The Stampede Is Upon Us

Tonight marks the first night of the Calgary Stampede, unofficially. Sneak-a-peek starts tonight where you can get into the grounds for half price to get on all the rides.

But ya know... I can't say that I'm overly excited about it again this year. I was just reading around this time on Tales to see what I did for the Stampede... and it was a big fat NOTHING. And it doesn't look like I was really fussed either. Granted, I was still unemployed then and had next to no money.

Now that I have some money though, I'm still not that excited about goin' out to the grounds or anything. Maybe to go see Nelly Furtado's hot bod or Sam Roberts rock the Coke Stage, that'd be about it for me.

I think it's a fair statement to say that I'm not one with the cowboy/western culture. It certainly isn't the reason why I moved to Calgary, but certainly isn't gonna drive me away either. I accept that it's here and that people like to ride the wave when it is here... hey, I'm all for drinkin' your face off for 10 days straight, just please don't ask me to wear jeans or a cowboy hat... 'cuz I don't like either. And if I'm not wearing said items, don't look at me like I'm a freak... 'cuz you're you're probably only wearing your denim vest and chaps for these few days, just like 75% of the people here.

I would like to continue wearing my shorts and sandals whilst enjoying the summer heat... I would like to listen to my rock/alternative music without condemnation... and I certainly don't want to be going to cowboy bars where you have no room to drink, have to two-step when dancing AND watch drunken cowboys beat the living shit out of each other when they've had too much or too little. This time of year, much like Christmas, I would just prefer the days to be like any other days.

Granted, I'm sure it'd be different if I had boatloads of money to spend on getting obliterated for 10 days... OR possibly showin' around the lads from England to show them what the culture is all about.

Oh yeah... I'm certainly not going to the rodeo either. Man, just rollerblading past the stables on the pathways in Calgary reeks of manure... why would I want to pay good money to sit in the stands and watch farm animals get wrestled into their own shit while smelling it the entire time? Doesn't exactly sound like great fun to me. I'll wait until the highlights of a good goreing or chuckwagon crash.

Well, I thought I'd write this little rant out of me... Jeff wanted me to go with him to Ranchman's and Nashville North (the live country music tent at the grounds) this weekend... I told him I didn't really fancy it and he gave me the one eyebrow up smiley on MSN... meh. I can't honestly care about that whole scene... it's not for me. Have fun, everyone!