Screeched in, Christian's Pub, St. John's, NL

No trip to St. John's would be completed without getting "Screeched In"!

A Screech-In is a ceremony where non-Newfoundlanders are inducted into Newfoundland culture by downing a shot of Screech rum, repeating some phrases in a Newfie dialect and kissing a cod. At the end of it all, visitors get a certificate that names them as honourary Newfoundlanders and members of the Royal Order of Screechers.

Claire at O'Reilly's told us that the best place to get Screeched In is at Christian's Pub (that's why we landed there).

There were eight of us getting Screeched In tonight.

Long may your big jib draw!

Christian's Pub, St. John's, NL

Christian's Pub is a cute pub on George Street.

Definitely worth a visit. Brian took good care of us there.

I tried a local micro-brewed beer made by Quidi Vidi.

Sarah and Brian

We also had one of Brian's freshly-made banana daiquiri which was delish!

O'Reilly's Irish Newfoundland Pub, St. John's, Nl

Teri at our hotel told us that O'Reilly's has good food so we headed there for a bite to eat. It's on George Street, which is famous for its pubs.

We had a good meal and Claire took good care of us.

Sarah and I

There was an older fella singing traditional tunes. That's one of the things I miss about living in Toronto ... it's hard to find a bar that has Celtic music.

A day at the Spaw

Okay ... it wasn't me this time. It was KC.

Our usual groomer didn't returned my call so we tried somewhere else.

KC spent the day at the Spaw Boutique, a new groomer and doggy daycare in our 'hood. I dropped her off this morning and picked her up after work. She wasn't the digging their daycare (she doesn't like other dogs) so hung out with the groomer all day.

I took her to South Stanley Park (it's leashfree) on our way home (plus the groomer had taken her there three times during the day) ... so she was a happy girl!

It's not a big park but there's lots to sniff!

Book ~ "Bet Me" - Jennifer Crusie (2004)

From Amazon.com ~ Thirty-three-year-old Minerva Dobbs is annoyed when her boyfriend dumps her three weeks before her sisters' wedding. But she's downright furious a few moments later when she overhears her now "ex" boyfriend bet hunky Calvin Morrisey that he can't take her home and bed her. In fact, she's so angry at them both that she lets Cal take her to dinner and decides to string him along until after her sisters' wedding.

Minerva pegs Cal as a handsome "used car salesman of seducers." Cal thinks Minerva is a "cranky, starving, risk-averse statistician." But Minerva's hormones keep whispering "this one," although she knows the gorgeous Cal isn't the man for her practical, white-cotton-bra, several-pounds-over-thin self. And Cal is blindsided by the lust he feels for the voluptuous, sensual woman he glimpses behind Min's actuary exterior.

While Cal and Min struggle to deal with their mutual distrust and attraction, their friends and families try their best to interfere and direct the progression of the unlikely romantic connection.

This wasn't a deep story ... definitely a light read. But after the heavier mysteries I've been reading the last couple weeks, it was a nice change.

I enjoyed the writing style for the most part ... fast and sarcastic. Her mother's constant nagging about her weight got old very quickly, though.

So if you are looking for something fluffy to read, I'd recommend it.

Trinity Bellwoods Park, Toronto, ON

KC and I went to the Trinity Bellwood Park for a while this afternoon. KC loves this park!

There were lots of dogs playing. If you've seen the movie Dog Park, you may recognize the next two pictures from that movie.

A true Mother's Day

I went shopping this afternoon ... I needed summer clothes. I headed to the "box" stores across from Sherway Gardens. In the lot where I parked (in front of Old Navy), there was a mama Canada goose and her six babies. Mama was very protective of her babies!

The last I saw of them, they were heading north up a side street. It was nice to see drivers stopping and giving them the right of way.

Apparently her babies had just hatched this morning (you can see the shells). She had made her nest in the parking lot and people were taking care of her ... making sure she had water and food (millets).

My shopping adventure was a success ... I bought seven skirts, six shirts and two pair of sandals. I just need the weather to get a bit warmer so I can start wearing them.

Book ~ "The Two Minute Rule" - Robert Crais (2007)

From Amazon.com ~ Max Holman is a career criminal. At least he was until he violated the two-minute rule, bank robbery's inviolable maxim. When he stayed in the bank four minutes, he was arrested by FBI agent, Katherine Pollard. The intervening decade hasn't been kind to either of them. Holman spent it in jail; Pollard quit the FBI to raise her kids and then lost her husband to his secretary and death, in that order. The day Holman is paroled from prison he learns that his son, Richie, an LAPD officer, was gunned down. The investigating officers assure Holman that Richie's killer acted alone and then committed suicide. Something doesn't feel right, and Holman turns to Pollard, the only cop he ever trusted. She is suffocating in a cash-poor widow's hell and reluctantly begins to help Holman investigate. The unlikely allies butt up against a seemingly impenetrable wall of corruption and soon find many of their theories discredited. In general, Crais' Elvis Cole novels are superior to his stand-alone thrillers, but this is his best effort yet in the latter category.

I'm a big fan of Crais' Elvis Cole series and I have to agree that I'm not crazy about his books when he steps away from Elvis. But I did enjoy this one. And I didn't know "whodunnit" 'til it was revealed at the end.

Would I recommend this book? Yes!

Nouvelle Maria Spa, Toronto, ON

When I left my last job two months ago, they gave me a gift certificate for the Nouvelle Maria Spa at the King Edward Hotel.

I used the gift certificate today and had a wonderful afternoon:

30 minute reflexology

60 minute full-body massage

pedicure - my toes are now golden grape

facial

Because it was Mother's Day weekend, they were serving champagne/orange juice and giving all the women red roses (I passed on the rose because Morgan would eat it!).

