February 6th, 2012
February in Toronto means several things. It used to mean grey skies, grey slush, grey clothing, and grey faces. That hasn’t changed, except for the grey slush – snow has not made much of an appearance this year.
But aside from that, February in Toronto also means a potential culinary pick-me-up: Winterlicious. Now in it’s tenth year, the city-wide festival means prix fixe meals at restaurants across the city.
Prices for 3-course meals range from $15-25 for lunches, and $25-45 for dinners. Some of the restaurants I wouldn’t be caught dead entering, some I’d feel like a yokel if I entered, and some are comfort places. I’ve had some very, very mediocre experiences at Winterlicious (and Summerlicious, and Veggielicious), because some restaurants use the event to offload their menus’ crappiest items on unsuspecting customers who just want a good deal.
But if you pick your venue well and do your research, then it’s a great way to get a taste of cuisines or restaurants you wouldn’t normally go to. This year I went with a tried-and-true comfort, where the food was unoriginal but good, and where I could soak in the informal atmosphere of a restaurant I hadn’t attended in a long time.
It’s strange, the psychology of choosing a meal with friends. Do you go spend the money, good value, on a known quantity, and risk boredom? Or do you risk your wallet (and tax, and tip), and go somewhere new?
Does your city have something like Winterlicious? Are you adventurous when dining out?
- Jean AAR
Tags: prix fixe, Toronto, Winterlicious
Posted in Cooking, Jean AAR, Real Life | 2 Comments »
February 4th, 2012
Did you ever have tea parties as a child? I did. One of my favorite gifts as a young girl was a lovely little china tea set covered with pink roses. Several times a week I would pull out my china set and have a tea party either with my friends, my mother, or my dolls. I didn’t actually like tea at that age. More often than not my tea pot either contained Kool-Aid or was empty.
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Tags: LinnieGayl, tea, tea party
Posted in Cooking, LinnieGayl Kimmel | 9 Comments »
February 3rd, 2012
February is Black History Month. In honor of that I thought we could take a moment to discuss the famous group of African American Airmen who are being immortalized on film at a theater near you: The Tuskegee Airmen. Theirs is a bittersweet history. Bitter in that the tale contains horrifiying accounts of the bigotry that infested national policies during this time of American history. Sweet because it is a testament of courage, strength and triumph.
During WWI, African American men had applied for positions as aerial observers and been rejected strictly on the basis of race. After the end of the war, two decades of intense advocacy began, spearheaded by African American men who wished to train to become pilots. Prestigious men such as Walter White, A. Philip Randolph and Judge William H. Hastie involved themselves in the cause. In 1939 their efforts proved successful and Congress passed Appropriations Bill Public Law 18. The bill contained a clause allocating some funds for the training of African American Pilots. Due to the segregation rules which regulated army life, the money was used to pay civilian flight schools willing to accept these students. The army then did a mighty dance in order to accommodate these new pilots within its own bigoted and segregated ranks.
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Tags: Red Tails
Posted in Maggie AAR, Movies | 3 Comments »
February 2nd, 2012
I am slow to discover things, so many of you may have already seen Kelly Clarkson’s video for “Stronger”. Did you know that she challenged her fans to submit videos of a predetermined dance routine to be used in her clip for “What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)”? Then she picked numerous selections and incorporated them into her video for the song. It looks like a blast.
After finding the song, I had to look up some of the submissions. It is so fun watching them. Here is one that is really professionally done. The individuals are on a cruise ship and at each port dance to her song. I don’t think this one is in the video: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: flash mob, Kelly Clarkson, Stronger
Posted in Leigh AAR, Music, Pop Culture | 4 Comments »
February 1st, 2012
Every Sunday morning, cup of coffee in hand, I rifle through the three papers we have delivered each weekend morn, and find the Modern Love column in the New York Times. I’ve read it regularly for the past twenty years. If you’ve never read it, the Modern Love columns are, as defined by their editors, “deeply personal essays about contemporary relationships, marriage, dating, parenthood…any subject that might reasonably fit under the heading “Modern Love”.” The columns are well-written, succinct snippets of the emotional lives of others. Some are funny, some are enlightening, many will break your heart. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Dabney AAR, Real Life, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
January 30th, 2012
The first song ever I picked from a soundtrack and which remains a favorite to this day is Don’t You (Forget About Me) by the Simple Minds. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Movies, Music, Rike
Posted in Music, Rike Horstmann | 3 Comments »
January 28th, 2012
Yesterday I went grocery shopping and spent $173.28. For one person. Me. No diapers, no formula, no snacks, no organic food, no impulse buying (unless you consider an air freshener for my car at $2.97 impulse buying. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Household expenses
Posted in Leigh AAR, Real Life | 6 Comments »
January 26th, 2012
After hearing the endless buzz about how great this show was I finally added it to my Roku. Watched one episode. Then another. And another. Then glommed them over the course of the week till I was done. The last time I remember being this intrigued by a show was two years ago when I got into Friday Night Lights. I like Being Human just a touch better.
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Tags: Being Human
Posted in Maggie AAR, Television | 6 Comments »
January 25th, 2012
One of my two New Year’s resolutions is to see more movies. I’ve spent the last few years reading rather than watching. It’s not just I don’t go to the movies–the only movie I saw in theaters in 2011 was the last Harry Potter. I have also stopped watching movies at home and, by the end of last year, I felt both culturally out of sorts and distressed I’d missed films others raved about. I’ve yet to make it to the theater this month–I’ve still got another week!–but I have been watching movies at home with my husband. Last weekend we watched Moneyball–I thought it was good, not great and that both Jonah Hill and Phillip Seymour Hoffman outshone Brad Pitt–and, a film I thought was stunning: Winter’s Bone. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Dabney AAR, Movies, Uncategorized | 5 Comments »
January 23rd, 2012
Before I got my beloved new MBP, I looked at my friends who actually gave their tech devices names like they were nuts. Why? Just, why? You’re going to chuck it in a few years, ten, tops. It’s only a means to access all that’s near and dear, and doesn’t hold the same sentimental value as, say, one’s first car does. (There was a NYT article that put it well, but I can’t find it.)
That was before I got my MBP, and man, I fell in love. It can do (almost) no wrong in my eyes. Barring a major catastrophe, I’m never going back to Windows. Ever.
I decided that I needed to christian my lovely new laptop, new extensive of my mind, body and soul. (Ha.) I needn’t go around calling it by name, but just to acknowledge that it has become a very important part of my life. Honestly, I’m attached to this thing.
But what to call it? There’s the rub. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: apple, MacBook Pro
Posted in Jean AAR, Real Life | 6 Comments »
