Sunday 30 November 2008

Fan and feather dish cloth

I made another fan and feather pattern dish cloth tonight (while watching Amazing Race):


Cotton yarn and size 4.5mm knitting needles

Cast on 42 stitches (or a multiple of 18 plus 6)

Knit 3 rows of garter stitch for the border

Row 4: Knit

Row 5: K 3, P to last 3 stitches K3

Row 6: K3, *(K2 tog) 3 times, (yo, K1) 6 times, (K2 tog) 3 times, rep from * to last 3 sts K3

Row 7: Knit

Repeat Rows 4 - 7, keeping first and last 3 stitches in garter stitch, until piece measures desired length

Knit 3 more rows of garter stitch to make the bottom border

Cast off and darn in ends

Source

Saturday 29 November 2008

Catnip toys

We buy KC meatloaf muffins that are made by Canine Life. She loves them! We buy them at Global Pet Foods. Today I picked up a package of turkey/green beans/sweet potato.

I bought the boys a couple of catnip toys too.

Morgan loves to play with his and flip it around.


Byron loves to lick and protect his.

Friday 28 November 2008

The Secret workshop

I hosted a Single Horizons' event tonight ... The Secret workshop.

Chia kitty came with me to be enlightened.


Our instructor was Casandra Hart. Chia kitty was happy to meet her ... and I think the feeling was mutual.

The workshop was interesting. I'd read the book a year and a half ago and it was good to be reminded about the principles of the law of attraction.

I'm looking forward to attending more of Casandra's workshops!

Hilarious commercial

Click here.

It's almost five minutes but worth it to see what knobs guys can be!

Do you think they're sexy?

Interesting list in today's Toronto Star.

Nick Nolte was named Sexiest Man on Alive by People in 1992. By 1999, he was on the magazine's worst-dressed list for his habit of wearing pyjamas and an overcoat in public – a look he showed off at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Below, a history of sexiest men – according to People:

1985: Mel Gibson

1986: Mark Harmon

1987: Harry Hamlin

1988: John F. Kennedy Jr.

1989: Sean Connery

1990: Tom Cruise

1991: Patrick Swayze

1992: Nick Nolte

1993: Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford (sexiest man and woman; People skipped 1994)

1995: Brad Pitt

1996: Denzel Washington

1997: George Clooney

1998: Harrison Ford

1999: Richard Gere

2000: Brad Pitt

2001: Pierce Brosnan

2002: Ben Affleck

2003: Johnny Depp

2004: Jude Law

2005: Matthew McConaughey

2006: George Clooney

2007: Matt Damon

2008: Hugh Jackman

Source: People.com

Thursday 27 November 2008

Snowdays

I just saw this over at Joani's ...


You make a snowflake and leave a message. Then you can click on other snowflakes as they fall and comment on theirs. Or you can search for flakes.

It's fun! Go check it out!

Need a Snow Day?

If you do it, leave your snowflake number in my comments and I'll go visit yours! And don't forget to go visit mine!

Small grocers slam charge on bags


They doubt city has legal authority to tell any retailer 'how much your good has to sell for'

Toronto stores hand out 460 million shopping bags a year – and starting next June, shoppers may have to pay 5 cents each for them under a plan worked out between the city and big grocery retailers.

Plastic bags by the numbers

460 million - Plastic shopping bags used in Toronto each year

3.5 billion - Plastic shopping bags used in Ontario each year

20 minutes - Average time each bag is used

400 years - Time it takes for a plastic shopping bag to break down

Source - Toronto Star Library

You can read more about this in today's Toronto Star.



I think this is an excellent idea!

Gord and I bought the reuseable bags during the summer and love them!

We usually shop at No Frills and they have been charging a nickel a bag for years so we're used to this. We shop at Metro occasionally and they doesn't charge for bags.

The liquor store stopped making plastic bags months ago and, once their supply is gone as it is in our local one, you have to use paper bags or boxes or bring your own.

Tuesday 25 November 2008

Are these baby dolls cute or creepy?

Mississauga artist works tediously on each feature of her 'reborns.' Some people go gaga to buy one . . . and others just give 'dirty looks'


Sherry Anne Albi makes dolls, very lifelike dolls. Of the seven babies in this picture, two are real. She recently sold one of her works on eBay for $4,000.

