Distillery East Coast Festival, Toronto, ON

I checked out the first ever Distillery East Coast Festival this afternoon.

It's in the Distillery District this weekend.

Toronto’s Distillery District was designated as a national historic site because the “complex is an outstanding example of Victorian industrial design in terms of integrity, historical association and aesthetic qualities.” Founded in 1832, Gooderham & Worts began as a windmill in the wilderness and grew to become the largest distillery in the world and the largest corporate taxpayer in Canada.

I watched Skraeling for a while on the Distillery Stage. They were good and played lots of Celtic tunes.

During a break, I wandered over to the Boiler House and caught the end of this blues band.

They were good ... then they went on a "short" break. I gave up waiting for them after a half hour (!!) and went back to watch the end of Skraeling before I headed for home.

If you were hungry, you could buy a hot dog or hamburger ... or more traditionally, a lobster roll and clam chowder.

This festival has possibility. I expected more of an east coast presence, though, with teeshirts, travel reps from the provinces, east coast bands, etc. rather than a handful of Celtic and blues Ontario bands.

Much Music Video Awards

The Much Music Video Awards are next Sunday (June 21). For my non-Canadian pals, Much Music is our equivalent to MTV.

Wristbands for the show will be handed out at 8am tomorrow.

The Black Eyed Peas, Girlicious, Kelly Clarkson, Nickelback and Billy Talent are some of the musical performers. Celebrities who will present the awards and walk the red carpet include Kim Kardashian, Taylor Lautner from the Twilight movies, Anna Lynne McCord from 90210, and Audrina Patridge and Brody Jenner from The Hills.

But the girls are apparently lining up because the Jonas Brothers will be appearing.

Here's the line-up (the corner of John/Richmond) ... I took these pix from the theatre after I saw The Hangover.


Some even had tents set up!

Here's the line-up update at 6:00:


Who would you line up for three days for a chance to see?

Book ~ "Are You Ready!: Take Charge, Lose Weight, Get in Shape, and Change Your Life Forever" (2008) Bob Harper

From Amazon ~ The world-renowned fitness coach on the hit TV show, The Biggest Loser, presents his winning approach to lasting weight loss by showing how to get at the root of your overeating problem, followed by a nutritionally savvy diet and unique exercise plan.

On The Biggest Loser, Bob Harper gives contestants the practical tools and psychological insights they need to get into the best shape of their lives. The key to his success is the emotional connection he makes with each participant, and he brings that same spirit to Are You Ready!

Harper starts with a four-step strategy for getting at the root of negative thought patterns and destructive behaviors, replacing both with a clear way to build self-worth and confidence. With these tools in place, people are empowered to make real, lasting changes in their lives. In an easy-to-follow eating plan, he provides lists of foods that are nutrient-dense and naturally low in calories, more than twenty sample menus, and tips on eating on the run, in restaurants and on vacation. His fitness plan is geared to making exercise an integral part of daily life with workouts (ranging from 20 to 60 minutes) based on training techniques that tone and strengthen, burn calories, and reshape the body.

Woven throughout Are You Ready! are true-life success stories that will keep readers engaged and motivated; bulleted tips, tools, and coping strategies; and sidebars debunking common myths about food and fitness. Whether your goal is losing ten pounds or a hundred, you will find Harper’s message inspiring and his methods a proven path to finally achieving your dream of weight loss and fitness.

All the books about losing weight come with their own diet and exercise plans. Some you can do, some are just too far out there.

Bob's isn't too extreme. He introduces exercise into your life slowly and builds to weight training.

The diet plan isn't extreme ... just eat all the right stuff. There's no weird food on the list that I don't like.

What I liked best about the book was he encourages you to dig deep inside and confront why you ended up overweight in the first place.

The four steps to his program are:

1. Are you really ready?
2. Accept where you are and forgive
3. Love yourself
4. Change your internal recorder, change yourself

There are pictures of all the exercises to show you how to do them. For some reason, they are black 'n white which gives them kind of a 1950s look.

Angie's 40th birthday party

Gord, Chia Kitty and I went to Angie's 40th birthday party (her birthday is on Wednesday).

It was a BBQ at Angie and Rob's place.

Rob and Angie

Greg and Pat

Brian and Amanda

Jenn and Rob's dad

Sue and Angie's mom (who is visiting from Nova Scotia)

Rob's mom

Gord and I
(sitting in an Adirondack chair is soooo not flattering!)

