Yesterday’s Blogger’s Breakfast meet-up was loads of fun.  The meet-up was at the Fox and Feather Pub on Elgin Street and bloggers from all over Ottawa came out to enjoy the morning. It was great to finally meet the people behind the words.  I can certainly say that the next time one of these happens, I’ll be sure to be there.

What was also great about meeting the people behind the blogs is than now when I read those blogs, I’ll be able to picture the people and hear the voices, which only adds to the experience.  I also met some new bloggers that will soon have their works added to my blogroll.

After the breakfast meet-up was over, only then I realized that I didn’t have a chance to snap any pictures of the event itself, which I guess worked out well as some bloggers don’t disclose every detail of their personal lives — including their appearance — which I can totally respect.

I did however get one picture taken as Bunny and I were enjoy lattes at a nearby Starbucks with Jobthingy and Speedy afterward, we saw this driving down Elgin Street…

Turns out that even on weekends, the City of Ottawa was busy delivering the Green Bins that will go into use this coming January.  Folks down in my neck of the woods will have to wait until the last week of November for their bins to show up.

Last night, while Ottawa was experiencing its first snow fall of the season, I decided it would be as good a time as any to make my Best Damn Nachos.  And why are they called that you might ask? Because if you ever tried them, you would know.

But since I’m banking on the fact a vast majority of people haven’t tried them, I will — for the first time ever — share my somewhat secret recipe.  Believe me when I say it took many years of practice to get this right and every time I still find new things I can do.  So feel free to be creative if you dare try it yourself.

First, start out with your basic nacho ingredients, which as you can see, can be purchased at any local supermarket.  The large round corn chips are perfect.  The triangle, or “restaurant style” are good too, but I find most times they have been stacked by some stock clerk who doesn’t care about his job, much less your nachos, so there are many broken chips in those bags.  The round ones seem to break less.

Place the corn chips on an over tray, making sure to create one layer of chips overlapping.

Most people make the mistake of using salsa from a jar as the tomato toppings.  That makes for soggy nachos and nobody likes getting a corn chip that looks like someone blew their nose in it.  Instead, use diced tomatoes.  For an added twist, use ones with flavor.  Sure, you could dice, drain and season the tomatoes yourself, but for $1.45 go for the stuff in the can.  But make sure to drain the juice out using a strainer or else you’re on the road to those soggy nachos.

When it comes to black olives (if you like olives, that is) use the sliced and pitted kind.  Again you can go to the trouble of slicing them yourself, but for just over a dollar, why not let the good people at the canning company do the work for you.

Get fancy if you like.  Chopped green onions (or scallions, depending where you are from) are better than using white onions.  They add color and are easy to work with.  I also decided to chop up grilled chicken.  But you can use beef or ground turkey if that floats your boat.  (Please note the knife to illustrate the fact that I actually did chop something for this recipe.)

Good cheese — and plenty of it — is the key ingredient to nachos.  Don’t get cheap here.  Get loads of cheese.  Personally, I use three kinds.  Mozzarella, Cheddar and Monterey Jack.  Don’t be a dumb ass and get the Tex Mex pre-shredded crap in a bag or whatever you find in your grocery store fridge.  And DON’T use Cheez Whiz.

Shred the cheese.  This part is pretty self-explanatory, but since I seem to have a real thing for taking pictures, I give you a photo of shredded cheese.

Next, take all your ingredients and place them on top of the corn chips.  Note the fact I didn’t say “dump them on” or something like that.  Why? Because you will be making layers.

Take your single layer nachos, place them in your oven that has pre-heated on the high setting of your oven’s Broiler.  Place them on the rack and let them cook for about 90 second to one minute.  Longer if needed.  But what you’re doing here is making sure the cheese has melted.  You do NOT want to burn the chips, so keep an eye on them.

Take them out of the oven and repeat the whole layer thing, starting with the corn chips and then add the olives, onions, tomatoes, and cheese. (And chicken if you like.)  Then repeat the oven thing, again watching to make sure the second and first layers don’t burn.

