Sweetpea Baby Food and Organic Snacks. Have you tried their cookies?

When was the last time you ripped open a bag of Sweetpea Organic Cookies, served them for family, friends or guests, and had any leftover to be eaten later?  Probably not very often.   These cookies, if you have not tried them before, are addictive.  They are great for what they have as much as for what they do not have.  If you have not tried them before, you might want to have a quick read below, to see what makes these cookies so unique, which will probably lead you to run out and pick up a bag of any (or all) of the 3 flavours of these cookies;

Sweetpea Baby Food Organic Cookies

1) They are for ages 1-101.  Really they are.  The cookies are flavourful, but certainly not overpowering.  If you freeze them, young kids can teethe on them, and if you put them out on a plate, the pretty flower pattern makes them look appealing.

2) The cookies are organic.

3) They are made from 100% whole grain organic ingredients.

4) They are dairy-free.

5) They were made without salt.

6) They do not contain eggs, preservatives or additives.

7) They are certified Kosher.

8) They are made in a peanut-free facility.

9) They come in resealable bags – so you might not want to “rip” open the bag unless you know there are not going to be any cookies left over.

Whew.

And the three flavours they currently come in are; Banana Pear, Pumpkin Spice and Sweet Apple.

As a parent, you can be comfortable having your nanny leave out cookies for your children and for their playdates because they do not have much of what children are allergic to – nuts, eggs, dairy and they also cover off dietary restrictions by being certified Kosher.  The fact they taste great is secondary to their appeal across the masses, but is also what keeps people from buying them over and over again.

Did I mention that the packaging rocks!

Have a look;

What parent wouldn’t want these in their house?

If all the information I provided above has not convinced you to try these cookies, I dropped by the Sweetpea website, and pulled off some nutritional information which you certainly will find interesting as it relates to the flavours and ingredients chosen to go into the cookies.

Sweet Apple:

• When added to food, cinnamon inhibits bacterial growth and food spoilage.
• Whole grain spelt flour has a higher protein content than normal wheat grown under similar conditions
• Eating organic snacks ensures your child’s diet is free from harmful herbicides, pesticides and fungicides.

Banana Pear:

• Bananas are rich in vitamin B6 and are a good source of fiber, vitamin C and magnesium
• Pears are an excellent source of water-soluble fiber
• Canada’s new Food Guide recommends that at least half of your grain consumption daily is whole grains – which contain phytonutrients (plant chemicals that fight disease).

Pumpkin Spice:

• Pumpkins are a rich source of potassium
• Spelt is a nutritious source of B2, manganese, niacin, thiamin and copper.

You can follow Sweetpea Baby Food and Organic Snacks on Facebook here.

I’m ready for some cookies right about now, but cannot choose between the flavours, so I think I’m going to have to open a bag of each flavour, mix them all together and just enjoy what comes next, one cookie at a time.

The Harlem Globetrotters Are Coming to Toronto! February 9th and 10th, 2013. Get Your Discount Code Here;

Harlem Globetrotters (TV series) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

WOW, how exciting.  The legendary Harlem Globetrotters are coming to Toronto on February 9th at 7pm and February 10th at 2pm to play games at the Rogers Centre.  If you know who the GlobeTrotters are, then you are going to want to read through this article and see the special discount code I posted at the bottom of the screen.  If you are not sure who the Harlem Globetrotters are, then read on.

The Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, incredible skill and a lot of comedy.  It’s basketball theatre which will leave you with your mouth wide open in awe.  The Globetrotters’ act feature incredible coordination and skillful handling of one or more basketballs, such as passing or juggling balls between players, balancing or spinning balls on their fingertips, and making unusual, difficult shots.

Over the years they have played more than 20,000 exhibition games in 120 countries.

The team has their own signature song, which is a whistled version of Brother Bones‘s ”Sweet Georgia Brown“.

Among the players who have been Globetrotters are NBA greats Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain, Connie “The Hawk” Hawkins, Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton, as well as Marques Haynes, Meadowlark Lemon, Jerome James, Reece “Goose” Tatum and Hubert “Geese” Ausbie. Another popular team member in the 1970s and 1980s was Fred “Curly” Neal who was the best dribbler of that era of the team’s history and was immediately recognizable due to his shaven head. Baseball Hall of Famers Bob Gibson and Ferguson Jenkins also played for the team at one time or another. In 1985, the Globetrotters signed their first female player, Olympic gold medalist Lynette Woodard, and their second, Joyce Walker, just three weeks later.  In 1995, Orlando Antigua became the first Hispanic and the first non-black on the Globetrotters’ roster since Bob Karstens played with the squad in 1942.

Another cool thing about the Globetrotters is that they rarely to never lost.

Harlem Globetrotters, are playing with a spectator during a game (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After a loss to the Washington Generals in 1962, the Harlem Globetrotters lost only two more games in the next 38 years (12,596 games).  Usually they played a “stooge” team owned by “Red Klotz”, which also appeared as the Boston Shamrocks, New Jersey Reds, Baltimore Rockets, or Atlantic City Seagulls.

On January 5, 1971 the Globetrotters lost to the New Jersey Reds, 100–99 in overtime; that ended a 2,495-game winning streak (which would mean that the Globetrotters were playing 277 games per year up until that date).

In addition to their hundreds of exhibition games, the Globetrotters returned to competitive basketball in 1993 under the new ownership of former player Mannie Jackson.  On September 12, 1995, they lost 91–85 to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar‘s All Star Team in Vienna, Austria ending an alleged run of 8,829 straight victories going back to 1971. The 48-year-old Abdul-Jabbar scored 34 points. The 8,829 games in twenty-four years would mean the Globetrotters were playing nearly 368 games per year, or more than one game a day some days, for twenty-four years. This is because multiple team line-ups tour as The Globetrotters to allow for a greater number of exhibitions.  Amazing!

The Globetrotters won the other 10 games during that European tour.

Five years later, following another 1,270 wins, they lost 72–68 to Michigan State University, the reigning men’s collegiate champions, on November 13, 2000.

On February 27, 2006, the Globetrotters extended their overall record to exactly 22,000 wins. Their most recent loss came on March 31, 2006, when they went down 87–83 to the NABC College All-Stars to bring their loss tally to just 345, a losing percentage of 1.5%.

The Harlem Globetrotters were also quite popular on television.  In 1979 Hanna-Barbera created an animated TV Series called The Super Globetrotters, in which the players undercover superheroes who would transform from their regular forms by entering magic portable lockers carried in “Sweet Lou” Dunbar’s afro, or in a basketball-shaped medallion. Although the Super Globetrotters would first attempt to take on the villain with standard comical heroics, things would almost always be settled with a basketball game, of course.

My second favourite Globetrotters show was when they appeared on Gilligan’s Island in 1981 and faced a bunch of robots in a basketball game.  The Globetrotters decide to play with standard moves in the first half, which the robots are able to counter, until Gilligan unwittingly comments that they have not done any fancy tricks, which make the Professor advise the team to use their comedic style of play to win, which hopelessly confuses the machines. However, a couple of Globetrotters suffer injuries, and the team needs the help of Gilligan and Skipper to substitute.

