Thursday Thirteen: 13 Facts About Starbucks’ Canada and Naming Starbucks’ New Blonde Roast Contest

Map of the countries with Starbucks Coffee Shops (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Starbucks is the world’s top coffee retailer with over 19,500 stores in 58 countries.  Canada ranks second to the US in the number of stores (over 12,800 in the United States compared to over 1,245 locations in Canada).  Japan, Great Britain, China and South Korea round out the top 6, all under 1000 locations.  But you cannot really trust these numbers because Starbucks are opening nearly 5 new stores everyday.  Starbucks recently held a contest for Canadians to help name their new Starbucks Blonde Roast coffees, which are best described as their lighter roast with a subtle, mellow, lighter-bodied, full of flavor, and delicious.  I liken it to a roast which gently awakens the senses – the more you enjoy your cup, the more flavour you detect.When they first launched the Starbucks Blonde Roast, I immediately picked up the VIA instant packets and was shocked by the lack of flavour from the first sip.  Used to strong coffee I had added way too much cream and sugar and it drowned out the mellow flavour of this mild roast and once I learned to be gentle with this Blonde, I began to notice the subtle flavours and it has become my go to roast.

So of course I wanted to enter the contest to create the name for the Blonde Roast and in doing so, I found some interesting facts about Starbucks I felt compelled to share.

So, here are the 13 Most Interesting Facts About Starbucks, then the details about the contest …

13.  Starbucks currently employs over 137,000 employees, which may not seem like a lot, however this is twice the population of Greenland.

11.  There are currently over 87,000 drink possibilities – a free drink to anyone who can name all 87,000.

10.  There is a size called the ”Trenta” which is 30oz / 916 ml or slightly bigger than the capacity of your stomach which on average has a capacity of 900 ml.

9.   A Starbucks grande coffee has 320 mg of caffeine which surprisingly contains over four times more caffeine than found in a Red Bull energy drink.

8.   The Starbucks cinnamon chip scone has more calories than a McDonald’s quarter pounder with 480 calories.

7.   Starbucks uses 2.3 billion paper cups per year.

6.   They currently serve 40 million customers a week.

5.   The owners almost went with the name Pequod, the name of the boat in Moby Dick, instead of the character Starbucks’ name

4.   After tasting the Clover at a small café in New York and claiming it the best cup of brewed coffee he has ever tasted, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz decided to buy the company that made Clover in 2008 and began introducing the dream machine at select stores around the country

3.   Most Starbucks stores have been equipped Swiss-made Mastrena, which was created to make “the highest-quality, consistent shot of espresso”. The machine also allows baristas to interact with customers due to it’s size and shape.

2.   My first choices for the new name were “Mellow Yellow”, “Platinum Blonde” named after the great Canadian band, “Ambition”, “Natural Blonde” and the “Have More Fun” Roast.  These have all been entered in the contest.

1.   The first Starbucks location to open in Canada was at the Seabus Skytrain Station in Vancouver on March 1, 1987. This humble store was Starbucks Coffee’s first international location.  My last suggestion was to honour that location with the “Seabus Light Roast Blend.”

On February 20th, Starbucks Canada will announce the 3 finalists and open up the voting.  What was your name for the Blonde Roast?

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.

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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

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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

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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?

Urban Daddy Investigates: What happened to the patio at the Starbucks at 1740 Avenue Road?

On Wednesday of this week, I was asked by the community – my former community of 8 years, actually - to investigate the disappearances of the patio on the north side of the Starbucks at 1740 Avenue Road (at St.Germain) and right across from the fantastic Safari restaurant (the best Chipotle Corn Chowder in the city and amazing lamb burgers!)

This patio means a lot to the community. There is a Facebook page devoted to making this patio and the locals who frequent it into a reality show. I could totally see that. Students, local residents, real estate agents, all kinds of people flocked to that patio to sit, chat and consume Starbucks products. This patio is one of a kind in that upper-middle class area of Toronto and It was the place to be seen… And heard.

Our urban family, often spent time hanging out there with our real estate agent, Mr. Real Estate himself, Marshall Cohen or with my in-laws where the kids would watch the world go by eating oatmeal, yogurt or mint frappuccino chip (oops, that last one was me).  More common was myself with a grande Americano while the kids covered themselves in yogurt or ate the pre-packaged egg, apple, cheese snack.

Ask anyone who has sat there or walked by and they will tell you about the characters who hang out there.  Some seem to be there ALL the time.  One common memory was of the guy with the full-length fur coat (but not a real fur coat, that’s cruel) smoking his cigars, of the elderly couple who meet there every day to chat with the neighbour and their family before everyone heads out to the office or for a stroll. 

I checked online to see if the City of Toronto had posted some patio guidelines or amended the official plan to prohibit patios from the West side of Avenue Road and found only one possible link to a draft City-wide zoning bylaw amendment to the official plan relating to Patio’s, drafted by Toronto City Planning department. 

Outdoor Patios

Proposed rules under the draft City-wide zoning by-law

Area 2 (part of the Former City of Toronto): -rear yard patios are not permitted in CR zones -side yard patios are permitted up to a maximum 50% of the building depth and -maximum size restriction (the greater of 30m2 or 30% of GFA) -separation from Residential zones (40m if elevated & 10m if not elevated) -entertainment uses not permitted

Since it is not clear to me whether or not these proposals were made permanent, or even if there was a public consultation, or if the slightly raised patio was within 10 meters of the residential property to the West of the location so I reached out to my friend, Ward 16 City Councillor Karen Stintz to ask for an update as to why the city asked Starbucks to remove the patio and why one cannot be added back to that spot.  I explained the value of this patio to our community and the fact that Tim Horton’s which had just opened up further north on Avenue Road asked for and was granted a permit for a kick-ass patio, yet this Starbucks location was not.

I was curious to hear what she has to say on this matter.  She is very alert to issues within her ward.

As of Friday morning I had not heard back from Karen or her office, which is fine – she’s busy with some other things too, like the TTC and aggravating the Ford brothers, but I did receive word early this morning that last night the City of Toronto swept in and re-installed the patio!

Success.

Could it have been related?  I’d like to think it was an oversight on the City’s side and one phone call from Karen got the ball rolling.

But none of that matters… The patio is back so summer can begin!

Now off to enjoy the sun and try something off the Starbucks hidden menu that I posted about last week!  Wonder if someone from the community will buy. 

 

Above is the St. Germain location and the patio was on the right.  Below is the Roe location – on the other side of the street which also lost it’s patio.

Related articles

• Are you hungrier than a 5-year-old? (urbandaddy.wordpress.com)
• http://urbandaddy.wordpress.com/2012/04/27/the-not-so-secret-secret-menu-at-starbucks-revealed/ The Not so Secret Starbucks Menu Revealed.

The (Not so Secret) Secret Menu at Starbucks, Revealed!

Psst.  I’ve got a secret to tell you.

All this talk about “secret” menu items excites me.  What better than finding a new food item or drink which is hopefully healthy and that no one else knows about.  I came across the ”secret” Starbucks menu as it was trending on Twitter and after much research I have outlined the main portion of the secret menu which you or I might just order.  The ones which are super high-fat, like 3/4′s of the drink is 28% whipping cream, I left as being secret.  no one needs to consume 200% of their daily allocation for calories, fat and sugar in one drink.

I also confirmed with some Starbucks baristas – past and present – that this list does exist and they also gave me the nicknames they know these drinks as. 

There are also some other non-food related things you should know about Starbucks which are not widely known… Until now!

Charge up your Starbucks card and get ready to run to your local Starbucks and impress or confuse the local barista be inspired…

Here are the goods;

Biscotti Frapuccino

Buy a biscotti and ask the barista to blend it up with any flavor of frapuccino. It blends into tiny cookie chunks that add a delicious little crunch to your frozen coffee.  This can be done with any pastry you buy, actually, although some locations won’t do it due to nut allergies.  They don’ t want that stuff in their blenders. 

Short Drinks

The sizes the “mainstream menu” gives you are “Tall,” “Grande” and “Venti,” but if you say you want the “short” size to any Starbucks drink you can receive a less expensive and smaller sized drink. The size is in their cash register – I checked – because of espresso shots.  It’s on the menu in the Philippines, and is the same price as a tall in Indonesia.  We call it the “kids size” here in Canada, eh?

Short cappuccino

A “Short” cappuccino is a more Italian style cappuccino because there is less room for milk which somehow got mixed in with this drink and waters it down. 

Red Eye

A Red Eye is a shot of espresso in regular cup of Starbucks coffee.

Black Eye

A Black Eye is two shots of espresso in regular Starbucks coffee.

Green Eye / Purple Eye (depending on what part of the country you are in) / JFK (for the 3 shots to the head which killed him) / Shot in the Dark

Whatever you call this drink it is a whopping three shots of espresso in a regular Starbucks coffee.  Be carefull with this one!  Do not drink at night unless you want to be up all night, shaking, in caffeine withdrawal.

Poor Man’s Latte

An Iced Americano with no water and half ice, then head over to the condiments station, fill the rest up with half and half cream (certainly not the 18% coffee cream) and viola, you have a Breve Latte at less than you would pay for the actual drink. 

Poor Man’s Chai Latte

Order a Chai Tea Misto with extra foam, two tea bags, and half cinnamon-half vanilla syrup. This is essentially the same drink but at half the cost.  

Chocolate Dalmatian – also know as a Michael Jackson:

A White Chocolate Mocha with java chips and chocolate chips sprinkled in.

Cafe au Lait

Order the Misto without foam for a classic French coffee drink.

French pressed coffee

You can choose any coffee they sell by the bag and have it served in a French press. For coffee snobs, this is one of the best way to appreciate all of the flavors of the coffee you chose – it takes about 5 minutes for this to be done and don’t be surprised if you get a dirty look if you are doing this during their morning rush.

Chocolate Cream Frapuccino

Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate.  Chocolate syrup and chocolate flavoring in this frozen blended coffee.

Cake Batter Frappuccino

Originally, this drink contained vanilla and almond syrup added to a Vanilla Bean Crème Frappuccino. However, since the almond syrup is largely no longer available, some recommend that you try subbing in hazelnut syrup and white mocha for a similar flavour.

Raspberry Cheesecake

Order a White Chocolate Mocha and have them add a few pumps of raspberry  – if you use your Starbucks card to pay, you get one free pump of any flavour. 

The Nutella

Cafe Misto with pumps of chocolate and hazelnut and a caramel drizzle.

Zebra or Tuxedo Mocha

Sometimes also called a “Penguin Mocha,” a “Marble Mocha,” or simply a “Black and White Mocha,”, or (also known as the) “MIchael Jackson“ this drink combines the White Chocolate mocha with the regular mocha.  If you want to take it one step further have the barista add a shot (or two) of raspberry flavoring and viola, you have what is called a ”Red Tux” Mocha.

