War in Lebanon

I was going to do a post about how much I loved "The Last Spike" by Pierre Berton but instead, I'm going to vent my anger over Stephen Harper's response to the murder of an entire Lebanese-Canadian family.

It's taken me this long to calm down. You should have heard my response when I woke up to my radio explaining what had happened and Harper's reply. He called Israel's actions a "measured response" against Lebanon because a group called Hezbollah who aren't associated with the government kidnapped two of their soldiers.

I have three words for you Harper and I'll keep it clean.

HOW DARE YOU!

It sounds as if you're trivializing these deaths and the fact that civilians are the ones who are suffering and being killed. The entire country is being held hostage because the airports have been bombed as well as all of the roads out of the country.

Eight Canadians are dead "Steve" and you're just brushing this off your shoulder like so much dandruff. And why have you picked a side in this conflict? Israel is violating international law so why support a country committing an illegal action?But I think we all know why "Steve" is on Israel's side. It's because he's buddy buddy with Bush. And we all know who the US supports.

Harper, when people do a crappy job and don't properly represent their company, they get fired. As of now, you're on notice.

So, I missed Canada Day

This is turning into a theme with me, isn't it? I was working all day, outside. Now, I was really pumped because it was Canada Day and I was even able to smile at people who asked why people were wearing red and white and waving maple leafs around.

That was the perfect day. It didn't rain and after work I went to go watch the parade and then ate a great dinner at my friends house. The fireworks weren't on until eleven so we had a little time to kill and she wanted to have a nap so I went to a movie.

It was the first time I'd gone to a movie all by myself and you know what, it was great! I went to go see "Superman Returns" which I loved and I only hope that there's going to be another one. And then the fireworks. It only lasted 15 minutes but it was great. The large chrysanthemums were quite loud and echoed off the mountains.

But, all that sun from 9-5 was not a good thing. I ended up getting heat stroke and feeling really gross for the next couple of days. So I didn't feel up to blogging about it. But have no fear, next year, nothing is going to stop me from blogging about Canada Day.

2 Years Old!

I almost missed this because I've been so caught up in work. Two years ago this month, I decided I would take the plunge and start a blog. I had no idea what I was getting myself into or how much work it would be. But I also didn't know how much fun I was going to have, putting together posts, finding pictures, reading other blogs and talking with other Canucks who lived nowhere near me. So, here's to another two years of blogging fun.

Calgary Flames lose 2006 Stanley Cup

I've had to take some time to recover from our loss in the Stanley Cup finals. And when I say "our loss" I mean Canada's loss. I mean, we were so close.

This is the first Stanley Cup finals I've ever watched. The 2004 finals I listened to on the radio while working in a used bookstore. I was disappointed then too because Calgary was in the finals and they lost. Then there was no hockey for a year, just when I was starting to get interested and stupid Tampa Bay got to hold onto the cup for another year. (stupid Tampa Bay)

And then finally, hockey's back on and Edmonton makes it to the finals. I was so excited yet scared at the same time. For those of you who've been reading this for a while, you know I get a little stressed when it comes to watching sports. So I watch Game 1 and we lose. Then I get a little freaked out but then I slap myself and say, come on, get it together, this is a best of seven series.

And the story going into it was great. Edmonton, a Canadian team, eighth-seeded and an underdog is taking on the "Canes" (ugh). Edmonton is the "City of Champions" and hasn't gone to the finals in 16 years so I'm thinking that they're due right?

But, Game 1, we lose the goalie and I think, you know what, it's all over. And I felt so bad for the Oilers because they fought so hard. They held on by the skin of their teeth (whatever that means) and I held on by the tips of my nail-bitten fingers.

And then Game 7 and I can't wait. I rush home from the grocery store with provisions and glue myself in front of the television. And slowly, the way oil leaks out of your car, the dream died. I felt like I'd been stabbed by a ground squirrel and the little bugger was twisting the knife. When it was all over I really wanted to get up and walk away or turn the tv off but I couldn't move. How, why? This was all wrong. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. I yelled at the tv; I told Cam Ward he sucked; I promised myself I would never go to North Carolina. I've never punched anybody in my life but I really wanted to give every "Canes" player a fat lip.

All I wanted was to see a Canadian team win the Stanley Cup. And don't tell me that most of the players for North Carolina are Canadian because I know and I don't care. I want to see a Canadian team win it in my lifetime. And yes, the last time was '93 and yes, I was alive but I wasn't old enough to care or know anything about hockey. You have to admit though, the odds are against us. 30 teams, 24 of them American. Oiy.

Living in Alberta for the Summer

I really thought that people were going to be different here in Alberta. I didn't expect a Conservative redneck wearing a cowboy hat but I did expect something different. Right now, if there weren't a border telling me so, I would say Banff is in BC. I mean, it looks more like BC.

Maybe it's just because we're so close to the BC border here that there's a lot of overlap. And near the Saskatchewan border there might be an overlap there too. But I can't stop thinking about how nothing is different. Maybe my expectations were too high.

I mean, I know that I'm jealous of the province because of their oil and the lack of PST but I worry about what they're going to do when it's all gone. Now I don't know the whole economy/politics/financial "deal" with AB because I'm not an Albertan so maybe they have other industry to fall back on. Right now though, all I see is oil and cows.

I don't think I could ever live here permanently. I went to Heritage Park and as we descended out of the foothills I started to feel a little on edge. It must have been my lizard brain reacting to the mountains flattening out but I have to admit, I got a little freaked out. Now, I've been to Alberta, a lot but it's just too flat. I think it's just coming from BC. I like my mountains and my ocean. Green prairie grass blowing in the wind, watching the sun rise and bright blue sky with puffy white clouds is beautiful but all that open space is unnerving. Not so much that I need to wear a foil helmet on my head but I feel more safe when surrounded by mountains. I know, it doesn't make sense does it? I'll bet I've got some kind of phobia of open spaces.

Where in Canada have you been?

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Here's a map of where I've been in Canada. The goal is to visit every province and territory.

Banff National Park

Chances are you've never heard of Banff National Park. The only reason I know of it is I've been there before. People who live in Washington or Idaho may possibly have heard of it, even though it's the oldest and most famous of all Canada's national parks.

It actually used to be quite a well known spot and had the most popular hotel in all of North America (the Banff Springs Hotel). Famous people like Babe Ruth came to Banff to vacation and rest. But you might be asking, how did this all come about? How did Banff become a national park?

It all started with the Canadian Pacific Railroad. Note, if I say CPR in the future, that's what I'm referring to. Anyway, the CPR arrived in the area in 1883. Why were they there? Well, the Canadian government was worried about American expansion and Manifest Destiny. They wanted the colony of British Columbia on the West Coast to join Canada and therefore, stop US expansion north. But BC wanted something in return for joining this flegdling country. So they made a deal. BC would join Confederation if the Canadian goverment would build a railway out to BC and assume the colony's debt. (I think it was a pretty sweet deal for BC).

Anyway, they got to Banff and would have kept going if not for the discovery made by three men. During a break in their work, three railway workers named William McCardell, Thomas McCardell and Frank McCabe went exploring. They actually ended up discovering the hot springs that Banff is famous for today. After this discovery, a national park was founded in 1885. It started out as a 26 km hot springs reserve. Banff National Park now consists of 6,641 square kilometres.

These springs became the property of the government even though it had been discovered by these three men. The CPR saw opportunities for tourism. They were now blasting their way through the mountains to lay track and they needed to find a way to generate some money to pay for this railway. So, what better way to make some money than to convince tourists, rich tourists to come to Banff and take the "healing waters"? At that time, hot springs were believed to heal all sorts of diseases and illnesses.