Bank Holiday

With all eyes on London and the Summer Olympics these days, it's easy to slip into the British lingo and refer to today as a "bank holiday" as they do in Britain.  Here in Canada, we're enjoying having this Monday as a day off, giving us a three day weekend in the middle of the summer months.

It's known here in Ontario as Simcoe Day (see my 2010 post on the subject here).  Also known as the "Civic Holiday".  A friend living in the States jokingly referred to it as a "civil holiday", where we Canadians walk around being polite to each other all day. Of course, people say we tend to do that a fair bit already, including apologizing whether or not we were at fault.  "I'm sorry you bumped into me."  "Oh, pardon me for having my foot where you were walking, I'm so sorry". 

It's a stereotype that may or may not be true, but for now, I shall politely wish everyone a happy Monday, whether or not it is a holiday for you! 

Here's two of our favourite Canadians, Rick Mercer and George Stroumboulopoulous (whose last name I may or may not have spelled correctly, we call him "Strombo" for obvious reasons!), discussing Canadian stereotypes: