edwards block

Saskatoon (Sightseeing). DAY: 0.0km. ODO: 2,072km. AVS: 0.0km. MXS: 0.0km. ATM: 0:00.

Well, while I was immersing myself in popular culture last evening, my wallet un-immersed itself from my back pocket. Losing my wallet is traumatic for me, rather like the prospect of castration.

In some ways, I feel like my identity is packaged within that cheap piece of cow ass. Perhaps, though, this is the universe telling me to get over such neuroses and accept that all it contains is a bunch of plastic bits bearing embossed numbers and low quality photographs. Nonetheless, it presents a certain degree of inconvenience in this modern cash-challenged society. At least I have a passport with which to prove my identity, should this be nrecessary.

There were no more screenings after the one I attended last night, and there were no matinees today, so I am hoping that it is still there. I shall attend to the theatre when they open tonight at 6:30 to attempt to retrieve it. In the meantime, I have cancelled my credit cards as a precautionary measure, should some underpaid theatre janitor decide to go on an AmEx spending spree.

This all took up most of my morning. Under the circumstances, I notified the front dresk that I would be staying an additional night, and I did some sightseeing this afternoon. I went to the Mendel Art Gallery, but it is closed for a show change. The rest of the time I spent wandering around the park that follows the banks of the South Saskatchewan River, and browsing a pretty decent used bookstore.

@ 18:10 – Back in action!

Yay! My wallet was found and I have retrieved it from the theatre. What lessons are to be learned from this experience?

• Avoid popular culture.
• Avoid keeping wallets in synthetic trousers without fastening the pocket closure.

Biggar to Saskatoon. DAY: 109.23km. ODO: 2,072km. AVS: 21.4km. MXS: 47.0km. ATM: 5:05.

Saskatoon. It has a melodic sound to it, like it should be the subject of a Gordon Lightfoot song. Maybe I should write one for him.

I was on the road by 8:00 this morning, as it was too bloody cold to lay still. Three degrees apparently, and that’s without considering the windchill factor. To think that I was worried about the prairie heat. It was an uneventful ride into Saskatoon, except that the wind moved a little more north, so it was closer to a direct cross-wind much of the way.

Upon arriving in town, I searched out the tourist info office (they don’t make it easy here) and picked up a copy of the accommodation guide. There is no hostel (unless you count the Salvation Army, which I do not) and the YMCA doesn’t rent rooms here, so that left me browsing B&Bs. The two that were close to downtown that sounded apealling I rode by, but I found no answer at both (I’m too cheap even to spend quarters, apparently). Anyway, for tonight I am at the Quality Hotel (soon to be renamed the Hilton Garden Inn). The best thing is that they didn’t blink when I took my fully loaded bike into the elevator and rolled it into my 12th floor room. I will look for a more economical option tomorrow, if I am planning to stay more than a day or two.

As things were getting a little gamey, I walked 13 blocks west to a laundromat to rinse things out. A couple of people raised their eyebrows when I took my pants off in front of the washing machine, but I heard no comments.

The restaurant situation downtown is pretty dismal, and there are no internet cafes, so I’m using the overpriced hotel internet to pick up my 487 emails. Twelve of them were not spam.

As there is a theatre next to the hotel, and as I felt it appropriate to expose myself to a little popular culture (so that I will remember why I avoid exposing myself to popular culture), I defied my better judgment and went to see Star Wars 6. The usual formula, but better than the last one (ie: no “Jar-Jar”).