I was up in Toronto for a business trip last week. I was giving a presentation at two company locations - the Toronto main office and in a branch in Kitchener. Kitchener reminded me a lot of my hometown of Pawtucket - an old mill town that has seen better days but is trying to make a comeback. It was about 50 miles west of the airport, so I got to sit in the back of the car I was taking and saw a bit of the Canadian countryside. Here are the two things that struck me as funny:

• The Beer Store: This is actually a chain of stores in Ontario. I just loved the name. There's nothing ambiguous about this place. Their name makes it pretty evident exactly what the focus is. I didn't have an opportunity to stop in, but maybe next time. They even have a Beer School, which grants you a BA (Beer Appreciation) certificate upon graduation.
• You know when you drive down the highway, sometimes they have signs that point you to local attractions: museums, amusement parks, zoos and such? They have these signs before virtually every exit on route 401 in Ontario. The best one, by far, was the one advertising the Four Seasons Nudist Resort. It was just amusing that they would advertise this right on the highway. Of course, if I was inclined to go to a nudist resort, I think Canada would be low on my list of places to go. A warmer climate would be better if I was going walk around naked all the time.

OK, now try to scrub that image out of your head and enjoy the Pats game today!