Her 15 minutes are up..

Years ago, I was in a Toronto hotel with my family. I was waiting patiently in the lobby whilst my parents shopped in the adjacent retail stores. Somewhat bored, I decided to use a payphone to call my girlfriend who was living in North Bay at the time. This was long before the days of cellphones, e-mail and "texting".

As I was making my way to the payphones, a young woman in front of me abruptly dropped one of the phones, yelled something unintelligible and left. I immediately recognized her as Mackenzie Phillips, the young star of " One Day at a Time". Although she was a huge hot commodity at the time, I was struck at how homely she was, and how she appeared to have slept in her clothing.( Yes I know that sounds bitchy, but it's the truth). I didn't watch her sitcom all that regularly, so she was never really on my radar screen for the remainder of my teenage life.

Last week Ms. Phillips once again came to my attention. This time was not a chance encounter in a hotel, but via a news report that she had slept with her father John, in a " consensual " sexual relationship. John, long dead, is unable to rebut any of these allegations. His ex-wives vehemently deny the story ( what else could they say?) , leaving Mackenzie to peddle her story to Oprah and anyone else who will listen. Her allegations are all recorded her in her book" High on Arrival". When queried as to why she wrote the book, Phillips replied something along the lines of : " It was my moral duty, I want to make sure something like this never happens again to anyone else" , etc...

Although the allegations made by Ms. Phillips are serious and the offence a vile one, one has to wonder: Why now?These allegations are decades old, and Mackenzie has had plenty of time and media coverage over the past years. Why weren't these charges levied then? Why Oprah in 2009 and not Merv back in the younger days?

Is this a true call for all those who have been abused to rally together? Or is this a woman who realizes her 15 minutes may be up?

Only Mackenzie and her long departed Dad will ever know for sure.

Bloor Street Sushi Reviews # 2..

Ah, another Toronto Sunday with Bella. Despite the drizzle, we still had fun and went out for Japanese food after her dance class. This review is about :

e sushi
522 Bloor Street,
Toronto,ON
(Family freindly)

After a long day of dance, my middle daughter was famished. She ordered the Bento box with California Roll, while I ordered the eel sashimi.

My dish was chewy, but not in a in a revolting way. It just had enough texture and firmness to make it interesting. I had a glass of the house white wine ( I think it was Kressman ), and found that the serving was generous and at the PERFECT temperature.

Bella said her California Roll was the " best she ever had", but the chicken teryaki was just "alright". I picked away at her plate and found that the portions were just a tad on the small side.

The service was good, however,the dining room had to be 32 degrees Celsius ( I'm not exaggerating).

Bella and I give this restaurant a 4.2 out of 5

The above meal, with one glass of wine: $ 32.75

PS-Thanks to "Mike" for the photo

Ann Coulter is as dumb as a post...

Peta, my oldest daughter is taking an interest in American politics. Hunter S. Thompson said that politics was " better than sex". I think that's open to debate, but I'm glad my daughter is taking an interest in the former rather than the latter.

Today Peta showed me a " YouTube" video of Ann Coulter being interviewed by the CBC. Coulter, for those who don't know, is an American, Republican "ultra right winger", media darling. She was infamous for saying that the widows of "9/11" were wallowing in self-pity, and that: " If we took away women's right to vote, we'd never have to worry about another Democrat president. It's kind of a pipe dream, it's a personal fantasy of mine, but I don't think it's going to happen."

Anyway, the video shows Coulter ranting on Fox TV that the USA should just "roll over on Canada". Then the video cuts to a CBC reporter asking Coulter what she meant by that comment. Coulter comes out swinging and says:"It's about when Canada was a friend of the United States...Like when we were in Vietnam, Canada sent troops to help us....". The reporter, hardly able to contain his laughter, says:" We didn't send troops to Vietnam". Coulter, non plussed, says : "Yes, you did..I'm sure of it". Again the reporter says: "No, we didn't...". Coulter, always the one to try and have the last word, replies: "Well , I'll have to check and get back to you on that". According to the CBC, Coulter has not responded to her obvious lack of education on the Vietnam war.

How can Fox TV or the Republicans endorse this woman?If this was a black woman or an Hispanic male that had made these stupid comments, the Republicans would be all over them. Or as my daughter Peta said: "Dad, even I could be a better political spokesperson than this woman...And I'm still in high school". Sad, but oh so true.

Bloor Street Sushi Reviews..

My middle daughter Bella dances every Saturday at the Bathurst Theatre in Toronto. Although it is time consuming for me to drive from rural Ontario into the "big city", I enjoy the "one on one" time with her. When her dance concludes at around 5 p.m., we walk into the Annex ( that's what the area of the city is called), and we usually have Japanese food for our dinner. Last night during dinner, Bella said: " Why don't you review this restaurant on your blog?". "Great idea" I said, so we've decided to review all the restaurants that we will be visiting after dance class. We usually have sushi, but we'll mix it up. So here goes:

Japan Sushi-482 Bloor Street W, Toronto:
Bella and I got there around 5:15. The weather was beautiful, but all the outside tables were taken, so we sat inside.

The service was prompt. Bella ordered the " Bento Box" with chicken. Knowing that she would not eat a full meal, I ordered the Sashimi appetizer plate.

Minutes later, the waitress brought us our miso soup and noodles. The soup was hot and aromatic. The noodles were firm, but tasty. ( I ended up eating Bella's).

