Teena in Toronto

Tuesday, 22 October 2019

Garrison Crossing, Toronto, ON

This evening I checked out Garrison Crossing ... it opened a couple weeks ago.

It provides a connection between Stanley Park to the north and the Fort York grounds to the south. In the past, you had to either walk down Bathurst Street to the east or Strachan Avenue to the west if you wanted to head south.

The plan

An artist's rendition

I headed south from Wellington Street across the two bridges.

The 52-metre northern bridge runs from South Stanley
Park over the Kitchener rail corridor into Ordnance Triangle Park

Nando's, Mississauga, ON

I had lunch today at Nando's (on Dixie Road, just north of Eglinton Avenue E).

Nando’s first opened in South Africa in 1987 and soon became famous for its Portuguese style flame-grilled chicken with a PERi-PERi (African Birds Eye Chilli) kick.

You choose what you want from the menu and then go order and pay for it. Don't forget to pick up your utensils, napkins, hot sauces, etc. They bring it to you when it's ready (it took about 10 minutes).

I ordered a 1/2 chicken with lemon herb sauce and corn on the cob as my side. The chicken was good. It was tender and flavourable (it tasted like BBQ) with a bit of heat. The corn was good too. I'd get this again.

Osmow's, Mississauga, ON

I had an early lunch today at Osmow's (on Dixie Road, just north of Eglinton Avenue E).

I ordered a chicken shawarma and a Coke Zero. I don't get anything other than tomatoes so I asked for extra chicken. Plus I got garlic spread and tahini and the guy put a couple drops of hot sauce on it. It was a good shawarma. It was good and hearty and the sauces worked well with it. I would get it without hot sauce next time as some bites were a bit too hot and that seemed weird in a shawarma.

Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Half-Marathon & 5k, Toronto, ON

Today is the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Half-Marathon & 5k. It is the 30th edition and attracted more than 26,000 runners from more than 72 countries.

I'm not a runner so I'd signed up to walk the 5km. I've done lots of 5km walks on my own and in charity walks/runs and this is my second year doing this one. I'm doing it in the Charity Challenge in support of the Annex Cat Rescue, who I volunteer with.

The 5km route was east along Lakeshore Blvd. and then north on Bay Street to City Hall.

The 5km started on Lakeshore Blvd., just west of Ontario Place and I walked there (about 2.5km) and left home about 7am.

Some of the Annex Cat Rescue volunteers who were doing the 5km met for a picture first with our ACR toques.

Then I headed to the starting line.

Pre-race: Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Half-Marathon & 5k, Enercare Building, Toronto, ON

Tomorrow is the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Half-Marathon & 5k. I'm not a runner but I will be walking (briskly) the 5km. I've done lots of 5km walks on my own and in charity walks/runs and this is the second year I'm doing this one. I'm doing it in the Charity Challenge in support of the Annex Cat Rescue, who I volunteer with.

Our race packets were to be picked up today or yesterday and I got mine this morning.

I picked up my bib.

Then I picked up my race shirt and bag.

Ipsy Glam Bag - October 2019

My October Ipsy Glam Bag arrived today.

4 to 5 beauty products in a collectible makeup bag
Monthly videos showing you how to get the Look
Win free products in contests and giveaways

Subscriptions are $10US a month or $110US for a year. Shipping is free in the U.S. and $4.95US per month to Canada.

Here's what I received ...

Make-up bag

KALEIDO COSMETICS Diamond Foils Eyeshadow (Paradiso)

NOMAD COSMETICS Sydney Bathers Kiss Of Sun Highlighter (Balmoral Beach)

FIRST AID BEAUTY Facial Radiance Pads

BELIF The True Cream - Aqua Bomb

BETTY BOOP™ X IPSY Drawn To You Eyeliner

Jim Jefferies - The Night Talker Tour, Meridian Hall, Toronto, ON

Gord and I saw Jim Jefferies - The Night Talker Tour tonight. Jim Jefferies is an Australian-American stand-up comedian, political commentator, actor and writer.

It was at at Meridian Hall.

The show started at 7pm and two comedians warmed up the audience. Jefferies came on about 7:30pm and entertained until 9pm. Gord watches the Jim Jefferies Show every Tuesday night and knew what to expect.

Jefferies was rude, crude and offensive to anyone and everyone ... but he was very funny. There was lots of swearing in his stories and tangents ... including about his son's preschool graduation, a date in a fancy French restaurant with many many courses and his lactose intolerance.

He is definitely not someone to see if you are offended easily.

Book ~ "Cadillac Road" (2017) Kristin Andrychuk

From Goodreads ~ Starting in the 1950s, "Cadillac Road" is the story of Sharon Desjardins: from her earliest childhood memories leaving Northern Quebec and a violent father to adventures in Buffalo and Crystal Beach with her mother and younger sister, Gloria, to dreams of escaping claustrophobic poverty in shabby Grenville by going to Toronto and marrying a wealthy lawyer whom she doesn’t love, having turned down local boy Clinton McClary because she doesn’t think he’ll amount to much.

In the end, depressed and on pills, Sharon realizes she needs to be true to her heart, abandons her marriage and takes to the road, a road that could very well lead back to her original hometown of Cadillac.

In the mid-1950s, Muriel left her abusive husband in Northern Quebec and headed home to Buffalo with her two young daughters, Sharon and Gloria. She lived with her mother but eventually found herself homeless across the border in rural Ontario. She met and married Jimmy and went on to have children with him. Because Jimmy didn't work all that much, they lived in poverty ... never having enough to buy nice clothes, a nice house , a nice car or enough food. Seeing how much her family struggled, Sharon swore she would never have the same life as her mother.

As soon as she graduated from high school, Sharon escaped Grenville and headed off to Toronto to start her new life. She got a job in an office and eventually married a rich young lawyer who gave her everything she ever wanted. But then she discovered that having money and freedom isn't all she thought it would be and started to wonder if it was worth it.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it. I liked the writing style ... it was written in first person perspective from Sharon's point of view. I also liked the story and it drew me in from the beginning.

Sharon and her family never had much but Sharon had pleasant memories from the early days. After Jimmy and Muriel got married, Sharon didn't understand why they had to keep having kids when they couldn't support the ones they had. It kept adding more and more responsibility onto Sharon ... and she did what she had to to survive until she was old enough to leave home.

Union Chicken, Etobicoke, ON

I had a late lunch today at Union Chicken at Sherway Gardens.

I ordered the half chicken meal with cornbread as my side and a Diet Coke. The cornbread was okay. It was served a bit warm but a bit dry and crumbly. The chicken was really good. It was hot and juicy and had a bit of a kick.

Shawarma Box, Mississauga, ON

I had an early lunch today at Shawarma Box on Dixie Road/Eglinton Avenue E.

I ordered a chicken shawarma with a side of rice and a Coke Zero. I don't get anything other than tomatoes so I asked for extra chicken. Plus I got garlic spread, tahini and their special sauce. It was a really good shawarma. It was good and hearty and the sauces worked well with it. The rice was really good too. Because the shawarma was so filling, I only ate a bit of the rice.

Topbox - October 2019

My October Topbox arrived this week.

For only $12 a month, you will receive a Topbox with 4 carefully selected, indulgent, beauty products. Then test the products in the comfort of your own home.