Princess Teena?

I've always been interested in genealogy.

I signed up to Ancestry.ca last spring and inputted what I knew about my mother and father's sides of my family, in addition to Gord's.

And it's just like the commercials say ... small green leaves appear on the top right corner of a person's box if there is anything in the system about them. It could be historical documents or if this person is included in someone else's tree. Very cool!

The bad thing is is that it's addictive ... it's not hard for me to get lost for hours and hours in there.

I've ended up in touch with some distant cousins plus some of Gord's not-so-distant ones.

I'd heard that I was related to Marilyn Monroe and I was able to track how. Her first husband, James Dougherty, was my first cousin, twice removed on my father's side. My great grandmother and Marilyn's former father-in-law were sister and brother.

This afternoon I was checking some leaves attached to my 9th great grandmother on my father's side, Martha (1640 - 1714). I came across a document that was prepared in 1929 tracking the lineage my 5th cousin, 4x times removed, Sophia.

For fun, I started inputting who in the document would be my ancestors. It goes ultimately took me back to Pepin de Heristal, who was apparently my 41th great grandfather (635 - 714). Also included in the lineage was King Edward I of England (1239 - 1307), who I was my 22nd great grandfather. His son, Edward II, succeeded him as king. My family branched off through Edward II's sister, Joan, my 21st great grandmother.

Crazy, eh?

This is picture is of King Edward I ... can you see the resemblance?!

The County General, Toronto, ON

Gord and I had supper tonight at The County General (Queen W/Shaw). It opened last year and it's the first time I've been there (Gord's had a couple beer there).

We got there about 6:30 and had to wait about a half hour for a seat ... so we were told to sit by the window (we sat on the window sill and had a glass of bubbly Riesling).

Two seats opened at the bar and they were ours.

As you can see, the place was jammed.

I ordered the 6oz County Burger and Gord ordered the Fried Chicken Thigh Sandwich.

Here's Gord's sandwich ... he said it was really good.

Here's my burger ... it was juicy and delicious!

The ketchup for the fries was made there ... it had a bite to it and you could really taste cinnamon.

Here's how your bill arrives.

The food is good and there's definitely a vibe. I'll be back!

One for the Money

Gord and I saw One for the Money this afternoon.

From Toronto.com ~ A proud, born-and-bred Jersey girl, Stephanie Plum's got plenty of attitude, even if she's been out of work for the last six months and just lost her car to a debt collector. Desperate for some fast cash, Stephanie turns to her last resort: convincing her sleazy cousin to give her a job at his bail bonding company ... as a recovery agent. True, she doesn't even own a pair of handcuffs and her weapon of choice is pepper spray, but that doesn't stop Stephanie from taking on Vinny's biggest bail-jumper: former vice cop and murder suspect Joe Morelli - yup, the same sexy, irresistible Joe Morelli who seduced and dumped her back in high school. (Katherine Heigl, Jason O'Mara, Daniel Sunjata, John Leguizamo, Sherri Shepherd, Debbie Reynolds)

To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from this movie. I enjoyed the book (and have read all in the series) so had to see the movie.

Fans of the series were quick to give their negative opinions when Katherine Heigl was cast as Stephanie Plum. I must admit I had my doubts about her in the role and she wasn't too bad. I had always pictured someone like Sandra Bullock in the role, though she is too old now.

The movie followed the book pretty closely. There were some women who were sitting to the right of us who were definitely fans. They giggled girlishly in some spots.

In the books, Joe Morelli and Ranger (especially Ranger) are hot ... smoking hot. The actors playing Joe and Ranger were definitely not smoking hot ... they were kind of bland. They should have cast these roles better/differently. Katherine Heigl was the biggest "star" in the movie.

I like Grandma Masur in the books ... she's quirky. I found Debbie Reynolds annoying in the part. She wasn't Grandma Masur.

I read an article in yesterday's Toronto Star where Katherine Heigl said she'd like to do others in the series. It should be interesting to see if she does given the poor reviews of this movie.

Book ~ "V is for Vengeance" (2011) - Sue Grafton

From Goodreads ~ A woman with a murky past who kills herself - or was it murder? A dying old man cared for by the son he pummeled mercilessly. A lovely woman whose life is about to splinter into a thousand fragments. A professional shoplifting ring racking up millions in stolen goods. A brutal and unscrupulous gangster. A wandering husband, rich and powerful. A spoiled kid awash in gambling debt thinking he can beat the system. A lonely widower mourning the death of his lover, desperate for answers that may be worse than the pain of his loss. An elegant but ruthless businessman whose dealings are definitely outside the law: the spider at the center of the web.

And Kinsey Millhone, whose thirty-eighth-birthday gift is a punch in the face that leaves her with two black eyes and a busted nose.

