If you’ve read the anything about me at all, you may realize that I am Canadian. I am a proud Canadian, and over the last year I was quite privileged to spread my wings and visit some more of my amazing homeland. Now I feel even more qualified and eager to share about my amazing country, and the things that make it tick.

The quickest way to a Canadian’s heart is through their stomach.

Canadian winters can be long and cold, so we are always in need of fattening food to keep us filled up, and makin’ love all winter long (which can last from September to June in some cases!). The most fattening food comes from Quebec.

My favourite Quebecois dessert is Pouding Chomeur. (I actually have a fab recipe that I should tack up in the Sustenance section under Media) Quite literally it is a pudding for peasants, and is made of a floury cake baked in maple syrup! If there’s one thing I learned from Quebec, it is that you can cook anything in maple syrup and make anything delicious. Even eggs! It looked gross, I admit, but you just can’t go wrong with a bit of maple heaven. Also, some Cabanes a Sucre make penis shaped maple pull on a stick!

Also from Quebec comes the glory that is Poutine. And let me tell you, it is more than just fries, cheese curds and gravy (although those are the standard ingredients). Many restaurants also sell it with bacon, beef, vegetables and all sort of stuff in it! They even have Poutine Italien, which finds the gravy replaced by Pizza sauce! Not a fan of fries and gravy, the cheese curds are great on their own as well! Available at any depanneur (read: convenience store), they are a salty, squeaky treat available right on the counter! Definitely something to pick up, since they are hard to find in Western Canada.

While you’re trolling the convenience stores, you may want to pick up a bit of candy! Canada has some really fantastic candy, let me tell you. On the mainstream end, we have Crispy Crunch bars! Canada, and more specifically, Calgary, is also home to renowned chocolatier Bernard Callebaut!

To wash that down, you may want to try some Newfie Screech. Now, I’ve never actually tried this, because I don’t have a death wish at the moment, but it is definitely on my list of things to do before I die! Until then, I will content myself with some Red Rose, which is pretty much the yummiest cheap black tea you will ever drink.

And last but not least, a Canadian Institution that really deserves a category to itself, Tim Hortons! The coffee is good, the doughnuts are good, the Timbits are better, and it’s ours dammit! You cannot drive past a Tim’s without stopping, the line-ups for the Drive Thru are normally backed up to Saskatchewan (or if you’re in Saskatchewan, Newfoundland.), and they get even longer during Rrrroll Up The Rim To Win. Your town is not a town until you have a Tim’s, but most towns do, it is a necessity, like water, or air. Also, their commercials are heart warming, kind and hockey-related, which is what we’re all about.

[ Edit: I updated my links page with a few more fab blogs, which you should definitely go look at! ]

This is my personal blog, and as such, my most popular category is “Journal.” Recently, I’ve also been using the “Aisling forgot to click a category,” category (take that Uncategorized!), but not on purpose, obviously. Anyway, as of late, the other categories have been becoming antsy in their stagnancy, so I’ve decided to dedicate an entry to some of them! So, here we go!

Blogger- It’s been a few months since I left Blogger spinning on its ass, and it’s been a pretty nice adjustment. Still, I am a bit of a fan of the old girl, especially since they’ve added new features, like OpenID commenting, which means you can now comment on Blogger blogs using your AOL, Livejournal, TypeKey or Wordpress accounts. Just to make things a little bit easier, and less of a piss off for people that hate entering their information for each comment. Lovely.

Exposé- I once wrote an exposé on showering in the dark. I recall I was a little cynical, but since then I have changed my viewpoint on the situation. I now realize that showering in the dark can be an enriching experience, especially with Vanessa Williams blasting from crappy old computer speakers. Sometimes the snow does come down in June.

Info Pages- Back in the day this category was for my “About,” pages, and such. However, the definition of Info Pages changed for me recently when I found Tech Info Pages. It’s just an info page, of tech stuff. And really, how can you go wrong with that?

