Talk to the Goat
Actually, I love fireworks. They make me happy. I don't set any off any more but for probably the first 35 years of my life we always had fireworks. With no accidents. My brother and I attempted many times to blow each other up with firecrackers but no injuries ever resulted. Don't be such a spoil sport. Besides, May 2-4 is my birthday. Beyond that, it's the first (occassionally) warm long weekend of the year. Reason enough to celebrate the end of winter.
I was told once when one of her daughters was asking about her wifely duties in the bedroom, the queen replied, "Lie back and think of the empire."
Well, if you think having opposable thumbs is highly overrated, then fire away.
And yes, "lie back and think of England" is sometimes attributed to Victoria. What a winning attitude!
Everyday fireworks if we could get rid of our belgian monarchy.
I do know the history of Victoria but since I don't reaslly care about royalty unless its on the front of my toilet paper package its beer day for me.
I'm still distressed at the thought that Prince Charles may become King and we have to add little pieces on the sides of our coins to accomidate his ears.
Not to mention making Ottawa the capital city in 1857 and putting us in the middle of the language war.
I say Cheers to Queen Victoria for the day off anyway.
Here's to every excuse to drink!
Oh Jay! I LOVE fireworks! We can't buy them here in Ohio, well good ones anyway, so we drive to the Carolina's to purchase and sneak them back. Highly illegal, like manslaughter or something, anyway, we get the huge rockets that need mortars to blow them off! It's good times I tell you. Of course, I have to closely monitor Jeffee because - well, he's Jeffee, but other than that it's a blast! We'll have to have you and Jason over for a BBQ and show you how to do this right.
Interesting fact: in BC they don't call it May 2-4. They actually call it "Victoria Day" or "the May long weekend'. Except those of us who are from Ontario, which is pretty much everyone here. OK, so that wasn't an interesting fact at all. But it's 4 am and I'm still up packing to move in 6 hours, so you'll have to cut me some slack.
hee hee! but can't we all thank her for lending her name to the infamous chain of lingerie stores... victoria's secret?? i worked there when i was 16 and on victoria day they gave each employee a bottle of hideous perfume called, aptly, 'victoria.'
Coming from the states I didn't know all those facts. Our holiday is called Memorial Day and we get our share of fingerless fools, but it is next weekend. People get arrested for selling the stupid things too. That just kills me. I mean can you imagine taking a chance on selling something like that? What would be the sense?
Fireworks are definitely a "go big or go home" thing. After you've seen the biggest display in North America in Windsor/Detroit the little shows garner a "meh" from me.
Boy they've been blowing up little bits of the 'shwa this weekend though. I'm sure the ER was overrun with mullets and missing digits, and the parking lot with bitchin' camaros all weekend.
Kim - have you not read this blog?
Jamie + Fire = worst idea ever
I've always thought that, instead of outlawing fireworks or placing restrictions on them, we should actually make them bigger and more powerful. That way, the state would only be burdened with a one-off funeral payment instead of all that expensive hospital treatment.
Then again, I also think the penalty for owning a yappy dog should be death.
The brightest of all my roommates had a run in with a firework thingamagig last year. With his eye.
He was looking at it directly, when it went off. After he lit it. Into his eye.
Yeah. He's the best any woman can get... Ugh!
lol, i did a blog about the may two four as well, something has to keep us warm!
i'll let you break the news about the fireworks to my son, be gentle.
I feel like an idiot, or maybe just an American, because I didn't really know all of that about Victoria but thanks for enlightning me. Fireworks are and always have been a prized possesion here. We go great lengths to drive for miles and miles to get our hands on some good fireworks ....after signing the paper that, of course, we are not taking them over state lines- b/c that would be illegal. And then we watch the men get drunk and think they are suddenly the greatest show on earth, while me and the other moms huddle the kids together and run for cover. Nothining like summertime!
Ellen, don't feel like an idiot. Like I said, Queen Victoria is pretty well forgotten. I just happen to have worked for parliament where in the majestic library there is a famous statue of the fair lady. Since tourists have no qualms about asking pointed questions to whomever they can find, most of us working in the buildings had whole guide books memorized for use.
Ah yes, reminds me of Memorial Day. A good excuse to have a day off from work. How many really remember why it's celebrated? That's what I thought. But hey, we get parades and back yard BBQs. And I'll certainly enjoy my day off with pay.
Once, when i came home drunk, one of my cousins threw herself at me (this was many years ago). As in she pushed me down and climbed on top of me and did her best to get my britches down. Well, she accomplished that part but wasn't able to get anything else up. Damn, i was that close to royalty...
I wouldn't judge Vicky so harshly. A Scottish man-servant sounds pretty tempting.
Canada has a government? I thought it was totally anarchy up there in America's Hat.
Isn't this what most holidays are really about? 
Glad you had the day off. I'll be first in line to promote comraderie among the nations by declaring that we here in the states should join with you in celebrating this day with beer and time off work in the future!
What? Canada's not a republic yet...?
Just another wonderful day off. When I lived in Alaska we had Sewards Day? In Hawaii we had Kuhio Day and Kamehameha Day––right up there with Komoniwannalayya Day.
