snowy parking lot log 1

Atlas converts to sleep mode in a functional sense. As in, you will be able to sleep but you won't be very comfortable. Ian Smith of The Miniatures and Spirits said to me before we left, "Touring is a young man's game." He was referring to the fact that the older you get the less tolerant of hard surfaces your back becomes. It's true. Last night we parked in one of those lots you'll find anywhere in north america. You are surely familiar with the type. A few thousand parking spaces, a staples, a tim hortons, a walmart - all that shit. If it didn't make me so sick, I would feel right at home. To be honest the 24 hour washroom facilities provided by Tim Horton's are quite conveinient. (their coffee is still crap though). PS. I'm drinking one right now.

The entire band takes on a giddy tone when we're holed up in Atlas for the night. To be fair it is quite the spectacle. Giant piece of foam blocks out the windshield. Paul strains pasta in the parking lot. Mother of two stares in a mixture of fascination and horror. Mall security circle like hungry sharks. The comforting glow of a laptop screen streams Lost on Business Depots hijacked wifi. In my mind I can still see a crowd of elderly people dancing as if possessed to the Wolves outro. All the bullshit in between playing the music melts away pretty fast when we get on stage. Physical needs are superficial.

I've been fighting a pretty nasty flu type bug since we left. Up and down, better and worse. I even missed out on Rob's birthday celebrations in Winnipeg because of it. This morning when I woke up in Atlas and choked up some sick fluids I felt significantly better for the first time in a while. Stumbling across the snow covered parking lot, wind tearing at my face through my scarf, towards the smell of (bad) coffee and the salvation of brushing my teeth in a public washroom.

We are in Brandon Manitoba. When we were here in the fall it was sunny and breezy. Rob and I busked for a few hours. I got a sunburn. The local Green party MP gave us $20. Quite surreal. Too many experiences on the road that cannot be quantified. You come home and your friends and loved ones ask, "So how was it?" or "Tell me about the tour." And you mumble and rant incohesively. Maybe we need a scribe to follow the adventures and write things out sequentially. I will check with the financial department and see if it's in the budget.

Running out of writing steam. Almost noon. Time to go wake up the other fellas. Convert Atlas to transport mode and head west toward Regina. After 3 days off we have a show at The Gaslight tonight. My amp was on the fritz and an amazing gentleman named Don repaired it in just a few hours. I cannot wait to fire it up and go through the set tonight.

update: no wifi when this was relevant. posting anyways. off to saskatoon tonight.

g.

snowy parking lot log 1