Heh. I was just in Skagway about a month and a half ago, and that doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. The cruise ship phenomenon is truly amazing; I had no idea it was possible to travel without knowing anything about the places you were going.
Out of curiousity, are these people mostly foreign or American? (Not that it makes a hell of a lot of difference, as one should at least know what country one is in at any given moment – but not knowing that is slightly less ignorant than not knowing what’s in one’s own country.)
I forget who the PM of Canada is-is it Chretien? Or was that the France? (And don’t shoot me if I’m wrong!)
Also, what IS the capital-I don’t remember that, either.
But then, I can never remember stuff like this. But I remember the jingle word for word to a Toys R Us commercial from when I eight years old. Go figure.
So, Fretful, if you stopped by a shop that sold costume jewelry and saw a 50ish woman with jet black hair wearing a Victorian era costume, that’s Step-Mom.
If you stopped by a shop that sells knives and saw a 60ish man with a beard, that’s Dear Old Dad.
Frankly, considering what does happen when the US pays attention to a country (El Salvador, Nicaragua, Iraq, etc., etc., etc.), you Canucks should be grateful the US doesn’t pay much attention to you!
And Canadian women do rock! (Or at least the one I “knew” she was nearly fifty, looked nearly 40, and I’ve still got back problems from our little “encounter” that flare up now and then, and yeah, it was worth it, baby! :D)
This thread reminds me of what happened a couple of years ago. I was chatting with an Alabama friend of mine (we’ve since lost touch) on the US Thanksgiving. He asked how my Thanksgiving had gone; when I told him that it was a little too long ago to remember (ours being in October), he thought I was drunk.
Then I clarified that our Thanksgiving was in October, NOT November. We had a good laugh about that, though!
I can deal with people going someplace new without any real knowledge of the place. It’s coming back without having learned anything about it that I find inexcusable.
A few years ago there was a bus accident in Canada. My local (in NY) news anchor read the copy including the fact that the bus was filled with Sneiors on a sightseeing tour for the Thanksgiving holodays. He took it upon himself to correct the story on the air. Afterall, it was still October. “Of course that should read Columbus Day Holidays.” he said. He came right back after the commercial to correct his correction.
BTW, we have two families of Canada geese nesting and raising young in the pasture behind our house.
For those at a loss about matters Canadiuan, may I refer you to my A Short History of Canada. (Note: Though it neglects to mention long-time Canadian President Tim Horton, the remainder of it is up to the same high standards of accuracy!)
Canada - the land due South of the North Pole. Population - Eskimoes. Sorry, but here in the Southern U.S. we hear as much aboot Canada as we do aboot Urp. Actually less. Kudos for your lack of PR! I hate PR.
Now I’m confused. I spent 5 weeks in ‘96 in what I thought was Vancouver, BC. But I didn’t see none o’ that stuff. It looked just like a regular American city to me. (Except for the monopoly money.) Maybe the plane landed in Seattle by mistake? But why would Seattle use monopoly money???
Hmm…
Actually, I loved Vancouver. I didn’t want to come home.
“Hey, I visited Toronto in 2000 and fell in love with it. i wanted to move there, except for the fact that I’d need a visa and a green card and stuff of that nature,”
Sorry to hear that acrossthesea. Except we dont call them “green cards.” We dont have 401-K’s. We dont have Social Security numbers. We have things of a similar purpose but we don’s use the American names for them.
The ironic (In the True “Allanis Morissette” meaning of the word) thing is, we can all translate those bits of USA jargon into a corresponding Canadianism. But I bet you wouldnt know what to do with a T-4 or a SIN card. (less fun than it sounds) And ha ha ha you sure dont have anything like a PHIN.
Want a translation? Or would you rather just be jealous that Canadians all get SIN cards sometime in/around their early teens?
I think you’re missing the point. The Fourth of July certainly does apply to you up there in Canadia. It’s simply the day between the third and the fifth.
Perhaps she was simply wishing you a nice day. Like “Happy Tuesday,” or “Happy August 17th”?
Golly, I know you Canadians are defensive about not being from the great US of A, but you don’t have to pretend the day does not exist.
Now I’m confused. I spent 5 weeks in ‘96 in what I thought was Vancouver, BC. But I didn’t see none o’ that stuff. It looked just like a regular American city to me. (Except for the monopoly money.) Maybe the plane landed in Seattle by mistake? But why would Seattle use monopoly money???