Tight sectional squeeze

Our sectional was delivered today.
And after trying to get it in the side door intact.  We quickly realized it wasn't going to go downstairs easily.
It's the reason we chose a sectional versus a sofa.
This sectional however is probably one of the larger ones to select.
It's 124" across the back.  But that's when it's all together.
I figured it would go down easily since it's in 2 pieces.
Ah...not so easy.

So I disconnected the damper from the door frame and tried.  Then I disconnected the light and tried again, then the door came out. And then the legs from the sectional came off.

It was still a tight squeeze going down the stairs.
I didn't care so much about the walls.
But I was concerned about the stairs.
But it was tight.
As long as it goes down successfully
I'll be happy.

Once it makes it down the stairs it opens up and it's easy peasy.
Glad we paid for delivery.  These guys were very nice and it was well over an hour before they finally were done.  And I was helping.

Legs go back on.
And we got a sofa snap to prevent that annoying thing that happens when you sit right at the sectional part.
It's extra, but it can only be mounted on sectionals with a wood base. The ones that have a metal frame (*Gus Modern), they can't do.
And I think it's not because it can't be done.  I think it's because it's more difficult to do and not cost effective and therefore they just don't offer it as an option.

I love this sectional.  It's got all the modern look and feel that meets Tresa's requirements, and it's got my requirement for being able to get it down the stairs and it's comfy.  Not sure if you noticed but most modern pieces are not that comfy.  But after sitting on a cushion for nearly 2 months, I'll take an uncomfortable modern couch over a hardwood floor.
Plus it's huge!   So there's room on it for more than just 3 of us.

I can now watch the Leafs make the playoffs in comfort.  Although it felt like I was sharing the pain of the entire Leafs nation by sitting on the floor and making my butt sore from all the years they've been getting their butts kicked.

History 101.5

We paid our last respects to Vinko.  He was 101-1/2 years old.
In the funeral parlour there were photos dating back nearly a hundred years.  Like right out of the History Channel.

We were at his 100th birthday party a year and a half ago, where he was like DJ Hundred.  I think the headphones were for hearing and not music.

We're in the top row on the right.  How often do you get to say happy 100 b-day.  Hope you have many more.  eh?  This was one off the bucket list.

Once Mary and Julie had notified their cousins in Slovenia that Vinko had past away, they came straight away. Arriving hours before the funeral to pay their respects.

And they brought with them some artifacts from his homeland.
One is soil from the farm that Vinko's brother had owned, that was torched by an invading nation.




The other was a piece of a mountain that many Slovenians strive to climb.  And Vinko never got the opportunity so his nephews brought it to him to be buried with him.






I hope I look as good or feel as good, or have a mind as good in my retirement years as Vinko did in his 90's.
It's important to keep exercising the mind, eating healthy, cut out salt, limit the fast food or cut it out completely, go for walks because a couch just trains your body for the casket.  If you look a casket, it's cushy like a sofa.  And when they lay you to rest, it's like taking a nap in a chesterfield.  Notice that?  Think about it.

And I hope Kieran takes care of us, like Mary and Julie did their parents.  Training is already in progress.   And Kieran said he would buy me a house that I wanted.  For $500.00.  Sounds like it'll be made of pretty nice cardboard.  Better be somewhere warm.

History 101 and a half 
100 Candles

How to avoid Parking Police at Humberside

This is one way to avoid getting a parking ticket infraction when picking up your kid at the school.

I was dropping off Kieran today and saw a police cruiser and a tow truck with HID's blinding the hell out of people with his reflector lights.

Anyways.  I thought they were waiting for parents parking illegally and would ticket and tow them immediately.
There's like a quiet war going on with some folks who live on the street and the school and parents of kids at the school that park and obstruct traffic and cause confusion and delay, as Sir Topham Hatt would say.  I've witnessed some of these battles and people seem to have low tolerance.  But to be fair, some parents are just lazy and can't walk a block to pick up their kids.  I've found that if you come at a certain time it's pretty crazy Pacific Mall category parking.  But come a little before or after and it's like parking at Rona.

