Gord's interview on Rogers daytime, York Region

Gord wrote a book called Defending the Inland Shores: Newfoundland in the War of 1812 that was published in December.

This morning he did a live interview with Jacqueline Betterton on daytime, York Region discussing his book.

Steve, the director, put a mike on Gord beforehand.

We, along with the other guests, waited in the "green room" ... yes, it was green!

When it was Gord's segment, they let me into the studio and allowed me to take pictures.  Quite exciting!  Gord did an excellent job and seemed like a natural.  He told a couple stories and read some quotes from some soldiers.

During the interview, they put pictures from the book on the screen.  It was interesting to see what the viewers saw.

Monster Jam, Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON

Gord and I went to Monster Jam this afternoon at the Rogers Centre.  We went last year (my first time ever) and had a lot of fun and looked forward to going again this year.

There was a huge crowd with lots of kids.

The trucks included:

• Son-uva Digger
• Monster Energy
• Jester
• Xtermigator
• Wrecking Crew
• Rage
• Barbarian
• Over Bored
• El Toro Loco
• Grave Digger
• Overkill Evolution
• Black Stallion
• Bounty Hunter
• Iron Outlaw

There were two competitions ... racing and freestyle.  In the racing competition, the official let them know when it was time to go.

A couple trucks broke down during the competition and had to be towed off.

Toronto Rock 8, Rochester Knighthawks 9, Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON

Gord and I are season ticket holders for the Toronto Rock lacrosse team games ... the Rock is a professional lacrosse franchise in the National Lacrosse League (NLL).  This is our fifth year going to the games and our fourth year having seasons tickets.

They were playing the Rochester Knighthawks tonight in their second home game of the 2017 season (they won their first two games).

Scotty Newlands sang the national anthems.

Book ~ "Bastards" (2016) Mary Anna King

From Goodreads ~ In the early 1980s, Mary Hall is a little girl growing up in poverty in Camden, New Jersey, with her older brother Jacob and parents who, in her words, were "great at making babies, but not so great at holding on to them." After her father leaves the family, she is raised among a commune of mothers in a low-income housing complex. Then, no longer able to care for the only daughter she has left at home, Mary's mother sends Mary away to Oklahoma to live with her maternal grandparents, who have also been raising her younger sister, Rebecca. When Mary is legally adopted by her grandparents, the result is a family story like no other. Because Mary was adopted by her grandparents, Mary’s mother, Peggy, is legally her sister, while her brother, Jacob, is legally her nephew.

Living in Oklahoma with her maternal grandfather, Mary gets a new name and a new life. But she's haunted by the past: by the baby girls she’s sure will come looking for her someday, by the mother she left behind, by the father who left her. Mary is a college student when her sisters start to get back in touch. With each subsequent reunion, her family becomes closer to whole again. 

In New Jersey in the early 1980s, Peggy and Michael were the parents of three children, Jacob, Mary and Rebecca.  They lived in poverty, their marriage was trouble and Michael would come and go.  Not being able to afford to look after all three of her children, Peggy sent Rebecca to live with her father and stepmother, Charlie and Mimi, in Oklahoma.  During the times that Michael would come back, Peggy would get pregnant.  This happened four times, which resulted in Lisa, Rebekah, Meghan and Lesley, and the babies were adopted right away with the provisions that they had to go to college and they could come looking for their birth families if they wanted.

When the Mary was six or seven, her family life stabilized a bit.  Michael moved back in with the family, they rented a nicer larger apartment and they brought Rebecca back to live with them.  This didn't last too long ... Michael left again and Peggy sent Jacob, Anna and Rebecca to live with Charlie and Mimi in Oklahoma.  They were very strict and Jacob didn't fit in so was sent to live with his father in New Jersey.  Charlie and Mimi adopted Mary and Rebecca and raised them.

This is Mary's story.  Eventually the siblings, all seven of them, find each other again and become a family.

I like reading memoirs and I found this one interesting.  I liked the writing style and thought it flowed well.  As a head's up, there is some swearing.

Mary and her siblings had quite a life.  I hope that after all they've gone through, they are able to live happy and healthy lives.

Book ~ "Lose Weight Without Dieting or Working Out" (2012) J.J. Smith

From Goodreads ~ Want to lose weight without counting calories, starving yourself, giving up your favorite foods, or eating bland packaged foods? Would you like to look and feel younger and healthier than you have in years without diets and exercise? 