Dirty Chai / Filthy Chai

Chai latte with a shot of espresso.  2 shots of espresso gets you a double dirty!  You bad boy…

Triple C’s

Order a Cinnamon Dolce Latte with caramel syrup and chocolate mocha syrup.

Captain Crunch (Yes, like the breakfast cereal)

To make this one, order a Strawberries and Creme frappe with a pump of caramel, add two pumps of toffee, one pump of hazelnut and two scoops of chocolate chips. Tastes just like Captain Crunch cereal. Yum!

Affogato-style Frappuccino

If you order any Frappuccino ”affogato-style” and you’ll get a shot of hot espresso added on top of your drink as opposed to having it blended in.

Snickers Frappuccino

Order a Java chip frappuccino with two pumps of toffee nut syrup and drizzle it all over with caramel and you get a drink that tastes just like a snickers bar!

Apple Pie Tea

Black tea with apple juice and light chai

Cinnamon Roll

Combine a White mocha latte with a Cinnamon Dolce latte

Thin Mint Frappuccino

I am all over this drink next time I get to my local Starbucks!  Order a Tazo Green Tea Crème frappuccino and mix in an extra pump of chocolate syrup and java chips.

Let me know if you try (tried) any!

j

It must be Sunday… I can’t wait for work to get everything done!

Whew.  I made it to Sunday night.  That’s a big deal considering what this week held for me and what next week has in store.

Before I begin, however, can I ask that someone… Anyone… Remind me via the comment section to this blog, or through my urban daddy Facebook page, or @urbandaddyblog on Twitter about this comment should I mention it ever again in the future.  Thanks.

Here is the comment:  I think my daughter, Berry, may be a little OCD.  Why?  Because I asked her to help clean up in the kitchen earlier today and I caught her laying on her tummy on the floor.  I thought she was playing, or looking under the table, but no, she brought over to me a poppy seed.  Yup.  A poppy seed from a bagel. 

She had me remove it from in between her fingers as she said, “clean up.  Dirty”.

At first I thought it was humourous, until she brought me another, then I stopped her when she went for more.

 

So I never made it to the CIBC Run for the Cure since I finally succumbed to the horrible flu that felled my entire family over the past few weeks.  The highlight of the weekend for me had to be falling asleep while playing with my daughter for an hour when my wife had the boys out at the Science Centre.  She merrily played on.

Don’t forget you can also subscribe to my feed, and “like” me on Facebook.  Don’t miss a single “exciting” post.

 

True to my word, I took the Country Style challenge, day one, and I picked up a large 2 cream, 2 sugar (not to be confused with the Tim Horton’s large double double) and considering it was 5pm and I expected the coffee to be bitter, I found it to be okay.  I went to the location at Dufferin, just north of Roselawn – a drive through and got a not so white, very sweet cup of coffee which seemed to get better as it cooled.  I can’t help but think that these guys would be better off settling on 2nd fiddle after Tim Horton’s – possibly through offering a better food option, but there is no way these guys compare to Starbucks.  IMHO.

I also was leery about having the coffee there so late since I know Timmy’s has that 20 minute fresh pot policy, and I’m sure CS does not.  For all I knew that pot could have been simmering for an hour.

 

Another memorable moment from this past weekend was Stewie singing the entire Dora the Explorer theme song to Berry.  He knew every word and was on key.  Sure he hates that show… LOL.  At least I prefer this behaviour than his frequent attempts to get Berry to play with him, or follow him. 

This is a common occurence between him and her;

Him: Berry!  Come play with me.

Her: NO!

Him: Yes.  Come play.

Her: NO play, Stewie.

Him: Want ice cream?

Her: Yes!!!  Want ice cream, please.

So she follows him.

 

Now remove “ice cream” and replace with key Berry-favoured words like “Dora” and “Chocolate”.

This explains why she woke up last weekend from afternoon nap shouting, “Berry want ice cream, please”.

 

Some feedback on my 2011 Coffee rankings, Country Style…

In my 2011 Coffee rankings I ranked Country Style coffee at #8 out of 11, and my comments to justify my ranking were this;

“Country Style comes in at number 8 because it used to have good coffee, much better than Coffee Time, but no longer.  Country Style sponsors the Toronto Rock Lacrosse team, however Tim Horton’s coffee is served at the Air Canada Centre.  There is a Country Style near my office and the 3 times I have gone there to get something, I have been disappointed every time.  The first time was for donuts – the selection was terrible – the second time was for a coffee – it was bitter and stale – and the third time was for a cold drink on a very hot day and that drink was barely adequate.  So for a chain with new colours and large, spacious locations, they need to conduct some more product testing to see what people will actually buy.  Very disappointing.”

As a result of this post – and I wanted to be fair, not bitchy to them, I received this following comment from the kind folks at Country Style;

“Hi Urban Daddy,

Country Style here, and we are sorry to hear that your last three experiences at our location have not reached your expectations. Of course, it is very important to us that our customers always have the most positive experience when visiting a Country Style. If possible, we would like to get some more information from you on the location that you visited. Would you mind emailing us at CoffeeLover@countrystyle.ca

Thanks very much,
-Country Style”

So I don’t have to mention how impressed I am with this response do I?  I love that organizations use social media and I love that it took these folks no time to publicly reach out and express their concern. 

