Spontaneity is a foreign concept

I’m very intrigued by the notion of the flaneur.

Without a doubt when I’m at home I lack any ability to simply wander. Last March during a design trip to NYC it was the first time that I have truly let my feet take me where they pleased. No plan. No destination. Each night following a day of meticulously planned studio tours we would go wandering in hopes of finding a little hole in the wall to eat at, a random boutique, a tiny pub where we could drink away the night. I never realized how much more you actually get to see when you’re wandering aimlessly; a beautiful surreal experience.

But have I ever even considered letting myself drift on my home turf? Not a chance. I run a specific route, walk with purpose, and follow a carefully calculated route when I drive, even taking the long way around. Heaven forbid I ever move against the city’s circulation! And for all those people who saunter down HUB mall, arms linked, walking three people across: if you continue to delay me from getting to class do not be surprised when one day my patience runs out and I punch you in the back of the head! (I’m sorry for the rage filled rant there. But really people!).

It is therefore that I’m making it my personal mission over reading week to experience Edmonton like a tourist. There are so many aspects of the city that even after 21 years continue to elude me. If anything this class has made curious about the place I call home. Chance encounters transform a city into something more than buildings and the spaces in between. I’m reminded of the man on the high level who yelled down to the brilliant Trevor Anderson “do you want to live forever?” It’s the unexpected spontaneous moments that stay with us not necessarily the ones we force upon ourselves. So here’s to discovery. 

What I've learnt so far

I came into English 380 hoping to pinpoint what I find so endearing about dear old E-Town. Although I don’t think I have a definitive answer just yet (but it’s nowhere near over!) I feel that I’ve been presented with a multitude of new ways to view my beloved city. So what notions have been undermined or affirmed? Here’s the mid-point recap:

-City maps: Myself being hopeless with maps and directions in general (while on vacation I felt the need to have my friend take a picture of me with the London city map to prove to my family that I CAN indeed follow a map, or at least try) I never paid much attention to the many ways to map a space. Mapping is so much more than illustrating the routes we travel on a daily basis. There is room for emotions, memories and experiences. They can affirm or challenge preconceived ideas of a space. And some of the most provocative spaces aren’t on any map.

-Exotic Edmonton: Being someone who has grown up in Edmonton I find that I often consider Edmonton as a place without a sense of mystery, and exhuberant underground. I know now that I was terribly off base. Darrin Hagen opened my eyes to the world of drag and its place in Edmonton. It seemed inconceivable that anything that exciting, larger than life, could take place in Edmonton! I also really enjoyed Minister Faust’s story of how when his book was published in the U.S. people reacted by insisting that Edmonton (of all places!) was “so exotic!” Wasn’t even a term in my vocabulary to describe Edmonton, but really good writing is a powerful thing.

-Reconsidering local spaces: The Coyote Kings challenged the ways in which I may view my local, especially in its treatment of Whyte Ave. Whyte has always been one of my favorite parts of the city, but it’s not represented with the same love I feel for it. It made me take off my rose coloured glasses, if only for a moment.

-All hope is not lost!: You can have success as a writer in Edmonton! There are so many avenues at our disposal and writing about Edmonton can be done, and even enjoyed by people who don’t live here.  

And finally… blogging can actually be kind of fun. Who knew?

The Edmonton Queen

Reading Darrin Hagen’s memoir (this book is so many things, but this is term I’m sticking with) The Edmonton Queen: The Final Voyage was a really eye opening experience, and one that I could not bring myself to put down. This was another one of those instances that made me realize just how out of touch I am with this city that is so multifaceted. Granted that the time of Gloria and her girls was before my time (as I was born in the later bit of ’89), I had no idea that such a scene had existed, and continues to exist in Edmonton. In a big city like New York or Toronto it would not even faze me, but I guess I still downplay the size that Edmonton actually is. I have been completely ignorant to this whole world and that is probably one of the reasons I enjoyed Darrin’s book as much as I did. He let me into his world. I laughed, and I cried. And how I wish I could have seen it.

To no surprise then I was eagerly anticipating Darrin’s visit to class. And he did not disappoint. His writing is so honest you can’t help but become completely engaged in his memories of his larger than life experience. And he is even more engaging in person: full of energy, open, and absolutely unapologetic. I was in need of a good laugh today and Darrin delivered.

However, like many others, I did not realize the full extent that the government and the public had suppressed people in the gay community. I could not even imagine being refused the right to donate blood due to my sexuality. It was interesting hearing him talk about the developments that have come about in the last 30 or so years. Darrin has a line in the book where he says, “There’s nothing like walking in someone else’s shoes for discovering how much they hurt” and in a sense that is what I feel he allowed us all to do. He allowed us to share in moments from his past, which was a truly rewarding experience.