Christmas dinner

Clearly I’ve been busy as it has been a while since the last update. Christmas has past and it was a wonderful week. First and foremost it has been nice having bdot home (granted she’s been working most of the time…) but when she hasn’t been she has cooked up a storm. She made her brother and I Cornish Hens for Christmas dinner and they were yummy.

Remarkably of all the stuff in universe we bought each other the same stocking stuffers: a selection of specialty teas and an LED armband for walking the dog. That was pretty strange. She surprised her brother and I with tickets to a World Juniors game on Boxing day! It was an interesting outing. The game was Sweden v. Czech at the ACC. I don’t go downtown often and the area around the ACC had construction everywhere. Sidewalks were diverted, roads re-routed… it was a bit of a mess. Fortunately we left really early to grab dinner so we had tons of time. We ended up at the Real Sports bar for dinner, which was, as expected, a hoppin’ place. With our bellies full of pulled pork and beer we ventured over to the ACC. The ACC is actually a decent venue once you de-clutter it from all the Leafs propaganda. (grin) The first two periods were evenly played and entertaining. Clearly the crowd was pro-Sweden since the Leaf’s high draft-pick Nylander is Swedish. He had some serious game… he’s a fast, highly skilled player. By the third period however when the game was on the line, the Swedish skill simply overpowered the Czechs. They had no offensive response after falling behind by two. It was my first international game. I’d certainly go to another but would, of course, like to see Canada, who alas has all their games in Montreal. After a slow drive down Dundas out of Toronto (sigh) I still made it home to see most of the Canada v. Slovakia game. It was a fun night out with my brother in law.

The awesome De-Leafed ACC

I gave bdot two pieces of art from an artist we both like. The artist had pieces up at the Alton Mill that bdot said she liked. Well those pieces were gone when I went to the Mill (sigh) so I gave her two other pieces from the same artist. Giving art can be a hit and miss affair unfortunately. I correctly figured there was a chance that bdot might not like the two I picked out. And she didn’t… I made sure we could exchange them and we’ll make a trip up to Collingwood some time soon to sort it all out. Hopefully the artist has something affordable in the style of art she is looking for.

Saturday we spent a pretty chill afternoon as Bdot’s sisters. As usual we ate really well and watched the boys enjoy their new Christmas gifts. Their dog Lily has grown quite a bit. She is so different than their last dog. Lily is quiet and relaxed… which is the opposite of their previous dog Spuddy. It was a fun afternoon – we’ll take the nephews to Legoland sometime in the new year.

Sunday we hosted dinner for my family. Awww, the Turkey drama. First off bdot ordered the Turkey from a butcher we’ve used many times before whose meats we’ve always really enjoyed. For some reason however, the Turkey she ordered wasn’t available… so we had to settle for a non-local non-free range bird. Hmm. Bdot became concerned the bird would spoil and made herself crazy reading stuff off the Internet about turkeys making people sick. The bird was ultimately fine. She ended up doing a dry salt rub and we ate one of the most delicious turkeys I’ve ever had. Period. The stuffing also needs a special mention. Bdot spent a ton of time preparing it, and it showed. You should need a license to serve something so succulent.

It was the year of the adult onesie. I got two of them! Yup they are really ugly but actually warm and comfortable. They are the perfect lounging outfit which some of this week as been. My Dad was having a tough day. He looked really worn out and tired. The symptoms of his emphysema painfully taking a toll on him. So the evening ending somewhat early. He was in better shape the next day after some rest. Hmm. Other gifts included a bunch of gaming credit which I’ve turned into The Last of Us for PS4. I’ve played a few hours… the story is stunning but wow… I’m finding it REALLY hard. Seriously. FSCK YOU CLICKERS. I also received my first Steam card! I’m still figuring out how to spend that one.

The big prize I still have my eye on however is a Surface Pro 3. After bricking my Transformer (sigh) I really miss having a laptop/tablet hybrid. After watching hours of reviews and doing hours of research, the Surface is surprising the machine that best fits my needs. I still love the Android OS but it is impossible to ignore the power/functionality/versatility of the Surface. So I’d prefer to spend more on it and have for a few years. My last laptop from Lenovo (the Thinkpad R60) still runs and it is close to 8 years old!

Yesterday we did a bit of running around. An iPad Air bdot ordered was delivered so she played with that for a bit. Yes, the house now contains another Apple product. It had a nice screen and our Nexus 7s are certainly not keeping up well with new 5.0 Android OS… so she picked the tablet up. I think it will suit her well. In the afternoon we got some much needed air in Palgrave Forest. It was a little colder but an enjoyable walk, even with the stops so bdot could project manage. Bdot was craving sushi, so we took a break from the Turkey and tried Inaka. I was so hungry by the time we got home, I’m not sure I tasted the food. Bdot said it was good.

Palgrave bridge

Off to friends today for New Year’s Eve. Goodbye 2014. I have mixed feelings about you. Hoping 2015 brings new opportunities.

On the way out – so this will likely need a proofread.