Writing that opinion of Country Style, and it is my opinion, bothered me at the time because I want nothing more than for all local businesses, especially Canadian ones to succeed at all costs.  I love the new colours of Country Style, and I love that they sponsor the Toronto Rock – a team I have had seasons tickets for, for since their first year in Toronto.

So here is what I am going to do…

Next week, I am going to march back into that store, and try a lot of stuff, so when I give my feedback to the kind folks there, I know that it’s timely and well researched.  Now to be fair, I was there in the past month, so my views on their hot and cold drinks are both recent and obviously memorable, but I don’t want – nor do I think I can – influence your decision when you are looking for a cup of coffee.  For me personally, the local Country Style is the closest coffee shop to my office and since I regularly buy coffee for myself, my staff and for meetings, I’m going to give them another look and see what turns up.

For those of you who may be unaware, here are some facts about Country Style, courtesy Wikipedia, of course.

Country Style has been in business since 1963 when it opened its first location in Toronto.  By 1974 there were 50 stores when it was the leading coffee and donut establishment in Canada above Tim Hortons (which passed it two years later).  By 2001, Country Style had been forced to close a quarter of its stores due to decreasing market share in an increasingly competitive Canadian market. Since then, it has opened many new stores and currently ranks third behind Tim Horton’s and Starbucks in the Canadian coffee market.

In 2006, Country Style changed its image to a more upscale style: “Country Style Bistro Deli”. The new image includes a new logo, a new website, and an enhanced branded deli menu that phased into their stores.  The change was made to compete more with Starbucks than Tim Horton’s however providing a wider range of soups, sandwiches, salads and wraps.   If you didn’t know that, you were not the only one.   

Country Style has been partnered with the Make a Wish foundation since 2003, and have raised over  $1,000,000 for the organization which is a LOT of coffee sold.

So take the Country Style challenge with me, and let me know what you thought, and I’ll  make sure all comments are posted.  My Country Style is in Richmond Hill, Ontario and I’m going there Monday!

Urban Daddy’s 3rd Annual Coffee Shop Rankings – 2011

Without further delay, please enjoy reading this urban daddy’s 3rd annual coffee shop rankings for 2011.

These rankings are based on the following criteria;

1.       Taste

2.       Price

3.       Freshness

4.       Other intangibles, such as snacks, how to pay and additional perks.  

 

So sit right back with your cuppa java and let’s go!

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

 

So how did I come to these conclusions, you may ask???  Easily.

For value, taste and freshness, Java Joe’s is the hands down winner this year.  I have found that the flavours are fantastic whether it is their Cinnamon Hazelnut, Jamaica Me Crazy, Raspberry Chocolate, Banana Cream, Caramel, or even their Irish Cream (and I detest Irish Cream!)   Even the regular coffees they sell have some great flavour to them.I go to Java Joe’s when I want a good cup of coffee full of flavour and body.  When I just want a coffee that I can savor I put to no price on that.  As well, their containers that they use to hold the coffee after it is brewed 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. If you have read this blog before, you may recall that the Java Joe’s I frequent opened up near my office and that was how I came across them.  Before Tim Horton’s finally started taking debit, I would always hit up Java Joe’s who take debit, credit, and cash.  In addition, their food (sandwiches, wraps, soups and salads) are way better than can be had at any coffee shop on this list and they also have a wonderful selection of organic teas, cold iced drinks plus the full range of hot drinks like latte’s, Americano’s, mochachinos and cappuccinos.  The staff are great and the place has cool tables and chairs, 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 2011 rankings.

Tim Horton’s comes in at #2 this year for a couple of reasons.  First of all I have found that they are becoming 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.  There are 4 Timmy’s within 10 blocks of my office and the one I normally go to have done something to their coffee (possibly using 2 packets of coffee for 3 pots of water) and I cannot go there again.  Secondly, their Roll up the Rim contest was very disappointing this year as I bought 2-3 coffees a day every day of the contest and barely won at all.  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 not eaten anything else there since I got sick eating a bowl of their chili along with a colleague of mine who got sick as well.  A visit there won’t break the bank, and in some areas they seem to be on every block.  Sure, they rarely stir the coffee, but for $1.65 for a large… You can’t go wrong.  And where else would I be able to say, I’ll have a large double double, please”, and get a smile and a “yes sir”.

Starbucks, while pricey, and serving very strong coffee come in at number 3 mainly because of their fantastic Cafe Americano’s, which are a very smooth drink and costs slightly more than the price of a regular coffee.  At the suggestion of our friend, Mr. Real Estate Marshall Cohen, I got hooked on having the Americano with a pump of mocha (free if you have a convenience card but you have to police that as they will more often than not charge the $0.35 for that shot) and during the holidays I added a pump of mint too.  Plus, their give you a coupon for a free anything if you don’t like your drink, or waiting too long for it AND, often offer free samples.  Their oatmeal is the perfect treat for a toddler as is their cheese plate (although really pricey).  My kids love the wooden stir sticks (sticks) and the automatic doors.  It’s nice to be able to sit at Starbucks, do the Guterman.

Coffee Time actually has really good coffee with surprisingly nice flavor, more so I found than Tim Horton’s do nowadays, 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 gets stale really quickly.  They also have some very interesting treats which are not outstanding but if you are hungry and cheap, hits the spot.  I have often walked in to have a coffee there because I feel sorry they don’t do a better job getting their brand out.  When the place is busy you have a wide selection to choose from – drinks, soups, donuts, treats, muffins, but come in during a quiet period and you won’t be able to find any donuts, let alone a staff member to help you out.  Drink the coffee then, and you will understand why the low price.  I almost feel like they have lost touch with their client base and are a day, week, month or year from bankruptcy.

