Giveaways at events

 Something that I have realized that some events will limit the number of items given away and sometimes it is limited to the first 100 people that get the nice item. The only thing that can happen is that one or two people will get to the front of the line and then a bunch of their friends will push themselves up to them even if they are arriving just before the doors opens. We have seen this happen repeatedly and the event needs to manage people pushing ahead in line. Why should I get in line 30minutes only to have someone that arrives 5 minutes before the doors open receive a knapsack and I don't because their friend was at the front of the line, and they pushed their way to stand with them.

The other thing is that when a knapsack is given out as an event giveaway it can make it difficult for people to move around at the event if space is limited. What happens is that people will wear the knapsack on their back after filling it with the various freebies (swag) and then have another bag that they will continue to fill out. What so many people don't think about is when they are moving around the event, they are taking up a lot of room.

Some people will back up from a booth and not think that given they are wearing a knapsack on their back they are backing into other people. It is amazing how many times we can banged by a knapsack and then you say something they just look at you and don't apologize so even say sorry. Some people will also say that you shouldn't have been in their way when you are standing perfectly still when you walk into you.

I am not saying that events shouldn't give out knapsacks, what I am saying is that the people receiving the knapsack need to realize that if they are wearing them on their back, they are taking up a lot of extra space. If you are lucky enough to receive one of these giveaways, please carry them in your hand so that you don't take up the extra space.   

If you have friends at the front of the line and you arrive long after them and there is a long line up, you need to just get in line like everyone does and get in when it's your turn. Why should you be able to push ahead compared to others that may also know someone that is ahead of them in the line?

Replacing my keyboard

I am someone that uses my keyboard quite a bit and that means that there are going to be times when I need to replace it. I have been using an external keyboard and not the keyboard on my laptop because as my business partner/husband says it’s cheaper to replace the external keyboard then replacing the laptop keyboard.

See one of the problems that happens with my keyboards is that I wear off the letters and most of the time there are the letters on the left side of the keyboard, so it is always fun when we are trying to type something, and you need to look at the keyboard. I am so glad that I am a touch typist otherwise I would have to replace my keyboard more often than I do.  I think I had this last keyboard for at least a couple of years, but we figured it was time to get a new one.

One of the requirements for my keyboard is it needs to be a quiet keyboard and not one of those that clicks with every key that you press. I know that a lot of people like those keyboards but for me they are way too loud, so I needed something that was nice to work with. I did find the Logitech Silent Wireless Combo and that has been the keyboard that I have been using, and I love it.

My new keyboard is once again the Logitech Silent Wireless Combo and there are a couple of differences that I have noticed right away. 1) I can see all the letters on the keyboard which is a nice change and 2) the touch feels so different but that is because the keyboard has just come out of the box.

The new keyboard is a nice change, and I think next time my keyboard starts to show its age I will think about replacing it before I can’t see over 10 of the letters that are on the keyboard. My old keyboard never stopped me from getting my writing done that I have wanted to di it just looked like it had been around for a very long time and had been abused quite a bit. I don’t play games on the computer, so I don’t wear the keys down that way it is just I have fingernails, and I think that doesn’t help the letters stay on the keys.

It is now time for me to get back to getting some more writing done as there are a lot of things that I want to write about.

 

 

Service Ontario and Staples

Recently we were going to Staples to do some shopping as there were some items that we needed and something that we saw that was funny were the number of people that were sitting waiting to be served by Service Ontario. The funny part of this was Service Ontario provides chairs for people to sit but the people waiting were not sitting in those chairs they were sitting in chairs that Staples have for sale. 

I understand that people want to be comfortable while they are waiting to be served, but what happens is people that want to look at the chairs and possibly purchase one cannot try the chairs out or even look at them before they are all being used. Maybe what staples needs to do is figure out a different location in the store for the display of chairs so that customers can look at them without having an issue.

It is nice to have the ability to sit comfortably while waiting to be served by Service Ontario, but the chairs that are within the Service Ontario area are the chairs that should be used first before the other chairs. One idea that might help people sit in the correct chairs is to have the display for the number being served to be facing those chairs not facing the chairs that are for sale.

