On Thursday I attended the Remembrance Day ceremonies at the University of Alberta. Rather gratifyingly, the stands were packed. Like, standing-room only. My friend and I arrived a few minutes before things started and ended up sitting on the stairs. I teared up at the wreath ceremony but recovered enough to go eat at Mike’s Famous Burgers and Donair (sidenote: since when has it been named Mike’s? What happened to Marco?). It was sad and lovely and the bands were fantastic and I sat next to a handsome young guy in the Engineering Corps whose dress uniform smelled like the same fabric softener I use. (Doing our country proud, I think.)
I always think if I ever have kids I’ll try to take them to Remembrance Day ceremonies every year. I feel like it’s a good thing for kids to experience and think of as important and valuable. You know, see the forces and the mounties, sing the anthem and ‘God Save the Queen,’ see the fainting cadets and the veterans in their wheelchairs in the front row. (Canada’s last WWI vet died this year! I didn’t even know that till the ceremony.)
Today I attempted to go to the tree light-up ceremony at Churchill Square, which was supposed to run from 11 till 6 and involve some vendors from the City Centre Market, and I kind of had this mental picture in my head of an old-tymey marketplace followed by a lovely prairie sunset and then the mayor flipping a switch, the trees lighting up and everybody cheering, and for all I know that actually happened, but I stuck around for about half an hour and couldn’t stand it any more. It looked like this when I left at 2:30 pm:
Wow.
Edmonton is so wet and depressing this time of year, good grief. How’s everybody else’s November going?
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