Timothy’s comes in at number 5 this year because I think they have found their comfortable niche in the coffee marketplace as on giant step below Starbucks for price and one giant step below Tim Horton’s for flavor but light years ahead of the Second Cup for choices of flavors and price on extras.  The flavors sold at my local Timothy’s are great and it’s busy enough that the coffee rarely gets bitter but I have always said when fresh, Timothy’s could be one of the best but their coffee is rarely fresh, a large is $2.00 and it takes 4 sugars and lots of cream to bring down the bitterness. Also they need to do is find a way to keep the coffee fresh and they’ll save a ton in other stuff.  They also need to focus on the name and stock their locations with the history.  Build the brand!

Second Cup comes in at number 6 because I hate their old, bitter coffee and stupidly high prices for this crap – but I had a coffee there today (first in months) that was half Butter Pecan (their best flavour) and half Holiday Blend.  Sure I needed 4 sugars but it was actually quite good.  They need to find a way to keep their coffee fresher – I doubt they would have the traffic to keep making new pots every 15 minutes like Tim Horton’s but they could try picking a flavour and for that specialty flavour, they will make a fresh post every 15 minutes and see what the responses from their customers are.  The other main issue Second Cup needs to address is their choice of coffees.  Normally they have 5 or 6 different types.  One decaf, one is a medium and one is a strong.  There is a mild – something like a Paradiso (whatever the heck that means) and then the flavour… I hate Irish Cream!!!  Detest it!  That is usually their one flavoured coffee and when asked why, I was told, it is because it is popular.  Probably because they don’t regularly offer their good flavors like Butter Pecan and Caramelo in high rotation – as everyone knows that flavoured coffees need less sugar and cream to mask staleness or bitterness, which means less costs.  They’re sweets are poorly chosen and to be honest I can’t eat them after piling all that sugar into my drink.The Second Cup 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? 

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, eh?

I ranked the US version of Tim Horton’s at number 7 because an American double double tastes VERY different from the Canadian version.  As well, a large US version is the size of an XL Canadian version and a XL US version is like the size of a take ten.  But seriously, the US Tim Horton’s coffee is okay, but it’s not great.  I feel bad for Americans who hear us Canucks rave about our coffee and then have to drink that. 

Country Style comes in at number 8 because it used to have good coffee, much better than Coffee Time, but no longer.  Country Style sponsors the Toronto Rock Lacrosse team, however Tim Horton’s coffee is served at the Air Canada Centre.  There is a Country Style near my office and the 3 times I have gone there to get something, I have been disappointed every time.  The first time was for donuts – the selection was terrible – the second time was for a coffee – it was bitter and stale – and the third time was for a cold drink on a very hot day and that drink was barely adequate.  So for a chain with new colours and large, spacious locations, they need to conduct some more product testing to see what people will actually buy.  Very disappointing.

Dunkin Donuts comes in at number 9 because I heard so much about this brand from this side of the border and I was dying to try it.  So when in New York, I tried it.  Then again in New Jersey… and in Florida.  Boy do I feel sorry for Americans coffee drinkers.  This stuff is the most watered down “coffee” I have ever purchased in a chain.  Sure I can get it in super-duper large sized, but Dunkin Donuts makes the only coffee I have thrown out without finishing… Twice. 

Seattle’s Best Coffee comes in at number 10 because I have only tried it once… At Newark Airport.  I scraped together $2.00 for a cup (I believe there were only 4 “flavours”) and then after putting in a lot of sugar and cream until I could taste it, I looked at the person behind the counter and said, “If this is Seattle’s BEST, I’d hate to see their worst…”  Hey, isn’t Starbucks from Seattle?  I got through half a cup.

Last year I gave honourable mention to McDonald’s coffee which I tried that year for the first time when it was free, and then again this year when it was free.  But, can I tell you all… It’s so bad that I won’t even drink it for free.  That stuff is terrible. 

So???

What are your thoughts on my rankings??  What’s your favourite coffee?

Some examples of what makes me the urban daddy

I have so much stuff going through my head, that I had to get it all out in writing.  I have also come to realize that this is what makes me the urban daddy… My thoughts on being the father of 3 children, my ability to read people and understand thought processes and the general garbage that comes through my mind and onto this blog.

Here comes the dump… Hope you have a stable umbrella.

