Topbox - December 2012

I got my December Topbox today.

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.

It comes in a round box.

Here's what was in it ...

Luxe Box - Winter 2012

I received my December Luxe Box in the mail today.  It is $25 a box.

Book ~ "Dinner at Deadman's" (2012) CJ West

From Goodreads ~ Lorado Martin has loved junk since his grandparents took him bottle digging in the backwoods of New England when he was a boy. The search for antiques and collectibles led him to a unique hobby: digging through the estates of the newly deceased, arranging the sale of goods for the heirs, and keeping the leftovers for himself. 

To make a living he builds and maintains housing for recovering addicts and along the way he's employed a number of his clients. The men wrestle with the siren call of drugs and teach Lorado about the difficult struggle to stay clean one day at a time. 

When these two worlds come together, Lorado learns that not every elderly person dies of natural causes and that some estates are sold to benefit a killer. His latest project hits close to home. A woman he's known since childhood haunts him from a fresh grave. Her grandson, an affable addict who has fallen off the wagon, stands to inherit a considerable sum whether he deserves it or not.

Lorado is a big man ... 320 pounds.  He lives with his girlfriend of 17 years, Roxie, and their teenage son, Jake, and his 100 pound dog, Beta.  His house, basement and storage unit are filled with junk, which drives Roxie crazy.

One of the ways he makes his living is organizing estate sales for heirs (he gets 30% of all sales).  That's what he's doing when the book starts ... Mary Newbury has just died. He also rebuilds and maintains housing for recovering addicts and hires some of of them.  One of his hires is Mrs. Newbury's grandson, Newb.

There is a lot going on in this book.  When a series of mysterious things happen to him (he gets poisoned, a brick smashes the window of his car, his son gets beat up), Lorado assumes it is the local drug dealer getting even with him for something he didn't do.  Plus he's got to deal with local punks breaking into one of the sites he is renovating and stealing his supplies to get money for drugs.  And finally he starts to suspect that Newb might have murdered his grandmother for drug money (he was her only beneficiary).  There is always something going on and it goes in lots of different directions (but it all makes sense).

This is the first book I've read by this author and I really enjoyed it.  I liked the writing style ... it was fast paced and kept me interested.  It is a bit sarcastic at times which was fun.  The actions and language is mature most of the time.

Family ring

I've been wanting to get a "family ring" to represent Gord and I.

I've kept my eye out for the right ring the last couple of years but nothing caught my eye ... until last week.

I saw one in a store and knew it was THE ONE.  I ordered it online and it arrived today.  Whoohoo!

Gord's birthday is in March and his stone is an aquamarine.  My birthday is in July and my stone is a ruby.  The stones are heart-shaped. Awwwww!

Gord's mom gave me money for Christmas ... I'm sure she'll be happy to know that I'll be putting her money towards the ring.

The Fox, Toronto, ON

Deb, Liz and I met for supper tonight at The Fox on Bay.

We've been friends since the mid 1990s (we used to worked together).  Alas, Franca was sick and couldn't make it.

I got there first and ordered a beer while I was waiting for them. Yum!

Book ~ "Five Years to Live" (2012) Frank Zaccari

From Goodreads ~ It is the phone call every person lives in fear of receiving. There has been an accident and your loved one is paralyzed. A spinal cord injury is the single most devastating and life altering event.

Based on a true story, Michael and Donna were young, successful, in love and planning their life together. That life was radically changed by a tragic car accident. Now a wheelchair user as a quadriplegic, with limited movement, constant infections and multiple surgeries, doctors projected Michael's best case life expectancy to be five years.

See how this young man battles through his injury and spends his five years making a lasting impact on hundreds of people. It will make you realize what can be accomplished when a person does not let circumstances dictate their life.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it.

It is 1985 and life is perfect for Donna and Michael, who are in the twenties ... they come from close loving families, they are in love and working in jobs they enjoy.  When Michael gets a job offer closer to his family (he's the youngest of five kids in an Italian family), he can't refuse it and this prompts he and Donna to make plans for their future ... marriage and children.

