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Topic: Calgary, o Calgary...
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clockwork
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 690
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posted 04 January 2002 10:22 PM
What I liked about Calgary was it's bike paths. Mind you, I'm not very knowledgable about bike paths in Canada, so take this for what it's worth.I remember staying somewhere near the resevoir (in the SW I think... right by the army base, I remember that) and deciding one day that I'd follow the path just to see where it would end. Around the resevoir I went, winding my way through the city, finding myself passing the Sattledom, through the big park downtown then going off into the wilderness somewhere towards the central/NW quad of the city. At this point, realizing the path probably wasn't going to stop anytime soon, and a bit fearful of getting lost, I decided to turn back. Someday, though, I might complete my trip. Absolutely beautiful... for a person used to a bike paths that average 500m through a bunch of houses. Hope you have a bike, 'lance.
From: Pokaroo! | Registered: May 2001
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Timebandit
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 1448
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posted 08 January 2002 03:56 PM
Calgary is nice, we like to visit. I have a friend who has lived there for several years. They have a zoo, you are close to the mountains (I love the hiking!), and my friend has even gone canoeing in the river. I also go to the Ikea store whenever I'm there, we don't have one here.... And there are 3 different film/media co-ops... Look for the Calgary Society for Independent Filmmakers' "$100 Film Festival", it's a hoot, public screenings of independent work from across the country. Anyway, it's a nice enough city.
From: Urban prairie. | Registered: Sep 2001
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'lance
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 1064
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posted 08 January 2002 06:57 PM
Thanks for all these tips. I'm especially interested in boarding (though I could have done that here) and this film festival. I certainly have a bike clockwork, though I assume the cycling season will be shorter than in Vancouver.You don't have to say "believe it or not," Marc! I've liked it on my visits there, although the last one was 1989 (apart from some business trips since which didn't leave me any time for anything else). (And believe me, I don't plan on wearing an Oilers jersey to a Flames game!) My uncle's lived there 30 years and loves it. Folks have suggested we try to rent either in Kensington or the Mission. Sound reasonable and affordable? [ January 08, 2002: Message edited by: 'lance ]
From: that enchanted place on the top of the Forest | Registered: Jul 2001
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Sine Ziegler
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 225
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posted 09 January 2002 04:34 AM
Mission and Kensington are great areas to live.. if you are a yuppie. Haha. No I am half kidding.Gas is cheap in Alberta, rent isn't too bad and there is alot to do, even in the winter. Make sure you don't live in the suburbs because traffic is horrendous and you don't want to live in a parkinglot/shopping mall area. Funny thing about Calgary is that most people passing through tend to say that if they lived in Calgary, they'd go out and hike/ski/board EVERY single weekend. Then you get so busy working. Make sure you take advantage of the surrounding areas. The downside to Calgary ( heh there are several, especially political) is that is truly IS in the middle of nowhere. You can't drive anywhere exciting (including Edmonton). Also, communities and neighbourhoods are not really tight. It takes an abnormally long time to get to know your neighbours in this city.
From: Calgary | Registered: Apr 2001
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dee
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 983
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posted 09 January 2002 10:57 AM
quote: Well, there is always the chinooks... might give you a couple days of nice biking weather in the winter.
Sure, if you like biking through a bunch of melting show! Kensington is nice, so is Inglewood, and 17th Avenue. Stephen Avenue Mall is a good place to sit and people watch when it is closed off to vehicles. The best pizza in the city must be Wicked Wedge on 17th Avenue. There are alot of nice little parks scattered throughout the downtown and central areas of the city. I'm not too familiar with the outer areas, though.
From: pleasant, unemotional conversation aids digestion | Registered: Jul 2001
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skdadl
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 478
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posted 09 January 2002 12:12 PM
I really like Calgary because I grew up there. I even like the local political culture in a way -- by that I mean, eg, taxi-driver conversation. Even when I abhor the electoral choices people are making, I sort of get the opinions. (Should I be worried about this?)Do you have a map, 'lance? What people are calling Kensington now isn't marked on my old one, but it's centred on Kensington Road and 10th St N.W., just north of the Bow, a little west of old Sunnyside. Memorial Drive, the riverside southern boundary of Kensington-Sunnyside, is beautiful, I think, and the little old houses there are charming. Mission is centred around 4th St and about 24th Ave. S.W. Two blocks south on 4th and you're on Elbow Drive, which follows the Elbow and to me is the most beautiful drive in the city. Some of the houses right on the drive are super-splendid, but not far back (eg, in Elbow Park, about 36-38th Ave.) are lots of modest, pleasant houses. Dunno about apartment buildings, though. The area around the university is completely changed since I knew it, but I assume that's another good place to look for a nest. Everywhere, it seems, there are now places called Authentic Irish Pub ... So ok, ok, your antennae are twitching, but the few we've been in actually were very nice and cozy and woody and smokey, and the food wasn't bad. The area below the reservoir and Glenmore Dam is great to investigate too. If you're a climber, you can get down to Sandy Beach Park from the hills above, just north of the dam. But the easier way to Sandy Beach is to turn west off Elbow Drive where it crosses the river (about 40th Ave.), then drive along Riverdale to its end, where you're in a great wild ravine. Wander along the footpath, and you'll find a footbridge over the river to the beach-park part of the ravine. I love that place.
