Flying Canadian Pennies

[IT Grunt]

When I worked at K-mart's cafe, there was a regular that knew I collected currency-- any interesting coin, regardless of where it came from, I'd keep it.

She came to me one day after she came back from a trip and gave me a bunch of coins from Europe. It was totally awesome.

I like to collect interesting coins myself. My brother ended up going to Europe for a tour with our college's Jazz band, and he brought back a bunch of currency from Romania, Hungary, and the Czech and Slovak Republics.

During said trip, he used exchange rates to scare my mom to death. He called from Romania, and no one was home so he left a message. At the end he says, "Well, I gotta go mom, this call is costing me about 24000 lei." She freaked. She thought he meant /dollars/, when in reality, it was 3000 lei to a dollar, so it cost him $8. It was funny to listen to her go, before we managed to get her to understand the difference in currency value.

It was also in Romania that he acquired this story to tell. The band took extra time to go sightseeing during the trip, so they took a detour to see Vlad's castle. Just inside the moat, a local family had set up shop and were making wool sweaters for the tourists. They had the whole operation going. They had sheep there to shear, spinning wheels to make the yarn, dyes, and all the knitting tools. They made them right there for you while you waited. My brother wanted to get a couple for my mom and my grandmother, and of course had quite a time explaining their sizes. Once they had that figured out though, he pulled a ten dollar bill from his pocket. Before he could pull out any more, SNAG! Her eyes got as wide as dinner plates and she snatched it from him, and he got both sweaters for $10. He couldn't believe it.

[Emmeileia]

Only in Canada will the country's leader's wife defend her husband with a soapstone carving while they barricade the bedroom door when an intruder breaks in.

I am a bad, bad Canadian...

When on earth did that happen? I am dying of the curiosity.

Personally I found Jean Chretien on a scooter hilarious.

[AnqeiicDemise]

I like to collect interesting coins myself. My brother ended up going to Europe for a tour with our college's Jazz band, and he brought back a bunch of currency from Romania, Hungary, and the Czech and Slovak Republics.

During said trip, he used exchange rates to scare my mom to death. He called from Romania, and no one was home so he left a message. At the end he says, "Well, I gotta go mom, this call is costing me about 24000 lei." She freaked. She thought he meant /dollars/, when in reality, it was 3000 lei to a dollar, so it cost him $8. It was funny to listen to her go, before we managed to get her to understand the difference in currency value.

It was also in Romania that he acquired this story to tell. The band took extra time to go sightseeing during the trip, so they took a detour to see Vlad's castle. Just inside the moat, a local family had set up shop and were making wool sweaters for the tourists. They had the whole operation going. They had sheep there to shear, spinning wheels to make the yarn, dyes, and all the knitting tools. They made them right there for you while you waited. My brother wanted to get a couple for my mom and my grandmother, and of course had quite a time explaining their sizes. Once they had that figured out though, he pulled a ten dollar bill from his pocket. Before he could pull out any more, SNAG! Her eyes got as wide as dinner plates and she snatched it from him, and he got both sweaters for $10. He couldn't believe it.

That's it. I'm taking our savings and going to Romania for my honeymoon.

I want His and Her sweaters done by that little old lady.

[Broomjockey]

I am a bad, bad Canadian...

When on earth did that happen? I am dying of the curiosity.

Personally I found Jean Chretien on a scooter hilarious.

Actually it was Chretien. I believe they were at the cabin, and a guy snuck past the RCMP at the gates, stalked through the house, and Jean's wife woke up, heard movement, they barricaded the door, and she got the soapstone carving to weild as a weapon. A quick search might help find it, but I'm apparently lacking in Google-fu today.

[Rapscallion]

I like to collect interesting coins myself. My brother ended up going to Europe for a tour with our college's Jazz band, and he brought back a bunch of currency from Romania, Hungary, and the Czech and Slovak Republics.

Reminds me of something Jennie said when I met her in Bristol. "I love some of your money. Look at this cool two ... pound? coin! It's so pretty!" She paused for a second. "Then I've got to remind myself it's four bucks back home..."

Rapscallion

[BusBus]

I use to work at a tourist trap. Being so close to the border, we got a fair number of American tourists. Naturally, we took american bills at a set exchange rate. Coins were accepted at face value. Most american tourists paid with canadian cash, but some used the american stuff. Most were cool with getting canadian change back (not like they couldn't use it anywhere), but some would be so cross! They honestly expected us to have a separate cash float with american money in it. Hi, welcome to Canada. We have our own currency.

[Andara Bledin]

Actually it was Chretien. I believe they were at the cabin, and a guy snuck past the RCMP at the gates, stalked through the house, and Jean's wife woke up, heard movement, they barricaded the door, and she got the soapstone carving to weild as a weapon. A quick search might help find it, but I'm apparently lacking in Google-fu today.

It is not that you are lacking in Google-fu, but that the event is not recorded much of anywhere, really. My Google-fu is strong, but the only thing I could find was this article at Everything2 about Inuit carvings that has a note at the end about the event, which happened on November 5, 1995.

^-.-^

[BusBus]

I remember hearing about the intruder a long time ago. Hooray national security.