Sunday stroll

Another gorgeous day (sunny and 7C) so KC and I went for a two hour walk.

To give KC some different things to sniff (cuz she loves to sniff!), we went north on Dovercourt, east along Dundas W and then entered Trinity Bellwoods Park from the north end.

Is that our neighbours, Bailey and his mom, down the hill?

Yep! So we went hung out with them in the doggy area for a while.

There were lots of dogs playing and running around.

KC doesn't frolic with other dogs but Bailey does. Then he needed a big drink!

KC and I carried on through the Park before heading for home.

Book ~ "Almost Dead" (2007) - Lisa Jackson

From lisajackson.com ~ Cissy Cahill's world is unraveling fast. One by one, members of her family are dying. Cissy's certain she's being watched. Or is she losing her mind? Lately she's heard footsteps when there's on one around, smelled a woman's perfume and noticed small, personal items missing from her house. Cissy's right to be afraid - but not for the reason she things. The truth is much more terrifying . . . including murder.

Hidden in the shadows of the Cahill family's twisted past is a shocking secret - a secret that will only be satisfied by blood. And Cissy must uncover the deadly truth before it's too late, because fear is coming home . . . with a vengeance.

This was a big book ... there were a lot of pages. Which was fine but it didn't have to be. It could have been cut down a lot.

The writing style was okay. The story was so-so ... kind of convoluted. I didn't buy the ending ... the "whodunnit". At the end, I said "whatever". If I say too much, I'll give it away so I'll leave it at that. And I didn't really care about any of the characters except for Coco, the dog.

Would I recommend it? No.

Saturday stroll

It's such a nice day (sunny and 9C) that I skipped going to the gym and took KC for a two hour walk instead. She was psyched!

We headed to Coronation Park. It's a 15 minute walk south of us ... 30 minutes with a dog who likes to sniff everything.

The boats aren't in the water yet ... they are still tucked in at the yacht club.

But there were lots of swans and ducks.

We headed towards and up Bathurst. Hard to believe I'll be climbing up the CN Tower in a couple weeks!

Across the street, we passed by Fort York.

We cut through south Stanley Park. It's a leash-free park most of the time and there were lots of dogs out playing.

Toronto Blue Jays 6, Boston Red Sox 3

Gord and I went to the Blue Jays home opener tonight.

We were up on the 5th level ... $9 seats.

It was sold out ... more than 50,000 fans!

Frank Thomas in action!

Gord

A couple of people jumped onto the field and ran. Not a wise decision as they were tackled, 'cuffed and led away by the police.

The Jays got nine strikeouts ... seven got us a free slice of pizza tomorrow. Whoohoo!

Click here to see Gord do his happy dance at the end!

Excellent customer service

When I was in Halifax last month, I bought a couple of hoodies with "Nova Scotia" on the front at a store in the airport.

I bought Gord a blue XL one. I judged that from the size of his, I would need a L one (mine is ivy/green). I didn't bother unfolding it.

When I got home, I discovered that the L and XL were exactly the same size ... one must have been sized wrong. Mine was waaaaaaaaaaay too big for me.

I checked the label and sent an email to Fundy Textile & Design to let them know what had happened. Since I'd thrown out the tag and receipt, my intent was just to draw it to their intention so they could fix the problem going forward. I was going to give mine to Gord.

I got an email from Renee right away. She said she would exchange mine (even without the tag and receipt) if I mailed it back to her. Plus I would be refunded the mail costs.

How nice is that?!

And guess what arrived by courier today?!

My hoodie!

And not only did she exchange my hoodie but she sent me a M one instead (I had asked if that was possible).

And I love it!

What great customer service!

Renee rocks!

Book ~ "Suspect" (2004) - Michael Robotham

From Amazon.com ~ Joe O'Loughlin, a London psychologist, loves his job and loves his family (wife Julianne and eight-year-old daughter Charlie) even more in Australian author Robotham's well-written, if somewhat convoluted, debut suspense novel. O'Loughlin's life takes two disastrous turns: first, he's diagnosed with Parkinson's disease; second, while helping Det. Insp. Vincent Ruiz on the case of a murdered nurse, Catherine Mary McBride, he becomes the primary suspect in the killing. The crime occurred close to O'Loughlin's London home, giving him opportunity, and it turns out that McBride had been his patient and had accused him of harassment, giving him plenty of motive. Vivid characters mostly avoid stereotype, while a fast and furious last section makes up for a wealth of asides and anecdotes that, however effectively done, slow the narrative. More seriously, the book can't decide whether it's a psychological mystery or a conspiracy thriller and strains credibility well past the breaking point. Still, Robotham shows real promise, putting a fresh spin on the familiar crime fiction trope of the falsely accused man.

The premise sounded good and I love mysteries ... but I found this book really really slow. I wouldn't recommend it.

I wasn't sympathic to Joe at all. He finds out he has Parkinson's ... so gets drunk and sleeps with a former hooker. Hello ... he has a wife!!

The ending is definitely convoluted! Whatever ...

Gord's birthday

Today is Gord's birthday.

