scriven stuff

2012-01-29T13:06:00.001-05:00

My fave restaurant here in Napanee is Napanee Fish and Chips (but no points for originality in the name). http://ping.fm/lNcBm

2012-01-10T11:14:00.001-05:00

I've been listening to a bunch of songs from one of the very best pop/rock vocalists of the past 30 years - Paul Carrack. Too many people have never heard of him, but likely know some of his songs http://ping.fm/Ln1Uh

2011-12-26T15:55:00.001-05:00

Team Canada juniors looking good early against a somewhat "timid"-looking Finnish team. Canada ahead 2-0 halfway through the first period.

2011-10-04T09:54:00.001-04:00

Kingston Real Estate: September residential results now in: 5th consecutive month of increased sales over last year! Prices up 5% year-to-date.

2011-02-22T00:27:00.001-05:00

Tim Hortons' "Roll up the rim" started Monday. So far, same as last year: 0-2. But I live in hope...

2011-02-17T10:41:00.001-05:00

Kingston Real Estate. Great value for those looking to buy a home or invest in a "product" they know rather than say, "Pork-belly futures"

2010-12-18T18:01:00.001-05:00

At Mary and Joseph's first neighborhood "Secret Santa"..."Thanks for the gold, you three, but Frankinsence? Myrrh?"

2010-12-17T17:06:00.000-05:00

Some timely information on keeping yourselves and your families safe over the Christmas and New Year's season...

Seasonal Fire Safety Tips From Kingston Fire & Rescue

Kingston Fire & Rescue offers the following fire safety guidelines for a fire safe holiday season. While many seasonal risks increase during cold weather, most fires can be prevented.

* In the last week in Ontario, cooking related fires claimed the lives of three persons and seriously injured two more. For the entire month of December last year, ten people died in fires in the province. This December, there have already been 11 fatalities.
Unattended cooking is the number one cause of home fires. Keep combustibles clear of the stove and have a proper fitting lid nearby.
If a pot catches fire, slide the lid over the pot and turn off the stove.

* There is a direct relationship between alcohol use and fires involving smokers' materials and cooking. The message is to celebrate wisely!
Candle fires increase during the holiday season. Use sturdy candle holders located away from combustibles, such as decorations, Christmas trees, wreaths, and curtains. Never leave burning candles in a room unattended.

* Christmas trees should not be located near heat sources such as heaters, televisions, fireplaces, heating ducts or sunny windows. It is essential to refill the water supply every day for live Christmas trees. If you use an artificial tree, make sure that it is flame retardant.
Christmas trees and decorations should never obstruct exit doors.

* Always use the proper decorative light sets - use indoor sets inside, and outdoor sets outside. Discard any damaged cords and light sets. Do not coil an extension cord when in use and never cover it with a carpet or rug. Turn off all tree and display lights before going to bed or leaving the house.

* Professionally inspect and clean all wood heat systems before use.
Place ashes in a metal container stored outside of the house and garage.Wrapping paper, boxes, and Christmas trees should never be burned in appliances or fireplaces, due to the intensity at which they burn.

* Fire safety gift ideas include additional smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, ABC multi-purpose fire extinguishers, and flashlights with batteries. Practicing fire safety and escape planning greatly increases your chances of survival in the event of a fire. Fire and Rescue staff are available to answer your questions each and every day!

Is Your House "Winter-Ready"?

2010-12-17T10:12:00.000-05:00

From the people at "Carson Dunlop" a well-respected home inspection company:

One of the burdens of living in Canada is the extreme conditions we ask ourselves and our houses to live through. That burden can be lighter for both you and your house with regular maintenance. As good cooking and great paint jobs can attest, success lies in the prep work. Now is the time to get moving to ready your house for a cold winter and a wet spring. Here are our suggestions for a simple pre-winter tune-up.
Jumping Jack Frost - A Winter Tune-up Treatise

One of the great joys of living in Canada is the change of seasons. Autumn’s colors and crispness will soon be making way for winter’s exciting first snowfall. Of course, one of the great burdens of living in Canada is the extreme conditions we ask ourselves and our houses to live through.

That burden can be lighter for both you and your house with regular maintenance. As good cooking and great paint jobs can attest, success lies in the prep work. Now is the time to get moving to ready your house for a cold winter and a wet spring. Here are our suggestions for a simple pre-winter tune-up.

Tools You May Need

• Ladder
• Paintbrush
• Shovel
• Vacuum
• Telephone
• Sharpened eyeball

Outside

The brunt of the weather abuse is borne by the roof and the exterior skin of the house. Roof
Get a ladder, a pair of binoculars, or a trusted roofer, and check the roof. If you have a sloped roof, look for shingles that are cracked, curled, loose, damaged, or missing. Repair where needed. Pay attention to the junctions between the roof and chimneys, pipes, and walls, for example - the metal flashings often need re-securing or re-caulking. If you have a flat roof, clean off leaves and branches, and cut back overhanging tree limbs. On the roof membrane, look for bulges, worn spots, or split seams. Flashings are important here also.

While you are up there, you should have a look at the chimney, if there is one. Brick chimneys may have missing mortar or loose bricks, and should have a screen to keep animals out. Metal chimneys should be free from rust.

Eavestroughs and Downspouts

While at roof level, be sure to clean and re-secure the eavestroughs. We cannot overstate the importance of having free flowing and leak free gutters and downspouts on the overall health of the house, especially the basement. If your eavestroughs can’t control the rain or melting snow, the ground will get soaked. Soaked ground means much higher risk of a leaky basement. Keep your basement in mind while you are dangling from the edge of the roof!

Follow the downspouts to ground level to double check where they dump the water. Above ground spouts should be well connected at the elbow, and discharge at least six feet away from the nearest wall, or at a point where run-off will be carried away from the house. For any house older than about 40 years, downspouts draining below ground should be considered for disconnecting from the below grade pipe system, and extending to drain above ground. This is an easy and surprisingly effective basement leakage cure in many older houses.

Grading

Speaking of the basement again, take a tour around the house to check how the ground directs traffic. Any and all surfaces next to the walls should be sloped to shed water away. Bad grading is another common and preventable cause of basement leakage. This is exponentially more important on warm winter days – melting snow runs quickly across the surface of still frozen ground. If the grading is bad, it will flow right to the house, and possibly right into the basement. Now is the time to grab the shovel and re-slope the grass, or call a paving contractor or handy person to correct a negatively sloping driveway or walkway.

Windows

During the exterior walkabout, check the windows and doors for any wood in need of paint, and any joints that need re-caulking. Check also the caulking at pipes, vents, and other wall penetrations.

Inside

Inside the house, we are going to need heat. Lots of it.

Furnace

The most important pre-winter activity can be done by anybody no matter what their skill level, for usually low cost, in about 2 minutes: pick-up the phone, and schedule a heating system maintenance call. Even a new unit needs this check. The technician will clean the burners and fan, lubricate the moving parts, change the filter and check the operation of the important safety mechanisms. If the service is to be done later in the heating season, you can start on the right foot by replacing or cleaning the furnace air filter. If you have a humidifier you should clean it out as well.

Once we have heat, let’s do what we can to keep it in the house.

Weather Stripping

If you live in a new house, odds are good your windows and doors are well sealed. Old windows and doors, and even some newer ones, may need sealing to keep heat in and cold out. One approach would be to replace them. Luckily, great improvements can be made with simple weather stripping kits available at any hardware store. Due to the tremendous variation in shapes and sizes, we could write a novel about how to do this, but all you really need to do is to find the pre-packaged material that has a picture of your window or door, or something close to it, and follow the instructions.

Final Notes

The previous suggestions are the most important winter tune-up steps. Other good ideas include cleaning the heating grates, especially on the big cold air returns, cleaning and lubricating exhaust fans, and cleaning out the dryer vent and cover. If you have electric baseboard heaters, vacuum the dust off the interior fins, and make sure drapes and curtains are several inches above their hot surfaces.

Real Estate Predictions for 2011 (including Kingston and the rest of Canada)

2010-12-17T09:36:00.000-05:00

The following report from RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic gives their opinion on how things will go in the real estate business in the New Year.

"Stability" sounds pretty darn good to me...

Mississauga, ON (December 7, 2010) -- Although improved economic fundamentals will have a positive impact on Canadian housing markets moving forward, the forecast for residential real estate sales remains static in most major centres in 2011, according to a report released today by RE/MAX.

The RE/MAX Housing Market Outlook 2011, examining trends and developments in 26 major centres across the country, found that home-buying activity in 2010 fell short of 2009 levels. Housing values, however, continued to climb, with virtually all areas reporting an upswing in average price, ranging from just under one per cent to 15 per cent this year. Lower inventory levels in many markets offset the effects of diminished demand, propping-up price in almost every instance. Kitchener-Waterloo, Quebec City, and St. John’s saw the greatest increases in average price this year, while Eastern Canadian markets including Hamilton-Burlington, Sudbury, Windsor, Moncton and Prince Edward Island were the only markets that bucked the downward trending in home sales in 2010.

By year-end, approximately 441,000 homes are expected to change hands nationally, a five per cent decline from the 465,251 sales reported in 2009. Housing values are forecast to continue to climb, up an estimated seven per cent to $340,000, compared with $320,333 one year earlier.

“In terms of resale housing activity, what many are talking about as the new normal is actually a return to the traditional real estate cycle,” says Michael Polzler, Executive Vice President, Regional Director, RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada. “The past decade was truly unprecedented—never before have we experienced a run up that was as strong or lasted as long. As we have digressed from the typical pattern, people have forgotten what the usual healthy cycle looks like, but all the hallmarks are there. Ample inventory levels, steady demand, and moderate growth, both in terms of sales and prices, will characterize the market in 2011. While the pace may appear lackluster in comparison to what we’ve grown accustomed to, it underscores the principles of real estate 101: The market is cyclical. All boats rise and fall with the tide.”

Greater stability is expected to characterize the markets in 2011, with Canadian housing sales predicted to mirror 2010 levels at 441,000 next year, while average price is forecast to escalate three per cent to $350,000 by year-end 2011.

“Looking forward, we see steady improvement in provincial and local economies—which will bode well for housing markets across the board,” says Elton Ash, Regional Executive Vice President, RE/MAX of Western Canada. “The relentless drive in the market reminiscent of years past will be gone and instead, we can expect to see more normal, balanced market conditions, with buyers maintaining a slight edge.”

Markets in British Columbia are forecast to lead the country in terms of percentage increases in sales activity next year, with Greater Vancouver expected to climb 10 per cent, followed by Victoria at eight per cent and Kelowna at six per cent. After a prolonged period of economic hardship, Windsor is once again on track for growth, with residential home sales predicted to climb five per cent.

Almost all markets are reporting an anticipated increase in housing values next year, with St. John’s in Newfoundland-Labrador in front with an estimated eight per cent hike in average price in 2011. The value of homes in Greater Vancouver, Kelowna, Regina, Saskatoon, London-St. Thomas, Ottawa, Sudbury and Greater Montreal is also predicted to climb five per cent.

“Low interest rates and improving consumer confidence levels should stimulate home-buying activity at all price points next year,” says Sylvain Dansereau, Executive Vice President, RE/MAX Quebec. “Overall gains will be more muted—a welcome reprieve for purchasers. 2011 will be a year that will see more widespread recovery across a broader array of economic sectors, setting the stage for a better 2012.”

In the meantime, a number of factors will continue to support sustained sales and price growth in the months and years ahead:

• Land scarcity, intensification, urban renewal, infill and renovation will continue to drive up values—regardless of supply and demand—in major metropolitan areas. The Canadian housing stock is ever-evolving, particularly in the central core of each city. With average price pushing closer to or well past the $300,000 mark in the vast majority of major centres, and affordability of single-family homes diminishing, the demand for attainable product will rise in tandem, bolstering the growing condominium segment in the years ahead.

• The upper-end of the market continues to be a strong indication of the overall health of Canada’s housing sector. Typically the first segment to soften in a downturn, luxury homes posted record sales activity in 2010, and demand is expected to remain solid in 2011. Strong sales in the high-end will continue to prop up average prices.

• Immigration will remain a serious force stimulating demand, particularly given the penchant for homeownership among today’s new Canadians. While the formation of new households used to take an average of five years, a growing number of newcomers arrive skilled, financially secure, and ready to make their home-buying moves. It is estimated that Canada will average 250,000 new immigrants annually.

• In the year ahead, federal, provincial and local stimulus in the form of continued infrastructure spending and capital projects will be a considerable boon to economic stability and employment, providing consumers the confidence to move forward with real estate purchases.

• Volatility in the money markets will continue to drive buyers to the tangibility of homeownership, both as a reliable long-term investment and a form of shelter, particularly given low vacancy rates and a lack of new rental construction in a number of major centres.

RE/MAX is Canada’s leader with over 18,000 sales associates situated throughout its more than 690 independently-owned and operated offices in Canada. The RE/MAX network, now in its 37th year, is a global real estate system operating in 80 countries, with over 6,300 independently-owned offices and over 92,000 member sales associates. RE/MAX realtors lead the industry in professional designations, experience and production while providing real estate services in residential, commercial, referral, and asset management. For more information, visit: www.remax.ca.

