tim’s thought property

As it so happens, there is much more to be said about a wet July. Living on the Prairies, or Great Plains, as some prefer to call it (not me, though ), we are prone to having very hot July weather. Now, the normative with this is that there will be the eventual rainfall, thus cooling off the land. But, as of this week, we’ve been given the misfortune to have both hot, humid and muggy weather (around 30 degrees Celsius) and in the same stretch, torrential downpours and massive electrical storms. The most notable one was on Thursday evening, beginning at ten o’clock or so and ending close to one a.m.

This kind of weather would normally be wonderful at summer camp, if not for the sorry state of the water table. The ground is saturated with all the rainfalls to this point. We have much standing water all on the grounds of camp, and long grass that has grown too much due to the water. Add to that the swelling banks of the Assiniboine river, and the imminent flooding of the Ropes Course which I will have to work at beginning Sunday; as well as the rise and spread of mosquitoes and you have a rather fitting image of my current situation. You see, this sort of thing would be bearable (phenomenally so) if the ground were not already full to the brim with precipitation. I can handle all of the normality’s of the summer, but constant puddles, ruined recreation fields and the increase of soggy discomfort of bare-footed treading has me in a small state of worry.

Yet, hark! things are not all lost! For in our planning week, amidst all the joking and tiredness that ensues in a camp like learning setting, we have chosen our theme meal ideas for the weeks of summer. Pirate Theme had won the bid with 17 votes, thereby securing its place in the July roster. Add to that, the urging to re-create certain activities, and you have a Pirate Themed Ropes Course all week! A Flag, a Hammock, two bearded and accented pirate Ropes Instructors, and some re-named elements on the course and you have a full week of awesome hilarity! Stay tuned for the eventual pictures of Camp, and ultimately, the picturing the context to all these words. More laundry is left for me to complete, and the rest of the night to enjoy (by sleeping).

So today was the Nation’s 138th birthday, founded in 1876 as one of Britain’s colonies. And years later through mostly non-violent means, we’ve out-grown our need to be the subordinate of an old mercantile system, and were given the grace to be a constitutional democracy, the end.

So as I celebrated the event of my nation’s founding, I have some interesting little asides to re-count from the evening.
Firstly, there was much celebration in the form of drugs. Many times wandering amidst the throngs of people crowded to watch fireworks, did we smell pot from varying directions. Also, there was the standard tobacco smell and beer smell from the other groups of people, all crowded to watch the fireworks. So, to some people, the celebration of a nation means that all self restraint and care for the law can be suspended on the day that the country that makes these laws, was created.

Secondly, Fireworks need not be lit by professionals. Numerous times as we waited the colouring of the skies with ancient Chinese tradition, there were random and piddly fireworks shooting upwards from varying locations. Not too wise or too safe. Yet, as the real fireworks were set off, the gradual wind blew bits and chunks of the mortars and ash from the delightful pyrotechnics. Yes, the fireworks were more than a spectacle, they were interactive! Both Tim (Penner) and I came out of the Forks with a souvenir from the shell of a spent explosive.

Thirdly, people are friendly on days like this. As the celebrations went on, the gaggle of us went down to Osborne Village, to see their Street Fest. This will go on until Tuesday, but tonight was the big excuse to smoke more pot and get more drunk. People are not intimidated in the least to shout out things like “It’s Canada Day!” or “Woooooo!” or even “Wanna buy some Hash?“. That last phrase was said to my group as we walked into the Village, and the man selling whizzed by on his bike. Obviously, he wasn’t really selling. Or else he would have made more of an effort.

Fourth, I have a gift for accidental poetry. As Tim (Penner) and I were deciding where would be best to get a spot to watch the fireworks, I suggested that we shouldn’t go to the river. It’s flooded the walkways and is quite wide, deep and fast. But I said it like this:
We can’t get too close
To the river, cause the ri-
ver’s too close to us.
Strange. I didn’t realize it until Tim pointed it out. Needless to say, I was impressed.

Finally, I learned that even for all it’s strangeness, Canada is a swell place to live. We may have a slow form of government. What with a Democratic, Conservative, Socialist, and Separatist party in office. And sure we may have the threat of too much diversity that lacks a sense of national unity. And sure there are a slough of many different things that make it frustrating to do anything in the realm of politics, but through it all, Canada is an o.k. place in my books. Here’s to you, oh Canada. Happy aging.

To go with the newly haunted car which I never drive, I have just come into the possession of ( ) by Sigur Ros. This is an ambient sound scape, all songs untitled and minimalistic. It has similar sounds to some of the ambient Radiohead, circa Kid A or Insomniac. This album was always highly praised by friends, but I never thought of buying it. There is something about the mellow sounding music that just puts a long sought calmness to my music collection. Sure, Iron & Wine are in there, and Garden State and Hayden, but overall, the encompassing feeling of this CD is unmatched. This is the kind of stuff you can fall asleep to, in a positive way.

Yesterday I stepped foot into Disc Trader on Corydon, and upon seeing this album for $8.95, I quickly put it in my hand. That price is good no matter what CD you are looking for. Then I saw Sam Roberts - We were born in a Flame for $7.95. I could cross Sam Roberts off of my “CD’s to Buy” list. There is something conflicting about purchasing long desired music on a tight budget. I think I shouldn’t be doing it, yet I still do it. This is something that I can get away with when I shop with someone (ie. Andy and I would so often exit Everyday Music in Seattle, a few dollars poorer, and a few CDs or DVDs richer), but I cannot come to do on my own. Hmm…perhaps I should frequent these stores more on my own, then my buying will be all the less. There must be some kind of scientific or mathematical equation for this.