Katimavik- The last group of the season departs on January 9th. My little brother will be among them. I love Katima-send-off time, because my Google hits go way up! It seems everyone has questions, even though they now send out a little green booklet with the acceptance letters, due to the fact that we all complained about being unprepared in November 2006. To address some of the google queries: you may be homesick in Katimavik, especially around holidays, so it is up to you and your group to make sure plenty of activities are planned. Your group is your best link, as they are also probably feeling similarly. When packing, it is easiest to roll your clothing. It takes up less room. Don’t bring too much clothes, because you won’t wear it all, and you will want space for other cool things you pick up. A good reference and laugh before the program is the book I Was A Teenage Katimavictim! by Will Ferguson. The program has changed a lot, but it is definitely an easy story to relate to, and packed full of giggles. Lastly, we do have showers, and it is not difficult to obtain one! You can create a simple schedule to begin with, and remember that everyone should be taking 10 minute showers. It’s good for the environment.

Kelowna- The best place in Kelowna, BC is Welk Mart. Welk Mart is like the ultimate dollar store. It is stacked to the rafters in a mish-mash of everything you could possibly think of. My favourite purchase was a sippy cup with the Human Torch from Fantastic 4 on it, that said “FLAME ON!” It quickly became my hiding alcohol cup. Whenever we had crazy (illegal) drinking nights, I would use it because it was a) fun and b) hid the alcohol in case our PL came home (they never did, but I was paranoid). We also bought craft supplies and other crap we would never use, without going over out budget of 21$/week!

Old Posts- From my old (and recently revived) LJ, Xmas Eve 2004, about my favourite things: - certain people (certain people kick ass, and i love them to bits. some of these certain people know it…. but many do not… pity.) Well, that is certainly vague Miss early-teen Aisling.

Rachael- The only person with a category on my blog. Ha ha. Ummm… she still owns Calm Banana and is still awesome.

Random Lyrics- Here is the church and here is the steeple. We sure are cute for two ugly people. Anyone But You by The Mouldy Peaches. Go find it now.

Rant- Auuughhh, I am sick of 2008 already! And I am dreading work on Monday. Also, I had to do my laundry, and it took me two days! And my closet was still full! Now, it is extra full, plus my drawers are full, plus I’ve stashed clothes throughout my room to hide them, because my closet is so full! It is intense, and I should maybe do a clean out, but I really do like all of my clothes.

Site- This is my site. What do you guys want?

Video- This video of Sean Paul- Temperature’s Mis-heard Lyrics makes me giggle like a fool every time I see it.

Well, there you go angry categories! I hope this has appeased you. And apologies to the Orleans and Photos categories. You were just too boring to warrant discussion.

Dear Aisling,

I am a scholar, and recently I discovered your website in an Internet archive. I’m studying history, and I was wondering if you could tell me a bit about your life. It has taken me several months to learn your language. Here we speak a Global tongue, which I’ve read is similar to that of your modern day “Chinese.” I am quite interested in how you managed to survive in a world where you do not speak the same language. How is it that you’ve managed to communicate?

I live in the region formerly known as “Alberta, Canada,” which is where you live now. I live on a mountain, and from the West facing window, I can see the ocean. Sometimes, with all of the floods and tsunamis, it threatens to climb up the mountain and wash into the prairies. But it hasn’t yet.

Our government is controlled by one Global council, that was established after the third world war. They mandate pretty much everything. It is an honour to work for the government. I, myself, submit my research to them to help them run the world better.

The main conflict afflicting us these days are terrorist threats by reactionaries. They believe that the assimilation of former culture is wrong, and that we should be preserving the old values of your world. Many of them have been gathered and sent to the part of the world you know as “Africa.” Africa proved to be too much of a challenge for your generation, and by the end of the third world war it had been transformed into a nuclear wasteland. Now it is the site of the largest prison on the planet, and also contains laboratories for experiments comparing the DNA structure of your people to that of ours.

It has changed quite a bit, they’ve reported. Vaccinations were banned shortly after the break out of the war, and our immune systems developed a way of protecting ourselves without that ancient technology. There are still diseases, resembling what you would know as cancer, caused by the rapid changing of our DNA due to exposure to dangerous chemicals used as warfare, but AIDS is no longer a threat. The government took care of that by commanding quarantine in 2076, and waiting for the virus to run its course.

I’d best be wrapping this up now, as too much information about the future can prove to be harmful to less-developed mind of your century. Just a tip- learn to use the extra 90% of your brain, it will be useful in the future.

Sincerely,

A Future Friend

What do you think the future will be like?