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.

Loop Earplugs - first impression

Recently I decided to invest in some earplugs as I am someone that hears way too many sounds and I needed a way to tune out some of the sounds that have been getting way too overwhelming. I did quite a bit of research to try and figure out what was going to work for me and after lots of consideration I made a decision to purchase some earplugs to maybe see if they would help block out some of the sounds that were getting to me.

Disclaimer: I do have some noise cancelling earbuds which work great but the only disadvantage with them is I need to ensure that they are charged when I need them which is something that isn’t says available. The ear buds work great when I want to listen to someone on my computer or tablet but there are times when I just want to hide from the world and don’t need to be fully charged, attached to my computer or my tablet.

When I decided to purchase where some earplugs that don’t need to be charged at all and hopefully, they are going to be doing what I want them to do. After a lot of looking around and trying to figure out what I wanted and what was going to work for me I decided to purchase some Loop Earplugs.

Here is what I purchased, and I will explain why each of these were something that I wanted:

1. Quiet 2 – made for deeper focus, calmer travel and sleep. Powerful noise reduction 24 dB of noise reduction for getting in your quiet bubble at home, work and beyond
2. Experience 2 – enjoy safter, crisper sound with our new improved Experience 2 earplugs. Stylish hearing protection for live music and events. Less noise, crisper sound. Filters noise by 17dB so music stays clear, but at a safer volume
3. Engage 2 – our new and improve Loop Engage 2 earplugs offer discreet relief from everyday noise for more clear and focused conversations. Fewer distractions, more connection. Filters background noise by 16dB for more present socializing. Keeps speech clear. Minimizes the “block ear” sensation common speaking with earplugs.

This is why I purchased three separate devices instead of purchasing one earplug that they said would do all these things by just moving a lever to move between each of these selections. Part of my choice of selecting to purchase three different earplugs was there was nothing that could break if I have three different earplugs to provide the three different features.

1. Quiet 2 – I am someone that would like to be able to find a quiet place so that I can focus on my writing and hopefully be able to make some good progress on things without too many distractions.
2. Experience 2 – there are times that we go to events and the noise from the speakers that just become too overwhelming, and I cannot have a conversation with those around me because the sound is just too much.
3. Engage 2 – be able to focus on conversations without hearing too much of the background noise or other conversations would be great.

I have only had these earplugs for a little while and right now they are doing just what I want them to do which is great. I am going to have to try them in different environments to see how they work but right now I am thinking that they are going to help me not feel as overwhelmed as I have been feeling and I can now find my quiet place and they are comfortable which is also an important factor.

I will report back after I have tried these earplugs for a while because right now they feel like they are going to work for me, but I need to try them out in various locations to see what I think. Keep an eye out for an update post after I have spent some time wearing these earplugs.

Chuck's Roadhouse

If you are someone that lives in Ontario and enjoys ribs, streak or good hamburger can I recommend Chuck's Roadhouse.  The one problem that I am going to say it there aren't a lot of locations but if you are close to one give them a try.

We have found quite a few locations are wonderful and have only found one that we didn’t like. Our first experience at a Chuck’s was on a visit to Niagara Falls, Ontario and this location was within a short walk from our hotel as we were staying at the Courtyard Inn by Marriott on Victoria. The Chuck’s Roadhouse is an easy walk from this hotel, so it made it a great place for dinner.  Chuck’s was originally recommended to me but some friends online so we figured it was worth a try. 

When we first went to Chuck’s what surprised us was the price of a top sirloin steak because it was very reasonable and especially in Niagara Falls. The Top Sirloin is 7 oz, and it comes with fries and corn, and it was $15. You can upgrade your side to a Caesar salad, sweet potato fries or a loaded baked potato for around $2. We have been going to Chuck’s for a while now and the prices are still around the same which is nice.

Something to know that they do have specials during the week and knowing about them does help when you are trying to figure out a place to go and have dinner or even a late-night drink and some appetizers. There is a special of ½ price appetizers after 9 pm most days if not every day so that is great when you are out and just want something extra. Now, the special that we really enjoy is the Wednesday special and we sometimes plan to be near a Chuck’s just for this special, and it is Wednesday Rib Day, All Day. A full rack of back ribs is $15 and a half rack of ribs are $10. What we have done is order a full rack of ribs each and cut them in half and then take a half rack of ribs home for dinner another night.

The restaurant isn’t fancy, but the food is really good, and the prices are reasonable. Being able to go out for dinner and have some good food without spending lots of money is always nice. Chuck’s has become a restaurant that we will look for when we are travelling in Ontario because we know that we will regularly get a good meal.

Hudson Bay - closing and impact to the Path

For those us in Toronto we know that the underground “Path” was someone that we have dealth with for years and it was our method of going from Union Station to Yonge/Dundas Square without having to go outside at any point.

