Author: Dan Dickinson

2025 Annual Report: Hyper-routine

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Back in 2014 and 2015, the theme of my annual reports were “Focus” and “Hyper-focus” respectively. Ten years on, it feels like a similar progression happened between 2024 and 2025. Where 2024 was about “routine” for the first time in a decade, 2025 was a double-down on that routine.

I’m now two years into my current role & company; Lindsay is at the tail end of her PhD. We had no grand adventures like trips to India, no COVID-like illness nor shattered ankles. No two-week working vacation by the ocean. We settled in and put our heads down. In the end, it might have backfired, but it was the very end of the year before we figured that out.

Even flying to Moncton became a near-routine commute. I flew there nine times over the year, sometimes tacking on weekends to visit family, like for my mom’s 75th birthday, my dad’s 82nd, or Thanksgiving. It really has been a nice bonus in this role that I can spend more time with family. Brother #2 and Sister-In-Law #1 even drove over for dinner one night. And, as with last year, work brought me to two more Canadian cities, one of which — Edmonton — I’d not visited before. Because these trips are always planned for the middle of winter, I’m not sure cities like Edmonton and Saskatoon are making the best first impressions though. Anyway, work also had me back in PEI for a couple days, and any time I can be by the ocean, I’m pretty happy.

As far as non-work trips, there was a big one and three small ones, with all three small ones being in in Ontario. In the summer, to celebrate my 50th birthday, we spent a couple of days in Elora and a couple in Niagara-On-The-Lake. In the fall, Lindsay and I drove up to Ottawa to see Patrick and attend a concert of Stardew Valley music performed by an orchestra. We even managed to squeeze in brunch with CBGB whilst there, which I loved. Then, a few weekends later, we spent a weekend at Langdon Hall, just outside of Toronto, enjoying the food & fireplace & changing colours.

Plus, NS for Christmas.

The big trip was something I never thought I’d do: a cruise. A river cruise, that is, down the Rhine river. My mom had always wanted to do something like that, so brother #1 and I took her. She saw Amsterdam for the first time. I suspect it was her first time in both Switzerland and Germany too, other than transferring through Frankfurt airport. It was also my first time in Switzerland, since we’re not counting airport transfers. So, technically, Switzerland is the lone pin I added to my ‘countries I’ve visited’ map this year, even if we were only there long enough to walk into Basel for a cup of coffee.

Back in Toronto, insufferable as it’s becoming, we did manage to find a few moments of joy with friends: being hosted by Upasana, hosting Ricky + Olivia, drinks at East End Vine with K-L, a visit by brother #2 and fam, a Wet Leg concert, drinks w/ Mike & Heather, a visit from Patrick & Maeve, and a day trip out to Guelph to drop off my mom and see my aunt + uncle + cousin. No plays or other big events, though — gone are the days when I was traipsing from one film festival to another.

We tried a bunch of new restaurants in Toronto (The York Club with Brian & Brock; Nobu w/ T-Bone; Alobar Yorkville; Bar ARDO; Chula Taberna with Kirsten; Hastings Snack Bar; Amber Kitchen; Bar Pompette and Martine’s with Ricky + Olivia; and Wood Owl with Patrick & Maeve) and elsewhere (Les Brumes Du Coude in Moncton with brother #2 and sister-in-law #1; Dalvay By The Sea in PEI with colleagues; Raphael, TOWN, and Arlo in Ottawa; Langdon Hall in Cambridge; Bar Edicola in Montreal; and Mystic in Halifax). Lots of old favourites too: Carisma on our own and again a few weeks later with Kirsten; Ricky + Olivia for work, with M+LK, and just us; Cluny; Jacobs & Co. w/ Dan & Abtin; Volo; d|bar with Matt; La Paella with brother #2 & fam; Elora Mill Inn; and The Manx, an old Ottawa favourite.

Less an event than continued progress: Bianca continued on her cute, cuddly journey with us. We love her and she loves us. Sigh. Swoon.

One other continuation from something I started last year: making up a numeric theme to get myself to accomplish some stuff this year. Whereas last year I went with a 3-6-9-12 theme, this year I just went with a straight 1 though 7.

  1. Try to have lazy lie-in mornings on Sundays (aka the first day of the week)
    • This one was subjective so it’s hard to say I did it, or didn’t, but I tried. And succeeded a few times.
  2. Of the 11 Michelin starred/recognized restaurants east of Yonge, hit the two I haven’t tried
    • Done! I hit both Puerto Bravo and Wood Owl this year, the latter just before Michelin announced a new grouping that will go on my plan for next year.
  3. Get a trì tattoo (that’s the number three in Gaelic; both the number and the language are meaningful for me)
    • Done! First tattoo, in the books.
  4. Make at least one improvement in each of the four remaining main zones of the house that we didn’t get to last year
    • Not done. I only did one of three. I’m not doing this one next year as I can’t execute this one on my own.
  5. Go to my fifth Habs game in Montreal
    • Done! They lost again though. 😦
  6. Plan a trip to my sixth continent
    • Not done, but started — we have the outline of a plan to South America in the works.
  7. Read seven books
    • Done! Wrapped up the last one in the final days of the year.

All that said, this hyper-routine brings with it a slight sense of foreboding. A decade ago, after two years of feeling focused and then hyper-focused, 2016 brought about complete upheaval. As much as I like and welcome change, I don’t know if I need a repeat of that chaos in 2026.

.:.

Annual reports from past years:

.:.

