We are going on a summer holiday!

Madonna sings it:

"If we took a holiday
Just some time to celebrate..."

And in Canada we go on our summer holidays.

But in the American part of the world, it's not a holiday- but rather a vacation.  You need to vacate!

If I think of it a bit further, it seems that the holiday seems to refer to a public day off, that you don't get to choose, like Labour day or Memorial Day.

Maybe that's the difference.  Time off is serious business in the US.  If you have the choice, you choose to vacate.
And if you don't have the choice and are gifted a day off, it's a holiday.

And in Canada, it's always a party whether you make it your own or take your own time off: it's a holiday!

Thought I'd push a site

volume.itunes.apple.com

It's a new site that we launched where I managed the whole process.

This is getting great reviews from the blogs and twitter feeds:

http://search.twitter.com/search?lang=en&q=itunes+volume&result_type=recent

http://www.tuaw.com/2010/08/09/schools-get-your-discount-at-the-app-store-some-day/

Vintage sounds of Jamaica

Two weekends ago, we made the trek out to Koko Cocktails to get our groove on with some old vibes of Rock Steady, Ska and and that old 60's and 70's reggae. I enjoy my 80' and 90's dancehall, but this old stuff brings me back to my childhood.

It was the sounds that I would wake up to on Sunday as my father would blast the music in the early hours. And it was always the same- Ska and reggae, with calypso and soca. I would them make myself downstairs for some breakfast, which was all sorts but usually with some Jamaican twist in there- such as the dreaded porridge. But when it came to johnny cakes or saltfish fritters- I was all over that!

But two weekends ago, it wasn't on- there was no reggae! Instead, it was modern day house music. It was a misprint online and our excitement which got us there one week early!

But we returned last week and we had a nice time- and a nice surprise. Who knew that the music my family loves would be just minutes away from my house.

So here's to Paul and Mark and their spot as DJ's- and this is where you can follow them:

http://sfvintagereggaesociety.blogspot.com/

I only wish that our family DJ would have been able to know these bways as well.

Reinventing and the pencil crayons

I tried to make the blog about some of the things that I pick out as different between growing up in Canada and now living here in the US.

These are subtle things - but now I'll be here all day putting them out there.

Instead, I'm going to write about the random things that I do in my every day. Yeah, so like everyone else- just a lot of blah, blah, blah.

Hopefully mine won't be so dull- but no promises!

I'll leave with one last Canadianism that I grew up with from elementary school - that is our pencil crayons! Remember those?

Out here they are called- colored pencils. I dunno but sounds kinda racist to me. I mean the pencils are used by the masses from 8 to 3, when the kids are in school. And those poor colored pencils. They are only used when the teacher gives an assignment that could require them. Can you use the blue colored pencil to do print out your maths homework? No, they are segregated from the normal black pencils! Bad colored pencils, what were you thinking? Back in your case you go with the other colored pencils. While the regular pencils can hangout with the yellow highlighter and the eraser and the older set, the pens- the colored pencils must hang with their own often at times forgotten in the bottom of the bag.

So check out our Laurentian "Coloured" Pencils - and in Canada, the label says colored pencils- but at the least we'll call them by their name Pencil Crayons.

Are you sharp or old?

Is your cheese sharp or old?

I admit describing something as "old" is not all that appealing- but when you see it together with its counterpart french word "fort", you get Old Fort. I may be the only one, but this just stirs up images of the beginnings of Canada and gives a sense of history to a cheddar from Canada. It just sounds right and seems to make it sound like that Old Cheddar belongs here! I want my Old Fort! (As a side note, I pronounce it as 'Old-Four'.)

Nowadays, when I look for Cheddar in the USA. I see the usual Mild, Medium and then I get a new option - Sharp! Where did this come from? Is it really a sharp flavour? Or does it make you feel like a winner? Really, without any aged cheddar, there is no flavour. So I would want to know it is old. And no flavour brings me to my next crazy discovery - yes, something called American Cheese!

If I had a million dollars...

"We wouldn't have to eat Kraft Dinner
But we would eat Kraft Dinner"
- The Barenaked Ladies

Yes, this is the way the Kraft Dinner was for me! And since everything has both French and English on it, sometimes I would say "Dîner Kraft Dinner" or "Dinner Kraft".

And yes, I would still eat Kraft Dinner if I had a million dollars.

Washroom, Bathroom, Restroom ... oh my!

I had a fun 2 hours today --- I was in a paid focus group getting a feel for the economy. 'What is it like for you yesterday, today, tomorrow financially?' they would ask.

But before all that fun, I needed to ask - 'where is the washroom?' The receptionist did a double take and then said it was down the hall.

Now, I don't bat an eye when someone says restroom, bathroom, loo, toilet. But isn't washroom a bit better- at least I know that there is a verb in there that could (and really should) happen. Or do we mean that the number 1 and number 2 negate each other - and it's a wash. But seriously, for sure much better than taking a rest.

In the end, I don't care today- and I got paid!