I own a home with both a front lawn and a back lawn, and I cut this lawn with a manual push reel mower. My mom recently had her yards landscaped so they don't have grass anymore, so she gave me her electric mower.  I used it exactly once before

Today, I turn 40. Living on this planet for forty years teaches you a thing or two. Here are ten things I've learned along the way. Get in shape and stay thereYou can't teach experienceSome people just want to watch the world burnAlways save your source filesTalk to your kids

The Washington Redskins were given that nickname in 1933. Many terms from that era are no longer appropriate. It's time to change the Washington NFL teams' name. I've got friends who think the name should be grandfathered in as an offensive relic from another era.  In essence, it's always been

This morning, I checked my Facebook feed.  It appears I'm supposed to hate Gwyneth Paltrow now. This open letter to Gwyneth Paltrow that was published in the New York Post is being shared in anger by working moms. From what I gather, Gwyneth Paltrow is on the shit-list because of

My kids didn't have recess yesterday.  Well they had the break, but they were told they had to stay inside.  The powers that be deemed it too cold to play outdoors. I agree with this Toronto pediatrician who says the health benefits of staying active during winter far outweigh the

Here's an ad for L'Oreal featuring Diane Keaton.  It aired during the Golden Globes on Sunday night. During that same Golden Globes telecast, we saw Diane Keaton present an award to Woody Allen.  Here's how Diane looked Sunday night. I'll take the latter Diane Keaton, the real one who is

A guest brought Laura Secord chocolates with her when she visited Saturday night.  We love Laura Secord chocolates. Except the orange chocolate.  Orange chocolate sucks.

Working from home, I hear the clank of our letter box closing after a visit from Canada Post.  It's usually around 2pm and as soon as I hear it I scurry down the stairs to see what I've been left. Since I moved into this home over three months ago,

Commenter Ben doesn't always use the divider when putting his groceries on the conveyer belt.  He also calls the divider "a baton", which may or may not be the proper term. I haven't got around to Googling that one yet... Ben just tweeted at me that he's not an asshole

I know people who are infatuated with the undead.  Specifically, zombies. They watch zombie television shows like The Walking Dead, enjoy zombie movies like World War Z and generally consume anything zombie-related. They just dig the genre. I do not dig the genre.  In fact, I find zombie shows and

MLSE is going to honour Bon Jovi with a permanent banner inside the ACC.  Until now, the only banners you'd find hanging from the rafters honour sports teams and players who have called the venue home.  Stanley Cup banners, retired and honoured players and the like. These teams and players

According to Twitter, it's hot in Toronto.  I'm told it feels like 44°C out there.  Lots of people are complaining, but you won't hear me bitching about the heat. To borrow a phrase my buddy Mark just used on his blog, the hotter the better.  I've never deemed Toronto

I'm rarely impressed with customer service these days, but I just had an experience so fine I had to write about it. My son cracked the screen of our Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook so I called Dell up and dealt with a lovely woman named Linda.  Linda owned this case

For no particular reason, and in no particular order, here are five things I don't appreciate.  I understand why people dig this stuff, I've just never been able to get into it. The Wu-Tang ClanI've always enjoyed rap, with my favourite group being Public Enemy.  My brother Ryan, a fellow

Easter is coming, and that means kids everywhere will be receiving Kinder Surprise Eggs.  Well, not kids everywhere.  I understand they're still illegal in the United States. I must confess that I never did like Kinder Eggs. The toy inside was always a worthless piece of crap and the chocolate

Wendy's seems torn.  The fast food restaurant sometimes serves up advertisements featuring the real Wendy, Wendy Thomas.  She's the daughter of Wendy's founder Dave Thomas. Other times, we see the role of Wendy played by a thinner, younger actress.  This Wendy reminds me of Alyson Hannigan. You'd think Wendy's would

For the past two years, I've been living in an apartment building.  This building has no 13th floor. Actually, it does have a 13th floor, but it's listed as the 14th floor.  Like many buildings in North America, the 13th floor is completely skipped.  I've never understood this practice. How

Some conspiracy theories can be fun grist for the mill, but others can be outright offensive and hurtful.  No, this isn't an entry about the flu shot, a topic of much debate on these pages, this is an entry about Sandy Hook Elementary School and 9/11. Refusing to believe

Our mega-consumer society has hit my last nerve.  The stuff we accumulate, particularly at this time of year, is enough to make me physically ill. For a few years now, I've had a "no-buy, no-receive" policy that I adhere to. My friends and loved ones know not to buy me

The Newtown tragedy of Friday breaks my heart.  We've become somewhat desensitized to such killing sprees, but the idea of a young man spraying bullets into a frightened huddle of six and seven years olds feels different.  Every time I see a picture of one of the young victims I

In 2012, good employees are fired every day.  I'm not talking about getting fired for cause, like incompetence or stealing or something untoward like that, I'm talking about good, reliable employees being let go for a variety of reasons ranging from: corporate restructuringthe fact they can replace you for half

I start every day with a steaming hot cup of coffee.  I usually start boiling the water at 9am and by 9:15 I'm enjoying my first sip. Lots of people are espousing the virtues of Tassimo, Keurig, Nespresso and other convenient one-cup coffee systems but I'm not the least

I've just returned from the dentist.  I had a dental exam, two x-rays, polishing and scaling.  It cost me $157 + tax. Luckily, I have dental insurance through work, and my insurance plan will cover $156 of the $157.  That's right, my dentist charges $31 for x-rays that my insurance company

Rob Ford is an extremely polarizing political figure in this city.  Actually, beyond this city.  Most of the comments on the Rob Ford Removed From Office entry are from commenters I happen to know live outside the 416, but that's okay.  Everyone is entitled to express their opinions here. Some