oh canada

you already know this, but theres something funny about canada- most notably, the pretending to be british. the accent (minnesota collides with a seven timezone-evolved queens english), labour, favour and practise, governmental offices referencing 'royal' and 'crown,' and pics of someone elses high falutin on your money. whats with canucks talking too much and the fact they just ooze with insecurity about their nations relevance in the world? since i know not the basic framework of the commonwealth, i proudly display my american igno-arrogance. but you do this to us, canada. your insecure holier-than-thou attitude forces us WMA (well meaning americans) to become the obnoxious stereotype you love to hate.

no, really, i know canada is better. sure, you also tried to kill off all your indigenous peoples (not as successfully as we did), there are no black people (mistake or by design?), but homos can wed, marijuana wafts down robson unencumbered and no one accuses you of neo-colonialism.

plus, your left coast gem, vancouver, is so great. just prior to xties fellowship in the philippines and my move to chicago, we took a quick wknd trip up north to america jrs third city. after a wonderful weekend spent grazing at granville island (makes pike place seem quaint), admiring your skyline of practical urban density, riding bikes around the spectacular stanley park (perhaps one of the worlds greatest examples of urban parkland), and walking about in historic gastown, the west coasts 2nd largest chinatown (after sf), and the strangely all-caucasian kitsilano/4th ave district, im kicking maself for not making regular pilgrimages to this wonderfully international and cosmopolitan city.

a recent my life theme has been lamenting a tendency to stay holed up in my apartment or hotel room instead of exploring my environs. thankfully, this habit is passing, and trips like this one make me hope to minimize future regret by taking the time to explore the folks and sights around me.