And may end here too. We’ll see how it goes.
And may end here too. We’ll see how it goes.
New posts will be added after the jump (mostly because I can’t figure out how to add the jump from the mobile interface), starting sometime just after noon and going until whenever I decide to stop.
12:07:21 PM
Well, that didn’t work to a somewhat spectacular degree. That, of course, being my possibly sunstroke-induced idea to liveblog the Canada Day festivities by BlackBerry – in real time! Just like the big kids do! Unfortunately, the BlackBerry browser apparently has very strong objections to this whole notion of mobile posting, and promptly crashed out every time I attempted to update the post that I had cunningly left as a placeholder. As a result, I’m going to try posting each bulletin as a separate item, which I know is hugely annoying for anyone who wants to follow along, so I apologize to all three of you in advance. (No, OperaMini is not the answer.)
Now that we’ve gotten those unpleasantries out of the way, where am I? Well, funny you should ask — I’m not actually *on* the Hill, but across the street, jammed up against Langevin Block by a teeming horde of happy families, stealing the only bit of shade in sight. The show itself hasn’t begun yet, I don’t think – I can’t actually see the stage, so I’m going by the big screen and the crowd – but I think the Governor General’s arrival is imminent, which is what has to happen for things to get underway.
Ah yes, bagpipes. Definitely an encouraging sign. And cannons! Yes, I think the show is officially on.
12:17:54 PM
Okay, how many cannon blasts are necessary to greet the GG? Who appears to be inspecting the guards – at least, that’s what it looks like from the teeny part of the screen that I can see from here. This is one of those displays that works better on television.
Come to think of it, that describes most of the official Canada Day programme, which is why it’s so hard to find locals willing to suffer through the crowds for a hugely inferior view of a show they could watch from the comfort of their own home, where there is far less chance that someone will accidentally whack your nose with their $2 bottle of water.
On the other hand, you’d miss the magical moment when a trio of drunken teenagers tries to start an impromptu singalong of O Canada, only to trail off mournfully as nobody joins in.
12:23:39 PM
Also, the stage looks like a giant can of Molson Canadian, exploded and in backdrop form, which I initially thought was a horrible coincidence, but it turns out they’re a sponsor.
12:27:12 PM
There go the Snowbirds! And here come the cheesy opening acts! Note: that does not include the Prime Minister, so no carping about media bias. At least, not right this second.
Schoolchildren singing sweetly. Well, I assume they’re schoolchildren: the woman in front of me has now blocked me completely, so I have no view of the stage at all. They could be specially trained wombats for all I know.
12:31:50 PM
Hey, Josee Verner is here! Also, representatives from “our two national sports” (hockey and lacrosse). The girl standing in front of me is sceptical that hockey has actually been named a national sport.
12:36:57 PM
Great; now WordPress is just randomly refusing
Yes, right here is where new posts will appear once I’ve finally managed to stop fiddling with WordPress and head for the Hill.