oh, canadia

i spell it that way, cause if americans are from america, then canadians should be from canadia.

i'm in ottawa. in case you didn't know, that's the capital of canadia. it's not toronto. no, i'm serious, it's not.

moving on...

ottawa is beautiful. really, really, beautiful. the place i'm staying is a good example of the prettiness here. and, canadians are so nice. i forgot how nice they are. they think it's so cute that we think they're so nice. i just think they're cute with their little accents and printing everything in french and english. i'm now fluent in vending machines and warnings!

the thing i don't like about traveling alone is that it's kinda lonely. obviously, there are other people at this conference, but not all of them are canadian, so not all of them are so bubbly. i think i'm going out drinking with the staff tonight, at least the ones who don't have to present tomorrow. i was going to try to take a bus tour tonight, but i think the last one is at 4... which i'm not going to make. i'm here for an extra day, so maybe i'll do that on wednesday, after i take my "haunted ottawa" walking tour tuesday night. they do offer a pub crawl version... i'll be historical instead of going shopping! there's really no point in shopping in canadia anymore, anyway. stupid dollar being stupid.

speaking of drinking - god, i've missed canadian beer! they were serving battie's (which i never used to call it, but now i feel a strong affinity for it) at the german fest, and they called it DOMESTIC! it made me so happy.

and now i get to drink all the canadian i want. real canadian, with all of its high alcohol content. chicago is too far from the canadian border for its own good. maybe i should hang out in detroit. you know, if i ever feel thirsty and suicidal.

at any rate, i'm working on being more personable, as i found out recently that i may come across as "judgmental and standoffish." i thought i came across as "interested in others and sweetly shy." i don't really know if i should trust the opinion of someone who i recently learned does coke (much to my sincere disappointment), but it still makes me wonder - is that why guys don't call? do i just not seem interested? have my remarkable flirting skills become unremarkable?

at any rate, ottawa is lovely and if anyone feels like taking a 7-hour drive up north, you are more than welcome to stay in my princess room and experience the lovely hospitality of the citizens of canadian's capital.