Or I'll just sit on my butt as usual...

Wow! I really enjoyed the Edmonton Queen. It was one of those books that I literally could not put down. Something I have never experienced with any of the school books I’ve been assigned over the years.

Reading about Gloria and the ladies really made me want to get out and do something extraordinary. Maybe not in the form of doing a bunch of drugs and partying extravagantly, maybe not by dressing up as the opposite sex but by doing something that shakes my mundane life to the core. Stories such as this always have the effect of making me self-reflect a great deal. I begin to wonder if I somehow was in the same situation as Darrin Hagen at the beginning of the novel, would I have the courage and strength to step into the unknown and take on a new world? If I had gone through the same experiences and felt the pain that Darrin has, would I still be as merry and creative as he seems to be today?

The Edmonton Queen is a fantastic story and play. I especially enjoyed when my straight male friend who accompanied me to the play finally admitted that yes, Gloria is one hell of an attractive lady. :)

First Post! Slightly off topic but oh well...

As a fairly new resident to Alberta and a new driver, I tend to mostly stay within the familiar borders of St. Albert unless I have a chauffeur and as a result, I really have no clue how to get to anywhere in Edmonton.

That point brings about something I really appreciated in the Jane Jacobs excerpt we read. It wasn’t merely about Edmonton and landmarks which sometimes I’m ashamed to admit I have no clue where they are or why they are of interest (this class is already helping a lot with that). Her writing made me think about the confusion I felt regarding travelling within Edmonton but also sympathize with the frustration she felt with the poorly designed road system in Toronto. I know someone in class mentioned that Winnipeg was really bad in regards to driving and I wholeheartedly agree! This summer I was there and I managed to not only start driving the wrong way down a one way street (got out just in time to avoid causing any major collisions) but then because I was so on edge and panicky, I drove rather slowly into the side of a building while in a parking lot. Needless to say, I will not be driving around the ‘Peg by myself anytime soon.