Stone Crock Restaurant, St. Jacobs, ON

Sister Sarah and I drove to St. Jacobs (1.5 hours away) and poked in the cute craft shops.

We had a late lunch at the Stone Crock Restaurant.

Tom's Dairy Freeze, Etobicoke, ON

Sister Sarah and I were craving ice cream this afternoon so went to Tom's Dairy Freeze on the Queensway.

Book ~ "Twelve Months" (2012) Steven Manchester

From StevenManchester.com ~ Don DiMarco has a very good life – a family he loves, a comfortable lifestyle, passions and interests that keep him amused. He also thought he had time but that turned out not to be the case. Faced with news that might have immediately felled most, Don now wonders if he has time enough. Time enough to show his wife the romance he didn’t always lavish on her. Time enough to live out his most ambitious fantasies. Time enough to close the circle on some of his most aching unresolved relationships. Summoning an inner strength he barely realized he possessed, Don sets off to prove that twelve months is time enough to live a life in full. 

A glorious celebration of each and every moment that we’re given here on Earth, as well as the eternal bonds that we all share, Twelve Months is a stirring testament to the power of the human spirit.

What would you do if you were told that you only had twelve months left?

Don DiMarco is in his 50s and assumed he was going to live to be an old man.  But then he gets the news that this isn't so.  His doctor tells him he has twelve months ... that's it.

How does he want to spend his last year? He makes a list of things he wants to do which includes deep sea fishing, hang out on a ranch, buying and RV and traveling and being a racecar driver.  What he realizes along the way is that spending time with his friends and family and giving of himself is the most precious thing.


I enjoyed the writing style.  Though fiction, it reads like a memoir written by Don.

I liked Don and his wife, Bella.  I could feel the connection between them.  Bella obviously doesn't want to lose Don but she respects that there are things he has to do before his time runs out.

The lesson ... don't wait until the end of your life to start enjoying all the magical moments that are waiting for you.

X-Nail & Spa, Toronto, ON

Sister Sarah and I got pedicures this afternoon at X-Nail & Spa in Liberty Village. Gord and I had discovered them last month and liked them.

Kim did Sister Sarah's pedicure and Nina did mine.

They have a huge selection of colours.  Here is Sister Sarah's foot .. her polish is OPI's Blue My Mind.

Mine is OPI's Tomorrow Never Dies.

I like it there because they are really friendly and it's not too far from home.

Island Foods, Toronto, ON (King Street W)

Sister Sarah and I had lunch at Island Foods (King W/Dufferin) today.

Sister Sarah had a vegetarian roti and I had a chicken roti ... I love their rotis!  Yum-mee!

Book ~ "Better Than Chocolate" (2012) Sheila Roberts

From Goodreads ~ Sweet Dreams Chocolate Company has been in the Sterling family for generations, ever since Great-Grandma Rose literally dreamed up her first fabulous recipe. But now it looks as if they're about to lose Sweet Dreams to the bank—and that would be a disaster, not only for the family but for the town of Icicle Falls, Washington. Can Samantha, the oldest daughter and new head of the company, come up with a way to save it?After Samantha does some brainstorming with her mother and sisters, inspiration strikes. They'll have a chocolate festival! Time's running out, but the Sterling women are determined and the town's behind them, so everything's bound to go smoothly….

Or not. Events seem to be conspiring against Samantha, and her mother's attempts to help aren't helping. To make matters worse, the fate of her company is in the hands of her archenemy, Blake Preston, the bank manager with the football-hero good looks. It's enough to drive her to chocolate. But Blake's also enough to convince her that (believe it or not) there's something even better than chocolate.

Chocolate ... yum!

Samantha's step-dad, Waldo, was running the family-owned business and running it badly.  When the book begins, Waldo has just died.  Samantha has taken over running the family business and sees just how dire things are.  The bank is going to foreclose on the loan, Waldo hadn't paid his insurance premiums and Samantha's mother, Muriel, is going to lose her house. To try and save the company and bring tourists to the town, they quickly organize a chocolate festival.

I enjoyed the writing style.  I liked the characters for the most part, though I had some issues.

