Krazy Kitty Organic Catnip

So I decided to test out "The Original Krazy Kitty Organic Catnip" from krazykitty.com.

To test it out I filled an old "holy sock" with catnip - as in, all the catnip in a single package, 14 grams or half an ounce in this case - and then wrapped the sock up and bound it with three elastic bands to keep it firmly in place.

Then I gave the sock to Victoria to see how she would react to it.

I think the video below speaks volumes by itself. Definitely a positive review from Victoria. Later I took the sock away and she spent some time laying in her favourite box and then sitting on the window sill watching the world go by. Since that kind of behaviour is normal it is hard to judge, but she seemed rather sedated and tired after all that exercise.

I am hoping filling an old sock with catnip will prevent her from stealing my other socks in the future. She has a tendency to collect them and carry them like kittens to her favourite mat.

Cane Sugar Root Beer

Wow. This stuff is really good. I should try the other flavours sometime.

Duke of Richmond's Veggie Burger

Last year around mid January I became a vegetarian for 30 days as an experiment to see how it would go and tracked any weight loss, my food cravings, etc.

Needless to say I was craving bacon by Day 3.

However one of the best things I ate during that 30 day time period was the veggie burgers at the Duke of Richmond, at 20 Queen Street West, Toronto.

It was by far the best veggie burger I have ever had. (Most of them are really awful.)

A close 2nd was the Johnny Rockets near Dundas and Yonge (which closed last year because their lease ended).

The patty of the burger is made mostly from black beans, and for whatever reason, that ingredient made their veggie burgers really good. If I think about those veggie burgers for a bit my mouth starts to water at the memory of how good they taste.

I would even argue that it tastes BETTER than their beef burgers. The fact I am still oohing about the veggie burgers a year later shows just how amazing it was.

The Black Bean Veggie Burger sells for $12.99 at the Duke of Richmond, the same price as the Duke Burger.

The Battered Fish on Queen Street, Toronto

As fish and chips places go we are giving this place 4 stars out of 5.

The fish was good, the chips were awesome, the coleslaw was actually TOO cold, and the drinks reminded us of Subway (Coke products)...

Price wise it was comparable to going to South Street Burger - a gourmet fast food place that I also give 4.5 stars.

The Battered Fish has one major problem. Their menu is CONFUSING the first time you go there as it is all about mixing and matching things. A better solution would be to list 12 different popular combos, and options for customizing those combos. This complex mix and match process leaves customers struggling to say their order properly, as opposed to simply saying "I would like combo #3 please."

Also we felt there should be an option to "shark size" the combos, or "whale size" it. Or even "the Moby Dick". More for amusement's sake than anything else.

Which brings us to one last thought. Change the name to "Moby Dick's Fish N Chips". Much more awesome name. The Battered Fish is too meta.

Gaudet Sweet Goods Inc. Apple Pie - where is the baking time???

Awhile back I purchased a "Gaudet Sweet Goods Inc. Apple Pie" and left it in the freezer.

Today I finally got it out and decided to bake it. Because I was hungry and said "Mmm apple pie... I love apple pie..."

Looking over the packaging I am trying to find the recommended appropriate baking time and temperature ...

And the packaging is blank on the subject of baking time.

It has all the nutritional info there. Just no recommended baking time and temperature. Nothing. Zilch.

Baking times can truly vary wildly from apple pie recipe to different apple pie recipe.

Judging by various recipes online it can vary between 20 minutes and 60 minutes.

• For example one recipe calls for 425° F for 20 minutes.

• Another recipe calls for something rather complex: 15 minutes at 425° F, then reduce the temperature to 350° F, and continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes.

• Another calls for 375° F for 50 minutes.

• A 4th recipe I found calls for: Bake at 450° F for 10 minutes.  Lower the heat to 350°F and continue to bake for an additional 40-45 minutes.

So apparently we are supposed to GUESS the appropriate baking temperature and time and then check the oven every 5 minutes to see if the pie is burning.

I think part of the problem is that Gaudet Sweet Goods Inc. is producing conveyor belt apple pie... the pies are made by machines, mass produced, and the company really doesn't care that they forgot to add recommended baking instructions on their pies.

Now I admit, I LOVE APPLE PIE. Hence why I purchased their product in the first place. I couldn't care less that a robot made the apple pie, I am sure it will taste great as long as it is baked properly.

Thus I am giving their company TWO THUMBS DOWN because of their lack of proper baking instructions. I don't care if it turns out to be the best apple pie I have ever eaten (which I doubt as it looks pretty generic), they should at least have the decency to list recommended baking instructions on the packaging.

Gaudet Sweet Goods Inc. is based in Acton Vale, Quebec. Shame on them!

Canadian Tire Xmas Shopping

Shopping at Canadian Tire is a bit of a holiday tradition for many Canadians.

However when doing so I often find the selection... disappointing.

So far this year I have done roughly 60 to 70% of my xmas shopping at Canadian Tire, but that total will likely change as xmas gets closer.

