Calgary is a brutal city. Whether you're into the sophisticated urban thing or not, usually that's what big city life is all about. But not Calgary. Imagine downtown 'Shwa, only bigger and uglier. I hope that it's better in the summer, for these poor people. I get the impression that cities in the western part of the country are devoid of any architechtural merit; (TO isn't really on the map yet, but they get points for trying at least.) At least Vancouver has some old buildings. Here in Calgary they can't wait to knock it down.

I'm torn. I know that to use my lovely wardrobe, reduce my dependence on cars, and lessen my overall impact on the environment requires living in an area where I can walk or take transit. But every time I live in a different city I just want to buy a big-ass truck and stay out in the country where I belong. The mountains, they call to me.

The view from my hotel room doesn't help. This is right in front of me, and if I look to the right I can just see the Rockies, hiding the promise of Banff and those elusive hotsprings. I think I'll have to go that way and see what all the fuss is about.