The new bank manager, Blake, is someone Samantha went to high school with.  He is just doing his job in turning her down for an extension.  She takes it personally, gets a hate on for him and is rude to him every time she seems him.  In my opinion, that's a bad move.  Instead she should have been sucking up to him rather than trying to antagonize him.  She's lucky he remains nice and supportive.  If they had just sat down and had a conversation, there wouldn't have been any misunderstandings or assumptions on Samantha's part.  But we needed conflict, right?

Samantha doesn't sound like she'd be much fun to be around.  She takes on everything and everyone lets her ... so when does she have time for fun?

I found Muriel a bit wimpy.  She was very dependent upon her two late husbands and let them handle the finances so she was clueless.  When Waldo dies, she goes into a fog of grieving and leaves Waldo's mess to Samantha to deal with.  Eventually with time and the help of her support group, she finds herself.

It's a cute story ... the ending wraps up quickly with a happy ending.  There are some recipes at the end.  This is part of a series dealing with the residents of Icicle Falls.

"Sister Act", Ed Mirvish Theatre, Toronto, ON

Sister Sarah and I saw Sister Act tonight.

Sister Act is Broadway’s feel-amazing musical comedy smash! The New York Post calls it “Ridiculously fun” and audiences are jumping to their feet in total agreement! 

Featuring original music by 8-time Oscar® winner Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Little Shop of Horrors), Sister Act tells the story of Deloris Van Cartier, a wannabe diva whose life takes a surprising turn when she witnesses a crime and the cops hide her in the last place anyone would think to look—a convent! Under the suspicious watch of Mother Superior, Deloris helps her fellow sisters find their voices as she unexpectedly rediscovers her own. A sparkling tribute to the universal power of friendship, Sister Act is reason to rejoice! 

The only reason I'd bought us tickets was because Mirvish had a great seat sale a couple weeks ago ... buy one ticket and get another for $1.  Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone to see it.  I thought it would be a fun play for Sister Sarah and I.

And it was!

It was excellent!

It was fun and lively and colourful.  It's set in the 1970s and has that kind of vibe.  Some are suave in a Barry White kind of way.  All the actors did an excellent job in their roles.

I'm not Catholic and I didn't get some of the religious jokes, though.

I'd recommend it!

Here are Sister Sarah and I afterwards giving the play two thumbs up.

The Olde Angel Inn, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON

Sister Sarah and I drove to Niagara-on-the-Lake after we left Niagara Falls and walked around for a bit.

We had a late lunch at the Olde Angel Inn.  I've been there with Gord a couple times.

There were a few people in the restaurant, mostly in the front part.  We were seated in the back room.

Niagara Falls, ON

Sister Sarah and I went to Niagara Falls this morning ... it's an hour and a half drive from Toronto.

Here is a shot of the American side and the Maid of the Mist.

Here is Sister Sarah.

Whelan's Gate Irish Pub, Toronto, ON

After walking around High Park, Gord, Sister Sarah and I had supper at Whelan's Gate (Bloor W/Keele).

We sat upstairs.

Changing leaves in High Park ... not quite

Gord, Sister Sarah and I walked around High Park for about three hours.

We were looking forward to seeing colourful leaves.

Some were changing ... but most weren't ... yet.

KC's tree, Trinity Bellwoods Park, Toronto, ON

Gord, Sister Sarah and I walked to Trinity Bellwoods Park this afternoon.

Some of the trees are changing colours. We were surprised that more weren't.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday in October in Canada. Unlike the American tradition of remembering Pilgrims and settling in the New World, Canadians give thanks for a successful harvest. The harvest season falls earlier in Canada than the United States.

The history of Thanksgiving in Canada goes back to an English explorer named Martin Frobisher, who had been trying to find a northern passage to the Orient. He did not succeed but he did establish a settlement in Northern America. In 1578, he held a formal ceremony, in what is now called Newfoundland, to give thanks for surviving the long journey. This is considered the first Canadian Thanksgiving. Other settlers arrived and continued these ceremonies. He was later knighted and had an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean in northern Canada named after him - Frobisher Bay.

