Category: Friends

If there were a market for sleep, I'd be a buyer

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

I’m tired. More tired than I should be. We went out for dinner last night with my old friend CBJ and his wife. They swung by to see our new place first, then we supped at beerbistro. We weren’t out that late, but I just couldn’t get my ass in gear today. I’m feeling awfully lazy and run-down. Apart from taking out the recycling and starting some laundry the most ambitious thing I did today was watch Jaws. Nellie, however, went to the One Of A Kind Show with CB; now that they’re home GB will come over to join us and we’ll watch the new Battlestar Galactica movie.

Oh yeah:  an hour ago the Snowbirds were flying around over Lake Ontario, and they actually swung around right in front of us…closer than the air show planes in the summer. I guess they’re here because it’s Grey Cup Sunday.

[tags]beerbistro, jaws, one of a kind show, battlestar galactica razor, snowbirds, lake ontatio[/tags]

Don't judge me. It felt like hand-stitched butter.

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

I needed to ease out of the work week and into the long weekend in tasty fashion last night, so we had some dinner and a couple of drinks at Volo with CBGB. A little veggie pasta, a Black Kat stout and a Mill Race and the unwinding was underway. We couldn’t muster much more energy than that, though, and with a busy weekend ahead of us we decided we’d better relax and catch up a TV backlog. And so we did.

This morning we got up and had breakfast at Eggstasy. Poor Nellie, she just can’t seem to get servers to understand the following:

The Toronto definition of eggs “over hard” does not equal the consistency to which she wants her eggs cooked, which is best described as “shoe leather.”

She asked for “fried, over really hard, nothing runny, no liquid whatsoever, completely cooked all the way through” and the server wrote down “over hard.” Of course, they came back all runny inside; she sent them back and when they returned they were still too runny. Now, granted, she’s very fussy about her eggs, but given the painstaking and blunt description she applies each and every time, I’d expect at least one cook in 10 to get it right. Sadly, it never, ever works. Anyway.

Our purpose today was shopping, so after a quick stop to look at some Herman Miller chairs (I want!) we went to Harry Rosen. I’ll spare you the gory details, but suffice it to say when I left 90 minutes later picking up my credit card required oven mitts. It’s official…I have a weakness for two things: chocolate and nice clothes. I’m kind of worried; now that I’ve tried on a Canali suit I can’t go back. From this day on it’s a descent into Brioni territory, and that way lies madness. Anyway, it’s all stuff I needed (or at least wanted a lot) and I’m considering it an advance on my bonus. I hope.

We got home and ran a few more errands (finally getting a frame for the art we bought from a Parisien wine bar, picking up some wine & snacks, etc.) in preparation for tomorrow’s work. We figure it’s time to finish painting the joint, now that all the repairs are complete (hurrah!), and we’ve enlisted GB’s expertise to get us over the goal line. Wish us luck.

[tags]bar volo, eggstasy, herman miller, harry rosen, canali, brioni[/tags]

Dan Dickinson's Day Off

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Yes, just like Ferris Bueller, except I wasn’t pursued around the city by a sex offender.

Around 2:00 yesterday afternoon I got the best news I could possibly have received: my class got an extension on our assignment. I had my weekend back! Oh, frabjous day! Calloo! Callay!

After plowing through a bunch of work and a last-minute crisis (deftly handled by T-Bone and, in a supporting role, myself) I arrived half an hour late to meet Nellie and CBGB at beerbistro. A glass of Stiegl Pils and some frites later I put the Blackberry away and settled into the weekend. I had butternut squash ravioli with sliced plums (delicious!) paired with a Brooklyn Brown Ale (ditto!) and a piece of chocolate swirl cheesecake for dessert. We all called it an early night after that; it was a long-ass day and we had plans for the early morning.

Today’s been both productive and relaxing; it’s like found time for me, so I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. We got up early and hit St. Lawrence Market for some pastries, seafood, tofu and vegetables, then grabbed ingredients for dinner at the Dominion on the way home. We sucked back the pastries while we watched Friday Night Lights and The Office on the PVR. Next leg of the trip was to walk up to Henry’s and collect some prints we’d ordered online. We’re planning to put some of our pictures on our walls, so we got some B&W prints from recent trips.

After dropping those back at home we struck out for MEC to buy me a jacket, stopping at Chapters on the way back and then grabbing lunch (all-day breakfast, in truth) at
Over Easy. On the way home we bought some picture frames for some of the afore-mentioned pictures and picked up dry cleaning. Back out we went to the {shudder} Eaton Centre, grabbing some more picture frames and a very nifty little charging station at Pottery Barn before escaping the mall as rapidly as possible. One last stop at The Bay for towels and our credit cards were begging for mercy.

Home again we gave the place a much-needed clean and then turned to neglected email accounts and feed readers. Tonight we’re laying low, enjoying the pardon (ok, reprieve) and looking forward to tomorrow.

