I can't rely on Google forever

If you were to make an archive of significant Edmonton materials, what 5 items would it include and why?

That's a pretty difficult blog challenge, if I do say so. What would I preseve about Edmonton? I actually googled "significant Edmonton materials", but nothing came up. I can't really speak for general items that may signify Edmonton and, coincidentally, neither can google; I can, however, pick a few personal artifacts from my own room that are significant to me. 

So here it goes:

1. My First Concert Ticket- The first concert I ever went to was for City and Colour at the Winspear. I hate to say this, because it wasn't even that long ago, but it was my first real "big city experience". I was underage, so the wonders of Edmonton night life had no resonance with me. For the first time I got to go downtown and see all the city lights at night, and marvel at the buildings. I think this was the first time I was introduced to this kind of culture. None of my friends are into the same kind of music I am, so being around people who were just as crazy about this music as I was expanded my world a bit. I got to experience a diversity that my home town doesn't offer.

2. A mask from the Fringe - This is undoubtedly the scariest thing in my room. When it was given to me by my Grandma, I was horrified. It is this gnarled, strangely proportioned plastic mask with feathers protruding out of it. At the beginning, this mask freaked the crap out of me and remained dormant in my closet for years. Over time, I began to appreciate it; It was handmade, and 100% unique. Edmonton really is a festival city, and this odd mask always reminds me of that.

3. My Coffee Cup- I love how many coffee shops there are around Edmonton. No matter how lost I am, there is always one near by. I have my Edmonton mug that I bring with me everywhere, just in case I find myself under-caffeinated. 

4. My Oilers Jersey- This is the most specific thing on my list. I have an old style knitted version that I wear on special occasions. My family is made up of Hockey addicts, so usually our get togethers revolve around a game and Gretzky reminiscing. 

5.Winter Boots- Because, Like Tevor Anderson, I don't plan on letting people know that Edmontonians have seen grass. I think the idea of perpetuating the stereotypical Canadian winter is hilarious and I plan on continuing this.

My list may not be really specific to Edmonton, but these are all items that are significant to me about Edmonton.

Directionally Confused in the Big CityThe

It's easy for me to imagine experiencing Edmonton as a tourist because I am one. I come from the 'burbs, a place where I always know where I am, to a city that leaves me instantly lost. No matter how hard I try, I can never seem to understand where things are. Even when I think I do, I'm usually wrong. I'm always corrected; when I think something is on the north side, it's really on the east, or if I think I'm down town I'm really somewhere completely different. It's sad because Edmonton's not even that big, but it's this labyrinth that I just can't seem to understand. I know I'm a smart person, but I may have to accept that I will be perpetually lost as long as I'm in Edmonton. One time, I tried to drive to Wayne Gretzky Drive, assuming it was one 99th street because that just makes sense. I, of course, did not reach my destination. I'm not trying to gripe about how I don't understand a city layout unless it has ridiculously named neighborhoods, like the Birds, Trees, or Foxborrow, but Jasper and 124th is like another language to me.

Directionally confused in the City I may be, but one thing I can always find is a coffee shop. I have a sixth sense when it comes to caffeinated beverages. Usually, no matter where I am, the first thing I look for is a place to grab a cup. My first day at the University was terrifying. I only knew when it was time to get off of the bus because everyone else with a back pack was leaving. Rather than ask someone for directions to my class, I picked the closest building and found a coffee stand; class could wait.

A big way that I move through the city, even if I don't know which part of the city I am in, revolves around cafe's. I definitely belong to the coffee shop scene. I don't sit in Starbucks and write so other people can watch me write, but I appreciate the scene. It's interesting to see how many different groups of people can  populate the same coffee shop, and in contrast, how many specific groups occupy a particular cafe. One of my favorite spots in Edmonton is a small cafe called the Wild Earth Cafe. It's cute and quaint and seems to always be full of the most interesting people. "Unique" doesn't do it justice. All of the different persona's of Edmonton congregate here. It's a gathering of all of these diverse sub cultures and the food's not bad too. I'd recommend at least one visit for everyone, so get out there. It's the one place in Edmonton I've always been able to get to without getting confused, so humor me.