In any case, as I was driving away, only then I noticed a silver Civic had wrapped it's front end around a lamp post.  Air bags fully deployed.  Good. That is a good indicator that it's a write off.  If air bags didn't deploy, insurance would deem it repairable.  And they will have a car that always pulls to one side more than the other.

You know who lives at this house?  Asians.  So it could've been a Chinese food delivery guy trying to get there in under 30 mins, or there pad thai noodles were free.

It must have happened not too long before 8am,  I don't know how long it takes, but I suppose they were still writing up notes and gathering evidence.  There was no ambulance, no CityTV reporter. Just the tow truck and officer sitting in the cruiser counting his timbits.

No parking police, so no parking infraction?

Ahead of his time

We got this Sodastream after our NJ visit in August.  We use it every day.  We first tried it at my cousin's place.  We don't drink pop.  But we buy Perrier and that other brand that starts with an S.  That escapes me right now.

Oh ya, it's San Pellegrino.  For a case it's like 16.99 or something.  On sale it's 11.99.  We usually mix it with juice or just by itself.
We don't miss the pop at all.  And I think my teeth and my belly are better for it.

There are many variants of this model, but they all do the same thing.
And they sell it in various stores.  This one just happened to come from Macy's.  We wanted the red, but they were all sold out.

But this one came with a CO2 canister and two 1L bottles and some flavour syrup bottles.  In case you wanted to make an orange, lemon or raspberry flavoured sparkling water.  I tried them, it's ok.  They kinda gave me a headache.

We were curious to know how many bottles a canister will do.  The CO2 canisters are 14.99 each, after you return the empty one.

In any case, 1 CO2 canister will do 50 or so bottles.
That's pretty good.  Compared to 12.00 for a case of 12 Perrier or San Pellegrino.

And I did a taste test, to see if we could tell the difference.
And we couldn't.

Does anyone remember Soda-mistic?  Well that Goodwill clothing dude on the far left there sold it in high school.  Well, he sold only 1.
To his girlfriend's (at the time) parents.

I'm not sure if that company is around anymore and this one sales guy didn't help it's bottom line, but it's ironic how Derrick, the guy we've always known to still have clothes from high school, was 25 years ahead of his time.

Fishey new year

It's raining outside today.
Fishey said in his tank one day.
It's been a Christmas and New Year break full of halls and colds and neo citran.  And the rain on Jan 1st was in the forecast but the sun in the morning was a teaser.
Anne it's just like Chester here in TO.   We were thinking of going to skating at Col. Sam Smith park.  But mother nature just said 'who are you kidding?'

Fishey's routine every day is Kieran's vitamins, puffer and fish food.
Once a week I clean the tank.  It's in my calendar.
Fishey is 1 year old.  Kieran got him from auntie Jessie across the street last Christmas.  It's the only pet he's not allergic too.  Mostly because he can't touch it.
If he could pet it, he would.  Some people who told me they've had Beta Fish said their's only lasted for a few weeks or a few months, tops. Some from poor owner care, but others from natural causes, I suppose.

We spent New year eve visiting one of Tresa's friends who was having an open house and we dropped in and we ended up being the last to leave.  Kieran and I made some pizza's in her pizza station.  It was great!  And the RSA bloke was a hoot.  NFLD is one of the most beautiful places he's ever been to and that's his current home base. Years ago I looked at purchasing one of these lofts. But the one I saw was teeny tiny like a box with an elevated platform for your bed.  Seeing her place, I was thinking that I would have bought one for sure.

Kieran just likes the pedestrian walkway that takes you to Dundas St W.
The area is changing that is for sure.  Not sure if I would buy it now as an investment since the area doesn't really attract me so much as the actual place.  Location, location, location.
But the Junction area is changing.  Lots of new shops, restaurants.  I can see the value in this area.  But it'll be another 5-7 years.  After that.  It won't be affordable any more.
Good for us since we are already in the area, but what can you do if you are young?  You need parents with some vision.

I am hoping that 2012 isn't so tiring as 2011.  It may be a planning year for a busy 2013.

Happy New Year [Srečno novo leto] people.  Don't let the rain come in.