I also did a good chunk of my shopping this year at Pet Smart and Indigo, but that is dwarfed by the amount spent at Canadian Tire.

Certain hard to find xmas gifts are still on my list of things to get people, but I am admittedly delaying a bit before I go shopping for them - for various reasons.

Theoretically a person could buy all their gifts for every family member at Canadian Tire - but the selection would be a bit dull. For the really nice stuff you need to be going to specialty stores like:

Lee Valley or Home Depot for tools.
Pet Smart for pet supplies.
Sports Chek for sporting goods / clothing.
Marks Work Warehouse, H&M, etc for clothing.
Bed, Bath and Beyond for bathroom / bedroom items.
Home Depot or RONA for gardening tools.

Shopping at Canadian Tire is often more about convenience and price, as their variety is often short.

Scrubbing Bubbles Vs Scrub Free

Today I decided to do a test of two different products sitting in the closet next to the bathroom.

#1. Scrubbing Bubbles

#2. Scrub Free

Both claim to be able to scrub your bathtub with very little work involved. So I decided to do a double test, side by side. I sprayed half the bathtub with Scrubbing Bubbles and other half with Scrub Free.

I then walked away to play with our cat - see Victoria has Claws - and then came back.

When I returned the Scrubbing Bubbles side of the bathtub was noticeably cleaner. The Scrub Free half looked like nothing had even happened.

To finish the job I sprayed the Scrub Free half of the bathtub with Scrubbing Bubbles. Because apparently Scrub Free isn't living up to its name.

Which is weird because I remember using Scrub Free a lot when I was younger and seemed to always do the job, but now it doesn't seem to work that well. Could it be that Scrub Free has changed their formula to cheaper chemicals and now it does a shoddy job compared to what it used to do?

Spot Pet Laser Classic, Laser Pointer

Earlier today I went xmas shopping and got our cat (Victoria) a "Spot Pet Laser Classic" for $6.99 - basically it is laser pointer with 5 different shapes:

Classic Dot
Butterfly
Mouse
Happy Face
Star

I don't think the cat really cares which thing she is chasing, all I know she seems to really enjoy chasing it and trying to catch it. (I even made a video of her chasing it around in the dark, which I will likely post later on Victoria has Claws.)

I have determined I have a tendency to spoil our cat when it comes to cat toys. Whatever it takes to prevent her from clawing our faces off while we sleep.

Mockingjay Part 2

Review by Charles Moffat, November 2015.

As an archery instructor I am probably both the best and the worst person to be reviewing a film wherein archery is a theme.

Nevertheless, lets get the worst part over. I give Mockingjay Part 2 a meagre 3.5 out of 5 stars. Lets explain why...

#1. I am glad the film "trilogy" is over. Maybe next time someone makes a film or film trilogy with archery in it they will teach the actor or actress how to shoot properly. As an afficionado of all things warfare (from mangonels to trebuchets and from scimitars to khopeshes) I can tell you it really annoys me when a film or franchise doesn't even get the weaponry names or how they are properly used correct. In case you don't know, "Katniss" has been anchoring her fingers near her jawline, something only amateur archers would ever do when using a longbow or a traditional recurve. The proper place to anchor when using such a bow is on the mouth as it is a more consistent anchor point - there you go, you just learned something. Only archers using gadgetry use a jawline anchor.

#2. Having also read the books I must tell you that Mockingjay Part 2 has no surprises. No major changes from the third book. It is basically a somewhat dismal ending to a series, as if the author wasn't sure how to end it and decided on a somewhat lame plot twist.

#3. People die. Which is normal, people always die in the Hunger Games franchise. Still you do kind of wish they would have changed that bit, like watching Romeo and Juliet and wishing they would give it a happy ending for once - giving the audience what they want.

#4. There is really only ONE major archery scene in the film. I won't count a scene near the end because she really only shoots 1 arrow. (It could have been more interesting had she done a "double tap", but alas, no.)

#5. The acting was okay. To be expected. But the overall feel of the film is that it was a "Meh, that was okay." Not bad, not fantastic. So three stars makes sense.

The extra half star is there because the epilogue was good.

Scrubbing Bubbles Bathroom Cleaner

Noticed the bathtub tiles were dirty so tried out Scrubbing Bubbles all purpose cleaner - which is really meant for bathrooms, but I guess you could use it for other things.

When it comes to bathroom cleaners I just want the chemicals to do 99% of the WORK and the user should have to put in very little effort. Basically it should be so easy a lazy 5 year old could do it. Spray it on, let it sit for a few moments,  give it a light scrub if necessary and it is done. Ideally actually "scrubbing" the surface should be optional.

And in this case it was. When I scrubbed it I could not tell if the "Scrubbing Bubbles" had already done its job and it felt like I was scrubbing for the sake of scrubbing. So huzah. A product that fulfills what I wanted it to do.

Update - See my new post on this topic at Scrubbing Bubbles Vs Scrub Free.