Saturday, October 22, 2022

Old School Coffee

  Linking up at Marg at The Intrepid Reader

Old School Coffee on Dundas West Toronto ON

Another quiet week.
Saturday was a dull grey which suited us fine, nowhere to go!
I got a notification to book my flu shot, done.
Monday John headed out for his flu shot at FCP. 
I went on Tuesday for my flu shot at 120 Adelaide after a haircut and some shopping.
I picked up sushi for lunch. I have never had such a sore arm from a shot, ever!
 I even iced it a couple of times.
Traffic backing up as we exit the Gardiner, gloomy day.



Wednesday we were awakened by the fire alarm. Oh joy! The trucks showed up and it was determined that the smoke alarm on the ground floor was triggered by construction dust from some renovations they were doing. Wonder who pays for the fire department??

John had an appointment (new hearing aids $6,000!!!) and then we made popcorn and watched a movie.
Out our window.



We were both notified to book our covid booster - done for next week.

Thursday I met my BFF for lunch, our first since we went to Newfoundland and Labrador. Lots to catch up on. We are still trying to find a new "local", so we went to WVRST in Union Station. John and I had been to their King St. location a few years ago. It is kind of a weird setup, you order and pay for drinks at the bar, then go and order and pay for your food at the back. But we had a booth and it meant we could sit as long as we wanted.
We both had (after many mind changes) their small charcuterie boards.



Sitting in traffic on the way home.


Sunset - the ropes are for the window cleaning.


The cleaning lady cancelled on Wednesday as her babysitter was doing her citizenship ceremony and then on Friday as the baby had bronchitis, poor thing. 
We took the bus down to Longo's to get some groceries. 

Then John went for a walk around the lake.









COOKING
Saturday ham, au gratin cauliflower and potatoes

Sunday leftovers with Brussels sprouts

Monday curry chicken

Tuesday BBQ chicken quarters, roast potatoes and tomatoes, broccoli

Wednesday pot roast

Thursday homemade pizza - frozen from from last order. John said his was harder than usual. I am making notes here for next time. Oven - 480, John's (GF) on bottom rack, 20 minutes. Mine was great.

Friday steak frites, I also made chimichurri and a dipping sauce for the fries. 


WATCHING
I watched Longford as I embroidered.
Longford is a 2006 British biographical crime drama television film. The film centres on Labour Party peer Lord Longford and his campaign for the parole of Moors Murderer Myra Hindley.

I didn't know anything about Hindley so I looked her up.

Luckiest Girl Alive - meh. It was easy to pick out the Toronto filming locations.

We watched Blonde as we had listened to the reviews in CBC radio while travelling.
Blonde is a 2022 American biographical film written and directed by Andrew Dominik, based on the 2000 novel of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates. The film is a fictionalized take on the life and career of American actress Marilyn Monroe, played by Ana de Armas. The cast also includes Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale, Xavier Samuel, and Julianne Nicholson.
We disliked it intensely. This review sums it up.
“Blonde” abuses and exploits Marilyn Monroe all over again, the way so many men did over the cultural icon’s tragic, too-short life. Maybe that’s the point, but it creates a maddening paradox: condemning the cruelty the superstar endured until her death at 36 while also reveling in it.

We binge watched Dahmer - not for the faint-hearted. You have to also realize some artistic license went into producing this.
Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is an American limited biographical crime drama television series.  The series is about the life of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.

We also started the series, A Friend of the Family an American drama miniseries. Based on true events, it follows Robert Berchtold, a close friend of the Broberg family, who kidnaps Jan Broberg twice over a period of two years. It is based on a book written by Jan Broberg, who also does the intro to the series.
I'll admit, we both (with our 2022 knowledge) did think these people are very naïve/in denial and innocent/willfully ignorant.

Elvis - loved it, although you do have to suspend belief in many cases, it was just pure entertainment! It is listed as a biographical musical drama film.
The film's costume and production designs as well as musical sequences were fabulous.
Austin Butler is amazing! Tom Hanks is amazing.
I like this review.
It made John and I look up where the "International" was originally in Las Vegas as we knew we had visited it. Here's a photo from inside the LVH, formally a Hilton.