You want to avoid having un-melted cheese, which is almost as bad as soggy nachos.  These layer-then-melt steps will help make sure each chip is covered with gooey cheese

When you are finished, it will look something like this:

Remember, the trick is layers.  Chips, ingredients, oven, then repeat.  You can make as many layers as you like, depending on the amount of toppings you have.  Don’t go too high though or the bottom half, which after three layers has been in the oven three times already, will start to burn.

I would gladly go on Rogers’ Daytime Ottawa or A Morning and make the nachos live on TV if either show would have me. Think about it; a blogger who makes nachos? The story sells itself!

Enjoy!

This weekend will be my first Bloggers Breakfast meet-up and I’m really looking forward to it.  Honestly, it’s actually my first real social outing with local Ottawa people since I moved here — although to Jobthingy’s credit, she has made sure that I’ve been invited to others.  Sadly, life always seems to get in the way.

But not this time.  This time I have cleared my morning and I’m making sure I’ll be there.

What’s great about this is it’s a chance to meet other Ottawa bloggers face to face.  And a chance to talk to, and get to know them. And that’s something I’ve been looking forward to doing since before I moved here. Some of the blogs listed under my blogroll (on the right hand column) will be there and I’m sure after I meet new people, new blogs will be added to that list.

I’ve always felt that one of the reasons behind this blog was to be able to network and connect with people in a new city — and so far it’s working well.

Then of course, it’s back to normality the following week as once again, I’m on the road.

Having previously worked in the radio biz, I always enjoy when “the book” comes out.  “The Book” is the technical nickname for the ratings report — issued four times a year by BBM Canada.  For some in the industry, the book can spell certain doom.  Failure to generate solid numbers can result in format changes, or worse, firings for announcers or management.

As luck would have it, the most recent “book” for the Ottawa market was released last month. And after taking a look at the numbers, it seems that 106.9 Virgin Radio (formerly The Bear) continues to slip in the ratings.  This wouldn’t normally be such a hot blog topic, but one can only imagine that the name change was an attempt to raise ratings — and it doesn’t seem to be working.

For your reading pleasure: the recent breakdown of the Anglo Ottawa market. Click to enlarge.

Here’s the good news: CKQB-FM, Virgin Radio Ottawa, is up from last ratings period.  But when you look at 12 months worth of ratings, they are down from where it was this time last year — which interestingly enough, is right before someone had the bright idea to flip The Bear to 106.9 Virgin Radio.

So what does this mean for 106.9 Virgin Radio? Will Ottawans get their Bear back? Well, in my honest opinion, the ratings aren’t horrible enough (yet) to merit a change back their former name, but I’m sure the thought has crossed the minds of the people in charge and their parent company Astral Media.

Personally speaking — because there has to be some sort of personal angle here — I would love to see The Bear come back to Ottawa airwaves.  I thought it was a great name for a station and it did a pretty good job of holding its own against main competitors such as CHEZ 106 — which by the way, is also a good station to listen to.

Normally it takes several ratings periods before a station contemplates a format or name change.  And while the ratings for the Virgin Radio Ottawa are down, they’re not low enough.  It will be interesting to see where they are in a year’s time.

I was going to write a post about how everything is getting out of control concerning this H1N1 scare.  I was going to say that people, the media and city officials are really playing the hype card a little too hard and frightening people.  I was even going to say that while some people have died from this Swine Flu, it’s still just a flu and flu-related fatalities are a sad reality no matter what the outbreak is.

But it seems I don’t have to write one.  Why? Because Jobthingy wrote one that smacks of so much truth, it should be read before the House of Commons.  (But maybe with some colorful language omitted.)

In the time that I have known Jobthingy, I have come to learn one thing: she is honest and upfront.  Also, she speaks her mind.  If she thinks that shirt looks bad on you, she’ll tell you.  And if she thinks things are getting out of control with the H1N1 scare, then she will let you know what the deal is.

So when you’re done lining up outside of a community center in the pouring rain for four hours just to be turned away, or tired of reaching for the hand sanitizer every time the nightly news comes on to tell you how bad things are, just hop on over to her blog and read something that will hopefully open your eyes.