At the same time, French settlers, crossed the ocean and arrived in Canada with explorer, Samuel de Champlain, also held huge feasts of thanks. They even formed 'The Order of Good Cheer' and gladly shared their food with their Indian neighbours.

After the Seven Year's War ended in 1763, the citizens of Halifax held a special day of Thanksgiving.

During the American Revolution, Americans who remained loyal to England moved to Canada where they brought the customs and practices of the American Thanksgiving to Canada. There are many similarities between the two Thanksgivings such as the cornucopia and pumpkin pie.

Eventually in 1879, Parliament declared November 6 a day of Thanksgiving and a national holiday. Over the years many dates were used for Thanksgiving. The most popular was the third Monday in October. After World War I, both Armistice Day and Thanksgiving were celebrated on the Monday of the week in which November 11 occurred. In 1931, the two days became separate holidays and Armistice Day was renamed Remembrance Day.

On January 31, 1957, Parliament proclaimed ... A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed ... to be observed on the second Monday in October.

Book ~ "Falling in Love" (2012) Stephen Bradlee

From Falling in Love - The Book ~ Sherry Johnson is young, beautiful, bright and athletic. She has everything going for her, except for one thing.

She is addicted to love.

Her life is a vicious circle of nightly trysts and morning regrets.

Her addiction got her kicked out of college, cost her the love of her life and has left her in complete despair.

But still Sherry keeps falling in love. And falling. And falling.

Finally, as Sherry struggles to pull herself up from a bottomless pit, she realizes that she will have to learn to love the one person she has loathed for most of her life.

Herself.

Sherry Johnson hasn't had a nice life.  Her father died when she was a baby and her mother abandoned her to be raised by her mother's unaffectionate sister and too affectionate brother.  The last time she talked with her mother, she was ten and her mother said she'd call her again soon ... but never did.  Sherry spends her life searching for the love she never had.

Her pattern is to get hammered and sleep with men, which she regrets the next day when she wakes up hungover and naked in a strange bed ... which leads her to do it again and again.   She meets and falls in love with Paul but this is destroyed when she continues to "act out" and he discovers who/what she really is.

"The Pirates of Penzance", Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Stratford, ON

Gord, Sister Sarah and I boarded the 11am train this morning and headed to Stratford.  We had tickets to see The Pirates of Penzance at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.

Gord and I go to the Stratford Festival twice a year ... this is our second time this year.  We saw The War of 1812 in June.

Here are Gord and I on the train to Stratford.

There were some delays on the tracks so we ended up arriving 40 minutes late to Stratford ... we had ten minutes to get to theatre.  The opera was at the Avon Theatre.

Boar's Head Pub, Stratford ON

After seeing The Pirate of Penzance, Gord, Sister Sarah and I went to the Boar's Head for supper.

It's been a while since Gord and I ate there.

Toronto Blue Jays 2, Minnesota Twins 1

Tonight was the last game for the Blue Jays for this season.  Alas, they aren't going into the playoffs.

Gord and I were at the game.  We had great seats ... row 12 in section 129.  Because of the chance of rain, the dome was closed.

I wore my Jays' teeshirt with Brett Lawrie on the back ... and here he is at bat.

Book ~ "Breakaway" (2012) Michael Betcherman

From Razorbill ~ Sixteen-year-old Nick Macklin's life has been divided in two. Before and After. Before his father went to jail, and After.

Before, he was a talented hockey player, an A student, in love with his girlfriend, Sherry, and had the greatest dad in the world, a man who not only was there for him after his mom died of cancer, but who was also a star player for the Vancouver Canucks.

Then the bottom fell out. His father was convicted of murder and given a life sentence for a crime Nick is convinced he didn't commit.

Now living with his dad's agent, the only thing that keeps Nick going is a burning desire to seek justice for his father. Who framed him? And why? Drifting away from everything and everyone who matters, Nick spends his days roaming the city, looking for the bald man with a limp who is the key to answering these questions: the man his father swears planted the evidence that led to his conviction.

Finding him is like looking for a needle in a haystack—until Nick stumbles on a very real clue, an eye-opening revelation that just might get his father out of jail forever.