Christine Martysiewicz
RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada
905.542.2400

2010-12-16T13:44:00.001-05:00

working in Real estate is like driving a car...if you take your foot off the gas, you slow down...

2010-12-16T13:18:00.001-05:00

Working in Real Estate is like driving a car...if you take your foot off the gas, you slow down...

Kingston Real Estate energy-saving tips

2010-12-13T16:33:00.000-05:00

I just read this timely article on "Houselogic.com", and thought it was worth sharing, specially at this time of year:

Give your pocketbook and Mother Nature a gift this season by taking advantage of these simple, surprising ways to save energy and money.

Put lamps in the corners: Did you know you can switch to a lower wattage bulb in a lamp or lower its dimmer switch and not lose a noticeable amount of light? It’s all about placement. When a lamp is placed in a corner, the light reflects off the adjoining walls, which makes the room lighter and brighter.

Switch to a laptop: If you’re reading this article on a laptop, you’re using 1/3 less energy than if you’re reading this on a desktop.

Choose an LCD TV: If you’re among those considering a flat-screen upgrade from your conventional, CRT TV, choose an LCD screen for the biggest energy save.

Give your water heater a blanket: Just like you pile on extra layers in the winter, your hot water heater can use some extra insulation too. A fiberglass insulation blanket is a simple addition that can cut heat loss and save 4% to 9% on the average water-heating bill.

Turn off the burner before you’re done cooking: When you turn off an electric burner, it doesn’t cool off immediately. Use that to your advantage by turning it off early and using the residual heat to finish up your dish.

Add motion sensors: You might be diligent about shutting off unnecessary lights, but your kids? Not so much. Adding motion sensors to playrooms and bedrooms cost only $15 to $50 per light, and ensures you don’t pay for energy that you’re not using.

Spin laundry faster: The faster your washing machine can spin excess water out of your laundry, the less you’ll need to use your dryer. Many newer washers spin clothes so effectively, they cut drying time and energy consumption in half—which results in an equal drop in your dryer’s energy bill.

Use an ice tray: Stop using your automatic ice-maker. It increases your fridge’s energy consumption by 14% to 20%. Ice trays, on the other hand, don’t increase your energy costs one iota.

Use the dishwasher: If you think doing your dishes by hand is greener than powering up the dishwasher, you’re wrong. Dishwashers use about 1/3 as much hot water and relieve that much strain from your energy-taxing water heater. Added bonus: you don’t have to wash any dishes.

Read more: http://www.houselogic.com/articles/9-unexpected-energy-and-money-savers/#ixzz181tukTaT

Kingston Real Estate - buy in the Winter?

2010-12-09T11:45:00.000-05:00

I saw this article from an agent in Nova Scotia, and thought it was well worth re-posting here for anyone in the Kingston Real Estate area to consider:

Just because it's winter, it doesn't mean it isn't a good time to buy a house.

The following are 10 great reasons to buy in winter.

1. Interest rates are generally lowest in winter. Like the price of gasoline, interest rates are generally highest when most buyers are buying in summer and lowest in winter.

2. Less competing offers in winter. Fewer sales, less chance to lose the dream home you are looking at.

3. Home prices are expected to be at their lowest during winter. All those over-priced homes will have been reduced.

4. Sellers are more likely to accept a lower offer in winter. They do not expect many offers so they may accept your lower offer.

5. Contractors such as electricians, plumbers, home renovators, movers, etc., are less busy in winter.

6. Utility connections are faster in winter. We all know how long it takes to get telephone or cable connected in the Summer time.

7. Winter is generally an indoor time. You will have hubby away from the golf course and into the basement completing your "Honey Do" list of renovations before the better weather comes around.

8. A winter move should not affect your summer vacation. Keep your summer time free to be with your family.

9. You can expect more moving and painting help in winter. You family and friends cannot give you many excuses why they cannot be there to help.

10. Bankers, inspectors, lawyers and Realtors are also less busy in winter.

(originally posted by Jim Knox, a Nova Scotia Realtor)

© 2010 Weekly News (Bedford, Sackville, NS). All rights reserved.

For any Kingstonn Real Estate market information, please contact me:

Michael Scriven - Real Estate Broker
Re/Max Realty Concepts, Corp.
Kingston, Ontario K7P 2N2
613.389.7777 office
877.924.3689 toll free
613.484.1810 cell/blackberry

This Kingston Real Estate Guy Remembers John Lennon

2010-12-08T09:57:00.000-05:00

Copied from Rolling Stone Magazine online:

John Lennon's Final Interview
Nine-hour discussion with 'Rolling Stone' took place three days before he died

On December 5, 1980, three days before he was murdered, John Lennon sat down with Rolling Stone's Jonathan Cott for a nine-hour interview. Select excerpts from the interview ran in Rolling Stone's tribute to John Lennon the following month — but Cott never transcribed all of the tapes. For 30 years they sat in the back of his closet.

"Earlier this year I was cleaning up to find some files in the recesses of my closet when I came across two cassette tapes marked 'John Lennon, December 5th, 1980,'" Cott says. "It had been 30 years since I listened to them, and when I put them on this totally alive, uplifting voice started speaking on this magical strip of magnetic tape."

Cott's interview with John Lennon — the artist's last print interview — finally hits newsstands this Friday as the centerpiece of Rolling Stone's tribute to John Lennon on the 30th anniversary of his death. In the remarkably candid interview Lennon lashes out at fans and critics who went after him during his five-year break from music. "What they want is dead heroes, like Sid Vicious and James Dean," Lennon says. "I'm not interested in being a dead fucking hero...so forget 'em, forget 'em."

He also talked about plans for a possible return to the road. "We just might do it," he said. "But there will be no smoke bombs, no lipstick, no flashing lights. It just has to be comfy. But we could have a laugh. We're born-again rockers, and we're starting over...There's plenty of time, right? Plenty of time."

Yoko Ono also contributed an intensely personal essay to the issue about her final days with Lennon. "Just before we left the studio [minutes before he died] John looked at me," Ono writes. "I looked at him. His eyes had an intensity of a guy about to tell me something important. 'Yes,' I asked. And I will never forget how, with a deep, soft voice, as if to carve his words in my mind, he said the most beautiful things to me. 'Oh,' I said after a while, and looked away, feeling a bit embarrassed."

John Lennon: October 9, 1940- December 8, 1980 (Not nearly enough time)

Kingston Real Estate people drink wine too...

2010-12-07T16:38:00.000-05:00

I've copied this from a great blog called "Cheap Eats - Toronto" I'm going to have to try some of these wines! I'm particularly interested in those Aussie Shiraz' and Shiraz/Cab's...

Vintages Value List Release Saturday Nov. 27, 2010

Hello Fellow Tipplers!

You all know it by now - Christmas is a month away! We are inundated with holiday shopping “guides”, festive music fills the stores and high anxiety is setting in as you realize that you haven’t finished your gift shopping and the calendar is full of gatherings both good and bad. Now is the time to drink - whether it is with friends and family or home alone after a particularly stressful outing. We have the suggestions for either of these scenarios.

Vintages is also promoting many special products of the “gifty” sort. There is a particular product that is in the “It’s Perfect” section of the release catalogue. We tasted this wine and were completely wowed – BUT – it does not meet our value criteria. SO – if you were thinking about buying us a Christmas present - a bottle of 539098 2006 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon from California ($114.95) would be greatly appreciated because it is perfect!

SPARKLING WINE

194803 LANGA HERMANOS REYES DE ARAGON BRUT RESERVA CAVA 2007 (SPAIN) $13.95

Unbelievable good value here. Distinct apple notes followed closely by apricot, toast and biscuit. It’s only $14 for pete’s sake – grab it while you can!!!

WHITE WINE

707158 ZENATO LUGANA 2009 (LOMBARDIA) $13.95

Opens up with a hint of lanolin on the nose followed by expressive flavors of melon, white grapefruit and clean crisp acidity.

734921 MACULAN PINOT GRIGIO 2009 (VENETO) $13.95

OK – we are not huge Pinot Grigio fans. We think them rather uninteresting on the whole. This one, however, really stood out and we skeptics opted to recommend it. Look for kiwi and honey notes and a decent finish.

213173 ORGANIZED CRIME RIESLING 2008 (BEAMSVILLE BENCH, NIAGARA PENINSULA) $21.20

Go local, keep it in the family with this fine, slightly off-dry, Riesling from Niagara. It is very pretty, boasting citrus rind, peach and minerals.

394353 BERINGER SAUGIGNON BLANC 2008 (CALIFORNIA) $21.95

Pretty and flavorful melon, citrus notes, with hints of herb and spice!

RED WINE

185017 GEMMA MADONNA DELLA NEVE DOLCETTO D’ALBA 2009 (PIEDMONT) $13.95

An everyday Italian featuring cigar box, cedar and spice. A weeknight supper wine here.

123430 SCOPETANI RISASSO CHIANTI RÚFINA 2007 (TUSCANY) $14.95

A decent Chianti for the price. Chestnut and red fruit on the nose segues to a fresh yet dry finish. It actually tastes like a Chianti!

183442 DOMAINE DES AILES MOULIN-À-VENT 2009 (BEAUJOLAIS) $15.95

Sweet spun cotton-candy- like floral nose opening to a bowl of fresh cherries, cassis and spicy notes on the palate. This is decent Beaujolais - enjoy it solo or paired with a light dish.

181545 PIONA CAMPO MASSIMO CORVINA VERONESE 2007 (VENETO) $15.95

Corvina leaving Rondinella and Molinara behind and appearing solo here – boasting tasty dark berries, white pepper, cocoa and a nice smokiness leading out to the finish. Well done!

199539 THE GARDEN PATH SHIRAZ/CABERNET 2006 (SOUTH AUSTRALIA) $17.95

This Aussie number offers up ripe dark berry, plum, smoke and damp earth. Big and flavorful - score 90+ (www.erobertparker.com)

17475 MARQUIS PHILIPS SHIRAZ 2008 (SOUTH AUSTRALIA) $19.95

Massive wine here – huge in fact. Look for smoked meat and blueberry notes after you pull your socks back on. eRobertParker.com gave this one a 91.

182295 QUINTA DO CÔA VINHO TINTO 2007 (PORTUGAL) $19.95

Delicious – luscious! Raspberries, plum and milk chocolate make this wine a great little package. Wine Spectator scored this a 91.

192476 BODEGA Y VIÑEDOS FERNÁNDEZ RIVERA DEHESA DE LA GRANJA 2004 (SPAIN) $21.95

Ola - this Spanish beauty exudes flavors of dark berries, earth, spice and a kick ass finish. Drinking well from 2010-2020, score 92 (www.erobertparker.com)

FORTIFIED WINE

973768 SANDEMAN VAU VINTAGE PORT 2000 $29.95

The cooler weather sees us gathering around the fireplace after dinner and there is nothing more comforting than sipping on a lovely port. This is a vintage port that won’t break the bank. Cassis, chocolate and a defined raisin-ness are the predominant characters here. It is rather full-bodied with enough richness to allow for at least another decade for ageing.

LIQUEUR

180695 ST-GERMAIN DELICE DE SUREAU ELDERFLOWER LIQUEUR ARTISANALE (FRANCE) $49.95

Ooh, those sweet libations are ever so tempting – treat your senses to this lusciously fragranced beauty featuring floral, delicately skinned fruit, honey and guava aromas that follow through on the palate. Exquisitely made and the perfect harmony of alcohol level, sweetness, acidity and floral impact.

Kingston Real Estate Strong/Stable for 2011

2010-12-07T10:18:00.000-05:00

This report was just released from RE/MAX, and shows that 2010 was a decent year for real estate sales in Kingston (and across most of the country) and is expected to be "stable" for 2011 with the market returning to a more normal condition:

Click here for the full report.

Kingston Real Estate

2010-12-06T13:47:00.001-05:00

I've copied this article from the Toronto Star today (December 6th, 2010)

By Mark Weisleder | Sat Dec 04 2010

When you use an agent to sell your home, you may agree on a commission as high as 5 per cent with the proceeds split two ways. One half goes to the agent who works for you and the other half is paid to the agent who finds the buyer and helps negotiate the deal.

Now that the federal government has brought more competition to buying and selling a home, there are more ways for you to sell a home by yourself. That means the role of the real estate agent acting for the buyer will become even more important to you and the buyer.

Most people understand that when you sign a listing agreement to sell your home if you sell during the term of the agreement, you owe commission to that agent.

It’s a little different for when you’re buying a home. Here, you agree to work exclusively with one agent to find the property you want. The agent protects your interests and negotiates the best price for you. This becomes important if you are involved in a bidding war because you’ll need an objective third party to guide you, to make sure that you do not get too emotional and end up overpaying for the property.

