Monday 18 March 2024

Book ~ "The Bright Side of Disaster" (2021) Katherine Center

From Goodreads ~ Very pregnant and not quite married Jenny Harris doesn't mind that she and her live-in fiancé, Dean, accidentally started their family a little earlier than planned. But Dean is acting distant and the night he runs out for cigarettes and doesn't come back, he demotes himself from future husband to sperm donor. And the very next day, Jenny goes into labor. 

In the months that follow, Jenny plunges into a life she never single motherhood. At least with the sleep deprivation, sore boobs, and fits of crying (both hers and the baby's), there's not much time to dwell on her broken heart. And things are looking Jenny learns how to do everything one-handed, makes friends in a mommy group and even gets to know a handsome, helpful neighbor. But Dean is never far from Jenny's thoughts or, it turns out, her doorstep, and in the end she must choose between the old life she thought she wanted and the new life she's been lucky to find.

Jenny and Dean have been together for a couple years. They are living together and engaged and their wedding is scheduled in a month's time. Jenny is also pregnant and ready to give birth at any time. Dean has started acting cold and one night heads out for cigarettes and doesn't come back. He's left a note saying he's not feeling it anymore and is outta there for good. Jenny goes into labour the next day and so begins her life as a single parent.

Luckily Jenny has the support of her parents and a mommy group and she gets to know Gardner, her handy man next door neighbour. When her baby is eight months old, Dean reappears in their lives wanting her to take him back.

I've read a few books by this author and I wasn't crazy about this story. There was far too much detail about giving birth, breastfeeding and the hour by hour routine of having a baby who is hungry and cries all the time. The story really went downhill for me when Dean came back and she let him move in with her. He was a loser when they met, he was a loser when they were together and he continued to be a loser when he came back ... and she allowed it. As a head's up, there is swearing.

College Falafel, Toronto, ON

I moved to Toronto from Nova Scotia 37 years ago. My Move-aversary was a couple weeks ago and I celebrated today (better late than never!) by getting an east coast donair from College Falafel (at Ossington Avenue and College Street), my go-to place for donairs. The owners, Oljana and Bard, are so nice and friendly and they make good donairs!


There are a wide variety of condiments but traditionally a donair has meat, tomatoes, onions and donair sauce.  The donair is served in a pita pocket.  The meat was good and tender and the sauce was tasty.  I got mine with tomatoes (I'm not a fan of onions) and Gord's had onions (he's not a fan of tomatoes).

Sunday 17 March 2024

Twisted Hat

I finished knitting another twisted hat. It’s a fun and easy pattern once you get into the repetitive groove.


I found the pattern here.


Directions are for size small; changes for size large are in parentheses.

Hat circumference at bottom edge: 16 (18)" [41 (46)cm]; Hat stretches to fit 20 (22)” [51 (56)cm]

I used 4.5mm [US 7] and 5.5mm [US 9] needles and 4 ply yarn. 

Hat is worked in the round on double pointed needles.

With smaller needles, cast on 90 (102) sts. Divide sts evenly around double pointed needles. Join to work in rounds, taking care not to twist sts. Place marker for beginning of round.

Ribbing Round: 
[K1 through the back loop, p1] around. Repeat ribbing round until piece measures 1½" [4cm] from beginning.

Round 1: Change to larger needles and knit.
Round 2: [K2, yo, k2, k2tog] around – 90 (102) sts.
Repeat round 2 until piece measures 8 (8½)" [20 (22) cm] from beginning.

Shape Crown
  • Decrease round 1: [K2tog, yo, k2, k2tog] 15 (17) times – 75 (85) sts.
  • Next round: [K1, yo, k2, k2tog] around – 75 (85) sts.
  • Decrease round 2: *K1, yo, [k2tog] twice; repeat from * around – 60 (68) sts
  • Next round: [K1, yo, k1, k2tog] around – 60 (68) sts.
  • Decrease round 3: [K2, k2tog] 15 (17) times – 45 (51) sts.
  • Decrease round 4: [K1, k2tog] around – 30 (34) sts.
  • Decrease round 5: [K2tog] around – 15 (17) sts.
  • Decrease round 6: [K2tog, k1] 5 times, k2tog 0 (1) time – 10 (11) sts.
Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Thread yarn through remaining sts and pull to gather. Secure end. Weave in ends.

ABBREVIATIONS
k = knit
k2tog = knit 2 sts together
p = purl
St st = Stockinette stitch
st(s) = stitch(es)
yo = yarn over

Saturday 16 March 2024

The Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival, Theatre Centre, Toronto, ON

The Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival is back for their 19th year and there are over 60 sketch comedy troupes from around North America. Their opening night gala show was last Wednesday evening (March 6) at the Theatre Centre, which was in my ‘hood, and I was there.


It featured highlights of what was to come over the next week and a half … Cheap Wine, Big Chick Energy, Shohana Sharmin and West 2 West performed snippets of their upcoming acts. Funny stuff! 


There was a photo opp (so I did!).