Nick's dad, a famous hockey player, is convicted of murder and sent to prison for life.  Nick's mom is dead so Nick goes to live with his dad's agent, Al.  Nick finds it hard to be satisfied with the once a month visits to see his dad in prison.  Believing in his dad's innocence, Nick rides the buses around Vancouver looking for Baldy, a bald man with no eye brows and limps who left some paint on Nick's dad's jacket on the night of the murder ... this ultimately convicted his dad.

Nick eventually puts his life in order ... he gets back on the hockey team and puts some effort into  improving his grades. Plus he makes peace with his ex-girlfriend, Sherry.  Then Nick and his friend, Google, come across a tip they can't ignore and the mystery is eventually solved.

This is a YA book that didn't seem like a YA book.  I enjoyed the writing style and didn't find it  immature.  The language and actions at times is actually mature.  The story was good and I'd recommend this book.

I  received a copy of this book at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

Book ~ "Murder Takes Time" (2012) Giacomo Giammatteo

From Partners in Crime ~ A string of brutal murders has bodies piling up in Brooklyn, and Detective Frankie Donovan knows what is going on. Clues left at the crime scenes point to someone from the old neighborhood, and that isn't good.

Frankie has taken two oaths in his life—the one he took to uphold the law when he became a cop, and the one he took with his two best friends when they were eight years old and inseparable.

Those relationships have forced Frankie to make many tough decisions, but now he faces the toughest one of his life; he has five murders to solve and one of those two friends is responsible. If Frankie lets him go, he breaks the oath he took as a cop and risks losing his job. But if he tries to bring him in, he breaks the oath he kept for twenty-five years—and risks losing his life.

In the neighborhood where Frankie Donovan grew up, you never broke an oath.

I enjoyed this book ... a lot!  The story was good.  Nicky "The Rat" Fusco, Frankie "Bugs" Donovan, and Tony "The Brain" Sanullo became friends when they were young and remained friends as they became adults, even after Frankie became a cop and the others went to prison and/or became involved in the mob.  Their loyalty and friendship are tested as members of the mob start getting brutally murdered.

I enjoyed the writing style ... it kept me wanting to read more.  The style was interesting in that a chapter would take place in the present time with the murder investigations and then the next would go back (in chronological order) to when the boys were younger and what shaped them to be who they are today.  Don't worry, it's clearly indicated at the top of the chapter what time period it is so you don't get confused.


The writing style has two points of view ... when it was in the present day, the point of view was in third person and when it was in the past until the present, it was first person (Nicky's voice).  Sometimes during Nicky's chapters (his point of view), it changed back to third person again.  It took me the first couple of chapters to get used to this.

The good guys are likable and I even liked some of the bad guys.

Warning:  there is mature language and violence.

My only complaint about the book is that there were so many characters at times (mainly mobsters) and I had a problem keeping them some of them straight.

This is the first book I've read by this author and will put him on my "to keep reading" list.  This is apparently the first in the series and I look forward to many more to come.

Book ~ "Managing for People Who Hate Managing: Be a Success By Being Yourself" (2012) Devora Zack

From Goodreads ~ Professional success, more often than not, means becoming a manager. Yet nobody prepared you for having to deal with messy tidbits like emotions, conflicts, and personalities—all while achieving ever-greater goals and meeting ever-looming deadlines. Not exactly what you had in mind, is it?

Don’t panic. Devora Zack has the tools to help you succeed and even thrive as a manager. Drawing on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Zack introduces two primary management styles—thinkers and feelers—and guides you in developing a management style that fits who you really are.

She takes you through a host of potentially difficult situations, showing how this new way of understanding yourself and others makes managing less of a stumble in the dark and more of a walk in the park. Her enlightening examples, helpful exercises, and lifesaving tips make this book the new go-to guide for all those managers looking to love their jobs again.

I  received a copy of this book at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

As an employee, I found it interesting and enjoyed it.

According to the author, there are two reasons for managerial angst:

1. When you manage people, you have less time to do what stimulates you.
2. You've got to deal with people's stuff ... as therapist, mediator and cruise director