In exchange, you agree to pay this agent a fee, typically a percentage of the sale price. For example, if the homer costs $200,000 and you agree to pay your buyer agent a 2 per cent commission, the cost is $4,000. Usually, the agent will get the commission from the seller. If the seller refuses to pay, then the offer will be readjusted to $196,000, and the buyer will pay the fee directly.

When interviewing buyer agents, be sure to ask for references and then follow up and call them. If you are nervous about signing the agency agreement, you might want to consider signing for a short term, let’s say 14 days, to get a feel for the kind of service your buyer agent will provide. You must understand though, that if your agent shows you a home during that 14 day period that you later buy, you will owe commission.

Sellers should make the effort to co-operate with buyer agents as well, even if they are trying to sell their home by themselves. One of the main reasons is that when a potential buyer approaches a seller directly, the seller has no idea whether this buyer is really looking for a home or even has the financial ability to afford the home. They may in the extreme case be a thief who is only looking to see whether they can come back to this property at a later time. When you work with a buyer agent, you know that they have already qualified any potential buyer so that you have the comfort of knowing that this buyer is in fact ready to buy and more importantly, can afford your home.

In addition, because the buyer agent will protect their buyer by conducting the appropriate due diligence on the property itself, there is less chance that the buyer will discover problems after closing. This means that the seller will not likely be sued by the buyer after closing. This means peace of mind for the seller after closing, as well.

There are advantages to both buyers and sellers in working with buyer agents. Understanding this will make your next home purchase or sale decision much easier.

Real estate lawyer Mark Weisleder is the author of Put the Pen Down! What homebuyers and sellers need to know before signing on the dotted line.

2010-11-21T20:28:00.001-05:00

Kingston Real Estate is back on schedule tomorrow (Monday) for me, as I've seemingly kicked the worst of this cold that's had me down for a few days...even had to skip playing two hockey games!

2010-11-17T20:05:00.001-05:00

Kingston Real Estate - "stable" forecast for 2011. Looking at a more "balanced" market, with prices staying constant. Check this C.M.H.C. link for details: http://ping.fm/MyP3X

2010-11-15T14:04:00.001-05:00

Feeling a bit rough today...fighting off a cold? Stayed home. Back to Kingston Real Estate tomorrow.

2010-11-15T02:08:00.001-05:00

I'm tired after great w/e in T.O. with my wife and friends. Then, too-short visit with parents, then hockey. Now back to Kingston Real Estate.

2010-11-12T16:21:00.001-05:00

Kingston Real Estate will just have to do without me until Monday, ha-ha! (I'm off to Toronto with my lovely wife for the weekend to visit friends, and have a nice dinner downtown).

2010-11-12T09:42:00.001-05:00

"Where is the closest school?" Click here: http://ping.fm/uKLJP

2010-11-12T09:21:00.001-05:00

Some worthwhile notes on buying a home here (copied from the Toronto Real Estate Board):

Additional Costs When Buying a Home

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The purchase price of your home is only one of the costs you'll encounter. Here are other possible costs you need to consider:

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Mortgage loan insurance: If you are putting less than 20 per cent of the house value down, you're going to need mortgage loan insurance. Depending on the lender, the premium can be added to mortgage payments.

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Appraisal fee: Lenders typically loan a percentage of the home's purchase price or the market appraisal of the property. Cost depends on the size and complexity of the assignment.

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Land survey: The lender may ask for a current survey or certificate of location before signing off on the loan. There can be a substantial cost for having a new survey done on the property.

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Deposit: A deposit normally goes with the formal offer to purchase.

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Insurance: The lender will require proof of property insurance for the replacement value of the house and its contents from the day you take ownership.

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Title insurance: Provides coverage in case of problems with the property title among other things. The cost is relatively low, usually a few hundred dollars.

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Application fee: Some lenders will pass on the cost to process your application. These fees vary and some lenders will waive entirely if you have other accounts with them.

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Mortgage broker's fee: If you use a mortgage broker, a fee may be charged to arrange a mortgage on your behalf.

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Home inspection fee: An inspection protects the buyer by revealing any problems in the property that you'd want to know before you move in.

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Legal fees: You can save some of the legal fees usually charged by the lender if your lawyer draws up the mortgage. You'll also pay for disbursements which are the costs involved in drawing up the title deed, conducting a title search, and preparing and registering the mortgage.

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Land Transfer Tax: Use the land transfer tax calculator accessible from the home page of this website to calculate both your Ontario and City of Toronto (if applicable) land transfer taxes. First time home buyers qualify for a maximum $2,000 (LTT on a $227,500 home) provincial rebate and a maximum $3,725 (LTT on a $400,000 home) City of Toronto rebate.

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Goods and Services Tax: Resale (used) homes are exempt from GST but it does apply to newly constructed homes and may qualify for a partial rebate depending on the sales price and if the home is going to be your primary place of residence.

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For new homes costing $350,000 or less, you will receive a GST rebate of 36% of the GST paid to a maximum of $8,750. The rebate for new homes costing between $350,000 and $450,000 declines to zero on a proportional basis. GST also applies to most of the services provided in completing the real estate transaction.

*
Other costs: These include moving costs, fees charged by utilities for service hook-ups, property tax and other adjustments (an adjustment takes place when the seller has already paid for something in advance and wants to be credited for the unused portion on the date the house becomes yours), and ongoing maintenance (condo fees etc) and utility costs.

2010-11-12T09:15:00.001-05:00

Thanks Dad! Love, Mike http://ping.fm/cgkYP

Kingston Real Estate news - CREA's New Deal

2010-10-28T11:27:00.003-04:00

The following is a letter from RE/MAX Ontario Atlantic's Vice-President in response to the recent ratification of a deal between the Competition bureau and the Canadian Real Estate Association:

October 26th, 2010

CREA ratification of Competition Consent Agreement

Despite all the media hoopla associated with Sunday's vote by CREA members to ratify the Competition Consent Agreement, it will be business as usual for real estate professionals across the country.

The public will continue to access listings on the MLS system or Realtor.ca, but any posts to the system remain firmly in the hands of local realtors. Under the terms of the new, 10-year agreement, CREA and the Boards cannot prevent or discriminate against 'mere postings' and members who offer 'mere postings.' CREA does not believe that such rules exist today-but if they do-they must be repealed or Boards will lose their license to operate under the MLS trademark.

So all in all, it's business as usual. Sure, consumers have more choices, but then again, they always have. Discount brokers have been around for years. There is a reason why the MLS system is responsible for 90 per cent of resale housing transactions in the country. Canadians rely on the full-service approach provided by the country's 100,000 real estate professionals. Regardless of alternatives, most people require the services of an experienced agent to sell their home.

All we need to do is look south of the border-where the process is similar-for confirmation of that fact. According to the National Post, "the U.S. Department of Justice negotiated an anti-trust settlement with the National Association of Realtors allowing internet brokers and other agents offering discounted commissions to access the MLS in 2008. Two years later, traditional full-service brokers still control between 70 and 80 per cent of the U.S. housing market, and the average commission has increased to 5.3 per cent of the sale price from five per cent in 2008."

In fact, NAR statistics provided by the National Post show 80 per cent of sellers use a full-service broker, managing most of a transaction from listing to closing. Another nine per cent choose limited services that include discount brokerage and 11 per cent opt for the bare minimum of just listing on MLS.

There's a story to be told here. Consumers place value on the services we provide as realtors and that's not about to change. Why? We have the knowledge and expertise to generate results. Few are willing to take chances with their most valuable asset. As Canada's leading real estate organization, we will continue to do what we do best-assisting buyers and sellers with the biggest financial decision of their lifetime.

Take a moment to look at our new marketing campaign on the critical role of a RE/MAX agent. It is easily found on www.FitToSell.ca. This timely campaign demonstrates the value of using a professional RE/MAX agent. It should help offset some of the negative press, until things settle.

As I said, business as usual.

Sincerely,

Michael Polzler
Executive Vice President, Regional Director
RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada Inc.

2010-07-23T10:26:00.001-04:00

Sign me up for this!! http://ping.fm/bkHHt

2010-07-22T19:27:00.001-04:00

's just reflecting that the real estate market here in Kingston has cooled somewhat just as the temperatures have gotten really hot.

2010-07-22T16:22:00.001-04:00

just signed on to "ping.fm"

Southside Shuffle 2008 - revised

2010-04-25T17:27:00.001-04:00

Well, another very successful day in partially-sunny Port Credit, down by the lake in Mississauga! The day started with a nice lunch with my friend Brock, then off to a bar for some beers, then down to the "Shuffle", where we met up with my buddy Doug and brother-in-law Emeric to catch some of the street scene along the Lakeshore, which was as usual closed off to traffic from 3-7 p.m. Some quite decent amateurs playing very enthusiastically all along the street, incuding the Dave Murphy band, who we all enjoyed. At six-ish we were joined by my other brother-in-law Brian and watched a bit more of the street bands before he "tricked us" (except Emeric, who had to leave us for the evening at this juncture) into popping into a bar right there on the Lakeshore called "Spice" for some beers on their very nice back patio in the (finally!) sunshine. Then the four of us went over to the main stage/shopping area beside the Credit River to buy our wrist-bands for the big shows that were coming up later in the evening - great value: $20 for the two very good acts that we saw! Then we walked back east along the Lakeshore, as the street portion of the festival was winding down just at seven o'clock, to a block east of Hurontario Street to get to our dinner destination for the second year in a row: the Thai Signature Restaurant, where we just stuffed ourselves with their excellent food and Singha beer, and enjoyed again their very friendly service. Back over to the main event at the park by the river, Charlie Musslewhite and his band went on at 8:30 and did a great set, including "Church is Out", a very good tune that puts me in mind of "Sultans of Swing" by Dire Straits, only way cooler. The Funk brothers, shown here in my favourite Chaka Khan "What's Goin' On" Marvin Gaye song clip from the classic (well, it's a classic to me anyway!)"Standing in the Shadows of Motown" movie, went on at 10:00 p.m. and played right through to almost 11:30!! They had most of the people, young and old, in the big crowd swaying and dancing to the impossible-to-stand-still-to Motown classic hits from the Four Tops, Temptations, Smoky Robinson, Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, Rare Earth, Martha Reeves, etc. *Full disclosure/embarrassing personal moment: Just to sort of round out the day, I managed to keep the guys entertained even after the show by tripping over a concrete bench just beside the sidewalk in front of a bar on our walk back along the street towards home...I went down pretty fast and pretty hard, but escaped without any major damage. Brock and Brian were kind enough to reserve most of their laughter for about four minutes after the incident, for which I am quite thankful! We're all looking forward to next year's Shuffle, and are absolutely not an exclusive group, so we'd be delighted to have some more guys join us in 2009...**note for more info, click on "Charlie Musslewhite" in the above text, as well as on "Thai Signature", then on the word "here" right after the Funk Brothers, to get the Chaka Khan clip.

My Favourite Albums

2010-02-27T17:34:00.005-05:00

Just thinking of all the great music I've bought and enjoyed over the years, and decided to put some of my very favourite albums on this blog...here they are (in no particular order and likely with some omissions) : Etta James "Greatest Hits" (best tracks; At Last and Tell Mama). Santana "Abraxas" (best tracks; Black Magic Woman and Samba Pa Ti). Stevie Ray Vaughan "In Step" (best track Riviera Sunrise). Todd Rundgren Greatest Hits (Hello It's Me and We Gotta Get you a Woman). Amy Winehouse "Back To Black" (all tracks; best album of the last decade in my opinion). The Beatles are my all-time favourite group and their best work for me is "Revolver" and "Rubber Soul", but it's really way-too-difficult to pick any bad ones! Steely Dan "Aja" album with "Peg" and "Deacon Blues" as stand-out tracks. Aja was a real sort of turning point for me musically, as it turned me on to jazz and blues in a small way, so I started to kind of "look backwards" to find other "real" jazz and blues music which has been a great source of pleasure to me since that Aja album came out in around 1976. I only then figured out that most of the rock music I was loving as a kid came directly out of the blues and jazz greats of the past. Van Morrison "Astral Weeks", "Moondance" and "Too Long in Exile" (also full of great tracks including "Moondance" itself. America "America". Beck "Guero". Radiohead "OK Computer". Miles Davis "Kind of Blue", Dave Brubeck "Time Out". John Coltrane "Love Supreme". Joni Mitchell "Court and Spark" Robbie Robertson's "Underworld" cd featuring a very haunting track called the Sound is Fading".....hmmmm....now it's getting difficult to stop! I've also been listening to lots of "World Music" by people like the "Buena Vista Social Club" from Cuba and the "Orchestra Baobab" from Senegal (Click here for Baobab live in Poland). What are your favourite albums?

Best Red Wine under $10

2010-02-25T13:57:00.005-05:00

This is my new favourite red wine, called Misterio, an Argentinian Malbec. Fantastic, full-bodied wine at only $7.95 per bottle! I've been buying it by the case lately. Decant it for an hour or so and then do a blind taste test against more expensive Shiraz's and/or Cabernet Sauvignons and see how it fares... My opinion is that it tastes more "expensive" than it is.

New iPod Speakers, and New Music for Christmas!!

