Re-discovering the library

I am an admitted book addict. I can plow through a book ridiculously fast and the fact that I only have one bookshelf in my apartment is something that’s going to need to change in the near future (given that it’s double stacked already).

Last year, I got myself a library card from the Toronto Public Library. I will admit, I didn’t use it often and when I packed to move, I misplaced it until recently (it was in a bag, for the record). After successfully renewing it, I can safely say I’m back in the library game!

While I will continue to buy books that I want to hold a place of honour on my shelf (though nothing will displace my signed Brian Mulroney memoirs), there are a number of shorter reads that I’ll start to grab from the library. In the past, I would buy these books. But as I start to clamp down on my spending, the library is a logical next step (as long as I remember to return books…).

More than the books though, I love being able to use the Overdrive app on my iPad to download e-books. I’ve already finished one (Terry Fallis’ The High Road) and started another (Susan Cain’s Quiet). This week, the library also launched Hoopla, which allows for access to movies, TV shows and music. While I won’t be rushing out to cancel my Netflix membership any time soon, it’s a nice extra feature to have!

The point of this  blog? Check out the library. It’s pretty awesome.

A taste of France in my own backyard

Late last year, my friend Taryne told me about a new French cafe that opened in our neighbourhood, Douce France. We ventured there and each bought some wonderful baked goods. The owner told us to come back to try the hot chocolate, direct from Angelina‘s in Paris. Today, we did just that.

What a rich, wonderful treat for a snowy day! We filled our cups with the thick, steaming hot chocolate and topped it with a heap of whipped cream. After our first sip, we really could say nothing more than “this is amazing!” I can see why there is such a demand for the hot chocolate in Paris!

If you have a sweet tooth, the hot chocolate at Douce France is a surefire way to satisfy it. Both Taryne and I found the hot chocolate to be very, very filling. The small biscuit served on the side served as a wonderful compliment to the drink and the outstanding service and attention to detail from the owner made our experience even better. It’s quite clear that she’s passionate about what she does. Both Taryne and I are looking forward to returning to try one of the many soups the cafe has on offer.

If you love sweets or you have a passion for all things French, I highly encourage you to pay a visit to Douce France the next time you’re at Yonge and Eglinton. The combination of great service and amazing products really cannot be beaten.

Douce France is located at 2471 Yonge Street. You can also find them on Twitter: @DouceFranceTO.

 

 

 

Adventures with Atticus: My new bundle of joy

Atticus, patiently waiting to go down the elevator.

One reason a dog can be such a comfort when you’re feeling blue is that he doesn’t try to find out why.

Almost one month ago, I welcomed a new little man in to my life. That little guy is Atticus: a Border Collie/Beagle cross who has joined me as the next chapter of life begins.

I’ve always loved dogs. And when I was in high school, I was lucky enough to have Bailey come in to my life. Bailey, the boundless ball of energy is a yellow Lab. When I left for University, Bailey had to stay at home. When everything went wrong and I came home, Bailey helped me get through some dark times. When I finished college and moved to Toronto, I again had to leave Bailey in the loving arms of my family. She’s the first one to greet me at the door when I go to my parents’ house and she still snuggles up with me. I missed that – and after a search for some time at the Humane Society and breeders, I found Atticus.

I forgot what life with a puppy is like – after all, Bailey is almost 10 now and she’s entering the senior citizen phase of her life (but you’d never know it). Sure, the puddles of pee on the floor, the biting and the early wake ups can be annoying at times – but the end result is unconditional love and a companion who wants to be by your side for every minute of every day.

Dogs are a reflection of the soul. Atticus is my best friend. He’s my partner in crime and he’s my cuddle buddy. There’s nothing better than waking up to a puppy who is excited for whatever happens that day; even if the biggest excitement is his Cookie Monster toy or chasing his Kong. He loves life each and every day – and that is what we can all learn from dogs.

Atticus and Bailey

PR Tuesday: #Fail (Best of the Worst)

All of us, in our professional or personal lives, have seen a “hashtag fail.”  I thought this week, I’d change things up a little bit and share some recent examples of failures, whether PR blunders or social media slip-ups, or a hacking. It’s PR Tuesday: #Fail (Best of the Worst)…

Eco-Friendliness Stops Suicide?

This #fail comes to us out of Europe, where Hyundai’s ad agency ran a commercial where a man is trying to end his life using a hose stuck in the tailpipe of his Hyundai iX35. The kicker? The iX35 has 100 per cent water emissions, meaning there’s no carbon monoxide emitted and thus, the poor man’s attempt is futile.

Hyundai’s response, once the ad was condemned?

“We understand that some people may have found the iX35 video offensive. We are very sorry if we have offended anyone. We have taken the video down and have no intention of using it in any of our advertising or marketing.”

