Luce Restaurant, Toronto, ON

I had lunch today at Luce Restaurant, which is on King Street W (just east of of Niagara Street).

Just the brunch/lunch menu was available.  I love chicken parm so I ordered a Pollo Parmigiana sandwich (without the grated parmigiano) with roasted potatoes.  The roasted potatoes were good.

beautybox five - April 2016

My April beautybox five arrived today.

Beauty Box 5 is a subscription-based, beauty sampling service that delivers 5 deluxe samples and full-sized products right to your door every month.

Subscriptions are $12US a month or $99US for a year.  Shipping is free.

 Here's what was inside ...

• Global Beauty Care Green Tea Makeup Remover Wipes (Green Tea Extract) - full size - $12.99 value - I'm not crazy about these.  I don't like the way they feel (they aren't smooth)
• SoapBox Sea Minerals Body Wash - 2oz - $0.60 value
• Maskeraide All Eyes on Me Hydrating Eye Gels - one pair - $6.25 value
• Chella Passionate Pink Moisturizing Lip Pencil - $18 value
• Jelly Pong Pong Paradise Pigments (Fig) - $19.95 value

Value = $57.79US

Book ~ "The Golden Son" (2015) Shilpi Somaya Gowda

From Goodreads ~ Anil is the cherished son of a large family in rural India. As the eldest boy, he is expected to inherit the role of leader of his clan and arbiter of its disputes, dispensing wisdom and good advice. Leena is his closest companion, a fiercely brave girl who loves nothing more than the wild terrain they inhabit and her close-knit family. As childhood friends, they are inseparable - but as adulthood approaches, they grow apart.

Anil is the first person in his family to leave India, the first to attend college, the first to become a doctor. Half a world away in Dallas, TX, he is caught up in his new life, experiencing all the freedoms and temptations of American culture: he tastes alcohol for the first time, falls in love and learns firsthand about his adopted country’s alluring, dangerous contradictions. Though his work in a gritty urban hospital is grueling, Anil is determined to carve out his own life in America.

At home, Leena dreams of marriage, a strong and true love like the one shared by her parents, and leaves her beloved home to join her new husband’s family in a distant village.

Then things start to go wrong: Anil makes a medical mistake with tragic results, his first love begins to fray and a devastating event makes him question his worth as a doctor and as a friend. On a visit home, Anil rekindles a friendship with the woman who seems to understand him better than anyone else. But their relationship is complicated by a fateful decision made years earlier.

As the two old friends discover each other again, they must also weigh the choice between responsibility and freedom, and between loyalty and love.

When they were children in a small village in India, Anil and Leena were friends.  As they got older, Anil focused more on his education and they grew apart.  Anil's dream was to be a doctor and he does his internship in Dallas, TX.  His roommates, who were also originally from India, become his best friends.  Anil adapts to America very well ... he discovers alcohol and even has an American girlfriend.  His mother assumes he will return to their village once he is finished his education and training and Anil doesn't tell her any different.

Leena is happy when her parents arrange a marriage for her and she moves in with her new husband and his family.  Things don't go as she had expected and the consequence of her actions brings shame upon her family.

This is the second book I've read by this author.  I liked the writing style of this book and it kept me interested and wanting to read it.  It is written in third person perspective.  As a head's up, there is a bit of swearing.  I liked the characters.  It wasn't hard to feel that Anil was being torn by his two worlds.

I knew very little about life in India and learned a lot.  I found it interesting that the customs in India like arranged marriages, dowries and the things that can bring shame to a family still exist today.

I enjoyed this novel and would recommend it.

Sunset Grill Restaurant, Oakville, ON

I had an early lunch today at the Sunset Grill Restaurant on Cornwall Road.

I felt like having breakfast for lunch so ordered 3 eggs (over easy) with peameal bacon, white toast and a glass of milk.  There was a lot of food and it was good!  I ate the eggs and meat, some of the fries and a couple pieces of toast.  I'd get it again!

meowbox - April 2016

Morgan and Crumpet's April meowbox arrived today.

meowbox is a cat subscription box full of surprises, delivered to your door every month. Your meowbox is brimming with yummy cat treats and fun cat toys, specially selected for quality and uniqueness, to cater to your cat’s discriminating taste. 

We carefully research and select items that are high quality and unique. We pick food and treats that are either made with natural ingredients, are tasty, nutritious, grain-free, organic or locally made. You won’t find just the regular run-of-the-mill stuff in your meowbox. Our goal is to excite kitty and put a smile on your face. 

The cost ranges from $22.95 to $32.95 a month, depending on the plan, and shipping is free.

We believe that if we have the opportunity to give, then we should share what we have. This philosophy comes packaged neatly within the heart of every meowbox. For every meowbox you buy, we give a can of food to a shelter cat on your behalf. One box can make a difference.

Our can of food is en route to Moose Jaw Humane Society in Moose Jaw, SK.

Here's what was in the box ...

For all things kitten rescue, visit Kitten Lady, Hannah Show
Original artwork by Mattie Hinkley

Hwy 55, Oakville, ON

My colleague, Shahid, and I had lunch today at Hwy 55 on Trafalgar Road at Cross Avenue.

It has a fun retro interior.

Topbox - April 2016

I got my April Topbox today.

For only $14 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.

Here's what's inside ...

Schick Hydro Silk Razor
$10 value

POP Beauty Pure Pigment (Crystal Glitz)
$11.42 value

Boomerluxe Box - April 2016

My April Boomerluxe box arrived today.

A Boomerluxe subscription box is a package of unique, fun and quality retail products sent directly to you on a recurring, monthly basis. 