Nature Nut

Most people that know me will probably say that I'm an environmentalist. I'm a tad bit crazy when it comes to recycling, reducing consumption, and reusing products. I, of course, do not feel that I am irrational when it comes to conserving the environment but I don't mind the label. Nature is important to me, especially it's protection. I work in a copy shop and I recognize that anyone would look slightly crazy when they begin to dig through the garbages to pull out scraps of paper people have heartlessly thrown away. "Any bit helps," I always say...
Growing up in Sherwood Park, I was surrounded by trees. There has to be some kind of correlation between the great Sherwood Forrest, right? The neighborhoods all boast sidewalks shrouded in trees and bushes. I've always found this look to be somewhat romantic. It's nice to stroll through the streets on hot days with reliefs of shade never too far way. There is a big difference in scenery when I do find myself in Edmonton. There is a vast contrast between the wilderness of suburbia that I'm used to and the baron streets of the big city. My Edmonton is remarkably small, as I see only a tiny portion of the city in my day to day life, so I know I can't completely condemn it as "natureless". There is the river valley after all, but I can't include that in my definition of Edmonton.
I remember that one of my favourite shows to watch as a little girl was John Acorn's "The Nature Nut". Sometimes, I still find myself humming the theme song every once in a while. Recently, I actually had the pleasure of meeting my childhood idol, Mr. John Acorn. I was, of course, a huge loser about it. This slightly embarrassing encounter did make me reflect on nature in Edmonton though. It was one of those opportune incidents that coincide with other situations in your life, like brainstorming for blog posts. Mr. Acorn was leading a group of students from the University to go on a nature walk in Edmonton. The lack of nature that I seem to notice really comes from my lack of knowledge. Instead of gripping about how "My Edmonton" is sparce, I might just have to expand my definition and understanding. A lot of the blogs that I read through this week talked about interpreting and discovering the city as a tourist or as a child. Given that I actually am somewhat of a tourist in Edmonton, I might have to actually get out there and walk the river valley. I've never done that before. Now that I have some pretty impressive connections to the likes of The Nature Nut, I might actually go on a nature walk and experience a different side of the city.

So Far...

So far my attempts to love this city have been idealistic and not realistic. I think that I'm at least seeing Edmonton  in a new light but when it comes to experiencing it's "glory" I find that it still falls short. There's always something that irks me, whether it's nature or structure depends on the day. However, I have been surprised by the history of Edmonton that I've been discovering in this class. I definitely never would have guessed that Edmonton had such interesting subcultures and art movements. A lot of these things are not known by most of the people I talk to so it's interesting to learn about it. I am very much so one of those people that spout off useless information to everyone I know, so other people's minds are being enriched about Edmonton as well. This class has been proved to be rather far reaching.
One of my favourite concepts I've learned about is definitely city space. It really has changed the way I view movement and space in Edmonton.The combined efforts of understanding the history and changing my view of the city has definitely made myself much more fond of the city. Using the two different philosophies of drifting and moving and tracking my experiences has made me more curious about Deadmonton. I want to be able to exist in the city with purpose and know how I impact the environment rather than "ghosting" on through. I stick to the same paths and locations but I intend on branching out on warmer days.

