Late summer 2009ish I think is about where we can jump in. I was moving for the 12th time in the nine years since I left home. Moving was starting to be something I detested! But this one, this was the best one. Everyone showed up, on time and sober. KT and I went to get a trailer to move our big stuff, that took maybe half an hour but by the time we we were there was enough help almost everything else was loaded. For the first and maybe only time ever we were done by noon. And the fun began. I think we had bought a 24 of beer and burgers to bbq for lunch. That flew by, we now lived behind a liquor store. So we bought a bottle of Wisers this time and some more beer (By the end of living here the old man who ran the liquor store called me Mr. Wisers) That lasted much of the afternoon. Then someone else went and bought another flat of beer. By night time people who weren't helping move, started to show up just to say hi. I don't remember going to bed the first night we lived there. Needless to say we did not unpack the next day. I think the count was 3 liquor bottles empty over 120 beer cans, some cooler bottles and wine thrown in. From one night, not a bad haul of empties!
Something I forgot to mention at some point prior to this the first "love connection" happened, from our hockey team. In a strange twist that I don't think anyone saw coming. The Frenchman started seeing Amazing. Now not like in a casual hook up now and then thing. They were genuine, boneifed, dating. Actually I think I should have mentioned that earlier, I think they had been for awhile by this point. So ya first "love connection"
It I think happens every year around fall time that the provincial government puts names on the Pillar of Strength down at the legislature of law enforcement officer who have fallen while on duty. Now I knew my great grandfather had passed on when my grandpa was still very young but I really didn't know much about it. I guess he had been some sort of wild life officer and his name should have been added to the Pillar decades ago. So they were now going to do this. Grandpa called and said they were coming down to go to this thing. Would we like to come? It was a cold day but TCM and I dressed up and went. It is quite the thing to watch. Then these bikers roll in, a whole shit ton of them in Kuts and everything. I was thinking what the shit, this ain't gonna be good. They must be rude as fuck to come to this and there is a ton of cops here who are not going to like this. But they didn't seem to notice. In fact afterwards they shook hands, so I went to look at the patches. Blue Knights. Then I googled it later. They are a police MC.
Sticking on family for awhile it was about now that I heard once more about Bad News Cousin. I hadn't seen or heard from him since he was sleeping in that bank machine stop way back in Grande Prairie. At some point he had moved down here. He was arrested and charged in a drug related murder in some flea bag motel in Edmonton. To me it was just strange to know this guy I had thought was pretty cool had slowly fallen to killing someone over drugs in one of those motels no sane person would ever even step in.
If we are on the topic of family I will stick to it for a minute and rant a bit sorry.... I here the term real Albertans and I laugh. I only know one side of my family but they are in oil. How Albertan! My moms parents are just average joes. They both worked their whole lives in this province. (On that note it was about this time Granny sold her store and finally retired with Grandpa. Retirement was good for them. They actually started to do things other than work eat and sleep.) Her parents were also born in this country and settled down in the Bentley area. So they have been here awhile. Grandpa's dad was born here fought in WWI for Canada and died on duty in Alberta. That line goes back a lot farther. His grandfather (My great great great grandfather) has a school and a subdivision in Edmonton named for him. As he was an early settler with HBC. I have been told he had some land holdings around where Rexal now stands but that I have never looked into myself. On top of that, that mans wife side is Native American and has been around Alberta for longer than the province / Country existed. SO please (Mr Kenney, Rebel Media, whoever) quit throwing around the term True Albertan / Canadian. There are people here who I am sure have been here much longer than most of you.
Now that, that is off my chest we can continue. I think this was the second year we went to the death race. I should have put it in the last entry but Sister was loving the mountain air in Grande Cache. She was getting more active and stuff, just loving the mountain life. Last summer (2008 Keep in mind my years maybe a bit off) She had done the first leg off the Death Race in Grande Cache. We had gone to watch. It honestly is super cool. The whole town changes for the weekend. Super friendly and fun. The first year we sat down with some Americans who asked WTF, a kokanee was, they had one and loved it. This year we drove up with Candy he was joining the team and running to. Even the drive there was exciting, not really but Candy loves to speed. So when the RCMP pulled us over in the mountains at some ungodly speed we weren't surprised. The police man was nice enough to drop Candys actual speed 15 KM or I think he would have lost his license. Again it was a great weekend. At the concert / beer garden some drunk girl was yelling Shane Yellowbird gave me crabs while he was performing on stage..... I freely admit I could never run it but it is nice to watch them take off while one sips Baileys and coffee. Completely random note but I love Grande Cache. I have this strange desire to either live A) in a town like that in the mountains, small and friendly where everyone knows each other or B) Los Angeles, kinda the opposite!!