The value of your Boomerluxe box is a far greater value than the cost of your subscription. 

A Boomerluxe box will always include five products, one from each of their themed categories (a fashion gift, a beauty gift, a romance gift, a wellness gift and a technology gift). 

Subscriptions are $34.99 for one month or $199 for six months.

Here's what was inside ...

The Girl He Left Behind by Patricia Kay - $5.50 value

Dress up or casual metallic scarf - $12.99 value

Midtown Gastro Hub, Toronto, ON

I had lunch today at Midtown Gastro Hub on Yonge Street (just north of St. Clair Avenue E).   It was a warm sunny day and the patio was full so I sat inside.

I was craving wings and was happy to see that they were half price.  I ordered them with honey garlic sauce and dill ranch sauce for dipping my carrots.  The wings were okay.  There were eight to the pound and the price ($6) was right.

Book ~ "The Book of Joe: About a Dog and His Man" (2016) Vincent Price

From Goodreads ~ Actor Vincent Price won acclaim for his performances as a menacing villain in dozens of macabre horror films, such as "House of Wax". Less well known, though, is Price’s lifelong love of animals, especially his fourteen-year-old mutt, Joe. From his wife’s passion for poodles to film set encounters with all types of creatures, including goats, apes and camels, Price’s life was full of furry, four-legged friends. But it was Joe who truly captured his heart. Intelligent, courageous, and devoted to his owner, Joe was a special dog with a personality all his own.

In this touching and light-hearted memoir, with a new introduction by Bill Hader and a preface by Vincent Price’s daughter, Victoria, Joe gets involved in all sorts of hijinks: At one point, the actor has to defend his canine companion in court! Despite some bad habits, like stealing guests’ shoes, pursuing lustful trysts with neighboring dogs, or belly flopping into the garden fishpond - crushing more than a few fish - Price loves his Joselito, whose unconditional loyalty more than makes up for his minor indiscretions. And when Price’s elderly cousin who comes to stay with him is stricken with cancer, Joe never leaves her side. Price’s tender and witty recollections of his time spent with Joe will bring joy to any animal lover’s heart.

I liked reading stories about animals and that's why this one caught my eye ... it was written by actor Vincent Price (1911 - 1993) about his then 14-year-old dog, Joe, and was originally published in 1961 (it's been recently updated with an intro by actor Bill Hader and a preface by Price's daughter, Victoria).

Price was an animal lover and tells about all the animals he'd had in his life including Albert, a Siamese cat he adopted while living in London; his son's two LOUD roosters; Prudence, his second wife's poodle; and more.  The focus of the book is Joe, a mutt he adopted from a pet store over the Christmas holidays.  He got Joe in a down period of his life.  He stated that when women are down, they "buy new hats and perfume".  When men are down, they "get a haircut,  His first marriage had just broken up; his wife, son and their family dog had moved out; and his other dog had gotten hit by a car and died.  Joe became a special dog to Price.

There are illustrations throughout the book by Leo Hershfield.

In line at the pet shop where Price found Joe.  Source

There's Joe!  Source

Source

Source

Price even had to go to court to defend Joe was he was sued for $13,000 (about $220,000 in today's dollars) by a plastered plasterer who charged that Joe ran out in front of his bike, causing him to fall and get hurt.

Source

Given that it was written more than 50 years ago, the writing style is different ... it's more formal and alliterative, yet funny at times.  For example, Price said that he was a quick eater and describes himself as a "fast finisher of food".  He used words such as "nomenclature" and "umbrage".  He described his cat, Albert's scratching of his couch as "... Albert proceeded to crochet the furniture into an interesting, over-all terry-cloth texture".

Having a dog and cat in the 1950s and 1960s was different than it is today.  Price had a doggy door which Joe would go in and out of.  It wouldn't be unusual for Joe to disappear for up to four days when he was in search of female dogs in heat.  And it doesn't sound like anyone neutered their dogs.  When we meet Joe, he is fourteen-years-old and unneutered.  The Prices had friends who lived nearby and Joe impregnated their dog not once but twice, producing 16 pups in total ... no one seemed bothered about it.

The Vincent Price Family Legacy will donate a portion of the proceeds from this book to the Fund for Animals.

"The Hotline Always Blings Twice", Second City, Toronto, ON

Gord and I saw The Hotline Always Blings Twice at Second City tonight.

Enjoy a night of unforgettable characters, supremely funny sketches, and ridiculous rants created by the cast the Toronto Star calls “six of the funniest people you could hope to meet.” 

"The Hotline Always Blings Twice" is an all-new comedy confection in the legendary tradition of The Second City, where nothing is sacred and almost anything can be hilarious. Laugh out loud as we skewer everything from blind dates, to binge-watching, to Blue Jays bandwagoners.

This is the third show at Second City we've seen in the last year.  The cast is excellent and it's amazing how quickly they jump from one character to another and make them so believable.

This show is hilarious!  Etan Muskat opened the show with a funny passionate speech encouraging Canada to build a wall to keep anti-Trump Americans out ... #buildawall.

The bit with a dad (Kevin Whalen) and his nine-year-old daughter (Kirsten Rasmussen) spending her birthday wat her first Blue Jays game as one of my favourites.  They were sitting next to a die hard fan (Kyle Dooley) who continually craps on them for jumping on the Jays bandwagon.  Another of my favourites was Whalen as a Syrian refugee’s show-and-tell speech comparing the hardships he's had to endure compared to what we complain about here.  Another favourite was the three girls playing second graders at a concert.

I'm looking forward to their next show.  We'll be checking it out!