We started the day with a couple's massage (we have a massage in the same room at the same time but have our own therapists) at the Elmwood Spa. Then we enjoyed the pool and hot tub for a while.

Then we walked to Hernando's Hideaway for lunch and had chimichangas.

Happy birthday, Gord!

Sunday walk

When I got home from the gym, I took KC for a long walk (almost two hours).

We ended up at her favourite park, Trinity Bellwoods Park.

There's still some snow there, but it's melting ... so it's pretty muddy. And there's lots for KC for sniff.

Cribbage

Gord and I went up to Jasmine and Grant's tonight to play cribbage.

Jasmine, Gord and Grant

Grant, dealer extraordinaire!

Gord

Jasmine

Though Gord and I have been playing crib since before Jasmine and Grant were even born, we got our butts kicked! They beat us five games to one ... six if you count the skunk!

Jasmine and Grant ... victorious!

It was a fun time!

I used to play a lot of crib. I was in a crib league when I lived in Antigonish years ago. Gord and I were in one here in Toronto for a few years (2001 - 2004). Hard to believe considering the whuppin' we got tonight!

Byron-approved

I bought a new comforter/sham set yesterday for our bed.

I found Byron this morning in one of his usual spots ... so it would seem that he likes it!

Trying a new recipe

I made pork tenderloin for supper tonight.

I Googled and found a recipe for it. Pork tenderloin, apples, cinnamon and brown sugar. Sounded good. The fact that there was no liquids concerned me. But I assumed that the pork would produce enough juice.

Apparently not.

The pork was good but the apple combo stuck to the roasting pan and won't come off.

It's hard to clean.

So it will be soaking overnight.

Next time I'll include apple juice or water.

Busy morning

KC and I had a busy morning!

We dropped the car off at the garage in our 'hood because the break lights don't go out sometimes.

Then we stopped at the vet for eye drops.

Then we headed to her favourite park, Trinity Bellwoods Park. We had just gotten there, she was walking on some ice, it cracked ... and she ended up in a deep hole full of water! I pulled her out as she was paddling ... she was wet, dirty and smelly. We finished our walk and headed for home.

Look how dirty she was!

Look at that dirty belly!

I gave her a bath, which she wasn't happy about at all!

But she's so much cleaner now!

Here's a clean belly!

Book ~ "The Bone Garden" (2007) - Tess Gerritsen

From Amazon.com ~ Julia Hamill discovers a skeleton buried in the garden of the Boston house she's just moved into; the ring found with the remains was in fashion in the 1830s, the fractured bones suggest murder. Flashback to 1830: medical student Norris Marshall, an outcast among his wealthier classmates, meets Rose Connolly in a Boston maternity ward, where Rose's sister recently died of childbirth fever. When several gutted bodies turn up in deserted alleyways, Rose and Norris are the only ones to catch a glimpse of the killer, dubbed the West End Reaper. Norris, Rose and Norris's fellow student, Oliver Wendell Holmes, race to uncover the truth behind the slayings, which will remind many of Jack the Ripper's crimes. In the present, Julia is able to trace their progress with the help of a relative of the house's former owner. Unfortunately, neither the present nor the historical story line maintains the suspense necessary for a whodunit spanning several generations.

This author was recommended to me by Linwood Barclay ... I'd never heard of her.

This was a quick read. I enjoyed the writing style (though it did get mired down with 1800s surgical details in some places) and it kept my interest.

I like historical stories and liked the way it flipped back and forth from the present to the past.

There were some twists at the end that I didn't see coming but they made sense.

It wasn't much of a thriller but I would recommend it as a lighter read.

Book ~ "Slash" - Slash (2007)

From Chapters.ca ~ Here, for the first time ever, Slash tells the tale that has yet to be told from the inside: how Guns N' Roses came together, how they wrote the music that defined an era, how they survived insane, never-ending tours, how they survived themselves, and, ultimately, how it all fell apart. This is a window onto the world of the notoriously private guitarist and a seat on the roller-coaster ride that was one of history’s greatest rock ’n’ roll machines, always on the edge of self-destruction, even at the pinnacle of its success. This is a candid recollection and reflection of Slash’s friendships past and present, from easygoing Izzy to ever-steady Duff to wild-child Steven and complicated Axl.

It is also an intensely personal account of struggle and triumph: as Guns N’ Roses journeyed to the top, Slash battled his demons, escaping the overwhelming reality with women, heroin, coke, crack, vodka, and whatever else came along.

I was never a fan of Guns N' Roses ... I've heard of them obviously and recognize some of their songs. But I am into bios so that's why I read this one by Slash (or The Slash, as Gord calls him).

I enjoyed the raw first person writing style, though there were typos throughout. It got confusing sometimes keeping track of who was who because there are so many people mentioned. And after a while it loses it's shock value because it gets to be just another drug story or partying story, etc. Yeah yeah, whatever.

But it's an interesting story. It was a wild excessive ride, that's for sure.

More white stuff?!

We woke up this morning to more snow.

Not much.

But more nonetheless.