canada
I'm still in freezing, barren hell of consumerism West Edmonton Mall. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The people are charming. They really are. And they call their money "loonies" and "toonies". Again, I'm not joking about that.
But this isn't just about charming people. I'm in a mall. A very large, mall: granted. But it's a mall. With mall places and things and people, and mall hours. So at 9PM, you're left to wander around a vast and empty place of Exchange Worship. Don't think, though, that capitalism is the only religion worshipped here. Nay, my friends. I give you:
It is bitterly cold here, and depressing. I've considered over the past three days (several times, with varying levels of intent) throwing myself into the cruelly ironic "Pirates of the Caribbean" water feature. There's a performing sea lion, however, and out of pity I've decided each time not to pollute his sanctuary with a corpse.
And, it would seem, Canadians don't stop there with their clearly well-honed sense of irony. The elevator foyer on my floor in the hotel:
And a feature found periodically in my hallway:
Contrast this with the view from my room window:
And you get my drift...
Though I wasn't crass enough to snap photos for evidence, it would seem the prevailing winds of Hair Trend have delighted sweet Edmonton with a novel hairstyle: Really Bad Frost Job. No one seems immune; men and women of all ages, races, and sexual identity seem to have embraced the notion that "Not All Your Hair Needs To Be Blond(e). Just The Big Bits On Top Will Do." I'd cry for them if they didn't seem so damn pleased about it.
And another thing I've decided to keep to myself:
In the Wild West, they don't spell it "centre"...
November 9th, 2006 - 07:28
amusingly cynical Court.