New Top 100 List of things to Eat and Drink in Edmonton

Excellent! There is a new list of food and drink to try in the city! I find that this is such an excellent way to learn about the city and find your way around it! I will slowly be ticking things off the list...and yes I will make another map of the different place as I am a big geography nerd and love to make maps :) So far I have had the fish tacos at Tres Carnales (they are fantastic!), and the spinach risotto from Zenari's. I have a long way to go!

Top 100 things to Eat and Drink in Edmonton

I am also very excited about the different food trucks that are cropping up downtown. Last week I tried Nhon Hoa Sandwich Bar- it was excellent for banh mi! This street food app give you updates as to where the trucks will be in the city including opening times and a map of the location:

Street Food App

The Elusive Pull-up

I have always done sports- I think I started playing t-ball when I was 5 or so. I can thank my parents for enrolling me in athletics growing up- fastball, basketball, volleyball, track and field, a brief hockey tryout one year. I have always enjoyed sports but also enjoy workouts by myself- typically running. This year, I decided I was going to do more than just run. I got myself a gym membership and have been going to  fairly religiously since January 2014. I have been doing cardio...and weights. I am slowly (so unbelievably slowly) getting stronger and can squat/lift/push/pull more weight than I could when I first started. This brings me to the pull-up. Damn this elusive exercise!! I try every week to pull myself up and over that stupid bar to no avail. If I'm lucky I can move an 1/8 of an inch while turning beet red and making awful, grunting noises. "Mind over matter" I say to myself as I hang unmoving from the bar. 

Maybe next week. Sigh.

New Mexican Restaurant in Downtown!

Alright! The owners of 'Tres Carnales' (downtown on Rice Howard Way) is opening a new restaurant in the downtown core called Rostizado opening the summer of 2014. Tres Carnales is a fantastic spot that is always packed with people- handmade tacos, quesadillas, and everything else you could possibly want. Check out the interview on Global for the new place:

Global News Interview with Tres Carnales

This is definitely going on the list of "restaurants I must visit"!

100 Things to Eat and Drink in Edmonton

I know I am a bit late posting this- but I just found out about it. And then I had to make a map! Hopefully I will get a chance to try all of them :) 

Check out the link:
The Tomato: Top 100 Things to Eat and Drink in Edmonton 

And the map I made so that you can easily find all the different deliciousness- click each point to find the address and the food associated with the restaurant/market/farm:
100 Things to Eat an Drink Map

Happy Eating Edmonton!

Public Transit and the Best LRT Operator

There is one LRT driver who chats over the loud speaker to his passengers as they commute to and from work. He give the stop coming up next, weather updates, what time the Oilers or Riders are playing (and who they are playing) as well as his daily thoughts. He has a lovely soothing voice and I honestly could listen to him all day. I was lucky enough to ride the train on my way home when he was operating it one day. A few choice quotes from the ride:
 “Thank you for choosing our service and lightening your carbon footprint”.
“I hope you all have a marvelous evening and hopefully I will see you all tomorrow”.
 “Sometimes I worry that I take so many people downtown in the mornings that everyone won’t come back in the afternoon”.

Is Anyone Else as Upset As I Am About the Spaghetti in the Fridge?

I have been at my job since the end of October 2013. Since I have been there, there has been a tupperware container of spaghetti in the fridge. I always assumed that someone was bringing in the delicious spaghetti with Bolognese sauce for lunch…but then I started to get suspicious…no one could possibly eat that much pasta!!! They would have to be cooking it every night just to have leftovers to bring to work the next day. I have now realized that the container of spaghetti with sauce has been in the fridge since (at least!) October 2013. I can only assume that I am the only person who has noticed this. Who forgets that their lunch is in the fridge…for 3+ months?

New City, New Phone Number.

Matt and I just recently changed to Edmonton phone numbers from our previous Ottawa ones. I thought I was being devious and fancy and chose a number that spelled my name. So clever! A word of advice, don't do this. Try to get a new number as you may run in to a whole host of problems like I did.

A week after having my new number, I received a panicked facebook message around 1130pm from a good friend that said: "I need you to call me now!!". I messaged her back immediately asking if everything was ok. She responded with: "Are you screwing with me? Are you Todd?".

Let me explain.

My new to me number was previously owned by someone else in Edmonton (coincidentally, her name was also Erin). This person decided on getting a new phone and a new number. Then, gave her old phone (also with a new number now) to her parents. I know all of this because my good friend, while trying to contact me through text, ended up having all of her texts sent to a person named "Todd". How strange! How is it that a phone with a new number is receiving the text messages for its old number that is now owned by someone else. Riddle me that. After talking to Bell (dear, sweet Bell), I found out that this is a known bug with apple phones. The imessage system in the phone, if not restarted will retain the old number and share the contact list of the new person that has the old phone number. The only way to fix this issue is to turn off imessage and turn it back on again and there was no way that Bell could contact them. Now, I knew was dealing with someone who was a parent and was probably not all that tech savvy. My friend managed to get the actual number of the supposed parent who was receiving the texts and gave it to me. I texted them with instructions on how to fix the problem fully thinking they were going to panic and think that I was trying to scam them in some sort of way. Who listens to a strange text from an unknown phone number? Nobody that's who!!!!!

Fortunately, I ended up talking to the daughter (Erin) on the phone and we eventually sorted it out. She was uncomfortably easy to find through a google search. My old phone number is linked to many of her accounts for things such as etsy and her old blog. This then led me to her new blog/current facebook page/at home business. I know that she is starting out a baking business and wants to sell her goods at farmer's markets. She also enjoys vintage clothing and jewellery. I found this out in less than 5 minutes along with her current phone number. Yikes.

Anyway, the point of this uber long post is...I am now the official owner of my phone number!