Feb 23, 2010 - Travel Day.
So another RCRF! It has become quite regular in my journeys. So much so I have developed affection for these moments. These moments bring me higher clarity, thought and pause when they happen out on the road. All things that more people need to have when travelling I believe. Anyway today’s Royal Canadian Rat Fuck unfolds..
So, I go..as I sit beside a Timmy’s ( which I am pretty sure are in every terminal in every airport across the country now days – man that franchise has some legs don’t it !?) overcome with the aroma synonymous with Canada, helping with my Olympic spirit ! Not bull shitting either on that smell. I find myself away from home a lot a lot and that smell is distinctively Canadian. Make no mistake - I know when im home !
I can see the woman and her man-slave across the terminal. I was just lucky enough to experience Mini She-ra in action. Firstly the back ground situation - basically due to weather and lack of crew reasons, I got bumped, as did several of us, but not our luggage. Meaning simply our bags made the flight but we didn’t. Inconvenient sure, worth losing my shit over not my style. Un-like this outrageously rude bitch across the way from me. It baffles me firstly how people get so bent over travel delays, and then secondly feel they need to take it out on the closest airline staff. Travelling is a privilege not a right I always say and when the rude and ugly shows its face out here on the frontier, well it just makes me laugh at this point. Makes it feel more like a battle field then a frontier I find.
Sometimes I wanna not laugh and get angry and get into it with these people - so bad. For selfish reasons because I just think eventually im gonna start calling out the ignorant and stupid of this planet. But also on the poor flight staff’s behalf, because they cant say shit to the customer. They have to stand there and take all the shit from these jerks who think they are royalty who should be treated as such (Natalie and Jeff – from westjet in this case) ((Only the names of the real people have been used to protect the subjects integrity))
I find the result usually works in my favour due to my laid back attitude about it all. Getting put on the very next available Direct flight – worth twice the fare I paid and being put in a emergency exit window seat, combined with Jeff telling me im a laid back cool customer, and Natallie going the extra effort and finding out exactly where my bag will be and how it will get delivered to me. Combined with the knowledge that if I ask right in YVR I’ll get a $100 flight voucher. Meanwhile snaggletooth and her choke chained man servant who was visibly scared of his woman, well they get the least amount of respect and care available. I cant decide if I want people to chill the fuck out or not and just stay they lovely way they are, as they make me look real good !
Regardless of plans you have or appointments missed. There still gonna get ya there hours before your game time. Never mind that you if you know anything about travel you should allow yourself plenty of grace time if you absolutely must make an event. Now granted some staff can become overwhelmed and push some wrong buttons back on customers making a bad situation worse. Which I believe is what happened in this case. But all too often I see people lose there shit for no other reason than they think there entitled to special care. That’s what happened here. And Hey ya know what ass-clowns !? Take the bus or better yet walking aint crowded !!
So usually I wait til the end to board the plane, another thing I never understood was the rush people have to get on the plane. You know those people who stand right up there circled around in the way of the people who are called ahead first. But this time I knew I was in an emergency row section who gets called up next behind the first class passengers and I knew mini she ra and man slave were way back. So I had to have some fun and try something and sure enough she had to run me down and ask me why im boarding before her and did I get upgraded to first class when she got put back with cargo? Fuck I love when I can give that well deserved grin to the less deserving. Not first class just emergency exit row, which was just as bitter sweet as she asked for that after she got denied first class upgrade. So a nice pout from her as she stormed away was the last I’ll see of that prize. You poor bastard.
