wishin' and hopin'

As I was preparing our Easter lunch feast, I was getting caught up on my backlog of podcasts. On a recent edition of CBC Radio's The Current, they reported on the town of Leaf Rapids, Manitoba, the first Canadian city to ban the sale and distribution of plastic bags. How amazing is this? An entire town without plastic bags! And they are not alone. San Francisco has already implemented a ban on plastic bags and many other countries, such as Australia, Bangladesh, Ireland, Italy and South Africa have also done so. This is very encouraging news. Hopefully other Canadian cities will follow suit.

and the band played on

In a previous post, I lamented the demise of the oh so excellent, Cool Waters Band. I was thrilled to discover that Greg Waters teamed up with Mark Little and released an album titled, The Roots. I immediately went over to iTunes to download it and discovered that it was released in 2005. I have to admit that I was a bit sad. I had hoped that this was a sign that this amazing band, who play their final concert this week, would still be carrying on in some form. I bought the CD anyway and it is fantastic, raw and funky! I sure hope that more music from these guys is on the way...

thank you for the music

I try very hard to support Canadian music. Through the magic of iTunes, I've subscribed to a number of podcasts that highlight Canadian music. Maybe I'm getting old, but I just can't get excited about any of the up and coming bands that these podcasts are touting as the best new Canadian talent. I'm starting to feel like a bad Canadian, and believe me, I am a pretty hardcore patriot!

I have recently discovered two UK bands that I just love!

The Shakes are a 4 piece from London, England. When I first heard their song Liberty Jones on about 5 million podcasts in one week, I wasn't all that impressed. Frankly, I was quite annoyed that every podcaster in the universe was playing this song. That's usually the first clue that I will absolutely fall in love with a band. And I did! Soon afterwards, I was on the Podsafe Music Network listening to Liberty Jones over and over again. The really cool thing about this band is that they don't have a record deal and they don't have a full length album out. They have been releasing singles every few months and promoting themselves through the Internet. I can honestly say that the minute they have a CD out I will download it! In the meantime, I look forward to each new single, live track, podcast, and whatever else they put out on their website or the Podsafe Music Network. These guys are totally taking matters into their own hands! It's refreshing to see a band take a different approach. I hope it's working for them.

I am also totally into The Fratellis. These guys got a huge break when their tune, Flathead, was featured in an Apple ad promoting iPod + iTunes. There music is catchy and fun with some excellent lyrics. I'm a total sucker for great lyrics! From what I can tell, they are also an indie band and seem to be developing a good following.

So maybe I'm just more in tune with the UK sound these days. Whatever it is, I highly recommend that you check out both of these awesome bands.

I did it my way...

June Callwood is one of Canada's greatest journalists, authors and advocates for social justice. She was diagnosed with inoperable cancer in 2004 and was admitted to hospital last week. She gave her last interview to George Stroumboulopoulos on The Hour on CBC. She's an amazing woman and George does a fantastic interview. If we could all embody her spirit and positivity, the world would be a much better place.

just give me something, something I can use...

enough said

a natural woman

Dove has been running a great ad campaign featuring "average" women. No super models, no stick-figures, just normal, everyday women. Apparently, their recent ad has been banned in several American cities for showing too much skin. Funny isn't it. Too much skin is o.k. if a woman is 20-something & skinny with big boobs, but not if she is of an average build and over 50. We wouldn't want to live in reality, would we.

wrap it up

I recently completed a couple of projects. They actually turned out pretty well, so I thought I would share them with you.

I am particularly proud of this one, as it is my first successful crochet attempt. This baby blanket will be heading out to Regina, Saskatchewan to welcome the newest addition to our friends Corey and Samantha's family. This blanket is made from Lion Brand Cotton-Ease and consists of three strands of yarn, in three different colours, held together. It's a fast and easy pattern, that makes a great, summer-weight baby blanket.


I am totally addicted to Lion Brand Homespun yarn, I decided to try the 6-hour Throw from the Lion Brand website. As I mentioned in a previous post, I have an incredibly short attention span, so any pattern that takes just a few hours makes me very happy. And this one turned out to be a very cozy couch blanket. Perfect for our freezing cold family room in the basement!

in the drink

I picked up a bottle of 2005 Fetzer Vineyards Valley Oaks Zinfandel from California this week. I was first introduced to this wine by the lovely couple that bought our Toronto condo before we made the moved to Burlington almost 5 years ago. Until that point, I only knew of White Zinfandel, also known in my circles as "pink party wine." I had never had a red Zinfandel before and instantly fell in love with this one.


