Edmonton Pt: 2 Boom boxes, Purple lights

List of recent US
presidents they keep
on the wall

Back to Edmonton, the absurdity and the fun that happened there. When I pulled into Edmonton I got off at a random exit and drove with my laptop open until I could pick up an unlocked wireless internet signal. So I sit outside someones residence, creeping out on the street, sitting in the driver seat with my laptop out, looking up where I need to go. I type into google maps where I need to go, 79th and 101st streets or something like that, map my route and head that way. Well here I am, 79th and 101st, a little unsure of which exactly is the right residency. Of corse, after looking and confirming with myself around 17 times if I was going to the right place, I was not. I was in the wrong place, Im supposed to be at 97th and 101st. So I get there and the guy who is hosting me is headed out to a show, no biggie. So I sit down on the van seat which is their front "porch" furniture, at the V.I.P Zone, and began to check e-mails. And when I say e-mails, I mean Facebook, who checks e-mail before Facebook? I'm there for just a few minutes and the other roommate comes home with a few friends, 3 or 4. I finnish up my e-mailing, or Facebooking and I head inside.

Darth Vader, President Bush and Paul himself, all
banned from the V.I.P. Zone

There are 15 people inside. What? I swear this many people did not pass by me sitting in the front of the house, "yeah we came in though the back," someone chimes in. Well we hung out for a while, quite a while and then it was the moment. It was the moment to load up the Boom box with 'Dance Mix," '94, '95, '96 or whatever else we were feeling. Paul had a lot of tapes, he also had a lot of boom boxes, 13 of them actually. 13, why 13? Well, the other 12, the tape player part does not work anymore. So I had some jorts and a sleeveless tee, Paul rocked neon running shorts, shirtless. Other people had brightly colored t-shirts, sideways hats and baggy nylon jackets. You know the kind, the ones you, or your mom wore two athletic events in the early 90's. They were the jackets you could never sneak up on anyone because of the loud swooshing with every move that was made. So our posse was gathered and we hit the streets. 8 D batteries packed in the boom box and 1994 was blasting out some of The Shamen, Enigma, and Salt 'N' Pepa, on tape.

Paul, Hannah and I. Hannah another couch surfer, from UK,
driving across canada. 

These guys live about two blocks off the main drag of the Edmonton college scene and four mins after leaving the house thats where we were dancing. A mobile dance party, that is what we were. We had people join on for a couple blocks, numerous high fives and cops giving you those smirks thinking 'I would really be hanging out with you guys if I did not have to work and keep a strait and stern face.' I asked Paul how often they did this, I felt like it was somewhat occurrent, this might be the 3rd or 5th time he had done it. No, it happens much more, "oh, it's like a once a weekend kind of event when I am in town" he says. We danced roughly ten blocks down, danced down to some other peoples house and back. Somehow we ended up with more people when we returned than we started with. Needless to say, a great time.

The begining of the mobile party

 I also promised to tell you all about the purple lights experience. We were walking towards a venue across town where a band was playing, Shout Out Out Out Out. Dual drummers and three synthesizers, basically a real live DJ band or so, however you describe it. Anyways, we were walking through the parliament grounds and someone chimes in to "place your open cans down and find a light." What, find a light? Oh, someone stands in front of a light and we all follow, each in front of their own light. Now these lights are very warm (yellow-orange) colored lights lighting up the parliament building at night. "A minute starts . . . Now!" is shouted out and we all stare into these huge lights for the next sixty seconds. At first it is really bright, really really bight and then everyones eyes start to adjust. "Done," I hear, and we all turn and walk away from the lights and everything is purple. Purple street lights, purple cellphones, look up at the skyscrapers and every light inside them, purple. It was too wild but only lasted for around five minuets, regardless, cool. Purple lights, who would have ever had such an absurd idea? Canadians maybe. I'm sure I could write more about Edmonton, like about the sign a the grocery store for please no more roller blading inside the store. Or how I got lost until sunrise but I wont embarrass myself. The end.