Over the last 17 days, Canada has been overrun with patriotism. For those who know, this is odd for us, as we are generally pretty reserved until the 1st of July. With the 21st Winter Olympics being held in Vancouver and Whistler this year, we had a great opportunity to showcase our awesomeness to the rest of the world.
And what a showcase.
Not only did Canada finish the Olympics with 26 medals (more than in any other Winter Games), we won 14 gold medals. That's more Winter Olympic Gold medals than any other country. Ever. We even beat out the central planning machine of the former USSR. THAT'S something to be proud of.
We all know by now about the double hockey gold, and the men's curling gold, and how Alexandre Bilodeau's brother Frederic is both his inspiration and his best friend. We know how Joannie Rochette overcame an unimaginable tragedy in the death of her mother to win an Olympic bronze medal AND set a personal best in the short program. We know that Clara Hughes is the only multiple medallist from both Summer and Winter Games. We know that Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are not only Olympic champions in ice dancing, but are cute as buttons and kind of won all of our hearts. We know that Jon Montgomery is a true Canadian (who else chugs beer from a pitcher in the middle of the street on national TV?) and that Oprah (!) was such a fan of him that she had one of her correspndents in Whistler interview him for her show. And he's an auctioneer from Winnipeg. All of those stories are pretty incredible.
But those stories aren't the legacy that the Games will leave for me.
What really struck me was the patriotic displays across the country, usually reserved for Canada Day. For the first time in a long time, I felt that my (usually) overt patriotism wasn't out of place. That doesn't mean that I go around chanting “CA-NA-DA!” at every opportunity, but I do definitely feel that my country is pretty important.
The Vancouver Olympics gave us a legitimate forum to be proud of our country, and to show the world that we are as we say we are. The Games enabled us to create for ourselves the idea that with a dream, we actually can achieve greatness, and that even though we didn't win the most medals overall, having the most gold ever is pretty incredible.
For me, this was especially evident in the hockey. I was watching Team Canada take the ice in their first game, and I said to my dad that the worst goal for an Oilers fan would be if Heatley and Pronger were involved. It happened, but it didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. This got me thinking that in terms of international hockey, the maple leaf on the front trumps the name on the back any day.
I suppose this has always been true for me, but it wasn't until this Olympics that I realized what this could cause a problem with anyone else. This discussion started on Twitter, with a woman who lives in Michigan (and with whom I share a love of the Red Wings), and it ended with her blocking me from following her. I really don't care about that part, but here's the context: I made a comment that nation trumps friendship, especially in hockey to which she took exception. She was adamant that Americans would cheer for Canada if Canada was playing another team (which I don't think I believe, but I don't know for sure); I told her that the Canadians at Canada Hockey Place weren't necessarily cheering against the US, but were cheering FOR Switzerland (and to me that is a HUGE difference). There was more, but none of it is really relevant.
Here's what is: I've never really been a USA hater. I don't necessarily agree with foreign policy decisions, or the general (and often widespread) ignorace of our country by Americans, but I would conclude that for most of our shared history, we've been pretty good neighbours for each other. I don't think that I've ever actively cheered against the Americans in a hockey game, even when we play them. I don't say bad things about the opponents (unless it's Toronto, Vancouver or Calgary...) that my team faces. Instead, I cheer FOR my team, and I generally say nothing about the team they are playing. Was I happy that the US beat Finland? Not really, but not because it was the US. It was simply because I actually kind of like the Finnish team. I liked the Swedes for the most part, too. On the flipside, I don't like the Russians (for a lot of reasons, the least of which is Alex Ovechkin).
And I don't like the US team. But it's not because of the name on the front. This time it's because of the names on the back. I can honestly say that there are four guys from the US Olympic team that I don't mind: Ryan Miller, Tim Thomas and Dustin Brown and Brian Rafalski. The rest of them? I could take them or leave them.
My dislike of the US team has NOTHING to do with what I feel towards the US, and everything to do with who was on that team. I also have pretty strong feelings against the US coaching staff and management team (Brian Burke and Ron Wilson especially), and I'm sure that played a part. I don't think that means I'm a bad person. It means that to me, I don't like the US enough to let the name on the front be more important than the name on the back.
