While I’ve been cavorting around Toronto, writing about manscaping and drinking cran-tinis, my man Dan has been chillin’ in D-town, working landscaping and drinking ice cold Halifax microbrews. I have to give him some love because of: 

a) his sick graphic design skills 

b) how good he looks with grass stains

BAM!

   If you’ve been following Jaime and I on Twitter or Facebook, you’ll know that last week AXE sent us to O-town to live it up Canadiana style on our country’s 143rd birthday. And live it up we did!

6:00am, June 30th - We wake up to catch our train

6:55am - The train leaves and our adventure begins! I immediately regret running the night before as I fold my legs into my seat.

12:15pm - After stopping in every small town in Ontario we arrive in Ottawa. My fave was Brockville which I renamed Rockville. 

1:00pm - Check in to the super cool Hotel Indigo. It called itself a “boutique hotel”, which means that one of my walls was a giant picture of birch trees. 

Just chilling in a forest, nbd.

2:00pm - I drink a shot of wheat grass. Not the last shot I would take in Ottawa, but definitely the healthiest.

2:30pm - I buy an awesome customized Nova Scotia t-shirt! Become pumped to represent the home land on Canada Day.

3:00pm - Jaime takes off to catch a movie about vampires and love. I take off to hang out with my pals from the Band of the Ceremonial Guard! It was great to see them again (I was in the band last year). Here’s a video of them doing their thing on Canada Day. Fun fact: When we’re fully suited up, it’s +10 degrees Celsius inside our tunics. Hot.

7:00pm - My main man Benny picks me up and we meet up with Jaime and several other peeps for dinner. We ate a great spicy Louisiana themed restaurant! We plan out our activities for the next day. I try my first broken down golf cart.

We needed a caddy after this one.

7:00am, July 1st - Get up and get ready to crash the set of Ottawa’s early morning television show.

7:10am - Realize the show is not live and is only replaying highlights from earlier in the year :(

9:30am - we hit up parliament! An estimated 100 000 people came to the hill to watch Barenaked Ladies and the queen.  Met people from everywhere: Venezuela, India, Russia and even a family from Nunavut! I was all like, I luvit! Tried to see the queen. Took picture of random elderly lady instead. Jaime will be posting a video of our antics soon, so keep an eye out.

3:00pm - Tasty lunch at a restaurant on Rideau Street known for their bellinis. Bellinis not Canadian enough, I stick with my pint.

4:00pm - fill up four recycling bins with ice and choice beverages, blast some Canadian bands and git her goin’!

?pm - Head over to my buddy Seth’s place for the necessary Canada Day BBQ. I fit an entire hotdog + bun in my mouth! Then we all sat down and conducted a formal debate on the role of religion in modern day society. One of these activities didn’t happen.

Patriotism.

10:00pm - Fireworks!

after fireworks pm - We roll to the patio of the Hard Rock Cafe in the Market. I am reminded of Rockville! Meet some cool new people! Nova Scotia shirt is a hit.

?pm?am?? - Our crew inexplicably goes back to Seth’s to play crazy eight countdown. And eat hot dogs. 

post hot dogs - I make it back to my birch tree encrusted room and fall asleep trying to figure out how many babies I held.

   The trip to Ottawa was amazing and included everything I enjoy: good food, old friends, new friends, and stuffing hot dogs in my mouth.

   Cheers, Canada - it’s going to be pretty tough to top Canada Day 2010! I’m up for trying, though.

   I’ve already given you my fave AXE shower products, so let’s move on to the rest of the bathroom business, shall we?

Laid Back Shaggy Look Cream - this is the AXE styling aid for me. Not that I’m a particularly shaggy dude, but this product actually holds my hair in place without looking like I shellacked it. If I need extra support I’ll pop in the pleasantly goopy Charged Spiked-Up Look Putty.

Antiperspirant vs. Deodorant - I know, I know, it’s a bit complicated. Here’s the deal: Deo is for keeping your pitties smellin’ righteous all day, even if you have to sweat it out a bit (eg. the gym). Personally, I opt to use Essence for this category. Pretty hard to go wrong when the logo is a picture of a unicorn colliding with a dragon. Fierce.

   Antiperspirant is a good choice if you want to keep the dreaded sweat pits at bay and stay high and dry. Examples: job interviews, walking around the city all day, a car ride with your friend’s older sister. For antiperspirant I opt for the Phoenix scent - it keeps your BO from rising up from the ashes.

Rise Body Spray - AXE has made a name for itself with body spray, so you know their stuff isn’t going to disappoint. There is a wide variety of scents, so I recommend experimenting a bit to see what fits you best. I’m a big fan of Rise. It’s new and very citrus-y: ladies will appreciate that you’re smelling fresh, but the scent is light enough that your girl won’t be choking on it.

