Everybody’s comin’ to Ottawa

Well, this is certainly an exciting week to be in our sleepy little government town.

On Sunday night, the Rolling Stones played to 43,000 fans to close out my favourite summer fair, the SuperEx. Then yesterday, a few scant metres from my humble cubicle, they filmed the video for their new single Streets of Love in the Byward Market. They pulled about 100 random people off the street to be extras in the video. And where was I during all the excitement, you ask?

Looking obtusely in the other direction, as usual.

I had no idea. Hadn’t had the radio on, was busying away like a good worker bee, and was completely oblivious. I often pop down to the Quiznos on York for a veggie sub at lunchtime, and the Quiznos is right across the street from Zaphod’s, where the video was being filmed. But not yesterday. Yesterday, I brought my lunch. Coulda been checking out the Stones, but I was eating microwaved cabbage rolls and working through lunch. How hip am I?

Aside from all that, looks like we’ve got another visitor on the way. The remnants of hurricane Katrina are apparently tracking this way, looking to dump a month’s worth of rain in 24 hours. Good thing I spent all day Sunday draining the pool (and scrubbing algae off the liner – ick!) According to the precicise and highly scientific forecast, we could get anywhere from no rain to 100 mm (4 inches) of rain, and winds anywhere from gentle breezes to gale force.

Apparently, Ottawa is where all the cool kids are hanging out these days. Well, at least the aging, once spectacular but now mostly spent ones.

Have you ever had a celebrity encounter?

Author: DaniGirl

Canadian. storyteller, photographer, mom to 3. Professional dilettante.

22 thoughts on “Everybody’s comin’ to Ottawa”

  1. Dani,
    Does sitting in the same booth as Shania did in Timmins count?
    Years ago I was cleaning hotel rooms. I happened to walk by one room and this lady opened her door to set her room service tray in the hallway. She then proceeded to mention the smell of paint and I explained that some of the door frames were being painted, touched hers to be sure it wasn’t wet and then commented that I hoped that the smell of the paint didn’t bother her too much. She said No, I’ll be ok and closed her room door. I took 3 steps and stopped…turned around to look at the closed door and walked into one of the offices on that floor and asked…”Please tell me that wasn’t Alana Myles?” Sure enough it was her…
    A very very long time ago we went to Wonderland with anther family and I got to ride a roller coaster with Joy Thompson who although not very famous comes from a small Northern Ontario Town and has been in a few movies…Prom Night and one called One Magic Christmas. She plays the character that gets to the check out in the store and doesn’t have enough money.
    Here is a link…
    http://www.northernstars.ca/actorsstu/thompson_joy.html
    Her brother is a minister and performed the ceremony when my father remarried. I got to see her again a few years ago when her neice got married.
    Thanks for jogging my memory this morning!
    Barb

  2. Hey Barb, last Sunday Tristan rode on the same train ride at the Ex that Alana Myles had just been on with her 4 year old, according to the ride operator (she was the free concert that night.) Small world!!
    And sorry, but unless you shared the booth with Miss Twain, I’m gonna have to rule that one a near miss.
    xo Dani

  3. Even if the booth was at Casey’s in Timmins???
    Too cool about the train! It is a small world that we live in

  4. Okay, this might be lame, but I’m playing along in my own comment box. It’s almost as bad as talking to myself!!
    Just went to get a sub from Quiznos, which I’ve been craving since I posted this morning, and was looking at Zaphod’s when I remembered how Beloved’s cousin (Jeff Martin from the Tea Party) got us for free and ahead of the queue when we followed them from backstage where they were playing a gig to Zaphod’s one night. Was very cool to be dragged along with the entourage and watch peoples’ faces light up as they recognized the band, even if it wasn’t about me.
    Yvonne, sorry, Snack Mommy lives in Winterpeg. No luck. However, I am considering a strategically planned if unannounced visit!
    And Running2K, that’s pretty cool! I can play that game, too – I met a girl whose roommate dated Ewan McGregor. This girl saw Ewan McGregor coming out of the shower in a towel. Hubba hubba!!
    xo Dani

  5. I met Dan Hill at the airport in Toronto. And I uhhh had beers with the founder of Jabber.com (which is the engine software behind google talk, and google is big. right, right… )

  6. I have had many, many celebrity encounters. I’d hate to drop names, because they like discretion, you know. I’m cool that way.

