Once upon a time, the image I had in my head of Canada was of a wide open, very flat place. It was vast, it was mostly white and it was always cold. It naturally had very few people in it (I mean, who’d want to live in a place like that?), and those that did live there had virtually no sense of humour at all. Later, around about the time I was ten, I added a few mountains and very, very long railroads, and it dawned upon me that Canada also contained maple syrup and Mounties – although I had no idea how those poor horses managed in all that snow.
Now, of course, I know better. For one thing, I’ve done an awful lot of reading and TV watching since I was ten, and for another, my brother-in-law lives there. And although I never thought in a million years that I’d ever be able to do so, I’ve now been to Canada and seen for myself what a beautiful and diverse country it is. I’ve become friends with several Canadians, too, not through family connections, but through the internet. People I’ve met online through my interests in greyhounds, Johnny Depp, and blogging.
One of those online friends is Drowsey Monkey. I hope she won’t mind me presuming to call her a friend, but that’s how I think of her – she’s such a great person. She’s witty, intelligent and very, very funny, and yes, her blog is one of those that I read every day. If you haven’t yet been over there to take a peek, you really should do so. I don’t think you’ll be sorry! Don’t forget to read some of the archives too, because there are some perfect gems in there.
Today is Drowsey Monkey’s first anniversary – her blog birthday – and I can’t believe she’s only been going for one year! Some people blog for many years without reaching her level of professionalism and consistently high standards, not to mention entertainment value. I’m not the only person to think so, obviously. In fact, Olga the Traveling Bra is holding a party over at her place in honour of the occasion.
So, congratulations, DM, my dear! Happy Bloggiversay – have a truly great day. You deserve it!
Oh, by the way, I now know that most Canadians have a great sense of humour. It might escape some, because in my experience it tends to lean to the dry and witty rather than the ‘laugh out loud’ funny, but it’s very much there in all the Canadians I’ve met. Except my brother in law, but he doesn’t count because he’s actually English by birth. He seems to think adding ‘eh?’ to the end of a sentence makes it funny.
Unless of course, he’s got dry and witty down to such a fine art that I haven’t yet realised that the thing about the traffic lights and magnets is really a joke. I just thought he was nuts.
Nice post Jay and the list of Drowsey’s fans is long
Your imagination about Canada was hilarious. I don’t even bother to imagine about countries atleast; I just google. lol
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Hmmmm, I would have to say that Canadians are not very good with sarcasm – I have to warn my students every year that I am a tad sarcastic, otherwise I tend to upset some of them when they take me too seriously. I seem to say “I am just joking” quite a lot.
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cool for DM, I’ll have to go over and see what’s happening over there. i’ve noticed a lot of blogs celebrating their one or two year anniversary.
canada is beautiful, at least the area where I was, but i haven’t been in so long…i imagine a lot of things have changed. that was our stop this month, but we’re not going now.
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Most of the SNL and Second City cast was Canadian. So I always thought that all Canadians were incredibly funny!
One of my closest friends moved away from here a year after we met to go home to Montreal to marry her sweetheart. He didn’t want to raise their children in the U.S. Can’t say as I blame him. I miss her terribly, but talk nearly every day, because we both work from home for the same company! Lots of other gems have come my way through the blogiverse. Many, many Canadian friends. I guess you have to have a warm heart to live in such a cold place!
Peace – D
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I just wanted to say thank you for agreeing that Scaly is the perfect fish name.
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That Drowsey gets everywhere ;O)
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Great tribute! I’ll have to go check out her site…
I love Canada. I live only about 3.5 hours from the British Columbia border and I can remember several family vacations and trips up there when I was younger, they’ve got a nice mix of city and beautiful countryside up there!
OK, now I want to take a trip….haha!
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Scratch – You should hear the vision I had of India! I imagined it to be all mud coloured. Very hot, very wet, and all brown – and for some reason I didn’t think there were any beaches! ROFL! I guess it was from hearing about monsoons at school!
DBM – Really? Well, there you go. I haven’t met very many Canadians, after all. Obviously I move in narrow circles!
Valerie – You aren’t going? That’s a shame. Will you miss your holiday altogether, or are you going somewhere else?
RiverPoet – That’s true! And I always loved Dan Aykroyd and John Candy.
Daisy – Well, it’s true! If you can call a kitten ‘Fluffy’, then ‘Scaly’ is the obvious choice for a fish! LOL!
Babs – Doesn’t she? I just said that on someone else’s blog! ROFL!
Angi – You’re very lucky! What we’ve seen of British Columbia is gorgeous, but we didn’t make it over to Vancouver Island. Next time, perhaps. Washington is supposed to be gorgeous too, and I haven’t seen that yet either, though I do have a friend there. Don’t know anything much about Idaho (except they grow potatoes!) or Montana.