Cover photo by Planeta

[Cover photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash]

The best of everything from 2025

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

As is now the standard, I’m choosing to list my favourite things I consumed this year, not necessarily what was released in 2025. And, as noted every year, lists are alphabetical unless otherwise specified.

My favourite albums

A light year for me, music-wise, for sure.

Thee Black Boltz by Tunde Adebimpe

Former TV On The Radio frontman comes back with this solid lineup. Not uniformly great, but the good songs are so good it puts the album on this list.

Phonetics On And On by Horsegirl

“2-4-6-8” was on the list of my favourite songs last year, and the full album is pretty great too.

The Bad Fire by Mogwai

I can’t imagine a Mogwai album which wouldn’t show up on this annual list.

Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory by Sharon Van Etten

A new band, a rekindled crunch, still the same Sharon Van Etten voice.

Songs From The Gang: A Celebration Of Joel Plaskett by Various Artists

A surprise for Nova Scotian musician Plaskett’s 50th birthday from some of his oldest friends. My favourites are the Sloan cover of “I Love This Town” and Alan Syliboy’s version of “Nowhere With You”. Never thought I’d hear that song sung in Mi’kmaq.

Moisturizer by Wet Leg

More varied and self-assured than their debut album. This one convinced Lindsay to get us tickets to see them live in the fall.

.:.

My favourite songs

Not sure what was up this year, but where this is often twenty songs, I struggled to find ten that made this list.

  1. Tunde Adebimpe . “Magnetic”
  2. Big Thief . “Words”
  3. Neko Case . “Little Gears”
  4. Geese . “100 Horses”
  5. Mogwai . “What Kind Of Mix Is This?”
  6. Spoon . “Chateau Blues”
  7. U.S. Girls . “The Clearing”
  8. Sharon Van Etten . “Idiot Box”
  9. Wet Leg . “CPR”
  10. Wolf Alice . “White Horses”

.:.

My favourite movies

I watched 16 movies this year (which used to be a light month for me), only 3 of which came out in 2025. I’m so out of the movie game now that I can’t even say “I haven’t watched x, y, or z yet.”

A Complete Unknown (2024)

Some artistic liberties, sure, but but damn if they didn’t encapsulate why Dylan is such a genius. Timothée Chalamet did that about as well as someone could.

A House Of Dynamite (2025)

Started off with incredible tension which sadly wound down as it went, but still a solid throwback to past cold war thrillers. It certainly made me want to watch Fail Safe.

Conclave (2024)

I was expecting Dan Brown light, but it was so much better than that. Ralph Fiennes played his part like a tightly wound spring who’d spent a lifetime learning restraint.

Free Solo (2018)

I think the only time during this documentary I wasn’t on edge was when Alex Honnold was on the ground. And he was almost never on the ground.

Furiosa (2024)

An excellent origin story of an excellent character. And Chris Hemsworth was a terrific addition to the universe. Entertaining as can be.

Leave The World Behind (2023)

A kinda-pocalypse for the modern age. Skillful ratcheting up of tension (racial and otherwise) until the final scene.

Locke (2013)

A technical feat: the entire movie is filmed inside Tom Hardy’s car as he drives to London. We hear other voices, but see no one — the entire story unfolds through conversations on his speakerphone. Hardy’s physicality so often plays a large part in his roles, but here it’s all in his voice and facial expressions.

She Said (2022)

A journalistic procedural about the groundswell of Me Too stories written about Harvey Weinstein, setting his charges in motion.

Sinners (2025)

A combination of monster movie + historical drama + light musical + societal examination. A healthy dose of blues history made this one of my favourites of the year.

Uncorked (2020)

Sure, the subject matter is wine, so I loved it, but it was even funnier than I expected, especially because of Courtney B. Vance.

.:.

My favourite TV shows

Continuing the trend of the last several years, all the attention I used to pay to movies now goes to TV. I watched 53 new seasons of TV this year, and a pile more as re-watch. Probably the most notable shows I’ve been meaning to watch but have not, as yet: The Diplomat S03, Murderbot, Shrinking, the last four episodes of Stranger Things S05, The Studio, and maybe most importantly, Pluribus.

Adolescence

A tour de force of directing, coordination, and in the case of many of the principals, acting. I thought the first episode might have been the finest episode of TV I watched all year, until I saw the third episode.

Andor (S02)

Nary a lightsaber in sight, but still one of the best Star Wars properties. A sci-fi look at how fascism ascends, and how resistance to it isn’t clean.

The Bear (S04)

Not the strongest season of the show, but compelling nonetheless. “The Wedding” was one of my favourites episodes of the series.

The Last Of Us (S02)

Because I did not play the game, I did not see that coming.

Long Story Short (S01)

The newest series from Raphael Bob-Waksberg, also animated, is (was?) just as filled with pathos as BoJack Horseman was. Not sure how many seasons are planned, but I’m excited for more.

Mr. In-Between (S01)

Pretty sure Lindsay found this in an “underrated TV” subreddit. An Australian series about a seemingly regular bloke who’s also a killer for hire. That’s well-worn territory, but this show does it in a refreshing way.

The Pitt (S01)

For a while I dismissed this as ER 2.0, but I kept hearing good things about it. When I eventually started watching it I found myself truly bingeing it, making up excuses to just start the next episode even though it was 1am on a weeknight.

Severance (S02)

Not as good as season one, and a little annoying at times, but still one of the most interesting things on TV.