When the NHL starts up again, I'll go back to a muted dislike of Crosby, a general hatred of Pronger, and a loathing of Luongo. But for these last two weeks, I could put those aside because the name on the front mattered more than the name on the back. And as far as Team Canada is concerned, it always will.
Today is Martin Luther King Jr's birthday. (The official US holiday is on Monday.)Â
I've long been enthralled with Martin Luther King (I even did a huge project on his life and death in grade 5). I firmly believe in the power of words, and King was (in my mind) one of the best wordsmiths of all time.Â
In a time where it would have been so easy to let things stay the same, and to let the Jim Crow laws in the southern US dictate a way of life, Martin Luther King stood up for something that he truly believed in.
He did not back down in the face of violence, though he would not respond with violence himself.
He chose to use his education and his intellect to win his battles, rather than taking up the sword.
He chose to use his gifts to further the cause of Civil Rights in the United States.
Most of all, he chose to live his life in public, knowing that his speaking engagements and public appearances posed a threat to his safety.
He influenced countless people to live a little bit better, and to be a little bit better, and to think of others before themselves.Â
He spoke some of the most powerful words I have ever heard, and I think that my life is just a little bit richer for having heard them. I think, though, that people who got to be in the same space as Martin Luther King, and hear him speak live are among the luckiest on the planet. I hope they know that.
Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.
And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today!
Â
Task: to complete 101 things in 1001 days
Start Date: January 2, 2010
End Date: September 28, 2012 (right before the world ends....)
Green is In Progress
Black is haven't started
Red is failed
Blue is completed
Because I’m almost a grownup
1. Buy a place to live with at least 2 bedrooms
2. Furnish said living space with NEW furniture (not Value Village used variety)
3. Buy adequate storage for my CDs/DVDs/books
4. Put at least 20% of each month’s paycheque into the bank (0/33)
5. Contribute the maximum allowable to RSP each year
6. Spend less than $100/month on entertainment (books, movies, music, concerts, etc) for 3 months
7. Contribute at least $150 per month to charities (Right to Play, Amnesty, Invisible Children)
8. Volunteer to serve a holiday dinner at a homeless shelter
9. Find an organizational system that actually works, and stick to it. (Especially in the classroom)
10. Write a will
11. Open up a trading account and invest in something
12. Contribute the maximum ($5000) to a TFSA every year (0/3)
13. Buy and actually use a planner for a year (not every day, but at least weekly)
14. Get rid of all the clothes and shoes I no longer wear; donate to charity (1x per year) (1/3)
15. Clean out closet over Spring Break every year (0/3)
16. Pay off car by April 2010
Because I like to travel
17. Take a road trip across North America (from coast to coast)
18. Visit the following states: North/South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Virginia, District of Columbia, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, North/South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, California, Oregon, Hawaii, Wyoming, New Mexico (0/30)
