Club Obi Wan

"2003-07-15 - 8:04 p.m.

I ran into my neighbour, for the first time, in the parking lot today. I was in full adventure gear, but just walking into the building. The neighbour is a dead ringer for indie film czar Jim Jarmusch.

"I've been watching you work that bullwhip..." he says. I'm dreading what he's about to say next, because I realize that his is one of the apartments that face the parking lot where I practice. "Man, all those moves you do, and the switching hands...", he mimicks my gestures, "It's like some kind of Western Tai Chi!"

Western Tai Chi?

"Yeah, and you look like you get quite a workout from it, and your moves all seem kinda paced out."

Really? That's so weird. I'm just practicing.

He asks if cowboys still use the bullwhip; I don't know, I'm not a cowboy. "Are you doing this for Stampede Week*?"

No. I just wanna learn something other people don't know.

"Looks like hard work, you're always sweaty and panting afterward." Actually it is hard work, I'm already noticing my arms getting bigger. Too cool.

Well, man, I hope I'm not disturbing you with the noise!

"No, no, it's fascinating!" He smiles, then adds, "well, as long as you don't whip me!"

No, I won't whip you.

...but if the Laundry Troll wanders within eight feet of me, I'm not responsible for anything that happens. I'm tellin' ya right now."

(*the Calgary Stampede is a big, yearly redneck festival, here in Canada, that I tend to boycott. It's half rodeo, half county fair, and entirely irritating).

But it's gotta have rodeo-clowns! How can you hate a sport where the most daring guys dress as clowns! Come on, that's chutzpah! (Really need a clown icon here...)

Hey, man, go to sleep, we have to go to work in the morning! - J

EDIT: Staying on topic, I have a friend who is a behavioral psychologist. She likes 'analyzing' my behavior when we talk. When I told her I got a whip, pretty much her only response was, "We need to talk more often." :

Well IndyJerry, as Warren Zevon (whom Harrison Ford remarkably resembled in 'The Mosquito Coast') so eloquently put it: "I'll sleep when I'm dead".

Then again, he died.

G'night everybody!

I've been to calgary stampede. I basically went for the carnival and the food. I had a very delicious buffalo meat cheese burger, probably the best tasting burger i've had since Fud Ruckers. Yeah, I missed the rodeo, but there was definitely a fair share of cowboys and country music...not my scene, personally. I was wearing my Fed and a guy actually came up to me and asked me where I got my hat, assuming it was a cowboy hat from the Stampede( and those hats were pretty hideous) So I kindly directed him to hatsdirect.com, no having one of Ron's cards. I think he was hoping I'd found it somewhere in the Stampede.

If that was THIS summer, I think that was me!! You were wearing shorts and a t-shirt and had your whip on you too, right?

HAHA! THAT WAS ME!! I have pictures from my trip when I was in Indygear, but have yet to find time to scan them. I actually bought that whip at the Stampede.
What a small world this is...well, it's great to see you here at COW!

Too funny! Nice to have met ya. I really was hoping you'd gotten your hat there 'cause I wanted one too.

Good to see you here, Sable! How's the nylon whip holding up for you?
-Dittmer

HEY LASH!! Everyone! It's Lash! Lash Dittmer. He made me the coolest whip ever!

It's holding up just fine, good sir! It's one heck of a good whip. It's my favourite. I was trying to gently shake a twist out of it the other day and it has so much play, it took a lil bite out of my arm.

Glad to hear it still works!
-Dittmer

So, did you end up buying an Akubra Federation from hatsdirect.com?

Ray

Not yet, no. Mr. Fedora's will be my first real one. 'Til then I'm stuck with this beat-to-heck Aussie lid you saw me wearing. Though... it DOES keeps the spider webs out of my hair, so it's not all bad.