2009-12-28T09:11:00.007-05:00

Just getting into listening to some new music on my new iPod speaker system called iHome Studio Series. It's got really great sound (50 watts per channel) coming out of a cool-looking package. Very portable for use in hotels, friends' homes, etc. A review: http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/entry/ihome-ip1-studio-series-speakers-for-ipod-iphone/
The new music is: Thea Gilmore: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=search_playlists&search_query=thea+gilmore&uni=1 and Angelique Kidjo: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=search_playlists&search_query=angelique+kidjo&uni=1, the Monsters of Folk: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=search_playlists&search_query=monsters+of+folk&uni=1 plus an Alicia Keys track that has a great chorus (whenever she sings the words "in New York" it just sounds fantastic): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMS5xQ_V0TQ&feature=PlayList&p=025D76AF3E47CCEC&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=47

Recent Music Purchases...

2009-05-24T18:34:00.003-04:00

I've been having lots of fun lately adding to my music library. I have now been able to get that Shemekia Copeland music I wanted - it's great! Also got (some of it from some of you folks - thanks!): Angelique Kidjo; Anthony Hamilton; Aretha Franklin; the Bad Plus; Beck; Bettye Lavette; Bob Dylan's latest; Cassandra Wilson; Cat Power; Death Cab for Cutie; Conor Oberst; Gary Moore; Jamie Lidell; John Mayer; Kings of Leon; Lily Allen; Melanie Doane; Missy Higgins; Neko Case; Petula Clark; Prince; Randy Crawford; Rudder; Serena Ryder; Steve Earle; Sugarland; Susie Arioli; the-Dream; TV on the Radio; U2; Buddy Miller; Metric. I've added some hyperlinks to many of the above-noted artists, so if you want to get any info on them, click the artist's name if it's purple-coloured.

"Elderly"??!!??

2009-04-23T17:09:00.002-04:00

This article in today's Sun was disturbing on two fronts. Firstly (and most importantly) it's a very sad state of our city when this type of attack occurs against innocent citizens. But secondly (and not to make light of the seriousness of the whole event being reported) it made me wonder when we began referring to a 62-year-old man and his 59-year-old wife as "elderly"! Isn't "elderly" much later than this?? (Maybe I'm being a bit too sensitive, since these ages aren't really that far away from me, and many of my friends and acquaintances are already there!?!)

As letter to the editor of the Toronto Sun April 23, 2009: http://www.torontosun.com/comment/letters/2009/04/23/9212391-sun.html

New Music

2009-02-27T18:32:00.002-05:00

Today I got the soundtrack from "Slumdog Millionaire" very interesting stuff produced by a guy called A. R. Rahman. Also got more music from India Arie: Testimony Volume 2. Haven't yet been able to get Shemekia Copeland's new cd "Never Going Back". Saw her on Letterman the other night, and really liked her...just discovered that she's the daughter of the late great blues guitar guy, Johnny Copeland.

Inexpensive TV Cables, etc.

2009-01-28T17:23:00.003-05:00

My brother-in-law uses this place to buy tv and stereo cable for way less than one would have to pay at Best Buy, etc.:

http://www.monoprice.com/home/index.asp

One HDMI cable that I recently bought at Sears for over $100 is only $10 (plus around another $10 shipping) from these guys!! (I couldn't wait to get these cables delivered as I just had to get watching my new TV, but next time...)

Both my brother-in-law and a friend/neighbour have used this site for their techy needs, and both report good quality stuff at ridiculously low prices...just goes to show how much we're getting ripped off by the big retailers on this kind of necessary accessory.

Yes We Can

2009-01-27T12:15:00.002-05:00

(Well, I think We Can) This article in the National Post today (January 26, 2009) was pretty interesting to me. I've often thought that things can sometimes get better just by sheer force of will and acting in a positive way to help make things better. I also believe that if the media gets behind positive news and de-emphasises the more negative stuff, maybe people will not be quite as frightened to spend their money and work hard to improve their own livelihood, and thereby improve others in the process. We need strong leadership from all of our leaders, both in the political world and in the business world. Many of the business leaders/bosses are pretty smart guys in whom we have to have some faith to "lead us out of the current darkness and back into the light of prosperity". I know...that's maybe some pretty schmaltzy, overly-simplistic, naive and sentimental stuff. But I really think there's some truth to it. Watching the recent speeches and actions of the new U.S. President, I feel more positive that things can slowly get better. I hope that Canada can put aside its political in-fighting and find a way to help the people jump-start the Canadian economy as well. Work hard, try to stay positive and on target, and trust that we can make it better...

New music: Fall 2008 to Jan 2009

2009-01-11T10:30:00.006-05:00

Yikes! Just looking through my iTunes/iPod music, and realized that I've added quite a bit (395 tracks!) of new stuff over the past few months from various sources including the iTunes store, plus another music site, and actually going to HMV and buying some cd's.

If you're interested in learning about these albums, just click on the hi-lited words.

Cassandra Wilson "Loverly" cd; Herbie Hancock "River"; Hiromi "Brain"; Jackie Greene (Jackie Greene is probably the most accessible and popular one of my recent acquisitions for most people) "Giving up the Ghost"; Marcus Miller "Marcus"; Orchestra Baobab "Made in Dakar"; Missy Higgins "Sound of White"; Petula Clark - just a random ten of her hits; Putumayo presents "Nuevo Latino"; Sam Phillips "Don't do anything"; Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings "100 Days"; Al Green "Lay it Down"; Molly Johnson "Lucky"; Solange Knowles "Sol Angel"; Sergio Mendes "Encanto"; Buddy Guy "Skin Deep"; Tony Grey "Chasing Shadows"; Alejandro Escovedo "Real Animal"; Kings of Leon "Only by the Night"; Bob Dylan "Bootleg Volume 8"; TV on the Radio "Dear Science"; Aretha Franklin "I Never loved a Man"; India Arie - selected tracks; Anthony Hamilton - selected tracks.

Cheap Red Wine - "Fuzion"

2009-01-11T10:07:00.002-05:00

It's really very good for that "Tuesday-night-at-home-with-the-wife-and-a-pizza" kind of vibe... Yes, it's only $7.45 but don't let that deter you:

FUZION SHIRAZ MALBEC LCBO 83188 750 mL bottle

Price: $ 7.45 Wine, Red Wine, 13.3% Alcohol/Vol.

Sugar Content : 1
Made in: Argentina by: Familia Zuccardi

It's been often sold out in the LCBO in recent weeks leading up to Christmas.

"Chez Scriv" - new house wine

2008-09-18T11:24:00.004-04:00

My new favourite inexpensive ($10.10!!) big red:

J.J. MCWILLIAMS SHIRAZ/CABERNET

LCBO 16741 750 ml. bottle

Price: $ 10.10

13.3% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : 2
Made in: South Australia

LCBO Tasting Note:
Medium ruby red colour; big nose of eucalyptus, black currant and vanilla; dry, medium to full bodied, with lots of juicy fruit flavours; spicy notes on the long finish.

My notes: Great, bold full-bodied red. Excellent value. Great with pizza (but then again, so is tap water or beer or milk or juice....hmmm....maybe it's really just pizza I like, more than the wine? No - I love pizza and I love the "big" red wines).

I found that this is one of those wines that greatly benefits from decanting for at least an hour, and/or pouring into the "Eisch" breathable wine glasses that I've mentioned in another blog entry here...

Duffy

2008-08-09T15:26:00.004-04:00

Went to the Phoenix on August 2nd to see Duffy (http://www.iamduffy.com/index2.html) with my wife, my two daughters and my brother and his wife. Duffy came onstage without much introduction at 8:30, and pretty much blew us away with her powerful voice, a cross between Lulu ("To Sir with Love" Lulu, that is) and Dusty Springfield and maybe Petula Clark. When you're in a smaller venue like this, you really feel the bass just sort of pounding you in the chest and right down to your hips...very cool. She only has the one cd, so she sang most of it and added a couple of covers and a "b-side" song to flesh out the show. Great 60's vibe to her music. The show was an hour long, but felt way too short, 'cause we were having such fun listening to the music, and also having a few drinks (very civilized place to see a band, the Phoenix!) Duffy looked very cute in her "K-Mart-style" red & white polka-dot skort-suit thing. Can't dance worth a damn, but knows it, and jokes about it...kind of endearing herself to the crowd while doing so. She comes across as very sweet in her limited stage banter. She's new and unpolished at the moment. It'll be interesting to see how her career turns out - will she be the "Dave Clark Five or Herman's Hermits" to Amy Winehouse's Brit-export gold-standard-bearers the Beatles/Stones, or will she just turn out to be a "Freddy and the Dreamers or Peter & Gordon"? Very good show, with many of my very favourite people to share the experience! Then we went on to a bar across the street from Maple Leaf Gardens, where we met even more of my favourite people (Erin and Tracy and Jay and Luke) for some beer and snacks.

Mexico - Mayan Riviera

2008-06-30T10:16:00.006-04:00

We’ve just returned from a wonderful vacation (with my sister-in-law, her husband and their two great kids) to the Riu Palace – Riviera Maya http://www.riu.com/index.php.
We left Toronto on Sunday afternoon, June 22nd, having been picked up by a h-u-g-e white Lincoln Navigator stretch limo (seems the original limo we had booked was not available so they substituted this one, which made our nephew Mackenzie really happy!).
Good (i.e. uneventful) flight to Cancun airport, where we were met by the shuttle bus to take us to the resort, approximately an hour away…ice-cold Corona beer offered for sale and accepted on the bus! Arrived at resort around midnight, had a quick look around and another drink, then to sleep.
Monday – had a fabulous breakfast in the main buffet restaurant (including champagne and orange juice for some). This restaurant is open for breakfast and for dinner, not lunch, when another one opens up from 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. to handle the mid-day meals and snacks. Met our Sunquest rep in the lobby bar area for an information session at 10:30 a.m., and had a few tropical cocktails, causing Brian and me a little buzz before lunch! Then it was down to the beach, where we had some good fun swimming around behind some sort of man-made breaker-barriers. Saw lots of fish, including a 5’ barracuda which the kids in particular were very excited to see! (*Note: Brian and I were also quite entertained - by the extremely rare “Triple B” that day…beer, boobs and barracudas! Some of the attractive young women down by the ocean seemed to have “forgotten” their bikini tops, or perhaps the poor creatures could only afford to pay for half of their swimming attire and were absolutely not shy about this possible oversight). Had a late lunch, around 3:00 p.m. at “Chili’s” restaurant near the pool and ocean portion of the resort. Fran and the kids painted some very nice and colourful ceramics on the beach. We hung out at the pool, including the famous (infamous?) swim-up bar where some of us (Annette & Fran in particular) were slipping off the barstools much to the delight of the kids. Kids caught some small lizards near the main lawn/courtyard area ("catch-and-release"). We watched a decent live band doing lots of old covers of soft-rock tunes in the main “Piazza”-type courtyard in the evening. A bit cooler in the evenings thankfully as the days, as you can imagine in Mexico in the summer, are very hot.
Tuesday – Buffet breakfast at 9:00 a.m. *Note to self and anyone else going to sun destinations: reminder - buy lots of sunscreen here in Canada, not there – we were forced to buy an additional container for $25.00 when we ran out of our identical $8.00 stuff we had brought from home! Fran & I walked over to a shopping area about a mile away, where we bought the “premium” sunscreen, and a new bathing suit for me, as the one I took with us to Mexico and hadn’t worn for a very long time seemed to have “shrunk” when I put it on and had some minor difficulty in doing up the waist-band area?!? We sat for a while in the very air-conditioned Starbucks there and had a lovely cappuccino. Spent a while at the lobby bar at the resot in the afternoon as well as some more time in the pool and ocean, where the kids were again delighted to find lots of fish, little crabs and lizards, etc. Excellent dinner at “Agave”, the Mexican restaurant.
Wednesday – left the resort at 7:30 a.m.!! to go to our first excursion. A 90-minute bus-ride to Cancun, where we boarded a large catamaran sailboat. After a nice 60- minute boat-ride (including lots of beer) we all jumped out to do some supervised snorkeling, and saw quite a large number of beautiful fish that were right there with us – sort of like swimming in an aquarium! Molly was a tiny bit “freaked out” to see another barracuda right beneath her!! Back on the boat to the island where the dolphin adventure portion of the day was to be held. Had a pretty good buffet lunch on the island, including (surprise) more beer! Then at around 2:15 p.m. it was into the water with our group of 12 people, for a very interesting close-up time with the dolphins. We were able to touch them and get a little ride from them. Another very relaxing boat-ride back to Cancun on a very sunny, breezy afternoon with – yes – more beer. Bus back to the resort, then dinner at the buffet restaurant, which had their weekly Mexican-food theme that night – very good! An incredible lightning show was provided by nature, and we had an early night, exhausted from the day’s events.
Thursday – Buffet breakfast, then down to the pool/beach area. Not there too long when the rains came – very powerful rain, with lightning and thunder. Spent some time at the lobby bar and in our rooms this day… Dinner was at the Japanese restaurant, which was also very nice (Brian was feeling a bit queasy this day, and unfortunately couldn’t really enjoy this much-anticipated meal).
Friday – left the resort at 8:25 a.m. for our second and final excursion, this time to the Mayan village of Coba. A 45-minute bus ride to our first “technical stop” (bathroom break, leg-stretching, and smoking for those that still do that) then on to the Mayan ruins site. Very knowledgeable guide Adriana led us on a 2 km. walk through the “jungle” past a couple of interesting Mayan structures to the highest Mayan pyramid in the area. Molly, Annette and Brian all walked up the entire 120 steps to the summit of the pyramid, which is 130 metres up. The rest of us ‘punked out’ and only managed about a third of that climb before deciding that we had a pretty good feel for what it was like to climb these things! Very hot 2 km. walk/hike back to the bus, then off to a restaurant where lunch was served. Surprisingly good lunch featuring our choice of Mayan chicken, or beef fajitas or pork with rice and tortillas (oh…and beer). Bussed to a little Mayan village. Still approximately 3 million Mayans live in this part of Mexico, much like our Inuit up north, I think. We were allowed in to "Ermelinda’s" place - a very modest series of thatched huts, where they also had lime trees, orange trees, papaya, and squash growing. Extremely poor-looking existence, although they do have electricity, and even a little television set. They are very traditional still, however, and the husbands go out to work and the women work at home raising 10 kids like Ermelinda did, and looking after the “gardens” and chickens, etc. All of her children are now married and gone except one. We did see about ten little kids who popped by, and one of her grandchildren, a very cute happy little girl of around two years of age. They have also (so far) been able to maintain their own Mayan language in addition to most of them also knowing how to speak Spanish. (I think our guide said that out of the 3 million Mayans, 780,000 still spoke only Mayan). Very sobering place to have seen. Back on the bus to go to see a Cenote (a large natural limestone sinkhole filled with fresh underground waters). Lots of people went in for a refreshing swim. Along the brief walk into the Cenote, we watched how the Mayans “harvested” some particular tree-sap for chewing gum, which Mr. Adams (of Chiclets gum fame) sort of discovered here, then had the bright idea to add sugar and flavouring to market it to the world! Back to the resort for dinner.
Saturday – food, pool, lunch again - All good! Then more pool, ocean, beer, etc. Dinner at Chili’s then watched the nightly "mini-Vegas-style" stage show near the main courtyard with some of our vacation-friends from Montreal.
Sunday- breakfast, pool, ocean, lunch, shuttle to airport, flight home, at Pearson at 2:00 a.m., home three a.m., sleep 4:22 a.m. Terrific holiday!

