Canadian Music Week 2012 (now called Slacker Canadian Music Week, for a reason unknown to me) features a smorgasbord of local Halifax talent. Our hometown gals and guys done us proud, and I intended on bringing you proof of their accomplishments from the front lines.
Friday was planned as such:
10:40 a.m. Arrival
12:00 p.m. Brunch at By The Way Café
2:00 p.m. Mo Kenney
2:35 p.m. Molly Thomason
3:10 p.m. The Motorleague
4:00 p.m. Grab eats at Nirvana
6:05 p.m. Ben Caplan and the Casual Smokers
8:00 p.m. Great Bloomers
11:00 p.m. Gabrielle Papillon
1:00 a.m. Arts and Crafts Showcase
My plans went up in flames, like so much cheap toilet paper, as I prepared to board my plane. (My mental and physical situation requires a little backstory. Thursday was The Coast’s Best of Music Party. Although I was home well before most revelers, a bout of late-night packing combined with waking before the rooster left me less than prepared for the day ahead).
I arrived at the airport two hours before my flight, just to be safe. Everything seemed in order—I had my ID, boarding pass, and the lines weren’t too long. As usual, I was "randomly selected" to be investigated just short of a cavity search. I checked my ticket. Gate 18. Boarding at 8:00 a.m. The gate featured two pleasant, calm flight attendants seated before dozens of pleasant, calm, travelers. At promptly 8:00 a.m. the pleasant, calm, flight attendant raised the microphone to her mouth. She must have a slight speech impediment, because instead of “Please prepare to board,” I heard “Your flight has been canceled.”
The dozens of pleasant, calm, travelers were given the same phone number to call and rebook the flight by themselves. Not surprisingly, the phone number was busy. After some slick canoodling on my part I was re-boarded on a flight that was to fly from Halifax to Ottawa, then Ottawa to Toronto. I flew Halifax to Ottawa. They canceled the second leg of the journey from Ottawa to Toronto. My pleasant, calm demeanour was starting to develop a twitch. I was told by a twitchy flight attendant that my options were to:
Wait standby for the 1:00 p.m. flight, which was already overbooked.
Book myself on the 3:00 p.m. flight, which would most likely be canceled.
Take a train.
“So really, what you’re telling me, is I have one option and that’s to take a train.” I took her raised eyebrows and unimpressed scowl for a “yes dear, have a fun train ride.” I grabbed bags, made phone calls, put down bags, grabbed coffee, pick up bags, grabbed cabs, and arrived at the train station.
Without my wallet.
Oh. Fuck. Me.
Put down bags, yell into phone, call 27 numbers (all long distance), yell into phone, stare silently at the silent phone, feel slight squeezing feeling in chest.
Wallet located! At the airport! …Stripped of cash…
The police officer informs me I can come pick it up anytime. I inform him that is lovely, but how does one get from the train station to the airport with no money? One finds a very understanding cab driver, who also shares an affinity for boondi ladoo (a kick ass Indian dessert, of which he was packin’ many).
So rather than a review of sweet sweet bands, you’ll get a taste of what I was actually doing while these sweet sweet bands were playing.
10:40 a.m. In Ottawa, victim of the walk-out demon. Someone asks if I’m Taylor Swift. I say yes in the hopes it will get me a private plane. This plan does not prove fruitful.
12:00 p.m. Giving up on air travel in favour of the train. Looked for stagecoach option. None was available.
2:00 p.m. Realization that wallet is missing and I have 5 minutes to board the train. Panic ensues
2:35 p.m. Many phone calls with many understanding people, all of whom cannot help me.
3:10 p.m. Wallet is located, devoid of cash but full of customer loyalty cards. Sponge bath in Via Rail Station bathroom.
4:00 p.m. Grab eats at train station—chickpeas in Italian dressing is not good.
6:05 p.m. Train to Toronto. Slightly drunk. Fall asleep and almost miss stop.
8:00 p.m. Awake. Somewhere outside Oshawa. Disappointing.
11:00 p.m. House of Dumplings. 15 hours of traveling required it.
1:00 a.m. Arts and Crafts showcase. My one and only success! I made it in time to catch Zeus and Dan Mangan. Both acts owned the stage and the crowd, keeping The Horseshoe packed to the rafters until 3:30 a.m.