But before he can accept the job offer, Michael gets in an serious car accident and all his plans change.  After months of operations and rehab, it's clear that Michael is never going to walk again and the doctors give him just five years to live.  The author's own family survived this situation after his brother was paralyzed in an car accident.

This is the story of Michael's will to live and make the most of his life.

I enjoyed the writing style ... it kept me wanting to read more.  I liked the characters ... even before Michael's accident, it was obvious how close he was to his family.  Throughout the book, you can't help but cheer Michael on.

I recommend this book and look forward to reading others by this author.

Celebrating Christmas with Gord's family

Gord and I celebrated an early Christmas with his family today.  They live about 2.5 hours NE of Toronto.  Ken, Gord's son, came with us.

The festivities were held at Judy and Doug's place.  Judy is Gord's sister and is married to Doug.  They have two sons, Kyle and Jon.  Kyle lives near his parents and Jon lives in Alberta.  Kyle is married to Kerri and they have two kids, Madison and Colton.  Minnie, Gord and Judy's mom also lives nearby with her husband, Keith.  Minnie had broken her ankle on Monday evening and has a cast and is in wheelchair .. she's not happy with her lack on independence!

Judy and Doug's festive tree

Great granddaughter and great grandfather, Madison and Keith

Glymm Bag - December

My December Glymm Bag arrived today.

It came in a gold make-up bag and here's what was inside ...

Trius Wine Club - December 2012

I picked up our box from Trius at the post office today (we weren't home when they tried to deliver it a couple days ago).

Gord and I have been members of the Trius Wine Club (formerly the Hillebrand Wine Club) for about ten years.

Every month, 2 bottles of our best wine will be delivered to your door along with Winemaker Craig McDonald’s tasting notes and Chef Frank Dodd’s recipes.

The cost is about $40 a month and it's only available in Ontario.

Here's what we got this month:

• Artist Series Muscat 2011 ($11.95) ~ The recipe included that pairs with it is Celeriac and Scallop Soup
• Showcase East Block Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 Clark Farm Vineyard ($40) - The recipe included that pairs with it is Dijon Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes

Book ~ "Winter's Magic" (2012) Cynthia Gail

From Goodreads ~ Owner of La Bella Vita, a five-star day spa nestled in the affluent suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee, Beth Sergeant knows her elite clientele first hand. She attended their private schools. She was even engaged, although briefly, to one of their most recognized bachelors. But she never fit in to their social-elite world.

After losing his parents to a car accident at a young age, Nick Chester was raised by his grandfather, the wealthiest man in Nashville. When he chooses to socialize, he has a never-ending list of exclusive events and beautiful women vying for his attention. Yet he never lets himself forget that everyone has an agenda.

Beth can’t resist Nick’s charm and accepts an invitation to dinner, despite her deep-seated insecurities. She proves she’s nothing like other women Nick's dated and learns to trust him in return. But just as the last of their resistance crumbles and true love is within reach, challenges from Nick's past threaten to destroy everything and force Beth to reveal her most guarded secret.

Rich boy meets girl, rich boy and girl fall in love within a couple weeks, a catastrophe occurs which break up the rich boy and girl, but in the end true love reigns.

I don't usually read contemporary romance novels but I've been reading heavier stuff lately so it was a nice change.  I enjoyed the writing style and it was a quick read.  I liked the characters and could feel the spark between them.

I didn't think the catastrophe was as big of a deal as it was ... but we needed some tension, right?

I'd recommend this book if you are looking for a romance with a happy ending.

Book ~ "No Time for Love" (2012) JB Miller

From Goodreads ~ Chatham Ross has no time – for anything, least of all love. She manages her three kid’s demanding schedules, exercises at crazy hours to preserve her less than perfect figure and writes catchy advertising jingles to pay for the mortgage. To the outside world, she seems to have it all - except for a husband. Who has time for that? Besides, hers died unexpectedly five years ago and she’s still not over it.

