I’ve finally been to my first ribfest. It’s hard to think of anything more American than people lining up for hours to drop $20 on a full rack of pork ribs dripping in special and secret blends of BBQ sause. How do I know? Well, becuase I lined up for an hour. I didn’t mean to. Honestly. But after 20min I was commited, and was convinced these must be the best ribs I will ever taste, becuase how could a line of 100 people be wrong? Sure, I could have gone to one of the other ribbers, with shorter lines, but instinct tells me the longest line must equal the best ribs. Sadly I was hugly disapointed. Continue reading ‘Bonafide Down Home Texas Trail, Rodeo Riot, Double Barrel B.B.Q. RIBS’
Archive for the 'event' Category
10 weeks, 6 provinces, 88 finalists, 1 winner. It was a whirlwind adventure that has finally come to a close. It was quite an experience working the Labatt Blue Chip Poker Tour, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I have been to my share of bars, and even worked in one for close to 4 years, and in that time I have never witnessed — let alone been part off — such a huge logistical, and crowd pleasing event. Oh, and I got a tux out of it to boot.
The final was held June 16th at the Liberty Grand in Toronto, on the CNE grounds. This event is why beer companies are great, because they know how to throw a party. Continue reading ‘Raise More Than Your Glass’
What a great day for a 10k, let’s run two.
Courtesy of sam javanrouh, daily dose of imagery.
Today was the Nike runTO, a 10k run (its not a race) on Toronto Island. Despite the brief periods of heavy downpour and wind, it was a great day. This was my first 10k run, and I basically did no training. Not that I didn’t want to train, but I went out for a 10k run in my old shoes (that are great for the gym) and strained my IT band. This strain basically kept me off the path until run day. On run day I took about 4 aspirin, did lots of stretching, and wore a knee tenser bandage. When the race began the sun had come back out, but the weather stayed a nice cool. I lasted till about the 2.5k mark before my knee started to hurt. I was able to grin and bared through the pain, and it never got worse. I chalk that up to the atmosphere of the run. Running with 10,000 people, with water stations along the way, as well as onlookers cheering can drive up the adrenaline and make you forget about pain.
Not to shabby for a rookie.
I finished the 10k in 53:59. I’d like to think I could have run it faster if I wasn’t bogged down in traffic at the start line. As I crossed the finish line and started to walk my right knee got stiff and sore almost immediately. But who cares. I made it 10k, and I beat my buddy Kurt. He actually got out for some training runs.
Ironically, everyone gets a medal.
Overall I’d say RunTO was a great experience, and I’d be up for running another 10k run — but maybe next time for charity. It felt a little weird to be walking around the island and thinking, “Hmm, all these people paid $50 to Nike, just to run.”
The Roundhouse, TO.
You might think this to be an odd title for an entry about the Canadian International AutoShow, but I can assure you the most entertaining part of the day was the snow. I like cars, and even more then that, I like new shiny cars. I think new car smell (none of that simulated garbage, it’s got to be the real deal) is one of the best fragrances in the world. I just found the show to be on the weak side this year. Without any hot new cars on the market, the various manufactures decided to overload us with different colours of the same model. Which is good — but not great. Save for a few cars, I could have gone to an auto mall and seen the same cars for free. Mind you they wouldn’t be as shiny, and I would have to brave the cold, but I stand by my point.
With that said, onto the few stand out vehicles that are almost available for sale.
The Ford Mustang. The everyman sports car. Its humble beginnings date back to the 1964 Mustang Convertible. For a mere $2,320.96 (half the price of a Corvette) it was yours. It has had quite a life. From its sexy lines in the 60′s, to its cool 70′s character, and on through the unfortunate 80′s effect (I think the 80′s produced some of the ugliest cars, and the 80′s and early 90′s Mustang suffered this fall). In the late 90′s it regained some of its character, but no Mustang, since its glory days, has looked as good as the 2005 Ford Mustang (Canadian Content). A base model will run you $24,890, and $38,656 nicely loaded (CDN figures). That’s nothing considering a Chevrolet Corvette will run about $67,395. Now I know these are different classes of cars, but the Mustang has always been an affordable alternative to gross ego-boosting. It’s like value priced street-cred.
The 2006 Dodge Charger. Another rebirth of a classic American Automobile. Car manufactures aren’t blind to the fact that a lot of their customers that bought these cars are now baby boomers and are more then willing to relive their youth. The 1966 Dodge Charger was designed in response to the fastback design of the Ford Mustang and the Plymouth Barracuda. My only true knowledge of the Charger is the 1969 Dodge Charger (aka General Lee) used on the TV show The Dukes of Hazzard. The new Charger is based on the Chrysler 300 chassis, and is packed full of power. From the little presentation they gave, I took away that it will comfortably seat 5 adults, with full head room in the back.
The non-car sponsored attraction at this years show was the Pontiac Ice Maze. It was actually pretty neat because, previously, the only maze I had been through was on the back of a restaurant placemat. You don’t see very many garden hedge mazes around these days. It really is a shame (note: it seems there are lots of garden mazes, as I found one near Ottawa). I’d really love to call it a labyrinth of ice and snow, with the possibility of death around every corner, but I have confirmed that ‘labyrinth’ and ‘maze’ are not interchangeable words. A Maze is multicursal, or a series of paths with dead ends and can be quite frustrating. A Labyrinth is unicursal, meaning it has only one path and no dead ends. No one should be surprised that there is a Labyrinth Society, and many others who enjoy labyrinths. It’s just not a movie starring Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie. Though, reflecting on the movies plot, and my new understanding of labyrinths, I think that movie has a whole other level I was unaware of.
All in all, the AutoShow is still a great way to waste a day and $15. It’s nice to be able to see all the cars in one indoor location in pristine condition, without being bothered by salesmen. A day in TO is not complete without a ride on the TTC Subway. I wanted a blurred train, but the train was moving pretty slow when it reached the far end of the platform. I also wish I had turned the flash off. Either way, it looks a bit interesting.
Walking to The Horseshoe Tavern.
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