They also appeared on The Love Boat‘s “Hoopla” episode where The Globetrotters were on a cruise and challenged the crew to a game in the dining room and they appeared on an episode of The Simpsons, called ”Homer the Clown” where Krusty the Clown used all the money he made franchising his name to bet against the Harlem Globetrotters in their game against the Washington Generals stating that he “thought the Generals were due!”.

Coming to Toronto!  Get a discount this way:

February 9th: http://www.harlemglobetrotters.com/event/harlem-globetrotters-rogers-centre-1

February 10th: http://www.harlemglobetrotters.com/event/harlem-globetrotters-rogers-centre-2

The discount code is “TOGETHER” and through it you will save $7.00 on each ticket purchased (available for select ticket levels).

Love It or List It Vancouver. My Interview with Co-Host Todd Talbot.

Love It or List It Vancouver’s Todd Talbot

A new twist on an old favourite, Love It or List It Vancouver, premièred on Monday, January 7 on W Network.  I’m sure you already know the premise of the show and if you have seen it, then you already love it.  It not, then you must tune it and see what the hype is about.

Love It or List It Vancouver showcases families in B.C.’s largest metropolitan city who are struggling with homes that no longer suit their needs.  They have either outgrown their home or the lustre has worn off which means the home owners are faced with the dilemma of whether they should love it (renovate it) or list it (put it up for sale).

The “Love it” side, features interior designer Jillian Harris, best known for her work in “The Bachelorette” and “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” pitted against the “List it” side, featuring West Coast realtor, actor, businessman and overall real estate expert, Todd Talbot.  Jillian’s challenge is to make the owners love the house again by delivering a show-stopping renovation while Todd is determined to get home owners to relocate by dangling temptation right in front of them with dreamy homes on the market.

I have caught all three of the episodes so far, and these shows have taken viewers on an emotional roller-coaster as Jillian and Todd implemented their plans to sway the home owners to their side.  The stakes are high as the home owners weigh the financial and emotional decisions of buying a new home or staying in the renovated one — will they love it enough to stay or is it time to list?  It’s a situation that most of us have encountered or currently are dealing with which is what makes the show even that much more fun to watch.

Todd and Jillian were in Toronto recently and I had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Todd about the show, his love of real estate, his acting and find out how he juggles all of this with two young children at home.

What many may not know about Todd is that he is a professional trained stage performer who grew up learning that real estate is more than just the house you live in.  At an early age he watched his parents’ involvement in the real estate industry, through buying, selling, investing and renovating properties and that was where he began to develop his understanding of the benefits of investing in real estate and his love for renovating.  Todd is also a self-proclaimed social media junkie whom you can follow on Twitter @ToddTalbot or see more information on his personal website, here.

But check out Todd’s personal website quickly because there is a new one coming… Bigger… Better… Stronger.

Stay tuned.

Before speaking with Todd, I carefully selected 15 questions to ask him and I suspected that I would need 20-30 minutes to get through them, but I was caught totally by surprise at how awesome he was to speak with and after an hour of talking I felt that I had taken up way too much of his time, yet I wanted to keep chatting – which is why posting this was so difficult – I had so much great information and very few of them tied into the questions I had originally set out to ask.

So if you have never heard of Todd before today, here is what you should know about him;

• He’s a father of two young children whom he loves dearly and he is a devoted husband who credits the love, support and understanding of his wife with his ability to juggle fatherhood, the show and all the other stuff he does.
• The other stuff… Yes.  He is a professionally trained actor and has appeared on stage and on TV too many times to list here, so you are going to have to follow the link to his blog and check it all out.
• He has a real estate marketing business which he runs with a partner and their website can be found here.
• He is passionate about real estate.  I referred to him as being a quintuple threat because of his in-depth knowledge and understanding of the markets, renovating, buying and selling houses, investing in real estate and marketing.
• He has a hard time saying no to new business ventures.

This man does it all, and when you look at him on TV you would never know because he looks so darn young (and he’s only a year younger than I am).

But once he speaks, you understand how knowledgeable he is, how educated he is and how passionate he is.  This show is perfect for him because it ties his acting with his passion and that makes the show worth watching.

I asked him this question; “People may not be familiar with your considerable body of work, so how would you best explain yourself in 140 characters (or more if necessary).  What would you like them to know?” but very quickly realized that he had answered this over and over again throughout our conversation, and I think my bulleted comments above go a long way towards explaining what he is all about.  Plus he’s on Twitter, so follow him, and see for yourself (he’d love it).

I was also curious about the length of time, on average, that it takes to go through all the requirements for a show – from finding the potential couples, meeting them, showing them houses and / or renovating their house, etc. in order to get that one hour (or 42 minutes) of viewing ready?   In response to this question, I was astounded to find out that the shoot process (filming) is around six-weeks from start to finish, but the entire process from finding people, getting permits, the renovations, etc., take much longer.  Todd did share with me that in some cases he had provided the home owners with very detailed information on camera during the taping and when it came to air, his comment to them was edited to something like, “It looks nice”.    At least the home owners know the real story and used that to make their decision.

I asked him if he would be able to provide a general answer to someone who wanted to know if it made sense to move houses, or renovating their current house based on the current market conditions in Vancouver and would his advice change if interest rates were up at 5% instead of in the 1% range?

To that question, Todd provided me with the response I expected, which is that he would need to assess each situation on a case-by-case basis.  Obviously with interest rates being this low for so long, anyone who got into the market is reaping the benefit of being able to maximize their mortgage payments, however, jumping in at these low rates and just being able to make the minimum payment is never a good idea because when interest rates rise (and they will rise) it may force the home owner to sell or miss payments, which can lead to foreclosure.

We also spoke about the real estate “bubble” and whether the recent reduction in house prices in Vancouver was a sign that the bubble was bursting to which Todd and I again came to the same conclusion, that there was no bubble, and the bubble that economists have been predicting will burst for the past 10 years have to admit that even in such a depressed period, house prices are rising and that might be the way it stays for a long while.  Waiting for the bubble to burst is not a good reason to wait to buy a new house, I remember Todd saying, and for those who have waited and continue to wait, they are losing out on the satisfaction a new house would bring them.

And with that question, I thanked Todd for his time and told him I should be able to have this post in draft form in a day or two which could not have been further apart from how long it took me to take all this great information and put it into a post which did the show justice, him justice and explained why on Monday’s on WNET, you should be watching Love It or List It Vancouver.

I hope I just did.

Enjoy the show.

Related articles

• Vancouver real estate market crash? Not so much… (vancouverobserver.com)

Urban Daddy Recommends: WineWire.ca

This blog does not regularly endorse products or services.  That’s not why I started writing all the way back in 2004, however, I will mention, endorse or support products or services which I believe in, or feel that might be of interest to my readership. 

As a result, I am supporting this new Canadian business venture because I like the business model, it’s a Canadian business and, I know a wide variety of my readership, who have kids, could benefit from knowing this service exists, especially when planning a nice dinner a home with their spouses or when they want to enjoy a nice bottle of wine with friends or family.  I can’t tell you how many times over the years we have been invited over to friend’s houses or on playdates knowing that the hosts enjoy a very nice bottle of wine and not knowing what to bring with or if it’s any good. 

