halifax...

so i haven't really slept in two days. my flight leaves at 8:30, which means getting up at five or six, which is around the time i'm usually going to sleep. my brilliant plan, stay up all night two nights ago, so that i'll be exhausted and go to sleep early last night, so i'm well-rested for my flight. reset my clock. not quite. a combination of exhaustion, nerves, and alcohol causes another almost-all-nighter. alarm set for five. quarter after six my brother wakes me up. shit. should be at the airport in 45 minutes, still have to shower, and finish packing. where is the power cord for my video camera? fuck. where is my other belt? shit. where is... "ryan, we gotta go!" i know. let's move.

i hate flying. it's not the being up in the air part that scares me, it's being locked into this metal tube for a certain amount of time. i'm not a fan of driving either, but at least on a highway you can pull into a service station and stretch out a bit. get some air. remind your ass that it's alive. trains too, you can walk up and down the length of it. in an airplane, once they close that door, that's it. you can't get out until they say so. and usually you're crammed into a tiny seat, no room in front, no room beside. this flight isn't too bad though. it is only two hours, and i luck out, have three seats to myself. i sleep a bit, do a crossword puzzle, and eat two of their complimentary egg mcmuffin-like sandwiches.

i get downtown, i start walking. i get general directions from a couple of people and make my way towards gus' pub. i stop three cats who appear to be about my age, and ask them where it is. "you're going the right way, straight down this street, it's the next set of lights." thanks. i start walking again, then i hear one of them shouting at me. "hey, wait, are you from ok cobra?" it's wax mannequin. i guess after they walk away the thought strikes him... why would some sweaty luggage-hauling guy who clearly just got off an airplane be heading straight to gus' pub? introductions. we chat for a few. i get to the bar.

here's what i write while sitting there...

i'm sitting in the smoking/video room at gus' pub in halifax, ns. first time i've been to this city. i haven't slept in two days and my t-shirt is soaked with sweat. the bartender asks me when i order my second beer, "is it true i heard you just started getting keith's in ontario?" the three people across from me see me walk in with suitcase and backpack and ask where i'm from. "i lived in london for a year, she came to visit me, that was twenty years ago..." now they're playing a video lottery terminal. an older couple sit in the corner, baseball hats, beer, and a half dozen shopping bags under their table. the bartender laughed inside when i struggled through the door with my luggage. he says i can leave my bags in the back so i don't have to carry them around all day. "it is hot out there," he agrees with me. everyone is laid back here. i forget about my toothache for a while. the cold beer, i suppose. or the curiosity. what a day. i'm here. it's the start of something. the poster on the wall nicotine-stained wall warns of responsible gaming. "it's a dive bar that's turned into a bit of a hipster hangout," somebody had said to me a few days ago after they'd asked me where i was playing in this city. with a hint of a laugh, "you'll have a good time."




gus' pub.



don't drink and dress. they were selling this on a t-shirt at gus' pub. i wanted to bring one home with me but a) i can't justify spending the money right now, and b) i really don't need anything else crammed into my already ridiculously bursting suitcase.




jesse dangerously and dj fester.




alpha flight.




the smoking / gambling room.



the staff at gus' pub. nice people.



jesse dangerously and yours truly, after the show.




passed out after the show. i didn't have a place to stay, but thankfully wax mannequin (who i'm playing with tonight in moncton) came out to the show, and brought me back to crash at his friend john's place.




one world cafe. cool little spot with wireless internet and good coffee.