If you've answered yes to these questions, this book is for you! JJ Smith's revolutionary system teaches proven methods for permanent weight loss that anyone can follow, no matter her size, income level or educational level. And the end result is a healthy, sexy, slim body. 

JJ's breakthrough weight-loss solution can help you shed pounds fast by detoxifying the body, balancing your hormones and speeding up your metabolism. You'll learn which foods help you stay slim and which foods cause you to get fat. If you have been on a roller-coaster ride of weight loss, you will finally be able to get off, lose weight, and stay slim for life!

You will learn how to

• Detoxify the body for fast weight loss 
• Drop pounds and inches fast, without grueling workouts or starvation 
• Lose up to 15 pounds in the first three weeks 
• Shed unwanted fat by eating foods you love, including carbs 
• Get rid of stubborn belly fat 
• Trigger your 6 fat-burning hormones to lose weight effortlessly 
• Eat foods that give you glowing, radiant skin 
• Eat so you feel energetic and alive every day 
• Get physically active without exercising

This is your last stop on the way to a new fit and healthy you! Look and feel younger than you have in years. Create your best body - NOW!

I've always battled with my weight so books like this always catch my eye.  Losing weight without dieting or working out?  Right on!

The first part of this book talks about what makes us overweight and unhealthy ... why diets fail, why exercise won't make you thin, why a sugar addiction is worse than a drug addiction and how toxins are making us fat, sick and tired.

Part two describes the five keys to permanent weight loss:

1. Getting rid of toxins
2. Correcting hormonal imbalances
3. Speeding up your metabolism
4. Eating foods that make you thin
5. Avoid foods that make you fat

Part three details her DHEMM System: A Permanent Weight-Loss System:

• D = Detox - Cutting out caffeine, sugar, white carbs, animal proteins, dairy and alcohol for the first three weeks ... that's easy?!  She also recommends just drinking lemonade/cayenne pepper for ten days to detox ... no problem, right?
• H = Hormonal Balance
• E = Eat clean
• M = Mental Mastery
• M - Get moving and increase your physical activity

Part four covers issues for women only.  Also included are lots of success stories and some recipes.

The author is a nutritionist and backs her theories up with dated studies and articles.  In addition, there are many studies and articles she quotes information from but doesn't list the sources (so how do we know she's not making this stuff up to sell her book?).

She doesn't think exercising is necessary for weight loss yet list things to get you moving ... like cutting your grass without a mower or riding your bike around the neighbourbood.  To me that's exercising ... she's just putting a difference name on it to maybe try to fool you?

I didn't learn anything new but it was a good reminder of the foods we should be eating and the foods we should be avoiding.  This is indeed a diet and exercise book, though ... there are food plans and suggestions on how to get more active.  The author is trying to package it as something else to make it sound easy.

Since July, I have been eating healthier and exercising and am down 49 pounds and feel great!  I think I'll keep doing things my way.

Book ~ "Blood Brothers" (2017) Colleen Nelson

From Goodreads ~ Fifteen-year-old Jakub Kaminsky is the son of Polish immigrants, a good Catholic boy and a graffiti artist. While his father sleeps, Jakub and his best friend, Lincoln, sneak out with spray paint to make their mark as Morf and Skar.

When Jakub gets a scholarship to an elite private school, he knows it’s his chance for a better life. But it means leaving Lincoln and the neighbourhood he calls home.

While Jakub’s future is looking bright, Lincoln’s gets shady as he is lured into his brother’s gang. Jakub watches helplessly as Lincoln gets pulled deeper into the violent world of the Red Bloodz. The Red Bloodz find out Jakub knows more than he should about a murder and want him silenced - for good. Lincoln has to either save his friend, or embrace life as one of the Red Bloodz.

Jakub and Lincoln are fifteen years old and have been best friends for ten years.  Neither comes from an affluent family.  Jakub is living in a rooming house with his disabled father, who is a Polish immigrant, and Lincoln lives with his parents and younger brother and is First Nations.  At night they sneak out and are talented graffiti artists.

Jakub's priest helps him get a scholarship at an elite private school.  He doesn't want to go because he doesn't want to leave Link behind.  But once there, he enjoys and appreciates the opportunities.  Around this time, Link's brother, Henry, is released from prison and hangs out with his gang buddies.  Without the support of Jakub, Link is attracted to the money he can make by being part of the gang.  Things get out of hand when Link gets involved in stolen cars and murder.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it.  It is written in first person perspective in Jakub and Link's voice (the chapters alternate and are labelled).  Though it is a story about two fifteen year old boys, I didn't find the story too immature and would recommend it for mature young adults and older.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

I look forward to reading others by this author.

