How to Tell You're in Canada

[MissStacey 1]

It is no longer called Eaton Center on Edmonton, they changed it several years ago. I still call it that because I was so used to it. I think it is called City Center now.

I grew up in the Eastern townships in Quebec- a town called Rawdon. I had a few weekend friends who came up from the city.

I was recently telling Mel about the French fry trucks. They were always the best fries- came in a brown paper bag and were so good with lots of vinegar sprinkled on them.

[Krikit 1,165]

Also, I didn't know those skill testing questions were a Canadian thing! Now THAT is funny.

Oh yes, they are, and depending on who's running the contest, they can be crazy long. I still have the sheet of paper I used to figure out the question I had to answer to win my trip -- I had never been so glad to take math in my life!

What did you win?!!!

[DeadPoolX 9]

* When you step on someone's foot, he apologizes. (This really happened.)

Ha, that is funny, and TRUE! I still do that..... sort of like "I'm sorry that my foot was in your way so that you had to step on it."

The mail on Saturday thing still gets me confused, since the mail is NOT delivered on Sat in Canada, but the banks ARE open. In the US, its the reverse....... mail IS delivered, but banks are CLOSED. More than once I've told my husband that I'll run to the bank on Saturday.... only to be reminded that it will be closed Right...... mail = yes, bank = no...... gotta get that straight!

That's odd. I've lived in the U.S. my entire life and I've obviously had Saturday mail, but I've also been able to go to my bank on Saturdays as well. I suppose it depends which bank you use, though. I have Washington Mutual, which seems pretty flexible compared to the other options I've seen.

[thetreble 19]

I guess it depends on the bank and where the bank is located. I know some towns here in jersey still have blue laws.

Do you like WaMu deadpool? I am thinking of switching banks.

[CDAgirlMI 51]

* There are $1 and $2 coins. The paper currency is in different colors, and it's pretty.

I LOVE our coloured money!

[Cassie 8]

Also, I didn't know those skill testing questions were a Canadian thing! Now THAT is funny.

Oh yes, they are, and depending on who's running the contest, they can be crazy long. I still have the sheet of paper I used to figure out the question I had to answer to win my trip -- I had never been so glad to take math in my life!

What did you win?!!!

An all-expenses paid week long trip for two to Paris, France complete with spending money.

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

That's pretty neat. I like that.

Just a couple of very minor additions:

1. Esso supposedly stands for "Eastern States Standard Oil." In 1971, the name changed to Exxon in the United States, but it remained Esso everywhere else in the world. What happened was Esso had a number of similar-sounding competitors and in the end, after a tough antitrust settlement, the name Esso was dropped (along with the competitors who were merged into what used to be Esso) and Exxon emerged. None of this occurred in countries outside the U.S., however, which is why Esso remains in use outside American borders.

Actually it was on January 1, 1973 that Exxon started to appear and the competitor were some of the remnants of Standard Oil itself but why quibble over details, the last Esso sign in the US came down in 1976. Some states had Esso (S O) stations which Exxon bought in 1941 from Standard Oil which was broken up in 1911 as a consequence of the 1890 Sherman Antitrust Act. John D. Rockefeller who maintained interests in Standard Oil, Esso and all the other baby companies made a killing when Standard Oil broke up. Exxon (Standard Oil of New Jersey) and Mobil (Standard Oil of New York) were both part of Standard Oil that was split in 1911.

BTW, Imperial Oil in fact sold gas in the western US until the 1950s. Imperial is 70% owned by ExxonMobil.

Also, I didn't know those skill testing questions were a Canadian thing! Now THAT is funny.

Oh yes, they are, and depending on who's running the contest, they can be crazy long. I still have the sheet of paper I used to figure out the question I had to answer to win my trip -- I had never been so glad to take math in my life!

What did you win?!!!

An all-expenses paid week long trip for two to Paris, France complete with spending money.

Formidable!!!!!

[DeadPoolX 9]

I guess it depends on the bank and where the bank is located. I know some towns here in jersey still have blue laws.

Do you like WaMu deadpool? I am thinking of switching banks.

Yeah, I do. The other two banks I've worked with are Bank of America and Capital One and between the three of them, WAMU is definitely the easiest to deal with. They also seem to have the best deals, overall. Having said that, BOA and CO often have better credit cards, but no one says you need to get a credit card from your bank. I don't.

That's pretty neat. I like that.

