How do you plan on spending Canada Day? Because this is the very first one of this century!

This is Bink.

Bink and I have scoured the net today to find you some great fun things to do in preparation for the big day. So now without further ado... the CANADA ROCKS THE WORLD List O' Patriotic Activities!


Suggestion #1: Send an E-Card
Sending an electronic greeting card (or "e-card" for cool cats in the know) is a great and free thing to do and makes the recipient love you forever! Well, it can't say that on the card website because of legal reasons, but you and I know how fun these are to receive! Bink suggests the Canada Day selections at Blue Mountain Arts, and they also offer three versions in french at Arts Mont Bleu!


Suggestion #2: Fly the Flag
Sure, this one seems obvious, but see if you can find a new ingenious way of displaying the red and white. Make a cape! Use it as a curtain! Make a tent! Grab some red paint and go maple leaf something. Before you go nuts though, check out flag etiquette at the government site. For some more ideas, check out this site that Bink found. Showing the Flag: A Canadian Photo Album is a bilingual photo-scrapbook of our flag in its many functions and places. View it waving proudly at official visits, embassies, on the high seas, work, leisure, and other places. Bink likes it!

Suggestion #3: Make a Mix Tape Why not? Make a Canada Day cassette of your favourite Canadian music. I'm not talking about "Land of the silver birch, home of the beaver"... unless you are partial to that folky stuff. Popular choices in my car: The Barenaked Ladies, Shania (come on, you love her too), The Guess Who, The Tragically Hip, Moist, Kim Mitchell, Sarah McLachlan, Treblecharger, 54-40, Spirit of the West, KillJoys, Gandharvas, Bryan Adams, Alanis Morisette. When Bink isn't working on his dam, he gets down to Gordon Lightfoot, Trooper, Anne Murray, Leonard Cohen, Roch Voisine, Celine Dion, Jann Arden, Neil Young, Rita MacNeil, Blue Rodeo, and Crash Test Dummies. There is a LOT more Canadian talent to discover out there and these are just SOME of my favourites. The Mars Subway Canadian Music Homepage is an excellent place to start, with an extensive listing of artists. If you want to really get into it, you should take a look at the 4-CD collection put out a few years ago for the 25th Juno Awards called "Oh What a Feeling." Smashing!

Suggestion #4: Play Lacrosse
Think our national sport is hockey? Stop any Canadian on the street and that will likely be their first guess. Better luck next time bud, thanks for coming out... it's lacrosse! Lacrosse has been called the fastest game on two feet, and is possibly the oldest game in North America. Sparty's Lacrosse FAQ is THE place to go for info on the rules, the field, the history of the game, positions, equipment, etc. Bink also recommends the Canadian Lacrosse Association at www.lacrosse.ca.


Suggestion #5: Visit Another Province
Though the land stretches out quite a bit, it IS possible for many of us to travel to another province in a day or less on the train. Perhaps this isn't the most practical thing to do on Canada day, I'm being unrealistic... but I think spending some time away from home, in our own country can be an eye-opener and make you appreciate the differences of another part of Canada. Do you know where our deserts, rainforests, dinosaur bones, or tundra are? Go find out and pay them a visit in person. Take a peek at Via Rail to explore your options. Of course, nothing beats a Canadian road trip!