• I like reggae music only when I’m in the islands.  I feel that it suits the heat and the way of life I can only find on vacation where it is really hot.  On my radio in Toronto just makes me want to go back down south and chill on a beach / cruise ship.
• It’s time for a new toaster – the one we have does not toast any more, the button is broken, and to make toast I have to turn on the over part and wait for the toaster to start to creak and ping to know when the toast is done.  Even the kids recognize the sounds.  However, the toaster now starts creaking and pinging after the toast is very brown.  That tells me it’s time for it to go!
• Boom 97.3 you’re losing me.  For starters, I hate bands like the Pet Shop Boys, New Order and the like but I listen because my wife loves that music and it’s a trip down memory lane, but how many times can I hear Loverboy, Supertramp or Depeche Mode before I start to go a little loony.  I think that time has come, or it’s coming really soon.  Anyone have any alternative thoughts and no, talk radio or 97.7HTZ FM, sadly.
• The chefs on Top Chef Dessert were REALLY bitchy, eh?  Not like the other non-pastry chefs from the regular Top Chef show.  These one’s had real attitude.  Cant wait for the next season.  LOL.
•  We went swimming to the Ledbury pool this past weekend for a birthday party (a GREAT idea!) and while swimming the lifeguard came up to me and asked me to remove my kids from the ramp.  I looked at the ramp which was chained shut and I looked at everyone else in the pool wondering how it was that we were blocking the closed ramp.  I said to her, “okay, when someone needs to use the ramp, I will make sure we are moved away”, to which she responded, “No you must move now – it’s the rules”.  So as a rule-abiding kind of guy / dad, we moved.  Then later in the afternoon as I was holding my daughter, Berry – who hates water, BTW, but was loving the pool, this same life guard came over to me and asked me to move her out of the deep end unless I wanted the lifeguard to give her a deep sea diving test right now.  Obviously my 22 month old cannot swim so I was going to ask if it made a difference that I was holding her, but the lifeguard cut me off and said, “even though you are holding her she must be able to swim on her own to be in the deep end.  Pool rules”.  So I popped my head under the line separating the deep end from the shallow end and continued swimming.  Another lifeguard came up behind this one and said to her, “I don’t enforce that rule anymore, especially during private parties”, to which she spun, looked at him and said, “that’s why you are a terrible lifeguard” as she stormed away. 
• If you pay for your drink at Starbucks using a Starbucks card you are entitled to – among other things – a free flavour pump with your drink.  So someone like me who drinks Americano’s likes to have a pump of mocha with it so as it cools it still tastes delicious (Thank you Mr. Real Estate, Marshall Cohen).  Yet time and time again I get charged for that pump.  I even went into the last S’Bux with a tweet exchange between me and @StarbucksCanada where they confirmed the pump is free.  No luck.  I need to keep these receipts and send them in to HQ…
• My 4-year-old, Stewie is a mini-male replica of my wife.  I don’t understand him, nor her.  Our daughter Berry is a cross between the two boys, but looks like a mini-version of my wife.  So I was no surprised to hear Stewie have this exchange with my wife this afternoon;

Stewie: “Mummy, I love the colour of your shirt today.  It’s my favourite colours”

Mummy: “Thank you Stewie”

Stewie: “Mummy, I love the colour of your hair, black is my favourite colour for hair”.

Mummy: “Thank you Stewie”

Stewie: “Mummy, and I love the colours on your glasses, they are my favourite colours”.

Mummy: “Giggle, thank you Stewie”.

Me: Hey Linus, you need to learn from your brother!”

Stewie to Linus now: “I hate short hair like yours”.

Linus: “But your hair is short too”

Stewie: “I just hate short black hair like yours”

Me: “Enough already… Out…”

Nice, eh?  Little charmer.

• I don’t think that Wade Belak’s death was solely the result of the fact that he took repeated punches to the head while fighting in hockey.  I think he had suffered from depression before this and possibly his role in hockey contributed to the condition.  All that being said, there must be some good to come out of this.  Any child who loses their parent at such a young age suffers the most and his wife is also put in the position of being the sole parent.  I have strong opinions about suicide – not sure this happened in Wade’s case – but imagine the pain he must have been in to have done this, or overdosed on painkillers and alcohol… Tragic, but the National Hockey League needs to take Wade’s situation, Boogaards’, and that of Rick Rypien and come to the realization that we need premeditated fighting out of the game.  I hate this stuff to begin with and even Don Cherry declared about 10 years ago that with this fighters getting bigger and stronger, that Boogaard was going to kill someone one day.   It’s time has come.  I don’t like fighting in hockey, and I think instead of wasting the 4th line of a hockey team on “agitators” and “goons” the NHL should mandate that the 4th line contain rookies or new players, maybe specialty players for power plays or penalty killing and if the teams do not comply, them reduce the roster size by 3 players.  NHL teams carry 6 or 7 defensemen to cover 3 lines, so why then 4 lines of forwards?  Unnecessary and this change would be seen as a giant step forward by the NHL.
• So what is open on Labour Day?  Nothing, right.  Well Stewie had a birthday party in Woodbridge of all places and I thought it would be a good idea to drop him off at the Trampoline place on Marycroft Road, then scoot up to Vaughan Mills so my wife can buy some more back to work wear.  Apparently, Vaughan Mills was one of the few places open and it was PACKED!  It took us almost 20 minutes just to get off the highway and another 10 minutes to park.  Inside was worse.  It was so packed that my wife called me when I went back to pick up Stewie asking me to hurry back so we could all leave.  It took me 20 minutes to get back up to get her and 20 minutes for her to get through the mall with the stroller out to the pick up point.  She said it was worse than Boxing Day shopping.  Zowie!
• Did I mention that I’m in training for the 5k run at the CIBC run for the cure on October 2nd?  Well tonight I put in a 7km run in just under an hour.  I feel great too, and I really needed the steps for the push to the end of the 2011 Global Corporate Challenge.  That run along with the steps I ammassed today gave me a new person best of just over 55,000 steps and got me to 3-million steps.  YAY.

Enough about the G20 already!!!

Folks, I am sick and tired of hearing about the G20, held in Toronto this past summer.  I’m tired of having to hear from these poor thugs who came out to “protest” and after repeated warnings to disperse or move, decided not to and were forcibly removed by police.  I beg the press to stop reporting these stories.  No one cares and it’s just giving press to these folks for the wrong reasons.