Dark Temptation Body Spray - I give myself a double-pits-to-chesty with this puppy whenever I’m suiting up for a big time. This scent is the business if you want to smell like a boss for your entire night: from pregaming with the boys, to the bar with the ladies, to the late night eats and especially for those long “walks” home. For this reason, I have rechristened Dark Temptation with a new Al Halified moniker - Downtown Brown.

   That’s it for me and the rundown of the AXE family. What are YOUR favourite products? Hit me up on our Facebook group.

Me with Fever shower gel! The best kind of fever other than rheumatic.

Moustache Ride ‘09!

   You know what spending Canada Day in Ottawa helped me realize? Just how proud I am to be from this country. While I haven’t biked across the country like a few friends from high school did (shout out to Moustache Ride ‘09), I’ve experienced a pretty good chunk of our beloved Great White North, and I am impressed. Here are a few reasons I dig Canada:

Nature - Yeah, so maybe we have one of the lowest population densities on earth (what’s up, French Guiana?). Sorry world, while you were busy getting over populated, we were BASKING IN OUR NATURAL BEAUTY.

   From the epic Rocky Mountains to the stretching Western plains, the lush forests of central Canada to the sparkling tundras and aurora borealis of our Territories, we are lookin’ dang good! I know they say don’t judge a book by it’s cover, but in Canada’s case, it’s OK.

Water - You didn’t think I was going to talk about the beauty of Canada without heading off on a tangent praising the East Coast, did you? First off, we are not all fishermen. That being said, hell yeah we’ve got a lot of water. I like it.

   Imagine living in a province where beautiful ocean beaches are maximum an hour’s drive away, no matter where you are? Welcome to the Atlantic provinces (with a few exceptions… sorry Perth-Andover).

   Oh, “the water’s too cold” you say? Better check out the Northumberland Strait, warmest waters North of the Carolinas. And you KNOW we gots the dopest lobster, baby!

   But that’s only the ocean… as far as inland bodies of water go, Canada has its fair share of unbelievable, picturesque lakes. Lakes in the city for cooling off after those sticky summer shifts, lakes with hiking trails around them, lakes in the country for chilling out at the cottage. Mmmmmm cottage.

Québec - Bienvenue! Canada’s unique culture-gem is definitely our francophone province, and if you haven’t visited you better start packing your bags, monsieur.

   Rural Québec is breathtakingly gorgeous (perhaps literally if you drive on the highways), with massive national parks, majestic mountain ranges and awesome little towns with jaw dropping churches. Les cabanes à sucre deserve their own sentence. Most calories per minute ever. So good.

   If you’re more of a city person, Montréal is the place to be. The city buzzes with multiculturalism, and it’s touch of Euro-ness is a pleasant change from other North American cities. Not to mention the nightlife. As a bonus, you can riot whether their hockey team wins or loses! La vie, c’est chouette dans la belle province.

Our “Food” - In five words:

Poutine: Stops your heart. Gravy. Cheese.

Donair: Stops your heart, but grosser.

Ketchup chips: Not available in United States!

Bacon: Mmmm mmmm grease mmmm mmmm

Canadian famous people - I don’t know what it is, but there is a strange magnetism to Canadians who have broken into the mainstream.

   Our biggest sports stars weave effortlessly between unassuming charm on the camera and a raw grittiness on the ice/court/field/pitch. Our actors and comedians are fresh faced and real; hunky, clever dudes and gorgeous, smart women that have stolen the hearts of Hollywood, NYC and everywhere in between. 

   Speaking of capturing hearts, an internationally acclaimed environmental guru who spent his childhood living in the back of his family’s dry cleaning business and an internment camp? An amputee who ran a marathon everyday across Canada to find a cure for cancer? Our home grown role models are the perfect mixture of unbridled passion and humility, and they’re a big reason I’m proud to hail from Canada.

   As for our music scene, has anyone been checking out the hip-hop/pop charts these days? The two biggest male solo artists right now? Yeah, they’re canucks. Off the charts, our indy scene is always turning heads from St. John’s to Nanaimo. If you need any proof, come check out NXNE next year.

   All in all, being Canadian is awesome. We’ve got a lot of potential to grow as a country - both physically and otherwise. We’re a friendly, open minded society who can take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’ (winter in Winnipeg, anyone?). Above all, we are a young and diverse nation. Most of us are only second or third generation Canadians, and this trend is expected to continue in a big way: in twenty years, 25% of Canadians will be foreign born. When I think of this stat, a big part of me smiles inside. New people, different minds, fresh ideas - it’s what the world is looking for, and Canada’s got it. 

   Pretty alright, eh?