oh canada!

Yesterday was our anniversary, so BH and I played hooky from life and drove to Canada. (It’s not that far from where we live.) We recently got our passports and wanted to test-drive them. They worked! The border patrol let us out of the country, and then they let us back in.

So Canada was fun. Not much in the way of ethnic food, but beautiful and filled with nice people. Well, not exactly filled. One of the things we like about it is the low population density. It is scattered with nice people.

We had lunch in Gananoque and spent the afternoon walking around Kingston. I had burned a couple CDs to listen to and we talked and held hands for hours. At dinnertime, we found a place that had a special on chicken wings: 35 cents/piece. As far as anniversaries go, it was low-key and peaceful. Perfect.

On way back into America, we felt really bad for the truckers who had to wait in a long, long line to have their cargo inspected. Maybe it was because of the bad guys they found near Toronto last week. I am really sick of bad guys who think that blowing things up is an option. And I’m glad I’m not a trucker. Most of all, I am thrilled to be married to BH.

16 Replies to “oh canada!”

  1. wow

    i am now reading ur book “speak” in my elg. class.. i like it alot. everything about the first day of high school is so true.. The story fits in with my school, the art teacher in the story is “creepy” and so is the one in my school. when i am done with this book i have to find more of you’r books and read them…i think i am become ur new fan.
    lots of love and wish’s
    ~ amanda ~ from colchester c.t.

  2. Hey!

    First of all, happy (belatetd) anniversary to you and BH! I loved reading your post (I think it was on Valentine’s day) about how the two of you finally ended up together.

    So, I’m actually from Canada. I live in the nation’s capital, which is only about two hours away from Kingston. Due to the fact that Kingston is primarily a university town, restaurants that serve ethnic food don’t survive for too long. I guess the frat boys would rather eat at McDonalds (and partake in the occasional keg stand)…oh well! But the town is pretty, especially down by the water.

    Anyways, whenever you and your husband come back to Canada, swing by Ottawa. We’ve got ethnic food coming out the wazoo! And we’ve got a man downtown who’s clothes are entirely made out of zippers. If that isn’t an incentive to come to Ottawa, I don’t know what is.

    Sorry for the super long comment, I just think it’s cool when awesome people choose to visit Canada.

    Julie

  3. Hmmm, ethnic Canadian eh? Well, for example, there’s Italian poutine. The regular fries/cheese/gravy but with Italian spices, is that what you were going for? Or maybe you wanted specifically Canadian dishes, like Beavertails. Which, in my opinion, is like a little piece of deep-fried heaven. We’ve got the Tim Horton’s coffee and doughnuts.

    Umm…maple syrup, cheese…but I guess these are the types of things that you can’t have entirely on their own. We’ve got back bacon, which is sometimes covered in maple syrup. And I think at one point, the McDonalds’ out in the Maritimes had the McLobster. Alot of the food is pretty regional.

    And there’s also the nation-combination foods. A mix of Indian and Middle-Eastern, Chinese and Thai, etc.

    We also have maple syrup breakfast sausages.

  4. I love nation-combination dishes!

    But, yeah, I was thinking of uniquely Canadian dishes. Since we live so close, we have a lot of the same elements: maple syrup, cheese, etc.

    Must try Beavertails…. and Ottawa is def. on the list of places to visit.

  5. hey

    Beavertails are amazing. This is kitkat74, usually. You have to try them.

  6. Beaver Tails are indeed good. As is poutine. And I know it’s not “uniquely Canadian,” but do you have donairs where you are? I’m in Halifax, so I am required to mention them. The McLobster is sometimes available here on a seasonal basis; I’m not a big lobster fan, so I don’t know off the top of my head if one could get one at McDonald’s right now. Did you go to Tim Hortons on your brief trip? We also have some types of chips and chocolate bars and other snacks/junk food that you might have trouble finding in the States; you should check out Taquitos.net sometime because they have reviews of and information about all kinds of snacks all over the world.

  7. Congratulations on your anniversary!

    Hey, I live in Kingston! That’s kind of exciting that you were in the same city as me; that doesn’t happen a lot with my favourite authors! Where did you go for dinner?

    And if you figure out what “ethnic Canadian food” is, let me know … I’ve lived in Canada my whole life, but if someone were to ask me to serve them “Canadian” food, I wouldn’t know what to say!

    (Also, I agree with the above person in that Ottawa is definitely worth visiting.)

    – Sarah (who really enjoys reading your journal … sorry for the random comment)

  8. Speak/Writing

    I must say, your book “SPEAK” is on my list of top 5 favorite books. Its really odd (and that is a compliment, I like odd things 🙂 that you knew basically exactly how high school works. The weird details made me laugh, just thinking how true some of that is. Also, what definitely makes this book amazing is the characters. That is why High School is amazing at times, just meeting all these “characters”. Some days at lunch, I like to sit in the main hallway with my friends, and think about how different each person passing me is. Like this book, you have an entire range of personalities, all of which made me laugh at one point.

    Also, Thank You. Thank you for not only writing a book, but a message to the teenage society. I have definitely discovered that were all different in ways, and alike in ways. To get cheesy, Were all in different boats, but still on the same river. I know some of my friends that have been seriously depressed, and you would have never known it. Thankfully, they got help. But the point of that statement is that people don’t realize they are not the only ones, and your book/message re-enforces that idea. Lets just say, your book is definitely a gust of wind for those people trying to sail on the boat of life (going back to the cheesy river/boat comment).

    Another reason I’m leaving this comment is because I’m currently working on a book. (I actually purposely got a job over the summer as a receptionist at a retirement center…since the phone never rings…just to work on this book 🙂 And I didn’t know if you had any tricks to writing, or any advice. The novel is somewhat like yours, incorporating how people treat each other and how different everyone in this world is. Basically, saying don’t judge someone just because they look, talk, or act different. Specifically, the main character has a mental disease, schizophrenia. He isn’t aware that he has it, but knows something is wrong with how his brain is working. As hes trying to cope with the fact that hes different, many peers tease and judge him. In the end, one of the peers learns a lesson about how to get to know someone before you judge them. After getting to know him, they fall in love.

    I know thats alot of details…but I get extremely excited about talking about my writing ideas. (Thats why I have horrible hand writing; my brains processing so many ideas, and my hands trying to keep up. Hehehe) Thank you so much for the opportunity to share my thoughts with such you. You are an amazing writer, and do a great job in the fact that you really put yourself in the setting of the characters, and know what your talking about (which I don’t understand how…NO adult realizes what high schools like now…thats why I admire your work.) Thanks again, and if you find time in your busy time of writing, please respond. I would love to hear from you and get some advice, but realize you don’t have time for your fans. Either way, thank you! Xavie90@aol.com (My online blog is Xanga.com/xavie90…but rarely updated) Sincerely, Kyle Hickey(Centerville Ohio, Freshman at Centerville High School, 16 Years old)

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