Some people may have found the ad offensive? How about any human being with any sense of compassion or dignity? It’s a wonderful thing that you’ve created an eco-friendly vehicle, with 100 per cent water emissions. How about, you know, show a pristine lake? A forest? Connect technology with the natural world, working together in harmony? No, instead, you use suicide? Shameful. While their response was swift, it was half-hearted. This ad should have been fully and completely condemned and Hyundai ought to fire its European ad agency.

Toronto Star fact checking goes on holiday

Last Tuesday, the Toronto Star ran an article about Scarborough Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Margarett Best, who is on medical leave from the Legislature, being on vacation in Mexico. The intent of the article, of course, was to shame Ms. Best for taking a holiday while she was purportedly unable to fulfill her duties in the legislature. How did the Star find out Ms. Best was in Mexico? The ever-reliable approach of looking at a Facebook profile photo. What’s wrong with that, you ask? First, go and try to read the original article here. I’ll wait…

You’re back? So you saw the “this article has been removed for legal reasons” post? Why is that? Well, because the Star was wrong in their reporting. So wrong, that they were forced to run a front page apology explaining their lack of judgment.

How did it all happen? According to the Star:

Brennan [Toronto Star Queen’s Park reporter Richard Brennan], a Facebook friend of Best, was looking into her absence from Queen’s Park when he came upon the photo of her and her daughter in Acapulco. Though he tried to contact Best through her constituency office, and sent her a message through Facebook, at no time did he give the MPP any indication he was writing a story that would report she was on vacation while on medical leave. Nor did his messages say anything about her Facebook photo.

Essentially, it appears Brennan made the assumption by looking at a photo – and not the date included with the photo. As said in their apology, he did not indicate to Ms. Best or her staff that this was the angle the Star would take in the story. A lack of understanding, perhaps, of social media leaves one of Canada’s largest newspapers with a lot of egg on its face.

Hack has economic impact

Late last week, the Associated Press’ Twitter account was hacked. The fake tweet reported that there had been an explosion at the White House and that President Barack Obama was injured. A horrifying thing to read, especially following heightened worries after events in Boston. Not only did the tweet cause horror for those who saw it, it also had an economic impact: the stock market, following the issuing of the tweet, plunged 130 points.

What is the over-arching theme?

There’s a couple lessons to be taken from these three incidents:

1. Don’t create advertising based on issues that are bound to offend; suicide is far from a laughing matter. While controversy can generate sales and publicity, there’s a very delicate tight-rope walk to go through. Clearly, Hyundai’s ad agency failed and one hopes they are fired in a spectacular fashion.
2. This is perhaps the most important one: verify anything you see on social media with other credible sources. The Toronto Star, in my opinion, has the biggest fail of all three of these stories. Why? Because their damaging, false article impacts the career of a public official. Had they been able to verify MPP Best taking a vacation during sick leave, then it is a legitimate story. A Facebook profile photo tells very little.
3. Protect your accounts. There’s not much more I can say here; it’s the standard stuff: use multiple passwords for your accounts (IE: your Twitter password should be separate from your Facebook password). When it comes to corporate accounts, don’t store your passwords on a shared server. Document and control who has access to your accounts, to help prevent hacking.

There you have it: another Tuesday, another instalment of PR Tuesday. As always, thanks for reading: and if you have seen a bigger fail, please share it by commenting or by posting it to the Facebook page!

Free: at what cost?

One of the many benefits to living in an urban setting like Toronto is that companies will, from time to time, hand out free samples outside of TTC stations. Sometimes it’s shampoo (and they seem to ONLY give those to women), but for two days this week Pop Shoppe has been giving out free boxes of their pop (soda, for my American readers). Not mini-cans. Full size cans in a full size box. So far, I’ve been given Banana and Root Beer. Now: I have given up refined sugar for the past week, but in two “slips”, I’ve tried each. I much prefer the Root Beer, but that’s not what the point of this post is.

The purpose of this post, is this: to ask the question of why, when people hear the word “free”, do they go from civilized human beings to crazy, insane zombies who have only one goal? To get the free stuff.

Braaaaaiins. Freeee braaaaaains.
Photo courtesy of AMC.

Why am I making such a claim? Well, today as I approached to get a free case of pop, a woman decided to walk in front of me, stomping on my toe in the process all to get ahead of me for her free box of pop. After she pushed me twice, I had quite enough and, as my hockey friends would say threw a “bow.” Yes, I stuck an elbow up in a strategic place so that when she moved again it would hit her in the back. Needless to say, she stopped shoving once her spine met with the pointiest part of my elbow. In that moment, I realized that when it comes to free stuff, we are no better than the fictional herds of walkers on The Walking Dead.

