Birthday Dinner and Dessert

#3: Grappa.  #4: Marble Slab Creamery.

After walking right by Grappa dozens of times over the years (on College, near Ossington), I finally stepped inside to give it a try.

It's almost as if word had gotten out yesterday that it was my birthday and that I had started this blog!  I had two of the best restaurant service experiences in over 12 years of living in Toronto (check out my previous post about Birthday Breakfast).  This place is a real find and deserves a least one more visit this year.

Later on in the evening, I reconnected with Jason and Robin for dessert at Marble Slab Creamery (Yonge, between Dundas and College).  The shop is a five minute walk from home, which makes it even more amazing to me that I've never stopped in there.  On the other hand, it may well be a very good thing that I haven't.  They sell the richest, tastiest, most decadent ice cream I have EVER had - I may have to keep it limited to an annual treat, for obvious reasons.  Same time next year!

Birthday Breakfast

#2: Over Easy.
Had a great breakfast this morning.  If the first meal of the day is important, then just think how crucial the first meal of the (birth)year must be.  The standard combo of eggs, peameal bacon, homefries, and toast was good, and the service was stellar.  I'd definitely recommend giving 'Over Easy' (Yonge, just north of Wellington) a try.

The icing on the cake was the company - my twin brother Jason and his bride-to-be Robin.  Here's Jason's patended two-handed coffee-cream technique.

One interesting tidbit: when the waiter served us our coffee, he left an entire carafe on the table.  I had never seen anyone do that before, and I thought it was a nice touch.

Going in a different direction.

#1: Blog.

Everyone knows how easy it is to fall into a rut, perhaps calling it a 'routine' or 'pattern' instead, to make it sound slightly less depressing.

Generally speaking, the longer you stay in that rut, the harder it becomes to escape.  That's because the more you continue to tread the same ground, the deeper the trench gets, and the higher the walls climb.

Unless you choose to do something about it.

Inspired by various sources, including some very special friends, family, colleagues, and the outstanding book 'No Opportunity Wasted' (author Phil Keoghan is probably best known as the host of tv's 'The Amazing Race'), I'll be searching out and attempting to complete 365 firsts over the next 365 days.

I'm purposely staying away from narrowingly defining what a 'first' looks like - I'll know one when I try it.  Some of what comes to mind (just so we're clear, when I say 'new', I mean new to me): New restaurants, pubs, lounges, foods, beverages (many of which I suspect will be wines!).  New shops, galleries, museums.  New art, music, film, books.  I'm sure that some 'firsts' may seem a little more important, impressive, or interesting than others - but each will contribute to this endeavour in their own way.

Part of the fun will be staying open to 'firsts' that I had never even considered previously, perhaps that I never knew existed.  I think that the very process of being open to trying new things will be a self-reinforcing process - in other words, the more new things I try, the more I'll want to try new things.

So, why 365?  In order for this experience to really mean something, it feels like the target needs to be demanding and challenging, yet realistic and achievable.  An average of one per day feels about right.  For the most part, I'll try to attempt one new thing each and every day, although some days may include more than one, while others may include none.

I'm also hopeful that this project will serve to help inspire others, by reminding people how much beauty, how many opportunities, and how much LIFE there is all around them.

Enjoy the adventure!