This past week has been trying.  Bunny has been sick with what she believes is H1N1.  While her illness is not the dreaded Swine Flu, it has kept her home from work and in bed most of the time.

After running medicine and hot soup up and down stairs all week, I decided that with Halloween less than 24 hours away, it was time to finally decorate my house.  Since this is my first Halloween in Ottawa, and my first Halloween with a house that people can walk up to from the street — my townhouse in Toronto was a garden home in a complex so it was hard for kids to get to — I would go all out.  What I did count on was that folks in Barrhaven really take this Halloween thing seriously.

I was thinking a smoke machine, some red lights and some grave stones and I’ll be on the evening news for having the coolest (and creepiest) looking house.  Turns out that other people were thinking the same thing. (You should see some of the homes in my neighborhood.)

Much to the joy of the people on my street, I did a ‘test run’ last night, trying out the lighting, the fog and the cemetery set up.  I also wanted to see how the wiring would look and how I would lay the cables that run the power to the various machines and lights.

All of this while Bunny is battling an on-going cold so I had to wing it without any assistance.  For something I threw together a couple days before the big day, it doesn’t look too bad.

Naturally come Halloween there will be pumpkins and a few added touches to make it look creepy.

“It’s an endless parade of horny housewives begging for your meat.”
- Wayne, the Deli manager in The Wrestler

On any given day, I make it a point to never go grocery shopping after 11am. That naturally includes weekends. And my window of shopping isn’t only limited to supermarkets. To that list you can add stores like Walmart, and if possible, large shopping centers too. There are just too many people out there and I hate crowds.  (And I may be wrong about this, but I have noticed that crowds and people seem to go hand in hand.)

This past weekend, I made the near-fatal mistake of going to a local grocery store for a few things in the middle of the morning rush. It normally wouldn’t have happened, but I desperately need a few things that just couldn’t wait. I can assure you that will never happen again.

From things being scanned incorrectly, people paying with pennies, coupons and lose pocket lint and the usual pricks taking people’s parking spots, the only highlight was the cashier who looked just like Kelly Clarkson.

So it’s back to early morning shopping hours for me.  And because of my schedule, I can make it happen.  That just leaves me, the store’s morning start-up crew and… local housewives who are also doing their shopping.

Now, let’s make one thing clear: I will never be confused for Brad Pitt, Ben Affleck, that hermaphrodite vampire Edward from the Twilight movies or any of today’s leading heart-throbs.  But for someone like me — a descent enough, average looking guy in his mid 30’s — when I walk through the aisles of the supermarket in morning, past all the wives and mothers, I feel like Tom freakin’ Jones. (minus the stuffed crotch, of course)

It’s quite a boost to one’s ego when women within your age bracket — or even those who could be considered cougars — are taking second and third looks as you pass by. And they’re looking for all the right reasons, opposed to staring because your fly is undone or you forget to wipe something off your face before you left the house.

It’s not as if Barrhaven is filled with desperate, lonely housewives who crave attention. But I guess the old saying still stands: even though you’re on a diet, you can still look at the menu.

This of course means I can no longer just roll out of bed and put on whatever I find lying on the floor and head out to the store. Suddenly I’m self-conscious. There’s a whole production that must go on before I even hit the button to my garage door opener.

So I enjoy my little outing, my ego boost and the feeling that I have arrived. It doesn’t make me a better person, but it sure puts a smile on my face.  And it sure makes running errands better.

Remember that immortal line from You Oughta Know? The one where Ottawa-native Alanis Morissette asks angrily of her ex-lover Dave Coulier’s new flame, “Is she perverted like me? Would she go down on you in a theater?” That has been on my mind for the past 14 years and honestly, it has been somewhat bothersome.

Not that there’s anything wrong with the idea of a leather pants-clad Alanis doing that, I would just hate to sit in that actual seat where the incident took place.

I should also point out that there’s no confirmation that the whole “down on you in a theater” act even happened in Ottawa, but you try and sit comfortably in a cinema and enjoy topping on your popcorn thinking of that.

