CAN'T WAIT, CAN'T WAIT, CAN'T WAIT

It’s been a while since I’ve felt so giddy. Well, I’m off to Toronto, which is actually just an extended layover. For, at the stroke of midnight right after I land, I will be boarding a coach to commence an 8 hour bus ride that will see me wind up in Vermont. Specifically, Jay Peak, for a 3 day, sleep minimized, snow boarding trip. I didn’t think that this year was going to be a big snowboarding year: last year, I was able to get to Blue Mountain on more than 10 different occasions, but it’s easier when an annual pass costs $150 and you can go pretty much go well whenever. Then, going to a place like Jay Peak was a treat, as these places would often dwarf Blue Mountain. Yet, I have already been to so many places this year that give Jay Peak (or Mt. Tremblant) a run for the money. It’s truly just been such an unexpected, blessed riding season so far.

I received another Toronto visitor this week, D, who was here to visit her brother and sister-in-law who live in Calgary, and her parents in Edmonton. It gave me another excuse to go to Sushi Towa (that place with BIG sushi – we shared 3 rolls for lunch and were completely stuffed). I also got to walk through the Glenmore Reservoir which is an amazing place to run. After meeting her brother and wife, I was happy to have gotten to know more people in Calgary and finding out that we share many of the same interests: hitting the slopes, good food, and music. Thanks to D who gave me some amazing Healthcrunch bars that will serve as good Jay Peak mid-day fuel!

D’s brother made a very interesting comment when I asked how he’s enjoyed living in Calgary for the past 4 years. He’s really liked it, but the biggest thing he had to get used to was that “Calgarians are so CONSERVATIVE.” Due to a publication ban, I wasn’t able to see how the elections results were shaping up even after I got off work. So, I went to they gym for a workout. When I returned, the results were in and Harper was celebrating his victory (in downtown Calgary, a few blocks away from my office, of all places!). CBC had a pictorial representation of the results. ALBERTA WAS SOLID DARK BLUE! Not a single red speck, not a hint of orange, not even light blue. My small group ‘warned’ me about this before I came here, but I guess I didn’t appreciate this until having lived here for a while. Calgary is a booming city and ethnic/cultural diversities that are characteristic of an expanding economy is present. Although my colleagues are great and have been very supportive of my development, we’re not what you would call close friends. I wrote that off to the fact that I wasn’t into clubbing on weekends, or driving expensive German cars, or the Calgary Flames. Nevertheless, I now realize that it is something deeper, more to do with how people relate to people. It's like people here possess a drive where one relentlessly looks after oneself before looking after others even enters the radar screen. Not necessarily in a selfish way, where they have to step on people to achieve this. Rather, an ambitious mindset to overachieve a target, for which they are greatly rewarded for. It’s cold, but also very efficient. Mind you, I do know of some Calgarians who are not of this mindset and probably a lot of my bias is derived from my workplace, which is a finance-centered area full of ambitious over-achievers. Still, it is one major difference that stands out, and one that creates a certain bubble of loneliness that I did not feel while in Toronto.