Beano, read some poetry, then off to check a couple of thrift shops, need to refresh my wardrobe before heading west, the thrift shops here are far better...
...interrupted by a friend, call, maybe instead a pint and game of darts, catch up, it's been a couple of months, thrifting will have to wait...
We meet at The Hose and Hound in Inglewood. I've never been. The outside, perfect, antique firehouse, inside, like the inside of a discount Applebee's, not even, terrible decor, appalling, really, and there's a bit of cognitive dissonance, who owns this? It's an outrage, really, if there's a community association in Inglewood they should demand it somewhat be renovated to reflect the spirit and / or character of the neighborhood, bloody hell...
But it's got a couple of pool tables and dart boards, and friend, she's got some darts and wants to play.
I don't play darts. I'm appalling, maybe played 5 times in my life, so I'm pleasantly surprised to see that after a dozen or so throws at the board they actually begin to cluster around the target. And there's a surprising rhythm - I'm not "aiming", or even really trying, but I can generally surround the target number (one or two darts above the number, the remainder below), and after a couple of turns one invariably - by accident even - goes in. And so we change the target...
...I find this curious, this unconscious circling of the target before hitting it, clearly I have no talent, but it's happening often enough I'm suspecting something deeper is at play, and I wonder what it is...
Finish our drinks, we'll catch up again when I'm unemployed in a week. Home for a nap, then pick up daughter for dinner. NoTables. Excellent as always.
And from here - was planning on taking her to Screamfest, but that would be funner for her and a friend, and her friend is busy, so another night, we make our way to Theatre Calgary's "BOOM", I'd read a review, it was good.
I should have read it closer. There were no lies, but it was a Theatre Calgary play, and they're generally not my thing. Summary: A virtuoso one man show, in which the performer (Rick Miller, also author and director) narrates from various points of view the tales of Baby Boomers interspersed with songs and notable highlights from the eras being depicted. Staging, good, performance, good, audience, maybe average age of 75? Theatre Calgary for you. And by the time the first intermission comes around and he begins to sing "American Pie" to commemorate the death of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Richie Vallens, then invites the audience to sing along "You know the lyrics..." and sure enough, they begin to sing along, they know the lyrics, and I was done. DONE DONE DONE. Theatre Calgary. Nothing Vital, rarely relevant, theatre for people that want their worldview confirmed, warm, secure theatre...the daughter and I were agreed, definitely not our thing, but chances are if even remotely you're thinking of going (or went) it's yours...I know so many people who would love this, people I've never been to the theatre with, for good reason, we're entirely of contrary expectations, but I want culture that's alive...
And this ends the day. Tomorrow, another day off, then 5 more days until busy "freedom", much to organize and consider in the interim, the locker is a mess, as are my finances and affairs, but these will be addressed...