Somebody Somewhere (all seasons)

Lindsay watched this first and insisted I watch it too, and she was right — it’s one of the sweetest, best-acted comedies I’ve seen in a while.

The White Lotus (S03)

Some parts I loved (aka, Parker Posey), some parts I didn’t, but even a relatively-weak season of White Lotus is better than most TV.

.:.

My favourite books

Last year I read six books. This year I read seven. These were my five favourites.

Sucker Punch by Scaachi Koul

A biting and often-hilarious history of failed relationships (one in particular, but not in totality) of Scaachi Koul, one of my favourite writers.

You Had Me At Pet-Nat by Rachel Signer

In which the author explains how natural wines must be grown, encouraged, nurtured, and eased into the world, as she describes how she does the same thing with her relationship. It’s not as heavy-handed as I make it seem, I promise.

Terror From The Air by Peter Sloterdijk

A bit of a random thing, really — Lindsay had this book out from the library for her PhD thesis, and I just started flipping through it. Before I knew it I was half-finished. A treatise on the idea that the world changed in WWI when warfare began using the very air we breathe to kill us, continuing through WWII with the firebombing of cities like Dresden, Hamburg, and Tokyo. That fire theme was one that recurred in another book on this list too.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

I can see why it became so popular during/after 2020. The description of a foreign virus (albeit a far more deadly one) infecting Toronto recalled those initial COVID days pretty clearly. The rest was a bit of standard-fare post-apocalyptic adventure, but admirable for how it mixed mundanity into the inevitable harshness.

Fire Weather by John Vaillant

I wouldn’t have thought this book — centered on the Fort McMurray fire from a few years ago, but wrapped in the history of northern Canadian resource extraction, the oil sands, and a timeline of the energy sector’s detachment from science and reason when it benefitted them — would be as gripping as it was, but we turned the pages just like we would have any so-called beach read. Also, I didn’t know anything about the Chisholm Fire until I read this book, and it was terrifying.

.:.

My favourite (new) podcasts

Setting aside constant favourites like 99% Invisible, Matt Talks Wine & Stuff with Interesting People, Q, Smartless, Somm TV, The Rest Is History, This American Life, TLDR, Way Down In The Hole, and You Are Good, these are the new-to-me podcasts I got into this year. I am, at present, a good six months behind on my podcasts, so I’ve hesitated to add anything new, but I can see the new Michael Lewis series The Big Short waiting for me.

Good Hang

Certainly helped by Amy Poehler’s network of talented friends, but she’s also becoming a very good interviewer. The segment where she interviews yet more famous friends of the guest is often almost as good as the interview itself.

Good On Paper

Apparently I only added “good” podcasts this year? Anyway, this policy discussion put on by The Atlantic was as interesting as it was short-lived. It wrapped up back in the spring.

.:.

My favourite meals

In chronological order.

Les Brumes du Coudes, Moncton

On one of my many visit to Moncton this year, I met brother #2 and sister-in-law #1 at this tiny place tucked into the Aberdeen Cultural Centre for a surprisingly delicious meal of local favourites and interesting wine. I might have had more impressive meals, but this one makes it on the list for the sheer “This is in Moncton?!” of it.

Nobu, Toronto

When old friend T-Bone and I still worked together, we were constantly going out to new restaurants. As I changed companies and life got busier, it got harder and harder. To wit: when we met for dinner at Nobu it had been nearly eight years since we last broke bread (or, the high-end sushi equivalent). The jalapeño yellowtail and lobster tempura with tamari honey were the best things I ate, but the real highlight was getting to spend four gabby hours with T-Bone again.

Dalvay By The Sea, PEI

A group side quest on a work trip, I had — in a gorgeous lakeside setting, it must be said — one of the biggest and best pork chops I have ever et.

Elora Mill Inn, Elora

A few days after my 50th birthday, we spent a couple days at the Elora Mill Inn. On our first night we did their tasting menu(s), and right from the strawberry basil gazpacho amuse bouche, it was outstanding.

Ricky + Olivia, Toronto

We ate at R+O a few times this year, but the dinner in August with our friends Matt & Lisa was my favourite. The sugar cube cantaloupe with salami, cucumber, and burrata was a standout, and as much as I think they have the best burger in the city, this might have been the best it’s ever tasted.

TOWN, Ottawa

One of a number of standout meals we ate in a weekend trip to Ottawa, this one at TOWN with Patrick and Maeve stood out. Once again, it was a pork chop that charmed me, but everything else down to the salad was fantastic.

Arlo, Ottawa

Our last big meal in Ottawa, and probably the best of the bunch, was a birthday dinner at Arlo. The scallop tartare appetizer was superb. The ribeye for two was cooked perfectly. The wine was delicious. The vibe was great. A star.

Langdon Hall, Cambridge

Definitely the most involved tasting menu of the year, we did the Grand Tasting Menu: 10+ courses over four hours, with wine pairings. Very, very elevated.

Wood Owl, Toronto

Once again with Patrick & Maeve, but this time in Toronto. We’d been wanting to go to the Wood Owl forever, finally getting there in November, and friggin’ loved it. Great wine, excellent food, lovely decor, and warm service.

Mystic, Halifax

I’ve had my eye on this place since it opened, but when it was awarded best new restaurant in Canada by en route a couple months ago, I booked it immediately. We ate there on December 27th, and it blew us away. Every course of both our menus was exceptional. A well-deserved award, and a welcome addition to the Halifax dining scene.

