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Sorry darlings but my computer at home is ill and so I haven't been able to post. I have everything noted and will update the blog as soon as the medicine kicks in.

Bay hales baby!

Stampede week is among us and all the cowboys/girls have come out to play. Coporate life is at a standstill this week as most of my coworkers can be found gobbling free pancake breakfasts in the mornings and stumbling down Stephen ave. in the evenings after spending their afternoons at various corporate events.

Every morning as I walk to work in my cowboy birkenstocks (no boots for this gal) I stop by Olympic Plaza to check out that morning's Stampede entertainment. So far I've seen some line dancing, an all men's choir, a comedian and a local artist singing all your favorite country tunes. It's a fun way to experience a bit of the Stampede spirit without having to spend loads of money at the Stampede grounds and gorging on fat laiden food.

Last night I ventured out to the Stampede RoundUp which is a concert held every year (for the past 11 years to be exact) at Fort Calgary, and in my opinion is the best stampede event. Fun was had by all. Yahoo and all that shit!! The best part for me is cramming yourself on a bay hale with other friends and strangers and dancing up a storm while trying not to fall on your ass. This years artists were the Road Hammers, Blue Rodeo and a surprise guest who turned out to be the lead singer of Supertramp, Roger Hodgson. Roger sang all the popular favorites from his band's glory days and the crowd loved it. He was a great performer and I found him to be a very humble person who was really appreciative of his fans. He certainly had a great energy about him. And of course, being a sucker for a good angst ridden love song, Blue Rodeo was a joy to listen to. I especially enjoyed the brass instrument section they had on stage with them.

You say that you're leaving
Well that comes as no surprise
Still I kinda like this feeling
Of being left behind

Yea this ain't nothing new to me
Well it's just like going home
It's kinda like those sunsets
That leave you feeling so stoned

- Blue Rodeo


P.S. What? You've never heard of the Calgary Stampede before? If you buy into the marketing hype, it's apparently the greatest outdoor show on earth. Check it out, www.calgarystampede.com.

P.P.S. A 'bay hale' is a term coined by yours truly. East Indian slang. A little Asia added into the Western mix. Khuda hafiz!

Nothing's free in this world. But cheap is great!!

I'm sure you're all aware of those annoying popups that promise free ipods, digital cameras, etc.... as you navigate the world wide web. About 5 months ago I set out to test if these enticing offers were really true. Well, my dear skeptics, I'm happy to say that today my 'free' ipod arrived in the mail. Actual cost = $52.05. Not bad for a device that is worth $300.

How does it work? Basically it's a pyramid scheme where you sign up for a sponsor's offer and get a required number of referrals to complete offers and VOILA, free stuff. Of course, nothing is quite that easy. As I approached friends and family to help me out with this experiment I was surprised to learn there are many cynics who walk amongst us. People who will by no means disclose any personal information or credit card numbers over the internet. Perhaps I'm not cautious enough, as I sign up for stuff left, right and center. Maybe the cynics have been burned before and I have yet to learn my lesson the hard way (touch wood).

So far I'm spam free and have not been charged anything more than what I agreed to pay for. And although the task was hard and the wait long, I really enjoyed the ride. By trying various offers I got to do some fun things, like experience the diet of South African tribesman, play a round of high stakes solitaire and learn the ins and outs of internet trading.

Receiving my 'free' ipod was truly a joy as you know how much I crave music. So thank you dearly to all of you who agreed to help me out and trusted that I wouldn't lead you astray. I am forever grateful!

Have kayak, will travel

Drove up last Thursday to Spray Lake and camped for 3 nights. I'd still be there if I didn't have to work on Monday. Oh, and also for the fact that I hadn't showered in four days and couldn't take my own stank any longer.

This was my first time attempting to camp on a long weekend and the campground filled up fast. But with one spot under our belt, the rest pitched their tents in overflow and set up camp (no pun intended) on our site. It was fun for me to watch the hussle and bussle around the site as everyone did their own thing. Felt a bit like one big happy family....like the Brady bunch or the misunderstood Addams family. Can I be Marsha Brady?

Kudos to my sister Farah, who just entered here 9th month of pregnancy, for not letting such a trivial circumstance stop her. Three words, 'state of mind'. I even had a hard time keeping up with her as she hiked up hillsides and manouvered accross waterfalls.

I went kayaking every day in Spray Lake and it was pure bliss. At times it was just me and nature without another person in sight. Surrounded by mountains I would float in the middle of the lake and let the whisper of the water take me away. And just as I was about to enter the calming state of meditation and leave reality for a brief moment, the sickening sound of someone in a motorized water vehicle disturbed nature's poetic silence to remind me that there's no escape. Argh!

The rest of the weekend was filled with the usual camping joys. Camping by yourself and with others are two very different experiences. When I'm by myself I relish the quiet mornings but when I'm with others, my favorite thing is the campire huddle at night. This weekend was no exception. I especially enjoyed when the instuments came out and also the gut wrenching laughs that this group inspired in me.