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.