Rob feeding Smokey, the squirrel

Angie's cake

Rob and Angie

Jen and Darron arrived later ... but I was too busy eating (I had my priorities!). We girls know each other through The Girls Night Out Club, a women's social group that Angie started in the spring of 2001.

Some friends of Rob's and Angie's also arrived later too.

It was fun to hang with everyone!

Book ~ "Kim Lyons' Your Body, Your Life: The 12-Week Program to Optimum Physical, Mental & Emotional Fitness" (2008) Kim Lyons

From Chapters ~ On NBC’s hit TV show, The Biggest Loser, trainer Kim Lyons encouraged, cajoled and inspired her team members to change their lives. And they did, not only losing an incredible amount of weight in the process but gaining a world of knowledge about fitness, nutrition and enjoying an all-around healthy lifestyle. Now Kim is leading the way again, ready to work that same magic on everyone. Her totally life-changing new guide, bursting with color illustrations, presents Kim’s tested program for optimizing your health . . . in just 12 short weeks! You’ll feel almost as if she’s right there, working with you.

Kim, who received her personal training certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine, puts her time-tested, fat-burning circuit-training system and solid, comprehensive nutrition plan right at your fingertips. She understands the psychological and practical barriers facing those starting a new program, and offers simple strategies to help anyone adopt and maintain a healthier lifestyle. Every aspect of fitness and nutrition is explained, such as the role of genetics, metabolism, and body type in achieving success; the importance of meal planning and journaling; and how to exercise to maximize your time and increase your calorie burn. To illustrate her key points, many of Lyons’ clients tell their uplifting personal stories, and Lyons herself answers a wide range of “burning questions.” At the end of each chapter, a “Homework” section sets out several goals to achieve be they mental, physical, or emotional that reinforce key points learned in that chapter.

I like reading exercise and weight loss books ... they all have basically the same information but it's interesting to see the different styles.

I like this book because it explains everything in an easy-to-understand manner.

There is a workout which is cheerfully colour-coded for beginners and up.

There are recipes in the back that look easy to make and sound delicious.

Stratford, ON

Twice during the summer, Gord and I see a play at the Stratford Festival. We've been doing this for four years (though we didn't go last year because there was nothing we wanted to see).

This afternoon we saw Cyrano de Bergerac and enjoyed it!

We took the train down and back (two hours each way) so we didn't have to worry about driving or traffic (we love the train!). We had four hours after the play before we have to catch our train.

We had supper at the Boar's Head.

The pub recently won best pub and best wings in Stratford ... so we had to try the wings. Gord had Cajun dusted. I had medium and they reminded me of Hooter's wings. They were okay, not great.

It got chilly and we hadn't brought jackets so we didn't do our usual walk around the park.

Gord loves beer and was looking forward to trying some from the local Stratford Brewing Company. Apparently when the first batches were made, though, they weren't good and a lot of the local pubs won't carry it now. Othello's did, though.

Down by the train station, there are a couple pubs. When we were last there, Shenanigan's had just gotten their liquor license. Now it's closed down and apparently condemned. Not a big surprise, I must say.

The Dominion House is still there so we had a couple drinks before heading over to the train station.

And so ends another fun day in Stratford!

"Cyrano de Bergerac", Stratford Festival, Stratford, ON

Gord and I saw Cyrano de Bergerac at the Stratford Festival this afternoon. It was at the Festival Theatre.

Despite his swashbuckling heroism and rapier wit, Cyrano thinks himself unworthy – because of his enormous nose – to be loved by the beauteous Roxane. Instead, he uses his gift for language to woo her for his comrade-in-arms, Christian. But when tragedy strikes, will Cyrano take his secret to the grave?

One of the 19th-century theatre’s most heartbreakingly romantic tales, packed with exhilarating swordplay, grand passion and dazzling repartee.

I don't usually like period pieces. But I picked this one because Colm Feore is Cyrano (he was just in 24, one of Gord's fav shows) and there is fencing (Gord's a fencer).

I must say that I really enjoy it! Feore does an excellent job as Cyrano and I got caught up in the story. There's a large cast and it's about three hours.

It took a while in the beginning to get used to the way they speak. It's very fast and very 1700ish. And it rhymed at times.

If you get a chance, you should go see it.

The crop is planted

I ran a bunch of errands today.

One of them was getting my tomato plants. I'd been holding off because it's been so cold.

I replanted them when I got home.

I got eight cherry tomato plants.

A chocolate mint plant caught my eye so I got two. It smells like an Aero Mint bar.

I'm not sure what I'll do with it but it sure smells good!

