"The Rocky Horror Show", Lower Ossington Theatre, Toronto, ON

This evening I saw The Rocky Horror Show ... I've seen it a few times.

We know you shivered with antici ... pation, and the wait is over! Rocky Horror is back for Halloween!

This comedy horror and cult classic tells the story of newly engaged couple Brad Majors ("A-HOLE!") and Janet Weiss ("SLUT!"), who meet a group of strange individuals!

Sold-out for 8 years, you can't miss this hilarious spectacle, live on stage!

It is playing until the the middle of November at the Lower Ossington Theatre, which is in our 'hood.  I've seen many plays there over the years and haven't seen a bad production there.

The Lower Ossington Theatre has a small intimate theatre (maybe 100 seats) and a great place to see a play or musical.

My seat was in the front row.  At one point, Frank-N-Furter sat across me on the stage and asked me if he should kill Eddie.  Alas, I had to say yes.

The actors were excellent!  It was interesting to see the liberties they took .... they embellished some of the lines, which worked out well.  I'm assuming there were plants in the audience as they were yelling out lines to which the cast responded.

Many of actors returned from the production last year.  David Light, the actor playing Frank N' Furter, was fabulous ... he was campy (but not too campy) and funny.  Patrick Avery-Kenny and Amanda Milligan were good as Brad and Janet (Amanda was Janet last year).  The part of the narrator was played again very well by Dani Zimmer ... she got drunker as it went on and was a hoot.   As a head's up there is swearing and sexuality (for example, Janet gets her boobs grabbed a lot).

This was a fun production and I'd like to see it again!

Indian Grill, Toronto, ON

I had supper this evening at Indian Grill on Ossington Avenue, just north of Queen Street W.  I've walked by it many many times and this was the first time I stopped in.

It was fairly full when I got there but had emptied out by the time I left.

To get me started, I was brought poppadom and a couple dipping sauces.

You order everything separately.  I got butter chicken ($14.99), rice ($2) and naan ($2.50).  Everything was delicious!  The rice was cooked perfectly.  The naan was warm, soft and chewy.  The butter chicken was tender and the sauce was sweet but had a bit of a bite.  I would get this again.

Book ~ "The Passengers" (2019) John Marrs

From Goodreads ~ Eight self-drive cars set on a collision course. Who lives, who dies? You decide.

When someone hacks into the systems of eight self-drive cars, their passengers are set on a fatal collision course.

The passengers are: a TV star, a pregnant young woman, a disabled war hero, an abused wife fleeing her husband, an illegal immigrant, a husband and wife - and parents of two - who are travelling in separate vehicles and a suicidal man. Now the public have to judge who should survive but are the passengers all that they first seem? 

In the future, driverless cars are the norm.  You get in your car, tell it where you want to go and then you sit back and relax, work or do whatever you want.

Once a month for a week, a jury of five people gather to determine the fault when driverless cars are in accidents ... a barrister, a religious pluralist, a pathologist and a member of Parliament/transport minister.  The fifth member is a randomly chosen person from the general population.

On day two of the latest jury, a hacker takes over eight driverless cars.  Inside each car are an aging TV star looking for a comeback, a young pregnant woman, a disabled war veteran, an abused wife originally from India whose husband has just been arrested for slave labour, an immigrant who is seeking residency status, a husband and wife who have two children and are in separate cars, and suicidal man.  The hacker also takes over all TV stations and the Internet and broadcasts the jury's meeting.  The hacker tells the jury they must decide which one person gets to live while the others are all destined to die in a violent crash.  It's up the jury to make this difficult decision or all the people in the cars will die.  Who will they save?

I enjoyed this book.  The story was interesting and bizarre.  I liked the writing style.  It is written in third person perspective with the focus on whose ever story it was.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

I look forward to reading other books by this author.

Topbox - September 2019

My September 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 ...

AVON Anew Hydra Fusion 1.5% Hyaluronic Acid Serum - $46 value

Purlisse Cranberry Hand Cream - $4 value 

Pretty Woman Nail polish (Rose bae) - $7.99 value

Skin Forum Eye Woke Up Like This: Gold Foil Eye Mask - $4 value

Caprina Fresh Goat’s Milk Soap – Shea Butter - $0.65 value

Total value = $62.64

Five Guys, Sudbury, ON

I had an early lunch today at Five Guys in Sudbury.

Help yourself to peanuts!

I ordered a hamburger (single patty) with mustard, ketchup, pickles and tomatoes and fries.  It was a good burger but I think next time I'd get a double patty burger because, while I'm not complaining about the amount of tomatoes and pickles, I found they overpowered the patty and I couldn't taste it.

Book ~ "Dachshund Through the Snow" (2019) David Rosenfelt

From Goodreads ~ This Christmas, lawyer Andy Carpenter and his golden retriever, Tara, can't say no to helping young Danny and his dachshund, Murphy.

Lawyer Andy Carpenter and his wife, Laurie, have started a new Christmas tradition. Their local pet store has a Christmas tree, where instead of ornaments, there are wishes from those in need. One poignant wish leads Andy to a child named Danny, whose selfless plea strikes a chord. Danny asked Santa for a coat for his mother, a sweater for his dachshund, Murphy, and for the safe return of his missing father.