Friday 15 March 2024

Book ~ "Keanu Reeves is Not in Love With You: The Murky World of Online Romance Fraud" (2024) Becky Holmes

From Goodreads ~ Online romance fraud is a problem across the globe. It causes financial and emotional devastation, yet many people refuse to take it seriously.

This is the story of one middle-aged woman in a cardigan determined to understand this growing phenomenon. No other woman has had so many online romances – from Keanu Reeves to Brad Pitt to Prince William – and Becky Holmes is a favourite among peacekeeping soldiers and oil rig workers who desperately need iTunes vouchers. 

By winding up scammers and investigating the truth behind their profiles, Becky shines a revealing, revolting and hilarious light on a very shady corner of the internet. Featuring first-hand accounts of victims, examples of scripts used by fraudsters, a look into the psychology of fraud and of course plenty of Becky’s hysterical interactions with scammers, this is a must-read for anyone who needs a reminder that Keanu Reeves is NOT in love with them.

Every day I get creepy messages from strangers and "celebrities" on Instagram and friend requests on Facebook and I automatically delete them because I know they are from scammers. And that's what lead this author down the path to write this book ... she was bored and started responding to messages on Twitter and reposting them.

This book is about online romance fraud and covers various topics such as what it is, how to know if you are being scammed, who is doing it, how friends and family may look upon you if have been scammed, what to do about it and more. The author includes stories of women who have been taken in and the strategies of the scammers are very similar (for example, the scammer "works" someplace where they are hard to reach like on an oil rig, they are taking care of family members, they are widowers, etc.). I know I'll never fall for one of these scams and send lots of money but scammers are smart and trained and usually the people who fall for it are in a bad place emotionally and are ripe for the picking.

I found this book interesting and I liked the writing style. Yes, it's a serious topic but the author uses humour and honesty. It's obvious she has done a lot of research and she includes screenshots of conversations she's had where she is leading the scammers on and they usually don't even realize she is writing gibberish to them. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Thursday 14 March 2024

Twisted Hat

I finished knitting another twisted hat. It’s a fun and easy pattern once you get into the repetitive groove.


I found the pattern here.


Directions are for size small; changes for size large are in parentheses.

Hat circumference at bottom edge: 16 (18)" [41 (46)cm]; Hat stretches to fit 20 (22)” [51 (56)cm]

I used 4.5mm [US 7] and 5.5mm [US 9] needles and 4 ply yarn. 

Hat is worked in the round on double pointed needles.

With smaller needles, cast on 90 (102) sts. Divide sts evenly around double pointed needles. Join to work in rounds, taking care not to twist sts. Place marker for beginning of round.

Ribbing Round: 
[K1 through the back loop, p1] around. Repeat ribbing round until piece measures 1½" [4cm] from beginning.

Round 1: Change to larger needles and knit.
Round 2: [K2, yo, k2, k2tog] around – 90 (102) sts.
Repeat round 2 until piece measures 8 (8½)" [20 (22) cm] from beginning.

Shape Crown
  • Decrease round 1: [K2tog, yo, k2, k2tog] 15 (17) times – 75 (85) sts.
  • Next round: [K1, yo, k2, k2tog] around – 75 (85) sts.
  • Decrease round 2: *K1, yo, [k2tog] twice; repeat from * around – 60 (68) sts
  • Next round: [K1, yo, k1, k2tog] around – 60 (68) sts.
  • Decrease round 3: [K2, k2tog] 15 (17) times – 45 (51) sts.
  • Decrease round 4: [K1, k2tog] around – 30 (34) sts.
  • Decrease round 5: [K2tog] around – 15 (17) sts.
  • Decrease round 6: [K2tog, k1] 5 times, k2tog 0 (1) time – 10 (11) sts.
Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Thread yarn through remaining sts and pull to gather. Secure end. Weave in ends.

ABBREVIATIONS
k = knit
k2tog = knit 2 sts together
p = purl
St st = Stockinette stitch
st(s) = stitch(es)
yo = yarn over

Wednesday 13 March 2024

bb.q Chicken, Toronto, ON

Gord and I checked out bb.q Chicken, a Korean restaurant that open in Liberty Village (E Liberty and Strachan) about five months ago, for lunch today. 


I ordered Golden Fried Chicken. There were 13 big wings and I took half home. They were hot and juicy and there was a bit of spice in the batter and I’d get them again. 

Twisted Hat

I finished knitting another twisted hat. It’s a fun and easy pattern once you get into the repetitive groove.


I found the pattern here.


Directions are for size small; changes for size large are in parentheses.

Hat circumference at bottom edge: 16 (18)" [41 (46)cm]; Hat stretches to fit 20 (22)” [51 (56)cm]

I used 4.5mm [US 7] and 5.5mm [US 9] needles and 4 ply yarn. 

Hat is worked in the round on double pointed needles.

With smaller needles, cast on 90 (102) sts. Divide sts evenly around double pointed needles. Join to work in rounds, taking care not to twist sts. Place marker for beginning of round.

Ribbing Round: 
[K1 through the back loop, p1] around. Repeat ribbing round until piece measures 1½" [4cm] from beginning.