19. See NWT, NV, Yukon, PEI, NB, NFLD (maybe not all at once) (0/6)
20. Travel to Europe
21. See the Statue of St. Kevin at Glendalough; meditate for a while
22. Travel somewhere over Spring Break each year (0/3)
23. Go to NYC; see a Broadway show
24. Vegas, baby!
25. Go to another city for a concert
26. Go to Australia again
27. Drive to the farm for a few days; take lots of pictures
28. Send mom and dad on a trip to the East Coast
Because I need to reconnect
29. Limit online “browsing” time to 1 hr per day, every day (5/1001)
30. Turn the TV off one day per week for all 143 weeks (1/143)
31. Keep the computer off one day per week at home for all 143 weeks (1/143)
32. Eat dinner with Mom and Dad one day per week, every week I’m in town (2/143)
33. Learn to play chess with Dad; play at least every 2 weeks
34. Find an activity to share with Mom; do it at least every two weeks
35. Have coffee with a friend twice per month for 8 months (1/8)
36. Read the (real) newspaper every day for 3 months (not just the sports)
37. Write 4 letters (by hand) per year to different people
38. Spend less than 2 hours per day marking; plan assignments better so that my job does not take over my life.
39. Go to Vancouver to see Kelsey (not attached to a conference)
40. Travel to Toronto for a visit with Kara (with no other reason to go)
41. Post photos of events to both Flickr and Facebook within 1 week of event
42. When living on my own, buy all produce at a Farmer’s Market for 3 months
43. See the sun rise one day per month, each month (2/33)
44. Take at least one picture of a sunrise or sunset each week (weather permitting) (1/143)
45. Camp in the mountains for a week; take no technology
Because I need to stay entertained
46. Create a list of every single book I own, and maintain as new books come in
47. Read every book I own at least once before buying new books
48. Re-read the Lord of the Rings trilogy
49. Read the WHOLE Harry Potter Series (0/7) - I'm feeling that this will be the LAST thing completed....
50. Read all of Bernard Cornwell’s books (18/49)
51. Read all of Philip Roth’s novels (4/26)
52. Read every Booker Prize Winner (10/46)
53. Read the Twilight series. Try not to laugh.
54. Keep a log of every movie I see, plus post a brief review on the blog for one year
55. Watch the top 25 films on the AFI 100 Years…100 Films list from 2007 (10/25)
56. Watch all of the Oscar “Best Picture” nominees for 2010, 2011, 2012 (6/30)
57. Watch every episode of The X-Files in order, including the movies (0/204)
58. Keep a record of every DVD I own
59. Keep a record of every CD I own
60. Watch all DVDs I currently own before buying anything new
61. See at least 5 films per year at the Princess or the Garneau
62. Buy an XBOX 360 and play the heck out of it
63. See at least 9 live theatre productions each year
64. ALWAYS see the movie first (where applicable)
Because I need to do things for my health
65. Fit into “those jeans” again
66. Swim at least 4x per week for 6 months (0/6)
67. Do a triathlon-length swim (1.5k) in less than 20 minutes
68. When living on my own, eat organic for 1 month
69. Do not eat after 8pm on weekdays for 3 months (0/3)
70. Do not eat after 8pm on any day of the week for 3 months (0/3)
71. Sleep at least 7 hours a night during the week for 6 months (0/6)
72. Be in bed with the lights out by 11 pm on weeknights for 3 months (0/3)
73. Drink nothing but milk, water, green tea and white tea for 1 month
74. Consume no more than 3 alcoholic beverages per week for 6 months
75. Floss my teeth every day for 3 months (0/3)
76. Spend no more than 9 hours at work on any weekday
77. Take a “mental health day” from work when I’m stressed to the max
78. Spend 5 minutes every day in my own quiet time (54/1001)
Because I like sports
79. Go to the Super Bowl
80. See the Packers at Lambeau; try to get in on a Lambeau Leap
81. Go to see the Montreal Canadiens in Montreal with Dad
82. See a baseball game in Fenway Park
83. See a baseball game at Wrigley Field
84. See a high school football game in West Texas
85. Go to the World Junior Hockey Championships
86. See a college football game (Div 1)
87. See a college basketball game (Div 1)
88. Watch at least one game for every team at my school in one school year
Because I like to use my brain
89. Get into graduate school (part-time)
90. Complete half of a Master of War Studies degree at the Royal Military College
91. Get published (somewhere other than my blog or in a letter to the editor)
92. Blog at least 2x per week, every week (2/143)
93. Start writing the book
94. Learn how to play the guitar (and sing at the same time)
95. Buy a telescope
96. Read each future issue of Foreign Affairs magazine from cover to cover
Miscellaneous
97. Try one new restaurant a month or a brand new dish at a favourite restaurant (1/33)
98. Say the words that have been rolling around in my head for the last 10 (!) years to JW.
99. Tweet about each of these as I complete, with the hashtag #101in1001
100. Sum up each month with a blog post (does not count towards the 2/week)
101. For every incomplete task after 1001 days, donate $10 to Right to Play
Well, I tried this last year. Then life got a little crazy.
This year I'm trying to declutter my mind, my spirit and my life. I think that if I can complete all of these, I'll feel like I've actually changed my life (and myself) for the better.
I've challenged a friend of mine to try it out too, because I think it'll be easier for me to finish if there's someone to “compete“ with. But I'm going to do this. I WILL NOT FAIL.