Why is that? Why are we so motivated to get something we wouldn’t otherwise buy, just because it’s free? I remember my commuting days when Union Station would be full of people handing out swag. A melee broke out to get Uncle Ben’s rice; free Toronto Stars caused people who might not otherwise run for anything, to break out into a full sprint.

The price we pay for free things, when we act like that, is a loss of dignity. I’m one to talk: as I said, I elbowed someone because she was stepping on me and shoving. But at the end of the day, is that piece of your dignity worth giving up, just to get a free case of pop? In today’s case, it clearly was for Lady Toe Stomper.

 

My adventure in hot yoga

Get it? Yogi? Clever, right?!

I had been talking with a friend for a few weeks about joining him to give yoga a try. Well, yesterday, it all came together: I did hot yoga for the first time in my life (and I lived to blog about it).

Before I went, I put out the call for help – what should I do to prepare? Will I die?

https://twitter.com/JTerr88/status/307921479931138048

Luckily, between responses to my tweet and to the yoga studio’s website, I was able to find out as much as I wanted to know.

The experience itself was interesting. Walking in to the studio, you go from a comfortable room temperature change room, to a room that is about 40 degrees (celsius – this is a Canadian blog after all) and (what felt like) 60 per cent humidity. As I laid down in the “Savasana” position, sweating through my shirt like an old Southern gentleman, in complete and utter silence, all I could think of was Ellen Degeneres’ thoughts on yoga.

In all, I wasn’t too bad at it – I wasn’t amazing, but I could get myself in to almost all of the poses, I didn’t get dizzy and pass out, and nor did I wake up this morning in any pain. The only downside was leaving the studio when it was over – being drenched in sweat, leaving the hot studio for the normal temperature outside of the studio chilled me to the bone. Then when the hot water wouldn’t work for me in the shower? Brr.

At the end of it all, I feel more limber and oddly, my skin feels clearer. I don’t know whether there is any truth to the fact that you “sweat out toxins” in hot yoga, but I know the personal benefits I’m feeling today will ensure that I’ll give it another try.

My Holidays

PHEW!

I’m about 90% sure I need a holiday to recover from the holidays! Yes, I used that old cliché; you’re welcome.

I don’t use Storify, because, well… I don’t like it. Here is a summary of my holidays, from the many Instagram photos and Tweets I sent out. Enjoy.

Christmas Eve

After a lovely dinner with some wonderful cousins (I’m still full), I did something I never thought I would do: I went to church. My aunt recently joined the choir and our cousin is also in it, so to support them I went. It was… an experience. I remain committed to my non-religious beliefs, but I have respect for those who have different views. The hashtag #CountryChurch (the church was in a small town) helped.

The view from the back pew

Aunt Jill and our cousin Steve, who are in the choir

After church, my Dad and I went to see my Aunt Paula, Uncle Gerald and cousins Meranda and Brandon. My Aunt Tammy, Uncle Paul and cousin Travis were there and, I always laugh way too hard when I see all of them. This year, we talked about Jan Terri, and this AMAZING Anne Murray cover. Afterwards, it was time to go home, open stockings and (for some reason) play Operation.

Christmas Day

Jill has a tendency to get very excited about Christmas. In 1999, she got up every hour, on the hour, to flush the toilet in an attempt to wake us up. Yes, she was up before two children, aged 6 and 11, because she was excited for Christmas. We negotiated before and agreed to get up at 7:45. If it was any earlier, she had threatened to sing – and with the songs she makes up, it is NOT how you want to wake up. I first woke up at 5:45 a.m., but I wasn’t telling anybody that (well, anybody that wasn’t on Twitter at the time).

https://twitter.com/JTerr88/status/283524464262668288

When I agreed to 7:45, though, I expected a grace period… No, at 7:45, Bailey my loveable and enormous Yellow Lab came bounding downstairs, encouraged by my father, to get me up. I came trudging up the stairs, looking out the window to see…

It was a white-ish Christmas!

Tearing into the presents, I naturally had to compare how many things I got to how many the other family members got… That led to some good news.

https://twitter.com/JTerr88/status/283563607038500865

It also led to a good idea, courtesy of my friend (and the man who makes me do all this work at the gym to look good):

https://twitter.com/jeremyforeshew/status/283575668694978560

*Note to family: next year, this may will be occurring*

Aunt Jill got a hat/scarf/gloves set, in her favourite colour: purple. The hat was… a challenge.

“She’s gonna make it after all…”

I tried to get her to throw it a la Mary Tyler Moore, as did my brother, but she wouldn’t. Speaking of my brother…

Yes, he’s a Leafs fan; and yes, that’s a Snuggie.

