Friday, October 31, 2014

My Canadian Earwig Problem, Eh?

Have you ever had something stuck in your head?

I mean truly stuck there for hours or even days?

Welcome to the club.  I'm there.  It's My Canadian Earwig.

No, I really don't have a problem with anything Canadian.  I used to listen to a lot of Canadian Radio when I was a wee brat in my childhood and into my teens.  I'm told that people in the bordering areas of the US have a habit of doing that.  When I visited Ann Arbor, Michigan once, I saw a couple TV shows on TVO out of Windsor, Ontario that I rather liked and wished I could see here.

I listened to a few stations there that made it to my own home in the Philadelphia area as a matter of course.  CKLW in Windsor was one, a pop station that was legend in the 60s through the time that Clear Channel conquered and then killed US radio.  I used to get news from the Northern Quebec Service of the CBC as well as their regular English Language external service that morphed into CBC Radio One.  The French Language service on alternate half hours was a challenge but it helped with my own studies in High School French, sadly mostly forgotten.  The CBC Domestic Service on 740AM and 1540AM made it to the house clear as a bell at night.

No, it all started when someone said they were going to go for a trip.  "Take Off".

You see, we all became Canadian for the summer of 1982.  There was a wacky one-off song called "Take Off" done by the SCTV crew back then.  Everyone was calling each other Hoser and saying Eh - which simply wasn't done in Philadelphia before then or since.

Maybe Pittsburgh.  I heard that the border to the midwest was somewhere around where they start watching the Steelers and stop following our Eagles.

Iggles, Yo!

Of course I had to put my oar in that water.  I found a video on Youtube with the song on it.  Played it.  Then while laughing, I played it again.  Yes, musical OCD.  I'm waiting for Oscar to start saying "Coo Loo coo coo, coo coo coo coo" any second now.

Now, being a comedy bit, I know that it's a parody.  I know it's openly stereotypical.  I know their accent is thicker than some of that good Quebec Maple Syrup folks would bring down from Montreal in big tin cans for the French Toast after it was left in the freezer.

Having visited Canada, I will say they're more like us than you might understand, and they'll apologize for that.

Sorry, eh?

I mean, having listened to CBC for news I've got an ear for that accent.  Midwestern US is very similar but not exactly the same just like the Chicago accent is not the same as the accent you'll hear even across the line in Michigan City, Indiana.  But Bob and Doug McKenzie's was over the top.

Being one of those oddballs who picks up other people's accent I didn't realize I was programming myself.

I wanted something different for dinner.  I had some old Gingery Bread in the freezer that was great but it was getting freezer burned.  So I get up from the chair, hit the replay button on that Youtube window, Took Off to the Kitchen to make a beauty meal, eh?  Yep.  French Toast.  Quebec Maple Syrup.  Touch of cinnamon.

"Coo Loo coo coo, coo coo coo coo"

Rack joined me and crunched away on his food as I'm puttering with the plastic spatula on the teflon pan.

Man that was good, eh?  Beauty.

We finished the food and ran into someone.  I was whistling the riff from that song and started talking to them.

"What's up?"

We were chatting and I realized just what was up.  Yes, fully programmed I had lost what was left of my fragile mind.  Telling him what was going on he got a laugh out of it and said that I really had it down.

Great, I've lost my mind and people find it amusing.

Day two.  525AM.  I'm walking South on Wilton Drive.  Sunrise isn't for another 2 hours or so.

You guessed it, the revenge of the earwig.  "Coo Loo coo coo, coo coo coo coo"  I'm whistling that riff again.

Just give in and enjoy it.  When you have an earwig, the best way I can think to deal with it is just feed it.  Play it out.  Let it go.



You guessed it.  I'm letting my freak flag fly, direct from The Great White North.  I'm looping this track.  You really don't want to play that song, you'll be thrown back into the 80's, and stuck with this in your head.  Don't do it, you know you don't!  No, don't play that song.... Aww you went and done it, eh?

Beauty.

So, crack a Brador if you can find one, or a Molson's Canadian, cause they're great beers,eh?  Don't forget to recycle so the True North Strong and Free can remain clean.

Beauty, eh?

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