.:.

My favourite bottles of wine

This list is certainly incomplete — I hate documenting my wines when we’re out, and it’s hit and miss as to whether I remember to note/rate them even when we drink them at home. Anyway, it’s a decent-enough list with good geographic representation: one Argentinian, one Chilean, two American, two French, three Italian, and (surprisngly) only one Canadian. In chronological order.

Bachelder 2017 Wismer-Wingfield Vineyard Chardonnay

From my cellar. Perpetually one of the best Chardonnays Canada has to offer.

Bodega Catena Zapata 2016 “Nicolás” Bordeaux blend

From my cellar. One of my all-time favourite Argentinian reds, this one was just at the tail end of vibrancy, but still had plenty of life and flavour.

Villa Poggio Salvi 2018 “Pomona” Brunello di Montalcino

From Carisma restaurant in Toronto. Recommended by Adriano at our Valentine’s Day dinner, and perfectly threaded the needle of a diverse food order.

Sea Smoke 2015 “Ten” Pinot Noir

From my cellar. A favourite since first trying it in Arizona 13 years ago, I used to look for it in Vintages releases. Alas (but rightly) there are currently no US products in those releases, so I’ll continue to enjoy the bottles I have.

Federico Curtaz 2019 Etna “Gamma” Carricante

Domaine Fernand Engel 2018 Pinot Gris Vendanges Tardives

Both from my cellar. We opened four bottles when Ricky + Olivia came over to our house for dinner, but these two — a Sicilian white and an Alsatian late harvest Pinot Gris — were outstanding bookends.

Seña 2013 Bordeaux blend

From my cellar. Each year I meet my friends Dan & Abtin at a steakhouse for dinner, and one of us brings a bottle from our collection. This year, at the new Jacobs location, I brought this storied Chilean red.

Trefethen 2017 Oak Knoll District Cabernet Sauvignon

From my cellar. After meeting the Trefethen family in the Okavango Delta in 2013, I always buy their wine when it appears in the LCBO (prior to the afore-mentioned US product ban). I managed to age this one enough to have it in peak form when grilling for the first time this summer.

Donesco Pacina 2020 Toscana Rosso

From Arlo restaurant in Ottawa. A perfect Sangiovese match for our ribeye for two.

Clos Orgelot 2011 “Clos du Moulin aux Moines” Pommard Premier Cru

From the restaurant at Langdon Hall. On the second night of our stay we opted for a simpler meal, but a fancier bottle of wine. We drank it before the Jays broke our hearts.

.:.

My favourite moments of the year

In chronological order.

  1. Gleefully ditching twitter after 18 years
  2. Celebrating Mom’s 75th at a pancake breakfast in rural NS
  3. Literally any time Bianca slept on the bed with us
  4. Experiencing playoff hockey for the first time in four years
  5. Going on a hike w/ Dad on his 82nd birthday
  6. Sharing a bottle of 2013 Sena with old friends
  7. A brief serenade from the captain of our Amsterdam canal cruise, who is also an opera singer
  8. Sailing down the Rhine amidst dozens of medieval castles
  9. Visiting Alsace, one of my favourite wine regions
  10. Turning fifty
  11. Spending two whole days in a pool in Niagara-On-The-Lake
  12. Sharing a bottle of wine in our backyard on a perfect summer night with Matt & Lisa
  13. Drinking a cold beer alone on a quiet, convivial Moncton patio
  14. Watching Wet Leg deliver a knockout concert at History
  15. Having Thanksgiving with my family, exploring parts of the woods near home I’d never visited before
  16. Visiting the Manx pub in Ottawa for the first time in 25+ years
  17. Enjoying a cozy fire in our room at Langdon Hall
  18. Cheering the Jays on through their World Series run
  19. Seeing my fifth Habs game in Montreal (even if they lost, again)
  20. Meeting our friend’s extremely adorable baby

.:.

[Cover photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash]

Xmas 2025

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Fri Dec 19

One very bumpy flight (due to a windstorm which knocked out power all over the province) later, we were on the ground in Halifax. The 20-minute drive to Bedford through rain and wind was even worse than the flight, but we made it. We tried to sleep, but a disruptive cat made it difficult.

Sat Dec 20 – Mon Dec 22

After a bit of shopping we drove to the farm, arriving just minutes after brother #1 and his progeny. Brother #2 was laid up in hospital, but sister-in-law #1 and their kids came over for a big feed. The next day brother #1, my dad, and I drove to the hospital visit the missing brother, then got home for lunch just in time for brother #1 to head back to Halifax. After that, many games of crib ensued. On Monday brother #2 was being discharged so I picked him up and drove him home; afterwards, there was more crib and a movie (Secondhand Lions). A typical quiet time at the farm, less the nightly visits next door to sip some wine.

Tue Dec 23 – Thu Dec 25

On Tuesday we drove back to Bedford, stopping at Truro along the way, which included lunch at the Nook & Cranny, coffee at NovelTea, and a lot of one-way street confusion. A few more errands along the way and we were back in Bedford, eating dinner, drinking eggnog, and listening to East Coast Christmas.

We spent the 24th (mostly) chilling, eating lobster rolls with grandparents, drinking wine, and watching Die Hard.

Then: Christmas! Which looked a lot like Christmas Eve, TBH: eating, drinking, grandparents, games, silliness.