Eisch Breathable Wine Glasses!

2008-05-20T10:35:00.004-04:00

Recently purchased some of these great lead-free crystal wine glasses, and can now report without hesitation that they really do work! They eliminate the need for long breathing periods after pouring your red wine into carafes. Just pour into your glass and wait a few minutes, and the wine tastes like it has been "opening up" in a carafe for an hour or so! It has made our $10 "house wine" (Cawarrah Shiraz/Cabernet blend) taste much more interesting, and we can detect lots more interesting fruity notes, etc. when giving it the little pre-drinking sniff... They happen to be on sale at 20% off at Epicure 1900 Mississauga Road and Dundas St. West in Mississauga. They're not cheap, but they really seem to make a difference.

http://www.eisch.de/eng/website/news/breathable_glass/index.php

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070905.wldecanter05/EmailBNStory/lifeFoodWine/home

L'unita Restaurant

2008-05-09T11:39:00.005-04:00

Last night we went to this new (to me) restaurant called L'unita at Avenue Road and Davenport in Toronto. We had made a reservation for our party of eight a few weeks ago, and arrived on time for the 8:15 scheduled time. We had to wait just-a-bit-too-long at the bar for our table to be vacated and re-set for us. However, after that wobbly start (which one of the very pleasant young women staffers apologized nicely for, but didn't offer any other more tangible compensation, like some complementary apppetizers or desserts, etc.) our dining experience was absolutely excellent! The room itself is a wonderfully comfortable space with exposed brick walls, large hanging mirrors and colourful posters. The noise level was just right - loud enough to feel like lots of fun was being had, but not overbearingly deafening, and not so loud as to stop our own lively conversations. We had lots of very tasty Italian red wine, soft and delicious bread with olive oil and breadsticks and olives as well as some not-too-garlicy romaine salads to start. The entrees were outstanding. Mine was short ribs...exceptionally tender and perfectly flavoured. I also sampled some nicely-cooked fries, some al dente asparagus, as well as some tasty fingerling potatoes to go along with my ribs. The portions here are very generous, unlike some other "better" restaurants where you really do enjoy the food, but are left hungry for more due to the tiny servings, often too-artfully displayed on the plate. Other choices at our table were a nice-looking cornish hen (I think!), a great striploin steak, some wonderful lamb dishes and a "really good" lobster risotto. The service was just right as well - not stuffy or snobby at all. just friendly and knowledgeable and attentive without being "in-your-face"...always a tricky balance, but done well at this place. Desserts were almost unnecessary, but I managed to slide in some cool and tasty gelattos with an excellent cappuccino to cap off a great meal. Some of our dinner companions were already asking when we could come back to this place, as there's so much more on the menu we'd like to discover - sounds to me like a pretty good recommendation for this place right there! Co-owner David asked us on the way out how we liked it, and seemed quite pleased that we were happy - seems like a very nice guy. (I had told him when confirming our reservation that I often e-mail my friends with restaurant, wine and music recommendations). We'll certainly return to L'unita sometime soon... Try it, and you won't be disappointed. Another opinion:http://www.dine.to/establishment_review_page.php?RecordID=414

the "GOATFATHER" wine

2008-03-04T08:47:00.004-05:00

My new favourite wine is now available in the Vintages section of the LCBO:

THE GOATFATHER 2005 VINTAGES 11072 750 mL bottle Price: $ 15.95

Wine, Still Table Wine, Red Still Table Wine14.5% Alcohol/Vol.Sugar Content : XDMade in: South Africa, South AfricaBy: The Goats do Roam Wine Company/FairviewRelease Date: Feb 2, 2008
Tasting Note(an idiosyncratic amalgam of shiraz, cabernet, merlot, barbera and primitivo) Bright, dark red. Smoky, liqueur-like berries, bitter cherry and gunflint on the nose. Supple and sweet but not at all sloppy owing to its firm acid spine. Spicy red fruit and pepper flavors finish with firmness. Score - 88.
(Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar, March/April 2007)

New (to me) Music

2007-12-31T16:50:00.000-05:00

1. Peter Green (and the Splinter Group) This is the guy who co-founded Fleetwood Mac when they were still cool and bluesy, and who wrote "Black Magic Woman" which Santana made into a huge hit. Green was as good as, or maybe even better than Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix! Sweet-sounding guitar, and great, gravelly, world-weary vocals. Where has this guy been all my life? Somehow I kinda missed him...
2. Keith Jarrett "Live at Montreux". Incredible jazz piano
3. Sharon Jones and the Dap kings - "100 Days & 100 nights" New, but old-sounding soul music.
4. Josh Groban - "Noel" (yes, that very popular Christmas cd...well, it's good! Not very cool, I guess, but good)
5. Jill Scott - "The Real Thing" She still sings great poems... R&B? Soul? Rap? Jazz? Blues?
6. Angie Stone - "The Art of Love & War" Sweet, sultry R&B
7. KT Tunstall - "Drastic Fantastic" Nice pop/folk/rock chick from Scotland, I think. (Sang her big hit "Suddenly I See" at the Live Earth Concert last summer...that was also a good cd/dvd combo that I got at Costco! Two dvd's and a cd - lots of good stuff on there)
8. "Radio 1 - Established 1967" - A compilation disc from BBC One Radio, featuring newer artists covering songs from 1967 to now...very cool stuff including a cover of "It Must be Love" by Paolo Nutini, and a great version of "Cupid" by Amy Winehouse (Amy, of course, is my personal choice for all of: artist; cd; and, sadly, "train-wreck" of the year)
9. Robert Plant and Alison Kraus - "Raising Sand" (pretty sure I've already mentioned this one here somewhere recently) Happy New Year!

Have an "Elfing-Good" Christmas!!

2007-12-17T16:44:00.000-05:00

This is my Christmas Card to all of you: http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1422709350

Christmas Favourites

2007-11-23T11:31:00.000-05:00

These are a few of my favourite things...

Porky Pig: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPgq_fxaW7U&feature=related

Best Christmas song ever? The Drifters: http://badaboo.free.fr/merryxmas.swf This song was also in the movie "Home Alone" (briefly) .

I'll come back here and update this entry as we move along in the season.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Robert Plant & Alison Kraus - new CD is Great!

2007-11-13T17:24:00.000-05:00

You just "gotta" check out this collaboration between Led Zep's lead singer Robert Plant, and American bluegrass multi-award-winner Alison Kraus with (very well-respected but not-so-well-known-in-the-mainstream) producer/writer/arranger/singer T-Bone Burnett (he worked on the "O Brother Where Art Thou" album of the year for 2002, as well as on the fantastic "Black and White Night" concert cd and dvd with Roy Orbison and friends - Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, Jackson Browne, k.d. lang, Jennifer Warnes, Bonnie Raitt J.D. Souther- a real classic itself, so go get that while you're out at the shops)! Anyway... Plant and Kraus rocks, it rolls, it's bluegrass, it's country, it's Everly's, it's...almost indescribable. "Fortune Teller" cut is just a beauty as is the opening track. Different, yet utterly familiar and comfortable all the way through.

www.robertplantalisonkrauss.com Click on "Listen to CD" top left area of the page. My favourite song so far is track#9: "Fortune Teller"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5KF4dKq-6I&feature=related

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/radio/cl-ca-plant11nov11,0,6282113.story

New (to me) Red Wine

2007-11-02T18:56:00.000-04:00

My friend Frank Bo. brought this wine to our last hockey tournament: "Trapiche" Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 bottled by Bodegas Trapiche Mendoza, Argentina.

...that's right - Argentina, not Australia where I almost always find my favourites. It's a very nice, full-bodied red wine and it's under $15. Quite a nice wine, one that you wouldn't be ashamed to take to someone's home for a dinner party.

Italian Restaurant - "Capocaccia"

2007-10-30T09:38:00.000-04:00

Went to this nice Italian Restaurant http://www.capocaccia.ca/location.html last night with my daughters. We had a bottle of their quite decent house red wine, a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (Citra), as well as the grilled calamari, which was very tasty and tender, served on some kind of greens. The girls each had a personal pizza, and pronounced them to be very good - these are the little wood oven-baked "gourmet-pizzas" like the ones you may think of from places like Il Fornello, but with a much more authentic home-style Italian look and taste. I opted for the Chicken Penne in a delicious, but not-too-decadent creamy parmesan sauce.
(Cost: around $90 plus tip)

Condo/Apartment For Rent! Warden & St. Clair

2007-10-24T15:35:00.000-04:00

684 Warden Ave #310
$995 For Lease
Toronto, Ontario M1L0A1
Condo Apartment

Bedrooms: 1
Dir/Cross St:
St. Clair & Warden

Washrooms: 1 x 4-piece

MLS#:
E1249095
Landlords: Macneil
Occup: Tenanted (until April 1, 2008)

Heat: Gas,Forced Air
Central Air
Apx Age: 0-5
Apx Sqft: 500-699
Exposure: N
Rec. Room: Y
Water Incl: Y
Heat Incl: Y
Hydro Incl: N
Cable TV Incl: N
CAC Incl: Y
Bldg Insur Incl: Y
Parking Incl: Y
Balcony: Open
Pets Perm: Restrict
Exterior: Brick
Surface Parking Spot(s): #74

Bright And Clean Spacious One-Bedroom Condo Apartment. Walk To Warden Subway Station (And To Tim Horton's!!) Includes Appliances And Ensuite Washer/Dryer. Non-Smokers Preferred. *Note: Showings After 6:00 P.M. Weeknights With 24 Hrs Notice. W/Ends To Be Arranged Also 24 Hrs.
Refrigerator, Stove, Built-In Dishwasher, Washer & Dryer, Central Air Conditioning, Broadloom Throughout.
Show After 6:00 Week Nights, 24 Hr.Notice. Empl. Letter With App, Credit Check Will Be Done. First Month's Rent Required At Time Of App(Upon Approval) Then Cert. Last Month's Rent And 10 Post-Dates

Lease Term: 1 Year
Application Required: Y
Employment Letter: Y
Payment Frequency: Monthly
Deposit Required: Y
Lease Agreement: Y
Payment Method: Cheque
Credit Check: Y
References Required: Y

MIDDLEFIELD REALTY SERVICES LTD., BROKERAGE 416-365-3232 Fax: 416-340-1080
First Canadian Pl,Box 192, Toronto M5X1A6
FRANCINE MARIE ALLEY, Salesperson 416-340-8439
MICHAEL SCRIVEN, Broker of Record 416-409-1833
Appts:
416-409-1833
rent per month= $995

Thelonious Monk

2007-09-22T15:09:00.000-04:00

Just picked up a new cd at Starbuck's called "the Measure of Monk", by Thelonious Monk. This guy is a jazz legend, one of the best piano-players of his time. I'm only a minor jazz fan, but am always tryng new things, and feel that this is a very good sort of beginner's sampling of this guy's work. Very easy to listen to at first, then just gets better on repeated listening...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thelonious_Monk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2s6LZUdYaU

SouthSide Shuffle Blues Festival in Port Credit

2007-09-11T16:56:00.000-04:00

We (brother-in-law Brian, hockey-buddy Brock and I) went to see Buddy Guy on Saturday night...great show at a pretty interesting outdoor venue, right beside the Credit River, and just above the Lakeshore. They had "waitresses" walking around the whole place selling cans of beer! So civilized!

