TSO Pops - Sounds of Simon and Garfunkel

Absolutely fabulous show with lots of our favourites. The sweetest tenor and most rugged baritone were an awesome blend. The combination of the amazing duo of Swearingon and Beedle with the TSO was magical. As usual. 

Canstage - London Road

Hmmm, not quite sure what to say about this show. Seems like a long drawn out way to tell a fairly simple story. With the dialogue largely set to music, the cadence was more like chanting in many parts and I found it hard to understand at times. It also made the residents’ experience come across as a little artificial, not really exuding symphony for anyone. This is probably not for a “senior” audience, who may have trouble deciphering the dialogue, although you won’t lose your way through this simple plot.

Toronto Region Board of Trade - 126th Annual Dinner

I was at the Annual Board of Trade dinner last night, where the business community honours its outstanding leaders. This year’s honorees were Sheldon Levy and Nadir Mohamed, both recognized for their work and support of entrepreneurs through the DMZ and The Next 36. Both humble and clearly committed to students and budding innovators, Nadir also had some insightful and thought provoking commentary on our digital future.

As MC, Jian Ghomeshi kept the evening lively. Not a little bit of envy at the sculptured entertainment – two chiseled performers from Montreal, suspending themselves from a pole with their awesome athletic prowess.

Mirvish - Heartbeat of Home

Featuring Irish, Afro-cuban and Latin dancers and musicians, this was a spectacular integration of very different music and dance styles. Incredible energy and strength, these talented performers obviously enjoyed being on stage, projecting their energy deep into the audience. We thoroughly enjoyed this show!

Toronto Fringe - Next Stage Theatre Festival - Killer Business, The Musical

While entertaining, this play fell a little short of our expectations – it was a  little corny and old fashioned, the jokes were tending towards lame and the innuendo not so subtle.

However, the vocals were great, with some powerful effort from all performers, although not in all of their numbers, which may have been more an issue with the sound system. Also, the staging was clever as we alternated between on stage and back stage.

Best of all were the chorus girls – I loved that they were the real brains! Fabulous intellectual repartee, dancing and comedic timing.

Blue Mountain Resort - Jan 2 to 4

Spent a couple of days in Collingwood with my daughter, a friend and her son. They went skiing while I "chaleted". This is a great Ontario spot for the non-skiier, as the Village has lots of lovely shops and a very nice espresso cafe (forget the long line-up at Starbucks). From Poutine, beavertails, wings and pizza, to Italian, pub and seafood, there is plenty of choice for meals. Getting a room with a kitchen is a good idea, as the restaurant wait times can get quite long on weekends. It's also nice to have breakfast in the room and to be able to come back and throw off your gear to enjoy a snack and a hot chocolate.

While the room was spacious enough and quite comfortable, I'm afraid I can't say the same for the beds. One double and a pullout sofa bed, my daughter and I unfortunately drew the short straw. With what was only about five inches of foam for a mattress, you could feel the springs every time you moved and the mattress dipped towards the middle of the bed. While this may be hardy enough for the teen boys that generally get relegated to the sofa bed, I suggest you give it a pass. Will have to look into other options (two real beds or separate rooms) if we do this again.

As the first time skiing this season, the teens opted for a one hour lesson to start their days. They were happy with the lessons - the instructors were great - and quickly developed their confidence to move up to the green runs.

They really enjoyed the night skiing and it was a great value to add to your package.

Lots of other things to do, including the roller coaster, water park, hot tubs or a little snow shoeing around the golf course (tours on the mountain on Sundays) - check in at the visitor centre for lots of fun ideas.

Overall, a great experience for all and one which we will likely repeat ……..