It turns out Danny’s father doesn't want to be found, he’s on the run after just being arrested for a murder that took place fourteen years ago – a murder that Danny’s mother swears he didn’t commit.

Andy is a criminal defense lawyer who doesn't want any clients.  Because of the money his father left him, he is able to not work and spend his time with his friend, Willie, running the Tara Foundation, a dog rescue that he and Willie formed.  He is married to Laurie, they have a young son, Ricky, and he is enjoying his life.  He loves their dog, Tara, and thinks she's the best dog in the world.  They also has another less lively dog named Sebastian.

It's coming up on Christmastime and if Laurie had her way, it would be Christmas all year 'round.  She picks a name at a pet store to make sure a family gets a Christmas.  She discovers that Noah, the father, has been arrested for the fourteen year old murder of a woman he had dated at the time when they were both in their late teens.  What better present for this family than to have Andy represent him and have him acquitted of the charges?  There is a lot of evidence stacked against Noah so this one will be a tough one for Andy and his team.

There is a secondary cute story of a retiring police officer who wants his police dog to retire with him.  But police policy states the dog still has one more year of duty.  Representing Simon, the dog, against species discrimination is one case that Andy can't pass up.

This is the twentieth in the Andy Carpenter series (I've read them all).  I enjoyed this book and am enjoying this series.  I find with most series that by the time an author has come this far, the series isn't good and the author is pounding out the books just to get a paycheque.  That's not the case with this series ... the author is able to keep this series fresh and fun.

The story was interesting and it didn't come together until the end.  Even though it is part of a series, it works as a stand alone (so you don't need to have read the ones before it to know what is going on).  I like the writing style of this author as it was funny, sarcastic and amusing.  It was written mostly in first person perspective in Andy's voice but is sometimes in third person perspective when the focus is on one of the bad guys.

I like Andy ... I think he would be a hoot to be around and he's quite generous with his time and money (his two best friends continue to take advantage of his tab at their favourite bar).  Part of Andy's team is Laurie, a former police officer and now his investigator.  Marcus, an investigator with "persuasive" reasoning skills, continues to provide protection when it's most needed (which is often since Andy is a self-professed coward).  Sam is his accountant who is also a computer hack and Hike is his depressed/depressing associate.  Edna is his secretary who, like Andy, would rather he not take on any cases.

Renaissance Montreal Downtown Hotel, Montreal, QC

My home away from home the last two nights in Montreal was Renaissance Montreal Downtown Hotel.

The lobby

Not hard to tell what city I'm in!

Here was my room ...

Enoteca Monza Pizzeria Moderna, Montreal, QC

I had supper this evening at Enoteca Monza Pizzeria Moderna (on McGill College Avenue).

I was brought a warm roll, which was tasty.

I ordered Chicken Parmigiano (with no parm) with Spaghetti Pomodoro.  I love love love chicken parm and this was really good.  The pasta sauce was a bit sweet and the chicken was tender and juicy.  I'd get this again.

ZIBO! Reztaurant - Bar, Montreal, QC

This evening I had supper with my colleagues, Baljeet and Trudy, at ZIBO! Reztaurant - Bar on Robert Bourassa Boulevard.

Baljeet and Trudy

I ordered a pepperoni pizza ($18).  It was a good pizza and I have some leftover for breakfast tomorrow.  The crust was light and the cheese and pepperoni weren't overpowering.  I'd get this again.

 We had a couple servers ... they were friendly and took good care of us.

Mount Royal Park (Parc du Mont-Royal), Montreal, QC

This afternoon I walked to and climbed up to the top of Mount Royal (I've done it a few times in the past).

The jewel of Montreal’s city parks is, without question, Mount Royal. This 200-hectare park occupies part of the mountain that lies in the midst of Montreal island, and includes the highest spot in the city (234m). In the 1860s, mass cutting of trees on the mountain for firewood outraged the populace and led to the area’s designation as a park in 1876. It was originally landscaped by Frederick Law Olmsted, perhaps best known for New York City’s Central Park, although not all his proposed plans for Mount Royal were eventually carried out.

The lookout facing over downtown towards the river was first built in 1906 and is now officially known as the Belvédère Kondiaronk, named for the Huron chief who signed a major peace accord with the French regime in 1701. 

Mount Royal is where Montrealers go to get a breath of air on a hot day, to cross-country ski without leaving the city, to walk off a hangover or a bad mood, to picnic, to jog, to ice skate, to look out over the city, rest their eyes on the horizon and dream.

The stairs are at the top of Peel Avenue.  It's not an easy climb up!

To avoid the 400 steps to the top, you can take a windy path ... I didn't

King Rustic, Toronto, ON

Gord and I had supper this evening at King Rustic at King Street W/Strachan Avenue.

We both ordered the Herb Fried Chicken Dinner.  It was delicious, especially when dipped in the accompanying sauce.  I'm not a big fan of salads but this was a good salad.