Now THAT was a Canada Day Weekend

My first one off since 3 years! I’ve worked them all because… I was The Canadian Explorer.

And not gonna lie, the lack of pressure this weekend was fantastic.  I used to explain it like – this is likely how Santa feels on the 25th.

This weekend I did very Canadian things… I went to a BBQ, drank beer and laughed my guts out, watched the fireworks, spent time out of a city in nature, designed my weekend around traffic times, and put my feet up Sunday night on my porch.

Speaking of traffic, get THIS – I heard the traffic Sunday night into Toronto was backed up to…. Napanee O M G (that’s 200km-ish).

Did you know our Coat of Arms has a unicorn?! A UNICORN!

That’s our motto at the bottom, in Latin: A mari usque ad mare – From Sea to Sea

Of course I own one of these.

And lots of things like this:

I went to Ottawa in 2008.

A decade before I was also in Ottawa for Canada Day.

I’d borrowed this guy’s bike to get downtown, but he’d lost his bike lock key, and I had to drag it through the dense crowds.

So if you had your shins taken out by a pedal around this time, that would’ve been me and sorry about that.

To be clear, Episode #80 is … still undone.  Oh I know.  Guarenteed it bugs me more than it bugs you, it’s like this lead ball that hangs back left over my head always.  But.  It’s just……

I’ve sat down one thousand times to edit it, and I physically cannot. It’s my swan song.  It’s summing up 3 years of my life into 8 minutes.  It’s re-editing footage I’ve already spent tens of hours looking at.

I could use an editing helper.  I have it completely storyboarded, look.  My website needs a serious overhaul too, it’s just… to properly close up my show is a couple hundred hours I don’t have right now, it’s so daunting when I think about it.

Leave it with me, it WILL get done.  And I have a little celebration party coming together in my head for when it’s done, and you’re invited.

Viva las KeriCDN and The Canadian Explorer!

Renew Your Oath to Canada

Fast forward to 0:50, it takes only 11 seconds.

Yup, got chocked up there at the end, eh!

But really, it’d be weird if I didn’t; I did dedicate 3 years and 15 000 hours of my life to celebrating Canada.  You bet I used a heart wipe!

Here’s the Oath:

I affirm, that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance, to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada, and fulfill my duties as a Canadian citizen.

This was filmed in Harbourfront at a swearing-in-you’re-now-a-citizen ceremony, and if you’ve never been to one, go. It will make you proud of your country. At this one there were 60 new citizens representing 20 different countries.

The oath is a little off in the video because I kinda accosted them at the end of the ceremony; thanks for being great fellas.

Both gentlemen are recipients of the ‘Order of Canada’ – the highest civilian achievement, with only 165 permitted to be in existence at any given time.

I’ve seen one up close here. I’ve made no secret I’d like to have one, too.  I would wear it everywhere.

Love you Canada, thanks for being the best country in which to live! xo Keri

Some Things

In no particular order, here we go.

I want to drive the crap outta this thing. Played cars with my 6 year old BFF, easily the kid I like the best in the world.

He mailed me a portrait recently, see how he’s really highlighting my esophagus.

Here’s my esophagus in real life last week.

Quite like this outfit I put together; you already know I love skirt pants and fanny packs.

Then I got all dramatic in my hood.

Drove many many kilometres last week, stopped in a playground along the way. Sometimes you just have to escape your car, eh.

You’ve met this pal before, James. He’d told me his latest invention moments before this was taken, and it’s one of the best online business idea I’ve heard all year.  It’s so simple.

I can’t say anything more, for obvious reasons, but we laughed hard over it, you will too. If you need to hire a solid webshop, he’s your guy.

Great photo of Casie and I.

Look how mooooody  (I did not mean for this post to be so car-centric).

I was sitting on my hood watching the stars, thinking about dogs.

One of my top three favourite places in the world is getting one. I’m taking the change harder than the family living there, I think.

I wouldn’t call myself an animal fan. I recently randomly was in charge of a black lab for a couple hours, this is the first time I’ve walked a dog in ohhhhh seven years at least.

Lastly, last night I cheered on my fellow blog girls at the Crystal Light Purse Challenge Fashion Show, congratulations ladies! Looking terrific! Sorry about the grainy photos, they all came out like this, I don’t know why.

Left to right:

@ValTorontoGal @UrbanNativeGirl @CasieStewart @RaymiTheMinx

Held in the Design Exchange, which was originally Canada’s first Stock Exchange, learn more about this Art Deco wonder over at The Canadian Explorer.

Do you even know HOW many Canada facts I have stored in my head?

I can do this All. Day. Long.

Kay I gotta run, TTYL! xo Keri

A Sacred Canadian Site – Peterbourough Petroglyphs

During my days as The Canadian Explorer I set out to film an exploration on the Peterborough Petroglyphs.  It is considered 1/3 sacred sites of Canada.

A petroglyph is a carving in rock from olden times. These Peterborough ones, there are 900 images carved into one huge slab of limestone, between 1000 – 5000 years old. Their origins remain a mystery.

I’m brand new at video making here.

See my old Razr?! And no law prohibiting cel phones while driving? I used MapQuest! Yay 2007!

da da da da da daaaa SPOILER ALERT: I didn’t make it.

Episode #3 – Exploring The Petroglyphs

Okay, no problem, and I set out again, presenting…..

Episode #7 – Exploring The Petroglyphs, Again

It was after this I found out that guess what…. you can’t film there.

No photos, video, nothing; they’re super-protected.

It’s not hard to find images online though.

What the Petroglyphs look like:

(photos from Sacred-Destinations.com)

It’s the Game Myst, IRL

Do you remember the computer game Myst?

It was a big deal game… oh wait wait…. it was a game changer ahahaha.

But it was, it propelled CD-ROM sales. It also really got under my skin, and remains to this day one of the few games I’ve bothered to complete.

Technically this is a water treatment plant… that washes half of Toronto’s water daily!

Did you know Toronto’s tap water is some of the best in the world? Vancouver’s is really good too.

This weekend was Doors Open Toronto, and this is the RC Harris Water Treatment Plant.

It’s neeeever open to the public (or blog girls with big smiles) … that’s why I went. Along with the whole city; parking took forEVER.

Designed in 1929 and opened in 1941, it’s applauded as Toronto’s “supreme masterwork of Art Deco building”. So beautiful, eh?!

This place is special, I’m telling you.  Go for a walk there if you ever can.

I’ve blogged about this place many times, and I filmed the episode Exploring Canadian Blogging here.

And this other time I filmed myself skipping around here in a tutu, ha.