Teena in Toronto

Monday, 11 September 2017

Boccone Trattoria Veloce, Mississauga, ON

I flew to Regina this afternoon and had an early lunch at Boccone Trattoria Veloce, my go-to restaurant at the airport, before my flight.

Book ~ "Toronto and the Maple Leafs: A City and Its Team" (2017) Lance Hornby

From Goodreads ~ On December 19, 2017, the Toronto Maple Leafs officially turn 100. In the spirit of the centenary celebrations, Toronto and the Maple Leafs explores the city’s relationship with its most beloved sports team. No matter how many times the Jays and Raptors make the playoffs, it’s a Leafs game that still brings the city together on a cold Saturday night and fuels the talk shows all summer. But why are fans so absorbed by a team that has not won a Cup in 50 years?

Veteran Leafs and NHL columnist Lance Hornby gives readers an insider’s perspective on how the pulse of the city and team became one through two world wars, the Depression, the zany Harold Ballard years, and, until recently, dysfunctional hockey operations. Toronto and the Maple Leafs includes insights and stories from Mayor John Tory to Joe Fan; from influential voices of the Leafs, such as Foster Hewitt and Joe Bowen, to the ushers, cleaners, and ticket scalpers. Not to mention a funeral director who performs Leafs-themed services.

An unforgettable book about the good teams, bad games, and bizarre times of this franchise’s history, this is the perfect companion for every Leafs fan.

Though I don't dislike hockey, I will admit that I'm not a hockey fan. This book caught my eye because I am interested in Toronto and its history and the Toronto Maple Leafs obviously are part of that history.

The author of this book, Lance Hornby, has covered the Maple Leafs and the National Hockey League as a Toronto Sun beat writer and columnist going on 25 years. An avid historian and member of the Society for International Hockey Research, he has written, co-authored or edited six books, including the Story of Maple Leaf Gardens and Hockey's Greatest Moments. He has appeared on Sportsnet, TSN, CBC and LeafsTV.

The Maple Leafs were founded in 1917, known as the Toronto Arenas. Under new ownership, the club was named the Toronto St. Patricks in 1919. In 1927 the club was purchased by Conn Smythe and renamed the Maple Leafs. They were one of the "Original Six", one of six NHL teams to have made it through the league during the Great Depression. They have won 13 Stanley Cups, second only to the 24 championships of the Montreal Canadiens. They last won the Stanley Cup in 1967 and fans have been waiting 50 years, the longest current streak in the NHL, for them to win another.

I found the stories in this book interesting. They were short and bite-sized and covered things such as the beginning of the Leafs, the Harold Ballard years, playing in Maple Leafs Gardens and then the Air Canada Centre (ACC), super fans, employees, players past and present, and more. There are stories and quotes from the players, employees and fans.

The last chapter lists the Leafs' top 100 by numbers ... for example:

3 - the number of rinks the Leafs have called home (Mutual Street, Maple Leaf Gardens and the ACC)
6 - the number of overtime periods of the longest Leafs playoff game (April 3 to 4, 1933)
11 - the number of "Smiths" who have played for the Leafs
47 - NHL teams the Leafs have played against, including defunct clubs
79 - the number of game-winning goals by Mats Sundin, the club record
97 - the number of games by Tim Horton in the playoffs, the most played by a Toronto defenceman

As a non-fan, I found this book interesting. If you are a Maple Leafs' fan, you'll probably love it!

Saturday, 9 September 2017

"VOLTA", Cirque du Soleil, Toronto, ON

Gord and I saw Cirque du Soleil's VOLTA - Find Your Free tonight.

Freedom is the ultimate rush

VOLTA tells a spellbinding story about the freedom to choose and the thrill of blazing your own trail. Inspired in part by the adventurous spirit that fuels the culture of action sports, the show weaves acrobatics in a visually striking world driven by a stirring melodic score.

VOLTA is a story of transformation. It is about being true to oneself, fulfilling one’s true potential, and the power of the group to make that possible. It celebrates freedom as a movement.

WAZ, a popular gameshow host, has lost touch with his inner self in the pursuit of fame. But as doubt sets in, WAZ is enlightened by childhood memories as he encounters FREE SPIRITS who open doors to his inner soul he has long kept shut. On his high-voltage search for meaning, will WAZ find the courage to relinquish his fame, reconnect with his true self, and shine bright?

It takes place in a tent that has been set up in a parking lot by the east end of Toronto Harbour.

Gord

There are lots of souvenirs you can buy at the Cirque Shop in the lobby, along with drinks and snacks.

Here's the stage from our seats before it started. We were in section 200, in the middle of the row. I like being a bit higher up with Cirque shows so I can see everything.

This is the fourth Cirque show I've seen (I've seen six in total ... I saw two twice). Usually I have no idea what the story is about but that doesn't matter because the shows are amazing. This time, though, I did understand the story as it was unfolding.

There is a large cast and there is always something going on. There are BMX biker riders, a bike and ballet duo, rope skipping, acrobatic ladders and more.

Gord and I both enjoyed it.

The show just started on Thursday and runs 'til November 26 ... you should check it out!