Round 1: Change to larger needles and knit.
Round 2: [K2, yo, k2, k2tog] around – 90 (102) sts.
Repeat round 2 until piece measures 8 (8½)" [20 (22) cm] from beginning.

Shape Crown
  • Decrease round 1: [K2tog, yo, k2, k2tog] 15 (17) times – 75 (85) sts.
  • Next round: [K1, yo, k2, k2tog] around – 75 (85) sts.
  • Decrease round 2: *K1, yo, [k2tog] twice; repeat from * around – 60 (68) sts
  • Next round: [K1, yo, k1, k2tog] around – 60 (68) sts.
  • Decrease round 3: [K2, k2tog] 15 (17) times – 45 (51) sts.
  • Decrease round 4: [K1, k2tog] around – 30 (34) sts.
  • Decrease round 5: [K2tog] around – 15 (17) sts.
  • Decrease round 6: [K2tog, k1] 5 times, k2tog 0 (1) time – 10 (11) sts.
Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Thread yarn through remaining sts and pull to gather. Secure end. Weave in ends.

ABBREVIATIONS
k = knit
k2tog = knit 2 sts together
p = purl
St st = Stockinette stitch
st(s) = stitch(es)
yo = yarn over

Monday 11 March 2024

Book ~ "What You Wish For" (2020) Katherine Center

From Goodreads ~ Samantha Casey is a school librarian who loves her job, the kids and her school family with passion and joy for living. But she wasn’t always that way.

Duncan Carpenter is the new school principal who lives by rules and regulations, guided by the knowledge that bad things can happen. But he wasn’t always that way.

And Sam knows it. Because she knew him before - at another school, in a different life. Back then, she loved him - but she was invisible. To him. To everyone. Even to herself. She escaped to a new school, a new job, a new chance at living. But when Duncan, of all people, gets hired as the new principal there, it feels like the best thing that could possibly happen to the school - and the worst thing that could possibly happen to Sam. Until the opposite turns out to be true. The lovable Duncan she’d known is now a suit-and-tie wearing, rule-enforcing tough guy so hell-bent on protecting the school that he’s willing to destroy it.

As the school community spirals into chaos and danger from all corners looms large, Sam and Duncan must find their way to who they really are, what it means to be brave, and how to take a chance on love - which is the riskiest move of all.

Four years ago Sam was working with Duncan, a fun loving teacher, who she had a crush on but he didn't know she existed. When rumours fly that he is going to propose to someone else, she knows it's time to quit and start her life over. 

She heads to Texas and settles into a cute town. She gets a job as a librarian at a private school and moves into the owners' carriage house and they treat her like family. When the school hires a new principal, Sam is shocked to discover that it's Duncan but even more shocked to discover that he is no longer the goofy teacher ... he is now strict and security conscious and wants to change the way the school operates. Sam, along with the rest of the staff, are determined to fight so they can keep the school as it is.

This was a cute story. I liked the writing style (it's a quick read) and it's written in first person perspective in Sam's voice. A thing that bugged me was there was a lot of nose flaring! And I can't imagine giving up my life and moving across the country to start over because my crush is supposedly getting married. As a head's up, there is a bit of swearing.

Twisted Hat

I finished knitting another twisted hat. It’s a fun and easy pattern once you get into the repetitive groove.


I found the pattern here.


Directions are for size small; changes for size large are in parentheses.

Hat circumference at bottom edge: 16 (18)" [41 (46)cm]; Hat stretches to fit 20 (22)” [51 (56)cm]

I used 4.5mm [US 7] and 5.5mm [US 9] needles and 4 ply yarn. 

Hat is worked in the round on double pointed needles.

With smaller needles, cast on 90 (102) sts. Divide sts evenly around double pointed needles. Join to work in rounds, taking care not to twist sts. Place marker for beginning of round.

Ribbing Round: 
[K1 through the back loop, p1] around. Repeat ribbing round until piece measures 1½" [4cm] from beginning.

Round 1: Change to larger needles and knit.
Round 2: [K2, yo, k2, k2tog] around – 90 (102) sts.
Repeat round 2 until piece measures 8 (8½)" [20 (22) cm] from beginning.

Shape Crown
  • Decrease round 1: [K2tog, yo, k2, k2tog] 15 (17) times – 75 (85) sts.
  • Next round: [K1, yo, k2, k2tog] around – 75 (85) sts.
  • Decrease round 2: *K1, yo, [k2tog] twice; repeat from * around – 60 (68) sts
  • Next round: [K1, yo, k1, k2tog] around – 60 (68) sts.
  • Decrease round 3: [K2, k2tog] 15 (17) times – 45 (51) sts.
  • Decrease round 4: [K1, k2tog] around – 30 (34) sts.
  • Decrease round 5: [K2tog] around – 15 (17) sts.
  • Decrease round 6: [K2tog, k1] 5 times, k2tog 0 (1) time – 10 (11) sts.
Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Thread yarn through remaining sts and pull to gather. Secure end. Weave in ends.

ABBREVIATIONS
k = knit
k2tog = knit 2 sts together
p = purl
St st = Stockinette stitch
st(s) = stitch(es)
yo = yarn over