.:.

Good luck, Atlantic Canada. Hold on tight.

[tags]ferris bueller, beerbistro, st. lawrence market, friday night lights, the office, over easy, eaton centre, pottery barn, hurricane noel[/tags]

Once more with litigation

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

It’s gray. It’s cold. It’s fall!

.:.

Apparently my blog post from Thursday night made CBGB hanker for the beerbistro, but when we got there last night at 5:00 it was jammed full. Plan B ended up being the Jason George, just down the street, where we started drinking a variety of beer but were all drinking Blanche de Chambly in the end. They came back to ours for one of the bottles of wine that followed us home from France.

.:.

My new musical obsession: the song “Oh My” by Office. Here’s the video.

By the way…girlfriend du jour: Jessica.

.:.

Your daily dose of dumbassery*:

(* apologies to Sam Javanrouh)

[tags]autumn, beerbistro, jason george, blanche de chambly, office, oh my, ian curtis, joy division, control movie, buffy, once more with feeling, lapel pin, bill maher, daily dose of imagery[/tags]

Late nights, great whites, snowy heights and winter rites

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Just once this week I’d like to get home before 9. Uh, actually, I guess that’ll happen tomorrow. Unless we go back out.

.:.

Had drinks and a bite to eat at beerbistro tonight with M2. He caught me up on his Rockies trip (and returned our guide books), and stoked my desire to return in the spring.
I always kind of forget about that place, even though it’s just around the corner, and every time I go I’m reminded how much I like it. ‘Twas cheap, too; two pints of Dennison’s weissbeer and a yummy pizza only cost me $30, tax in.

.:.

New holiday in February = bitchin’ = hooray for a Liberal win = perfect weekend to visit Montreal and see a real hockey team. I’m thinking of making it an annual hockey season trip. Hark…is that a plan I hear hatching?

[tags]beerbistro, rockies, dennison’s, new ontario holiday[/tags]

I'm surprised we didn't get two Ugly Betty rip-offs

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Back to a North American diet & schedule = half a pound gained.

  • Original weight: 233
  • Weight last week: 221.5
  • Weight this week: 222

I only got to the gym once this week and haven’t been eating well, so this isn’t a big surprise. Must be a little more diligent about both. Must must.

.:.

We went out for dinner and a drink with CBGB last night and bored them to death with stories of France. We went to Volo, in part because I wanted to avoid seeing the Leafs-Canadiens game until I could get home and watch it on the PVR, and Volo has no TV. Or so I thought; turns out there’s a small TV above the bar, but I was able to avoid looking at it for the whole night. Finally, though, I heard someone say “it’s tied 3-3 going into overtime” so I just gave up and watched. The Leafs got a makeup call in overtime and scored on the power play, keeping Leafs management jobs safe for a few more days at least.

While I hate seeing the Canadiens lose to the Leafs, it’s not a bad result for Montreal to leave a hostile building with a point, especially when their goaltender had an off night, they were turnover prone and their opponents were playing desperate hockey, despite being only three games into the season. Most other teams would have shelled them last night, but Toronto’s D let them stay in the game…Montreal even hit the post in overtime on their own power play. Anyhoo, it’s on to a tougher test next week: Pittsburgh Tuesday.

.:.

I have to say, this season’s new TV shows have been rubbish so far. I decided to give a few a try and, while I haven’t yet sampled the entire list, I’ve been pretty disappointed.

  • K-Ville: cops in post-Katrina New Orleans. Interesting premise? You bet. Sadly, it’s formulaic and predictable and an utter waste of a great actor: Anthony Anderson.
  • Bionic Woman: I love Katee Sackhoff as much as the next guy breathing human, but she’s not in the show that much. The star, Michelle Ryan, is stunning but she can’t act. The special effects look dopey, the supporting characters are awful cliches…ugh. This show was the biggest disappointment of the season.

I haven’t gotten to Life, The Big Bang Theory (which I hear has a laugh track…how 80s chic!) or Dirty Sexy Money yet but I’m not hearing great things about them. Most other new shows Nellie’s watched have been shite as well. I’m about to give up on Heroes, and I’ve already walked away from 24. Even Friday Night Lights is scaring me a bit…the first episode of season 2 was drifting into O.C. territory. That’s network television for you though. The next season of The Wire can’t arrive soon enough.

[tags]fatblogging, canadiens, leafs, k-ville, bionic woman, life, big bang theory, dirty sexy money, the wire[/tags]

All back full. Cap'n, say again? I said all back full!! All back full, aye.

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Well, that week at school didn’t do me any favors in the weight loss category.

