We spent the weekend in Quebec City, at the lovely wedding of one of John’s closest college friends.  The wedding was held at the Chateau Frontenac, a small, rustic, casual, no big deal kind of place:

You know, just like my house.

This was my first trip to Quebec, and it raised some questions for any Canadians in the audience:

1.  As you likely know, they speak French in Quebec.  I also speak French, in a sort of vaguely above-average schoolgirl kind of way.  Thing is, I LOVE speaking and practicing French, which makes a trip to Quebec particularly appealing.  But: Canadians also speak English, typically WAY better than I speak French, and I struggle sometimes to understand the Quebecois accent, so my French skills are even less sharp in Canada then elsewhere.  So I ask you, francophone Canadians: is a friendly, enthusiastic American girl who wants to practice her French charming, or tiresome and annoying?  I couldn’t quite decide whether everyone I talked to was happy to see me trying, or simply resigned to put up with my amateur efforts.

2. When we were driving from Montreal to Quebec City, we encountered several traffic lights that would blink green for a while before turning to solid green.  What does that mean? We kept worrying we were violating traffic laws when we just treated them like regular green lights.

3. During the wedding reception, there was a large video screen assembled over the dance floor.  It was first used for a slideshow of childhood pictures of the bride and groom (awwww) then for a running slideshow of photos that had been taken of wedding guests during the cocktail hour (cool).  But then, when the dancing portion of the evening started, the screen started showing the music video for whatever song the DJ was playing at the time.  Have you ever seen the music videos for We Like to Party, or 500 Miles, or Celebration?  I have!  (Who knew “The Gang”in Kool & the Gang was so large?)

I have to admit, I found it a little distracting- instead of dancing my fool head off, I ended up watching a lot of really strange music videos.  “Like a Prayer” might be a fun song to play at a dance party, but the whole burning crosses/ black Jesus imagery was a little much for a wedding reception.  Is this “showing of music videos” thing normal at Canadian weddings?  Am I the one who is out of the loop, that I have never seen a DJ who brings his own video feed before?  I mean, yes, I was distracted, but on the whole I would have to say it was a good thing, if only because it led me to the following video, which I had never seen before, which I demand you all watch immediately.  There are so many good parts! The fur suit! The dancing on the seat of the motorcycle! The earnest fist pumping in the shiny blazer!  If it weren’t for Canadian wedding DJs and their extensive music video collections, I’d still be in the dark!  So thank you, Canadian DJ.  My life is richer because of you.