These same folks who are now coming out in droves complaining of “police brutality” and their “rights” being ignored are looking for something and I’m not quite sure what.  An apology?  Fame, fortune?  Can’t really say.

I want to reach out to these folks and say something like this; “Hey dude, what about the rights of the property owners and the people who live in the city, pay taxes, contribute to society and were disgusted that you and your peeps were running rampant in the downtown core either destroying public property, private property, or being a general pain in the ass.”

I can already imagine the responses I’m going to get from the left-wing community (I won’t pull a Don Cherry and call them “pinkos”) that inhabit the downtown core and vote for people like David Miller and Bob Rae – it’s about rights, and freedoms, freedom of speech, they tell me over and over again, blah, blah, blah.

I say to you folks, it’s not about the broken window and looting that took place at Starbucks, it’s about the fact that people like you feel you have the right to protest in this manner.  I know, I know, it’s the right to free speech argument.

If I have a problem with Starbucks, I write them a letter, or drop them an email, or even pick up the phone and call them. I don’t take to the streets, and claim to be an anarchist because it fits the mood of the crowd.  I don’t kick in the window of my local Starbucks to protest the fact that maybe they buy their beans from a country where the people are paid less than a minimum wage, especially when I’m surrounded by tens of thousands of other people and feel especially brave.  What kind of message does that send?  It’s like telling my kids, “it’s okay, if you don’t like the way a company does something, go destroy their property”.  No one in their right mind would tell a child to do that!  Or would they?

Who do you think is going to pay for the burned out police cars? The idiots who bussed in to the G20 to create havoc or the taxpayers of Toronto who pay property tax, municipal tax and many other levies to have clean roads, garbage pick up and a police force… With police cars. 

Well folks, I don’t know about the downtown core – never really understood the love-in with George (eHealth) Smitherman, but if you guys have so much money and disposable income, then I think I’m going to ask the City to reduce my property taxes. Afterall, I didn’t and still don’t feel that my right to protest by taking to the streets is more important than my ability to enact change by contributing to society and communicating with others.

If I wanted to send a message to Starbucks (for example) I would arrange for people to stop going there and after a while they would pack up and leave. There would be absolutely nothing to gain for damaging their property or even worse, damaging the property of a fellow Torontonian who is trying to make a living with a store in the downtown core and who had to pay out of pocket for repairs to thier shop, or buy new products because some lunkheads thought it would be “fun” to steal from them.

And now these same lunkheads are appearing in the papers with bandages and bruises complaining of being treated poorly.

Hey buddy… In other countries, people defend their property with weapons… You’re lucky the police got to you first, and that you’re in a free country like Canada that tolerates criminal activities and listens to you while you complain about being caught.

You can’t have it both ways. I believe the phrase you can’t suck and blow might apply.

So please, enough, left-wing media on the G20. The damage was done to the City, don’t rub our faces in it by parading these publicity-hounds in one after another to hear how they expected to be treated like royalty during the chaos caused by their choice to take to the streets to “be heard”.

Look at what happened to this idiot in Ottawa who firebombed a bank because his history of activism made him feel good about himself.

Who is going to pay the $1.6 million dollars needed to repair the bank? Can you say increased fees?

Here is the story in case you missed it;

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20101207/bank-fire-bomber-sentence-101207/

OTTAWA — A retired federal bureaucrat has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for firebombing a city bank.

Roger Clement targeted the RBC branch last May to protest the bank’s connections to the Alberta oilsands and the 2010 Olympics.

Court had heard that the 58-year-old had a long history of activism and a troubled family past.

Clement told his sentencing hearing Monday that he regretted the consequences of his actions and intends to use his time more wisely once he’s free.

The attack cost the bank $1.6 million and closed the branch for months.

The incident happened just before the G8 and G20 summits in Huntsville, Ont., and Toronto, sparking fears it was the start of more violence to come at the meetings.

Police followed Clement for a number of days, even digging up a computer he’d buried in the woods near Peterborough, Ont. On it, they discovered e-mail communication where Clement talked about an earlier attack on a different RBC branch and claimed the “nocturnal action” had “lifted my spirits.”

The Crown argued, however, that Clement meticulously planned the attack, going so far as to wait outside the bank for two hours to make sure there would be no witnesses. The Crown also noted that Clement made sure there was video of the incident and posted it online himself with a manifesto designed expressly to spur others onto action

Really?!? Protesting the Oilsands and the olympics?!?… How exactly did he think burning a RBC branch and possibly killing people inside was an effective protest?  And he buried his computer in Peterborough…

I just don’t get the need to destroy what others have in order to make myself feel better.  You want anarchy, go to Mexico, or Afghanistan where you can do what you want… Oh, but you are educated and live in Toronto… You don’t want to give that up, you just want to force others to live like you want to.

No thanks.

Please. No more sob-stories!

I’m still waiting for the black bloc to be unveiled.  Like the kid who posts pictures of himself on Facebook doing drugs… You think this isn’t going to catch up to them one day and hamper their career opportunities?!?

Weekend Update

OY.

What a weekend!  I’m going to need a few days to recover, indeed.

Friday ended for me in the afternoon with a contentious call with the government and the phone being hung up on me in a conference call over some tax related issues.  I left the office to pick up my oldest boy and the other kids in his carpool and just made it in time.  (Heck, it was -16 degrees out there and the kids were outside waiting).  I dropped everyone off, went to get diapers for the baby and ended up dropping my son at Starbucks to hang with his grandparents while I ran into the grocery store.  I came back to pick him up with diapers and bananas only to find him and his grandmother using those wooden stir sticks to teach him about roman numerals.

