A Man's Guide to Last Minute Xmas Gift Ideas

Are you a man and you in a rush to get a xmas gift for someone special? Here are 5 last minute ideas for gifts.

#1. Puppy, Kitten or Fish

Depending on whether the person is a dog, cat or fish person - this could actually be a really good gift to give them. You should also get them pet food (the appropriate kind) with the pet, and in the case of fish you will also need to buy a fish tank and any accompanying gadgets for the fish.

Note - Not all people are into pets (eg. some people are allergic). I personally would LOVE a kitten for xmas. Preferably a Russian Blue (which is technically grey, but whatever). I think they're adorable.

#2. Tools and Power Tools

If the person in question is a manly man (or a handy woman) then you can never go wrong with tools. But you can buy the wrong type of tools. Way too many people buy hammers, screwdrivers, ratchet sets, drills and drill bits - but for the really tough jobs men need a greater variety of tools like:

Mallet + Chisels (these go together)
Rip Saws
Hack Saws
Coping Saws
Measuring tools
Squares
Levels
Work Benches
Vice
Vice grips
Etc

But then there is also the power tools. Nail gun, band saw, jig saw, rotary saw, chain saw, oxy-acetylene cutting torch, drill press, etc. eg. I saw a wood lathe awhile back I saw in Canadian Tire and I decided to take a photo and put it on my "TO BUY LIST", which is a list of things I personally want to buy sometime.

#3. Ties, Belts, Suspenders

For the non-manly men you probably don't know their shoe size, precise pants size (length and waist), shirt size, etc. So what can you get them? Well you're in luck. You can probably guess their waist size and be able to pick out a belt that is in their size - or if not are sure, you can more easily get them a tie or suspenders (all men look awesomely retro in suspenders).

 #4. La Senza Gift Card or Shoes Gift Card

Honestly, men are clueless when it comes to buying lingerie, bras and panties. So if you are sincerely wanting to buy something "sexy" for your significant other this xmas, maybe you should not buy it yourself but instead get a gift card - so that they can approve of the purchase before you buy something they will never wear.

Now you might think "Why La Senza?" Well it is like this. Not all women like Victoria Secret or La Vie En Rose. But they do all like La Senza. I don't why this is, it just is. La Senza is like the "happy middle ground" apparently that all women can apparently go to when shopping for such things. I don't claim to know why, I am just reporting the way it is. Maybe a woman would be able to best explain why ALL women apparently like this store, but dislike certain other stores. (I have a hunch it has something to do with sizes, marketing styles, etc.)

Failing this your next best option is SHOES. So find a shoe store you think they would like and get a gift card from that store. Shoes are an universal commodity according to many women.

#5. Hobby Related Books or Magazine Subscription

Let us pretend for a moment you are buying a gift for your mother, step-mother, mother-in-law, sister or grandmother however - and thus lingerie is probably a bad idea, and even shoes might be a bad idea if they only use orthopedic shoes. Here is what you do - go on Facebook, sneak around and research their hobbies - or judge based upon your past knowledge of the person what their hobbies are.

For example lets say your mother-in-law's hobbies are cooking, sewing/knitting and going to the ballet. Thus you have a long list of recipe books, sewing/knitting books, and even books about ballet to choose from.

To say nothing of subscriptions to "Canadian Living" (a recipe / crafts magazine based in Canada), "Chatelaine Magazine" (also based in Canada) and "The Dance Current" (a Canadian based magazine about ballet and modern dance). Or if she likes to travel, then you can guess she would probably like "National Geographic".


Speaking for myself I would love to have magazine subscriptions to "Traditional Bowhunter Magazine", "Popular Woodworking", "Canadian Woodworking", and "National Geographic".

Band Saws and Band Saw Blades

Back in the Winter of 2013/14 the band saw blade on the band saw I have been using for years finally broke, so I decided to try and find a replacement blade for it.

After all band saws are extremely useful for cutting any kind of wood for DIY projects (using a thin blade band saws can even be used like a jig saw, making intricate curving cuts in the wood).

But when it came to finding a replacement blade I discovered that my lowly "hobby band saw" was so small that many stores did not sell band saw replacement blades in that size.

So instead I ended up buying a brand new band saw, and purchased one that had a more standard size blade (62 inches), which meant that if the new one ever breaks I just have to go buy new replacement blades and never have to worry about whether they have them in the correct size, because they are a standard size that are really popular.

The brand I purchased last winter was Ryobi (specifically a Ryobi 9" Band Saw - the 9 inches measures something else on the band saw, not the blade itself). Here is a photo of what it looks like on the right.

Asides from the noise (it is fine cutting through softwood but it screams like a dying cat when you cut hardwood) I am quite happy with this band saw.

