Teena in Toronto

Friday 26 July 2024

Queen Star Restaurant, Toronto, ON

Gord and I had brunch this morning at Queen Star Restaurant (Queen Street W/Dovercourt Road).

I had bacon and eggs.

Gord had corned beef and eggs.

Happy birthday to me!

Many years ago today ... at 2:12pm ... I made my arrival into the world at the Grace Maternity Hospital in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Here I am at my first birthday party ... celebrating with cake and a washing machine. Good times!

Happy 22nd anniversary to Gord and I!

Ken (Gord's son), me, Gord and Sister Sarah

July 26, 2002 ~ 5:30pm

City Hall, Toronto, ON

Thursday 25 July 2024

Knitted Twisted Hat

I knitted another twisted hat. It’s a fun and easy pattern once you get into the repetitive groove. I used variegated cotton yarn.

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

Toronto Blue Jays 0 ~ Tampa Bay Rays 13, Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON

Gord and I went to this afternoon’s Toronto Blue Jays ~ Tampa Bay Rays game at the Rogers Centre. Our neighbour and pal, Dawn, organized a work event and invited us along (thanks, Dawn!). It wasn't a great game ... the Jays lost 13 - 0.

They were promoting "work from Dome" ... bring your laptop and work and watch the game!

Gabby's, Toronto, ON

Gord and I had lunch today on the patio at Gabby's (on King Street W at John Street).

Gord had the Fish and Shrimp Combo (Our signature beer battered fish, dusted shrimp, fresh cut fries served with our house coleslaw & tartar sauce).

I had Southern Crispy Fried Chicken (Our crispy battered shicken breast smothered with chicken gravy, served with mashed potatoes and golden cornbread).

Duke's Refresher and Bar, Toronto, ON (Front Street)

I had supper this evening at Duke's Refresher and Bar on Front Street E. I like it there.

I had chicken fingers with a side of plum sauce (locally sourced chicken fingers breaded in our secret blend of seasonings + made-to-order) and fries. Yum! I've had them before there and no doubt I'll have them again.

From Goodreads ~ Millions of people have, at some point in their lives, waited tables. Some only did it in college, or got out by sheer determination, good luck ... or suicide. Others took it on as permanent employment. And many remain haunted by nightmare scenarios where they are the sole server in a restaurant packed with complaining patrons. For all those disenchanted current and former food service employees, Darron Cardosa has your back. His career began at a Texas steakhouse in 1984, and since 2008 he’s vented his frustrations in the popular blog The Bitchy Waiter.

Cardosa distills 30 years of food service into dark, funny tales - about crazy customers, out-of-control egos, and what really goes on in that fancy restaurant - that anyone who worked in the industry will recognize and relate to.

I've never been a server but I did spend almost a year as a bartender in a small motel bar in a small town in my early twenties where I served drinks to customers. Most of my jobs have been in the corporate world where I was dealing with clients so a lot of the skills and interactions can be transferrable.

I like humorous books so this one caught my eye. It was funny at times it was also mean and snarky at times too ... I imagine the author intentionally push it over the top in some instances and exaggerated in an attempt to get laughs. I found it a bit uneven ... some of the writing was interesting and funny whereas other times it was kind of boring which I skipped over (like his fiction towards the end).

I had supper with friends last night and our server, Josh, was great. I told him I was reading this book and some of the things the author said annoyed servers ... like saying the server's name often (I do this as I'm friendly and appreciative), introducing yourself to the server (according to the author, the server could care less), getting there early and not starting until all your friends are there (so hogging a table so there's not a frequent turnaround), etc. It was interesting to get Josh's perspective and we had a fun discussion.

I tend to eat out a fair bit and encounter all sorts of servers. I'm not there to be their new BFF but it's amazing the amount of servers who could care less about being "present".

Tuesday 23 July 2024

The Cheesecake Factory, Toronto, ON

This evening I had supper with my pals and former colleagues, Helene and Baljeet, at the Cheesecake Factory at Yorkdale Mall. It's the first time I've been to a Cheesecake Factory and my only reference to it has been The Big Bang Theory.

Here we are ...

Baljeet, me and Helene

Helene, me and Baljeet

I had Tomato Basil Pasta (grilled chicken, fresh mozzarella, a touch of garlic and penne pasta). It was really good!

Baljeet had Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas (corn tortillas filled with chicken, cheese, chile and onion, covered with salsa verde and sour cream, served with rice and beans).

Helene had Korean Fried Chicken (crispy chicken tossed with our spicy Korean B.B.Q. sauce with avocado, kimchi, mushrooms, cilantro, sesame seeds, served over steamed rice).

All the meals were really large portions so we ended up taking home leftovers.

Josh was our server. He was so friendly and helpful and took excellent care of us (thanks, Josh!).

Wellington Market, Toronto, ON

Gord and I checked out Wellington Market, the new food court at The Well for lunch today.

There are lots of interesting choices and they aren’t major chain restaurants which is a nice change.

Book ~ "Me, My Hair, and I: Twenty-seven Women Untangle an Obsession" (2015) Elizabeth Benedict

From Goodreads ~ Ask a woman about her hair and she just might tell you the story of her life. Ask a whole bunch of women about their hair and you could get a history of the world. Surprising, insightful, frequently funny and always forthright, the essays in "Me, My Hair, and I" are reflections and revelations about every aspect of women’s lives from family, race, religion and motherhood to culture, health, politics and sexuality.

They take place in African American kitchens, at Hindu Bengali weddings and inside Hasidic Jewish homes. The conversation is intimate and global at once. Layered into these reminiscences are tributes to influences throughout history: Jackie Kennedy, Lena Horne, Farrah Fawcett, the Grateful Dead, and Botticelli’s Venus.

The long and the short of it is that our hair is our glory - and our nemesis, our history, our self-esteem, our joy, our mortality. Every woman knows that many things in life matter more than hair but few bring as much pleasure as a really great hairdo.

My hair is long and one length. I don't fuss at all with it other than wash and condition it with nice smelling shampoo and conditioner. Back in the 1980s and 1990s, I spent more time on it ... I had bangs and a bob so had to dry it and curl it under. But my job had me doing seminars at times depending on the clients' schedules and sometimes I had to do early morning seminars (like 6am) ... I'm not a morning person so hated having to fuss with my hair that early. I grew out my bangs about 20 years ago and let my hair grow so I'd have wash 'n wear hair. The only time I've coloured my hair is back in the late 1970s/early 1980s with Sun-In and a bit of temporary colour last summer.

So it was interesting to read these 27 essays about how different women felt about their hair and how much it meant to them. It was also interesting to read how the different cultures value hair and the different rules they have about it. The majority (if not all) of the women were older than me so it brought back memories of perms and going to bed with old-school rollers/curlers since hot rollers, curling irons, etc. hadn't been invented then.

Sunday 21 July 2024

Twisted Hat