Something I never saw coming happened. Well I knew it was coming it just came early. We were having dinner at KTs parents house, I cant remember the reason but Cook starts texting. It was his birthday, he wanted me to come have a drink. I guess most of the "guys" were there. I said no maybe later. But like a drunk he kept texting so I started to ignore him. Then came the phone call, he said his son had been born. I called bullshit. It was over a month early. I should have realized his voice was stone sober but I didn't. But it was true, a month early on Cooks birthday his first son was born.
Thanksgiving of 2009 was a big one. TCM and I well in the 7ish years we had been together our families had never met. So we put on Thanksgiving. This was a big undertaking. TCMs family was divorced, and it was one where they would be separate events. And there was lots of people, so we had 4? turkeys one deep fried and one in the oven each night? My family and her dads on Saturday night and then mine and her moms on Sunday. My brothers and her Sister stayed at our place. My grandpa well he is in my mind, kinda openminded for his generation and for being from GP, but when we saw a cross dresser in little Italy market he didn't know what to say! It was quiet the event. To be honest by Monday morning we were tired and had a crap ton of food left. So we had Amazing and the Frenchman over. They took a chocolate pie home. Funny side story, forgot the sugar in it. I guess it isn't so good without!!!
It was cold, I think the first snows had just flown when the Dutchman came walking into my yard. We lived only a few blocks from him so this was no surprise. Figured mid afternoon drinks on the weekend but he yelled hey I got a surprise for you. I asked what and Chad came walking around the corner. He had moved back and him and Dutchman were living together again. So yes there was mid afternoon drinks!
The fall flew by after that. Christmas was at my parents house. This year was a big year though. hey had built their dream home outside of GP. So we drive up on the 24th and they are still moving in. Literally. They company is still delivering all the shit they bought. They had bought all new everything. Beds, furniture, appliances, television, the big ass kitchen table was the last to arrive. But kinda important for Xmas dinner! The New Year came, we spent it with KT Amazing and the Frenchman. I don't think I have had that bad of a hangover in years.....
Now KTs dad had been buying some condos in Mexico. Come March of 2010 we flew down for a holiday. This was an adventure. See first off, all we needed was tickets so we went and bough them. The night before we were packing and TCM gets her passport. It is expired. The panic sets in. We go bright and early and pay for an emergency passport to be delivered within 24 hours but that isn't fast enough. So we have to reschedule TCMs ticket. Which costs more so we don't do mine. That afternoon KT and I fly to Mexico and leave TCM to take the next plane. These condos damn are they nice. But that is getting ahead of ourselves. We were picked up by an American driver who does various things for KTs dad. The first night KTs family and I went to a fancy little restaurant for dinner. The next morning when we went for breakfast we called TCM. She was at a layover in Winnipeg. We toured Mazatlan in a chicken truck during the day and that night TCM made it to the condo. We went out to a seafood place that night which was amazing. Still maybe my favorite seafood anywhere. Tats was also flying down and she had her own problems. She lived in whistler and over slept so she had to take a cab to Van City Airport. That was a few extra bucks too. But in the end her and Bebad (another friend) all made it down. That was a great week, saw not only the nice parts of Mexico but went into the downtown. Very different than what one sees on resorts. Spent a day in a tequila factory and a hacienda. Will admit mighta had more than my share of tequila. The factory was interesting. Saw a donkey pulling a stone to ground the agave to make the tequila. Gross thing was the donkey well if he needs to shit or piss he just does it...... We sat and drank for free, it was good. Made Patron taste like shit, then they bring out the silver from a mine nearby and drunken money can come out, tricky Mexicans! Then they sell bottles. Well we bought a case between 5 of us. When we got back to Canada and cracked it there is no way it was the same stuff we were drinking there.... Tricky Mexicans. At this point they were building a Riu hotel. It was literally just a whole in the ground at that point. Walking by one shop we ended up on the roof because they had chiaua puppies up there they wanted to sell. Another time a couple saw the Tats on Tats and invited us in for lunch, they were amazed by the art. They invited us out to some club that night but we never did go. There was / is an amazing bar there though. For those of you who have been there I mean the castle on hill. I think it has 5 clubs in it, but we didn't make it there this trip. I think KT, Tats and Bebad did. There was one scary point down there. One night everyone except TCM and I went out partying (I think to the castle). So they were all asleep when we went out for breakfast. That was fine but literally 20 feet from the condo a car come flying at us. It stops and a guy gets out. He has a sidearm and say, get in the car. The scary thing was it had federal plates. I said no thanks, he demanded it again. I said the only thing I could think off. "My dads condo is right there. We are going in now and if there is a problem I will yell for the guards." (Now the guards we two portly little buggers who wouldn't even open the gate when Tats came in late at night. Made her climb it in a dress with tacos.) I doubted they would be any help but whoever these guys were didn't know that. They looked at the guard booth, got in the car and drove away. But of course we had to head back to Canada.