WineWire.ca, which launched in Ontario in September 2012, offers wine lovers an option beyond the catalogue of imported wines available at the LCBO by offering the first-ever one-stop location to learn about, discuss and purchase imported wines from a large selection of independent wine agencies, whose consignment wines are typically available only in licensed restaurants and bars.

At the time of its launch, WineWire.ca featured more than 250 individual wines for sale from a roster of 18 wine agents.  With approximately 130 active wine agents in Ontario, representing close to 10,000 unique wine listings (almost three times the number of wines on the LCBO’s general retail list), the number of wines and agents represented on WineWire.ca will grow significantly.

WineWire.ca acts as an independent marketing representative for the wine agencies that choose to promote their products on the site and has developed a convenient online ordering mechanism to enable customers to purchase the wines directly from the agent. WineWire.ca does not directly handle any part of the actual buyer-seller transaction. 

Consignment wines are wines that are not available for sale in LCBO retail outlets because they have not been selected by the liquor board’s merchandising group responsible for filling the LCBO’s shelves.  Consignment wines are typically bought and sold by restaurants and other licensed establishments. Individual wine enthusiasts can purchase consignment wines through WineWire.ca which come directly from wine agents in case lots.

The power of choice rests with the customer.

Care to learn more?  You can head over to www.winewire.ca, or you can continue reading the FAQ’s below which should provide some answers to questions you may have before you try this service.

FAQ’s

1. Q: Does WineWire.ca actually sell the wines promoted on its site?

A: No. WineWire.ca acts as an independent marketing channel for wine agencies that choose to promote their products on WineWire.ca who have developed a convenient online ordering mechanism to enable customers to purchase wines directly from the agent.  WineWire.ca is a wine marketing business who does not directly handle any part of any actual transaction that occurs between the wine agent and customer.  WineWire.ca passes the order and payment information in a secure manner directly to the agent for payment and delivery. 

2. Q: Isn’t the sale and purchase of alcohol over the Internet in contravention of a number of legal statutes and regulations?

A: No. The sale, distribution and purchase of alcohol is strictly regulated in every provincial jurisdiction across Canada and WineWire.ca adheres to both the spirit and letter of these laws.  Similarly, any wine agent who promotes their products on WineWire.ca is contractually bound to abide by all applicable laws and regulations regarding the sale and distribution of alcohol.

3. Q: How big is the potential market for online wine sales in Canada?

A: Huge. Consumer spending on wine in Canada has been steadily increasing for the past decade, with some estimates pegging the total sales volume at almost $6.5 billion for 2012. Currently, online wine sales in Canada account for less than 2% of the total volume but it’s growing.

4. Q: Do people really buy wine online? 

A: There have traditionally been very strict restrictions on the sale and distribution of wine, spirits and beer between provinces. These restrictions have inherently worked against the emergence of the kind of online wine sales and delivery services you might find in the U.S. or Britain, but there is still a great deal of room for growth in this country, even working within the confines of these restrictions.  Over time, we’re hopeful that the rules and regulations will be amended to allow WineWire.ca to offer our services across provincial borders.

5. Q: Is it possible for minors to illegally acquire alcohol by ordering from WineWire.ca?

A: No, there are very strict regulations governing the delivery of wine and other alcoholic beverages to persons under the legal drinking age.  Agents must adhere to all applicable laws and regulations regarding the sale and distribution of alcohol. Anyone making a wine purchase through WineWire.ca must be at least 19 years of age and must present valid government-issued age of majority identification when the order is delivered.

6. Q: The concept of online wine sales in Canada is not entirely new, so what makes WineWire.ca so different?

A: WineWire.ca does not hold an exclusive relationship with any one wine importer or producer and visitors to WineWire.ca have the opportunity to learn about, discuss and purchase wines from any of the many competing wine agencies that choose to list their products on our site.   The power of choice rests with the customer. That’s the way it should be.

7. Q: What are consignment wines?

A: Consignment wines are privately imported wines distributed by agents through the Speciality Services department of the LCBO. For the most part, consignment wines are bought and sold by restaurants and other licensed establishments. However, individual
wine consumers can also purchase consignment wines from wine agents who import the wine, as long as they agree to purchase the product in case lots.  Case lots usually contain 6 or 12 bottles per case.

8. Q: What if I have a complaint about a purchase I made through WineWire.ca?

A: Customers should direct any customer service enquiries directly to the agent in question, however, if you have a serious complaint about the business conduct of any wine agency promoting its products on WineWire.ca, we want to hear about it.  Contact us
directly at 1-855-517-7555, or by e-mail at info@winewire.ca.

9. Q: Can I purchase wines from WineWire.ca if I live outside of Ontario.

A: Not currently. However, WineWire.ca plans to roll out its online marketplace for imported consignment wines to other provinces in the relatively near future. Follow our ”News” section on our website or follow us on Twitter @WineWireCA for updates.

10. Q: Can I mix and match bottles within the same case order?

A: No. Wine agents are only permitted (and licensed) to sell wine by the case lot.  Unfortunately, this prevents the agent from mixing wines within the same case order.

11. Q: Does WineWire.ca only represent imported wines?  What about Canadian wines?

A: In addition to consignment wines exclusively imported from outside of Canada, WineWire.ca will also feature Ontario VQA wines not available at the LCBO.  These wines will be available on WineWire.ca as they are made available to us, so please check back regularly for details. 

12. Q: Does WineWire.ca only promote new release wines, or are vintages also available?

A: The selection of wines available through the agencies listing their products on WineWire.ca is extremely wide, from new releases in every price category to premium vintages and rare finds.

13. Is there a standard delivery schedule / fee for wines purchased on WineWire.ca?

A: Although delivery times will vary among the wine agencies selling their products through WineWire.ca, most wines can be delivered within 3 – 10 business days.  The delivery fee to have the wine delivered to your door is set by the agency.  Alternatively, if it is more convenient, you can have your wine delivered to a LCBO store anywhere in Ontario at no cost.  Customers choosing this option can expect delivery of their wine in about 2 to 3 weeks.

14. Q: How do I order a wine I’ve read about on WineWire.ca?

A: You simply browse the wines available on WineWire.ca, click “Add to Cart”, fill out your personal and delivery information and the agent representing the wine will call you to arrange for payment and delivery.  You can also call 1-855-517-7555 to place an order by phone.

15. Q: Is there a minimum order size I must place?

A: Yes. Due to strict provincial restrictions surrounding the sale of consignment wines, you must order at least one case lot at a time, which is usually 6 or 12 bottles.

16. Q: Is there any way I can try a wine before ordering it?

A: WineWire.ca promotes wine tasting events across Ontario, where many of the wines featured on our site can be sampled in a fun and lively atmosphere. Many individual wine agents also participate in wine tasting events in their local markets. Details are available on our website or on Twitter @WineWireCA.

17. Q: Are HST and bottle recycling deposits included in the price of the wines on WineWire.ca?

A: Yes. All prices presented on WineWire.ca are inclusive of HST and bottle recycling deposits.

18. Q: I am ready to place an order!  Is there any way I can track it once it has been placed?

A: Yes. All registered customers who order wine using WineWire.ca will be able to track the status of their order at our website under the “My Account” link. Also, WineWire.ca will automatically email the customer when their order is being processed and when it has shipped.

