Here's a joke from my cousin, Heather:
Q: What's the difference between Americans and Canadians?
A: Canadians think there's a difference.
...
Took a different ferry heading into the US and was dropped off at Port Angeles - 3 hours from Seattle - theoretically we crossed the ocean, sort of, in the Ferry... and it smelled like the ocean which makes me happy in a "halfway home/there and back" sort of way. Unfortunately I missed the first ferry, and the 2nd leaves at 4pm, which gets me there pretty late. I worry a bit as the customs officer approaches - "touring musician" sounds like an invitation to search the car for drugs - not that I have any (unless you count leftover Halloween Glossettes) - but still. The US passport saves me. Dual citizenship rocks.
Once in the US, I quickly get completely lost. I can't seem to find a good US map and my great "navigation sense" seems to have turned off in the States. I take several wrong turns and visit many gas stations for directions.
Heather's joke notwithstanding, there are many immediate differences between the US and Canada that you recognize immediately, including:
- WAY more US flags everywhere (okay, this seems obvious - what I mean is, more US flags in the US than Canadian ones in Canada)
- gas stations sell beer, but often, surprisingly, not magazines...
- gun stores
- McDonald's sucks.... so does beer...
- everyone is much more interested in my little rent-a-wreck car
Finally, with help from several gas stations and Heather, I get to Seattle and am welcomed nicely by my cousin, the aforementioned Heather, who I'm staying with. Heather has an amazing place with two nice roommates and two gigantic furry cats, Burt and Princess. She works with lazers - which I'm sure sounds cooler than it is... but sounds pretty freakin cool! We chat for a bit, catching up - I've owed Heather a visit for a while, but Seattle is usually too far away - then finally, I crash. Getting lost in another country is exhausting.
The next day, Heather takes me on a walking tour of Seattle. Seattle's a small (500,000) city with great energy and some fun stuff. Here's some things I see, none of which I take pictures of because I'm stupid and have left my camera behind... sigh...:
- a giant troll statue under a bridge. The troll is crushing a VW bug. I try not to take this as an omen.
- an amazing downtown market including fresh cheese, honey, salsa, beef jerkey, smoked salmon and more - SO GOOD - and this was all before lunch. I particularly liked the fish place, where they put on a huge show throwing a fish back and forth - no, I don't understand either, but it's famous and they're very good at throwing fish.
- a giant statue of Lenin, purchased from the Soviet Union, by a Seattle guy, who now wants to sell it to the city - but they won't buy it... so it just sits there, looking happily communistic.
- a roadsign marked "center of the universe" with many other signs pointing to (1) Lenin, (2) Portland, (3) Atlantis, etc...
Later, my exercise-starved legs feel like we walked 800 miles, but it was all worth it. We end up at a restaurant down by the harbour and I get to see a seal swimming around.
After eating, we pick up drinks and food for the party tonight. The party is hard to explain. It's set in a garage which has been converted into a full bar with a stage, disco lights, sound system and sound proofing, but is, from the outside, terrifying. It's looks like where the police will find your dismembered body the next day... It's called The Bronze, after the bar in Buffy, The Vampire Slayer, and is, despite outward appearances, pretty impressive. It's also unlicensed, so this show could only be promoted through Heather's contacts - which are many - she has an enviable community of nice folks who seem totally happy to come out to see someone's Canadian cousin play music at them.
Some come early to eat (Heather made soup) and hang out. Heather's friend Jenn, comes to play some music as well and we quickly rehearse some covers (3 AM, Brown Eyed Girl, & Crash) that we can do together. I start the show, everyone moves to their seats, the lights are dimmed and, while quickly soundchecking, I snap a string... great start, Hein. I quickly replace it, but this means the guitar will go out of tune all night. Fun. I tell them it's Canadian tuning.
Still, the show goes well and I have fun with it. Everyone sings along to Aunty Emm as well as the covers. I mention that "Seventeen" is in praise of older women and Jenn mishears me, thinking I said "bolder women"... which turns into a running joke about women from Boulder, Collorado, where Jenn is from and tells us all about in bizarre detail. We do okay on our duets and she plays some cool tunes of her own. Finally I wrap up and then... karaoke.
Yes, karaoke.
The crowd hooks up a karaoke machine and we get it going. I sing It's The End of The World As We Know It and Heather does Faith. Lots of fun with everyone singing along. I normally am not a fan, but what an awesome way to wrap up - every gig should end with Karaoke!
The next day, Heather heads out to catch a plane. I get totally confused and mix up my dates (more later) and frantically send out couchsurfing requests (also more later) for the next 4 days (yes, I have no place to stay for 4 days - I never said I was organized...) while checking email and packing up.
The rent-a-wreck (I'm choosing a name, I promise - it's hard though - I got some good ones!) stares at me balefully wondering where I was for two days. I've started talking to it and worry that I'm losing it a bit. We've become good friends, me and this little car. We're going to get back across this country together.