As a tool, it does everything I expect it to do for my needs. Easy to use, operate, clean, etc. It is even easy to replace the blades.

Today, the band saw blade that came with it finally broke. I should note in broke because I was rushing through the cut too fast, possibly combined with normal wear and tear. So I need to go purchase replacement blades.

So I check Home Depot (where I purchase the Ryobi last winter) for the prices of band saw blades. I see a variety of blades, different sizes and widths. I double check the length of the blade I need: 62 inches, and I see right at the top two blades that suit my needs by a company called AvantiPro, available in 62 x 3/16ths and 62 x 1/4.

So I think I will buy 1 of each. That way the next time a band saw blade breaks I will be able to just open the packaging for the other one - or I can swap for the thinner blade when doing detailed cuts, or use the thicker blade when cutting through harder/thicker wood.

So now I am patting myself on the back for my wise purchase last winter, wondering why I didn't buy replacement blades at the time, and also fuming at myself for rushing through the cut that broke it in the first place. So reasons to be both happy for the product I purchased, but unhappy about my lack of foresight. That is my fault however, not the band saw's fault.

If you are looking to get someone a gift this xmas, consider getting them a band saw if they don't have one already. Also buy replacement blades while you are at it.

Moustache Wax - Two Reviews

Review by Charles Moffat - December 2014.

On the left is Firehouse Moustache Wax (dark), which you can find online at firehousemoustachewax.com.

On the right is Urban Beard Moustache Wax (blonde), which you can find at urbanbeard.ca.

I enjoyed reviewing both of these products, but ultimately ended up preferring the Urban Beard Moustache Wax because it was available in blonde. The dark Firehouse wax was equally good in my opinion, but the colour was slightly off for my dark blonde beard. It was fairly close.

The Urban Beard Moustache Wax is made using organic oils, and while the Firehouse moustache wax doesn't say anything about whether it is organic, I think it probably is organic judging by the similar smell. Both of these waxes smelled nearly identical so I have a sneaky suspicion that due to their very similar performances on my moustache that their recipes are practically identical. They are basically the same product, but different colours and different brand names.

Since these two products ended up being so good at their job and nearly identical except for their colours I ended up making homemade moustache wax using bees wax and coconut oil - and determined that I am not very good at making homemade moustache wax, so maybe I should stick to the store bought stuff. I made the homemade wax in an effort to find a 3rd comparison, but also to see just how easy it is to do. The instructions (below) seemed easy enough, but having instructions and following them are two different things.

Homemade moustache wax still works, but the process of making it made me realize I would rather just buy stuff that someone else made so I don't have to do the work myself.

There are many other companies out there who make moustache wax, these are just the two companies I have reviewed so far. If additional companies want to be reviewed they can contact me via email: charlesmoffat at charlesmoffat dot com.

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE MOUSTACHE WAX

Get 1 ounce of bees wax and 1 ounce of coconut oil.

Step 1. Melt the bees wax in a container inside boiling water. Go easy on the heat, wax can explode under heat and pressure.

Step 2. Remove the container from the boiling water and add the coconut oil. Stir until everything is melted and completely mixed.

Step 3. Pour the mixture into a glass heat-resistant container or into leftover moustache wax tins.

Step 4. Let cool for 45 minutes or more.

HOW TO APPLY MOUSTACHE WAX

To apply wax keep the wax warm (room temperature or slightly better). Use small portions at a time by scraping it with your thumbnail like a bulldozer, roll the scraping into a ball, and then work it into the moustache.  Comb your moustache to style it.

The Senator Restaurant in Toronto

Note - Get a reservation. This place is busy and you basically need a reservation just to get in. We lucked out and managed to get seats anyway without a reservation, but don't expect that to be the norm.

Omidragon the 6 ounce burgers are good. Good fries too. Price of burger platter was $16.

I also recommend the buttermilk fried chicken, served with buttery mashed potatoes and gravy. Something about buttermilk makes fried chicken taste waaaaaay better. Price of buttermilk fried chicken platter was $20.

Served with London Heineken (tastes better than regular Heineken) our meals were amazing.

The bill was pricier than most pub fares, but the service was excellent, the location conveniently close to the Eatons Centre, and the food was freaking amazing.

Definitely a place worth coming back to. Five Stars.

The owners of The Senator should renovate and add a 2nd story, just so they can bring in more customers. This restaurant is a hidden gem of deliciousness.

Dukes of Hazard AutoTrader

I love a great car commercial - especially anything with the Dukes of Hazard. :)

Note - I have never used AutoTrader, I just really like this commercial. They should make a Dukes of Hazard movie (with the original actors starring, not that horrible film with the younger actors).