Fri Dec 26

Moving day. I got up and went to a light version of the Dickinson family reunion, this time hosted by brother #1 at his new place. It was fun to see some family, even if illnesses and travel meant the crowd was diminished. Someone even brought a rare curiosity: Cumberland (County) Trivia!

From there I drove down to St. Margaret’s Bay to meet Lindsay and her brothers at their dad’s. Seafood chowder, Dubai chocolate, lots of animal interactions, and a bottle of Piper-Heidsieck.

From there, the brothers went back to Bedford while we drove to downtown Halifax, checking in to our Halifax home: The Muir.

Sat Dec 27

God, we missed a king bed. Best sleep in a while. We eventually headed downstairs to Drift for breakfast, ran out to do a couple errands (nearly freezing to death while doing so), had a coffee at Café Lunette, and went back to the room to relax. I watched the three Stranger Things episodes that came out Christmas Day; Lindsay Stardew’d.

The only solid plan we had in Halifax before we arrived was a dinner reservation at Mystic, recently named the best new restaurant in Canada by En Route. We arrived for our reservation, and things started off a little shaky — our cocktails (Yellow-Eyed Grass for Lindsay, Silverweed for me) took a weirdly long time to arrive, but they were taken off the bill. Once the food started, though, we quickly realized why it’s garnered so many accolades.

Fauna (Lindsay)

  • Snacks (cheese gougère, cheese and zucchini tart, corn crema)
    • 2017 Lightfoot & Wolfville Brut
  • Acadian caviar w/ smoked egg yolk, wild sea flora sea mustard
    • 2023 Seguin-Manuel Aligoté
  • pasta w/ lobster raviolo, lobster cream, NS saffron chanterelles, seaweed brioche
    • 2022 Gachot-Monot Pinot Noir, Hautes-Côtes-de-Beaune
  • tart w/ foie gras, cherry, black apple chutney cured duck salad
    • 2015 Domaine Bott-Geyl Pinot Gris, Furstentum Grand Cru
  • wolf eel fish w/ brioche, scallop, crab, sea asparagus crab hollandaise
    • 2023 JM Boillot 1er Cru Chardonnay, Montagny 
  • [some kind of sunchoke dessert that isn’t on their online menu]
    • 2019 Grüber Roschitz Beerenauslese Chardonnay, Niederösterreich

Biota (Dan)

  • Snacks
    • 2017 Lightfoot & Wolfville Brut
  • Acadian caviar w/ smoked egg yolk, wild sea flora sea mustard
    • 2023 Seguin-Manuel Aligoté
  • tartar of tuna & veal w/ crispy toro horseradish meringue, Jonori flatbread
    • 2024 Le Morette Bardolino Chiaretto Classico
  • arctic char w/ sea asparagus scallop, koji turnip friske, juniper yogurt, ponzu butter
    • 2023 Lucien Crochet Sancerre
  • ribeye w/ beef tongue potato, maitake, kale kombu, tamarack vinegar jus
    • 2020 Osoyoos Larose Le Grand Vin
  • chocolate w/ koji caramel, ganache, pineapple weed cremeux miso, black honey ice cream
    • 20 Year Old Taylor Fladgate Tawny Port

Honestly, every course was amazing. Incredible flavours, perfect balance, strikingly presented. Lovely staff, especially the sommelier, who we ended up chatting with quite a bit (we knew some people in common). I even bumped into a colleague there. Anyway: one of the best meals we’ve had all year, for sure. Maybe the best.

Sun Dec 28

We didn’t stay in bed too long before ordering breakfast up to the room. After a while we struck out to meet up with Patrick for a quick (and awful) coffee at Cafe du Port, then collected their mom and walked back down the hill to Darya for brunch. We all had their buffet, and left stuffed to the gills with delicious food. Those two left to go about their days; Lindsay and I crawled back to the room and had naps.

Dinner that night was at Peacock Wine Bar, and it was basically a reunion of five of the six people who had assembled Friday night…just with different drivers. Here’s what we had:

  • Shared plates (everyone):
    • Focaccia w/ fermented chili butter
    • Burrata w/ lavender, sichuan, plum, black sesame toasts
    • Local vegetables w/ yogurt herb dip
    • Chicken fried halibut cheek w/ scallion gribiche, pickled cauliflower
  • Mains (just Lindsay and I):
    • Dan: Braised pork belly w/ leek, fingerling, mustard cream, plum
    • Lindsay: Tagliatelle w/ wild mushroom, sage, pine nut
  • Drinks (just Lindsay and I):
    • Dan: 22 Rustenberg Chardonnay, Stellenbosch / 24 Gérard Bertrand Gris Blanc Rosé, Languedoc-Roussillon / 24 Tenute Rade Barbera La Pruma, Piedmont / Madeira
    • Lindsay: NV Blomidon, Crémant, NS / 20 Gérard Bertrand, Genora, Vin Orange, Languedoc-Roussillon / 21 Chateau Escalette, Cote de Bourg, Bordeaux

Mon Dec 29

Got up (not easily), packed (not carefully), ate some breakfast (not bad), checked out (not a hassle), had a quick coffee date with friends and their new baby (too cute), picked up Lindsay’s mom nearby (too easy), saw Lindsay’s grandma (too briefly), drove to Bedford (too fast), ate a donair (too messy), re-packed (too painful), and then waited to find out how long we’d be delayed due to weather (too stressful).