A Deadmontonian in the Making

At this moment, my life in Edmonton mainly exists in the University area. It's the magical time of the year where reading week is over and students everywhere are slammed with midterm after midterm. While some of my friends (the un-college bound ones) are out every weekend enjoying an active night life, my "days off" are spent at the local library. It truly is a blessed time to be a student. The seemingly ridiculous amount of readings/essays/projects/presentations/exams that I'm facing make me resent the U a little bit. Unfortunately, until this is over I'm stuck in this small part of the city.
My recently inflated cynicism about Edmonton has made me reflect a bit about the perception of the dead city. Deadmonton perfectly encapsulates all of the reasons that made me not so fond of the city in the first place. I looked back at my first block post which mainly stated that I never go into Edmonton if I can help it; I live in a bubble and I quite like it. No, it doesn't offer an exciting array of diversity, but my friends, family, and job are all here so at least I have something to do for the most part. The perception that there is nothing to do in Edmonton may be exaggerated, but that's not to say there isn't a bit of truth to it.
Right now what can I do in Edmonton? Read? Yes. Go out and explore? Of course not, but readings good enough right? I will say that this class has made me branch out and embrace the city more but I can't say I love Edmonton yet. Maybe I'll take my new found wisdom and learn to love it during the summer, where there is no hidden ice to sneak up on you as your rushing to class. I might just become an Edmontonian one day, so I may as well accept my fate and make the best of it.

Drifting on through...

I move through this grand city of ours in two ways: I bus down Whyte Ave and then I walk through campus. I've never really thought much about how I move through the city or how I impact the space I'm in. When I do reflect on this, I don't really feel like I affect Edmonton in any matter. I think my movements within the city match most of the people around me; I move in groups, trying to keep pace so no one runs into me. I walk from building to building, pedway to pedway, just trying to stay out of the way. I drift in between people as I move from one space to the next trying to stay outside as little as possible.

I kind of realize that I make no real attempts to exist in these spaces, I'm really kind of a ghost. There's been many a time when I've actually startled people around me because I've "snuck up" on them. I never intended to and I think that's silly when people tell me that. I don't burst into a room, exclaiming my arrival and nor does anyone else. I think this a very Canadian behaviour actually. I'm sure that the fear of inconveniencing others consumes most of us. Think of how many times someone has run into you and you've both apologized.

On the first day of class I made the (hilarious) joke about the Sherwood Park transit system. To most of us, Sherwood park is known as the "bubble" and it really is. The transit system is something I utilize quite regularly because of my need to get to school. Fortunately, my bus route takes me down Whyte Ave, so I have tons to see each time I get to go to school or home. The other day I was on my way home after class and I started thinking about how I view the city and how I affect this space. I began noticing new parts of the buildings I see at least twice a day, I think I even started seeing the city as a living thing. I've never noticed the movements of the city; all the different types of cars, all the different people walking in different directions, going to completely different places. This is significant to me because almost everyone and everything in Sherwood park looks so alike. No offense to my home town which I love, but it definitely does not offer the same type of diversity the Edmonton does. I really want to see the different ways I can affect the space I'm in and different ways I can move through the city. Maybe I will start bursting into rooms and exclaim that I've arrived. Next time someone runs into me I wont play polite Canadian and apologize profusely. I might just start dancing instead of walking. Why not waltz into Rutherford?

What's Surprising

I've definitely improved my knowledge of Edmonton in the month I've been enrolled in this class. There seems to be a whole lot more now that I'm even aware of and curious about happening in the city. The only thing about this class that I remain apprehensive about is the mapping assignment. I don't feel like I know enough of the city to map out a walk of interest. I've tossed some ideas around but I can't seem to pin down a map that I would like to do.
 I've found the concept of creative cartography to be the most interesting technique of examining the physical and sensory elements of the city. I stated in an earlier post that I never thought much of mapping because I only considered them to be a visual tool meant for one purpose; to instruct a traveler where to go. I never considered them to be tools of discovery even if the traveler is familiar with the area in one sense or the other.
Sound maps are especially fascinating to me because it was a completely foreign idea to me. Developing any sense of a city through means other than sight is something I'd definitely like to pursue further.
I think the most surprising thing to be has simply been discovering different elements and cultures within Edmonton. I've always felt that Edmonton was this unloved city and I'm not sure why. I think that going through all of the literature about it, all of the different maps, looking at it's points of interests (both literal and figurative), has really changed my understanding and view of E-town.