Ruby red in colour, this wine has a nose of spice and pepper. The flavour is slightly lighter than the aroma suggests, but full of fresh, dark berries, vanilla and licorice, with a long, dry finish. At the LCBO, $14.15.

By the way, if you enjoy wine and especially love a non wine snob review, check out the Wineass podcast. Unfortunately, I can't get many of the wines he reviews in my area, but he is highly entertaining.

you talk, talk, talk to me

What's your Slanguage?

I was relieved that my Canadian-ness won out, but why is my prison slang knowledge so high?

Thanks to pel for this one.

Your Slanguage Profile

Canadian Slang: 75% Aussie Slang: 50% Prison Slang: 50% British Slang: 25% New England Slang: 25% Victorian Slang: 25%

What Slanguage Do You Speak?

let the music do the talking

At least one record company is finally getting it!

EMI announced yesterday that they will sell their music DRM free on iTunes. This is a huge step forward for digital music. Basically, DRM software prevents songs purchased from iTunes to be transferred to a digital player other than an iPod. Selling music without this copyright protection is a huge advantage for Apple, but also for the consumer. The iTunes Music Store has the best digital catalog of all of the online suppliers. Without DRM, this catalog is opened up to all owners of digital music players, not just iPod owners.

The only thing I'm not sure of is the new price. DRM free tracks will sell for $1.29 each instead of the standard iTunes charge of $0.99. Why are we paying more for something we never should have been burdened with in the first place?

Regardless of the price, this is a huge move forward. It's only a matter of time before other record companies follow suit.

i'm here to remind you...

I loved Alanis Morisette's Jagged Little Pill album. I can't say that I've been a huge fan of her subsequent releases but I do believe that she is a very talented musician. Well check out this little gem I found on You Tube! Alanis takes an absolutely awful song and shows us how ridiculous it really is, while displaying her excellent vocal and interpretive talent at the same time. Enjoy!

who could ask for anything more...

Busy weekend! So much to blog about.

Steve and I went out for a fantastic meal on Friday night. We had a gift certificate for a free dinner for two (appetizer, entree & dessert) at Tundra Restaurant at the Hilton Toronto. Although the chef that made the restaurant famous was no longer there, we were treated to an exquisite meal. On top of that, our waiter was perhaps the best waiter I have ever encountered in Canada. I wish I remembered his name because I would totally call the restaurant manager to sing his praises! Most servers, if handed a coupon for a free meal wouldn't work so hard but this guy was incredibly attentive. He described the menu in great detail, making excellent recommendations and knew exactly when to check on us to make sure we had what we needed. Knowing that we were on a time line, he made sure that our meal arrived in good time, had us order our dessert before we finished our entrees and offered us coffee to go so that we would get to our concert on time. He definitely earned the tip we left.

So what did we eat? I started with the Caesar salad. The lettuce was crisp, the dressing not too heavy and the Parmesan shaved in large, thin pieces. Delicious! Steve had the crab cakes and they were fantastic! The just melted in your mouth with a delicate sweetness. We ordered the same entree, since we are both suckers for a good steak. The fillet Mignon was like butta! This may have been the best restaurant steak I have ever had. And the roasted root vegetables and fritters that accompanied it were fantastic. For desert, Steve had an incredible molten chocolate cake and I dove into a trio of creme brulee, cinnamon, chocolate and vanilla. Heavenly! I can't forget to mention the wine! The Fielding Estate Cabernet Franc was excellent! (unfortunately, I can't remember the year) If I remember correctly, Steve's first reaction was "well smack my mouth!" Yes it's a bold wine, with hints of leather, ripe berries and chocolate. We are definitely planning a trip to Fielding Estate to sample some more.

After dinner, we headed over to the University of Toronto Faculty of Music to hear a concert. Any concert at the Faculty is special for me because I work there. As difficult and as stressful as my job gets, seeing the students on stage performing is such a rush. This concert combined our three choirs, the MacMillan Singers, University Women's Chorus and Master Chorale with the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra in a wonderful performance of Bruckner's Te Deum. I must admit, I got emotional even before the concert started. I know how hard these kids work. I know how stressful this point in the school year is for them. I know what it takes for them to get to the moment of performance. No matter what else is going on, they always rise to the occasion. They sang and played there hearts out and the audience gave them the love they deserved.

After the intermission, the orchestra tore into Mahler's Symphony No. 1. Once again, they did not disappoint! They played their best and the audience loved it. I grinned and applauded like a proud parent. That's always how I feel when I see them perform. It doesn't have to be perfect. They're students, they are still learning. But to see all of their handwork pay off is so incredibly rewarding. And it reminds me why I still work there.