I was going to post a 2nd video on here, a documentary about the making of Dukes of Hazard (the show, not the ad above), but the video was disabled for embedding. Boooooo!

So instead here is a videos about many of the jumps made during Dukes of Hazard.

In case you are wondering the car is the 1969 Dodge Charger.

Grilling Bacon

I saw this in a store and snapped a photo. $9.99 at Canadian Tire.

Mmm... microwaved bacon.

If you have this item at home and it works well/poorly, please post your review in the comments. I am curious to know whether it works well or whether it is a piece of junk. (But not curious enough to spend $$ on it when I can just make the bacon on the stove instead.)

Free Handbag Offer

Who doesn't want free things. Companies should give away free samples of their products more often. ;)

Click the following link to visit Stearns & Foster to enter your name in the draw to win a free leather handbag.

FREE HANDBAG GIVEAWAY

The handbag is a limited edition Hammitt handbag created for Stearns & Foster. Just visit the Stearns & Foster facebook page and Like it to enter for the chance to win a limited edition handbag by Hammitt. That is all you have to do to enter.

• American Made Luxury. Superior Craftsmanship. Timeless Design.
• Handmade with the finest materials by master craftsman.

Sim Card Removed Error Message = Cellphone Annoyance

For the last day my cellphone has been giving me an error message that my Sim card has been removed. Without the Sim card I cannot place phone calls, send text messages or use the internet - which is really freaking annoying. (And apparently a very common problem with Sim cards.)

What is more annoying is that fact that the Sim card is still there. It has not been removed. It hasn't even been touched at all.

"SIM card removed - The mobile network will be unavailable until you restart with a valid SIM card inserted."

Note - Different cellphones use slightly different messages, but they all claim the Sim card has been removed. What would make more sense is a message that says "Your Sim card is broken. See your phone company for a replacement."

And the only way to get the phone to work properly again is to restart the phone... which appears to be a roughly 70 / 30 chance that you get the message again...

"SIM card removed - The mobile network will be unavailable until you restart with a valid SIM card inserted."

Or it works normally - for the moment. And then decides not to work later on and gives you the message again.

"SIM card removed - The mobile network will be unavailable until you restart with a valid SIM card inserted."

Thus when I woke up this morning.

"SIM card removed - The mobile network will be unavailable until you restart with a valid SIM card inserted."

So I restarted it and it worked fine. So I took a shower and then checked it again.

 "SIM card removed - The mobile network will be unavailable until you restart with a valid SIM card inserted."

Very annoying. To me it would make sense to have the option to click "Retry Sim Card" on my phone instead of having to restart it each time. Obviously it is not "trying hard enough".

I have checked various forums on the topics, people with the same problem - people who try removing the back, replacing the battery, removing/readding the Sim card, etc.

And the only conclusion that seems to be a permanent fix is to go to your phone company and replace the Sim card.

This follows the idea that the Sim card is just old and broken, and the only solution is to replace it.

My thoughts on this is that Sim cards must suck donkey balls if they break so easily for no apparent reason. Why are we using a piece of technology that breaks so easily?

Starbucks Gift Card, Reloadable

Recently I received a reloadable Starbucks Gift Card.

How?

Well the neighbours next door tore down their house and are rebuilding a new house. So it is rather noisy. I am not sure who did it - either the neighours or the construction company - but they left a Starbucks Gift Card in our mailbox as an apology for all of the noise.

Which, frankly, I barely noticed the noise over all the noise I make playing with my woodworking tools. Or the movies I watch. Or the episodes of The Woodwright's Shop I have been watching lately.

But whatever, the Starbucks Gift Card was a nice gesture. And what is also nice is that it is reloadable so I can use it again and again - and I go to Indigo a lot, and there is a Starbucks in every Indigo, so this just works well for me.

In totally unrelated news I am addicted to watching The Woodwright's Shop. It is a TV show that has been on the air since 1981 (33 years!!!) and is dedicated to traditional woodworking.

Now I admit, I like my power tools - especially my band saw - but as TV shows go The Woodwright's Shop has the trifecta of everything you want in a woodworking TV show. It is funny. It teaches you new things about woodworking and woodworking tools. And there is a healthy dose of history for the people who like historical examples of woodworking.

Just watch the 20th Anniversary episode of The Woodwright's Shop to see what I am talking about.

The Best Dentist in Toronto - Part One

Back in September I decided to go on a quest to find The Best Dentist in Toronto.

Now granted, Toronto has over 1000 dentists according to Yelp (or 800+ dentists according to Google) which means I could go to a new dentist every day for 2 to 3 years and still not try every dentist in Toronto. So trying each and every dentist in Toronto is impractical.

So instead what I have decided to do is to start at the top of the list.