Shortly afterward, the main course arrived. My sashimi was at the perfect temperature: Cool, but not too cold. The salmon was delicious.

Bella said her chicken was " really good". I picked at her vegetable tempura and found that the zucchini was great, but the carrot was a little raw for my liking. The accompanying sushi was the "California" type that my daughter likes. We both picked away at it, and both agreed that it was fresh and satisfying.

All in all, we enjoyed our time at Japan Sushi and would recommend it to anyone. With a Sprite and a glass of white wine, our bill came to $ 24.55

Rating-Out of 5 : 4.5
Child friendly: Yes

104.1 The Dock...

I live in rural Ontario, Canada. As with most other places in the world, most of our electronic media comes from the cities.Some of it is exceptional, some is passable, but most of it is pre-packaged. What I mean by that is, the announcers do not promote any sense of community, while playing music targeting the "dance" crowd. ( Seriously, how many times must a guy listen to "Poker Face"?)

Just a little over a year ago, our little town became home to "The Dock". It is an FM radio station broadcasting at104.1 on the FM dial. All I can say is : FINALLY someone has a grasp of what an rock station should sound like! The broadcasters talk about local community events while playing all the great music from the 70's, but with a bit of a twist. Unlike most stations that play the crap out of two or three favourite songs from a band, the Dock will play the whole side of an album, a "B" side or some obscure cut. What a great concept.

My favourite announcer is a woman named "Meg" who is part of the morning show team. You have to hear this chick's voice: It sounds like Rod Stewart when he was with "Faces", combined with one of the Power Puff Girls. It's absolutely infectious.

Anyway, for those of you who are reading this in some far off land, I'd encourage you to go on-line and tune in. If you simply put in "104.1 The Dock", you'll get there.For those of you who are north of Toronto, but south of North Bay, take a listen.You'll be pleasantly surprised.

The world's sexiest woman?

OK, I know it sounds a tad trite, and the title is cheesey. However, I have concluded one thing: Next to my wife, Arianna Huffington is the sexiest woman in the world.

I came home last night around 4:23 am ( Yes, even civil servants have their emergency situations at work) and flipped on the tube. There I saw Huffington speaking to a group of journalists about how the Democratic Party has let down the voters of American but letting the Republicans walk all over them. She was, in a word, captivating.

I just wish Obama would see that, and make this remarkable woman a member of her team.

Plus, she is a lot easier to listen to than Hilary Clinton.

The working Dad..

Nothing pisses me off more than those dorky TV ads that portray Dad as a bumbling boob. This type of yellow, stereotypical marketing does nothing but infuriate men and leaves an intelligent woman aghast.

As a working Dad, married to a working Mom ( who makes far more money than this civil servant), I am responsible for the cooking in the house.The reason is quite simple: My wife, as intelligent and witty as she is, can't par boil shit for a street dance. Ergo, I am left to do the cooking. I'm not complaining, it's just the way it is.

For all those working people out there who need to feed a family after a hard day of work, take my advice: Buy a crock pot. Forget all that "Julie-Julia"nonsense, be realistic and start being smart with your time. Julia Child never had any kids, her hubby was a diplomat, and she lived in France. That's three more things going for her than I have, so if any of her devout followers are offended, tough shit.

This is a really simple crock pot recipe that can feed your hungry hubby/wife/mistress/best friend. It's simple and most of all, kids love it.

You start with:

1 large package of chicken thighs ( 6 to 8 )
1 bottle of Diana's " BBQ Sauce" ( or any other sauce that is compatible with chicken: Hot and Tangy sauce, Sweet Sauce, etc...)
1 tin of Diet Pepsi (or any other cola)
3 dashes of olive oil
1 crock pot ( I have a small one...crock pot, that is)

Directions:

Heat your oven to 425 degrees far.
Place the chicken in a large baking pan ( I love the Laghostino myself).
Dash the chicken with olive oil. Make sure your cover all the chicken!
Let the chicken cook until golden brown. Turn over once or twice while cooking.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the pan and pat dry. Place the chicken in the bottom of the crock pot. Pour the tin of cola over the chicken. Once the foam settles, cover the chicken with the WHOLE bottle of Diana's sauce.

If you are cooking with a small crock pot, cook it on "LOW" for about 2 to 2.5 hours. If you like your chicken a little more crispy, cook it for about 3 hours.

My daughters ( except Peta, my oldest who is a vegetarian) love this dish.

It's time for working Dad's/Mom's/Mistresses to unite and prove that we can look after our families while still putting food on the table.

the 18% solution...

Being the consummate consumer, I ordered and received a "Marriot VISA" platinum card. I figured that I had a good paying job, so I could afford the 18% or so fee on the card. I was approved for $5000 in credit. North Africa, here I come!

I took my three daughters to Ottawa this weekend. I treated them to the " 5 star" treatment, the same way any indulgent parent would. I love my kids, so it's no big deal to me.

When I went to check out of the hotel, I was informed that my VISA card was not valid. I called the company, only to be told that my credit limit had been reduced to $3900 dollars, and that I had met my limit. I explained that I was paying more than the required limit and that I had never been late with a payment. The peon on the other side of the phone said: " Well, it has to do with a "blip" on your credit report that made us reduce it". When I enquired what the "blip" was, they said " We can't really discuss it".

My advice to everyone: Watch these swine who offer these cards. This type of unscrupulous behaviour is simply contemptible. Yes, I know that credit cards are high risk, but not to people who use them responsibly.

As Vincent Bugliosi said:" There ought to be a law".