calgary launches shift and switch

i must have been excited because i didn't take a single photograph. completely forgot about my camera. all the kids were there. jason and derek were charming hosts. jason did most of the talking. derek stood there, as he promised, and looked pretty. it was also the night before db's birthday-- many happy returns young man! great readings from ryan fitzpatrick, jay gamble, jill hartman and julia williams. oh yeah, and yours truly. a significant number of us ate the chorizo pasta at the mcnally robinson cafe, with varying degrees of appreciation. jason didn't like the red peppers. some lost sheep returned to the fold-- i was especially happy to see erin and glen bodner. afterwards we all trooped down to the bear and kilt, where kids will do what kids will do. in attempt to reach the spirit of rachel, a few of us went to my house afterwards and watched bladerunner, with a little metropolis interlude, to observe how ridley scott ripped fritz lang off. bladerunner is still the best movie of the 20th century.

lest you think all i do is party, it isn't so. i spent most of a quite lovely day with nikki sheppy clearing the detritus of four and a half years of calgary living out of my apartment. big batch of books back to the library, some old clothes and odds and ends to women in need, a couple of bags of stuff to the consignment store, a visit to the handy recycle bins behind the 11th ave sw safeway, and a futile stop at london drugs attempting to get a promised rebate on a printer cartridge. i was explicitly told by the salesman i could come in and claim it, only to have that claim vetoed by the manager when i actually brought it in. grrr. afterwards nikki and i drank a pot of taiwanese tea and contemplated the headspace of transition. i'm learning to surrender to the turning of the wheel. it ain't easy.