19. Q: What if I need to cancel my order? How do I do that?

A: If a customer needs to cancel or adjust an order for any reason, they simply need to contact the agent over the phone.  WineWire.ca provides the customer with the representing wine agent’s full contact information to ensure total satisfaction.

20. Q: Am I able to pick up my order in person?

A: Most wine agents are happy to allow you to pick up your wine in person at their offices.  We encourage you to discuss this option with the wine agent when they contact you to arrange for payment and delivery.

So if you are a wine-lover, or are curious about wine and want to learn more, then you must visit www.winewire.ca and make sure to check out all the episodes of Wine Wire TV where WineWire’s co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Adam Bekhor – a candidate with the Wine & Spirit Education Trust diploma program and Nelson Abreu – Wine Wire’s co-founder and Chief Operating Officer (who has earned his diploma with the Wine & Spirit Education Trust and was elected a member of the Wine Judges Commission of Canada) educate and enlighten you about the wines they have featured. 

In addition, if you are in Toronto, the Gourmet Food & Wine Expo (GFWE) runs this weekend, November 15th to 18th at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and WineWire.ca will be there.

If you’ve never been to the GFWE you have no idea what you are missing, especially if you love wine, as they have over 1,500 wines, beers and spirits at this year’s Expo, meaning you won’t be hard pressed to find a bunch of new offerings, including dynamic options from around the world. 

The GFWE provides everyone with the opportunity to sample a tremendous variety of wine that they may never have had a chance to try before.   

“There are so many great wines out there and the Gourmet Food & Wine Expo is the ideal place to learn about the differences between selections from around the world,” said Christopher Waters of the Gourmet Food & Wine Expo. “You can sample the wines from Chile, jump over to France, go to Germany, then over to California and then finish in Ontario and discover what makes each region’s offerings so unique.”

One of the highlighted Ontario wineries at the Expo this year is Southbrook Vineyards, located in Niagara-On-The-Lake. Southbrook Vineyards is Canada’s first certified biodynamic winery and is also certified organic. The winery produces a wide variety of options such as the traditional Chardonnays, Syrahs, Cabernet Sauvignons and Merlots but also branches out into fruit wines and the Canadian classic – Icewine.

 “If you consider yourself a bit of a wine expert or just want to check out some of the 2012 InterVin International Wine Award winners we invite you to the Fine Wine Tasting Lounge. Guests can sample rare premium consignment, vintages and private order wines in this casual, yet truly distinctive setting,” said Waters.

For more information on how to buy your admission or sample tickets, visit www.foodandwineexpo.ca.

Here is the link to a printable coupon for $4.00 off the entrance fee to the show from their website; http://foodandwineexpo.ca/sites/foodandwineexpo_ca/upload/pdfs/2012/GFWE_web_Coupon.pdf

General Admission tickets are $20.00 (before coupon) and keep in mind, parents, that there are no infants or children permitted at the Expo.

Related articles

• Random Wednesday Night Daddy Ramblings (urbandaddy.wordpress.com)

The Urban Daddy’s 2012 – 4th Annual Coffee Rankings

Welcome to the 4th annual Urban Daddy coffee rankings.

Before we get into the 2012 list, I would like to recap the 2011 rankings.  Those rankings were based on the following criteria;

1. Taste

2. Price

3. Freshness

4. Other intangibles, such as snacks and food available, payment options, if the lids leak and other additional perks.

—————————————————————————————————-

Urban Daddy’s 2011 rankings:

1. Java Joe’s

2. Tim Horton’s

3. Starbucks

4. Coffee Time

5. Timothys

6. Second Cup

7. Tim Horton’s US

8. Country Style

9. Dunkin Donuts

10. Seattle’s Best Coffee

11. McDonald’s

————————————————————————————————–

The 2012 Urban Daddy Official Coffee Rankings:

1. Java Joe’s

2. McDonalds

3. Tim Horton’s

4. Neighbours

5. Starbucks

6. Aroma

7. Timothy’s

8. Country Style

9. Second cup

10. Coffee Time

11. Seattle’s Best Coffee

How were these rankings calculated?

Easily.

Drinking a lot of coffee during many different times of the day and in various locations gives me a feel for how the coffee tastes when it’s at its freshest, and when it’s served during a low-traffic period.  I love coffee and I know my coffee.  I even checked online to see if there was a registered coffee expert designation, and there was not (if there is, please let me know, not a barista one though) so I am designating myself a CCDE.  A Canadian Coffee Drinking Expert.

I base my rankings on many different criteria, such as; value, taste, freshness, quality, the curb appeal of the locations, the cup and lid, the variety of coffees available and variety of other foods in the locations.

1. Java Joe’s - Based on all these criteria, Java Joe’s is the hands down winner again this year.  Last year I commented on some of their outstanding flavours such as; Cinnamon Hazelnut, Jamaica Me Crazy, Raspberry Chocolate, Banana Cream, Caramel, and even their Irish Cream – and I detest Irish Cream – little did I know there were more flavours, better flavours still to come such as Blueberry Pie and Maple Cream.  All these flavours are stong in scent and strong in flavour.  There is no mistaking the flavour and quality of beans when you pick up a cup of their coffee and this is not a case of a great smelling coffee with little or no flavour or strong-smelling coffee with a strong bitter taste.

I can’t say that I have ever had a poor cup of coffee here, unlike all the others.

Even the regular coffees they sell have some great flavour to them.   I go to a Java Joe’s, or brew on at home, when I want a fantastic cup of coffee full of flavour and body.  When I just want a coffee that I can savor I put no price on that.  In addition, their containers that they use to hold their brewed coffee keeps the coffee hot and does not water it down (from condensation) nor does it cause the coffee to continue brewing and therefore get bitter.

They also have a wide variety of food (sandwiches, wraps, soups and salads) which are fresh, tasty and reasonably priced.  They have a wonderful selection of organic teas, cold iced drinks plus the full range of hot drinks like  the latte, Americano, mochaccino and cappuccino.

The staff are great and their locations have, WiFi and a flat screen TV which you can watch while sitting next to the built-in fireplace. Eat-in or eat-out. Don’t forget the catering. All of this makes Java Joe’s #1 on my 2012 rankings.

They do need a better social presence, however.  Especially to let their clientele know which yummy soups or flavoured coffees they have that day.

2. McDonald’s - @McD_Canada.  McDonald’s came a long way this year and from what I hear, true or not, it is because they changed their beans to the beans formerly used by Tim Horton’s.  Where else can you get a large coffee and a muffin for $1.88?  And while we all know the variety of products available in a McDonald’s they get top marks for adding items which are health-conscious and tasty.

The only hiccup here is that I have found quite a few of their cups have an uneven seam meaning the coffee dribbles down the side of the cup and onto my hand or in my car when it splashes side to side.  As well, to get that last drop, you must remove the lid.  I have had some very questionable large double doubles, more than with most coffee shops but I have also noticed the locations I have gone to for my morning coffee have been VERY busy and it’s bound to happen.  But the flavour of the coffee stands out and it has a mellow aftertaste with a solid coffee taste.  A very pleasurable cup of coffee.