I am gonna bring up hockey again. We met the Ref. She was super annoying reffing our games. She called penalties on EVERYTHING! however she was fair. Both teams always got penalties. But by this point our team had grown too much. Other friends started hearing about it and wanted to play. We had to make two teams. It as our best season. Some how we ended up playing each other in the semi finals. Our half won and played the next week for the championship. That is in my old blog. In a shoot out after everyone was shut down, Amazing said I am gonna win this bitch. To be fair I don't think she had ever scored yet but she did! She won that Bitch, a phrase still used sometimes. Also we met the goalie. We had played against him a few times, he was good so we got his name and recruited him to be on our team. However for some of us this was the end. Cook, Bud, Frenchman, Goalie and I all joined a men's league team. A little closer to real hockey, more intense.
Some shit I never knew would affect my life started happening at KTs place. CJ was still living there and it was becoming a shit show. She started excessive partying and doing more than just having drinks. AT first I think KT was ignoring it. Then they made some contract and CJ slowed down some but shit was still kinda freaky. For example one morning KT woke up and all 4 tires, rims and all were gone from her SUV. It was sitting on blocks. Spring / Summer time 2010 rolls around and we started having fires again. One night for example she brings these two guys home and goes to bed. They had figured with her but she said no so we have these two random fuckos wandering around. TCM was passed out on the couch and I come inside. One of them is creepily staring at her. Think you better leave now. I said politely, I ain't a big dude, so he says or what? Then his friend appears and says the same. What they were stupid about was my friends were there. Chad happened to come in, with Vicious at that point. All of a sudden these two guys aren't so cocky and are gone in 10 minutes. Side note after they got the adrenaline going Chad ad Vicious spent the night wrestling each other.
So TCM had her finals. The exam was in Calgary so we had to go down for a couple nights. While she spent her days doing some exams I was in the hotel room either playing Godfather on the Wii. (Remember those? Wii was so fun for somethings. Godfather was good on it. Hockey not so much.) Or in the hotel bar playing VLTS and having drinks. I won like $200 the first morning but put it all back in by the second night. The important thing out of this though was TCM became fully certified. After that we tried to set up shop. Our rental house had the finished suite downstairs so we cleaned it up and got a business license but it is hard when you start out. She got a couple clients but that's all. Fun side story we were out weeding the lawn when two old bittys walked up and said polite hellos. So we chatted for a bit, then they drop the bomb. A neighbor a couple doors down is doing massage out of her house. Legit massage, no happy ends but these two don't think people should work out of homes in this area. They wanted us to sign something about that, to boot her out. As TCM is trying to set up shop. We said no thanks but after that they didn't talk to us.
I was growing pretty upset with life. The fact was this, I had been overlooked repeatedly for sales positions I wanted and warehouse manager. The fact was during the boom of the 2000s I had barely been given raises. I was still living cheque to cheque and coming up short. Now my family they were doing great. Busy enough they both worked for their company. They had hired a right hand man a few years back but he had just quit. So one night sitting with KT we talked it over. We were going to try moving north. TCM could try a clinic there and I would work for the family. But when I made the call, they had just hired a guy. There was no room for me. I was glad I hadn't put in my two weeks like I planned drunkenly the night before.