Book ~ "Turbo Twenty-Three" (2016) Janet Evanovich

From Goodreads ~ In the heart of Trenton, N.J., a killer is out to make sure someone gets his just desserts.

Larry Virgil skipped out on his latest court date after he was arrested for hijacking an eighteen-wheeler full of premium bourbon. Fortunately for bounty hunter Stephanie Plum, Larry is just stupid enough to attempt almost the exact same crime again. Only this time he flees the scene, leaving behind a freezer truck loaded with Bogart ice cream and a dead body - frozen solid and covered in chocolate and chopped pecans.

As fate would have it, Stephanie’s mentor and occasional employer, Ranger, needs her to go undercover at the Bogart factory to find out who’s putting their employees on ice and sabotaging the business. It’s going to be hard for Stephanie to keep her hands off all that ice cream and even harder for her to keep her hands off Ranger. It’s also going to be hard to explain to Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli, why she is spending late nights with Ranger, late nights with Lula and Randy Briggs - who are naked and afraid - and late nights keeping tabs on Grandma Mazur and her new fella. Stephanie Plum has a lot on her plate but for a girl who claims to have “virtually no marketable skills,” these are the kinds of sweet assignments she does best.

Stephanie works for her cousin, who is a bail bondsman.  Lulu is a former 'ho and works with her.  One night they are chasing after Larry, a fella who had skipped his court date.  Larry is driving a stolen ice cream delivery truck and they discover a dead guy in the back, frozen and covered in nuts.  Ranger, Stephanie's former colleague who has his own security company, has been hired by the ice cream company to increase their security.  She goes undercover in the ice cream company in various jobs to see what she can find out.

Lulu and her buddy, Randy, are making a demo in hopes of getting their own reality TV show.  They premise is they are naked and wandering around Trenton, NJ.  Stephanie's grandmother has a new beau who is a bartender and drives a motorcycle.

This is the 23rd in the Stephanie Plum series and I've read them all.  As in previous books, Evanovich continues to follow her formula:

• Stephanie is lusting after Morelli and Ranger ... check
• Stephanie's mom's nerves are shot so drinks and irons ... check
• Grandma Masur is outrageous and checking out the viewings at the funeral home ... check
• Lulu talks about food all the time ... check
• Stephanie goes home to mooch meals from her parents ... check 
• Morelli calls Stephanie "Cupcake" and just wants to have sex with her ... check 
• Ranger calls Stephanie "Babe" and just wants to have sex with her with no commitment ... check 

Stephanie and Joe are back together ... they are "engaged to be engaged".  This relationship is still drifting.  Ranger is still lusting after Stephanie and she is allowing it, even encouraging it.  For a person who is supposed to be engaged to be engaged, she doesn't act very committed to Joe.  If she doesn't see a future with Joe, she should make the break once and for all and move on.

I didn't find the storyline or the whodunnit overly exciting.  It's written in first person perspective from Stephanie's point of view.  There is some swearing and some adult situations.

Since it's basically the same story over and over, I stopped buying these books a long time ago and now borrow them from the library.  It's a mindless familiar read and there is some amusement.

Book ~ "A Model Death" (2015) Brenda Chapman

From Goodreads ~ Against her better judgment, Anna Sweet accepts a date with the secretive Nick Roma, office manager for Storm Investigations. But before they can meet up, the body of Nick's ex-girlfriend is found near a lake. Rumours swirl that Nick was hounding his ex to get back together ... and he wouldn't take no for an answer. 

The police are convinced that Nick is the killer but Anna agrees to take on his case. Her investigation will take her deep into Nick Roma's past and onto the set of a reality TV show. Will she be able to prove Nick is innocent or will her investigation put him behind bars for life?

Anna and Jada, both former police officers, run a private investigations firm and Nick is their office manager.  Lena is his ex-girlfriend and starring in a reality series of three models sharing a house in Ottawa.  When Lena is found murdered, Nick is the obvious suspect.

Nick hires Anna to investigate and find out who murdered Lena.  Given Nick's mysterious past, Anna can't help but think that maybe Nick did indeed kill her since that's where all the evidence is pointing.