As for my gifts? Well, I got some amazing things. I got my new wallet, the humidifier I’ve needed for two years, and the messenger bag I’ve been dying for since I started working. That gift led to this…

https://twitter.com/JTerr88/status/283702315909791745

In fact, Alex was a bit sassy with me this year as he also pulled out this gem:

https://twitter.com/JTerr88/status/283306897141006336

But, the fact of the matter is, I just posted a photo of him in a Snuggie. So we’re even. He also hurt my back when we did this…

https://twitter.com/JTerr88/status/283728642461270016

Long story short, it was a wonderful holiday. Boxing Day was full of hilarity too, but it would take another 1,000 words to write about it and I’d rather save that for a separate post.

I hope that, be it Christmas or something else, you all had a wonderful time family with friends, family, laughter and joy. I did.

PS

Mom made a wonderful meal on Christmas Day. I got in trouble for not mentioning that. The dessert was quite delectable too.

A Little Update

It’s been awhile since I wrote a post, committing the cardinal sin of blogging; I should be doing regular updates, probably at least twice a week. I’m nowhere near that. But hey, it’s my blog so I’ll do it my way.

If you’ve read any of my other articles, you’ll know that I’ve not been a fan of 2012. It’s been a pretty crummy year, but things have turned around. I’m two days in to my new job and I can say without a doubt that I love it. The work will be challenging but rewarding, the team I get to work with is full of smart, wonderful and friendly people who already have shown that my opinion is valued and welcomed and the work I do ultimately makes a difference in the City of Toronto. Can’t complain about that!

With the holidays approaching, of course your thoughts turn to friends and family. And as I said in my last post, my family and friends have been asked to support me through a lot this year. You (and I say you because 99% of the readers of this blog are friends/family) have no idea how grateful I am for your constant love, support and ears (for the times I need to rant and rave about how unfair life has been – a pity party, in short).

So, the year of crumminess looks to be ending on a very high note; that makes me happy. While I hope that none of you go through things where the support you provided me is needed, as I said last post, if it is, I certainly owe you.

How do I feel about life right now? Well, once again, a 70’s TV theme says it all. Just replace the female pronouns with male ones.

Who Am I? Where Am I Going?

I feel like the year 2012 has been a realigning year for my life. I’m not sure whether I’m going through a quarter-life crisis early or if a tumultuous year was just in the cards. Now, granted, a lot of what has happened to me this year have really fit the #FirstWorldProblems criteria (if you’re on Twitter, you know what I mean here) but it still has been an experience. Through it all, be it the sadness of a breakup or just getting settled in life generally, 2012 has been… tough.

All of the changes going on have really got me thinking; at my core, who am I? Where am I going?

I have a pretty good sense of who I am. I’m confident, collected and set in my ways (please don’t read that as stubborn). I know who in my life to trust and who not to. I know that I’m capable of achieving whatever I want, but I also feel underachieved. I think I’m smart – but I want to prove it by completing my university degree.

I also know where I need to change. I want to continue to get healthier, and will continue going to the gym. I know that my passion for issues facing Toronto, Ontario and Canada have my interest in politics there – and I want to make a difference there. Does that mean running for office some time? Possibly. Or maybe it means becoming a policy advisor to a level of government, in order to try to create the change from within. There’s a lot of opportunity.

I need to be more open when it comes to what I want in terms of being with someone. I need to not be so guarded and protective of my own heart. While I’m private about my love life, I think I’m entitled to that without question. But that privacy shouldn’t extend to being in a relationship with someone. They deserve the full, 100% me. Not just what I choose to show them and when. Sure, I have warts (figuratively) but a relationship is about things like that. It isn’t always pretty, right?

So who am I? I’m a dedicated, loyal friend, with two eyes focused solely on the future. It’s time to put this awful year to rest (in a month and a half), learn from the sadness, draw strength from the joy and move forward.

 

Wanted: Toronto’s Best G&T

Let’s find it!

It’s time to live up to the title of this blog, right?

Gin and Tonic: the drink of choice (obviously) of yours truly. I’ve had some truly amazing ones, including a personal favourite in which the tonic is replaced with grapefruit flavoured Perrier, and some truly awful ones.

I’m on a mission! Before the end of 2012, I want to find Toronto’s best Gin and Tonic. Whether it’s a recipe for making it at home, or at a bar (be it pub, club or dive), I want to hear about it. Tell me where to go and I’m there to give it a try.

I’ll post some reviews of various G&T’s, starting Monday with my beloved Unicorn Pub, where I’ve partaken in more than a few. Feel free to tweet me your suggestions, @JTerr88, and use the hashtag #TOsBestGT.