Recently we had a closer of “The Bay” which was part of the “path” so how was it going to impact the route that we all knew and understood. The good news is that the path still remained the same because they were able to close off areas and there were specific paths that everyone could take to get to the various “path” routes that went through “The Bay”.

I am not certain what is going to happen moving forward but at least we were able to walk through the underground bath from the Sheraton Centre to the Eaton Centre without an issue and that made us happy. Of course, the area that we went through was pretty empty but at least we were able to get thorough the area that had been “The Bay”. The only thing that I am going to say is you better be prepared for stairs because you either have to walk up the escalator stairs or the stairs to the right of the escalator and that is rather difficult but at least you can continue to move your way through what was “the Bay” and you can connect to the ret of the path.

It was interesting walking through the area that was once “The Bay” because there were a lot of areas that we couldn’t walk through but then when we got to a specific area there were security guards that were monitoring the open area on the basement area. What this showed was a lot of areas where still open to the public because of the “The Path” access but then there were areas that were not available because they were not specifically “Path” specific.

So, if you are going to be waling from Union Station to the Eaton Center or vice versa please know that you are going to be walking through an area that was a department store a couple of months ago but is now a vacant area and you just have to accept the path that has bene outlines. It isn’t handicap accessible so that is something that you need to know when you do this path. There is a path that you can do outside but again it isn’t totally covered so you might have to deal with the Toronto weather.

Loading Zones - IKEA

 We have been seeing something that neither of us like and that is people parking in loading zones and not following the rules that are there for everyone. Recently we have seen this happen repeatedly when we go to IKEA. It is amazing how many cars are parked in the loading zone and there is no one around the vehicle. It isn’t like someone has pulled up and they are waiting for someone else to finish checking out.

This last trip to IKEA I took a couple of pictures and they are an hour apart and the same vehicle is still sitting in the same location and there was no one in or near the vehicle. Yes, it was a company vehicle but still why should they be allowed to park in a loading zone taking up a space that someone could be using to quickly pick up their purchase. If this happened occasionally it would be one thing but most of the time where are multiple cars parked in the loading zone and with no driver close by.

There is one loading area that I understand that people will leave their vehicles and that is the Click and Collection loading area. This spot I where you can get Ikea to collect your items from throughout the store and you just go to that specific location to pick up the items.

I have asked Ikea about this but have never got any reply and the employees that are standing outside dealing with the carts don’t say anything either so that is also disappointing. These employees are probably not allowed to question why a person is parking in the loading area. It must be frustrating for these employees when there are no spots where someone can pull into to load their purchases and the customer gets upset with them.

 If you are one of those individuals that parks your vehicle in the loading zone and then goes and wanders around Ikea and maybe has a meal as well. Please remember that the loading zone is for customers to quickly load their purchases into their vehicles and not to be used as a close parking spot.

Update: we ended up going back into IKEA to pick up something that we forgot to get and the truck was still there after 1.5 hours.

Working with charities

I am someone that has been helping with charities for most of my adult life and it is something that I enjoy doing. I have supported charities through volunteering my time for events and such. Besides donating my time, I have also been able to support the charities through my crafting, and I have always enjoyed doing that. Through the crafting that I have done for charities I have learned quite a bit and it something that I would like to pass on to others. 

Here are a few things that I have learned:

1. Needs – figure out what is needed by the organization and the items are going to be donated to. If the items can be different sizes make sure you know what the sizes are that are needed, as well as any restrictions, such as type of yarn or colour. If you are collecting handmade blankets, make sure that you know the size that the organization wants and needs and not just a general idea.
2. Volunteers – when you have volunteers that are willing to assist in getting items made, make sure that you communicate to them the sizes, etc. that are required. This is important so that you don’t get items that you cannot distribute.
3. Communication – communication between volunteers and the organization is vital because that ensures everyone knows what is going on. If needs change spending out emails, etc. quickly is a good way to let everyone know about these changes.
4. Accepting items – figure out the method that you will accept the donations, so that everyone knows how it is going to be handled. If you are sending out communications that say “Drop Off’ make sure that you are going to be accepting people dropping off things. If you are not allowing people to drop-off items, make sure that is clearly communicated. Recently I received an email from a charity that I was working with that said, “Schedule a drop-off time” and it turned out that you were to box everything up, weigh it, measure the box and send that information and they would then get a courier to pick up the box. Not everyone has a schedule that allows for waiting around for a courier to pick up the box. This should have been one of the options not the only option.
5. General – making sure that everyone feels part of the team is very important because that is how you will continue to get others willing to help. It is amazing how a crafting community can come together to assist a charity if they will like they are part of it.

These are just a few of things that I have learned while dealing with charities and especially helping make items for different organization. It doesn’t matter what the charity is collecting be it funds or items understanding the importance of volunteers is key.

I understand working with charities can be difficult especially during these economic challenges. Some of what I have learned is also from obtaining my Fundraising Certificate and being able to assist charities is something that I would love to do more of.