I've read quite a few books by this author and I liked this one.  It's a quick read at about 60 pages.  It's set in the author's hometown of Ottawa.  I like this author's writing style.  It is written in first person perspective in Anna's voice.

Though it's the fourth in the Anna Sweet series, it works as a stand alone.

Book ~ "To Keep a Secret" (2014) Brenda Chapman

From Goodreads ~ Anna Sweet's PI business partner, Jada Price, has gone missing. Anna and new hire, Nick Roma, team up to find her. The trail leads them to a teenage girl's murder and a secret internet dating site. 

Anna is about to discover how far people will go to keep a secret and who they will betray. She must work quickly to uncover the answers before a second victim dies. 

Will this case prove too difficult for Anna Sweet? Or will she put the clues together in time to outsmart a killer who has everything to lose? 

Anna and Jada, both former police officers, run a private investigations firm.  Henry, Jada's teenage brother, has been threatened and he and Jada go into hiding.  Henry and his school friend, Mandy, had hacked into a dating site where married men are looking for action on the side and they blackmailed a few of the men.  Mandy turns up murdered and it seems that Henry may be next.

Understandably, Mandy's family is devastated.  Anna and her brother-in-law, Jimmy, who is a police officer, start investigating the men who had been blackmailed, one of whom is a cop.

I've read quite a few books by this author and I liked this one.  It's a quick read at about 100 pages.  It's set in the author's hometown of Ottawa.  I like this author's writing style.  It is written in first person perspective in Anna's voice.

Though it's the third in the Anna Sweet series, it works as a stand alone.

Book ~ "The Stolen Ones" (2015) Owen Laukkanen

From Goodreads ~ Cass County, Minnesota: A sheriff’s deputy steps out of a diner on a rainy summer evening and a few minutes later, he’s lying dead in the mud. When BCA agent Kirk Stevens arrives on the scene, he discovers local authorities have taken into custody a single suspect: a hysterical young woman found sitting by the body, holding the deputy’s own gun. She has no ID, speaks no English. A mystery woman.

The mystery only deepens from there, as Stevens and Carla Windermere, his partner in the new joint BCA–FBI violent crime task force, find themselves on the trail of a massive international kidnapping and prostitution operation. Before the two agents are done, they will have traveled over half the country, from Montana to New York, and come face-to-face not only with the most vicious man either of them has ever encountered - but two of the most courageous women. 

They are sisters, stolen ones. But just because you’re a victim doesn’t mean you have to stay one.

Kirk Stevens a special agent with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA).  He has just taken his family on a camping vacation when he gets a call that a police officer had been shot and Irina, the suspect, was found with him.  Since Stevens is close by, his boss asks him if he'd mind checking it out ... it should only take a couple hours.

Stevens discovers there is more to the case than everyone thought.  As he investigates, he finds that Irina and her sister, Catalina, had been kidnapped from their home in Romania, along with many other women, and transported across the Atlantic Ocean in a container on a ship.  They were going to be sold as prostitutes.  Irina had escaped from the container as it was being transported across the States but Catalina didn't.  Stevens has a daughter Catalina's age so is determined to put a stop to this operation.  He calls in his partner, Carla Windermere, who is an FBI special agent.

I enjoyed this book.  Though this is the fourth in the Stevens and Windermere series (I've read them all including the fifth one), it works well as a stand alone.  I liked the writing style and found the storyline interesting.  It's written in third person perspective with a focus on the various characters.  I like the short and/or choppy chapters.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

I liked Windermere and Stevens.  They are thorough and caring and will do anything and go anywhere to solve a case.  Mathers is a fellow FBI agent and colleague and he and Windermere have a "relationship".  Windermere has always been a loner ... though she cares about Mather, she isn't willing to admit it to him or herself.

I look forward to reading the next one which will be out soon.

Book ~ "The Hard Fall" (2013) Brenda Chapman

From Goodreads ~ Paul Taylor, a wealthy business man, is in jail for the cold-blooded murder of his lover, Laura Flint. She is found dead in his bed one hot August morning. Taylor's wife, a former swimsuit model, is the only one to stand behind him but even she has doubts. Taylor is about to go on trial-and he is the only suspect. 

Anna Sweet of Storm Investigations agrees to take on his case with little hope of winning. The trail of clues is about to lead her into a hornet's nest of ugly secrets. Will Anna find new evidence to clear Taylor's name? Or is she working to free a killer? 

