Been spending some time in Hamilton lately (a medium sized city west of Toronto) to  minimize distractions and get some work done.   Twice this week I have gone out into the world and got lost up the mountain accidentally.

You can tell that Hamilton was once a really nice city, with all of the old architecture and large, ornate fountatins in the parks.  And then the government started using it as a default dumping place for convicts getting out of prison, drug addicts trying to get back on their feet, and mental patients being released from asylums.  Now the whole place is filled with assorted cartoon characters.

When you’re going on an exploration, it’s important to have your favorite socks on. These are my favorite socks. Did you know: I don’t have any plain socks or underwear. It’s all fun patterns and pictures.

My adventure started regularly enough. I had been at a coffee place doing some internetting and instead of taking the regular route back to the pad, I said “I’ve never been up that way”, and headed up some street in a different direction.

Walking along this road, from which you can look out over the whole town, seemed at the time like a really profound metaphor for the direction my life is taking in the coming months. If overthinking and reading too much into things was an Olympic event, I would get the gold.

Then you can continue along the road or take this path.

“Did you work any amateur theology from that too?”

Quiet, you!

Sometimes the path ahead is scary! Just like in life!

“Nice.”

I thought you’d like that.

This guy was up at the top of the mountain. He let me take a picture, but then he asked me if I would drop his picture off at the store behind him later. Do you think he would be able to figure it out if I burned them to a CD and dropped that off?

Don’t you think looks like a shitty theatre, but also great fun? “The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of.” I have to go there!

When you’re up at the top of the mountain, you can walk along a park (that’s really a paved path along one side of the street) and you get a spectacular view of the city down below.

I hope they’re not looking at you, Keri.

Hamilton loves its Jesus. I have never seen so many churches in one city. And some of them get quite elaborate and crazy with their shit. I always wave or salute a church when I pass one. What up, Jesus. How you livin’? Word.

As it got late and I needed to get back to the pad to get more stuff accomplished, I realized that I didn’t know the way down. I stopped some travellers who told me I had to go back the way I came, all the way almost to where I had come up the mountain, to find a stairway down.

And then back to civilization.

Then two days later, yesterday, I was driving in what should have been a straight line to Staples. I couldn’t get over into the next lane in time so I drove around the block, under-shot the turn, and ended up on a long straightaway of a road that took me way out into the country and then to the other side of town. I had to take a highway to get back.

But at least I had my good buddy Mr. Whopper to keep me company!

The End!

Tags: adventures, exploring, life, lost, me, memories, photos, pics, pictures, random