January 18

After yesterday’s grumpy blog I feel it’s important to be more positive. I talk a lot about things I hate, but here is one thing I love - Calgary. I do, not enough to live there, but I really enjoy the city.

• To me there is only 6 streets - Deerfoot, Memorial, Crowchild, McLeod, Glemore and 16th. I always ask Darian, “Where is that from Memorial?” When Darian drives and we use other streets I’m so excited- it’s like finding Narnia. But alas, I can never find them again. 
• Downtown Calgary. Work takes me there regularly and I have stayed in all the hotels. I know the best restaurants, spas and parking lots. 
• I love the Calgary airport. Best place to people watch. When people tell me they fly out of Edmonton I unfriend them. Calgary airport stories are some of my favourite.
• Concerts at the Saddledome. I know, it’s old, but I love Saddledome concerts. 
• Chinook Mall. I only wish it had a larger Roots store. But that is why the Lord Jesus gave us Banff.
• Christmas shopping with Jen or Jen and Trena or Jen, Trena and Merrily. And once Tracy. Frank, the guy that runs the bar at The Carriage House, knows it’s not Christmas until we show up. And Redstone Grill - it is shopping tradition that we close the place. 
• Calgary winter is always the rest of Alberta’s spring. It is forty below in the entire province but Calgary is enjoying a balmy -5 degrees. The Canadian Geese never leave! Perpetual spring. 
• Eating in downtown on weekdays- everyone around you is talking oil and gas industry. And it’s positive! Those are my people. 
• Rush hour. I’ve driven through downtown Denver, Seattle, Vegas and Vancouver. Calgary rush hour is a chance to do some carpool karaoke. 
• Driving to Calgary on highway 22 and enjoying the view. Beautiful. And also knowing where the popo usually sit.....

Now the one thing I don’t like about Calgary.....The Flames. I can’t. I just cannot. I went to a Flames game and I felt so disloyal. I apologized to everyone around me and explained I was an Oiler fan and although I appreciated their little team, they are not the real team in Alberta. I felt terrible. I wanted to call the Oilers and confess my disloyalty. In a perfect world the Oilers would be in Calgary but I guess Calgary gets a small Roots store in Chinook and the Calgary Flames - we all have our crosses to bear.....

January 17

So today I was driving to Calgary this morning for a meeting and I was scrolling through radio channels trying to find Jack FM. I love that station but I can never remember where it is. Anyway I passed by 18 Christian channels and 6 French channels and I stumbled on a talk station. I abhor talk radio. Hate, hate, hate it. But they were discussing the 11 year old that claimed a white guy tried to cut off her hijab. This claim was quickly taken as gospel buy our illustrious Prime um Minister um, Justin, um Trudeau, Kathlyn “Notley’s Older, Worse Sister” and Toronto’s Mayor - not Rob Ford. 

As much as it goes against everything I believe in, I continued to listen. In anger. Setting aside this kids reason for doing this - bullying? Parents making her wear it? Really who cares? At 11 you know better. Why was it not an Asian or a Black man or another Muslim? I am not a racist - everyone drives me crazy. I don’t care what race, religion, gender, sexual preference, occupation, age or nationality you are - DON’T BE AN ASSHOLE. I don’t ask for a DNA swab before I decide you are an asshole. I am equally judgemental.

I am somewhat indifferent to immigration. Last I checked 95% of Canadians are immigrants. It would do well for some people to remember this. Whether you’re first, second, third or further - we are immigrants. Our grandparents or great grandparents all immigrated to this country for a variety of reasons but we assimilated. Sure our country is a “melting pot” of cultures but if your 11 year old child is claiming she was physically attacked, to an entire nation, because of her hijab then this family should be having a serious discussion about their reasoning behind wearing this garment. 

Now, before the whole “it’s in the Quran” blah, blah, blah. I don’t care. I also don’t care about the Bible. I cannot imagine that God would specially address women’s apparel. Really? I think he has bigger fish to fry. I wish the first chapter in all these books was: 1. DON’T BE AN ASSHOLE. 

I disagree with burkas completely, I think it is a ridiculous ideology that hiding a woman’s face and body will protect men from looking at them and having impure thoughts. Take off the burka and carry a taser. That too will discourage impure thoughts. And let’s address the elephant in the room - if you cannot control your physical urges then you are a sexual predator. Period. 

My only other immigration comment is, after assimilation, leave your extreme beliefs in the country you were being persecuted in. We are a peaceful nation, being lead by a moron. We enjoy hockey and bitching about the weather. Get a job, don’t be a burden on society. Don’t break the law (should be immediate deportation). Don’t bring your Muslim versus Jewish or Christianity nonsense here. Don’t be an extremist- in any religion - Baptist, Catholic, Islamic, Dutch Reform - you’re all fine. Your God loves you all equally. 

Anyway, this is why I hate talk radio. All I wanted was classic 80’s rock. 

And I decided the group that drives me the most crazy - slow drivers in the fast lane! 

January 5

Quick Dekker update: he has left Nicaragua and travelled south and is in Costa Rica. Apparently there is not yet a maternal pull to make him return to the Great White North, but it is only Day 9 so my hopes remain high.

Watching the Canada Juniors game and (of course) I am cheering for a win but bless the Swedes if they get it. They are a spunky bunch! And big! Edited since my initial post: no longer good wishes to Sweden. Hacking little bastards! 

While watching this impressive, fast game I have an Oilers Theory. I think it is no coincidence that their miserable season also coincides with their unfortunate choice in the vile, neon orange they chose for their jerseys. Heads should role for that choice. Looking at their jerseys is comparable to staring straight at an eclipse (although I cannot verify this, Donald Trump, can. But as of the publication time of this blog he has not returned my call) I can only hope that someone is going to call an emergency board meeting to recall all jerseys sold. No harm, no foul. We can still make playoffs.

My next theory (not sure I’ve shared this one before) - the gravitational pull is stronger at my house than anywhere else in the world. This would explain the ridiculous number the scale shows me. 

Anyway, enjoying a quiet night at the rig with Ryan (quiet for me - he is busy) and slowly recovering from this god awful disease that Jennifer kindly shared with me.