When you Google 'toronto dentist' the first page comes up with a list of map locations of dentists, followed by 4 pages that are directories for dentists. The first dental practice listed is "Archer Dental".

(Plus my friend Robert recommended the place, so that is another reason.)

Archer Dental, according to my research, was listed as the Best Dentist in Toronto by NOW Magazine in 2013, so I think it is a good place to begin my series of dentist reviews. However let me backtrack a bit here and take us back to 2003 so I can review a different dental practice for comparison purposes.

In June 2003 I had was getting read to leave Canada and go overseas to South Korea. Since I didn't know what the dentists would be like in South Korea I opted to have a visit to the dentist before I left and hopefully I could forego visiting any dentists for the year I was in SK.

The dental office I went to was the dental office at York University's York Lanes, now known as York Lanes Dental Office.

I had already been to the York Lanes Dental Office several times before - without incident - but during that final trip I was given a deep cleaning by a new dental hygienist who - as best as I can tell was just fresh out of dental school or was still a student. What followed was the most painful experience of my entire life. It was absolute torture. It went on for what felt like hours.

When the dental hygienist was done I was missing part of my gums. They had literally torn my gums to pieces and one of the pieces was missing, completely cut out.

Thus began a very long period in my life in which I swore I would never go to another dentist again. Ever. Instead I embarked on a daily brushing / mouthwash ritual that sometimes included me taking a toothbrush with me to events so I could immediately brush my teeth after eating.

And believe me when I say I was paranoid about my teeth. I would brush too hard, I use mouthwash a lot (I have become a bit of an expert on mouthwashes and really should post a detailed review on them sometime), and I am a big fan of using sugarfree gum when I am outdoors so I clean my teeth using the gum.

It was 11 years and 3 months before I finally went to see another dentist, in September 2014.

When I finally made the decision to visit a dentist it was because I thought I had a chip in my tooth. But what I thought was a chip was actually a build up of 11 years worth of "calculus". It was not the tooth which had chipped, it was the calculus build up which had chipped. (Calculus chipping off is actually a good thing, but to my tongue it felt like a chip in my tooth.)

Despite all of my paranoid brushing time had still built up a layer of calculus on one small section of my teeth I wasn't brushing properly. My bad. Need to brush there more often.

So let us go back to the present.

I arrived at Archer Dental slightly early (about 9:50 or so AM, for a 10 AM appointment) on September 25th. I was given a very comprehensive form to fill out, covering everything from whether I was diabetic to what kind of medications I was on.

Once that was done I sat there and waited, playing with my phone because the choices of reading material available in the waiting room was limited to women's magazines and National Geographic. Oh what I would give for a Lee Valley catalogue for men to read... Seriously, they should add that to the pile of magazines on the shelf. Lee Valley catalogues are free and men LOVE reading anything that has tools or tech items in them. Add a Wired magazine subscription, plus a Lee Valley catalogue subscription and any man visiting their waiting room would be quite happy. I think I will bring along a Lee Valley catalogue during my next visit and surreptitiously leave it behind for other men to read. (I think the reason why it was mostly women's magazines because it is usually mothers who end up taking the kids to the dentist instead of fathers.)

Fortunately I did not have to wait that long. You know how most dentists make you wait FOREVER before you actually get to see them? Well my wait really was not that long. I was early after all, but I do believe my appointment actually started on schedule.

I was introduced to my dental hygienist for the day, Mary, who was extremely polite, considerate and willing to explain everything as we went along. I met Dr Archer later on, who likewise exemplified those values I find to be so important in a dentist. It was Mary however who ended up cleaning and also deep cleaning my teeth - and removing 11 years worth of calculus from my teeth, making me feel like I had a brand new set of teeth. And she did it while being as gentle and as understanding as possible. (That doesn't mean I wasn't in pain during the deep cleaning, that stuff is still painful - but at least she didn't rip my gums to pieces like that dental hygienist at York Dental.)

Afterwards I felt like I had been given a brand new lease on life. Like I was suddenly going to live long and have a fuller life. I was so happy with the results I promised to bring flowers the next time I visit, which will likely include a thank you note too.

When was the last time you went to a dentist and was so happy with the results you wanted to bring them flowers?

I am visiting Archer Dental again in a few weeks for a 2nd deep cleaning. After that I may end up becoming a regular visitor, but I also will be continuing my search for The Best Dentist in Toronto - which means I will need to explore and experiment with other dentists in Toronto and see how they stack up and compare with Archer Dental for their level of quality service.

Subscribe to Product Reviews Canada and read more reviews of dentists in Toronto in the future as I explore other dentists and try to determine which is the best. For now, the best dentist office in Toronto is Archer Dental.