Once at home I logged back into my office computer to catch up on some work – set the table for dinner, bathed the kids, ate, cleaned and went back to work until about 3am when I decided it was time for bed. 

6:30am wake up.  Got the kids ready for skating (Pancakes for the big boy, oatmeal and raisins for the younger son), and just made it to the arena in time to lace up and jump on the ice.  By just made it I mean my skates were still undone…  One the ice, my little – not so little – boy decided he was not skating and spent most of the time on his ass or his back whining and crying.  I asked him in front of his skating coach if he was having a meltdown and he said, “no”.  OK.  So off the ice we went so he could calm down / pee.  Once in the dressing room we call his mummy and he explained that his feet hurt from the skates.  Too tight.  Hmmmm. 

So back on the ice we went for the last 10 minutes of class.  I signed the boys up for the end of program ice show (LOL) and in my amazement turned to see my 5 year old standing by himself on his skates and jumping up and down on the ice.  “WOW”, I blurted out.  He said he taught himself that, not the instructor.  He’s getting it.  Yay.

So after class we went home – Stewie cried the entire way.  We ate lunch then packed up our stuff and went to the mall for the afternoon.  After finally finding a place to park, I woke up Stewie and Berry (2 month old baby) and in we went.  Part way through the mall trip the boys saw the Godiva store and they were making chocolate dipped strawberries.  Guess what the boys cried and whined for the rest of the afternoon?!?

I also walked into Harry Rosen – again – with the boys and again could not get a sales agent to come up to me.  Even after falling in love with a gorgeous $85.00 dress shirt but wanting to ask a question about it, no one wanted to give me the time of day.  You would think any customer is a good customer, eh?  They don’t know what I can afford and if I am going to buy one shirts to 10 of them… Their loss.  I’m going to contact the store’s PR department!

So from the mall – and another Stewie meltdown (“I can’t walk”) we took the kids to dinner at the Genghis Khan Mongolian Grill.  The kids “ate” while I held a cranky baby so my wife could eat.  I was glad we were all out together and the prospect of eating cold food didn’t matter to me that much considering my wife is with the baby all day and all night and she deserves to eat and have a few minutes to relax.  So we hung there for a couple hours and off to home and bed – 10:30 for both my wife and I.

Sunday began with a rush as we all headed out to the kids karate class.  Stewie and his friend were the only kids in the Little Dragon’s class with 4 sensei’s. They had lots of attention and both did very well.  In Linus’ class, he performed much better than last week, but he was distracted from 2 seriously goofy kids in his class.  One was jumping up and down like a frog and the other was a complete goofball – taking flying leaps at the karate dummy’s and looking out at the parents instead of paying attention.  Must get him away from these boys…

After karate we split the boys up and went to birthday parties – I took Stewie to a party where I knew no one and he was not being adventurous.  He fell in love with a giant gumball machine (he’s never eaten gum) and required me to hold his hand for most of the 2 hours we were there.   We left a touch early and met my wife and baby at a new outdoor mall to check out a new store called Anthropologie… Beautiful clothes there and Linus really liked the fancy door knobs.  We left there to go grocery shopping and from there she took the kids and I drove to the other end of the city to pick up Linus and his friend from their birthday party – set to end at 6pm. 

Once in the Car, I turn on the radio, listen to a little satellite radio, then bored, switch over to real radio only to find out that there were 2 blockbuster NHL traded made by my Toronto Maple Leafs.  The managed to get another team to take 6 average commodities in exchange for 5 new bodies who appear to have more upside and come with a name.  I get Brian Burke now… He’s building the team with young talent… He has my confidence now.  After an awful 5-3 loss Saturday night (after having a 3-0 lead) the team has totally transformed.  WOW.

So I picked the kids up from the party, chatted with some dads about the trades and off to drop my son’s friend, then pick up our nanny to bring her back home.  I learned a very valuable lesson with my son and I in the car… Don’t hold your pee too long or your kidney’s hurt and you pee in your pants… Hopefully we both learned this lesson!  When you gotta go, you gotta go!

Home, snack, bed for the boys, while my wife cared after the baby, I cleaned up the house, showered, and hopped back on my office computer to clean up some files and do some tax research.  Saw the Royal Rumble was last night – Toronto-born wrestler Edge returned from a ruptured Achilles and won the rumble.  Yay.

I started working,  blinked and decided it would be best for my sanity if I went to bed earlier than Friday night, so Sunday night’s bedtime came at 2am… UGH. 

Monday brought a tough, slow morning for me…  The baby is sneezing and her eye looks a little puffy and red, but I have some serious meetings today and an appointment at the gym with my personal trainer…  Also have to get my ass in gear so that I can be home for the kids swimming tonight at 6pm since it’s parent’s night and the one night of the year the parents get to watch the kids swim. Exciting.  My wife is coming to see – she’s never seen them swim.  The boys will be SO happy!

After that it will be some more work, then off to bed so it can all start again tomorrow…

Update: Linus was smiling and waving in the pool and having a fantastic time so we asked him in the car if is always this happy in the pool.  He said “no”.  Puzzled we asked him why he was so happy, and he said, “I don’t know”.  Odd, but he was REALLY REALLY happy.