Very energetic old Buddy can still sing in a strong, clear voice and can also still play the hell out of his electric guitar.

Friday night Brian and I went to the Crooked Cue and played a couple of games of pool (I lost. Big. As usual.) We went downstairs to catch the second set of "Rave On", a pretty decent Stevie Ray Vaughan tribute band. The guy has the look, and the guitar-playing down, but can't quite match Stevie on vocals...but was very good to watch nonetheless.

On the street on Saturday, we came across a young guy from Quebec called Ricky Paquette who just floored me with his guitar playing abilities...he picks the strings with his fingers (not a guitar pick) much like Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits...he covers Buddy Guy, Stevie-Ray Vaughan and others really well, and has an exceptionally strong singing voice, particularly for someone so young. He should only get better with age, and my prediction is that he'll be a big star in the blues community (which, sadly, is pretty small relative to the "pop" music scene). You can check him out here on his myspace page, or look him up on youtube.com :

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=86864404

After the street re-opened at around 7:00 p.m. and the bands dispersed or went into the various bars for a few more sets, we had some time to kill before Buddy Guy's show at 10:00 p.m., and even before his opening act "The Detroit Women" who were also very good and very fun-to-watch singing soul, blues, gospel, etc. We walked over to a great little Thai restaurant http://www.thaisignature.ca/contact.htm for some very excellent food and Singha beer.

A really great weekend of music, food and enjoying some beers with friends and family! If you missed it (and I think most of you did!) you should really think about it for next year - it'll be the 10th anniversary of the SouthSide Shuffle, and will no doubt have some extra-special things on tap.

Great Dinner in Scarborough!

2007-09-04T08:57:00.000-04:00

We went, over the weekend, to one of our very favourite spots for dinner. I guess you could say we're "regulars" there now, although we haven't visited as often as our hosts would like, I'm ashamed to admit!

It's tucked away in the eastern part of Scarborough in a quiet little residential area - West Hill, in fact. Just past the sketchy part of town, and just before the Rouge.

It's a smallish venue, but has a beautifully-laid table for the four of us with fresh flowers centre-piece, and perfectly-lit candles. That nice blue & white china, and antique-looking wine glasses, in a very private room.

We had started with a small appetizer platter of cheeses and crackers, and had a pre-dinner drink or two on the lovely private back garden patio. When it was time for the main course, we moved back inside to our previously mentioned dining area. Billie Holliday, Sarah Vaughan, Etta James and Molly Johnson's wonderful jazz music was playing softly but insistently in the background, and set just the right tone for our meal.

We opted for a bottle of one of my favourite Australian Red wines: a Shiraz/Cabernet blend called Jacob's Creek. It went very nicely with our dinner selection.

We skipped any further appetizers or pre-dinner items and went directly to the entree: beautifully pink-in-the-centre prime rib of beef, accompanied by roast potatoes and cauliflower with cheese sauce. A couple of croissants on the side, then over to dessert, which was another home made classic: warm Apple Crisp (or Apple-Brown-Betty as some people refer to it) with vanilla ice cream! Some mugs of steaming hot coffee and a glass (or three!) of Frangelico liquor, and some very entertaining conversation with our charming dinner companions capped off the experience.

All of a sudden it was close to 11:00 p.m., and we decided to head back into the city - totally satisfied and very happy with our dining experience. We've made plans to return soon!

p.s. this "hidden gem" is my Mom & Dad's place...thanks again folks. We had a great time!

Best Music Event of the Season?

2007-08-31T10:20:00.000-04:00

Beginning on Friday evening, September 7th, 2007, and continuing on Saturday the 8th, and into Sunday the 9th, is a great blues and jazz music festival in Port Credit (QEW west to Hurontario Street/Hwy. 10 south to the Lakeshore). http://www.southsideshuffle.com/
I've gone out to these for a few years now, and have always enjoyed the various kinds of bands and solo performers that are posted all along the Lakeshore (which is closed to vehicle traffic on the Saturday) from Hwy. 10 west to the Credit River. This year, it looks like I'll have to also buy a weekend ticket, as Buddy Guy is playing on Saturday night at one of the main stages, and both the Downchild Blues Band and the Powder Blues Band are also going to have mini-concerts over the weekend. "Lighthouse" is playing on Sunday there as well - a real "blast-from-the-past", as they put on a show at U. of T.'s Scarborough College in the Meeting Place area in my first year there...great little show! (Although they may have changed a bit, unlike me, since that was 1971!!). Port Credit is a wonderful place to wander around and visit nice shops, restaurants, and bars at any time during the summer. It's at its best, I think, during this event. (p.s. I may have been tricked into going in to a few bars last year by Brian M. and Mark J.) Good times!

URGENT!! Public Service Announcement:

2007-07-23T12:51:00.000-04:00

OK, it's maybe not exactly urgent, but it is something that I think you all need to know!

1. I drink Corona in the summertime - very cold...with a little slice of lime.
It costs $39.95 for a case of 24 bottles (330ml. size)
I've recently tried "Brava", which is $26.40 for a case of 24 (341ml.size)

http://www.lakeportbrewing.ca/site1/sub/s_op_brava.php

To my uneducated taste-buds, the Brava, with the requisite slice of lime, served very cold, tastes as good...maybe even better than the Corona! Plus it's cheaper and it's made in Canada.

2. At the L.C.B.O. I can buy Heineken in those 330ml. cans for $13.05 per six-pack. That's 1980 ml of beer.
I can alternatively buy 6 single cans of Heineken in 500 ml. cans for $2.35 each can ( $14.10 for six) That's 3000 ml. of beer.

So that's 1020 ml. more beer (three x 330ml. cans worth) for an extra $1.05 !!!
Too much math? Sorry...just trust me...buy the bigger cans of either Heineken or Pilsner Urquell.

Govern yourselves accordingly...and don't drink and drive.
Happy Summer!

Motown in the Falls

2007-06-17T11:11:00.000-04:00

We went to the "new" Casino in Niagara Falls with my brother and sister-in-law to see "the Magic of Motown" in the Avalon Ballroom. We stayed in the Embassy Suites hotel in a nice room with a very good view of the Falls.

A great venue for a band like this: not-too-big, with no bad seats that we could see. We were in the second row, stage left!

This band was very tight, with the three remaining members of the band still pulling their weight - specially Bob Babbitt, the bass player. The people they've added to fill in the roster are all excellent, too. The two lead singers - a guy and gal - were outstanding, easily covering all of our favourite songs by Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Martha Reeves, the Four Tops, etc.

Half-way through the show they brought out one of the original Supremes, Mary Wilson, who looked and sounded terrific (she's 63!!!), and who led the band in a wonderful 7 to 10 (?) song set of classic Supremes songs !

We did some shopping the next morning around the outlets, etc., then took a very nice drive out along the "River Road" from the bottom of Clifton Hill towards Niagara-on-the-Lake, where we did some people-watching, and shopping in the Greaves Jams store, as well as the bakery, and the fudge shoppe. We had another excellent lunch at the Angel Inn (Guinness Beef & Onion Pie for Fran, and Bangers'n'Mash for me - both perfect).

All-in-all, a very satisfactory trip, and one we can recommend to everyone!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Funk_Brothers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtvBdgyDH8U&mode=related&search=

http://www.standingintheshadowsofmotown.com/index.htm

http://www.standingintheshadowsofmotown.com/funksbio.htm

Samples (audio only, unfortunately...go get the DVD!) from the DVD:
http://www.standingintheshadowsofmotown.com/soundtrack.htm

Great pub-food at the Olde Angel Inn: http://www.angel-inn.com/

Mary Wilson (of the Supremes) http://www.paradiseartists.com/artists/mary_wilson/index.html

Amy Winehouse in Rolling Stone

2007-06-08T12:06:00.000-04:00

The June issue of Rolling Stone has a good piece on my favourite singer: http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/amy_winehouse_back_in_black_rehab_married_soul_beehive_diva/page/1

Savannah and Charleston

2007-05-30T14:37:00.000-04:00

Just returned from our week down south at Hilton Head Island. Had a very nice time with our family (Fran's sisters, their husbands and kids). Fran and I also visited Savannah, Georgia which we really loved : http://www.savannah-visit.com/tour.asp We also went up to Charleston, South Carolina: http://www.charlestoncvb.com/visitors/tripplanner/seedo_attractions.html?type=1&category=2&sub_category=12 We plan to return to spend more time in Savannah and Charleston, but would also consider returning to Hilton Head, which was very beautiful in its own way...and would be a real golfer's paradise, I think.

Hilton Head Island

2007-05-16T10:35:00.000-04:00

We're heading off (by car) to Hilton Head Island with the family (Fran's side) on Friday for a week! Looking forward to it...this http://www.resortquest.com/portal/page?_pageid=795,1079217&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&pmsSource=Legacy&complexID=46394&placeID=108&submitPage=null is the link to the place we've rented. I'll let you know how it was once we get back.

Cowbell

2007-05-04T19:01:00.000-04:00

One of my favourite SNL skits. "I gotta fever...and the only prescription... is more cowbell!"
Click here: http://www.ojaiwan.net/audio/cowbell.wmv

Luke Mulholland Band at Healey's

2007-04-29T10:04:00.000-04:00

Show was just "OK", unfortunately!

We (brother-in-law Brian, and my buddy Doug) had a good time anyway, as we started by having beers at my place (Bay and Dundas), then walking over to the newly-renovated Spadina Garden Restaurant (best Crispy-Ginger-Beef and Cantonese Chow Mein in the world?) on Dundas just west of Bay, then walked down to John and Richmond and stopped in to Smokeless Joes little downstairs beer-bar where I selected an "Innis & Gunn" beer from Britain...this place has a staggering selection of beers from around the world. Then continued on down to Healey's which is now located directly across the street from Gretzky's.
The place is a very good size, the food looked good (we were too stuffed to try it) and we played a couple of games of pool while waiting for the band to come on. They put on an acceptable show, featuring covers of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Hendrix, and others, as well as a few original songs which weren't too bad. The kid can sure play, but his stage presence is not very good yet, and his voice is still a bit weak, I'd say.

All that being said, we had quite an enjoyable evening...you know, it's always good to get "out-with-the-lads" and even just shoot the breeze over some good food and beers and live music, right?

Molly Johnson Concert

2007-04-22T10:58:00.000-04:00

We went to the (Danforth) Music Hall last night to see one of my favourite jazz/pop singers, Molly Johnson. She is touring to support her most recent CD Messin' Around She is very ably supported by her band: piano player, stand-up bass player (and song-writing collaborator), drums, electric guitar and a multi-woodwind instrumentalist who plays three different saxes, two clarinets and a flute or two! Her music is very easy-to-listen-to, and her personality is one of a really neat artsy friend you may have known in high school or college. This is one of her best songs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL699yVUSj0 and this one is from her new cd: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rd91kB9A-0&mode=related&search= and this one is for Thomas the Train fans: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r67Kejw74Mw&mode=related&search=

Sneaky Dee's! We may never have to cook again...

2007-04-19T11:39:00.000-04:00

This place is (in the famous words of Tony-the-Tiger) GGGRRRRREEEEAAAAAATTTTT!!!!
We had the "Daily special" yesterday evening: The "King Crown" (a huge, delicious pile of nachos with refried beans, salsa, white cheese, and tons of guacamole and sour cream) with a 60 ounce jug of beer for only $19.50. We added a small order of perhaps-the-best-chicken-wings-we've-ever-had, and some fantastic home-cut fries and had a great meal! It's a very casual, low-key, eclectic kind of place, where interesting (and mostly much younger) people of all types seem to gather for good, pretty inexpensive food and drinks in this perfect location, right at the start of the Little Italy strip on the south-east corner of Bathurst & College. Total bill: $35.00 plus tip, for four people!! http://www.sneaky-dees.com/Daily.html

Hockey Parents & their "kids"

2007-04-17T13:07:00.000-04:00

This picture was taken on Sunday, April 15th, 2007. Malvern Arena - the "Hoggs" Tournament. The team that I regularly play on (Toronto Islanders Hockey club) was entered. My brother was asked to play on our team for this one, so my parents came out to watch a couple of games. A good time was had by all!