READING

I tried to read Robert Goddard's Long Time Coming. Then I tried The Second Mrs. Astor, I mean, it's about the Titanic! Nope, couldn't finish it either.
Twenty Years Later caught  my interest I loved it and didn't see the ending coming!!! Loved it. I always wondered if this could happen, after 9/11. *SPOILER ALERT* could someone have faked their death in the building and walked away to a new life?
I changed the font colour to white to not show the spoiler... I talked so much about it that John borrowed it from the library.
I started another by the same author The Suicide House, so far so good. However it takes place before Twenty Years Later.

16 comments:

  1. Looks as if your quiet week had lots of things to do.

    best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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  2. I also despised Blonde and thought it terribly exploitive. That poor woman. I did read the book years ago but found this depiction was only "based". Did not watch the Elvis movie, though I was a huge fan of his back in prehistoric days when I was a teenager. The yuck factor of Priscilla and her parents collaborating with him on her "capture" turned me off.
    Thanks for the Longford rec. Will watch.
    XO
    WWW

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  3. Love those fall colors and the scenes you showed. I am on a list for Twenty Years Later and am lookign forwrad to it.

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  4. I enjoyed looking at your Toronto pictures. I was born and raised in Ontario but haven't lived there in over a decade. Last fall we flew into Pearson. I think it traumatized my children. They were actually just talking about it the other day. Because of course, we had to travel the 401, and they were used to the traffic so that is what they remember. I was hoping they'd remember the interesting buildings, the fall colours or one of the many other things that makes the area great. Anyway, thanks for the virtual coffee. Have a great weekend.

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  5. Hey. I got my flu shot too. I thought about watching Dahmer but just cannot. I watched maybe half of Blonde. I am very disappointed. The story is fiction in regard to her relationship with the two men. I hate it that other parts of her life or personality is rarely shown. For example, she was a reader. She loved Ella Fitzgerald's singing. I could go on and on. Years ago, I worked with a woman who as a child lived near Marilyn (before her film career.) She told me Marilyn was a sweet person and could bake the best bread.

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  6. A group of us went to see Elvis, and we all thought that it was a beautiful film to watch and that the music was fantastic. I don't do scary, so I'd skip everything else you mentioned, and I'll definitely skip Blonde for the reasons you listed.

    I do not look forward to having to pay for hearing aids. I guess that day is coming...probably sooner than I think.

    Nice week!

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  7. Love the pictures, sounds like a pretty good week. I got my flu shot last week and got a tetanus booster yesterday, I hadn't had one since 2006. It felt like getting a flu shot. Have a great week!

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  8. Wow, those hearing aids are so expensive. I think they will soon be selling them over the counter. Your photos are stunning.

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  9. Love the fall colours! So pretty!

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  10. The trees are spectacular colours. It did read like an easy week.

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  11. Beautiful fall colors. Sounds like a very busy week for you.

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  12. There really has been a lot of controversy around Blonde. We haven't watched it yet, but will get to it eventually. I'm not going to watch Dahmer. Not my cup of tea. Elvis is still on my radar as well!

    Glad to hear you had a good day with your BFF. Days like that is always very important.

    Have a great week ahead!

    Elza Reads

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  13. My arm was sore after my flu jab - it's never been so bad!

    Great photos.

    Have a great weekend!

    Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
    My post:
    https://budgettalesblog.wordpress.com/2022/10/23/sunday-salon-26/

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  14. I loved the Elvis movie, especially the music. I enjoyed Dahmer. I want to see A Friend of the Family.

    I tried to watch Blonde but it was way too weird for me. I just ordered myself a copy of the book, which I know will be a thousand times better. JCO is one of my favorite writers. It's not her fault if people keep butchering her stories. LOL

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  15. Thank you for your weekend coffee share. We have beautiful fall colours this year. I didn't know hearing aids cost that much. I should check out the new food courts at Union Station.

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