The delay brings me to my initial anger of what made me sit, take a breath and write about this subject. Extra time in an airport usually means 1 thing to me – where’s the bar !? Well sometimes like this one – its 6am and even if it was open, that’s a lil too early for me. With the week I have ahead of me, I’m in no hurry to start drinking. So with no bar, the shops are next. Olympic fever is everywhere and its awesome ! Im wearing my new team Canada Jersey- proudly, but with tongue in cheek as I ordered it from a China wholesaler paying 1/3 the price of Canadian retail stores. Regardless of our loss to the yanks, today’s elimination game against the krauts and then next the commies if things go our way, only demand that I wear my jersey while I travel today. Hehee refers me to a quote I heard recently “Im not a racist ima separatist!” Anywayz trash mouth aside, point being I got the spirit and some time to kill so im going to check out the Olympic merch. The Official Merch! Well what’s that mean I wonder to myself these days really ! I am so worked up and disappointed in our country – and im sure other countries in the world – as ALL official Olympic merchandise is not made by there own hands in there own land. Of course its all made in China ! Doesn’t surprise any of us does it ? My first tweek to the testys was that my OFFICIAL nike mens hockey team Canada jersey was ordered direct and shipped/manufactured in China. Thusly with curiosity comes me looking into all the official merch and low and behold – it looks like all of it comes from China!
I am not sure if It’s true when I say we have nothing but ourselves to blame in this such case, as there’s no other alternative. We have no clothing manufacturing in this country anymore. In a world of outsourcing, finding something that is home grown these days is pretty hard to come by. Its not just us. Alas I find crazy irony when I look at my pics and see the masses on Robsons street, in the sea’s of red and whites in the arena’s, stands, streets all over B.C. and the entire country for that matter. Cheering on our athletes, standing tall with our national pride and Maple Leafs in check ! When in pure fact of it all, were all wearing and supporting China !! Its not a complicated subject I realize. The rant is long gone, weve accepted it and anyone that does talk of it is simply dismissed today.
I don’t pretend to have the answers. Im just another asshole complaining about the shit in our world. Actually im kinda the next level asshole because I so clearly see the problems and issues and yet I do nothing but bitch about it to what ever other asshole is listening to me.
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Time for my real flight this time finally ! Check my grumpyness in baggage ! Enough of this 6 hour delay - Lets get this shit-show on the go! Speaking of which - GO CANADA GO !!
Feb 25, 2010
Well i dont feel 40 ! Thats the key i am pretty sure. First full day 1 for me was a pretty nice start. Hookin up with my old bud Vic to catch one of the biggest games we'll ever face. Canada vs. Russian did not disappoint. Also my First experience with new peeps this trip. A nice thing about my travel spirit I believe is when im in the zone - i got no probs sittin down at a table of strangers. Its how it should be – in my opinion of how the things should work in this world. I try to practice many of those good things that most of us don’t , as best as possible. I have many groups of friends who dont really meet too many new people. We get older, have our group/s - which is awesome ! but the new contingent doesn’t happen or happens less frequent that’s for sure. I could be going the wrong way i sometimes think as i spread my shit pretty thin around alotta different groups instead of investing heavily in 1 or 2 that I can really count on. I dont beat myself up about it too much mind you, life is pretty fucking sweet on my planet, yet don’t think I don’t recognize the planet might not be so fun and loving down the stretch. and I am noticing the more I say life is great, I notice more shit happens to me,,,baaaaa this piece is about celebration so fuck all that psychology shit today i say. ITS MY BIRTHDAY BITCH !
My new table of strangers are friends in-side of the first period and this place is going off. More so than have I ever seen the likes of. Maybe Mardi Gras or Gaspirilla perhaps came close. This is something different. Im sure it has to do with the patriotism stuff and the feelings of belonging to history and all that groovy touchy feely shit. Man if you can understand how every bar, every restaurant, every living room in this city is line-up city! I am not one for lines anymore i used to think anyway til later in this trip I am reminded that I don’t mind a good line. So I eased my way into this trip with catching this game with these fine local folks on the outskirts of the main madness and a good bar with good views and good service that I didn’t need to get to hours before game time. St. Augustines was such a place. Awesome game with friendly people everywhere. More a neighbourhood joint then a bunch of tourists. Something important to do on any journey.