From: gone | Registered: May 2001
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'lance
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 1064
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posted 09 January 2002 12:29 PM
quote: Mission and Kensington are great areas to live.. if you are a yuppie. Haha. No I am half kidding.
Though it grieves me to say it, I suppose I fit the technical definition. I lack practically all the accoutrements, however, and all the (stereotypical) attitudes). quote: Gas is cheap in Alberta, rent isn't too bad and there is alot to do, even in the winter. Make sure you don't live in the suburbs because traffic is horrendous and you don't want to live in a parkinglot/shopping mall area.
No, I don't. But it's hardly an issue -- nor is the price of gas -- because I don't own a car and have no intention of buying one. (I'll rent for trips to Banff and Kananaskis). It's possible I'll never own my own home, prices in city centres being what they are, because I'm so determined to avoid long car commutes. But thanks very much for the input. And thanks also to dee, judym, and skdadl! Very helpful, all.
From: that enchanted place on the top of the Forest | Registered: Jul 2001
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AnotherBadSalmon
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 2152
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posted 19 February 2002 04:16 AM
I lived in Calgary too from the age 12 till 22. I remember canoeing on the Bow once from Banff and twice from Lake Louise three springs in a row. We started from Lake Louise years of high run-off.Another place to go if you are a climber is Yamnuska about 60 miles(?) west of Calgary. A mountaineering club used to have an old cabin up there...spent some great times up on that rock. Bragg Creek is about 40 miles west of Calgary, we used to go riding there. There used to be a ranch that rented horses by the hour or week. They would outfit trail rides to go all the way to the Kaninaskis area. And there was an AWesome ice cave near Bragg Creek at Moose Mountain. The last two years I was in Calgary the back of the ice cave had opened up (melted out) so that you could get up into level after level of caverns. For years it had been frozen in so that you could only go about a quarter mile in.
From: - | Registered: Jan 2002
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'lance
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 1064
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posted 28 February 2002 07:30 PM
Thank you, one and all.Good God. I've just realized I'm one of those Eastern bastards that was supposed to freeze in the dark, lo those many years ago. Now, I'll be living in the very Belly of the Beast. Ah, well. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. At least it'll be warm and well-lit. [ February 28, 2002: Message edited by: 'lance ]
From: that enchanted place on the top of the Forest | Registered: Jul 2001
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clockwork
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 690
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posted 01 March 2002 10:29 AM
Well, that’s not very nice. Titillate us with a joke and fail to link it. That’s heresy. It’s even one of Clockwork’s Seven Deadly Sins.There! Now generations of babblers can look back on this bit of babble history and take part in the joke. I even think I can hear them rejoicing right now.
From: Pokaroo! | Registered: May 2001
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'lance
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 1064
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posted 01 March 2002 01:55 PM
And here it is! The cyber-party!Fabulous cartoon, indeed, clockwork. Now, who'd like a drink? We have a great selection of local beers -- I recommend the Big Rock Traditional, which is dark, or the Grasshopper Ale, for those who like something lighter. And of course there's always good old Alberta rye, though I still like the Gibsons 18 year old I bought (whispering, lest Albertans hear him) on the day Trudeau died.
From: that enchanted place on the top of the Forest | Registered: Jul 2001
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Trespasser
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 1204
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posted 01 March 2002 02:13 PM
*playing a lost Central&Eastern European*Er... do you have Plzen Beer? No? OK, I'll take the Grasshopper Ale then. Wow, what a view this place has! Look at those snow-covered mountains behind rooftops! Lucky you have huge windows and lotsa light in here during the day... [ March 01, 2002: Message edited by: Trespasser ]
From: maritimes | Registered: Aug 2001
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skdadl
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 478
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posted 01 March 2002 02:33 PM
*sneaking in, looking about furtively for clockwork* *whispers*: Can I come in too? Clockwork says I'm a sinner, but really, I'm just incompetent. Have you checked out the local wines?