A chance occurrence with a particular jingle finds Chatham on a bi-coastal roller coaster that she can’t seem to put the breaks on. Will the man who has always secretly loved her finally have his chance to ride along? Or will the very handsome foreigner on the other side of the country claim her wounded heart? At some point she has to choose which path is for her - or has it been there all along?

Chatham has a lot on her plate ... she's a widow raising three young kids.  She and her partner, Tom, run an advertising agency. Between working and dropping the kids off at school and picking them up again and getting coerced into volunteer duties at the school, there's not a lot of time for Chatham.

On a whim, she joins a gym and is attracted to Palio, the cutie at the reception desk.  He also feels a spark for  her.  Palio, unbeknownst to Chatham, is actually the owner of the gym ... and a member of a rich Italian family from New York.

Trip, her husband's best friend, is in love with Chatham and has been waiting years for the right moment to let her know.  Needless to say, he's not pleased when it looks like Palio might be moving in on Chatham.

Palio wants to buy a painting for his dad from Georgina, an Italian vixen in New York with ties to the Mob who is trying to entice Palio into marrying her.

For various reasons, everyone ends up in New York ... and so begins a series of misunderstandings and coincidences.

I enjoyed the writing style ... it flowed well.  The language at times was mature but I was okay with that.  The ending wraps up pretty quickly with a couple of speedy immediate "I love you" pairings which I must say I found a bit too convenient.  Considering they were in New York, I found it odd they all kept running into the same cabbie ... but he was key to keeping some of the parts of the story together.

This is the first novel by this author and I'll keep an eye out for others by her.

Père Noël, Complexe Desjardins, Montreal, QC

We spent the day in meetings and we had a break before lunch.

I wandered to the Complexe Desjardins and watched Père Noël in his castle for a while.

It was quite busy ... kids were lined up to see the jolly fat man.

Le Fumoir Rubs Smokehouse, Montreal, QC

The company I work for has everyone in town for a couple days for meetings and our Christmas party (we all arrived late today).

This evening, Alice (from Calgary), Dorothy (from Vancouver), Imran (from Toronto), Trudy (from Halifax) and I had supper at Le Fumoir Rubs Smokehouse on rue Prince Arthur (recommended by Helene who is from Montreal but has been working in our Toronto office).

Rental workout clothes?

Here is the sign that is on the bathroom mirror in my hotel room (I am in Montreal for a few days for work).

I've stayed in a lot of hotels and this is the first time I've ever seen this ... you can rent workout clothes and shoes from the hotel for $5.25!

Yes, it's convenient but I dunno if I'd be comfortable wearing something a stranger has sweated in regardless how clean it is.

Would you rent workout clothes from a hotel?

Book ~ "Leaves" (2012) Michael Baron

From Goodreads ~ Welcome to Oldham, CT, a small town rich in Colonial heritage while being utterly contemporary. Situated along the Connecticut River Valley, Oldham bursts with color every fall, as the leaves on its trees evolve into an unmatched palette of scarlet, orange, purple, yellow, and bronze. For more than three decades, the Gold family has been a central part of Oldham in the fall, its Sugar Maple Inn a destination for "leaf-peepers" from all over the country, and its annual Halloween party a stirring way to punctuate the town’s most active month.

But this year, more than just the leaves are changing. With the death of their parents, the Gold siblings, Maria, Maxwell, Deborah, Corrina, and Tyler, have decided to sell the Sugar Maple Inn, and this year’s Halloween party will be the last. As October begins, the Golds contend with the finality that faces them, and the implications it has for a family that has always been so close. For some, it means embracing new challenges and new love. For others, it means taking on unimagined roles. And for others, it means considering the inconceivable. Complicating it all is a series of "hauntings" that touch each of the Gold siblings, a series of benign interventions that will remain a mystery until October draws to a close.

Filled with romance, tension, and unforgettable family drama, Leaves is the first in a series of novels about a world and a family that readers will want to make their own.