Upon victory its time to make our Olympic charge into the crowds and to some music as Damien Marley is playing the stage at the main outdoor music venue downtown. A 40th birthday win over the Russians and a vip entrance pass into a Damien Marley show complete with Fireworks ! Pretty sure i have zero to complain about ! EVER ! but hey im a Canadian so im sure i'll find something !
But not today. I read a quote today in one of the papers that stood out to me saying “This is the most exciting thing that’s happened in Canada, maybe ever.” I tend to like to argue big statements/claims such as that, and probably would if I wasn’t here possibly witnessing that exact thing. I started to believe. After a rough start that nobody can deny, thanx to our sad media that makes the highlights. Convincing us its maybe gonna not just be a bust but I hear several outlets saying quite possibly the worst games ever.
Never mind the Great one clutching a recyclable torch as he rode in a hybrid pick-up en route to ignite the natural gas Olympic flame, starting the Winter Olympics of epic projects of renewable energy, resources, science & technology and conservation, just to name a few.. Nope just that a sledder died badly, from some country you haven’t heard of, that they will show you on a map graphic, so don’t worry about googling it. With the track being to fast and dangerous, the bad weather causing millions in refunds, throw the shit stage hydraulics in and were pretty much feeling the deep burn right now. Canada looking like the darkness, no snow host ! So id be lying if I didn’t think week 1, well I felt some.. de-fleeted sadness maybe, for lack of a better term? The media had me in its palm. Alas I didn’t waver to far as I knew things wouldn’t get much worse and yes ok im saying it - once it was full on mens hockey elimination week 2 would come around - well things sure got jacked up a bit.
Today is women’s gold medal hockey vs. usa then a front row Knaan & Tinawarin birth day show :) Did I say Life’s pretty sweet yet ?!
Mar 2, 2010
Well i missed a few days here to post as i jump to sitting in the awesome Vancouver airport ! This airport really is what i wish YYZ was and hope to be some day. So many kick ass things about it im not gonna get into it - it would take to long. But my view right now is pretty nice. YYZ could learn much from YVR. lets leave it there. So i'll back track best i can but no promises there will be continuity because that Gold Medal Sunday was a day to blow all days right out of the water and I am still amped up several degrees. We knew it coulda been and boy ohh boy was it !
We not only rocked the gold medal count and more importantly some incredible gains for our armature athletes I am sure. I loved Montgomery the most I think. !? Mostly probably as a fellow C.A.I. - Georgian College alumni ! Ya gotta support the bro’s ! . Its all about personal touches after all. Who didn’t raise a glass when Johnny raised that jug a beer in the whistler streets on his Olympic walk ! It don’t get more Canadian than that id like to think. We’ve really sucked the hind tit on that area you can’t argue.
As far as the missing 4 days worth of experiences. Well I plead whatever law, rule that makes me not give a shit that I didn’t write it down. Some day maybe if there’s financial compensation in me keeping things logged then maybe but don’t count on it. The pictures should fill in the blanks quite nicely !
Im sure im not the first to say i wish it was the olympics everyday. The love felt in this city is like ive never experienced. I must have given between 700-800 high fives and 200-300 hugs i figured best guess. Not lame ones either - the full on loven life kinda smack and grabs ! Complete strangers and completely completely reciprocated. No weird looks or get away from me jackass looks.
Was nice to see the organizers on there toes, and adding an element of humour to the closing ceremonies in making fun of ourselves. It showed class and the only way to go I think to win the gold. I think we did ! But I was here so I am biased. From what I hear on the streets in every metro and town in the country that gold medal game turned us all on our game !
Your not gonna see the U.S. make fun of there selves like that. Any more than we can expect the Russians to be pounding vodka and running tanks into their stadium stadium…are we ?
Time to board. Respect Van and B.C ! Again you show me reason to be here more.
*RCRF: Termed one day long ago with some American friends in my travels as shit that always just seemed to happen to me – thusly “Kitch got the The Royal Canadian Rat Fuck again!”
