Well folks, as of next writing I’ll be back in the land of William Lyon Mackenzie King, trying to explain to Maggie why most of us Canucks go by two names, and he went by four.
Alright, I’ll spare her the Canadian politics – I don’t want to inundate her with too much too fast, and Canadian politics is a lot of excitement to handle for one’s first trip.
It’s 3 a.m., I’m mostly packed, mostly finished work, mostly ready to leave, and mostly asleep.
These last few days – hell, few weeks – have been a blur of busyness trying to get enough work done so that I’ll actually be able to hang out and visit with the friends and family I’ve not seen for a year and a half – as well as show my wife what sort of country a bloke like me comes from.
This is the first time I’ll be home for Christmas since Christmas 2002 – I may have mentioned this in a previous post, but my mind left a few days ago and refuses to call or write. Needless to say, I’m tickled.
Full-sized Christmas trees; real turkey smothered in gravy instead of chicken smothered in imagination; snow (Ullr willing); and – of course, most important of all – family and friends.
Aside from futile attempts to explain Christmas to Maggie in previous years, I’ve never really looked at the holiday as objectively as I will be forced to this year. I think in that objectivity I’m bound to appreciate it more than ever.
I’ve a rather random list of places I want to show Maggie, but if anyone has any suggestions of a good way to spend our somewhat limited time in Southern Ontario, please throw a comment my way. A good winery in NotL? Any must-see things for a newcomer to Canada? A kick-ass Chinese restaurant anywhere in the Golden Horseshoe?
