Monday 16 July 2012

Go West, Young Band (Day 15)


Martin was last to rise
               I awoke with a pounding headache. The tent was a wreck. There were wine stains on the floor, Matt’s towel, and Martin’s laptop. Luckily, it still works. A box of wine meant to last several days was almost empty. GD recollected, to those of us unable to, how Martin had spilled his wine and GD had used Matt’s towel to clean it up, much to Matt’s displeasure. After a batch of verbal sparring between the two, things subsided for the time being.

Greg found our us a manager
                Martin prepared us another breakfast of beans, oatmeal, and instant coffee which eased the pain and cleared the mind. We had a long day ahead of us, with an eight hour drive from Thunder Bay to Winnipeg. Fortunately, Matt, who had remained sober the previous evening, would be first to drive. 

                How did the Argyles pass the long hours in the van? There was much eating and sleeping. In particular, these were Matt’s preferred form of entertainment. We all also listened to music and engaged in polite conversation. The van also began to feel like a little apartment. Indeed, when searching for something, saying it was in the van was of little help.

Enjoying my new hobby
But each, based on interests and technological constraints, coped in their own way. I spent much time reading, playing computer games, blogging, and, as of late, strumming the chords to Smells Like Teen Spirits and a few other tunes, providing a constant backing track to the music playing the car. Greg, with his fine ear, probably found this annoying. Martin, with his apple computer and internet access through his phone, browsed the web. He also engaged in the occasional game of internet poker to finance his trip. Greg was much like Matt, except with more reading. 

GD fondling Manon's supple case
GD, as the official tour navigator, spent his time looking at the GPS, which he described as “like a video game, except you only watch.” The GPS spoke in a sassy Quebecois accent, earning her the nickname Manon. Throughout the trip, her wisdom has been a source of joy and pain. To be sure, her regular “tournez a gauche” ensured our successful navigation of unknown terrain. But she could also tend towards know-it-all-ism. Much to GD’s displeasure, Greg demanded she be turned off after her incessant demands to turn around, to which Greg would respond “ta geule,” and “shut that bitch off.” As it was Greg’s van, there was little choice but to comply. Avant d’être éteigné, elle a dit: “GD, je t’aime.”

Emerging from the van in Kenora
After a marathon drive, we arrived at a campsite just outside of Winnipeg. Next to it was a amusement park called Tinkertown. We decided it would be an excellent idea to climb the fence and sneak into it. We found ourselves at the top of the slacklining tower with all the necessary equipment. Greg pretended to set himself up for the ride while GD egged him on; Matt, however, did not enjoy this jesting. "Guys, this is a bad idea. GD, stop it!" 

Greg taking the joke to the next level
HAHA! Greg you are being really funny

Greg was tall enough to puff the dragon
But nothing ever happened. Matty and GD then went back to the campsite while Greg and I did some further exploring. We went into the park and climbed up to the top of the waterslide. Then it started to rain. Upon realizing that amusment parks weren't much fun with nothing turned on, we went back. We found both GD and Matt, covered in mud and other red marks, sitting as far as possible from each other. They had been fighting. “What have you two been doing? Fighting?” Greg yelled. “Not only are you in the same band, but of the same flesh and blood. GD, what would your father think?”

 They looked up with a sheepish expression. They respected Greg and his words made a lot of sense.  They exchanged glances for a few moments; then they started to laugh. “I’m sorry for antagonizing you. We shouldn’t be fighting one another. We are Dowling men, not little boys.” “Thanks GD. I agree.” Matt responded. “This is silly when we have a real common enemy: Ryan and his blog.”


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