This is the first book by this author that I've read and I really enjoyed it.

After their mother dies in the summer (their father died a couple years earlier), the Gold brothers and sisters decide to sell the inn in a small town their parents had started many years ago.  A chain has bought it and will take over right after Halloween.  It had been their parents' tradition to throw a Halloween party for the locals and this will be the last one.

We meet the Golds about a month before the party:

• Maria is married to Doug.  Their daughter, Olivia, has just left for college.  While Doug is embracing being an emptynester, Maria must find something to fill her time and returns to her love of music.
• Maxwell is married to Annie and they have a two-year-old son, Joey.  While Maxwell is considering running for mayor of their small town, it's obvious to him that Annie is unhappy but she won't talk about it.
• Deborah has been the chef at the inn (it was her one and only job) and now must figure out what she wants to do with her life.  She meets and falls in love with Sage and he helps her make some decisions.
• Corrina is married to Gardner, a busy lawyer, and stepmother to his 16-year-old son, Ryan, who is not a happy teenager.
• Tyler is a nature photographer who is still heartbroken because Patrice broke up with him last year.  Things became better for him when he and Patrice find each other again.

As it gets closer to the night of the party, strange things happen to each of them, reminding them of good times as a family in the past.  But will this be enough to keep them together once the inn is sold?

I liked the writing style and it kept me wanting to read more.  The chapter headings are dates along with a countdown to the date of party.

I liked most of the characters.  I found them to be believable.  I didn't like Corrina, though.  I know she had a lot going on with a workaholic husband and a 16-year-old stepson who she had no parental say over but I found her too nasty and bossy.  She needed to chill a bit.

The ending leaves you wanting more ... there will be a sequel to this book and I look forward to checking it out and see what happens to the Golds.

Judge & Jury, Burlington, ON

After we saw Shatner's World: We Just Live in it, we stopped on our way home for supper at the Judge & Jury in Burlington.  We hadn't been there since April.

"Shatner's World: We Just Live in it", Hamilton Place, Hamilton, ON

Gord and I drove to Hamilton this afternoon to watch the 2pm Shatner's World.

Movie legend William Shatner will bring his one man show "Shatner's World: We Just Live in it" to Hamilton. The 90-minute show will take audiences on a voyage through Shatner’s life and career, from Shakespearean stage actor to internationally known icon and raconteur, known as much for his unique persona as for his expansive body of work on television and film. 

Tickets were $100, which we thought was steep.  Ticketmaster had a half price deal this week ... we figured Shatner was worth $50 a ticket.

Our seats were in row G in the middle of the aisle.  They were filming this afternoon and this evening's appearances.  The theatre wasn't full so they asked everyone to move forward for the cameras.  So we ended up in row C, ten rows from the stage.

Moxie's Classic Grill, Toronto, ON

Tonight Gord and I met his childhood friends (they've known each other for about 50 years!!) and their wives for supper at Moxie's at Yonge/Sheppard.

Gord ordered Mediterranean Shrimp & Crap Linguine and I ordered Chicken Enchiladas.

Here's Gord's pasta ... he found it too spicy.

Crumpet style!

Kelseys Original Roadhouse, Hamilton, ON

I had a couple enrolment seminars to conduct today in Hamilton.

I had a couple hours in between them so I wanted to find a restaurant where I could have a leisurely lunch and kill some time.  The two clients were minutes from each other and Kelsey's was handy.

It's kind of rundown ... I'm surprised that the Kelsey's brand would let it be like that.  I was seated next to a window which was nice.

I ordered the Cheddar Bacon Sirloin burger and fries with a side order of gravy.

I'm not a fan of cheddar cheese so ordered it with mozzarella cheese instead.  Plus I asked there be no lettuce or onions.  When someone brought it from the kitchen (not Beth, my server), she asked if this was mine.  I said, "Not if it has lettuce and onions".  So she said she's take it back and get it fixed.

Here it is when it came back ...

