Slim Twig's final blog entry from his epic cross-Canada adventure/tour. 

OK, it's over. I'm home and writing from the dining room table. Pretty awesome to be back, I had a great first night in town. I've got a few tidbits left over to share so I'm going to write them down. 

• Overall the shows were quite good. It felt pretty great to have the band really tighten up over the course of six shows. I can't wait to play Toronto again and really conquer shit. We didn't get a chance to hang with Plants & Animals, but both them and Born Ruffians were great touring companions. Born Ruffians were super good to us, and I am a total convert of what they do. Thanks bros.

• The day after the Victoria show Ross and I dropped Siena & Jesse off at the airport. Those guys had justified prior commitments, but I couldn't help feeling a pang of jealousy as Ross and I walked back out to the Ol' Taurus. I guess I shouldn't have as the ride back proved to be a great trip, and seeing the mountains again was totally worth it.
• We stopped at truck stop for snacks. In the beef jerky section (yes these places have SECTIONS for their beef jerky), we found a type of jerky called chicken nuggets. Feeling the outside of the bag these things felt like crunchy little pebbles. I don't even want to know how these things sit in your stomach.
• When we stopped at yet another Husky's for dinner the waitress informed us that the special for that day was turkey dinner. "Oh my God," I realized,"it's fucking Thanksgiving." I laughed over my burger and fries (with celebratory gravy) in the empty cafeteria.
• We stayed at Ross folks place once again on our way back, and I was somehow able to conjure a game of Rock Band. There were four of us so we had a full band and it was pretty fun. I have to say it was a great feeling realizing how amazing I am as a bass player. I was rocking that shit on expert and knocking it out of the fucking park. Normally when I play with Tom as Screeching Oldie, we're more concerned with the advancement of our Rock Band career and less with just having a good time on stage. This was more of a jam session, so I really got to just chill out and play some older material and get a feel for it. Still can't wait to jump back in the saddle with my band mate though....
• Also worth noting that it is hilarious to watch a guy who has never heard Deep Purple's Highway Star try and be the singer on that track. Dude did pretty well though.
• Yesterday I had A & W for breakfast, and McDonald's (our first of the trip) for lunch. Ross had Harvey's for dinner as well but I couldn't stomach it... I will be fasting now for at least a week, and laying off the Root Beer for another two...
• Edan's Beauty & the Beat has got to be one of my favourite records ever. It's also worth mentioning that by the end of the trip Marilyn Manson was dethroned by the Country Teasers for stereo dominance. Replacing fake juvenile nihilism for the true uninhibited brand felt like a good idea at the time.

• Ross and I stopped for Laser Tag twice on the way back. Once in Calgary (pretty awesome), and once in Thunder Bay (a mixture of depressing, fun and hilarious). In Calgary we played with maybe 15 people (I came in forth - ahead of Ross). In Thunder Bay we played at some place called R.O.N.S Virtual World. I'm not sure if R.O.N. is a dude, or like... a robot but his 'virtual world' is lacking in virtue. We signed up to play a game of tag and the 16 year old working the stand told us to come in whenever we were ready... "So like... we're the only ones playing?" I asked. The answer was yes. Playing two-man laser tag in a decrepit Thunder Bay "virtual world" with mid 90's R'n'B techno pop blaring (this was a great touch), is a surreal experience to say the least.
• For our second round the dude asked what kind of music we wanted to listen to. I won't lie, I had a moment where I toyed with being a huge douche bag and saying something like No Wave, or Musique Concrète, or Post-hardcore but I refrained. Ross aptly felt out the vibe of this joint and just said metal. Dude then tried to engage me in a conversation about Lamb Of God. "Cool," was about all I could muster.
• Also want to mention I came in first both times we played laser tag. Sorry Ross, jus' sayin man.

• Returning the car to Rent-A-Wreck I felt sweet relief when the transaction went through. The look on the woman's face as she clocked in the kilometers was pretty priceless. Yeah we drove that shit....

The rest of the drive back was pretty anecdote-less. Ross and I just bro-ed down in the car listening to tunes and eating fast food. It was retty fun. Once again thank you Ross, you're the man. Glad to be home, holler at me people.