The public relations team at McDonald’s are fantastic and if you comment on Twitter you get a prompt response.

3. Tim Horton’s – Timmy’s comes in at #3 this year for a couple of reasons.  First of all I have found they are became quite inconsistent – a cup of coffee at one location will not taste the same as one in another location and it also varies during the time of day usually based on who is making it once the new sizing came in.

Yes, their addition of oatmeal gives them top marks – but you have to order it with just berries – no brown sugar powder – otherwise it’s not healthy at all, and I found they put in the sugar powder whether you ask for it or not.  I do like the 3 new bagel flavours at Tim Hortons, however a blueberry bagel with strawberry cream cheese still gets top marks for me with my large double double.  I have been a little gun-shy about eating the chili there ever since a colleague of mine and myself got sick eating it one lunch.  The rest of the food is great.  I know they are ramping up their food menu to compete with McDonalds and so they should!  They can compete.  It’s Timmy’s.

A visit there won’t break the bank, and in some areas they seem to be on every block.  Yes, there are some concerns around whether or not they actually stir the coffee when they serve it and this was magnified with the addition of the new sizes.  Try a longer spoon!

Twitter: @TimHortons

4.  Neighbours – It was one of my blogging community, The Green Eyed Girl, who sent me a message after last year’s rankings asking me to try Neighbours which I had never heard of.  Boy, am I glad that I did.  Their coffee is fantastic!  I tried their mild, medium and bold and in each case I found a wonderful smelling coffee, rich in flavour and full of coffee taste.  Also in containers which prevents bitterness or over-brewing, I found the best part about Neighbours coffee is that you can choose to add a liquid coffee sweetener instead of cream and sugar which means I can add a vanilla hazelnut shot and not need sugar.  It’s just as good as getting a flavoured coffee.

I drive out of my way on the weekends to get a Neighbours coffee as there is no Java Joes anywhere near me, and the Tim’s and McD’s closest have no parking.  That’s how good their coffee is.

5. Starbucks – Starbucks while pricey, and known for serving very strong coffee come in this year at number 5, down from number 3 because the drinks they have added all have a lot of fat and calories and their selection of snacks also are on the smallish side and not the kind of treats you bring back to the office.  Their blonde coffee – as mild as a coffee can get – barely taste’s of coffee and their oatmeal – which I believe they call the “Perfect Cup” was less than half full and lumpy.  It was disappointing.

On the bright side, their Cafe Americano’s are fantastic, but have gone way up in price over the past 5 years.  I read that if you have a Starbucks card, and wish to have a flavour pump in your coffee that it is free, but I often get charged it and for the $0.35 cents, I am not going to argue.  At Starbucks, customer service is king.  If there is something wrong with your drink, or an unusually long delay, they bring out the free drink coupon.  In the land of S’Bux, you get what you pay for.  I feel good going into my local Starbucks, even walking through the streets with a cup.  It’s a status symbol.

I posted their secret menu a couple of months ago on my blog, and have yet to try any of the interesting flavour combinations suggested on it.  The secret menu is cool and is part of their mystique.

@StarbucksCanada

6. Aroma - The Aroma Espresso Bar, fairly new to the Canadian scene (first store opened in Toronto in 2007, second one in Thornhill in 2009), has been turning heads and making progress in the Canadian market, considering the relative youth of the brand.  Founded in Israel in 1994, they focus on premium coffee, fresh delicious salads, a large variety of healthy sandwiches, competitive prices, contemporary decor, and devoted service.  The Aroma chain serves more than 25 million customers a year and boasts over 150 Aroma Espresso Bar branches worldwide.

My first experience of Aroma coffee was at the Thornhill location it was not a good one.  Not realizing that their bread and butter is their gourmet coffee which meant I needed 4 creams and 6 sugars to even out the strength of the coffee.  All subsequent visits have been much better and I’ve come to appreciate the surprisingly strong, rich coffee smell and flavour without any bitterness.  Next up, is to try an Americano.

7. Timothy’s - Still hit and miss, Timothy’s is the closest coffee shop to my house but unless I am craving a flavour I tend to go elsewhere.  I still find their regular coffee’s have a funny, bitter aftertaste to them and that could be because every time I go in the pot has been sitting for a long time which means either watered down or very strong and bitter from being old.  As I mentioned in previous rankings, the good thing about Timothy’s flavours is that they tend to mask old, stale coffee.  I have a bag of ground Raspberry Chocolate beans in my house and if I knew they had any of, Toasted Coconut, Raspberry Chocolate or Cinnamon Hazelnut I would go for them.  Totally worth the trip.

Like Java Joe’s,  my local Timothy’s should  set up a Twitter feed so I can check their coffee flavours in the morning.  They also need to revamp their food selections as they look average and where they are positioned in the store they look like an after thought.

I have always felt that since Timothy’s promotes itself as ”Coffee’s of the World” that they seek out and bring in some really different, distinct coffees to add to their regular host of culprit’s in order to bring in a different crowd too.  Maybe make them a premium blend…  I know its hard to control how long a pot has been on – it’s always fresh when I ask, but once I taste it and find otherwise, I keep away for a while wondering if it would have been better for them had the staffer just said it was old and offered me a different drink or another option.

Also in need of a Twitter account!

8.  Country Style - I have a love / hate relationship with Country Style and it’s that I want to love their coffee and I hate that it’s so unpredictable from store to store, and not just the flavour of the coffee but also what constitutes a double double in one location is not the same as another.  It’s frustrating because their food is incredible.  I took an entire week to try their menu at breakfast and lunch time and was very surprised with the variety, flavour and healthiness of their food.  If only they could pull a McDonald’s and get different beans or make their sugar / cream dispensers the same as Tim Horton’s or just leave it for us to add like Starbucks.  Something has to give!

Country Style is the place to go for breakfast and lunch if you are looking for fresh, flavour and healthy.  They are very underrated in this area.  They also have a wonderful social media presence and as a Canadian company I hope they can make their coffee work better to compliment their food.  They deserve more traffic.

Twitter: @CountryStyleCDN

9. The Second Cup – Second Cup comes in at number 9 because I think they have an identity crisis.  Their not so great coffee with limited flavours does not warrant the Starbucks treatment – high prices, high-end food.  At least at Starbucks, the customer is always right.  At the Second Cup locations I have visited during the year, some locations are fantastic, but some give you the glare when you start to ask questions about the freshness of the coffee or ask them to make a “perfect cup” as advertised.

In addition, their best flavours are rarely out, instead they insist on serving Irish Cream as a flavour citing the fact that it’s “popular”.  Yes, it’s popular because the regular coffee is usually bitter and people want a flavoured coffee.  They take it in spite.  I have a bag of ground Butter Pecan and Caramelo beans in my house and without fail when I serve it to guests someone will comment that they do not understand why The Second Cup does not have these in regular rotation.  Tell me about it.