Just a couple of very minor additions:

1. Esso supposedly stands for "Eastern States Standard Oil." In 1971, the name changed to Exxon in the United States, but it remained Esso everywhere else in the world. What happened was Esso had a number of similar-sounding competitors and in the end, after a tough antitrust settlement, the name Esso was dropped (along with the competitors who were merged into what used to be Esso) and Exxon emerged. None of this occurred in countries outside the U.S., however, which is why Esso remains in use outside American borders.

Actually it was on January 1, 1973 that Exxon started to appear and the competitor were some of the remnants of Standard Oil itself but why quibble over details, the last Esso sign in the US came down in 1976. Some states had Esso (S O) stations which Exxon bought in 1941 from Standard Oil which was broken up in 1911 as a consequence of the 1890 Sherman Antitrust Act. John D. Rockefeller who maintained interests in Standard Oil, Esso and all the other baby companies made a killing when Standard Oil broke up. Exxon (Standard Oil of New Jersey) and Mobil (Standard Oil of New York) were both part of Standard Oil that was split in 1911.

BTW, Imperial Oil in fact sold gas in the western US until the 1950s. Imperial is 70% owned by ExxonMobil.

Damn, you're right. I wonder why I kept thinking it was 1971... Oh well. It doesn't matter much now, does it? In the U.S. it's Exxon and outside of it, it's Esso. It seems a little weird to me to see Esso (since I'm so used to Exxon), but my wife had no idea Exxon and Esso were the same company. My parents did, of course, since they were around to see the name change.

[warlord 73]

Is it still the Eatons Center in Toronto at all or has that changed names since I was there last? I know the one in Guelph closed up and now it's some other downtown kind of deserted mall. Didn't think it was Sears, but it's definatly something else there. Just wasn't sure about Toronto's...

[thetreble 19]

Is it still the Eatons Center in Toronto at all or has that changed names since I was there last? I know the one in Guelph closed up and now it's some other downtown kind of deserted mall. Didn't think it was Sears, but it's definatly something else there. Just wasn't sure about Toronto's...

It's still the Eatons Center as far as I know. The one in Guelph, Stone Road Mall, is one I haven't been to in about 3 or 4 years. It was good at one time but not any more! The downtown also went to #### awhile ago.

[Krikit 1,165]

Also, I didn't know those skill testing questions were a Canadian thing! Now THAT is funny.

Oh yes, they are, and depending on who's running the contest, they can be crazy long. I still have the sheet of paper I used to figure out the question I had to answer to win my trip -- I had never been so glad to take math in my life!

What did you win?!!!

An all-expenses paid week long trip for two to Paris, France complete with spending money.

WOW!! That is amazing! What contest did you win? My daughter won an all-expenses-trip-with-spending-money to LA from an online contest last year. I didn't think anyone actually won those. So now I enter them all the time.

[Marilyn. 340]

I used to enter a lot of those contests.. the biggest and only thing I have ever won was a gift basket of Herbal Essences products....

[warlord 73]

Is it still the Eatons Center in Toronto at all or has that changed names since I was there last? I know the one in Guelph closed up and now it's some other downtown kind of deserted mall. Didn't think it was Sears, but it's definatly something else there. Just wasn't sure about Toronto's...

It's still the Eatons Center as far as I know. The one in Guelph, Stone Road Mall, is one I haven't been to in about 3 or 4 years. It was good at one time but not any more! The downtown also went to #### awhile ago.

Stone Road is the main mall now and is still getting rebuilt with more and more stores it seems since I was last there. Sears is located there still. I think they were trying to re-introduce the downtown center and I know they put the new hockey/ice skating stadium next to it so maybe there's more and more things popping up there. last time it was still pretty deserted but they were trying to build it back up...

[Dr. Obvious 49]

Milk comes in plastic bags as well as in cartons and jugs.

I pointed that out to my husband at the supermarket and he said that in Germany they did that too when he was a kid. I can't remember the exact reason why the idea was pushed, but the point is, it failed there. I thought it was interesting anyway though to see a bag of milk. The everyday exotic.

[trailmix 77]

Milk comes in plastic bags as well as in cartons and jugs.

I pointed that out to my husband at the supermarket and he said that in Germany they did that too when he was a kid. I can't remember the exact reason why the idea was pushed, but the point is, it failed there. I thought it was interesting anyway though to see a bag of milk. The everyday exotic.

They failed in Alberta too, only cartons or jugs now.....I never like them