Toronto Wolfpack 26, Barrow Raiders 2, Lamport Stadium, Toronto, ON

The Toronto Wolfpack is a Canadian professional rugby league club, based in here in Toronto, which began play in the 2017 League 1 season. They are notable as being the first Canadian team to play in the Rugby Football League system, the first fully professional rugby league team in Canada and the world's first trans-Atlantic rugby league team. Their home stadium is Lamport Stadium (aka "The Den"), which is just a couple blocks from where we live.

This afternoon they were playing the Barrow Raiders in the super 8s. A win or a tie for the Wolfpack and they would win Kingstone league and earn promotion to second division. The Raiders were just two points behind the WolfPack.

Seating is general admission (so you can sit where you want) and Gord and I sat where we usually sit ... in the middle on the east side.

Gord and I in our Wolfpack gear

The Wolfpack's cheerleaders are the She-Wolves and they entertained before the game started.

God Save the Queen and O Canada were sung before the game.

Toronto Blue Jays 4, Detroit Tigers 5, Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON

Gord and I got last minute free tickets to tonight's Toronto Blue Jays game against the Detroit Tigers ... sweet!

We were in section 530 in the front row, just above third base. Here we are before the game started.

The DJ was taking requests for tunes.

The Blue Jays starting line-up ...

Some of the Blue Jays warmed up.

Lady Gaga Joanne World Tour, Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON

Lady Gaga played two nights in Toronto, last night and tonight ... and Gord and I were there tonight.

You could buy souvenir teeshirts, etc.

Our seats were in section 323. This looking down at the floor before the concert started as people were coming in.

Here are me and Gord.

The concert was supposed to start at 8:30pm ... the 10 minute countdown started about 9:05pm.

The special effects and light show were fabulous!

Kwan Dim Sum & Chinese Cuisine, Toronto, ON

Our manager was in town today and took the team out for lunch. We went to Kwan (on Yonge Street, north of St. Clair Avenue).

There was a continuous supply of tea.

Many at our table started with wonton soup.

We ordered a bunch of things and shared.

Book ~ "A is for Alibi" (1982) Sue Grafton

From Goodreads ~ When Laurence Fife was murdered, few mourned his passing. A prominent divorce attorney with a reputation for single-minded ruthlessness on behalf of his clients, Fife was also rumored to be a dedicated philanderer. Plenty of people in the picturesque southern California town of Santa Teresa had a reason to want him dead. Including, thought the cops, his young and beautiful wife, Nikki. With motive, access, and opportunity, Nikki was their number-one suspect. The jury thought so, too.

Eight years later and out on parole, Niki Fife hires Kinsey Millhone to find out who really killed her late husband.

A trail that is eight years cold. A trail that reaches out to enfold a bitter, wealthy, and foul-mouthed old woman and a young boy, born deaf, whose memory cannot be trusted. A trail that leads to a lawyer defensively loyal to a dead partner - and disarmingly attractive to Millhone; to an ex-wife, brave, lucid, lovely - and still angry over Fife's betrayal of her; to a not-so-young secretary with too high a salary for too few skills - and too many debts left owing: The trail twists to include them all, with Millhone following every turn until it finally twists back on itself and she finds herself face-to-face with a killer cunning enough to get away with murder.

It's 1982 and Niki Fife has just spent the last eight years in prison for killing her husband, Laurence, a divorce attorney. She didn't do it so she hires Kinsey Millhone, a private detective, to figure out who is the real murderer. A few days after Laurence had been killed, Libby, his law firm's accountant and Laurence's rumored affair, had died the same way (oleander poisoning). How is it connected? Laurence wasn't a nice guy so there are many suspects ... his ex-partner, his ex-wife, his adult children, former girlfriends, Libby's former boyfriend, etc.

As Kinsey is investigating, she is attracted to Laurence' former partner, Charlie, something she knows is a conflict of interest but she has a hard time fighting it.

A side case has Kinsey doing a job for an insurance company ... proving a woman who is off on disability doesn't deserve a pay out.

This is the first in the "alphabet series" featuring Kinsey Millhone. I discovered this series in the mid-1990s and have been a fan since and have read them all. Since the series will soon come to an end, I am starting at the beginning and rereading them. They are all set in the 1980s before everyone had a computer, cell phone, etc. We are introduced briefly to Henry and Rosie, who are prominent characters in the series.

I thought this book was good. It's been about 20 years since I'd read it so I'd forgotten "whodunnit". I like the writing style and thought it flowed well. It is written in first person perspective in Kinsey's voice. It still held up for me considering I read it about 20 years ago and it was published about 35 years ago. As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity.

Monday, 4 September 2017

Book ~ "Saving Sadie: How a Dog That No One Wanted Inspired the World" (2017) Joal Derse Dauer and Elizabeth Ridley

From Goodreads ~ Joal Derse Dauer was just donating blankets at a local no-kill shelter when a disabled and despondent dog caught her eye. With three "fur babies" already at home, Joal wasn't looking to adopt another dog. But there was something special about Sadie, a shepherd mix who had been shot in the head and in the back and left for dead in the hills of Kentucky after giving birth. One gaze into those sorrowful eyes and Joal vowed to do everything possible to get the pitiful creature walking again.