I left feeling very very relaxed and pampered. I'd definitely go back.

Better Safe than Sorry

I was coming back from walking KC and noticed that the terrace door of one of my neighbours, Bo, was open. Bo, an older woman, is in Europe for six weeks. I rang her doorbell but there was no answer.

I called the police.

I rang the doorbells of our neighbours to see if they knew what was going on. Grant was the only neighbour home. There had been an attempted break-in last month of one of our neighbours and cars in our parking lot are getting broken into.

The police came by to investigate. They jumped onto the terrace and went through the door. Imagine their surprise (and Bo's) because Bo was home ... she was vacumming in her in nightgown. Freaked her out!

Bo has discovered that she needs knee surgery so has put her trip off for a while.

The police officer said I did the right thing. And Bo was happy that her neighbours are looking out for her.

The Keg, Toronto, ON

Gord and I met some of the managers I used to work with at my last job after work at the Keg for a couple drinks. It was good to see them again and catch up.

Teena, Julie, Catherine, Eric, Jen and Ibby

Afterwards Gord and I went to Burrito Boyz for supper.

Book ~ "Ninja Soccer Moms" - Jennifer Apodaca (2005)

From Amazon.com ~ Sports moms waiting for practice to end will enjoy the third entry in Apodaca's series starring Samantha Shaw, amateur sleuth and owner of Heart Mates, her "beloved and struggling dating service" in Lake Elsinore, CA. When her friend, Janie Tuggle, tells her that ex-husband, Chad, the head coach of the Soccer Club of Lake Elsinore (SCOLE), has been embezzling funds, Sam is anxious to help. Janie should know since she managed the club's accounts for years, until Chad left her for a younger woman. No sooner does Sam manage to copy the disk with SCOLE's accounts than Chad is murdered in his office and Sam and Janie become prime suspects. A number of potential allies stonewall or even hinder Sam's investigation. Now why on earth would they do that? The tension grows as Sam zeroes in on the killer.

I've caught up and read the books in order ... it looks like I just have the last one to read.

I like Apodaca's writing style. It's funny and action-packed. Sam's lack of confidence yet again in this book with her relationship with Gabe is getting old, though.

I'd definitely recommend this series if you like mysteries/comedies.

Training log

The Running Room has a free training log once you log into their site.

I just checked it out and it's cool. You can track everything from what you did for exercise (plus time/distance) to the shoes you wore (so you know when to get new ones) to the weather, etc.

After inputting my exercise info since May 1, I can see that I've walked 8 hours, 20 minutes, and have spent 2 hours on the elliptical.

Bell Walk for Kids Help Phone, Toronto, ON

Franca and I did the Bell Walk for Kids Help Phone this morning.

There were two routes ... a 5km and a 10km. Franca and I did 10km. It started in Coronation Park (a 15 minute walk south of me) and went west along Toronto Harbour just past Sunnyside and back.

Rod Black hosted the opening ceremonies.

Suzy McNeil, of Rock Star INXS
and currently Oz in We Will Rock You,
sang the national anthem.

Gregg Zahn, catcher for the Toronto Blue Jays, and his wife were there.

Damon Allen, quarterback for the Toronto Argonauts, was there.

Me and Franca getting ready to start

We did it!
Crossing the finishing line, 10km and two hours later

David Usher played for about a half hour
while people had lunch.

There were 50 such walks around the country today. Our particular walk raised $715,000. I raised $950.

Canada's Wonderland, Toronto, ON

Canada's Wonderland opens tomorrow.

Canada's Wonderland is Canada's premier theme park and features over 200 attractions, more than 60 thrilling rides, North America's greatest variety of roller coasters, and Splash Works, a 20-acre water park.

Today it was open for employees of the company I work for. We hadn't been in years. It was great because the lines for the rides weren't all that long.

I don't like scary rides. I'm a big chicken! We went on a couple Moderate Thrill Rides:

• Spinovator - In playfully designed, two-seater baskets, Spinovator will spin riders into a twirling frenzy of unstoppable giggles.
• Swings of the Century - Soar through the air on the high-flying Swings of the Century; an attraction ideal for the whole family.

But the Swings scared me! I kept my eyes closed through most of it! Never again! But at least I tried it.

At the end of the Spinovator ride

Gord went on some Aggressive Thrill Rides:

• Drop Zone - Riders sit on a high-speed transport lift that travels over 16 feet per second, 230 feet in the air. At the top of the tower, guests have but moments to take in the panoramic view of the Park before it registers that what goes up must come down. Free falling at more than 100km/h, 23 stories flash by as the ground races up and catches riders in a silent, smooth stop.
• Top Gun - Top Gun is Canada's only inverted looping jet coaster. This mega coaster simulates flight with speeds of 90km/h, exhilarating 90-degree vertical climbs, barrel rolls, inverted wing loopovers, a 270-degree after burn and a complete snap roll over. Riders take flight in a fully open cockpit suspended beneath the coaster's steel track as the sky races below.
• The Mighty Canadian Minebuster - The Mighty Canadian Minebuster is the largest and longest wooden coaster in Canada. Its immense wooden track is full of side-winding turns, stomach lifting camel humps and breath-taking drops. The Minebuster reaches astounding speeds of more than 90km/h on its 4000 feet of serpentine designed track.

I waited in line with him and held his hat when he was on the rides. That was daring enough for me :)

Getting ready on the Drop Zone

Up he goes ...

And there he is ... waaaaaay up at the top!

Getting psyched on Top Gun

And on Minebuster

You'll be screaming in a few seconds!

There is a stream running through the park with thousands of koi trying to swim upstream.

It was a fun day!