Book ~ "The Disappearance of Grace" (2012) Vincent Zandri

 From Goodreads ~ Now you see her. Now you don’t.

Captain Nick Angel has finally made a separate peace with the war in Afghanistan. Since having been ordered to bomb a Tajik village which resulted in the death of a little boy of no more than two, he’s been suffering from temporary bouts of blindness. Knowing the he needs time to rest and recover from his post traumatic stress, the US Army decides to send him to Venice along with his fiancee, the artist, Grace Blunt. Together they try and recapture their former life together. But when Grace suddenly goes missing, Nick not only finds himself suddenly alone and sightless in the ancient city of water, but also the number one suspect in her disappearance.

A novel that projects Hitchcockian suspense onto a backdrop of love and war, The Disappearance of Grace is a rich, literary thriller of fear, loss, love, and revenge. From the war in the Afghan mountains to the canals of romantic Venice, this is a story that proves 20/20 eyesight might not always be so perfect and seeing is not always believing.

While fighting in Afghanistan, Nick orders the attack on a small village.  The killing a young boy in the village leaves him with temporary blindness that comes and goes.  To recover, the Army sends him to Venice for a month to be reunited with his fiancee, Grace, who he hasn't seen in a year.

While Nick and Grace are at an outdoor cafe, Grace disappears. Did she abandon Nick?  Was she kidnapped and, if so, by who?  The police suspect that Grace has had enough and left Nick.  So with intermittent blindness, Nick does what he can to find her on his own.  In the meantime, he is getting phone calls where the caller just says, "I see."


I found the writing style a bit more stilted than I'm used to so it took me a while to get used to it.  After that, I was fine with it.  The chapters were short and snappy (sometimes just a page) which I like.

The author did a good job with Nick's character.  I could feel Nick's pain and regret in killing the young boy and his desperation in finding Grace.  Despite his intermittent blindness, he never gives up.

Restaurant St-Hubert Rotisserie, Montreal, QC

This morning I had an enrolment seminar to conduct, followed by one-on-ones.  Claudine, Dominque, Glenn and Jimmy from our local Montreal office were also on hand to do one-on-ones.

Afterwards we went to lunch at St.-Hubert.

We did a great job this morning and each had celebratory drink!  My beer tasted good!

Here we are ... Claudine, Glenn, me, Jimmy and Dominique.

Room service breakfast

I rarely order room service when I stay at a hotel.  I find that it's expensive and the quality isn't great.

I had an enrolment seminar to conduct this morning, followed by one-on-ones.  I knew I wouldn't be able to eat 'til lunchtime so I had to have something for breakfast.  I don't like to eat when I first get up ... I usually have a protein shake and then cereal or fruit a couple hours later. 

I didn't know if anything would be open at 8am near my hotel so I ordered room service. I checked off the card and left it on my door before I went to bed ... apple-grapefruit-orange juice (I picked orange), ham-sausage-bacon (I picked ham), scrambled-poached-overeasy-sunnyside up eggs (I picked overeasy) and coffee-tea (I don't drink either so asked for milk instead).

At 8:14am, it arrived.  Here's what you get for $19.99 (plus tax plus the $3 delivery charge):

Any idea how to set the alarm?

This is the clock in my room ... I have no idea how to set the alarm (I have to be up at 8am tomorrow).

Good thing my cell phone has an alarm on it!

Ye Olde Orchard Pub & Grill, Montreal, QC

I have a seminar and one-on-ones to conduct tomorrow.  I had been in Montreal on Wednesday and Thursday for a shortlist presentation on Thursday and we won the account.  Whoohoo!  They want the enrolment seminar tomorrow and they want me to do it ... so here I am.  I flew in this afternoon and head home tomorrow afternoon.

I felt like having supper at a pub so I walked to Ye Olde Orchard Pub & Grill on Rue de la Montagne  (a chilly 20 minute walk from my hotel) ... I read some good reviews about it on Yelp.  It's cute.