VERY frustratingly, Porter was playing like everything was okay, so we made the very treacherous drive to the airport thinking we were only 40 minutes delayed. Just as we checked in, they closed the runways at the airport, but they wouldn’t officially cancel our flight. Everyone knew the flight wasn’t going to leave, but they wouldn’t formally cancel it, so we couldn’t rebook or get our bags back. A plane full of people sat in the airport for hours, with no information, no updates….just a bunch of meaningless “your flight has been delayed by 15 minutes” emails, stating to times that had no basis in reality. I know the weather was the root cause of this situation, but Porter fell down INCREDIBLY hard on the job when it came to looking after its passengers.

Finally, around 8:30pm, they officially cancelled our flight. The email confirming this wouldn’t arrive until 1am, but right away I could see that we’d been rebooked on a flight the next morning. We walked down to get our bags, which came out at about 9:55pm. Then it took us forever to get an Uber in a brutal windstorm. The driver got us back to Lindsay’s mom just as her power came back on from a 2-hour outage. We crawled into the house, weary, but glad we had a booked flight and a place to sleep. Other people were being booked for flights several days from now, and every hotel around the airport was totally booked.

Tue Dec 30

Woke up to emails saying our flight was already delayed from 9:15 to 10:00 — not exactly surprising, since there’d be such a backlog of flights trying to get out. But then it kept going: 11:40, 12:30, 1:00, 1:30. We got nervous. But eventually the delay notifications stopped, so we went to the airport, and finally got on. Glory be.

2025 wasn’t done with us yet though. Our flight was another half hour delayed, ans then — after a landing almost as bumpy as the one in Halifax that started this trip — we, along with about a dozen other people on the plane, realized our bags never showed up. Most of the passengers got theirs. Us lot didn’t. The Porter baggage desk was uniformly unhelpful — they just told us all to scan a QR code which led to a third party app.

So we’re home. But our luggage isn’t. Bianca’s happy though, and that’s all that matters.

UPDATE 1: bag #1 arrived around 5pm on Jan 1. No sign of bag #2.

UPDATE 2: bag #2 arrived around 5pm on Jan 2. Much to our relief, the bottle of Lightfoot & Wolfville 2017 Brut sparkling inside had not broken or exploded.

The new GOP

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Whether or not you live in the US, the political goings-on there garner a lot of screen time and column inches. I try to pay attention, but I’ve never felt as hopeless about it as I have the past year or so, and I’ve never felt as scared about it as when I saw Dan Gardner’s analysis of a recent Manhattan Institute survey.

His context-setting:

The Manhattan Institute is a conservative think tank which recently conducted a survey looking at ideas and attitudes within the Republican Party. But the central purpose of the survey was to distinguish between long-time Republicans and the many new entrants Donald Trump has attracted to the party — “new” whether because they are younger or because they come from demographics, like blacks or hispanics, which traditionally haven’t supported the GOP — and compare the two groups. The “traditional Republicans” were about 70% of the total, the “new entrants” 30%.

The results were released December 1st. […]

I find them genuinely shocking and don’t understand why they haven’t received greater attention. This is strong evidence that the Republican Party — which dominates power in the world’s richest and most powerful nation — is rapidly turning into something undeniably dangerous.

Gardner highlights the most jaw-dropping findings, quoting the Institute’s report itself, some of which I’ll repeat here:

  • Among the Current GOP under 50, a notable minority report that they themselves openly express racist (31%) or antisemitic (25%) views. Among those over 50 in the Current GOP, these figures drop to just 4% for each.
  • One in three New Entrants (32%) say they openly express racist views, compared with just 8% of Core Republicans.
  • Nearly four in ten in the Current GOP (37%) believe the Holocaust was greatly exaggerated or did not happen as historians describe. Younger men are especially likely to hold this view (54% of men under 50 vs. 39% of women under 50). Among men over 50, 41% agree, compared with 18% of women over 50.

In that first bullet, the Manhattan Institute — a conservative think-tank, it should be said — declared that “a notable minority” hold racist or antisemitic views, as if 31% and 25% respectively would somehow be comforting numbers.

Further takeaways on conspiracy theories which are somewhat less troubling than Holocaust denial, but troubling nonetheless:

  • 51% of Current GOP believe the 2020 election was “decided by fraudulent ballots or hacked voting machines”.
  • 41% of Current GOP think 9/11 was an inside job.
  • 33% of Current GOP think vaccines cause autism.

Finally, on the question of political violence:

  • 54% of New Entrant GOP agree with the statement that “In American Politics, the use of political violence is sometimes justified.”

Gardner’s synopsis is hard to argue with, but easy to find terrifying:

The trend line couldn’t be clearer: Donald Trump’s Republican Party is rapidly becoming the home of racists, anti-Semites, and conspiracists flirting with political violence.

I fear we cried wolf about fascism for so long that it’s easy to dismiss all the early warning signs now presenting themselves. If ICE wore brown shirts, this would be a lot easier.

The curse lives on

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

I followed up a trip to Moncton last week (trying two new places during my visit: Taverna and Bâton Rouge; the former is pretty good, but the latter was as meh as I expected and twice as weird) with a one-night trip to Montreal. I had a plan to see my fifth-ever Canadiens game in Montreal in 2025, and just snuck it in before the end of the year.

After a couple nice days back home in Toronto, I headed back to Billy Bishop airport. It was snowing in Toronto, but my flight hit the goodness trifecta: left on time, arrived without incident, and the seat next to me was empty. Can’t ask for more. (Also, the flight attendant on this flight gave me a whole can of pop, while the flight attendant on my Moncton->Toronto flight two days ago gave me a heavy pour of red wine and offered me a second class. I guess I look thirsty.)