My friend gave me some comfort by saying given the expansion of megaplexes in the late 90’s, there’s a good chance if the act did happen in Ottawa, the theater it happened in is long gone.

…except for World Exchange Plaza 7, Rideau Center 3, Mayfair and ByTowne which are the oldest, still operational cinemas in the Capital that would have been open when the alleged act could have taken place.

I don’t expect the City to mark the theater seat with a historical plaque but when you think how close Ottawa came to having a Shannon Tweed Day, I wouldn’t be surprised if the motion ever came up before City Council.

Any factual information or rumors (whichever is more interesting) that could help shed some light on this is always appreciated. In the meantime, I’ll be careful where I sit.

It looks like the folks at Ottawa Express have launched their annual Best of Ottawa poll where they ask readers to pick their favorites in categories ranging from Best Diner to Best Visual Arts Exhibit.  Plenty of restaurant are listed, as well as other businesses and even some well kept secrets around town that Express readers happen to know about.

Honestly, it’s newspapers like Express and their readers that find the interesting things in cities like Ottawa.  Toronto and Montreal also have similar free papers that also keep tabs on what’s going on — especially in the independent scene.

Last year, before moving here, I asked about “the best of Ottawa” and many readers of this blog offered their opinions and pointed me in the direction of places I probably wouldn’t have tried otherwise.

And while I’m still “new in town” and don’t know of or recognize some of the nominees in listed on the ballot, I will be interested in seeing the results when they are published and taking note of some places I should try.

Voting ends on November 11.

With the budget of the on-again/off-again proposed light rail transit system growing every time someone mentions it, the answer is becoming clear: just build the damn network already and be done with it. Honestly, between that and the moaning about proposed Lansdowne projects, it’s all I ever hear about.

The cost that jumped from 1.4 billion to 2.1 billion (yes, that’s billion with a B) apparently comes in several phases and includes a downtown tunnel that would replace the Transitway on Slater and Albert allowing for fast, uninterrupted travel through the congested downtown core.

As I’ve said before, the Transitway isn’t a bad idea, but it’s not a real rapid transit network.  It’s a bus. With a bendy piece in the middle.  And this is the National Capital. A city with close to a million people in the area deserves a better rapid transit network.

The way I see it — because you know, the City is just dying to hear what I have to say about this matter — there are a few things that have to be done.

• Light Rail Underground: An LRT line through the downtown would be great, but it’s only going to get backed up because of all the buses that service the downtown area. A tunnel running under the city will allow for smooth travel and less congestion.
• Less Buses Downtown: Have downtown buses connect to the new LRT at various stations outside of the downtown. For example, if you want to catch the Number 3 bus, take the LRT to Lebreton and transfer to the bus there. It may take an extra steps, but it speed things up with less buses crowding downtown.
• Transitway as the Backbone: Let the Transitway (and LRT) be the backbone of the system.  Have local buses connect with the the rapid transit buses (94, 95, 96 etc) and have those buses ONLY stop at Transitway stations and don’t pick up any local passangers, for example along Woodroffe. If you live along that road and you want to take the 95, then take a bus to Baseline and transfer to the 95.  This might mean building new Transitway only lanes, but it will help move the fast buses faster.

I’m not sure how this figures in, but one has to wonder if the O-Train hadn’t be scrapped and the line had been extended to Barrahevn and throughout the downtown as it was supposed to be, wouldn’t the cost have been less?  And even though some maintain that people wouldn’t take the O-Train, I have a feeling that if it actually went somewhere (suburbs to downtown) then people would take it — espcially if some bus routes were redone to connect with the line.

Either way, something needs to be done soon because as time drags on, the price is only going to get higher. And then nobody is going to want to pay for it.  And really, it’s kind of embarassing that a city like Ottawa uses buses as its only means of getting around.

But then again, what do I know? I’m just a guy who has lived in cities where subways and streetcars serve as the main network and buses bring people to those lines.  It seems to work there, why not here?

I should have been an urban planner.