Thursday, April 20, 2017

Highlights from the Highlands

Hi Friends, It’s adventure week for me!

Up first an early-morning flight to Edmonton, to perform a problematic puppet show. Here are some highlights:

Westjet is amazing. They’re an airline that actually seems to care about its customer service. In the wake of the United fiasco, it’s even more refreshing. Also, free snacks. If you like gingersnaps at all, request the cookies.

Edmonton’s airport is leagues above most I’ve flown through. Plush seating, lots of dining options and plenty of non-beige color let me enjoy visiting it.

Rental cars will accept temporary driver’s licences! Hooray!

Stopping by a circus gym to see old friends. Had I been wiser, I would have researched and joined their daytime open gym. As it was, the look on their faces was more than worth it. Can’t wait to see them again this summer!

The quest for pants: due to Adventure #2 (starting today) I need black pants. I spent most of the afternoon and evening searching for a pair. Side quests are what makes adventures worth wile, and usually provide all the nostalgic stories, later. This quest resulted in not only a pair of good adventure slacks, but also a cheap pair of clown pants. Long-legged skinny jeans with a dropped crotch pulled up high enough so the crotch is no longer dropped? Comedy gold. (also a clearance item)

Visiting a local landmark, in this case the West Edmonton Mall. The West Edmonton Edmonton Mall. In the central ice arena, children were taking Ice skating lessons. Ain’t nothing cuter than an cluster of clumsy kiddies on ice.

Hockey. After 11 years, Edmonton is finally back in the NHL playoffs. The city was bananas for their team. Signs of the “Orange Crush” were everywhere. As there was a game that night, I sat in my hotel room and turned it on. Bad Idea. Over the course of this adventure I witnessed Nine goals scored against any hockey team I was rooting for, and 2 scored for. Please note that this time period only resulting in watching about 4 periods of hockey. Sorry Edmonton and Toronto. I promise, like the cubbies in the World series last fall, I will actively not watch so that you might win. I’d really like a Canadian Stanley cup this year. *Update* RIP Calgary.

Dining. Do you ever know when you’ve entered a restaurant and made a terrible mistake? Such was the case during this trip. I idly wondered if the meal would make me sick when i realized that I was the only one in the place with a half hour to close. It totally did! Woo! Adventure!

I don’t yet have the liberty to discuss the problematic nature of the puppet show. Le’t just say that it hasn’t aged well, and choices are made to emphasize this. Due to this, I also am reluctant to say where I performed… except to say that it was awesome. The space itself was amazing, and the people who ran the venue were top-notch. We bonded immediately. The show? The show was great. The kids reacted viscerally to every piece, laughing at the funny parts and losing their minds at the creepy bits. I actually wrapped up one section early because I could hear a child weeping in the audience. When It was question time, the children asked really in depth questions. I love it when it happens.!

Finally, I found out the difference between an Airport Limo and an Airport Taxi is $10. Service was equally good. Cars were no different. Travel times were equal. So now you know.

Alright friends and neighbors. Adventure #2 begins in 2 hours. I gotta go pack!

Until then…. Keep your stick on the ice.

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