Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Day 14 - $686.44 - Chana Masala and Funny People


Regina: the city that rhymes with fun!

Or so people say. I, of course, would never stoop to such crude parlance.

But I actually found Regina to be plenty fun. It’s a small city, smaller than I expected, but people are friendly and there is a lot going on. I was there just as the Folk Festival was starting, but there are festivals and events all summer. Because the town is relatively small, you can walk around the downtown area in a day and really get a feel for the city.

When I arrived early Monday morning, I made my way over to Kris and Dennie’s house on 15th Ave. After meeting all the roommates, I asked if there was a landline available so that I could do a phone interview with CBC Winnipeg. Unfortunately, there was no phone I could use. But on the even-better side, Nichole, a roommate, works for CBC Regina, heard about my story, and pitched it to her producer. I was on the air the next morning. Thanks again, Nichole!

With the whirlwind media tour out of the way, I got myself cleaned up and then Kris took me on a walking tour of the city. Unfortunately, it was Saskatchewan Day, meaning most of the stores were closed, but we still had a good time. He was a delightful tour guide, too. I got to see part of the University campus, most of downtown, and even an old high school building that was turned into a movie studio inside. It still looks like a high school outside, but apparently inside it’s all been gutted and they shoot movies and TV pilots in there. Who would have

thought that building would be in downtown Regina? How exciting!

And yet, even with all the excitement in the air, I still couldn’t hold it together. I was so tired from the ride overnight to Regina that after lunch, I fell asleep on the couch. With other people in the room. While they were talking. I so full of energy these days, it’s amazing.

I felt so ridiculous, but I was so tired! The bus ride over from Winnipeg wasn’t an easy one, and I couldn’t sleep during it. I just couldn’t keep myself awake. When I woke up, some friends were coming over for an impromptu dinner party. People started pouring into the house, cooking up yummy Indian food (samosas from scratch. From scratch! I love this house) and listening to music. Their friends were a great group of people to hang out with, and dinner was delicious. Afterwards we walked to The Milky Way, which is a great ice cream stand, and then came back to the house to chill out and have wine. It was a good summer day.

The next morning my phone woke me up. It was CBC Winnipeg on the line, and I was about to go on the air with Information Radio. Apparently, the alarm that I set either turned off or I slept through it, either way I had to get ready to go on air in about a minute and a half! On the plus side, that’s one way to get rid of nerves.

I managed to get myself through the interview, but I don’t think I was my most coherent. Next time I have an early morning interview, I’m setting two alarms! However, I did wake up and become coherent long before I had to be at the CBC Regina studios. My interview there was great, and a lot of fun. Going to the studios is really more interesting than doing the interviews over the phone.

I walked the long way home after that, had some lunch, and then borrowed Kris’s bike to ride around Wascana Park, the Legislative building, and finally, out to the RCMP Heritage museum. In between, I met up with CTV Regina for a cheesy interview on the grounds of the Legislature. I felt like such a doofus, filming b-roll of walking along the waterfront, or looking at flowers. I’m surprised I didn’t laugh more during the interview.

I spent two days in Regina, thanks to my incredibly generous CouchSurfing hosts Kris, Dennie, Nichole, Shawn, and Mike. Thanks for letting me stay in your house and eat your food, guys. I had a great time in Regina because of you.


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