Book ~ "Flipping Out" (2009) Marshall Karp

From Amazon ~ LAPD homicide detectives Michael Lomax and Terry Biggs take on a killer targeting a group of police officers' wives. When spouses of some of Lomax and Biggs's closest co-workers are found murdered, they begin their investigation by questioning the surviving members of the LA Flippers, the partnership of cop wives who, along with popular mystery writer Nora Bannister, have found a lucrative way to flip houses in the highly competitive Southern California real estate market. With the body count rising and pressure from Lomax and Biggs's superiors to close the case fast, the wisecracking duo must somehow track down a cunning psychopath before Biggs's wife becomes the killer's next target. Blending the gritty realism of a Joseph Wambaugh police procedural with the sardonic humor of Janet Evanovich, Karp delivers a treat that's not only laugh-out-loud funny but also remarkably suspense.

This is the first book I've read of Karp's ... and I liked it.

Lomax and Biggs are fun, though I found Terry a bit too sarcastic at times.

I figured out who dunnit about halfway through but I didn't know why 'til the end.

If you like humorous mysteries, you should check this one out.

Book ~ "Master Your Metabolism: The 3 Diet Secrets to Naturally Balancing Your Hormones for a Hot and Health" (2009) Jillian Michaels

From Amazon~ Does it feel as if you’re fighting your body to lose even one pound—or just to maintain your current weight? Respected health and wellness expert and bestselling author, Jillian Michaels, has been there too. So she consulted top experts in the field of metabolism and discovered that she’d inadvertently been abusing her endocrine system for years. After “fixing” her own metabolism, she decided to share what she learned by devising this simple, 3-phase plan that engages all the weight-loss hormones (including the friendly HGH, testosterone, DHEA; and the not-so-friendly: insulin, cortisol, and excess estrogen).

In Master Your Metabolism, discover how to:
•REMOVE “anti-nutrients” from your diet
•RESTORE foods that speak directly to fat-burning genes
•REBALANCE energy and your hormones for effortless weight loss

Michaels offers a wealth of information throughout, including: shopping lists and online shopping resources, hormone-trigger food charts, how to eat “power nutrient” foods on a budget, smart strategies for eating out, quick and easy recipes, as well as mini-programs for addressing PMS, andropause, metabolic syndrome, PCOS, and menopause.

Lots and lots of information in this book and it took me a while to get through it.

For me, it's more of a reference book since there are that many details.

"The Producers", Stage West, Toronto, ON

Gord and I saw The Producers this afternoon at Stage West.

Mel Brooks' classic cult comedy film is turned into a Broadway musical about a down-on-his-luck Broadway producer, Max Bialystock, and his mild mannered accountant, Leo Bloom, who come up with a scheme to produce the most notorious flop in history, thereby bilking their backers (all "little old ladies") out of millions of dollars. Only one thing goes awry: the show is a smash hit! At the core of this insanely funny adventure is an emotional journey of two very different men who become friends.

Gord and I had seen the big splashy Mirvish production a couple years ago and enjoyed it.

The last few plays we've seen at Stage West haven't been that great so I wasn't really expecting much.

But I was pleasantly surprised ... it's good.

My only complaint is that the quality of the food (we do the brunch buffet) has gone downhill.

Toronto Nationals vs Long Island Lizards, BMO Field, Toronto, ON

Gord and I went to the Toronto Nationals lacrosse game tonight.

There wasn't a large crowd ... it's the first year for them (they were in Rochester last year).

Our seats were good.

It's a fast fun game.


Then the clouds came in (even though there was no rain in the forecast!).

And it started pouring.

And they played on.

But when the thunder and lightening started, the players scampered off the field.

There was a 30 minute delay and then the game carried on.

And it was still raining.

Here we are sitting in the rain!

We finally gave up at the end of the third quarter and grabbed a cab home. We were soaked!


But some fan stayed.

"Sound of Music", The Princess of Wales Theatre, Toronto, ON

After lunch, Sister Sarah and I took the subway and got off at Yonge/Bloor.

We walked down Yonge Street and met Gord for supper at Pizza Rustica (King W/Blue Jays Way).



Then Sister Sarah and I saw The Sound of Music at the The Princess of Wales Theatre.

The movie is her favourite so I thought she'd like to see it ... and she did.

She had noticed yesterday it's playing here and mentioned it would be nice to see it ... but I put her off. That's because I'd gotten us tickets last month for it and planned to surprise her tonight. Hee hee hee!

I've never seen the movie so didn't really know the story. It's entertaining and goes by really quickly.

Kids in plays usually annoy me but these ones were good.