family day as a measure of my acclimation

Today is Family Day in Ontario, a new holiday instituted to give Ontarians a long weekend in February. Manitobans are enjoying Louis Riel Day, and we can only hope the rest of the country catches on.

As long as I've been looking into Canada, I've been hearing about how Canadians don't have a holiday between New Year's Day and Easter. An old wmtc commenter - perhaps the first person to find this blog on his own - used to talk about Chinese New Year becoming a stat holiday for this very purpose. So I hope Kyle from Ottawa is enjoying is day off.

I wasn't even going to blog about this today. My impulse to not write about Family Day is some measure of the evolution of this blog.

Once upon a time we move to canada was about moving to Canada, and leaving the US, and leaving New York City. Then it was about arriving in Canada, and making our new lives. It was always a political blog; after all, that's why I made the move. But it was more an inquiry into Canada and a support for the Big Life Change than anything else.

These days I rarely find myself blogging about my acclimation to Canada. I'm just here. It's my home. That's such a gratifying feeling.

About this holiday, I agree with Impudent Strumpet: it's a bad name. Maybe it should go utilitarian, like the good old Civic Holiday in August. Call it February Day Off.

And about Manitoba, who here who did not grow up in Canada knows who Louis Riel was? No Wikipedia or Google please.

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