The first three vets offered little hope for Sadie and two even recommended euthanasia. But with patience, hope and plenty of love, Joal noticed a change in her canine companion. And somewhere along the difficult journey, she discovered that sweet Sadie had transformed her life in ways she never could have imagined.

Now, media darlings Joal and Sadie are spreading their message of compassion, acceptance, and kindness around the world. Joyous and inspiring, "Saving Sadie" is a triumphant story about the power of unconditional love and second chances - for humans and animals alike.

I love reading stories about animals and that's why this one caught my attention.

Joal has a big heart where animals are concerned and donated to animal shelters. She was donating to one and saw a dog named Sadie who had just given birth to puppies and was then shot between her eyes and in her back (leaving her paralyzed) and left to die in the woods in Kentucky. Though vets suggested that the dog be euthanized, Joal felt Sadie deserved a chance and took her home for a day. That day became a month, which became forever.

Joal put a lot of time, effort and heart into making Sadie the best she could be. Sadie receives therapy including acupuncture, aqua puncture, cranial sacral, chiropractic, laser, e-stim, Power Plate and infrared therapy and is no longer fecally or urinary incontinent.

Along the way, Joal realized that not only was Sadie changing but so was she. Their catchphrase became "Think about what you can do, not what you can't do - just like Sadie does" and they took up the banner of the anti-bullying movement. Sadie has been featured in newspapers, radio, TV and even had a presence at the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards.

I liked the writing style and thought it flowed well. I found Joal honest in her love of animals and her devotion of Sadie.

You can donate to help Sadie walk again and to her ongoing therapies here.

Sunday, 3 September 2017

La Diperie, Toronto, ON (Queen W)

I went for a walk along Queen Street W this afternoon and came across La Diperie (Queen Street W and Strachan Avenue) ... and couldn't resist. They apparently opened two weeks ago.

Step one is to choose the size of your ice cream what kind of a cone you want ... I chose medium. Step two is to choose your dip ... I chose Bailey's. Steps three is to add toppings ... I passed.

Toronto Wolfpack 36, Whitehaven RLFC 18, Lamport Stadium, Toronto, ON

Before this afternoon's Toronto Wolfpack game, Gord and I stopped in at their store to buy 2018 season passes. They were selling calendars and players were on hand to autograph it.

Basic season passes, which is what we got, are only $199 (including taxes) and you get tickets to all of next year's games plus a scarf.

The Toronto Wolfpack is a Canadian professional rugby league club, based in here in Toronto, which began play in the 2017 League 1 season. They are notable as being the first Canadian team to play in the Rugby Football League system, the first fully professional rugby league team in Canada and the world's first trans-Atlantic rugby league team. Their home stadium is Lamport Stadium (aka "The Den"), which is just a couple blocks from where we live.

This afternoon they were playing the second place Whitehaven RLFC in the super 8s.

Seating is general admission (so you can sit where you want) and Gord and I sat where we usually sit ... in the middle on the east side.

Gord and I

The Wolfpack's cheerleaders are the She-Wolves and they entertained before the game started.

From Goodreads ~ A rash of carjackings terrorizing Newark become newsworthy when one such theft ends in the murder of a wealthy banking executive. The affable, wisecracking Ross is assigned the story but he's weary of only writing about victims of crime who happen to be rich and white. To balance his reporting, he finds a Nigerian immigrant of more modest means who was also killed during a recent carjacking.

When it turns out the two victims knew each other, sharing an unexplained round of golf at a tony country club shortly before their deaths, Carter is plunged onto the trail of a deadly band of car thieves that includes a sociopathic ex-convict. When his unborn child is put in harm's way, it becomes more than just a story for Carter. And he'll stop at nothing to rescue the baby-even if it costs him his own life.

Carter Ross is a reporter for a newspaper in New Jersey. Kevin Tiemeyer, a rich white businessman, had been shot and killed during a carjacking and Carter is assigned to the story. Rather than focus on Tiemeyer, Carter is curious to see if this carjacking was a one-off occurrence and discovers that it had recently happened to a Nigerian immigrant named Joseph Okeke. He starts to investigate Okeke, spending time with his ex-wife, daughter and girlfriend. He discovers that Tiemeyer and Okeke knew each other through their golf club. Carter suspects there is connection and it can't be a coincidence that they both died during carjackings.

In the meantime, Carter and his boss, Tina, are dating again and will soon have a baby (hence the reason they are back together). This brings out a paternalistic side of Carter than he didn't realize he had.

I liked this book. There were lots of possible "whodunnits" and we don't find out who is behind it all until the end. I enjoyed the writing style ... it was funny and sarcastic. It is written in first person perspective in Carter's voice but also in third person perspective from Black Hat's (one of the carjackers) point of view. I liked the characters. Carter is funny yet dorky and the other characters such as Chillax (an intern) and Tommy are colourful.

This is the sixth book in the Carter Ross series and I like this series. Despite being part of a series, this book works well as a stand alone so you don't need to read the others to enjoy this one as there is enough background provided.