So that restaurant I worked at when I first moved to Edmonton, it had changed. Sold and became a new place. Shyguys little sister had become the general manager. I dunno if I ever mentioned her. before. She was pretty cool. When I first met her she was in high school. I remember smoking up with her and falling asleep in her car. She liked to party but had a good head on her shoulders. I enjoyed talking to her. So often we would stop in her lounge for a drink and a visit. They loved Chad there like they had loved his brother Army years ago. I would call on a Saturday afternoon and they would say ya he is here come have a drink or let me know last time they saw him. We had it pretty good there.
Chad finally got himself a great job. He was out of town, so he couldn't enjoy some of his bad habits and could bank money. I mean when he got to town yes we went and he liked to spend his money but things in his life seemed to be turning around. For a bit.
So I don't think I have stressed how bad my truck was. By this point I had smashed it a few times. I don't think there was a panel on it without damage. On top of that the locks had been broken when people had broken into it. Remember when people would break in for shit like CDs? I didn't fix them. figured why, when it is in such bad shape. One afternoon we were driving up Kingsway when this cop flicks on the lights. So I pulled over. I didn't think I was doing anything wrong. This time they popped the holsters on their weapons. And both officers approached the truck on opposite sides. I was like WTF??? Never had I been pulled over and seen that. I had been pulled over enough to know that was strange! Roll down the window fully please. I did, license and registration. No small talk so I gave it to them. Was I doing something wrong I asked. The fact was the cop on my side laughed. No you are free to go. Usually when a truck is this beat up and missing the locks, it is stolen and on a joy ride. We figured that is what was going on here. I laughed nope just a shitty truck. And we drove away.
For my 29th birthday I bought myself a nice ass BBQ. And threw a backyard party. A bunch of people came over. During the bbq my phone rang and it was my aunt Glo. Remember her? My auntie from way back in my childhood blog. She called me, no other relatives did except my mom of course but that old lady always remembered. It just hit me that I hadn't visited her in years even though a million times she had been there for me when I was young. We went to St. Petes after that. This was the last time I went for a few years. It was bad. Sorry Pete but it is true. One of the strippers looked 5 months pregnant. One looked strung out. I mean I had a good time, don't get me wrong but my favorite club wasn't very good that night. Don't remember the cab ride home though lol. I rememeber Cook and Tats wanted to come over but seeings as I couldn't walk I think TCM shut them down.
We have the worst luck ever. Our landlady that I actually very much liked stopped by to chat. She wanted to let us know at the end of our lease she was putting the house up for sale $325,000 HOWEVER she liked us and knew we liked the place. We could go private, with no haggling for $300,000 right now. For the second time I was presented with a place I really wanted but my shitty choices, credit and lack of savings screwed us out of that. So once again we were to be on the move.
We did get strangely lucky. TCMs grandma sold her place to her travelling uncle. And moved into a seniors home. Travelling Uncle well he recently married and his wife had a house. They were willing to rent Grans old house to us, if we were willing to help them look after her house for the 6 months they would be travelling. Done deal! I mean he didn't give us a break on rent BUT we had a place and it was back in my Hood, Inglewood.
As a side note I think this was like my golden time for TV. I may be a bit off but I know for sure Sons had come out. I rented season 1 before it became a massive hit. Dexter was still around. We were into Spartacus. I think Game of Thrones was about to start and so was Boardwalk Empire. I don't think Once upon a Time had started but it was coming up. Also True Blood was around and Lost was wrapping up. Plus we were renting seasons of House and Bones. Surprised we had time for anything else!
Finish this off with hockey. We played 3 or 4 seasons on a low div team in mens ball hockey. We won a few titles BUT these are low div titles. However some of this team was getting a bit big for their britches. They thought they were better and "cut" all of us that joined. So we were looking for a new mens team. Plus our ESSC co-ed team was falling apart and we needed new players too. So we asked the Ref and she said yes. Also she brought another girl. A defesemen, who was pretty quiet but played hard. Never came for beers after though..... We can call her Bugalow.
Anyways here we are fall 2010 with 13 moves in 10 years since coming to Edmonton. Just as as side note I was on at least 20 moves in the 29 years I had been alive. But I guess we can wrap it up in fall of 2010
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