It's an increasingly multicultural society originally based on the notion of a cultural mosaic. Theoretically, people can hold on to their native cultural practices and be Canadian. At least, that's how it's supposed to work.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in most provinces for about two years. It was legalized by the federal government earlier this year. So far, the sky hasn't fallen and no one has gone to hell in a hand basket.
Canada's most lucrative agricultural cash crop is marijuana. Three of the four major political parties in Canada, including the ruling Liberal party, support its decriminalization. The federal government has stated its intent to decriminalize it, but the legislation is still sitting on the back burner. Many people expect the laws to be changed if the current government is re-elected.
Of course, not everybody agrees with these aspects of Canadian society. This is no surprise. People are always disagreeing with each other about something. Like the rest of civilization, Canada is just stumbling along, trying to figure out what works.
The Sack is a lot like this, too. We're just stumbling along just like everbody else.
***
It's a closed set because it's too cold to sit on my front porch. This is where we normally hold the show.
***
It only counts as a show if we have a guest. Guests drop in with some frequency when the show is held on the porch.
When the show moves indoors, we only have accidental guests. These are people who just happen to knock on my door while Oscar and I are consuming drink in my front room.
If Oscar and I are consuming drink in my front room and there are no guests, then it is just Oscar and I sitting in my front room consuming drink. There is no show.
***
On this night, however, we have a guest. The show is on.
Weed is Little Doug's prospective son-in-law. He's engaged to Daisy, Little Doug's comely daughter.
They're not engaged, per se, as there isn't an engagement ring or any formal wedding plans. The engagement will be official as soon as Weed has enough money to buy the ring.
Weed is our guest for the entire evening.
***
Because it is unlikely that anyone else will come to the door, Oscar and I decide that tonight's show will be a Weed Special.
It will be an indepth look at Weed.
***
Weed was available because Daisy had to go to a stagette. The stagette was being held for a friend who is really engaged.
Weed and Daisy live in the basement of Little Doug's house. This is supposed to help them save for a house, pay off their student loans and, one supposes, eventually save for an engagement ring.
According to Weed, things are moving pretty slowly on all of these fronts.
***
Weed is very good at smoking marijuana.
If you thought he was named for his proficiency in lawn maintenance, you would be wrong. He's called Weed because of the marijuana.
It is true, however, that Weed has some experience with lawn maintenance. He worked for a landscaping company for two straight summers when he was at school. But his name and previous work experience are simply coincidence.
***
There are certainly times when Weed does not smoke marijuana. There are usually exceptions to everything.
But Weed says it's getting to the point where he can't stand being around people who don't smoke marijuana. He says they're too serious, too tense and they're always worrying about things.
***
Not surprisingly, Weed is somewhat employment-challenged. He says he just hasn't found his niche, yet.
Oscar thinks Weed has already found his niche. It just happens to be marijuana.
***
Weed recently returned from a six-week work gig.
He traveled through three provinces helping two other guys erect some store fixtures at a chain of variety stores. Weed says they put up these advertising fixtures in over one hundred stores during the six weeks.
He said it was the most mind-numbing experience he'd ever had.
***
According to Weed, the leader of the crew was a hippie-like guy from British Columbia. It only took about fifteen minutes for Weed to determine the guy was a kindred spirit, at least from a marijuana perspective.
It was a relief to discover that, between them, they had enough marijuana to get through the full six weeks.
***
The third member of the crew was a young guy from Boston. Apparently, his father owned the company that manufactured the advertising fixtures. As a condition for getting the contract to install the fixtures, the hippie guy had to hire the young guy as part of the crew.
***
Weed says the weeks passed in a haze of long drives, short stints in identical-looking variety stores and cheap motels. The worst part of the trip was in the suburbs of some of the larger cities they visited. After a while, Weed said, these areas looked so much alike that it felt like he was traveling back and forth to the same place.
He conceded that marijuana may have affected this perception, but not by much.
***
The young Bostonian had never smoked marijuana before.
According to Weed, the kid developed quite an affection for it during the trip. Weed and the hippie guy were starting to get annoyed, because the kid was putting a pretty big dent in their six-week supply.
This problem was solved after they arrived in Montreal.
In Montreal, Weed says they were able to have one of their few free nights during the entire trip. Typically, they spent the evenings driving from one place to another.
This time, they went out for a night on the town. At some point during the evening, they became separated from the Boston kid. Weed says they never saw him again. The kid didn't come back to the motel, nor did he call them the next day.
***
Weed says it was a week before they heard anything from him.
Apparently, the kid met a young Filipino man at a club in downtown Montreal. It was, according to the kid, "love at first sight." The pair were now living together and even talking about getting engaged. The kid had no plans of returning to Boston and wanted the hippie guy to explain this to his father.
He also wanted to know if Weed would send him some marijuana. Apparently, marijuana from the old town is better than what's available in Montreal. Weed says this could be true.
***
Weed said he was glad to be back in the old town again. The hippie guy was okay to work with during the six weeks, but Weed said it was starting to wear on him to be with the same person so much.
Besides, Weed claims, it's getting to the point where he can't stand being around people who smoke marijuana. He's says they're too serious, too tense and they're always worrying about things.
***
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