I landed at YUL to find a new Uber setup, which I think every airport should copy. On the drive into downtown, I saw some “FUCK ICE” graffiti, which obviously speaks to our political moment in North America, but is probably also an annual sentiment in Montreal.

I arrived at the Centre Sheraton, a location chosen only because I had enough Bonvoy points for a free night, and because it’s about as close as you can get to the Bell Centre, otherwise it would not be on my list. But it was fine for a night, even if the elevators made constant noise.

In search of coffee and tide-over snacks, I popped around the corner to Melk for a cortado and a scone. I finished the book I’ve been reading (Terror from the Air by Peter Sloterdijk), bought some beans to bring home, and walked back to the hotel.

After a couple of relaxing hours I went for an early dinner at Bar Edicola, not far from the hotel. (Thank goodness; it was a full-fledged winter storm now.) It’s essentially a long counter, but the vibes were pretty great. I had a glass of some weird Italian Pinot variant, some heavy soft warm oily bread, a glass of Trebbiano, a plate of ricotta agnolotti, a glass of Nebbiolo, and espresso. Solid meal all around, and perfect for a snowy night.

It was almost time for the game, so I stopped back at the hotel to change into my Montreal jersey and add some extra layers. A short (but cold & snowy) walk later I was settled in, watching the Canadiens take on St. Louis. Now, the curse of my presence at a Montreal home game — once at the old Forum, three times at the Bell Centre — is well documented, so I was a little nervous to go. Sadly, I was right to be nervous: they lost 4-3 to the middling Blues. Apart from a 65-second span to start the second period the Habs outplayed and out-chanced them, but that brief lapse was enough to give away the game. Dejected, I walked home through the snow with the crowds. At least I got to have a Bell Centre hot dog.

The next morning I woke up and had some pretty friggin’ delicious pain perdu downstairs at Stanley. (I’d thought about venturing out for some breakfast, but it was -25° with the windchill.) Some showering, packing, and relaxing later and I was on my way to the airport for my flight home. Not so lucky with the flight this time — it was on time and relatively uneventful, but someone sat next to me, and a lady right in front of me just opened up a can of flaky salmon and ate it with a fork like as if she hadn’t set up a stink bomb in the pressured tube of an airplane. Stunk harder than the Habs at the start of period two last night. (Hey-o.)

I’m glad I’ve gotten to see the Canadiens beat the Leafs here in Toronto a few times, because I’m starting to think I’ll never get to see it happen in Montreal. Frankly, I kind want to give up trying — not because I believe I’m actually unlucky for them, but because it’s kind of a bummer to keep experiencing losses and never get the win.

Ah, who am I kidding? I’ll be back next year.

“Blues wasn’t forced on us like that religion. Nah, son, we brought that with us from home.”

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

A few nights ago we finally got around to watching Sinners (imdb | rotten tomatoes). It was, as I had heard, in roughly two parts: one part setup as the twins return home to Mississippi, and the second part all vampire-fighting. Both parts were very good, but there was a third element I wasn’t expecting: blues.

It was filmed in Louisiana but set in the Delta — there was even a Clarksdale road sign. I heard a version of “Wang Dang Doodle” for the first time in about forty years. There was a Charley Patton reference and even a Buddy Guy sighting.

Yeah. Excellent movie all around.

Side note: the more movies I see him in, the more I appreciate Michael B. Jordan’s retainer-snapping hotness.

Wood Owl

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Last night, with Patrick & Maeve in town, we finally visited a place that’s been on my list forever: The Wood Owl.

First, the decor: really beautiful inside. Luxurious wood. Heavy drapery. Indie concert posters and old wine bottles on the wall. Basically, how my basement looks in my dreams.

Anyway: the food. To sum up: absolutely fantastic. We had:

  • shared appetizers
    • crispy potato rosti & manchego w/ guindilla aioli, mojo rojo, green onion
    • fried brassicas w/ whipped tahini, pumpkin seed dukkah, mexican chili oil, charred jalapeno pesto, pickled onion
    • yellowfin tuna w/ aji amarillo, cara cara orange, cucumber, lime leaf oil, thai basil, red chili
      • a bottle of Baia’s Wine 2023 Krakhuna, Imereti, Georgia
  • mains
    • cavatelli w/ smoked parsnip, butterkin & kouginut squash, leek top cream, king oyster mushrooms, watercress
    • seared rainbow trout w/ leek soubise & wasabina, butterball potato, horseradish salsa verde, dill oil, hakurel turnip (x2)
    • grilled pork chop w/ five spice glazed apple, shaved fennel, chicories, orange sesame vinaigrette
      • a bottle of Domaine Baud ‘Rouge Ancestral’ 2022 Côtes du Jura AOC
  • dessert
    • plum & cardamom cake in custard
      • glasses of Jurançon and Sauternes dessert wine

Side note: this dinner completed the little mini-resolution I gave myself this year, which was to have visited at least once all the Michelin-recognized (at the time) spots east of Yonge. The most recent edition added some new restaurants to the list, so I think I already know what next year’s plan will be.

A well-lubricated machine

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Three years ago I had a wine cabinet built in the basement. It took me another year or two to fill it with truly age-worthy wine, and now we find ourselves in a pretty luxurious position: wine is aging out of the cabinet as fast as it’s going in. I don’t even have to work that hard to fill it: my subscriptions and regular annual purchases more or less keep us in equilibrium. Here’s what that roster looks like:

(An aside: I’ve stopped purchasing from the LCBO Vintages releases every month as they massively overprice those wines, but I do add the odd bottle here or there.)