It is nice having a Service Ontario that is easy to get to with lots of parking because it means also means that Service Ontario is open longer because of where it’s located. We have used this location once, but we were lucky as there wasn’t a line up, so we didn’t have to sit and wait to be served. The only day that Service Ontario isn’t open now is on a Sunday so it means that people that work can at least go after work instead of having to try and do it during a workday.

Service Ontario isn’t available at every Staples, but I know they have been trying to get them around Ontario to make it easier for people to get their Health Cards and other ID’s renewed without having to get a long distance or even stand in a long line. At least while in Staples you can pick up some of the stuff that you need as well.

So, if you do go to Service Ontario within a Staples, please think of the Staples customers and sit in the chairs that are provided by Service Ontario not the chairs that are for sale.

District Eatery - St Jacob's Market

 This is a brand-new location in the north building of the St Jacob’s Farmer’s Market (Peddler’s Village) called District Eatery, and this was the first time that we were able to see this location and find out what foods they had to offer. This location was not here when we walked through the Market in May of 2025 and here it is September 2025.

 From the first view it looked extremely new, and the menu looked like it was something that we would enjoy so of course after walking around the market for a while we decided it was time to try out this spot for a lunch. The area was very clean and there were lots of seats available and maybe that had to do with our first time into this area was on a Thursday and it is still a location that isn’t known by a lot of people. We figured out our lunch and placed our order then waiting for it to be prepared. Here is our lunch order and our feedback on them.

•  Western Omelet Sandwich
• Ham, onion, green peppers, and (2) large eggs severed on toasted sourdough bread
• There is an option to add cheese and according to my husband he should have added it to the sandwich.
• We ordered the basic western omelet which my husband was very happy but admitted that he wished he had of added cheese to this sandwich.
• Classic Smashed Burger
• Cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions, pickles, District sauce, (this is two smash burgers). There is an option to get one smash burger but the one on the menu does show the double burger.
• I ordered the sandwich minus the district sauce, and pickles but added bacon.

This is a location that is within the St Jacob’s Market but is open between 8 am – 3 pm for Tuesday through Saturday. The entrance is both available from the market itself but also as an external entrance so that means that when the market is closed you can still enjoy having either a breakfast or lunch here.

Here is our feedback with regards to what we ordered and out thoughts and feelings about things

• Western Omelet Sandwich
• The sandwich was really good, and it would have been nice to have added cheese to the sandwich so that is something to think about in the future.
• Classic Smashed Burger
• I was surprised at the size of the burger knowing that there were beef burgers and when I looked at the amount of bacon that was added to the burger, I was very impressed. I was surprised the amount of bacon that was added given the amount of bacon I would get at another location. I think I had either 5 or 6 slices of bacon added to this burger for only $4 it was a very good value. I didn’t have the pickle or District sauce, but I didn’t feel like I was missing anything.

What I can say about this location is it is a hidden area that people that go to the market aren’t currently aware of so if you want to enjoy a nice quite spot for a lunch or even a breakfast, as they offer that as well, this might be the location for you. 

If you are looking for a good place to have either breakfast or lunch go to the north end of Peddler’s Village and you will find a very nice place to enjoy either a lunch or breakfast depending on what time you are looking to grab a meal. Once you order our meal, you are going to have wait to hear your number called and it’s time to pick up your meal and time to enjoy it.

Loops Earplugs - moving forward

I have found that I have been able to figure out how to wear the various ear plugs and I am so much happier with them. Now here is some of the feedback that I have on the various ear plugs because I am finding what works for me and what hasn’t worked for me.

1. Quiet 2 – here are the ear plugs that I have been using at night, and I have to admit that it has helped with the overall sleep because I am not hearing all the different sounds around me. I don’t hear the air conditioning going on and off and I also don’t hear my husband snoring as much so that is nice.
2. Experience 2 – this I the ear plugs that I have been using when things just seem to get overwhelming and I am not certain how to manage things. It is nice when I can just tune out of the various sounds that I hear. I have also found that I can use on of these ear plugs when I am using one of my noise cancelling ear plugs and it makes much a difference. Just being able to see that I have been able to see progress on things makes me happy. Even using one of the ear plugs with another device helps a lot.
3. Engage 2 – I haven’t been in the environments that I can use these ear plugs so I am not certain how they work but I know that at the beginning of October I am going to be trying these out.