The Second cup, or Les cafés Second Cup in Quebec – claim to be Canada’s largest coffee chain, yet nothing in their stores scream Canadian to me.  This would be a great area to focus in instead of international expansion – to strengthen the local brand, bring in more Canadian flavours and figure out why I need 4-6 sugars to make my large coffee drinkable.  Right now, sadly, my worst fear is walking into a Second Cup location and having to drink one of their regular coffee flavours, like the mild, Paradiso medium or bold.  It’s disappointing considering their cold drink menu is often expanding and fantastic on taste and price.  Even their food has come a long way, but the coffee…  Not so good.

The Second Cup also does not take advantage of is the space they have in most of their shops which they could totally utilize to capitalize on families by offering a safe environment for kids and snacks under 5000 calories – something healthy. Anything healthy?  Right now if I take my kids into a Second Cup location to buy a Frozen Hot Chocolate for my wife I can choose from a cookie, muffin or a rice crispy treat which I hate feeding to my children on the best of days.

Seriously, a place for parents to take their kids after dinner to hang out and buy healthy treats might save a few locations… Better than being empty, or having bodies in their nursing a drink while using their wi-fi, eh?

10. Coffee Time – Coffee Time actually has pretty good coffee with surprisingly nice flavor however the coffee must be consumed when freshly made because Coffee Time still uses the pot directly on the burner brewing so the coffee stays hot but it gets stale really quickly.  They also have some very interesting treats which are not outstanding – they look like they have been brought into the location, not made there, and they really do not look healthy in the least, but if you are hungry and looking for a snack that won’t break the bank, you can eat there.

I have to admit that I have walked in to a Coffee Time because I feel sorry their locations are so empty.  I have a couple 24 hour locations in my neighbourhood and there are some pretty scary people hanging around these locations.  Clearly targeting the lower-income market, this Canadian chain has to realize that cheaper coffee prices doesn’t mean they can scrimp on variety, selection, taste, freshness or cleanliness.

There has to be a happy medium between promoting their brand to their clients and competing with the big boys.  I have often wondered if they pulled a no frills approach by offering plain cups, less fancy but large tasty treats and a more bread and butter environment they might fill that void and do quite well.  Did any of you know that Coffee Time supports over 175 charities including;

•  Scarborough Hospital Foundation
• The Heart & Stroke Foundation
• Sick Kids Hospital
• The Rose Cherry Home
• Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

This could be Canada’s community donut restaurant much in the same way Tim Horton’s started out.

11. Seattle’s Best Coffee – Seattle’s Best comes in at number 11 this year because now that they are popping up in Canada in Mac’s Convenience locations, I have had the opportunity to try them more often and was able to provide my thoughts.  I was disappointed because I think the name – Seattle’s Best – makes me think that they are as good, or better than that other Seattle brand of coffee, Starbucks, but I can now confirm they are not Seattle’s best at all.  I thought maybe they needed to have their own locations but unlike Neighbours which are in Petro Canada gas stations and is delicious, I confirmed that the machines in the Mac’s stores are the same ones used to brew Seattle’s Best elsewhere.

The coffee itself remained an anomaly to me even after having 5 cups of it.  It required a LOT of sugar and a LOT of cream.  In addition, I usually get through half a cup before trashing it, and I even made the last pot myself at the local Mac’s when there was a huge line-up.  The coffee packet smelled okay, but came out of the machine very bland and very disappointing.  Something must be missing here…

Twitter: @SeattlesBest

———————————————————————————————

So what are your thoughts on this years’ rankings?

Where do you get your perfect cup from and which shop won’t be getting your business?

IVF Part 2. Provincial Funding of IVF and Infertility are needed. Addressing Reader Emails.

English: Causes of infertility, data compiled in the United Kingdom 2009. Reference: Regulated fertility services: a commissioning aid – June 2009, from the Department of Health UK (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As a follow-up to my earlier piece on IVF, and the need for provincial governments in Canada to fund it for humanistic and financial reasons, I wanted to address some of the comments I received via email.  I found it odd that no one had posted comments on my blog, but when I logged into my email, I saw that people felt more comfortable emailing me from a fake email address and under the name “anonymous”.

The tone of the emails centred around a belief – by many – that the reasons for infertility and the recent focus around IVF treatment – and request to have taxpayers fund it, comes from a belief infertility issues are created by woman who are choosingtheir careers over their responsibility to bear children.  This waiting is causing less fertile eggs and hence problems conceiving and thus, it has been pointed out to me, the obvious solution is to not play G-d, but for woman to start having babies earlier in life.  Problem solved.

WOW.

Wrong.

So to be clear and to address that belief, I scoured the Internet for hours, days, weeks and months in order to find some supporting data on which to make this assertion.

First off, this is not just a “Western” issue with woman wanting careers first, then babies, and when they cannot conceive they know they have this expensive not-guaranteed treatment in their back pocket.  In fact, the rate of infertile couples is on the rise both in developed and developing countries.  Infertility is a cause of great suffering for those involved and their legitimate desire to have a child / children, requires the attention of society.  With that, it must be stated that modern lifestyle patterns do play an important role in the problem of infertility.

But infertility needs to be addressed – IVF aside as it is one possible treatment for the greater problem.  Infertility is caused by multiple factors and, consequently, necessitates a broader response from prospective parents, doctors, scientists and government than just looking to find a possible solution after infertility has been diagnosed, by turning to research in artificial reproductive treatment.

I think those people who sent me the anonymous messages are familiar with the work of a scholar named Hans Rudolf Tinneberg, who teaches at the Justus-Liebig University in Germany because he feels that ”the true challenge is that of changing the mental attitude of people so that they procreate when it is biologically the optimal age to do that, between 21 and 23 years old”.

Hmmmm.

This changes everything, right?  To suggest that woman place procreation at the top of their list at such a young age, when they are still in University / College, just getting started in the work force and find their way would appear to be a backward statement on a forward thinking society.  Yes, it makes sense to bring attention to being healthy from that age forward, but to do anything else would be met with great resistance and so it should.

This is, after all an “expert” speaking from a scientific perspective on what the most effective solution to infertility would be!  Surely, this statement should not be taken completely out of context, right?  When referring to lifestyle playing an important part in infertility, it’s not just couples waiting to have children, but also it depends on social and economic structures that lead people to marry and decide to have children at an older age.  Not everyone wants to wait until they are in their late 30′s to have children and not every family can afford to have children in their early 20′s.

So now we find that there is a role which must be filled by government in order to combat infertility and that is through education.  Eating disorders like anorexia, obesity, excessive body exercise and stress, need to be mentioned at an early age and the acknowledgement that there is a negative impact of environmental pollution on fertility and the harmful consequences of active and passive smoking to female and male infertility.  Not that a 15-year-old is going to understand that when trying to fit into a size zero prom dress like her friends can and like they do on TV.

There also needs to be some discussion around infertility beyond just the science of it, to include spirituality, psychology and environmental impacts because the problem of infertility is not just a medical issue.

Until the government comes up with a plan to combat rising infertility for all people, then it should provide assistance for those wanting to have children by funding IVF.  The savings on the healthcare system have already been clearly documented – the aftercare for multiple births is very expensive and paid for by taxpayers and multiple births are caused by the fact that IVF is expensive and couples (and doctors) are attempting to fertilize multiple eggs at once hoping one birth will stick.  This process is clearly broken.

