Markham, Canada

This week, I'm spending my time in Markham, Canada - which is located in the province of Ontario. This city is about 15 miles northeast of Toronto. I'm here for work - big surprise - as my boss and most of my peers are located here.

This week, I'm holding a meeting for all of my employees, around the globe. Usually, we all gather in one location, to talk about issues facing the group and to plan strategies & objectives for the next 6 months. This year, we're limiting business travel. Until the global economy picks up a little, we have to improvise. We're holding the meeting via videoconference. I have gathered my employees to several key locations (London, Boston, Toronto, Munich, Silicon Valley, Taipei) and they are all connected via videoconference. It's a little complicated, but it beats just talking over the phone.

I'm here for several days - as we have a great deal of information to talk about. However, there are some benefits to a visit to Canada. Let me tell you about a few of them...

First, is a little treat that I discovered several years ago, when I visited my parents in Winnipeg. They are Ketchup Chips. Yup, you guess it - potato chips that are flavored like ketchup:

It's not exactly like ketchup...more like a "tart" version of ketchup. At any rate - I really like them. Because of the carbs, I have to be careful how many I eat. But I sure do like them. Here's a picture of the perfect ketchup chip:

Another treat in Canada is a place called "Tim Horton's". I realize that there are also some locations in the U.S. - but they are everywhere in Canada. Basically, it's like a high-class Dunkin' Donuts. Some wonderful baked goodness comes out of these places - whether it's bagels, donuts, cookies or sandwiches. I never truly appreciated "Tim's", until my wife showed me the way...

On this trip, I managed to arrive on the evening that they held the Grey Cup. This is the "Superbowl" for the Canadian Football League. I had no idea the game was being played that evening, as I was given a dirty look when I asked where they were showing the Sunday night NFL game ; ) The Montreal Alouettes (I'm not kidding) beat the Saskatchewan Roughriders in a controversial game-ending play.

There are plenty of other great things about Canada...I'll save those for another post, on another trip. I know I'll be coming back to Toronto soon...