spinning, spinning, spinning

I recently joined the Les Chater YMCA on Rymal Rd. in Hamilton. The facility is very nice and clean and the people that work there are pretty friendly. The fitness center is attached to the newest Hamilton Public Library so if you want to read a book or magazine while working out it is convenient to choose from their selection. I got the student rate; their plans don't sign you into a contract with any hidden fees or anything - it's a family gym so i mean, c'mon. The best parts about the membership is that most of their machines (treadmills, ellipticals) have TVs on them so you can watch whatever you want while running. Another benefit is that all the adult fitness classes are included in the membership. They offer yoga, cardio, aquafit, and so much more. Today I participated in their 'Cyclefit' class with a friend.

The class was set up well. The instructor was helpful when we were setting up our bikes and motivational throughout the workout. The class was 45 minutes and it peaked 3/4 of the way through. She gave us a significant time to cool down too - I don't like classes that don't. I would definitely go to the spinning class at the Y again.

Let's hear it for the YMCA

Good times, Good friends, Good food at Papagayo

On Friday night, Jessica, Sean, Parker, and I enjoyed a lovely meal at Papagayo - a Mexican restaurant on King St. E. The atmosphere of the place is small and filled with Mexican kitsch decor. There are paintings on the wall for sale and plenty of parrot figurines. Papagayo means parrot in spanish.

I enjoyed how they folded their napkins. We were seated at a nice table for four and given complimentary nacho chips; they were pretty tasty. The wait time to order and to get our food was a little long; our waitress had a short term memory or something. This left us plenty of time to catch up with each other and share life stories. When our food finally did arrive it was delicious and hit the spot just right.

Parker and I each had the Chimichanga - I had mine with chicken and he tried the beef. It is stuffed with beans and rice and I also chose to have vegetables in mine. The Chimichanga is served with a nice light caesar salad. I really enjoyed it, especially the deep fried tortilla. Jessica tried the Combination Plate; it was served with a half Chimichanga and half beef burrito along with beans and rice. Sean had the Enchilada platter, also with beans and rice.

We all thought the serving sizes were slightly small for the price on the menu. Each of us also tried a dessert (no pictures were taken of the desserts because we each ate them so fast - they were really good). Sean had deep fried ice cream, Parker and Jess tried the Lime Tequila Cheesecake, and I had the Chocolate Chili Cheesecake. The cake that I had had a slight 'zing' to it which was obviously the chili. Did I mention how good the desserts were? Overall, it was nice to spend some time with friends and despite the slow service, the meal was pretty appetizing. I would give Papagayo a 3.5 out of 5. To check out the rest of Papagayo's menu, go here: Papagayo!

Good eats!

Check it out.

Here is a link to the blog I wrote for our PR@Mohawk blog. My Post

Been Sitting On This for a While: Broken

I recently saw the Broken Social Scene movie, This Movie Is Broken, at the Art Gallery of Hamilton's World Film Festival. Now, for anyone that knows me they know that I am genuinely addicted to all things BSS. Unfortunately though, the movie fell short of my expectations.

The film, directed by Canada's own Bruce McDonald, is a love story meets concert footage movie. It was filmed during the Toronto garbage strike in the summer of 2009 at a free Broken Social Scene concert at the Harbour front centre. Originally BSS was to play a concert on Toronto Island. Due to the strike, the concert was rescheduled because no ferries were going to and from the island. I attended this concert (did I mention it was free?)

The narrative of the movie follows two twenty something year olds - Bruno and Caroline. Caroline is Bruno's childhood crush and after they finally hook up he becomes obsessive about becoming exclusive with her. The problem is, Caroline is only in town for one night before she returns back to her studies in Paris. This one night is the night of the Broken Social Scene concert. Caroline and Bruno attend the concert along with one of Bruno's friends, Blake. As the concert goes on, you can barely make out what Caroline and Bruno are trying to say over the music and eventually it is clear that they have argued about something. Caroline rushes away from her 'favourite' band and wanders the streets of Toronto instead. Bruno is left sulking as he tries to enjoy the rest of BSS. Bruno and Blake also mysteriously end up at an after party with the band. The narrative spirals out of control and Bruno and Blake end up making out in Bruno's dirty apartment. (Sorry I gave away the twist but it's not like any of you will see the movie after this review). Eventually Caroline shows up at Bruno's apartment (with naked Blake in his bed) and they somewhat make up. There is also a strange short film at the end of the movie which seems completely separate from the rest of the project.

As much as I love Broken Social Scene, this movie was not worth the price of the AGH ticket. The narrative to the movie was completely pointless. The film had so much potential of being an 'art' film in which they could have incorporated concert footage with band interviews and maybe some fan submissions of why BSS inspires them.

After the screening, the actor who played Bruno (Greg Calderone) came out to answer a few questions from the audience. It was clear that I was maybe one of three people in the audience who had known about the film and the band before entering the theatre. I was also probably one in three who has a film degree (not to sound pretentious or anything) because some girl asked Greg how he felt about kissing another guy (gee, thanks, we really want to know). Aside from telling us that sometimes actors have to do different things, Greg informed us that he was cast just ONE day before shooting was to start. I asked Greg about the script and if any of the film was improvised. He admitted that some of it was. From this, I feel as if the twist of the film was just thrown into the movie because the makers of the film did not know what to do with the already pointless plot.

Despite the lack of intriguing narrative, the film does create an exceptionally exciting concert experience. (But did I mention that I already attended the actual concert?) Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning, Leslie Feist, Emily Haines, Amy Milan and the other 13 plus members of BSS bring so much energy to the stage and the silver screen. Included in the footage was an exclusive duet played at the concert (it was my favourite part) and you can see it here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6NLkioP3ks During this duet, Kevin and Leslie cleverly combine two of their solo songs. It was lovely but as a whole This Movie Is Broken is not.

This Movie Is Broken - it truly IS broken.

Stumbled upon this...

I love the way fall looks

I love fall. The feeling of change is most apparent in the fall season. The leaves change colour and fall off trees, school season is back in action and family holidays are most celebrated. This weekend, I spent time amongst the fall at Parker's family cottage in McKellar. Here are some outdoorsy pictures from the stay.

Other than admiring the colours, eating, and studying, the weekend was uneventful but relaxing.

I was experimenting with this picture - I took it through the hole of a garden statue. I enjoy it.

They say that the longer and thicker the black part of a caterpillar is, the longer and colder the winter will be. This one's more deep orange though, perhaps a short winter? Let's hope so!

Delicious Discovery

Today I 'stumbled upon' a way to pop popcorn that  I can't believe  I didn't think of myself. I normally pop popcorn on the stove because I prefer it over the microwavable bagged popcorn. Here is what the trusty internet has taught me:

Put kernels in a paper bag and stick the bag in the microwave for about 2 to 3 minutes. Let pop and stop when kernels pop with more than two to three seconds between each pop.

Voila! It really works! It's a healthier option - there are often harmful chemicals and ingredients in bags of microwave popcorn. It's also faster than doing it on the stove top.

Thank you stumbleupon.com for this delicious idea!