisce about old times.
From here to Truck Gallery, some inspiration again here, then up the street....
***
And there, in the window, is a live mannequin display involving two female models in fishnet stockings. The boy and I, we stop for a few minutes and watch. It's hot, there's no denying, and one of the models avoids my appreciative gaze while the other seems positively solicitous....
There's a photographer on the street, he's trying to take pictures and we offer to step out of the way, I'm having the boy record this with a couple of photo's on his phone, the photographer assures me we're fine...."Do you know that hundreds of people have walked by and you're the first to stop?" he tells me. "It's because Calgary is a city of Poofta's" I tell him. "Second biggest in North America outside of San Fransisco..." and he's shaking his head in disbelief, I'd be too but I'm far too delighted at this unexpected sedgeway in our evening....
***
We go to check out Wordsworth books, I'd passed it in the car and meant to stop in, I used to be regular some years ago but life got in the way, never mind it's closed, and so it's off to Fourth Street, we walk about and I reminisce, another place I used to live, be regular about, but life, it gets in the way....
We pop into Famoso Neopolitan Pizza, good, and from here it's home...
And before I forget we stop in a Bird Dog Video, he'll be passing the weekend here and upon entering we find that they'll be closing for good.
Soon.
And I'm stricken with sadness, this, a finally beautiful summer evening after a long cool grey day, and how does it end up? The best video store in the city is closing....
Jolie's busy, selling off the video's, she's a month left and that will be it. I want to hug the boy, so often we came here when we lived nearby, Miyazaki and Poltergeist and countless other alternative kids films, but now...now it will be gone. And no movie for him.
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- Category: Miscellany
The futile killing of Osama Bin Laden
I was skeptical of the first few reports. Not skeptical that they found and killed him, I suspect that's the inadvertent result of accidentally promoting someone of competence to a position of power within the government, no, I was skeptical of the purported circumstances of his murder, the using his wife as a human shield and other unsavory details promoted in the media.
The burial at sea I understood, leave no place for followers to congregate, a long way from the sea Abbotabad but worth the flight I'm sure, the rest seemed odd....
Like why kill him? Wouldn't you want him alive? They didn't want him alive, it was an execution. He's already been convicted in absentia by a vengeful and misled American public. And as luck would have it the day after the killing the details begin to change, he didn't have a human shield, he was unarmed, and one would think at this point - that - like it or not they have an obligation to take him alive, offer him a fair trial.
But it was an execution and because we take it for granted he was the enemy we are too happy to waive his rights. We're supposed to be better than that but we'll just let it slide this once.
Dangerous ground this, but the Americans have beat the path with Guantanamo Bay and other precedents in Iraq.
Then there's the timing. Who's up for election and sliding in the polls? Funny they should find him now, almost like a publicity stunt...
Now they've attacked and killed a symptom of the problem, not evil incarnate (as is too often quoted in an inane media), the evil, however, survives all about corporate America, in the US foreign policy that allows them to kill anyone without trial, especially a foreign national, a policy that allows them to kill countless women and children in pursuit of vague and commercial ends, they've killed Osama Bin Laden, that's sure, but I'm really thinking, I'm seriously convinced that they've got the wrong guy.
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- Category: Miscellany
I dreamed that David Thorne visited my blog
That's it. As I prepared my thoughts of the day (do I have any? Not sure, anyways, that won't stop me writing) I remembered a dream in which I saw in the back end of the blog a visit by David Thorne. I wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not.
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- Category: Dreams
Waiting in line
I'm waiting in line at Safeway. I've taken a quick break from work to run over and pick up some cat food and coffee, about the only things I consume these days.
I'm in the express line, there's always a line at Safeway but this one seemed the shortest.
There's a new clerk, fat, pleasant, he's trying to get the product code for a bun, he's calling for help.
I could have went to the "Self Serve" line, but I consider that a scam as well, wait to ring in my food myself, my god, I'm paying the highest price in the city for groceries, more even than I would at 7-11, at least make an effort to serve me...
Fat clerk is confused. He's new, there's no one there to help him and the line inches forward.
There's always a line at Safeway. Always always always.
It takes him 20 minutes to get a price check on the bun, meanwhile the other lines seem to be moving quicker. I switch lines. He's flushed, fumbling, he knows he's cocking up and I'm irate, it's not his fault but god-damn, why can't the most expensive, the most prestigious grocery store in the city afford to pay their staff just that little bit better, train them just that little bit more?....
I want to call the manager, but I'm late enough as it is, this was to be a quick stop.
Now it's half an hour and I'm paying for groceries, 2 minutes shopping, 30 minutes in line. At Safeway.
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- Category: Rants
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