Anna and Jada, both former police officers, have recently teamed up to open a private investigations firm.  They are struggling for business so are happy when the Paul Taylor murder case lands on their desk.  Taylor is a wealthy businessman whose lover was found dead in his bed.  They will get paid a daily rate but will receive a huge bonus if they can find something that will get Taylor acquitted.

There are a number of suspects ... his wife, who despite being cheated on, maintains his innocence, and his business partners,

I've read quite a few books by this author and I liked this one.  It's a quick read at about 60 pages.  It's set in the author's hometown of Ottawa.  I like this author's writing style.  It is written in first person perspective in Anna's voice.

Though it's the second in the Anna Sweet series, it works as a stand alone.

I look forward to reading the others in this series.

Book ~ "101 Amazing Things About Dog Lovers" (2017) Todd Hafer

From Goodreads ~ Dogs. There are hundreds of official breeds in the world and even more mixes and mutts than we can count. But each dog has its own unique look and personality. No better phrase can describe these endearing companions than “man’s best friend.”

In this book you’ll discover truly amazing things about dogs and the people who love them. 

Within this book’s covers, you’ll discover truly amazing facts about dogs and the people who love them. Which U.S. president is the number-one dog fan of all (and which president’s dog once attacked a French ambassador?)? Why should dogs enjoy catnip just as much as cats?How do dogs make commercial airline travel much, much safer?Which canine actor was robbed of an Academy Award?

There are at least 101 intriguing things to discover about America’s most loyal pet. So kick back with your dog and let some remarkable canines and their “people” walk their way into your heart. Who knows - maybe you’ll find yourself loving your dog (or dogs) more. If that’s even possible.

I like reading books about animals and that's why this book caught my eye.  I thought the picture on the cover was cute.

The 101 "amazing things" are varied.  There are informational topics about caring about your dog, petsitters, doggy motels, etc.  There are the histories of dogs and different breeds.  There are stories about famous dogs like Lassie, Toto and Rin Tin Tin and not-so-famous dogs.  There are offbeat stories like people who leave their wealth to their dogs.

After each story, there is a tidbit of information or quote followed by a biblical quote that didn't seem to have anything to do with the story or information tidbit or quote, which I found strange.  So I checked back on the classification of this book and it's classified as "Christian", which I also found odd since it's a book about dogs.

BQM King West, Toronto, ON

I had a late lunch at BQM King West (on King Street/Strachan Avenue) ... they opened in September.  I've been to BQM Ossington a couple times and had a good meal so I thought I'd try this location today.

I ordered a Riverside burger (with no lettuce) and no fries or salad ... just the burger as I knew it would be enough.

It was a good burger.  The patty had lots of flavour and the bun was soft.  It was really fun and messy.  I'll get it again.

Mike took excellent care of me and was super friendly.

They plan on having a small patio in front in the summer.  No doubt it will be great place to sip some local craft beer when the weather gets warm!

Topbox - January 2017

My January Topbox arrived this week.

For only $12 a month, you will receive a Topbox with 4 carefully selected, indulgent, beauty products. Then test the products in the comfort of your own home.

 Here's what I received ...

• Voesh New York Voesh Pedi Mud Masque in Olive Sensation - 3 packages - $7.99 value
• Garnier Micellar Water All-in-1 facial cleanser - 125ml -  $2.50 value - I like this product.
• Bella Aura Skincare Gentle Purifying Cleanser - 10ml -  $4.50 value
• Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat - 10ml - $2.56 value
• Manna Kadar Cosmetics Paradise Blush - $24.95 value

Total value = $42.50 value

Book ~ "Second Chances" (2012) Brenda Chapman

From Goodreads ~ It's the summer of 1971 and fifteen-year-old Darlene travels with her mother to cottage country. This year her wild cousin, Elizabeth, is staying with them in the hopes that time away from Toronto will straighten her out - but Elizabeth has other plans. It’s her summer mission to torment Darlene by manipulating her friends and seducing every eligible male in her path. 

Meanwhile Darlene is captivated by the mysterious strangers who rent the cottage down the road, particularly free-spirited Candy, who tells stories of traipsing across the United States with rock stars. 

Darlene is also friends with a reclusive journalist who will stop at nothing to pen the ultimate anti-war story. She, too, secretly dreams of becoming a writer but knows that her father will never allow it. 