From: gone | Registered: May 2001
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'lance
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 1064
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posted 01 March 2002 02:39 PM
Dear skdadl, you're always welcome! Hope you enjoy this visit to your childhood home. quote: Have you checked out the local wines?
Sampled several, including: "Hang Riel!" "God Damn the CPR!" "You'll take away our oil when you pry it form our cold, dead fingers!" "That Commie Trudeau should go back to Moscow!" and of course that perennial favourite "The West Wants In!"
From: that enchanted place on the top of the Forest | Registered: Jul 2001
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clockwork
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 690
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posted 01 March 2002 03:04 PM
*opening my sixth Wart Hog, bugging Trespasser who is obviously bored stiff but frozen by politeness*Shhee here, people misunderstand the Seven Deadly Sins. Really, it’s kind of a mizznomer 'cause, like, we all die, right? So, like, in theory, everything would be a sin ‘cause it all leads to you getting buried six feet under. Understand? ‘Cause a lota people don’t. The Sins themselves are riddled with inconsistencies, cause, like, some are quite specific but the really big things, like incompetence, aren’t in there. So, you can commit a Deadly Sin through incompetence, but it’s not the incompetence itself that ya get nailed on. Like, goddam! Imagine if incompetence was a Deadly Sin! The Book of Life would be a piece of loose-leaf foolscap! But, like, not that it matters, 'cause really the difference between a sinner and a saint ain’t much, in the end. Dust to dust, and all that jazz. Uh, excuse me, I gotta take a whiz… *turning around* Hey, skdadl! Whazzup!
From: Pokaroo! | Registered: May 2001
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Trespasser
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 1204
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posted 01 March 2002 03:10 PM
Speaking of strings. Do you have a live string quartet in the next room, or is this just your stereo? Sounds great either way. What else are you playing for us today anyway? I'm gonna have to have a look at your book shelves, you can tell a lot about a person just by looking at his/her bookshelves. Not only the titles, but also the way they organize their books. (And: thank you for not requiring of me to take off my shoes. Been to several parties in which people paraded in their socks and couldn't figure out what was going on. You know, you can't carry a serious conversation without your shoes on.) [ March 01, 2002: Message edited by: Trespasser ]
From: maritimes | Registered: Aug 2001
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andrean
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 361
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posted 01 March 2002 04:02 PM
quote: We need some more folks here, it's true. Michelle? andrean? earthmother? Godsdammit, these people get more fashionable all the time.
Yes, well, we *do* have lives to lead, jobs to do...such as we do them. Sorry to have been so badly delayed! It's been a mad and hectic day. And, from the looks of you lot, it has been here too! I think I'll have what clockwork's having. 'lance, you'll be getting a reputation as a host...I'll expect this kind of a fete when I grace Calgary with my presence.
From: etobicoke-lakeshore | Registered: Apr 2001
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AnotherBadSalmon
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 2152
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posted 01 March 2002 07:10 PM
Speaking of agave sap, when you are in Nelson try the Margarita's at Mazatlan. Clockwork incompetence is just a mixture of Pride, Avarice, Gluttony, Envy and Sloth. That's five out of 7 and only for very efficient sinners, who have no time to waste. What kind of party is this? Someone was talking about nude parties on the CBC this afternoon. Hmmm..
From: - | Registered: Jan 2002
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DrConway
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 490
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posted 01 March 2002 08:57 PM
yay for windows that remain open, and for claws.*fluffs fur* I daresay, wonderful! Clean carpets, for once! Pseudofelinoids such as myself appreciate clean carpets more than you folks might realize. *pads about, ensuring that everybody's ankles have a decent sprinkling of cat hair* Now who is seated, and somewhat sober? *swishes tail*
From: You shall not side with the great against the powerless. | Registered: May 2001
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'lance
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 1064
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posted 04 March 2002 11:43 AM
Well, I'm back... that's to say, we're back, TLM and I, after some very urgent, er, discussions about home decor, yeah that's it.Getting a reputation, andrean? Please! (And look who's talking, besides!) Doc, you're always welcome of course, but be apprised of the fact that our two felines have already distributed cat hair all around the place. No territorial disputes, now! As for the rest of you mad fools, why, it's time for Round Two! Sherpafish, no need for the Coast green label -- plenty of good stuff available hereabouts!