Helpful (???) hints...

2007-04-15T17:04:00.000-04:00

My all-time personal favourite tip: When you buy your Tim Horton's coffee to go, instead of just tearing the plastic lid tab up and locking it into place...you tear it up, the same, but then you push it back down into the opening you've just created to drink out of. Why? Well, once you've had a sip or two, that now-submerged inside tab helps prevent any coffee from splashing back up through the drinking hole!! My second favourite tip is to create a perfect book-mark by cutting a triangle in the lower corner of an envelope, then slipping this triangle over the page in your book that you wish to go back to.

"Kalendar" Restaurant on College Street

2007-03-28T12:16:00.000-04:00

We went to this place on College Street just west of Bathurst last night. Just walking by, and looked in to find that this place is just the kind of place we like to go to....it's not huge, and has nicely-decorated exposed-brick walls with lots of different sizes and types of mirrors. Also a few old clocks and very artfully done touches throughout. Old original looking wood floors, interesting lighting and an intimate kind of feeling partially caused by the very comfy atmosphere/decor, and partly cause by the proximity to other diners...not usually a very good thing, but in this case it just added nicely to the "vibe". We weren't so close we were evesdropping, but we could have done so very comfortably if we had chosen to do so. Oh, and the food was great! Naan bread appetizers with hummus and another dip were perfect, my "scroll #3" was very nice, a kind of roti with chicken and some curry, including a very fresh organic-greens salad. Lamb chops were excellent I was told, as was the swordfish dinner and the pork medallions with apricot, etc.! Service was low-key but very attentive and friendly - just right! Desserts looked good, but we only managed to share one between four people - it was an excellent three-fudge pie. Yes, we'll be going back here soon : http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/Kalendar-review.html

Weather Forecasters Are #$@$%^&('s

2007-03-21T16:07:00.000-04:00

The following is a mini-rant I received today from my friend Jeremy. He's perfectly captured my long-held feelings on this topic: "What the 5-day forecasts count on is that you're not able to remember the five days. I've been watching the five-day forecast since Friday and each day there's a completely new one with completely different temps/precipitation/clouds... everything! With each passing day I'm thinking, hell its three degrees worse or now there's a little bit of precipitation that wasn't there before…each day crappier….The difference is unbelievable!!
I can't believe I fell for the Weather Forecasting Scam once again. I remember I would always say, if I want to know the goddamn weather I'll stick my f*****g head out the window, and sometimes I go with pink sky at night sailors delight (pretty reliable). But no, once again I got sucked in to actually anticipating these mother f****rs would get it right. KISS MY ASS I tell them. Don't publish that crap. I am now declaring my official ban of any weather forecasting!!!! (Except maybe for my own head out the window or a pink-sky-at-night-sailors-delight)". Right on , Jer! I couldn't have said it better.

Can't get enough of Amy Winehouse...

2007-03-15T11:15:00.000-04:00

...but when I watch her I get a sort of melancholy and even quite sad feeling that we may be watching another of those "too-much-for-this-world" kinds of celebrities who is just so talented, but so messed up that they're just burning up incredibly brightly and beautifully, but then burning right out, and leaving us way too soon...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGKGsfxyXy8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFVM5pVTwkM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aygAu1x2uQo&mode=related&search

Love her talent. Let's enjoy her while we can.

Bonjour Brioche Restaurant, etc.

2007-03-09T18:35:00.000-05:00

We went over to Bonjour Brioche today for a late-ish lunch (at the previous recommendations of both Lea and Mark).

It's a very cute little bakery/cafe/"French Restaurant"-type-of-place at 812 Queen Street East just east of Broadview.

Fantastic breads, soups, omelettes and pastries and desserts with great coffee!

Fran had the "rare roast beef sandwich on a baguette" with melted garlicy cheese on it, which was very tasty (though the baguette was just a bit too crunchy from toasting than we would have preferred).

I had a tortierre with organic greens, which was a "chalkboard" special. Delicious! We saw some other people's food, and particularly liked the looks of the omelette at the next table. We bought some of the restaurant's salad dressing to bring home - a very nice, subtle oil and vinegar and spice combo.

We'll try to go back again, but only if we can keep my car from stopping just west of there on Queen Street E. at Dangerous Dan's for his heart-attack hamburgers, fries and onion rings!

Then we drove over to the Danforth and bought some cheeses and some ground coffee at "Alex Farm" cheese shop, then had a coffee and a brownie at "mocha mocha" cafe/restaurant/coffee shop which also had some incredibly fresh-looking sandwich and wrap style lunches flying around to other tables. We'll have to remember this mocha-mocha place as well as the Il Fornello on the Danforth (which we walked past) which has a wonderful Monday-to-Friday buffet brunch from 11:00 to 2:00 p.m.

For more info, click on the names of the restaurants and shop I've underlined/linked above here.

Thes two places are at opposite ends of the spectrum, but we really like them both equally, but differently (much as a fella loves both of his kids equally but differently).

Bon appetit!

Aris Place Restaurant - on Roncesvalles

2007-03-05T16:27:00.000-05:00

This place is a great find in a not-too-sketchy part of the city on 229 Roncesvalles, north of Queen. Great open kitchen serves up home-made burgers, great steak'n'eggs and all kinds of really good-looking "comfort foods". Clientele is very diverse and makes people-watching a great pass-time while waiting for your food to arrive. http://toronto.ibegin.com/restaurants/aris-place

James Hunter

2007-03-02T13:26:00.000-05:00

We went to "the Phoenix" last night (June 20th, 2007) to see James Hunter. A great pre-show dinner at "Spadina Garden" (on Dundas, just west of Bay) with my brother and his wife, our friends Patricia & Doug, and my hockey-buddy Colin, his wife and their friend. We had tons of delectable food there, then all moved on over to the show. My impressions of James Hunter live: This guy is fantastic! He's from England, and has been on tour with Van Morrison. His voice is very rough, but pleasing nonetheless. He sounds like a softer version of John Hiatt, singing songs that could have come from the 60's by people like Sam Cooke. Close to a perfect concert with lots of energy and a very nice personality and humour coming through from the star of the show. If you like music, you really need to have his "People Gonna Talk"CD in your collection. The website gives a lot of samples of his music as well as an amusing little interview clip.
http://www.jameshuntermusic.com/base.html

(note: one of those pretty special nights when one reflects that you have lots more years behind you than ahead of you, and that this is exactly the kind of thing you should be doing more often...that is spending time with people you enjoy, having great meals at interesting places, and listening to live music in a very intimate setting like the Phoenix. you know, "plan for tomorrow, but live for today")

Prince Edward County

2007-02-25T17:41:00.000-05:00

We went for a little getaway on Friday and Saturday down to "the County" as the locals refer to it. There are many very nice little towns down there, right on the Lake (Ontario, that is). The place we stayed is called the Devonshire Inn. www.devonshire-inn.com It's a charming place with several nice rooms and a terrific restaurant right on the lake in "downtown" Wellington. The room, dinner, and breakfast cost around $220 on some kind of Winter Special. Dinner was tomato basil soup, Cornish Hen, fingerling potatoes, vegetables, creme brule for dessert along with a quite decent local wine from the Waupoos winery. Breakfast was scrambled eggs and bacon with toast, muffins, juice, coffee or tea. Wellington is a cute little town with a few nice shops and a couple of restaurants/tea shops. We also drove on to Bloomfield, another quaint town as well as over to Picton, a larger town, very close to Sandbanks Provincial Park (which has some of Ontario's very best sand-dunes and beaches). We're going to go back to visit the County in the summer, and to go to the Merrill Inn for lunch or dinner, as well as to "Lake-on-the Mountain". This is just a great part of Ontario with several wineries, gifty shops, ice cream shoppes, chocolate shops, coffee houses, tea rooms, art galleries, and restaurants. Well worth a visit if you've not been down there before, or if you haven't gotten out of the city for a while. It's only a couple of hours away, but feels like another, quieter, nicer world where people in the street say "hello" to everyone, and actually smile at you. (Click on "Merrill Inn" and "the County" above for links to more info on them).

Amy Winehouse - new, great CD

2007-02-18T18:50:00.000-05:00

Please listen to "Back to Black", "I'm no Good", and "Rehab", which you can get from this link: http://www.myspace.com/amywinehouse It's just below the main banner on the right side of the page. This CD is amazing! Strong, clear vocals reminiscent of 60's Motown, or some 50's - 60's jazz, or some Shirley-Bassey-Goldfinger-kind-of-vibe. This young woman is a bit odd, but very cool, I think and definitely has some "issues" from the sounds of things, but clearly a wonderful new talent.
Instant Classic Lyric:"They want me to go to Rehab, but I say No, No, No!"

American Idol - Only the Girls are Real Winners?

2007-02-15T09:25:00.000-05:00

1. Confession: Yes, I really do watch American Idol 2. I couldn't think of how long this show has been going (turns out this is Season #6) 3. Then I couldn't think of all the previous five winners (turns out they're Kelly Clarkson, Ruben something, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, and my personal least-favourite-no-talent-annoying-"SoulPatrol,SoulPatrol"! goof: Taylor Hicks). 4. Then it just popped into my head that only the women winners have gone on to have any real success in selling their music, whereas the years that the men won, the second or third-place people have done better than the winner. e.g. Ruben > Clay Aiken; Taylor > Chris Daughtry and Katharine McPhee. (Well, maybe Taylor has sold some albums, but I'm way too biased against him to admit it...).

Vesuvio's Pizza & Spaghetti Restaurant

2007-02-14T11:59:00.000-05:00

This place is really terrific...excellent, fresh food, a clean, nice-looking place to dine, and good friendly service! http://www.dine.to/restaurants/vesuvios/gallery.php?establishmentid=4552
I personally like and prefer Vesuvio's but many people also love Terroni, which has a few locations around town (one within walking distance of here) : http://www.terroni.ca/menu.html
My advice is to try them both - you won't be disappointed either way...

What's on My iPod, you ask?