Jay, In the American south fireworks are a way of life. We blow them at Christmas, New Years, Fourth of July, Memorial Day, Dale Earnhardt's birthday (you laugh but I bet there are many that do!) and any other occasion we can think of. The best parties of the year, though, happen in New Orleans. Every year the papers are filled with stories of people dying and property damage due to .... fireworks? Nah! those are little beans. We like to get plastered and fire guns into the air ... with real bullets ... that come down and kill people. You Canadiens just aren't as sophisticated as we are I guess. Here's tipping a Molsen's Golden to Queen Vic and the rest of our kissing cousins north of the border, eh? Pass me another 2-4 wouldya ... I'll get the bullets.
TG
Not to mention, Victoria was one fugly woman... at least in the pics I've seen of her. As much as we Americans down royalty, however, I do have to admit that when I visited London many years ago all the pomp surrounding the palace, changing of the guard, etc. was pretty cool. We need to get our "royalty" to wear those nifty outfits complete with swords and on horseback. Can you just see Bush and his entourage now, lol?
Hmm, color me another ugly American here--I knew about Victoria, but did not realize that there was a Canadian national holiday to celebrate her. I prefer beer to fireworks, too! Or perhaps a nice gimlet.
many holidays here are all about the beer too- as a matter of fact i can't think of one that isn't- maybe easter. and thanks for the info on queen v! what a screwup! lol...i went to school with this albino whos parents were cousins, poor kid. you knew something wasn't right, just by looking at him.
It is my fervent hope that one of these years (please let it be this year!) my idiot BIL will finally sit on one of those dynamite-on-a-stick things he's always letting off. Last year his sister just barely stopped him from sitting on it.
I wanted to smack her!
Thanks for the history lesson. I would be hard-pressed to write such an essay on any of our American holidays.
Except for Mother's Day, that was invented to save water - not a single dish is washed on this day.
Jay - How could you forget the most important aspect of V-day...? The BBQ... even if it is raining and 20 below, you have to BBQ on Victoria day... so you can drink more beer of course.
At the moment, I'm still here with the Queen so we are kissing cousins!
SMACK!
Symbols - that's all they are - on the back of your coins, on the back of ours and YES they do bring the tourists in, YES, there is a sense of connection with other territories in the "Commonwealth"...
BUT they also suck a lot of tax payers money, i mean Jesus, haven't they already got enough by robbing the poor to give to the rich over the last X hundred years?
Talking of inbreds and fireworks... did ya see this?
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why complain if he likes humping his cousin at least you have a day off. LOL
"And beer is not a bad way to toast the monarch."
Beer is not a bad way to toast. Period.
Independence Day is July 4th. Already the backyard fireworks have started in my neighborhood
Cheers to ur day off!!!
I love fireworks more then I like beer.
BUT I would never attempt to do it at home. IT would be a waste of money cuz I wouldn't know how to do the damn thing.
An excuse for a day off and a layed back party is always welcome. But I have to agree with you, those damn fireworks are a menace to society. IQ's and common sense are just not high enough to warrant putting fireworks in the hands of the "common folk." Well stated Jay. Why humans want to mix fire w/alcohol is beyond me.
Hope your day off was a good one!
3T
"Victoria day is all about the beer"
Honesty is the best policy ; )
She did have a torrid affair with the gamekeeper, allegedly
And fireworks and beer mix wonderfully well, hence the loss of digits?
Victoria was a lovely lady. I saw a documentary about her once - she got off with Billy Connolly. An act of charity which beats anything done by Mother Teresa.
Hope you had enough beer :>)
Any excuse for a day off work and BEER!
"A bad way to toast the monarch: fireworks." LOL!
I think Spuds Mackenzie should have his own holiday. That dog did SO much for beer.
Mmmm, I liked that history lesson. I think you should be hired to teach future generations about their (ignominious) past....I'm sure there would be lots to talk about in the US.... :D
The Canadian people must overthrow the Imperial army!
Who's the king of Canada right now anyway?
Maybe the US can send a butload of Illegal Alien stormtroopers to help you out.
I loved your history lesson. I wish you had been my teacher in high school, I would have paid more attention.
Yeah... living here in St. Andrews, we're bombarded with Brit history.
I think I'm saturated.
lmao super story!!
Ah, but Judi Dench played her so well in that movie...
Viva la cervezas.
I love holidays that bring on drinking!!! Yay for Victoria day
And now in the UK we have Bonfire Night with lots of firework to celebrate the night that a bunch of terrorists tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1603!
How bizarre is that? Any excuse for a party!
Check out http://www.bonefire.org/guy/ for a few facts!
Ghone.
Oh, Miss Jay...if you lived here in Tucson, you would totally understand the fun of backyard fireworks! Since we're just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Mexico, some of the best firework shows are in our backyard. As a kid, it's so much fun playing with matches and seeing things blow up! And I can safely say (unlike Victoria's kids) I have only 10 fingers and 10 toes. Meanwhile, I'm sure her kids could play one hell of a banjo, eh?
Wow.
Reality television ain't got nothin' on Ye Old Queenie.
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