I’ve never understood the big draw surrounding the Calgary Stampede. I’ve lived in Calgary my entire life and every year it’s the exact same thing. Drunken real and fake rednecks walking around in their cowboy hats constantly using words like ‘yahoo’ and ‘yeehaw’ (the difference between the two words I also do not understand). Every year I hear stories about people blowing an entire paycheque in a night at the grounds or one of the many Stampedified clubs around town. Every year there’s the battle between animal rights activists and the Stampede commission. Every year the news channels drink the Stampede juice and start dedicating the first 10 minutes of their broadcast to talk about how the corndogs taste this year or where the mini donut stand is located. Every freaking year…

I get it, there are farms and ranches in Alberta. I don’t need it shoved down my throat along with pancakes, hamburgers and syrup every year. I probably sound really cynical right now and I’m sure there are people who would try to claim I’m not a ‘true Calgarian’. Quite frankly I don’t care because in my view Calgary is about much more than the Stampede. It’s just sad most Calgarians are happy to sit back and use the Stampede as our only claim to fame. Oh that and the fact we hosted the Olympics like 22 years ago… the world doesn’t care anymore.

Thought of the day: What do people in China call their good plates?

All the family on my dad’s side of the family are from the southern United States, more specifically Tennessee and Georgia. They are also all totally insane, at least when I compare their lives to that of an average Canadian or even other Americans outside of the south. Growing up I used to spend my summers down there with my family and always had the most amazing times. There’s nothing fireworks and BBQs on the 4^th of July (sorry people, Canada Day just doesn’t come close). Independence Day celebrations aside, it worries me that so much of my family down there appear to be so ignorant when it comes to birth control and financial management.

All of my cousin’s have kids, which isn’t a bad thing except for the fact they keep having more and then rely on their families to help raise them. Those kids grow up and start having kids of their own and the whole process seems to repeat itself endlessly. The worst part of it is that they think this process is pretty normal. They are locked in to these lifelong commitments before they’re even old enough to drink and never really get to live life for themselves. They don’t get to travel the world, go to post secondary (unless they get scholarships or are already fairly wealthy), they don’t get to do anything except try to survive.  

I know these things happen in Canada too but it’s not the norm here like it is down there. I couldn’t imagine having a child to take care of before I even turned 20. I wouldn’t have been able to travel the world like I have and educate myself without the stress of also trying to raise a child. I definitely feel extremely lucky to have been born in Canada and I’m thankful my grandpa brought my dad to Canada all those years ago. I love my family in the states, they are some of the most amazing people I know. I just wish they had been given the same kinds of opportunities I was given.

This is it, my first official blog post… exciting. For a long time I couldn’t decide what I wanted to blog about; I have tons of interests and opinions on things so it was difficult to narrow it down. In the end I just couldn’t, my mind is a melange of music, movies, sports, current, past and future events along with sprinkles of random thoughts and delusions. I expect most of my blogs will be what I like to call brain vomit so if you don’t like it too bad, if you do like it then you may be far more delusional than I. Either way, welcome to my mind.

Thought of the day: Bad decisions make the best stories.

Does anybody else find Calgary a really boring place to live? I’m not talking about the nightlife, festivals or sporting events, more about the city itself. Nothing ever happens here, nothing overly exciting or unpredictable anyways. Don’t get me wrong, I love Calgary and have been here my whole life but the more I travel around the world the more I realize how much we’re missing out on. Earthquakes, public unrest, hurricanes, raging wildfires and political corruption seem to the spice of life in other cities around the world. I turn on the news and this is all I see, then I think to myself at least those people wake up in the morning not knowing what to expect out of their day.

Again please don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fan of seeing people killed or losing their livelihoods in natural disasters, all I’m asking for is a little excitement. Why can’t Dave Bronconnier get caught in an illegal gambling ring with tax payers dollars on the line? Why can’t a tornado knock down one of the ski jumps at COP? Heck, I’d even take a killer bee attack at the Bowden Correctional Institute! I just want to see Calgary in the news for something other than cowboys, oil and the failure we call the Flames.

Switching topics. I used to love Eminem and am beginning to again. I remember when the Slim Shady LP released while I was in high school, I had never heard something so cool. It was one of those CDs you were afraid to play in public but couldn’t get enough of in private. His next two albums were equally as good IMO. Then things started to go downhill with Encore and hit rock bottom with Relapse. I had all but given up on Mr. Marshall until I downloaded his latest album, Recovery, a few weeks ago. It’s not quite on par with his first 3 but he’s definitely back on track. The hard hitting, witty lyrics are back with some great beats to support them. My favourite 3 tracks on the album are:

 No Love featuring Lil Wayne (a remixed beat of Haddaway’s ‘What is Love’ from 1993)

So Bad (produced by the master himself, Dr. Dre)

Untitled (Eminem showing his mastery of flow again, glad he’s got it back!)