From: that enchanted place on the top of the Forest | Registered: Jul 2001
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clockwork
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 690
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posted 06 March 2002 10:29 AM
* Stepping back into the house after my “fresh air" break ** twist open another beer * Hmm… waidaminut… Why is it whenever I go to these types of parties, I go for a smoke and then come back in and I find the party already done? It seems most soirees I attend I end up on the porch or in the garage, and then I find the whole thing is done in no time at all. Sniff. And I had prepared a whole treatise on the subject of my Deadly Sins… I’m going back out for another smoke.
From: Pokaroo! | Registered: May 2001
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Slick Willy
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 184
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posted 06 March 2002 02:06 PM
Ding Dong!One bail Banff Blueberry Mind Fuck One bail Fraser Valley Mushroom Madness Two kegs Sleeman's Cream Ale Jack Daniel's , Absolute, Baccardi 151, one case each 50 strippers male/female Nice Mix (hand picked) Rizzla kingsize papers one case one Shotgun Bong And one small bag of Hostess Hickery Sticks ('lance your breakfast is here) Well don't just lay there on the floor fercrisakes, skin up mate!
From: Hog Heaven | Registered: Apr 2001
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'lance
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 1064
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posted 06 March 2002 03:24 PM
Slick, I'm so not on the floor! I'm sitting at this very nice dining room table, enjoying the lovely breakfast Tres and earthmother brought me! But you're always welcome. Take a load off, crack a cold one, whatever. Won't be needing the strippers for a while yet, and they do make the place a trifle crowded, but it's the thought that counts, eh?Calgary seems to be holding up OK, skdadl. I hope the babblers can hold up, though. Forecast high for today -19, wind chill taking it down to -27. Good think Slick brought plenty of spirits!
From: that enchanted place on the top of the Forest | Registered: Jul 2001
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'lance
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 1064
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posted 16 August 2002 03:10 PM
Yeah, well, the place has its charms, I find. We'll likely be here longer than the original year-and-a-half I envisioned, now that the Divine Ms M has a good job.No snow here today, only rain. Snow in Bragg Creek and some outlying areas. Clearing up now. I'd quite forgotten about this thread. Risking immodesty, I think it should go in the Best of Babble.
From: that enchanted place on the top of the Forest | Registered: Jul 2001
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flotsom
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 2832
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posted 16 August 2002 03:33 PM
In all fairness I should add that, given that my personal circumstances have changed dramatically (when I was in Calgary I was slaving away doing heavy lifting for fifteen hours a day in a factory and sleeping by the river in a crappy stuffingless sleeping bag) and also that, by leaving when I did (too much 'heat') I set into motion a truly marvellous chain of events that began with a serendipidous ride hitchhiking out of town, in a sense, I owe Calgary a big thank you...Someday I might repay the debt, in my own sweet time, and in my own fashion. As threads go, this one is fine and dandy, lots of references of indiscretion (clockwork's smoke breaks) and a general bonhomie among the babbler inner circle, but I should say a little more about my favorite subject - me - and there was the time that...oh, to hell with it... The last few years have taken the edge off of my contempt for Cowtown.
From: the flop | Registered: Jul 2002
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flotsom
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 2832
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posted 16 August 2002 04:05 PM
Oooooooh, clockwork.So close, bud... But...it's 'handgrenades'. I said Cow 'T*O*W*N*'...I didn't like the glass and the smell of all that money. I always got along fine with the good people of Calgary and especially enjoyed the hardcore Bowry or tavern culture (being a hardcore mof'er in my seedy past). Also alot of Irish people live in Calgary, and as a coincidence, two of the most remarkable and spectacular and mysterious women I've yet to have the great fortune to be acquainted with were 'Caligonians' by way of Ireland and Ireland btw. [ August 16, 2002: Message edited by: flotsom ]
From: the flop | Registered: Jul 2002
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clockwork
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 690
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posted 16 August 2002 04:28 PM
quote: So close, bud...
Well, you gotta give my cultural paternalistic points for trying.What's wrong with glass and money? Those are, apparently, my cultural underpinnings. Are you saying something here? quote: Also alot of Irish people live in Calgary, and as a coincidence, two of the most remarkable and spectacular and mysterious women I've yet to have the great fortune to be acquainted with were 'Caligonians' by way of Ireland and Ireland btw.
Well, I could also say that in Brampton, a place without a lot of glass and less money (relatively to Hogtown), I have had the opportunity to call an aboriginal a friend once, along with one of two aboriginal acquaintances…But then I'd be back-pedaling, or something, I think.
From: Pokaroo! | Registered: May 2001
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