  7. I’m not cool. I am starstruck and indiscreet, which is probably why I don’t have many celeb friends.
    Some time in the early 1990s, I met the majority of the Blue Jays. They played an exhibition game here, and I spent an afternoon hanging around with the twelve year old boys begging for autographs. That was pretty cool too.
    Yep, met Gorbachev back in 1990. And while I haven’t met Dan Hill personally, he used to be good friends with my dad back in the 1970s folkie days (dad calls him Danny, as he does his old friend uber-producer Daniel Lanois).
    Am beginning to notice that all my celeb encounters are pretty much me living vicariously through other people…
    xo Dani

  8. OH MY GOD> Dani, did i read that right. your beloved’s cousin is JEFF MARTIN??????
    i *heart* jeff martin. oh so much.

  9. I have had a few over the years, but the shy girl I am I always stay far behind. Here is my little list ;).
    First, my sister was on “You can’t do that on Television” does that count for something? And my girlfriend’s sister is Klea Scott, who has been on shows such as “Millenium”, “South Bronx”, and two of Tom Cruises recent flix as a Cop. Then the farther away encounters.
    1. Alanis Morrisette, sang when I was in airbands.
    2. Bill Cosby, played at the Ex and I was parked beside him
    3. Rod Stewart, worked back stage at his concert.
    4. John Cougar, was working his concert and had him running around beside me in the stands before the show
    There are a couple more, but I can’t remember their names. I would have loved to have seen the Stones closer up than at the “Steele Wheels tour in TO”
    Anna – starstruck, but chicken to say hi!

  10. Well, most of my celeb meetings are NHL hockey players/coaches/media – does that count? (some rather high profile) Beliveau, Lemieux, Gretzky, Bowman, Cherry, Maclean, Irvin…etc…etc…etc…
    Trying desperately to think if I have ever come close to anyone *kool*. I shook hands with Rick Hansen, that was very important to me.
    Dani – you have MET, shooks hands, likely hugged and continue to correspond with a certain hig profile Canadian parenting guru/author – don’t forget that one -I am jealous of you there, fer shur.

  11. Let’s see…I play golf at the same course as Alice Cooper. Maybe that one doesn’t count because he was never there when I played. How about this – I sat beside the Commisioner of CRA during dinner last June. Still not convinced of my obvious knack for attracting talent? Okay…I met Penn and Teller. Jim Cuddy from Blue Rodeo came off his bus at 3 in the morning to talk with a group of us drunken buffoons who flagged him down after a concert. I had a beer with Matt Mays that night too. I also recall meeting John Candy about 15 years ago too. Nice guy.

  12. You met Nancy’s dad? That *is* cool!
    Batman, long time no see! Been wondering where you were at. I think you win for quantity, if not quality, although Penn and Teller is pretty darn cool.
    Nancy, the Stanley Cup was in your driveway? ÜberCool!!! You win for ultimate Canadian-ness!
    Anna, I remember Klea Scott from some cop show a couple of years ago. Was that South Bronx? I liked that show.
    Yes, Suze, Jeff is Beloved’s cousin. I have a great photo of him and Beloved that I should scan and post. They are playing lego in Jeff’s basement rec room circa 1979, and Jeff is wearing the worst 1970s orange plaid pants you could imagine. When we went out to Zaphod’s that night, I threatened to post them on the Internet or fax it to MuchMusic. He was less than amused.
    Thanks all! This was fun!
    xo Dani

  13. heehee. i would LOVE to see that picture ;).
    my stories are mostly missed celeb encounters – including one about Jeff Martin. When i was in highschool I wrote for the local paper in my hometown (brantford). One week they asked me to do a story about an alternative music fest that was going to be held that weekend – a weekend where i’d already made plans with friends for a party, much like every other party i had in highschool, so really, in the grand scheme of things, not that important, but being a teenager, parties = utmost importance…
    anyway, the paper had set up an interview with the lead singer of the headlining band and wanted me to do it since i was ‘of the right generation’. I said no, i already had plans.
    BIG MISTAKE. the band – you guessed it, the tea party. at the time i hadn’t heard of them, but fast forward three years later, one of my favourite bands and jeff, one of my top celebrity crushes. it’s so true, you really only regret the things you don’t do in life…. 😉

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