This is a sequins kind of song

Since I am La Canadienne who Speaks, I figure I should educate all of you about Canada Day. Or, at least, my Canada Day.

Now, I am quite the patriotic Canadian. I like being a Canadian -- I think it's a great place to live. I mean, sure we have our problems, but over all, Canada is pretty nice. We're healthy, we have great music and we have some pretty nice vistas (well for now... let's get on that saving the environment deal, ok Canada?). I even like living in Ottawa. I like all the green everywhere (just look at our buildings.) and the people tend to be nice. Also, it is the capital, which means we have certain perks, like all the museums, the public servants and, or course, the NCC funded celebrations, certainly not the least of which is the Big Canada Day Bash.

Though I am proud to be a Canadian and all that, really... I am not one for the big, downtown Canada Day celebration. It's hot, it's crowded, and really, we're all there for the fireworks at 10pm, aren't we? So I usually just stake out the top of the Bank Street Bridge near my house at about 9:30pm, watch the fireworks from afar, and go home again to early bed, listening to neighbourhoods hooligans setting off backyard fireworks. It's tradition.

However, this year, things have been different lately. Going out is increasingly part of my life. I enjoy going out with friends. So this year, I decided I wanted to spend the day with some friends, and if that was downtown, then, I wanted to go downtown! Which is why, when Davis invited me along to Graham's house* for Canada Day celebrations, I was pretty excited.

We ended up having a really really great day. We wandered around for a few hours, met up with some other people, and then headed back to Graham's for a while. I was clearly exhausted and fell asleep on the couch while everyone played WWE video games. After Marroushe for dinner (Marroushe, Marroushe! Quite near the scotiabank!/ Marroushe, Marroushe! On Elgin South of Frank.) and a dance party, Kevin and I headed downtown to see Feist play on the Hill with plans to meet up with the rest of the group later at the ORC for fireworks and spiked slurpies. We met up with Bora and waited a couple hours for Feist, who ended up going on last before the fireworks. at 9:30 and she was AWESOME. As usual. Her new CD is all kinds of awesome. Since she was on so late (but so worth it) we ended up staying on the Hill instead of going to the ORC, which was ok.

I was let down a bit because I didn't spend as much time with friends and the view of the fireworks was actually not that great from the Hill. But after the fireworks, I just put on my music loud and walked/skipped/danced down the street to Graham's house. I biked home feeling on top of the world. It was just so amazing, the wind in my hair, singing music that makes me feel good and smiling at the world going past me. I don't know what it is about Canada Day... it's just something in the air.

Happy Canada Day everyone, eh?

*Graham is a really nice guy who also happens to be pretty "cool". I felt kinda special to be invited to his house.