Play That Funky Music, White Boy

We went to K-Days (yes, I refuse to bow to the name-changing ways of the man) with Daxid, Craig, and Ruthie last night. Growing up in Red Deer and having grandparents in Calgary I went to the Stampede almost every year of my life up until I moved to Edmonton so these things don't have a lot new to offer. Thus, most of the time was spent looking for the best carnies and marvelling the amazing Magic Brooms, Ultra Mops, Miracle Knives, and Uber-Maxi-Super-Magna-Dingo-Infused-Toe-Knuckle-Hair-Removers. Our favorite was the Lint-B-Gone!

Then we heard the sweet rhythms of an Afrian culture group. Moving in closer we found that half of them were...very white. I'm not talking Eminem or Vanilla Ice white, but sandals-with-sportsocks-and-glaring-farmer-tan white. The African guys were signing and dancing and playing the crowd. The white guys were just trying not to be too white. It was quite humorous, but it did make me think about how serious we are in the West and how concerned we are about how we look to others. It also made me think about our philosophy compared to African cultures. We generally see time as something fleeting, something to be grasped and something to preserve at all costs. I think a lot of other cultures have a better view of things seeing each day, each breath as a gift. Under this view everything you have (food, clothing, shelter, family, friends, possessions) is a gift, something undeserved. I think this idea brings so much freedom and joy into the equation where all I see now is people grappling to garner as much as they can for themselves and still wanting more.

Last night I watched an episode of Pilot Guides with Mack and saw the same philosophy at work in Malaysia. Some hunters had just killed 2 ground squirrels and the guide asked if they were dissapointed with such a small catch. They replied that this was what the jungle was willing to offer today and this was what they were greatful to receive. What a way to live life! Almost sounds biblical don't it.

I Have

Yesterday I tried to write a new post and, because the cafe was so busy, got as far as "I have..." I'm sure you can think of thousands of ways to continue that thought, but I can't even remember what I was going to say. All I can think of today is what I don't have - sanity, money, peace, sleep, a place to live, pinot grigio...

Mechanics 201

Loose bolts on motorcycles are not good! They have a tendency to come off, leaving you without ability to shift out of 5th gear, thus stranding you somewhere near Balzac next to a farm with a confederate flag and "Guard dog on duty" signs. So tighten your bolts now and avoid the fun!

Yes, our bike trip down to the deep south (Lethbridge) was quite adventurous. Fortunately, the guard dog turned out to be a small, black cat and the flag didn't came up in conversation. So the only real tragedies were the sore butts and good ol' southern wind. There were times when I had the bike leaned to the left going through a right-hand turn and then there were the semis. Lot of fun.

We had a great time with Erika's parents. After six hours of riding on the bike we enjoyed simply bumming around the Bridge and playing cards at night. They have their latest Japanese exchange student (which they've done for a number of years) for the month of August. Her name is Yoshie and she absolutely loved the motorcycle, so I took her for a ride. I found it interesting that she had to come all the way to Lethbridge Alberta to have her first ride on a bike, seeing that it's a 20 year old Japanese motorcycle.

All said, I'm really looking forward to the next couple of weeks, which promise to be slower than the last few...maybe.