Yee haw

I've been in Edmonton for a few days now. I've seen this place a few times before, while I was living in Jasper. Despite trying very hard to like this city, I just can't get comfortable here. Considering the size of the place (~ 800000), it's strange that everyone is in such a rush. Of course, coming here from Saskatchewan didn't help matters, with Sask. being one of the most laid back places around.

Way too many people here are sporting mullets, the all time champion being the one that I saw yesterday, short spike on top complete with a thin raggity layer going all the way down the kid's back. To top it all off, a lovely 40 inch waist, all pot belly. And he wasn't more than 15 years old.

And then there's the whole 'Cowboy Way' attitude of most of the locals. If it ain't country, it ain't music. Edmonton gets off a little easier then the smaller towns, but it's gonna take a little while before I get used to it again. A guy that I met on the way from Saskatoon kept telling me stories of his adventures in the rodeo. I don't even know what you call it, but apparently he was competing in the thing where you have to ride a very much pissed off horse, and see how long you can stay on. After he got thrown off, he flew ten feet into the air, before the horse gave him a double kick on the way down. One hoof up his ass, the other directly into his crotch. And to top it all off, he came down flat on his head. He even carried a picture of it, just in case people didn't believe him. How he could feel proud of this story is even weirder.

I've been reading the comments, and there were a few questions that people brought up. As far as money goes, it's amazing how far you can stretch your budget when you hitch hike, camp out, and live on a steady diet of pre-made macaroni salads from the grocery store. A whole meal for two dollars! I've been careful to budget myself up until now, saving any small spending sprees for the end of this trip. As for the length of these posts, it's true that they are a tinsy bit long, but I type fairly fast, and I've been trying to tell the stories in the same way that I would in a conversation. So sometimes I end up rambling on a bit. But considering that I only get around to posting about once a week, I try to more-or-less capture the essence of the high points, so depending on how much has happened, or how much I have on my mind, the length can vary accordingly. And a note to Davey, no problem on the birthday gift, hope you enjoyed Fahrenheit 9/11, I thought it was a bit over the top, but the main points were pretty good.

Ian.