Having ear plugs that can help me find a happy place sometimes is extremely important. I know that there are still going to be times when I can’t figure out how to manage things but at least I am feeling better. I hope that I can say that all three of the various ear plugs have found a place that works the best for me. I might not have the ideal situations for each of these ear plugs but at least seeing that I have been able to figure out what works for me and where they work for me is great.

I have been able to at least figure out what works for me on a daily basis and I am finding that Quiet 2 is the ear plugs that I use at night and it helps me get the sleep that I need and Experience 2 is the ear plugs that I use during the day to make sure that I can escape some of the sounds that are happening around me.

Having ear plugs that work for the various environments that we deal with every day can make a big difference. Just knowing that we have been able to turn off some of the sounds around us is wonderful and now to see how things go when we are in a party environment at the beginning of October. Will Engage 2 help me manage those sounds, I guess we are going to see how I goes.

Back to school

Here it is the first couple of weeks of kids going back to school in the Toronto area. When kids go back to school it means a new routine for both them and their parents. The sleeping in until whenever doesn’t happen during the week anymore and there are schedules for going to bed as well which I think kids are going to be fighting for a while.

Something else that happens at this time of year is that the roads get busier because of course more people are back to their own routine. One of the things that makes me laugh about where we live is the number of parents that drive their children to the public school and drop them off. From where we live the distance to the front of the school is 350 meters so not very far at all. If I was to walk from where we live to the playground for the school is about 400 meters or around 5 minutes to walk. The advantage of walking is it is good exercise and in a lot of ways it is closer because if you drive the children to school, they have to go down into the parking garage to get to the car and then after getting out of the car they still have to go into the playground before they go into the school so they are probably walking the same distance and you are using gas, etc.

Back to school also means that overall, more cars are on the road because it isn’t just the elementary to high school students that are back to school it is also all the universities and colleges that have returned to campuses so a lot more people are commuting. Besides all the students that are getting to the schools there are all the staff that need to get back as well.

So, for the first couple of weeks of when everyone is going back to school it means that the traffic paths are going to change from what they were during the summer. Everyone now must learn to deal with these new traffic patterns even if you don’t have anyone returning to school. Even a simple trip to the grocery store can be impacted because of either students getting out of school and wanting to get home quickly or the school buses that are now on the roads as well.

 

Ikea - Swedish Restaurant special

Today (August 27th) we went to Ikea to have their special which was 50% off specific meals from 11 am to close between Monday and Friday. Well, we got into the parking lot without too much of an issue but then we saw lots of people. We decided to continue into the building to see how busy it was, and we walked upstairs to getting closer to the Swedish Restaurant and then suddenly we saw a long line up. It wasn’t just the line inside the restaurant it was a loop around three times as long outside the restaurant before it even got into the restaurant.

Once you get into the restaurant there is a loop three times around the area before you can get to where you can order the meatball dinner so that is going to take quite a while to get to that location. After getting your food you are going to have to get into another line to pay for your food and then there is the next major issue and that is finding a place to sit to have your food.

When we arrived it was just over 2 pm so a lot of people that got there for lunch should have been gone or at least wrapping up, but it sure didn’t look like it given what I could see of the dining area as well as the lineup for the food. We quickly decided that instead of standing in a line that could have been around 45 minutes to an hour before we got our food, we decided it was time to head downstairs and grab something else that we enjoy. We headed down to the like area where you can order hot hogs, pops and ice cream, and we order two hot dogs and a pop and that was our lunch. It was fine and it was a lot faster getting it than it would have been waiting in the long line to try and get some food upstairs.

Something that I did notice the last time we went during this special was there were tables of ladies just sitting and socializing without any food plates in front of them. The other thing I noticed were the number of people that were sitting doing work on computers while others were trying to find a table. If you are trying to find a place to do work, I wouldn’t pick a place is having a special for meals because yes, they provide free internet, but you are now taking up a table for 4, when there is one of you doing work.

Yes, the Ikea meals are reasonable and when they are 50% off it is even better but be prepared to have to stand in line for a while to get your meal and then have a challenge finding a seat. I do love the Swedish Meatball meal that Ikea has so maybe what we are going to do is once this special is over we will head back to Ikea and enjoy a meal when it isn’t quite as busy, and we don’t have to stand in line so long.