When I think about it, it seems I was destined to marry a Canadian. I love exotic places. Foreign languages. Maple syrup. The kind of sophisticated humor (humour) found in classics such as Strange Brew. As a junior high schooler, one of the happiest days of 7th grade was when 9th grader Lea "willed" me all the Tiger Beat centerfolds of Michael J. Fox taped inside her school locker. (Born 6/9/61 in Edmonton, Alberta, army brat, etc. --- not that I remember all that stuff from his profile off the top of my head, or anything.)

So when I met my Ajax, Ontario-born husband (who, probably not coincidentally, looks a bit like MJF) seven years ago, and asked him where he was from, a secret thrill went through me when he said those magic words: "I'm from Canada."

I know. I'm so multicultural now. I couldn't be more proud.

Randy and I have always loved the show "How I Met Your Mother," but HIMYM earned an eternal place in our hearts last season when it aired the classic Robin Sparkles episode, in which Robin (played by real-life Canadian Cobie Smulders, who clearly isn't afraid to poke fun at her homeland) refuses to explain why she doesn't go to malls. After much guessing among the friends, she reveals that she was a teenage pop star in Canada from the Debbie Gibson/Tiffany ilk. Her big hit? "Let's Go to the Mall."

HIMYM revisited Sparkles this week with James van der Beek -- The Beek -- guest-starring as Robin's old flame from the "Mall" days. Above is Beek and Robin in her second music video, "Sandcastles in the Sand." Below, the 13 things from those episodes that make Randy and I laugh our arses/bums off.


  1. "What happened? Did you find out you were Canadian at a mall?"
    Ted to Robin, trying to unearth why she won't go to The Sharper Image with her friends.

  2. Robin: "My friend in Canada who got married way too young? They had to do their vows twice -- once in French!!"
    Barney: "They speak French there, too? God, that place is a mess."

  3. "Ted, even if she is married, it's a Canadian marriage. It's like their money or their army. Nobody takes it seriously."
    Lily, explaining why Ted shouldn't worry if the reason Robin won't go to a mall is that she was secretly married in one.

  4. Robin, after she learns that Ted, through some stealth research, knows she lied about getting married in a mall: "Oh yeah, what database did you use?"
    Ted: "I used the Canadian Mall Marriage 6000."

  5. Marshall, watching the Robin Sparkles video for the first time: "If this was the 90s why does it look like 1986?"
    Robin: "The 80s didn't come to Canada until, like, 1993."

  6. "I'm gonna rock your body 'til Canada Day"
    Line from "Let's Go the the Mall"

  7. Robin: "An old friend of mine from Canada is in town, and I'm meeting him for a drink."
    Barney: "Ooh, somebody you went to Degrassi with?"

  8. "So is he the guy that -- how should I put this like a gentleman? ... Robin, did he take your maple leaf?"
    Marshall, asking about the Beek.

  9. "Wait, wait -- did he break up with you and tell you that he's just not that 'Inuit'?" -- Lily

  10. Robin: "It was very tame. We only dated for a week-and-a-half."
    Barney: "I thought you said you were together all summer."
    Robin: "Yeah, summer in Canada is pretty much the last week in July."

  11. "So he's not a snob! He's from a different part of Canada. The maple leaf flag on the back of the pickup truck? He's red province! He's from the Deep North!" -- Robin, on the Beek.

  12. "Once you win Mr. Teen Winnipeg, everybody wants a piece of the moneymaker." -- Beek, on how he ended up starring in Robin's music video. (Although, as I recall, Joey chose Josh Jackson/Pacey over him ... and you know what Pacey is: Canadian.

  13. These videos, obviously.

    P.S. My friend Di has been writing Thursday Thirteens for a while, and after reading hers, I'm jumping on the bandwagon. Because lists are fun. You can read more of them here.