Category: Life

bookmark_borderHell, yes. Worth a trip to the West End…I’d even walk.

Posted on by Christine Elias

I like to try new restaurants and today I — quite by accident — had one of the most tasty meals of — well, not my life — but of the last year probably.

My friends and I were driving back from the airport after a charity event where we (not) singlehandedly pulled a 757 cargo plane 12 feet. It was damn hot and we were tired and very hungry. No one could really decide where to eat. (At that point all I wanted/needed was A/C and a cool drink, so I would have gone anywhere.)

We ended up in Dufferin Village thinking we might go to a pub in the area. But then my friend K. spotted a place she had read about called Hadley’s. Good eye on that K.

I am so glad we decided to go there. Am I ever. You have no idea.

This is what they say about themselves online:

A love of great food, prepared fresh, in house from the best local ingredients is what Hadley’s is all about. Everything from our bacon to delectable smoked fish is made on site, fresh by hand. A friendly and relaxed environment where you can enjoy the comfort food you wish you had the time to make at home. Great food. Great Drinks. Great People.

This is not some fancy PR writing. The food was excellent. My Caesar (drink not salad, silly) was excellent. Every damn dish arriving at every table looked like sex on a plate. (Okay, I won’t continue with that particular metaphor but the food was almost as….well…enough on that topic.)

I had something called The Remedy. Oh, oh, oh — you must try it if you are not worried about that fact that it probably has a million calories. I was not. I will not the next time I have it either.

Everyone else loved their food, too. I tasted K.s Club Sandwich and it was — frankly — the best chicken I had ever tasted in a sandwich. The bread — and I am not a big eater of bread — was also something special.

I was planning to write about the charity event — I am glad we did it and it was fun. But all I can think about was lunch.

They very adorable waiter told us about their Fried Chicken Fridays. Hell, yes. I’m in. It’s a hell of a hike from the East end, but I will be getting some of that chicken.

bookmark_borderGood morning!

Posted on by Christine Elias

When I’m not reading about the latest gossip, I like to read the Meta Filter forum.
Today I read about a woman who’s leaving her job and feels sad about leaving her friends but happy and excited about her new opportunity.

That hit home. Well, not the leaving part — the friend part.

I made one of my very best friends at my first job — yeah, over 20 years ago. I was just a kid and he was — and is — very much a grown up. But apparently I was a fairly mature young person who didn’t drive adults crazy — I know this because I once asked him how he could stand me then.

I’ve been at my current workplace since my late twenties — so a while now. And I’ve made so many good friends there — in fact, some of my best friends. People I spent time with in my — gasp — personal time.

I know many people make friends at work. But my work is more like a community.

It actually feels a bit like high school — I’m one of those weirdos who liked high school.
I can — and do — say hello to about six people before I even enter the hallway to my office. Nice people who like to say hello to each other. (Okay, maybe not exactly like high school.) But it’s comforting to see the same faces everyday — for years — and to share a greeting, a laugh or the latest tidbit in the lobby. To genuinely share a pleasant moment with people before getting to work — since I do that, too — is something I enjoy.

On a typical day I might say hello to G. the caretaker, I. the building manager, A. and J in the coffee line and who knows who else. It’s like a village and we meet in the town square.

I also belong to a book club comprised of people I work with. How many people can say that? And I have met some wonderful people there. We laugh a lot and tease each other incessantly — both in person and online.

I know I am very lucky and I don’t take my good fortune lightly. I am not one of those people who dreads going to work. I never have been actually — even in jobs I didn’t love — but when you love your job and the people you work with…well, that’s pretty amazing.

Okay, enough of this sappy talk. Next time I will write about all the things that annoy me. I’m making a list. It’s gonna be long.