What we can find comfort in, is that all experts concurred on the fact that IVF is not the only solution to infertility and should not be presented as such when infertile couples call upon family doctors, gynaecologists and fertility specialists for help.  Moreover, it is evident from empirical research that IVF does not address the causes of infertility and it is statistically proven that, since its outcome, it didn’t solve the problem of infertility. The problem is still there.

I could not find Canadian-specific numbers but studies conducted in the US, showed that  99.5% of couple with infertility issues were not able to conceive through IVF, in the US, and in addition often IVF is presented as the sole solution.  Without diagnostic investigation patients are left  unaware about the true cause of their infertility and with a lot less money as a result of the cost of this procedure.  I’m not even sure the year from which this data came, but you get the point.  This process is broken and available to those who have money or who wish to risk everything for the chance to bear their own children.

Everyone who emailed me agrees that it would be questionable to fully fund IVF without spending the time and money to research the problems of infertility and make progress to tackle its roots at the same time.  This would also be a perfect time to study whether infertile couples were being correctly diagnosed, keeping in mind the multi factors of infertility, and eventually have access, if it is the case, to easier and cheaper treatments other than IVF, but this is still very much down the road.

Until provincial governments like Ontario and Alberta are able to address infertility growth, then they should do the right things and help these families, help all families, get equal access to IVF treatment, save taxpayers dollars, then research infertility on a bigger scale and let’s get this broken process fixed.

Infertility is a serious problem and needs to be tackled accordingly.  NOW.

UK’s IVF funding effort ‘feeble’ (bbc.co.uk)

• Schools failing to teach pupils about infertility (guardian.co.uk)

Have You Heard About the C.C. Mixed & Ready Canadian Cover Challenge?

Let me first get something off my chest.

I love Canadian music!

There.  I said it.  From Platinum Blonde to Colin James, Bryan Adams to Shania Twain, Alanis Morisette to Amanda Marshall.  Old, new… Headstones, Nickleback, Andrew Scott, Tragically Hip, Gowan, Our Lady Peace, rock, pop, country, jazz… I love Canadian music and support the artists where possible by buying their music on iTunes and in the olden days, buying their CD’s (and even older their records and 45′s).

So when the Canadian Club, C.C.® Mixed & Ready Cover Challenge launched June 29th, I jumped at the opportunity to participate in this wonderful event which provides a platform for undiscovered Canadian talent to cover one of 5 unique Canadian songs and compete to be noticed for doing the best cover.

I checked out the uploads last week and I have to be honest, these bands are fantastic!   It’s going to be a great contest!

The songs being covered are;

• Steal my Sunshine by Len
• Superman’s dead by Our Lady Peace
• Striptease by Hawksley Workman
• Fat Lip by Sum 41
• Pullin’ Punches by the Arkells.

Here is how the C.C. Mixed & Ready Cover Challenge works:

Beginning June 28^th, 2012, Canadian bands are invited to submit their covers on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/CanadianClubCanada).  They have until August 27, 2012 for the chance to win an opportunity to have three of their demo songs recorded, mixed and mastered in Toronto, plus $3,000 for band gear and / or transit to Toronto for the recording session.

Winners will be selected based on a combination of Facebook voting (25%) and C.C. Mixed & Ready’s judging panel (75%), consisting of music industry experts and brand representatives of which I will proudly be involved.

The winning submission will be announced by September 15, 2012.

The Canadian Club Canada’s Facebook page will contain, in addition to the clips, comments on the bands, feedback, tweets on the event by Canadian Club insiders and the general public, as well as information about some C.C. Mixed & Ready live music events being held in Ontario and Alberta in August featuring some great Canadian bands.

C.C. Mixed & Ready Music Events:

Ontario:

• Thursday, August 16^th to Sunday, August 19^th: The Havelock Country Jamboree, featuring Creedence Clearwater Revival and Lynyrd Skynyrd -  Havelock, Ontario
• Saturday, September 1^st and Sunday, September 2^nd: Saugeen Summer Nights featuring Hawksley Workman – Clifford Ball Park Arena, Clifford, Ontario

Alberta:

• Thursday, August 2^nd to Sunday, August 5^th: Big Valley Jamboree, featuring Blake Shelton , Toby Keith and Rascall Flatts, Camrose, Alberta
• Saturday, September 1^st: X-Fest, featuring fun., Silversun Pickups, MuteMath, Incubus, Young the Giant, The Joy Formidable, Linkin Park and more, Calgary, Alberta
• Sunday, September 2^nd: Sonic Boom featuring fun., Silversun Pickups, MuteMath, Incubus, Young the Giant, The Joy Formidable, Linkin Park and more, Edmonton, Alberta

C.C. Mixed & Ready will wrap the summer at a special concert event in Toronto, headlined by an exciting Canadian band.  Details on this concert to be revealed in late-July.

About the Product:

As a bonus to being involved in this contest I received a care package from the fine folks at Matchsticks.ca which contained a product I have never heard of, the Canadian Club’s new C.C. Mixed & Ready drink, designed to expand Canadian whisky into the ready-to-drink market and capture interest from consumers who are new to the world of whisky.    The brand focused on the most popular mixes – Ginger Ale and Cola – to create a convenient, refreshing ready-to-drink option.  CC and Ale happens to be my go to drink, so this was a welcomed treat and a fantastic product considering Ready-to-drink beverages are becoming increasingly popular, having risen in volume by almost 4% globally in 2011 over 2010.

In case you are wondering how you missed this product, Canada, it’s because it was test-marketed in Alberta in 2011 and is currently available in Ontario and Alberta in 473 mL cans for approximately $2.95 and 355 mL 6-packs for approximately $12.95.

Feel free to join and follow the conversation: #mixedandready.

The Fine Print:

C.C. Mixed & Ready Cover Challenge contest is open to residents of Canada (not including Quebec) who are of legal drinking age, of course.

So if you are interested in uploading a song, you had better get moving!   And if you appreciate Canadian music and wish to check out some up and coming bands and lend some support and encouraging words, come by.

Related articles

• Canadian Club toasts history and tradition (lfpress.com)

Our weekend: A Day out with Thomas

This past weekend marked our third trip out to St.Thomas, Ontario, 20 minutes west of London, Ontario, to take a ride on Thomas the Tank engine with our kids.

The first trip was for Linus alone – he loved trains, especially Thomas.  2 years later is was Linus and Stewie and this year the 3 children with Berry being the most excited for the trip.  She was inconsolable her first ride on the subway and was practically in tears when the train pulled into the station, but she kept reassuring us on the train before the trip “I’m not going to cry”, that she would be okay.  Once the music started and the train started creeping slowly along the tracks for its 30 minute ride she proudly proclaimed “I’m not crying!”.  Once we got back in the station she summarized her trip by stating “I didn’t cry”.

Viola.

For those of you wondering about a Day out with Thomas, it is located in the Elgin County Railway Museum which is a registered non-profit charity with the function of preserving and restoring railway heritage for St. Thomas and  surrounding area.   The Elgin County Railway Museum is also known as the Railway Capital of Canada because a total of 26 railways have passed through town.  This is due to the location which is the 1913 former Michigan Central Railroad Locomotive Shops juxtaposed to the Canada Southern Railway.