For those doing the math, that’s 204 incoming bottles per year. My best guess is that ~150 of those are age-worthy, which means ~150 older wines will come out of the cabinet to make room. Which means that each week we need to (ha ha, need to) consume three bottles which have aged out of the cabinet, plus one new ready-to-drink bottle that came in the same shipments, to maintain equilibrium. And yeah, four bottles is pretty much our week.

It has for sure ruined us for mediocre wine though. Just look at what’s on the ‘drink soon’ rack, next to the cabinet — I won’t list all 68 bottles, but just look at the Pinot Noir section:

  • 2022 SpearHead
  • 2021 Le Clos Jordanne Claystone Terrace
  • 2019 Le Clos Jordanne Le Grand Clos
  • 2020 Domaine d’Ardhuy Bourgogne Côte d’Or Les Chagniots
  • 2018 Five Rows
  • 2018 Hidden Bench Locust Lane Vineyard x2
  • 2019 Domaine Queylus Réserve du Domaine x2
  • 2018 Bachelder Lowrey Vineyards 1984 Plantation x2

Now, as you can tell by both this list and my subscriptions above, this is a very Canada-heavy — and specifically Ontario-heavy — collection. But guys, we love Chardonnay and Pinot and Cabernet Franc and Sparkling, all things at which Ontario excels. Plus, I’ll take the red blends from Hidden Bench and Leaning Post and Queylus over their doubly-expensive global alternatives all day. I don’t think I’m the only one whose collection would reflect their proximity to a world-class wine region; I just think many people don’t consider Ontario world-class, which is insane to me.

Not that we only drink Canadian, of course. 42% of what I have aging is from, in descending order, France, Italy, USA, Spain, Argentina, South Africa, Australia, Portugal, Austria, Greece, Lebanon, New Zealand, Germany, and Hungary. I pick up bottles here and there when they sound interesting.

But my heart, and most of my dollars, are with the farmers and artists just across & up Lake Ontario.

Where the love of God goes

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

It was fifty years ago today that the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior, heartbreakingly short of the relative harbor of Whitefish Bay. I’m not sure the disaster would be so much a part of my consciousness, or most other people not directly affected by it, but for Gordon Lightfoot. The above-linked CBC article states as much:

“As much as we like to think we do a great job of keeping the memory alive, we really can’t hold a candle to Gordon Lightfoot,” Lynn said. “If it wasn’t for him, it would be a fraction of the people now who know about this story and this ship.”

I know some people who can’t stand the song (“too long” is the most frequent complaint, something I will simply never comprehend) but when you see how many great covers of the song exist, you know there was something special and lasting about it. I’ve listened to the Rheostatics cover more times than I could count, but one of my all-time favourites is when the Dandy Warhols do their heavy electric cover. The 7″ edit is my favourite version, but just listen to this live rendition at The Phoenix in Toronto to get a sense of the cultural importance of the song — until the big distortion crunch comes, you can hear the crowd singing along.

A version I’d never heard until tonight, though, is this live rendition by the Punch Brothers recorded just a few years ago. It’s quickly joined my short list of favourite versions.

Stars are born

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

It’s been a week since the Blue Jays lost game 7 of the World Series in heartbreaking fashion. I could hardly stand to watch it, and I felt sick to my stomach when it was over. Frankly, it would have been easier if they had just lost in five like oddsmakers thought they would.

Now, with a few days’ distance, I can admire the season it was…especially when they started the season so piss-poor. The highlights, from the CBC:

A team that finished dead last in the American League East last season won the division for the first time in a decade and made it to within one swing — several times — of winning the World Series. They beat the hated Yankees in the playoffs, and George Springer joined the Mount Rushmore of big Jays homers with his go-ahead blast in Game 7 of the ALCS against Seattle.

Guerrero had a post-season for the ages, belting eight homers to tie Ohtani for the lead while batting an absurd .397/494/.795 and playing outstanding defence at first. He would have been the World Series MVP if just one of those big plays had gone Toronto’s way.

Bichette, who came up through the minors with Guerrero, returned from a seven-week absence due to a sprained knee to bravely bat .348 in the World Series — and nearly go down in Jays lore with that three-run homer in Game 7. Mad Max Scherzer, still crazy after 41 years, turned back the clock with 4⅓ innings of one-run ball in Game 7 — and showed the fans how much it, and they, meant to him as he walked (reluctantly, as always) off the mound.

New fan favourites emerged too. Yesavage, just 22 years old, struck out a World Series rookie record 12 batters in Game 5 — just his eighth big-league start. Barger hit .367 with three homers in the playoffs, including a huge two-run blast in a do-or-die Game 6 vs. Seattle. Good guy Davis Schneider got his big moment with a home run on the very first pitch of Game 5 at Dodger Stadium. And, of course, the delightful Clement batted a scorching .411 in the playoffs, broke the record for most hits in a single post-season, and nearly became the Joe Carter of his generation until Pages robbed him in the bottom of the ninth of Game 7. Pretty remarkable stuff, especially after Clement revealed that he’d been playing with a hairline fracture in his left middle finger.

I really hope they can mount another charge next year. It was such a thrilling ride, and I’m hoping their contention window might stay open long enough for the Canadiens to open theirs.