2007-02-07T15:40:00.002-05:00

Since I posted this last year, I've added some more folks: Shirley Bassey; Chaka Khan; Feist; Fujiya and Miyagi; Ingrid Michaelson; KT Tunstall; Mark Ronson; Paolo Nutini; Peter Green; Ruthie Foster; Serge Gainsbourg; Sharon Jones; Thelonious Monk; Viva voce; Wilco.
Plus my previous favourite 2,500 songs by : Paul Carrack; Alicia Keys; Allman Brothers Band; America; Andrea Bocelli; Angie Stone; Antony and the Johnsons; Aretha Franklin; Arlo Guthrie; Art Garfunkel; Astrud Gilberto; Audioslave; B.B. King; the Band; Barry White; Beach Boys; the Beatles; Beck; BeeGees; Ben. E. King; Beyonce; Bill Withers; Billie Holiday; Billy Ocean; Bjork; Blue Rodeo; Bob Dylan; Bob Marley; Bobby Darin; Bobby Vee; Bonnie Raitt; Boomers; Bread; Brian McKnight; Brian Wilson; Bruce Cockburn; Bruce Hornsby and the Range; Bruce Springsteen; the Buckinghams; Buddy Guy; Buena Vista Social Club; Burton Cummings; the Byrds; Caetano Veloso; Calexico; Carole King; the Carpenters; Cars; Cassandra Wilson; the Castaways; Chet Baker; Chicago; Christopher Cross; Classics IV; Cliff Richard; Coldplay; Colin James; Colin Linden; the Committments; Corinne Bailey-Rae; Cream; Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young; Dan Fogleberg; Dave Brubeck; Dave Matthews Band; David Gilmour; David Gray; David Sanborn; Dean Martin; Deep Purple; Delbert McClinton; the Dell Vikings; Derek and the Dominoes; Diana Krall; Dido; Dinah Washington; Dione Taylor; Dire Straits; Dixie Chicks; Don Henley; Donald Fagen; Donna Summer; Doobie Brothers; the Doors; the Drifters; Duke Ellington; Dusty Springfield; the Eagles; Earth Wind & Fire; Ed Harcourt; the Eels; Electric Light Orchestra; Ella Fitzgerald; Elton John; Elvis Costello; Elvis Presley; Eric Clapton; Erykah Badu; Eurythmics; Eva Cassidy; Everly Brothers; Fantasia; Fenton Robinson; Fiona Apple; Flaming Lips; Fleetwood Mac; Four Seasons; Four Tops; Frank Sinatra; Frank Zappa; Free; Gary Lewis & the Playboys; Gary Puckett & the Union Gap; Genesis; George Benson; George Harrison; Gerry & the Pacemakers; Gerry Rafferty; Gipsy Kings; Gladys Knight & the Pips; Gnarls Barkley; Gordon Lightfoot; Gorillaz; Grateful Dead; Green Day; Grover Washington; Hall & Oates; Harry Chapin; Holly cole; hootie & the Blowfish; Howard Jones; Ian Dury & the Blockheads; Il Divo; Jack Johnson; Jackson 5; Jackson Browne; James Blunt; James Carter; James Hunter; James Taylor; Janis Joplin; Jann Arden; Jay & the Americans; Jeff Beck; Jennifer Warnes; Jesse Cook; Jill Scott; Jim Croce; Jimi Hendrix; Jimmy Buffet; John Osborne; Joe Cocker; John Coltrane; John Hiatt; John Lee Hooker; John Legend; John Lennon; John Mayall; John Mayer; John Mellencamp; Johnny Cash; Johnny Rivers; Joni Mitchell; Jonny Lang; Josh Groban; k.d. lang; Keane; Keith Jarrett; Keith Richards; Kenny G.; Kenny Loggins; Kim Mitchell; the Kingsmen; the Kinks; Kyu Sakamoto; Lauryn Hill; Led Zeppelin; Lee Dorsey; Lee Michaels; Lena Horn; Leon Redbone; Leonard Cohen; Letoya; Linda Ronstadt; Lionel Ritchie; Little Anthony & the Imperials; Little Feat; Little Village; Loggins and Messina; Loreena McKennit; Los Lonely Boys; Lou Reed; Louis Armstrong; the Lovin' Spoonful; Lucinda Williams; Lulu; Macy Gray; Mamas and the Papas; Manfred Mann; Marc Anthony; Maria Muldaur; Marianne Faithful; Martha Reeves & the Vandellas; Martha Wainwright; Marvin Gaye; Mary J. Blige; Mary Wells; Michael Buble; Michael Jackson; Michael McDonald; Mike & the Mechanics; Moby; Molly Johnson; the Moody Blues; Nat King Cole; Neil Young; Nicollette Larson; Nilsson; Nina Simone; Nirvana; Norah Jones; Oscar Peterson; Otis Redding; Pat Metheny; Patsy Cline; Paul McCartney; Paul Simon; Peggy Lee; Percy Sledge; Peter & Gordon; Peter Frampton; Peter Gabriel; Peter Tosh; Phil Collins; Pink Floyd; the Platters; Poco; the Pretenders; Prince; R.E.M.; Radiohead; the Rankins; the Rascals; Ray Charles; Ray LaMontagne; Red Hot Chili Peppers; Richard Ashcroft; Richie Valens; Rickie Lee Jones; the Righteous Brothers; Rob Thomas; Robbie Robertson; Robert Cray; Robert Palmer; Rod Stewart; Rolling Stones; Ron Sexsmith; Roy Orbison; Rufus Wainwright; Rush; sam Cooke; Santana; Sarah McLachlan; Sarah Vaughan; Seals & Crofts; Sergio Mendes; Shaggy; Sheryl Crow; Skeeter Davis; Sly & the Family Stone; Smash mouth; Smokey Robinson & the Miracles; Soft Cell; Solomon Burke; the Spinners; Squeeze; Stan Getz; Steelers Wheel; Steely Dan; Stevie Nicks; Stevie Ray Vaughan; Stevie Wonder; Sting; Supremes; T-bone Burnett; Temptations; Todd Rundgren; Tom Waits; Tony Bennett; Tracy Chapman; Tracy Nelson; Traffic; Tragically Hip;U2; Van Halen; Van Morrisson; Warren Zevon; Wax Poetic; White Stripes; the Who; Wilson Pickett; Youssou N'Dour; the Zombies. *Note: some of the above artists, when you hover the cursor over the name, are hyper-linked to further info, so just click on their names to proceed...

Recently Sampled and Recommended

2007-02-05T16:16:00.001-05:00

These are a few of our favourite places...some a bit eclectic, but all with really good, interesting food, and not-too-expensive. Go hungry, and go with an open mind:

Aunties and Uncles (in "Little Italy" College Street area): http://www.toronto.com/restaurants/article/506036
Easy (near Queensway and Roncesvalles): http://www.toronto.com/restaurants/article/restaurants/article/369527
Boom (in "Little Italy" College Street area): : http://www.toronto.com/restaurants/article/000-374-902
Over Easy (I like the one on Yonge and Wellington): http://www.toronto.com/restaurants/article/000-371-903
Mars (in "Little Italy" College Street area):
http://www.toronto.com/restaurants/article/000-369-526
Edward Levesque (in "Leslieville", Queen Street East): http://toronto.com/restaurants/article/000-377-387
Le Petit Dejeuner (King Street East):
http://www.toronto.com/restaurants/article/000-379-760
Maggie's (in "Little Italy" College Street area): : http://www.toronto.com/restaurants/article/000-379-761
Golden Star (in Thornhill, Yonge and Steeles): http://www.toronto.com/restaurants/listing/118981

The Funk Brothers - Best music documentary Ever?

2007-02-05T15:54:00.000-05:00

This is a wonderful story, with the greatest back-up band in popular music history that almost nobody ever heard of...http://www.standingintheshadowsofmotown.com/film.htm

I was lucky enough to see them live here in Toronto on their last tour through the city at "the Guvernment". These guys played "all" the back-up music for Motown: for the Supremes, the Tempations, Four Tops, Martha Reeves and the Vandelas, etc. Check out the DVD.
p.s. the original piano player, Joe Hunter passed away yesterday.

"Horizon-on-Bay" condo for sale

2007-01-25T14:47:00.000-05:00

This is one of our condo's that we have listed for sale in the building where we live at 633 Bay Street just north of Dundas: http://tours.advirtours.com/tours/10/05/100539/images/gallery.html It is a fairly large ( just under 1,000 sq. ft.) one-bedroom plus den that has been totally renovated and re-designed, listed at $359,900

Mensroom Etiquette

2007-01-25T12:03:00.000-05:00

This is a ten minute clip that's really essential viewing in order to truly "grasp" this oft-misunderstood, previously taboo topic:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=IzO1mCAVyMw

perfect...

Penfold's Bin 389 Red Wine

2007-01-22T14:16:00.000-05:00

This wine was offered to me yesterday at my brother-in-law's place..it was a gift to him from his sister. If I could afford to drink this every day, I would - it's just tremendous. Sadly, it costs $36 putting it out of my range except for a very special occasion.

Cheap Faves...

2007-01-22T10:40:00.000-05:00

I've mentioned Hardy's "Stamp of Australia" Shiraz/Cabernet before, as well as Long Flat Shiraz/Cabernet and Jacob's Creek Siraz/Cab...

My latest, and maybe my new "cheap-fave" is :

Lindeman's "Cawarra" - yet another Shiraz/Cabernet.

All of the above are very nice for a "Tuesday-evening-dinner-at-home-in-front-of-the-tube-or-the-BBQ-with-yer-wife-kinda-meal". All are around $10.

For a little nicer occasion (even to take to someone's home), I'm still really happy with Lakefield's "Promised Land" and the Bin 555 from Lindemans, both around $15.

Also, the newest discovery I've previously told you about is Stump Jump for $13.95 - excellent value in the Vintages section.

Cheers!

Grape-Stomping Incident

2007-01-22T10:29:00.000-05:00

Wait for this quote: "Ooooh....ya.... I think she's actually hurt...."

http://youtube.com/watch?v=90m2Xw_Haj0

Ya think?!?

hahahahahahahaha..........sorry, but, hahahahahahahahahaha

Cucina Restaurant on College

2007-01-22T10:08:00.000-05:00

We went to this newer place recently (four of us). Very nice-looking comfortable space. Attentive but not intrusive waitress. Great basket of bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping. Wonderful, huge spicy shrimp appetizer with an interesting mayo/aioli dip. Another assorted seafood appetizer including smoked salmon, calamari, sardines (?) and two more of those great shrimp diavolo! A drink each, then on to the mains: Two people had the individual pizzas, pronounced very good by one, and "not what I had in mind" by the other (while recognising that many people would enjoy it anyway - it being the "Rustica" pizza). Another had ribbon-sort-of pasta with mushrooms and italian sausage and parmesan cheese, which was rated very well, while I had the angel-hair pasta with grilled shrimp in a pesto cream sauce which was fantastic. We had a great bottle of red zinfandel wine called Ravenscroft or something like that...very nice...

All in it was just under $200 for the party of four. A very relaxing, tasty night out in one of our favourite neighbourhoods.

Cucina is on the North-East corner of College and Grace.

Cheers and Bon Appetit!

Another opinion:

http://www.torontolife.com/guide/restaurants/italian/cucina/

Maggie's Restaurant on College near Bathurst

2007-01-22T10:06:00.000-05:00

We were there yesterday for a really nice breakfast in a cool little place. Saugages and three eggs with a bit of fruit, garlic fries, and coffee plus poached eggs and bacon with fruit, fries and coffee = $17.20

Would definitely go back there...

Casino Royale - new Bond rocks

2007-01-22T10:03:00.000-05:00

Went to see (finally!) the latest installment in the excellent action series, called Casino Royale.

This may be the best Bond movie since...well, I don't know since what... you should insert your own favourite Bond flick in this sentence.

Great action from the very beginning, particularly the stunning, stomach-churning, pulse-racing chase scene through a village and then a construction site! (I know - sounds weird, but it's great!).

The "NewGuy" (Daniel Craig as Bond) is perfect - good-looking (I'm told), well-put-together (legs like a running back in the NFL), tough-as-nails, clever, and a bit sensitive.

Travelogue-beautiful scenery in places always makes me want to see more of the world after I come out of any Bond movie, and this one too has it's share of great looking places that I'd like to see for myself someday.

Over two hours long, this movie is very good all the way through, but could have benefitted from a little judicious editing to bring it down to one-and-a-half hours of really tight movie-goodness.

Go see it now...go buy it when it comes out on DVD (I'm going to).

(this review was originally sent to many on my e-mail list in December)

Basell's in Niagara Falls

2007-01-20T12:25:00.000-05:00

I'm giving this place a 9 out of 10 only because I don't believe that anything's perfect (except, perhaps, for me!). This is a terrific throw-back diner (not done up in a faux "retro-style", but I just think it actually hasn't changed since the 60's). Anyway, we always go here when we visit the Falls, and always I get from nine to thirteen strips of bacon in my bacon'n'eggs order!! The home fries (ordered as an extra) are terrific, and are kinda-cheesy-tasting. Great value, great no-nonsense service. Good prices, too! Not "cheap", but excellent value.

http://www.restaurantica.com/restaurants/5715/

Wine web-site

2007-01-18T10:28:00.000-05:00

An interesting site for wine information: www.nataliemaclean.com

Dreamgirls 8/10

2007-01-18T09:26:00.000-05:00

Went to see Dreamgirls movie the other night, and loved it!

Great musical, based on the successful play of the same name, and of course, based on the story of the Supremes (with Diana Ross, and featuring Motown head honcho - Berry Gordy).

Jennifer Hudson sang a couple of spine-tingling, standing-ovation-worthy, show-stopping songs. Eddie Murphy was absolutely excellent playing a combination James Brown/Marvin Gaye character, and Jamie Foxx was really quite good as the slightly oily, very ambitious and successful Berry Gordy character.

Beyonce was just fine as the Diana Ross character (and she's exceptionally beautiful), but was overshadowed in the singing (and acting) department by Jennifer Hudson.

First star= Jennifer Hudson
Second star= Eddie Murphy
Third star= the music/atmosphere
Fourth star= Jamie Foxx
Most beautiful person= Beyonce

Very enjoyable movie, specially for fans of Motown music in general and for those of us who remember when Diana Ross was still good (and still kinda-hot).

"Stump Jump" from Australia

2007-01-18T09:21:00.000-05:00

My newest favourite wine under $15 is Stump Jump

http://www.sawineco.com/images/products/darenberg-the-stump-jumper-2003.jpg

It is (as usual for me) a red wine from Australia, and is a blend of Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre.

I don't really know what that means, except that I know I like Shiraz (like Eaglehawk, etc.), and also Shiraz/Cabernet blends (like Jacob's Creek and Promised Land and Cawarrah), and I like some other more expensive wines from d'Arenberg (like Laughing Magpie), so I decided to try this one.

It was in the Vintages section of the L.C.B.O. - somewhere I usually don't shop - but it was just $13.95 so I went for it.

Big, bold taste at a fairly reasonable price. Would be good with some pretty strong-tasting meals, and is just great all-by-itself!

New Beatles CD

2007-01-18T09:17:00.000-05:00

I'm a huge Beatles fan, and am always a bit concerned when people start f***ing around with their music.

However, this cd has just knocked me for a loop!

It's a very cool "mashing" of classic Beatles songs by Sir George Martin (the Beatles original genius producer) and his son Giles.

The effect of their judicious tinkering with these great works is exhilarating, and I'm again astounded with the sound of John Lennon's strong, raw voice...particularly in this amazing version of Strawberry Fields Forever. And the simplicity of songs like "Yesterday" still is riveting.

Soaring guitar work from George throughout the album plus great rumbling, boiling, bubbling-over-the-rapids drumming in Come Together and others, cool psychedelic sound effects in many of these tracks makes one get all emotional listening to these old favourite songs through "new ears" almost, and increasing our love and respect for the best pop/rock band in my lifetime.

Get this music for yourself, and/or as a gift for someone who's open-minded about their music,and a fan of very good old music with an interesting spin...

ms