This was on the front page of today's Toronto Star.

I find it creepy and weird!

For more info about the dolls, click here for the website.

Monday 24 November 2008

Book ~ "Chasing Darkness" (2008) Robert Crais

From Amazon.com ~ It's fire season, and the hills of Los Angeles are burning. When police and fire department personnel rush door to door in a frenzied evacuation effort, they discover the week-old corpse of an apparent suicide. But the gunshot victim is less gruesome than what they find in his lap: a photo album of seven brutally murdered young women -- one per year, for seven years. And when the suicide victim is identified as a former suspect in one of the murders, the news turns Elvis Cole's world upside down.

Three years earlier Lionel Byrd was brought to trial for the murder of a female prostitute named Yvonne Bennett. A taped confession coerced by the police inspired a prominent defense attorney to take Byrd's case, and Elvis Cole was hired to investigate. It was Cole's eleventh-hour discovery of an exculpatory videotape that allowed Lionel Byrd to walk free. Elvis was hailed as a hero.

But the discovery of the death album in Byrd's lap now brands Elvis as an unwitting accomplice to murder. Captured in photographs that could only have been taken by the murderer, Yvonne Bennett was the fifth of the seven victims -- two more young women were murdered after Lionel Byrd walked free. So Elvis can't help but wonder -- did he, Elvis Cole, cost two more young women their lives?

Shut out of the investigation by a special LAPD task force determined to close the case, Elvis Cole and Joe Pike desperately fight to uncover the truth about Lionel Byrd and his nightmare album of death -- a truth hidden by lies, politics, and corruption in a world where nothing is what it seems to be.

I'm a fan of Robert Crais and his Elvis Cole series.

This book was okay but not great.

I find that I enjoy the earlier Elvis books more ... they are lighter and funny, which to me, was the appeal. This one is more like a crime thriller.

There were so many characters that I had a hard time at times keeping they all straight.

I figured out who dunnit way before the end ... but I still don't know why he/she dunnit. I was getting tired and I wanted to be finished so maybe I missed the motive? And I don't know how/where he/she dunnit. I guess I needed more of the details to pull it all together.

Sunday 23 November 2008

My kids are bums!

Gord was in a fencing tournament this afternoon in Newmarket (he came in 20/37).

He heated up some rice and chicken when he got home ... and had quite the audience!

Look at the intensity of those stares!


You'd think we starve them!

Rest assured they all have big bowls of food they can chow into whenever they want.

Friday 21 November 2008

Book ~ "Here For a Good Time : On the Road with Trooper, Canada's Legendary Rock Band" (2006) Ra McGuire

From Amazon ~ "We're Here for a Good Time" - "Raise a Little Hell" - "The Boys in the Bright White Sportscar" - all Canadian anthems - all recorded by Trooper. "The Globe and Mail" calls them "honest-to-God Canadian legends". "The Toronto Sun" lauds the ongoing strength of their "Boomer/Gen X cachet". They have sold millions of albums, have travelled tens of thousands of miles, and, for thirty years, have borne first-hand witness to an amazing era in popular music: "sex, drugs, and rock & roll" and the long hard road where careers are made and broken. Ra McGuire, Trooper's charismatic leader, singer and songwriter, still travels that road, performing 100 shows a year from Tofino to Torbay and everywhere in between. Famous for his quick wit and sometimes too-candid stage banter, McGuire has always had a knack for keeping audiences on the edge of their seats. In this book, he reveals the peaks and valleys of his life on the road, and the joys and challenges of being a 50-something rock star at large in the country he knows like the back of his hand.

We saw Trooper last month and that's where I discovered that Ra McGuire had written a book.

McGuire has a blog and this is three years of his posts.

It was interesting to read of his account of being on the road ... I didn't realize they still tour as much as they do.

He lives in White Rock, BC, and sounds like a nice fella.

He's very proud of his son, Connor, who is also a singer. I downloaded Connor's album and it's very good ... it's acoustical.

Checking out new pubs

I met Gord after work for a couple drinks at Stix 'n Stones at King W/Spadina (where Shoeless Joe's used to be). It opened in September and we thought we'd check it out.