  • Original weight: 233
  • Weight last week: 223
  • Weight this week: 227

Yup, gained 4 pounds. That is a suck. I guess that’s what comes from a) not having access to the gym anymore, and b) being vegetarian. The veggie options there are so bland that I end up getting dessert or grabbing an ice cream bar in the afternoon.

I don’t like my odds of keeping weight off while on vacation, either. This could be a bad few weeks.

.:.

On a note unrelated to weight, we had brunch at Toba with CBGB today. Well…brunch for them, early dinner for us. We’ve been up since 4:00, so tucking in for pancakes at 11:30 just seemed weird.

[tags]fatblogging, toba[/tags]

I have touched down for refueling

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

One more course down. Hopefully. Multiple choice exams make me twitchy…I don’t do very well on them for some reason. I think I analyze wording too much. Anyway, I didn’t feel great when I was writing it. I only need 50.1% to pass the course, but getting an 80 might be a stretch. Oh well. As long as I don’t have to repeat any courses.

.:.

Funny thing happened while I was at the course. One of my classmates was talking about how addicted she is to Facebook. I told her to add me; when I got her friend request it said we had a friend in common.

In my first year of university my roommate began dating a girl. They kept on dating and a few years ago got married. My classmate was her bridesmaid. Our common friend is the guy who lived next door to me in residence, who remained close friends with my former roommate.

The world freaks me out sometimes with its smallness.

.:.

48 hours from now we’ll be lifting off for Paris, if all goes well. Ask me if I’m ready to go. Go ahead, ask me.

I’m going to bed tonight at 10 and getting up at 5 so that I can get a headstart on the jet lag. Getting up at 3:30 on Sunday. It’s gonna suck, but I want to enjoy my time in Paris, not sleep or stumble through it.

[tags]mba, facebook, coincidence, small world, paris, jet lag[/tags]

The calm before the boring, boring storm

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Pretty good start to the day: went over to Barrio to have brunch with CBGB. We ate our fill (I had waffles covered in…well, everything; Nellie had princess pancakes) and caught up with them. Then Nellie and I strolled down Queen Street and checked out a bit more of Leslieville before hopping on the streetcar.

Next stop was UpCountry, where I was all set to be super-bitchy with some staff (I had hissed ultimatums prepared and everything) but the manager happened to be in today and he seemed reasonably confident. He promised delivery this week and apologized profusely, both of which were new events for us. I won’t declare him actually helpful until the bed we picked out is in our bedroom, but if that doesn’t happen this week as promised then I’m bringing the pain.

Then a quick hop over to {shudder} the Eaton Centre where we grabbed some shoes. We’re both in need of some footwear for our upcoming trip, and just wanted to get it over with. I managed to get in and out without throttling any teenagers; I guess those nine beers at brunch took some edge off.

Now, with all that fun out of the way, I’m looking at a day of financial risk management quizzes and work emails. Yaaaaaay.

368 days from now I’ll be done the MBA. Not that I’m counting.

[tags]barrio, brunch, upcountry, skechers, eaton centre, mba[/tags]

I'm starting to believe in curses

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Ever feel like you’re playing bad customer service whack-a-mole? Just when we get the gas leak sorted we have to deal with UpCountry, who are being substantial dicks about the bed we ordered two months ago. They called a month ago to say they’d be following up in a few days to arrange a delivery date, and charged our credit card for the remainder of the bed…but no one ever called us. We’ve tried calling, emailing, everything…no answer, and the mailboxes are all full. Very professional.

So yesterday we went to the store and asked where our bed is. We heard some story about things going from the wrong warehouse blah blah wank, and were given the delivery service’s phone number. My first thought was, “How about you call them and sort it out?” but I realized if we rely on UpCountry to proactively provide customer service we’ll be waiting a long time. We also asked for a better phone number to call since none of the phone numbers they publish actually seem to have a human near the receiver. We were told there is another number, but there’s no point in taking it down since that number won’t be answered either. Clearly UpCountry has been taking customer service lessons from our condo management office.

Luckily, Andrew Richard Designs [caution: cheesy new-age music] next door (where we bought our balcony furniture) were actually nice, if not overly competent. We arrived to pick up the cushions for our benches, only to find out that they’d made us the wrong ones. Right color, wrong texture. However, rather than making us wait 3-4 weeks while they made the right ones, they simply gave us the wrong ones to use temporarily and submitted the correct order. As it turned out, once we got them home, Nellie actually liked how they looked, so I think we’ll keep them after all. Not a perfect experience by any means, but certainly better customer service than UpCountry. I can tolerate a mix-up; what I can’t tolerate is unwillingness to fix (or even acknowledge) said mix-up.

.:.

So, new cushions installed, we fired up the barbeque and had CBGB over. Nellie prepared a tasty seafood feast for us as we relaxed out on the (rather windy) balcony. All very yummy, and after a quick cleanup job we crashed.

[tags]upcountry, andrew richard designs, customer service[/tags]