Update Time!

I have been neglecting the poor little blog lately, so wanted to offer a quick update on our past two weeks here in Calgary:

Dates
I explained to Ben that, while skiing on the weekends is a blast, it does not exactly constitute romantic "alone" time, so we decided to institute a new Thursday date night. Our first date consisted of a visit to an intimate wine bar in downtown (Divino). We intended to head on to an art show, but we enjoyed lingering over our food and wine for so long that we entirely missed the event! For our next date, I met Ben at a cute bistro (Escoba) for a glass of wine before walking next door to see "Milk" at a charming old movie theater, the Uptown. What a fabulous movie! It's inspiring and timely given the gay marriage bans floating around, not to mention the legislation in Tennessee that's attempting to block gay couples from adopting. Grrr, don't people have better things to do with their time than trying to take away civil rights??

On our way out of the theater, we heard music coming from upstairs and learned that a band was playing. We wandered up, paid our cover charge, and opened the doors to a magical little venue. It felt almost like we'd discovered a secret; it was so unexpected given the surroundings. I had almost given up hope on seeing good music here (what can I say, Nashville spoiled me more than I ever realized!), until I saw this fabulous band take over the stage. Library Voices (visit them on MySpace to hear for yourself - photo from Library Voices page) totally rocked the room with gritty but perfectly orchestrated, high-energy pop/rock. Their slogan, "Pop as Fuck," cracks me up.

They kind of sound like the love child of old-school Weezer, Modest Mouse and Arcade Fire. The band was huge - I think there were like ten of them squeezed onto the stage - and included everything from an accordian and tamborine-player, to a saxophonist. I've realized that I instantly love any band brave enough to incorporate a saxophone! Like the Wheatmonkeys, who we saw and enjoyed in Banff, Library Voices are from Saskatchewan, a province known for little more than its country, rural lifestyle, which apparently produces great music!

Socializing
This past weekend we spent Friday night at a few bars in our neighborhood, getting to know a gal I've been volunteering with. She's our first truly local friend, making her a great resource for what's what in Calgary! Then we had an amazing Valentine's Day of lounging around in PJ's all day, breakfast in bed, and a home-cooked vegetarian dinner. I was pretty proud of my concoctions (they are all linked to the online recipes):

*Appetizers: Goat cheese with crackers and fig spread
*First Course: Roasted asparagus, arugula and parmesan salad with shallot vinegrette
*Main: Vegetable Quinoa Paella (Recipe calls for couscous, but I prefer quinoa!)
*Dessert: Vegan Spiked Chocolate Mousse (I used a Bailey's-like liquer)
*Drinks: Champagne and Pinot Grigio

Of course, a weekend would not be complete without a day on ths ski hills, so on Sunday, Ben, Alicia and I took off for Sunshine Village and tore up the hills (or in my case, tore up my knees, which are almost recovered now for another weekend of skiing!).

We enjoyed our third hockey game of the season a few nights ago, and it was by far my favorite. Calgary was playing Vancouver, which made for the liveliest crowd and best energy I've seen so far. The game was really exciting, going into overtime and then a shoot out, which the Flames lost in the end. Nonetheless, it was a worthwhile Wednesday night!

Since this blog entry has turned from a quick update to a novel, I will leave you with that. We have booked a room at a hostel in Banff for Saturday night, so are heading up there with a small group early tomorrow to spend the weekend in the mountains. Woo hoo! Hope everybody treats themselves to a fabulous weekend filled with relaxation, good food and good friends :)