A C-train Named Desire

I had about a million things to do yesterday. Cash a money order I received Friday, Fed Ex a package, get my hair cut, sell some books, bowl, go out for dinner with some friends, then go to the theater.

What I accomplished was all the fun things.

Woke up early and packed my knapsack with the package I was sending, as well as an assortment of books to take to a used book store. Left the house around 9:30.

10:00 I get to the First Calgary Financial (which was open on Saturday, and on my way to the airport - hence why I choose it). Get to the teller who agrees to cash the money order, despite my not having an account. She then disappears for five minutes and returns to tell me that, no, they actually can't cash it because they have no idea what it is. Whatever.

As I was right by IKEA, I decided to do some browsing. While there, I ran into Allan. We browsed around and found Kristiina, then chatted while I ate my breakfast. Two hot dogs and a Diet Pepsi. Remember kids - breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Kris and Allan were kind enough to drop me off at the Money Mart, where I discovered that they too were not going to cash my money order. Clearly I will have to go to my own bank (where they know who I am, and can therefore send knee breakers after me if there is a problem with the money order).

I considered abandoning my trip to Fed Ex (the money order was supposed to pay for the package and the shipping), but decided that wasn't the fault of the nice lady in California who bought my book, that Calgary banks are anal retentive. So I caught the bus up to the dismal collection of warehouses clustered at the wrong end of the airport. I got off the bus and walked a few blocks to find the Fed Ex distribution centre for Calgary.

I get there and discover that the Federal Express International Ground Distribution centre for Calgary doesn't actually accept international ground packages. Basically, they want to be as inconvenient as possible for potential clients for reasons that continue to elude me.

Long story short: I have to register with Fed Ex over the phone, get a bunch of shipping material from them, then call again to have them pick up the package. And I have to do it soon, because the clock is ticking.

I get back home about 1/2 hour before I have to be bowling at the Silver Dollar. I had wandered around for several hours with a knapsack full of books - these I ditched, then left again. Luckily, living downtown, there's always a cab around. Also, every cabbie in town knows how to get to the Silver Dollar (in addition to the bowling alley, it's also the largest casino in town).

2 PM. I walk in the Silver Dollar and meet thebrucie. A little while later, candianknight and mfiles come in. We bowl two games (as usual, I won one game and Bruce won the other) and basically act like a bunch of junior high school goofs for about two hours. It was fun.

Afterwards, thebrucie and I walk to the train and go downtown and split up. I go home and get cleaned up for my dinner and theatre companions. I also have just enough time for a ten minute nervous breakdown.

I met wendy_licious, wackynephews and hadriel at the Mongolie Grill and we partook of some decent stir-fry. After dinner, we head back to my apartment to kill time before the theatre.

Our play was A Streetcar Named Desire, and what a downer it was. Well performed, but still a downer. Madness, alcoholism, ostracism, spouse abuse and rape. I'm looking forward to the next play, Dracula, because it promises to be more upbeat.

And it was long, three hours, two intermissions. During one of the intermissions, the ladies managed to inadvertently have a conversation that punched me right in the nuts. This had the effect of stripping me absolutely raw (emotionally) right before the final act. Just in time for more madness, alcoholism, ostracism, spouse abuse and rape. I came within a hair of just leaving in the middle more than once, but I stuck it out. I was literally getting cold shivers during the climax.

I was an absolute wreck by the time the house lights came back on. The audience was applauding and I just sat there, completely numb from head to toe, my brain full of cotton and white noise.

We went for coffee afterwards and thank god for that. After a few minutes I was saying a few words now and then. A few more minutes and I was holding up my end of the conversation. A little while longer and I was back to normal, laughing and joking and (more-or-less) back at my full IQ.

I passed out within minutes of hitting my pillow.