When the connections between the young strangers and the war start to become clear, Darlene is presented with more choices than she would like.

It's the groovy summer of 1971 and Darlene is fifteen.  She lives in Ottawa (hometown of the author) and spends the summers in Cedar Lake, where her mother runs a convenience store for the cottagers (her father works in a mill in Ottawa and just comes up on the weekends), and she hangs out with her summer friends.  This summer Elizabeth, her seventeen-year-old cousin from Toronto, is staying with them.  She'd gotten too wild and her parents hope that spending the summer in the country will settle her down.  Elizabeth amuses herself by annoying Darlene.

Candy and Johnny are Americans who are renting the Davidson's cottage this summer along with their young son.  Darlene is intrigued by Candy, who is a free spirit who claims to have been best friends with Janis Joplin and hung out with Jim Morrison.  Darlene is friends with Gideon, an older gentleman who lives in Cedar Lake year 'round, delivers the mail and writes articles for the Globe and Mail, especially focusing on protesting the Vietnam War.  Darlene would like to be a writer when she grows up but her father wants her to have more stable traditional job like a secretary.

I've read a few books by this author and I enjoyed this one.  I like her writing style.   It is written in first person perspective in Darlene's voice.  As such, I'm assuming it's considered a youth/young adult book but I didn't find it immature in actions or characters.  I think people of all ages (15+) would find it engaging.

Though I was younger than Darlene when this story takes place, I could relate to the references to the music, clothing and TV shows.  "Going to town" for everyone in Cedar Lake meant going to Campbellford, which I've driven through many times to visit my in-laws.

Le Place d'Armes Hôtel & Suites, Montréal, QC

The company I work for is based in Quebec and we had our annual sales conference in Montreal this week.  I spent Tuesday and last night at Le Place d'Armes Hôtel & Suites in old Montréal.

Reception

It is located across the street from Notre-Dame Basilica.

Here was my room ...

Book ~ "In Winter's Grip" (2010) Brenda Chapman

From Goodreads ~ After her mothers suicide, Maja Cleary turned her back on her family and Duved Cove, Minnesota, until a desperate phone call reveals that her father has been murdered and her brother Jonas is the prime suspect. She flies home, knowing that she will have to confront shared memories of an abusive father. 

Even as she works to prove her brothers innocence, she cannot ignore the evidence that he had every reason to kill their father. The frigid, stormy Minnesota landscape sets the mood as she battles against time, the local police and the relentless snow. 

Maja is a plastic surgeon married to a businessman and living in Ottawa.  Though she keeps in touch with her brother, Jonas, she hasn't spoken to her father in years.  Their father wasn't a nice man when they were growing up, which led their mother to commit suicide when Maja was in university twenty years ago.  She heads home to Minnesota when she hears that her father has been murdered.

Wanting to protect Jonas, Maja starts asking around the town they are in trying to find out who had a reason to kill her father.  Though he was outwardly friendly and nice to others, not many knew the true nature of their father.  But she discovers that there are some who did have a reason to kill him and she wants to figure out who is the killer.

I've read a few books by this author and I like her writing style.  I though this one was okay.  I found the storyline interesting ... there were lots of people who could have killed the father with good reason.  It is written in first person perspective in Maja's voice.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

Damaged from their childhoods, Maja and Jonas are not the most open people.   Maja is in a so-so marriage but not willing to do anything about it.  She is still dreaming about her high school boyfriend, Billy, from more than twenty years ago, who she meets up with again when she goes home (I found this storyline a bit distracting).  Jonas is married to Claire and they have a young teenage son and there is a lot of tension in their house for some reason.  Tobias, the police officer, assigned to solve the murder seems more interested in flirting with Maja than was professional since he knew she was married.

Pizza Il Focolaio, Montreal, QC

I had supper tonight at Pizza Il Focolaio (on Rue du Square-Phillips).  I'd eaten here in September and for the most part liked it.  I love love love pizza and that's what I wanted for supper.

I got there just after 6pm and it was jammed.

I ordered the same thing I got the last time ... #28 Peperonato pizza.

They cook the pizzas in a wood oven for about four minutes.

My pizza was delicious!  It was really cheesy and there was lots of pepperoni.  The dough was tasty.  It was a bit burnt on one corner (under the crust) but I ate that side last when I was too full to fuss about it and didn't mind leaving a bit behind.

Dennis was my server.  He was friendly and took good care of me.

I'll be back!