There are two sides to the place ... a nice restaurant and a sport bar (where we sat). It was pretty empty ... the scaffolding in front of the building is no doubt a deterrent.

Lauri, our waitress, was very friendly. Word of warning, though ... the bathrooms aren't heated so are very very cold.

Heading home, we stopped at the Bier Markt at King W/Portland (where Portland Beer House used to be). It opened just a couple months ago and we hadn't been yet.

It was jammed and we got seats at the bar. Gord enjoyed the Bier Markt because of it's interesting selection of beer.

Chia kitty liked it too because there was sparkling wine.

Szechuan Szechuan

I met Laura for lunch today. We worked together (1999 - 2002).

We ate in the foodcourt at First Canadian Place ... and I had Szechuan Chicken from Szechuan Szechuan. Yum!


Laura recently got married after a whirlwind romance so it was fun to get the deets.

Moselland Riesling wine - cat bottles

The liquor store sells two wine bottles in the shape of cats every year just before Christmas.

This year they are grey and fuscia and I got mine today.


I've been collecting them for a few years and now have 20 (I'm missing two of the first ones).


Don't worry, Sister Sarah, I got a couple for you too!

Thursday 20 November 2008

Focus group = fun $$

I attended a focus group this evening.

60 minutes for $45 (cash).

Whoohoo!

It turns out that it was for Kellogg's Guardian cereal. I've never heard of it but it sounds good! Have you tried it?

We had to watch a commercial and give our impressions.

There were 60 of us (all women).

Then they chose eight people stay back for another 60 minutes for another $25 (cash) to answer more indepth questions.

I was one of the eight.

So two hours for $70 (cash).

Sweet!

My pal, LeeAnn, placed me in this focus group. If you would like to be added to her database, send her an email at

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

I taught an Excel - Formulas class today downtown.

Walking by the Bay (Queen W/Yonge), they have their Christmas window displays up.

First snow ... the day after

We got some snow last night.

Here are some pictures from this morning to show you how much.

There's the CN Tower in the distance.

Monday 17 November 2008

It's over yet again

Chia kitty is bald again.

He was getting mouldy and it was time.

Expressive skies

I taught Excel in Mississauga today.

As I was heading home, I found the sky amazing.

Huge clouds!

Such colours!

Heading east on the 401 just west of the 427:


Alas, this truck full of piggies was heading to the abbattoir:


Heading south on the 427:


Looking west as I was driving south on the 427:


Looking west at the Ex:



Yes, I was taking these pictures as I was driving but I was very very careful.

Sunday 16 November 2008

Chia kitty will soon be bald

Chia kitty looks pretty good, doesn't he?


But alas, he starting to get mouldy around his butt ...


... and neck.


It will be two weeks tomorrow since I put the sprouts on him.

Saturday 15 November 2008

Snoozing kitties

Byron loves being in things so I'm glad that he's taken to the kitty tent I bought on Friday.

Here he is this afternoon having a snooze.


Morgan, on the other hand, loves sleeping on stuff.

Here he is tonight snoozing on Gord's fencing bag.

Oasi Restaurant

I received an invitation this week from Amex for the opening of Oasi Restaurant.

Oasi is in our 'hood and we've been looking forward to its opening. It's part of the complex that includes our gym.

We arrived early (8ish) and there were quite a few people there already. It was packed when we left around 11.

They have done a great job renovating it! It looks nothing like Mildred Pierce when it was there.

Drinks were complementary and appetizers were served. The mini burgers (sliders) were especially yummy!


There's Marco Petrucci, the owner (sitting in the red chair).


There's Gord ... we loved those funky wine glasses!

How many internal organs can you name?

I just saw this over at Lady Banana's ...

I named 12 organs in 4 minutes! How many internal organs can you name in 4 minutes?


Well, I got half. And some I've never heard of!

Friday 14 November 2008

David Wilcox Rocks!

Gord and I saw David Wilcox tonight at the Diesel Playhouse.

He rocked!

He always rocks!

I've been a fan of his for more than 25 years!

The Diesel is a smaller venue ... it holds about 350 people .. and it was sold out.

If you want a taste of David Wilcox, check these out: