(no subject)

It's a long weekend here in Canada, yet I decided to do a bit of work today, which was quite all right. Yesterday I went out to watch a bunch of alpaca get sheared, then went to the bar to attend a show for Joe Bird. Joe Bird was a local sound-tech, musician and actor who was loved by many. Fringe goers throughout Canada may remember him from his comedy troupe; Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie. Joe died in his apartment of a heart attack on April 1st. This weekend was his birthday, and the local bar where he worked held an event featuring about 10 bands. It went on for over 12 hours. The bar was packed with friends, well wishers, fans and assorted people like me who didn't actually know Joe, but who wanted to support their local musician friends.

The bar was overly packed and slightly crazy. I stayed for a while, then sneaked across the street to eat with some friends.
*****
Edmonton has really lost two fine citizens of its artistic scene. There's the aforementioned Joe Bird and local artswriter Gilbert Bouchard. Gilbert went missing at the end of April. His body was found in the river on May 16. Both circumstances are very sad and depressing, but the community support and cohesiveness of my new city really astounds and heartens me.