I don’t know many Canadians, but I agree, Drowsey certainly has a sense of humour ;O)
Sometimes I think I have a little too much English in my ancestry. Why don’t you tell me the one about traffic lights and magnets, see if I get it?
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I love Canadians and I love that picture. I checked out the Drowsey Monkey and was impressed by all the personality in her writing. I look forward to going back.
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Canadian eh … well, I had the pleasure of staying in vancouver for 3 months recently, and I loved it.. great friendly people, and a wonderful country … however, did you see a bus pasenger recently stabbed the passenger next to him, the chopped his head off !!!, makes an interesting trip I guess !!!!
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Babs – she certainly does!
A Decker – My brother in law believes that traffic lights ‘know’ he is coming and deliberately turn red in order to stop him driving straight through. He believes they do this with the aid of magnets which detect the metal in his car. Why they do this, he has no idea. LOL!
Moon – Good grief! And isn’t Vancouver the place where all those dismembered right feet in trainers have been turning up on the beach? Hmm. Maybe not quite such a friendly place after all!
Awwww, thank you!
I loved your initial thoughts of Canada, LOL!
I’m so flattered by your kind words
and truly overwhelmed by this entire event! Thank you soooo much! And I’m so glad to have found your blog.
Your brother in law sounds like he fitting in quite well here, eh?
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I love Drowsey!! You did a wonderful tribute to her. She is an excellent blogger and friend.
Ive gotta get my ass to Canada one day.
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I hope to one day go to canada. There’s no excuse since it’s not that far away (from me).
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My first real boyfriend was Canadian, so I tend to look on them with some serious fondness. Course I’ve read quite a bit of Drowsey Monkey, and I must say, her sense of humor is quite a bit more sophisticated then his was. His idea of funny was to do “Blue Angels” much like Terrance and Phillip from South Park. He liked to fart on candles, torches, etc. and watch the flame turn blue.
Yeah, we were very adult back then.
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DM – Dare I ask what your first thoughts about England were like? LOL!
Meleah and Bee – You really should go! It’s beautiful. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time there, though Toronto was a bit strange.
JT – Blue Angels? That’s something I’ve never heard of. I must have been so much more sophisticated that you as a teen. Or out of touch. Or something. ROFL!
Ha! Love your take on what Canada was before you got here. As a fellow Canuck, I am so pleased to hear of Drowsey’s anniversary as I haven’t yet ventured over there today! I shall have to visit post-haste. And yes, many funny people are from Canada; a lot of the SNLers (including Lorne Michaels), Second City, Mike Myers, Jim Carey, Leslie Neilson, Howie Mandel… we tend not to take ourselves or anyone else, actually, too seriously.
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Maureen – I very much like what I’ve seen of Canada and Canadians! I know I’ve only seen a tiny part, though. I just don’t know if I could live in one of the parts which does get very cold and white for long periods. I have a friend in Saskatoon, who desperately wants to move to England. She hates all the snow!
Washington and BC both have really similar scenery – very green and very mountainous! Idaho is pretty boring, Montana has some mountains but much of it is fairly flat. I recommend sticking to WA/BC, you won’t see anything in ID or MT that you won’t see here.
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England? That’s where the Queen lives and it rains all the time!
When I was a kid I always wondered why my mom was on our money … she kinda looked like the queen … well, I was 4 or something lol
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Ha ha Jay! Is should borrow some imagination from you as far as countries are concerned. lol In India you will find deserts, beaches, mountains and probably everything that you an think of. Not to forget mud of course.
I swear! too much. ha ha ha
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Angi – So I can give Idaho and Montana a miss then? Isn’t Montana the poster ‘big country’? Or do I have that wrong?
Love the Mum on the money thing! ROFL!
DM – Exactly, where the Queen lives and it rains all the time! Actually it doesn’t rain all the time, it just feels like it.
Scratch – I knew about the mountains and beaches, but you have deserts too? Wow! And the mud. Of course. LOL! We’re good at mud, too!
Ah, yes- another post to make dear Drowsey a bit weepy… the poor dear. Her dramatic bloggiversary I think took a lot out of her.
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My brother-in-law lives in Canada too … with my sister! They moved to Quebec in 1991 (my b-i-l is French). I have visited them many times and, although the climate is much too severe for me in winter, I have seen many wondrous things in Canada! I like DM’s blog, too.
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Jenn – Poor Drowsey! I bet she had a wonderful weepy time yesterday! And probably still is.
Jenny – I’ve never been to Quebec! Does it have a very French Canadian feel to it? I’ve heard it’s beautiful, but then I’ve heard that about most of the cities in Canada. Vancouver and Toronto were lovely, but that’s really all I know!