You purchase your tickets online and you choose the time you would like to ride the train.  But be careful, if you miss your ride, they all book up quickly so you may not be able to hop on the next one, and because you have to book for a specific time, moving that time or date could be nearly impossible – this year we missed an opportunity to sleep at the Roger’s Centre after a Blue Jays game and a bris…

There are so many wonderful things to see for the train-lover of all ages, including locomotives, cabooses and other rolling stock. Additionally there are videos and historic photographs, railway artifacts, children’s activities, guided tours, music, food and more!

For the kids, in addition to the ride, they also receive an Official Jr. Engineer Certificate signed by Sir Topham Hatt – whom we met and had pictures taken with. 

Here is the Jr. Engineer Certificate Day Out With Thomas event.

After riding Thomas, taking a lot of pictures, doing some crafts indoors and then heading into town to grab a bite, we went to see Jumbo – the elephant hit by a train in 1885. 

A replica Jumbo was erected in 1985 to mark the 100th anniversary.  It was built in New Brunswick. 

Considering Berry’s favourite animal the past month has been the elephant, this was a great albeit short stop on a hot, humid weekend.

We like St. Thomas and London and enjoy hanging around for the weekend.  My wife and I have always felt that if the main strip in St. Thomas was cleaned up a little bit and had some more artsy stores it would be a wonderful tourist attraction because of its old town feel.  Some local crafts, local foods, cafe’s, etc. would be a huge draw.  Right now there are a lot of empty stores and some run down buildings.  Sad.

The city, located at the intersection of two historical roads, was first settled in 1810. It was named the seat of the new Elgin County in 1844 and was incorporated as a village in 1852, as a town in 1861.  In 1881 St. Thomas finally grew to become a city.  Ten years after the incorporation as a town ( in 1871 ), the developing village of Millersburg, which included these lands east of the London and Port Stanley Railway, amalgamated with St. Thomas.

In the late 19th century and early 20th century several railways were constructed through the city, and St. Thomas became an important railway junction. A total of 26 railways have passed through the city since the first railway was completed in 1856. In the 1950s and 1960s, with the decline of the railway as a mode of transportation, other industry began to locate in the city, principally primary and secondary automotive manufacturing.  There is a huge Ford plant in St. Thomas.

So check out the official Day out with Thomas website for events near you;

http://events.hitentertainment.com/us/day-out-with-thomas/index.asp

 

Urban Daddy Exclusive: Father’s Day Giveaway

I’ve never done this before and I’m really excited to have my first every giveaway just in time for Father’s Day and this giveaway is actually something that if I got for father’s day, I would be pretty excited about.

2010 marked the 100th anniversary of Mark Twain‘s death and in celebration of this important milestone and in honor of the cherished tradition of publishing Mark Twain’s works, UC Press published the Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 1.  This book represents the first of a projected three-volume edition of the complete, uncensored autobiography.

To the surprise of many–but not us dads–the book became an immediate bestseller and was hailed as the capstone of the life’s work of America’s favorite author.

In its original form, the book could viewed as a bit “intimidating” for some readers, containing over 700 pages, significant scholarly notations, and weighs in at just over four pounds in weight!

So with the 100th anniversary just passing and in response to well-received feedback – just in time for Father’s Day - the publisher has released AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MARK TWAIN, VOLUME 1, READER’S EDITION (UC Press, March 2012) which provides the bestselling text in a form that is convenient for the general reader.

Here is what Dads will love about the new Reader’s Edition:

. It’s portable
. It is a paperback
. It is written in larger type
. It is without any editorial explanations
. Includes an exclusive excerpt from Volume 2

Even with all these slimming changes, there is no downsizing in content. In addition to the full, uncensored biography, READER’S EDITION features a brief introduction describing the evolution of Mark Twain’s ideas about writing his autobiography, a chronology of his life, and brief family biographies.

Readers will also get an exclusive look at what is to come with an excerpt from the highly anticipated Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 2-a controversial but characteristically humorous attack on Christian doctrine.

This updated major literary event brings to readers, admirers, and scholars the first of three volumes and presents Mark Twain’s authentic and unsuppressed voice, brimming with humor, ideas, and opinions, and speaking clearly from the grave as he intended.

Here is what Esquire had to say about this book; “So the Autobiography of Mark Twain, what with being The Dad Book of the Year and all, is apparently flying off the shelves faster than bookstores can stock it.”

I have a copy of the MARK TWAIN, VOLUME 1, READER’S EDITION, for one lucky reader and all you have to do if jump through a ring of fire and walk across a tightrope over an active volcano.

No seriously…  All you need to do is comment as to why you would like the copy I received  to giveaway and then either go to twitter and re-tweet this post or like my Facebook page.  If you don’t have twitter of Facebook that’s okay too.  My Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/pages/Urban-Daddy/109554365740659?sk=messages_inbox&action=read&tid=id.247493495355537#!/pages/Urban-Daddy/109554365740659 and there is a link to it on the right side of my blog.  My twitter account is @urbandaddyblog.

I’m going to be diving into my copy soon and hopefully I can get the copy off to the winner on this weekend, so please if you are interested, let me know on this blog post by midnight Saturday night, June 9th, 2012.  I will put all those interested into a hat and have one of my kids pull out the winner so it will be totally random, then I will reach out to that winner for their address.

Good luck to all.

Quiznos: What happened to you???

Quiznos (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Quiznos…

What happened to you? You used to be so cool, “Toast that tastes great!” was the tag line Don Cherry used to blast out in the commercials.

But now?!? Damn.

In December, in the office, we tried to order online for an office function, but after placing the order – so we thought – instead of showing us the shopping cart, the website instead prompted us to “place our order” and removed everything in our cart.  The 15 minutes we spent getting all the details together was wasted.

Also of concern at that time was the fact that the website doesn’t list the prices of the food.  To be sure I was not pointing out incorrect information, I went to http://www.quiznosdelivers.ca/ and low and behold, no prices.  I actually had a hard time finding the menu – I found the button to buy a franchise, however I was thinking of spending a little less than that.

So we tried again, held our breath and ordered.  No dice.

So we called the local Quiznos in Richmond Hill and were dumbfounded at what we were being told over the phone. 

The pizza we wanted to order was not available as there was no cheese and get this, the person taking the orders on the phone had such poor english that after ordering 4 of their specials, we ended up with 4 regular priced sandwiches.

No cheese???

So I went to their website to locate the feedback or contact us section so I could complain about the lack of prices on the website and why the online ordering was not working but there is nowhere on the site to send an email, or an address to tweet to.  Just a phone number?  REALLY?

Are we in 2012 (then late 2011).

And they don’t deliver, and their idea of ”bottled drinks”… Cans.

The soggiest toasted sandwich ever.

All-in-all, a very disappointing experience. Someone needs to pull the CEO aside and let them know that the quickest way to being out of business is to not keep up with technologies and providing less than exceptional customer service and getting the orders right.

Is this not common sense?

Anyone else experience this?

I think we need an Undercover Boss, Quiznos episode.  At the very least, with my MBA, I can come in and clean up the process… Forget that dude who lost weight eating your competitors products, bring back Don Cherry and with him and the Urban Daddy, you’ll be back on track in no time!

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