I read the last one in the series almost two years ago and enjoyed it. And I loved this one.

The viewpoints bounce around by chapter. When it is dealing with Kinsey, they are in the first person. When they aren't, they are third person.

I like that we have to wait a couple years for the books in the series. It's not like she is churing them out like other authors. The wait is worth it.

There are a lot of different plots which seem to be independent and made the book complex ... but there is a point and they all come together in the end and made sense.

I found this wasn't a book I could read quickly. It's over 400 pages and dense ... and that's not a criticism because it's a good book and worth your $$.

Kinsey hasn't became a wimp over the years. She's still tough and nosy and digs where she sometimes shouldn't. Because it's set in the mid-1980s, she has to depend on other things since there were no computers and the Internet. Who cross references in phone books anymore?!

Woohoo ... it's Friday!

Cat in the cockpit grounds Toronto-bound airplane

Did you hear about this kitty story?

From today's Toronto Star ...

An Air Canada flight was grounded for several hours Wednesday morning after a cat got loose in the airplane and hid in the cockpit.

“We now have a ‘lost cat in airplane’ file that’s got one piece of paper in it after this morning,” said Peter Spurway, spokesman for the Halifax International Airport Authority.

Flight 603 from Halifax to Toronto had been scheduled to leave at 5:40 a.m. before Ripples the cat escaped from its carrier and ran into the cockpit.

The crew scoured the plane as the cat’s owner called out to her pet.

Eventually they determined that the cat had “weaseled its way down into the wiring of the cockpit,” Spurway said.

The cat was found and returned safely, but the flight remained grounded until the cockpit wiring could be checked for damage.

“The maintenance folks had to take panels off… inside the cockpit in order to get at the cat,” Spurway said. Once Ripples was removed, they had to reassemble the cockpit and ensure that no damage had been done to the wiring or hardware.

In the end, though, “there was no real damage done.”

He said despite the delay and some rescheduling, most passengers took the excitement in good humour.

“I’ve heard of animals…that travel in carriers down below…I’ve heard of them getting lost in the belly of the plane, or animals getting loose on airport property,” Spurway said.

“But this, this is the first time I’ve heard of this.”

The flight finally took off around 10 a.m. local time.

So glad he was found safely.

As much as I love kitties (and tabbies), I'd be pissed if I'd been delayed almost four hours because of this. I hope the owner will be more careful with the carrier next time.

The former Downtown Dodge Chrysler site, Toronto

The building is almost gone ... except for a piece of what used to be the garage.

It didn't take them long to demolish it.

Here is the southwest corner on Thursday, January 12:

Similar view on Saturday:

Same view today:

Here is the southeast corner on January 12:

Here is the same view today:

And here's the part of the garage they left.

When the condos are built, this is what they will look like (looking at the southeast corner):

Thanks to Gord for taking today's pictures for me.

PEI Humane Society

The Rick Mercer Report was good tonight ... especially when he paid a visit to the PEI Humane Society.

Tuesday workout

Gord and I went to the gym this evening.

He did an hour long aquafit class.

I spent 30 minutes on the stationery bike while reading V is for Vengeance.

Then I found a spot on a mat and did a 35 minute guided meditation I have on my ipod.

I hadn't been to the gym since last Saturday. Eeek!

Kung hei fat choi!

Today is the first day of the Chinese New Year.

Have you checked your horoscope for the year? You can find it here.

I was born in the year of the Tiger. ... here's mine for the year.

The tiger has a very dominant travel sign this year. Wealth and travel seem to be interrelated. Beware of accidents. You are very spiritual — almost psychic — and are drawn to work in international trade, travel, logistics, army or policing. Surgeons and butchers will do particularly well this year. Those in religious, spiritual or metaphysical endeavours will also prosper. Work that involves analysis or logic does not appeal to you. Remember the more mobile you are, the more money you make. You will generate more income in a sales or marketing job than you would at a desk job. Romances may be weak, so be happy with what you have. Expect a healthy year ahead, but be mindful of accidents that may lead to bleeding.

Highlights for people born in tiger years:

1998 - Your mind seems to have trouble settling down. You have a big imagination. Don’t let it interfere with your studies.

1986 - Your income comes with hard work. At least it pays off well for you.

1974 - Your work will be smooth because of help from your boss or someone elderly.

1962 - You will have a good circle of friends. You will favour partnership business. You will do better outside the office.

1950 - You can help a lot of people. Hence you would do well as a teacher or councillor. An education career is good for you.

1938 - You should refrain from all kinds of gambling or speculations. Pay more attention to your health and enjoy life.

So I've got to be out of the office often (which isn't hard considering my job) and stay away from sharp objects.

How is your year looking?