As I walked up to the tee new driver in hand looking forward I knew that it was that feeling that was worth all of the anticipation and patience. Granted I took a mulligan but managed to renew my dignity with a perfect drive down the center of the fairway.

This will be the year that I break 90. !!

I dont think that you ever get over the lose of your parents but u move forward. For me I lost my dad and then found out in the same breathe that i was becoming a dad. A strange but somewhat spiritual experience.

As for the food it’s a multitude of favourites jazzed up and sophisticated. We started with a sampling of nachos blinged up with beef cheek-an unusual but extremely tasty alternative to the loblaw’s basic ground beef. You wont be disappointed. I jumped into the main course which was a generous pasta marinated with tons of seafood goodies. This pasta came with enough shrimp and lobster to share with others–the sauce was a rich creamy lobster infused broth which just melted in my mouth.

Others had the special which was a gorgous steak served with a huge sampling of shrimp surf style. This came with a handful of frites which were just enough to pinch from any side of the table. The more adventurous tried quail as appetizer and venison as their entree.

We had a great table tucked away in a corner overlooking the bar. It was a great evening. We walked out revived and ready for dessert which was suppose to be next door at the smashing gelato cold spot. Unfortunatley, we had overstayed our welcome a touch too long at Trevors and the gelato place was closed. For some reason we didn’t mind at all and went home happy after our great visit to Trevors.

What did people say when you proposed Walking the Bible?

Few people thought this was a good idea. Most of those places [in Walking the Bible] are unsafe. And I think another concern was what do I once I get there. These stories happened three, four thousand years ago. But I have this kind of stubborn streak, and I found this archaelogist, and the two of us made this journey. Between when I had the idea and when I started, I spent a year giving myself a self taught masters degree in the history of the Bible. And I remember this moment at the start of the journey when there I was, in my brand new Banana Republic pants and enough sun block for 40 years in the desert, and there was Avner. He had these sandals and these Bedouin trousers, his hair squiggling everywhere, and I realized that all of my learning was in my head, and all of his learning was in his feet. And if I had to say what happened to me in a sentence with Walking the Bible, it would be that my learning went from my head to my feet. So the big transformation was being on the land, developing this kind of physical connection to this geography, and finding the story in the geography itself. I don’t think I ever realized that the Bible consisted of real stories that happened to real people. I think I always thought of it as happening in some kind of mythic time and place. So I think what happened to me, what happened to my relationship with the Bible, was that I just became really grounded.

Episode One
GO FORTH: From Creation to Abraham

The holy city of Jerusalem. Best selling author Bruce Feiler begins his epic, ten thousand mile odyssey to explore the greatest stories ever told, in the settings where they actually occurred. It’s a daunting prospect in this strife-torn region of the world, where archaeological evidence is hard to find. He teams up with experienced archaeologist and co-adventurer Avner Goren.

By foot, jeep, rowboat, and train, Feiler and Goren set out to experience the Bible in its own world. Their quest takes them first to the birthplace of civilization, Mesopotamia, now part of Turkey. Here, on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates, the Bible’s storytellers set the Creation, and the Garden of Eden. Bruce and Avner climb Mt. Ararat in search of Noah’s ark, travel to the ancient town where some believe Abraham was born….and then to the ancient ruins of Harran, where the Bible says God tells Abraham to “go forth” to the Promised Land. Following Abraham’s path back to Jerusalem, they stop to explore the sulfurous land by the Dead Sea, with its salt pillars called “Lot’s wife.” Could this be dramatic evidence of Sodom and Gomorrah? The episode culminates at Jerusalem’s sacred Temple Mount, the very spot where it’s believed Abraham brought his son Isaac, and prepared to follow God’s ultimate test of faith.

Dramatic scripture readings interspersed throughout all three programs bring us closer to these Biblical settings. As Bruce Feiler “walks the Bible,” he discovers that his journey is turning into a very different kind of pilgrimage. At the end of the first episode, he wonders, perhaps the true importance of his travels may not be where the Bible took place. Instead, it’s the unchartered spiritual landscape that now beckons as strongly as his geographic adventure.

Episode Two
A COAT OF MANY COLORS: The Israelites in Egypt

Egypt. Land of the Pharoahs….and of the Bible. Bruce Feiler continues his journey through the greatest stories ever told, by retracing Joseph’s path to Egypt after his brothers sell him into bondage. When Joseph interprets the Pharaoh’s dreams, he rises from slave to the heights of power and even brings his brothers and father Jacob to live in Egypt.

Feiler takes us from the great temple of Karnak in Luxor, formerly ancient Thebes….to the pyramids and sphinx of Giza, and descends into the royal burial tombs in the Valley of the Kings. As he treks by camel, boat, horseback and even pyramid-climbing, he discovers how the ancient Egyptian culture and religion influenced the Israelites during their centuries-long stay in Egypt, especially in the importance placed on dreams and story-telling.

Feiler explores the ancient ruins of cities where the Israelites were said to toil under an oppressive pharaoh. Beginning at the shallow waters of the Nile, Feiler retraces the story of one of the Bible’s greatest figures, Moses, and his eventual confrontation with Pharaoh to let his people go.

Did the Israelites build the pyramids? What could have caused the ten plagues? Was it really the Red Sea Moses crossed? As Feiler confronts these questions, on the very body of water that could have been where the waters were parted, he realizes that it isn’t the location, or even the event that’s important, but that it was experienced as an act of God.

Episode Three
TOWARD THE PROMISED LAND: Forty Years in the Desert

The Sinai Desert. The barren wilderness where the Israelites find themselves after they’ve escaped Egypt. How will Moses lead them? How will he bring them to the Promised Land? In the concluding chapter of “Walking the Bible,” Bruce Feiler follows the Israelite’s 40 year trek through what the Bible calls a “great and terrible wilderness.”

Feiler experiences the stark reality of the Sinai desert where it’s a struggle simply to survive. He finds the locations said to be where God provided water and food for the Israelites – and discovers the secret of the tamarisk tree, which secrets a sweet, honey-like substance called “manna.”

Despite its harshness, the desert is also a haven for spiritual pilgrims. In the shadow of the mountain believed to be the Biblical Mount Sinai, Feiler visits St. Catherine’s Monastery, the oldest operating church in the world. He attends the services, a powerful, unchanged ritual of 1,500 years, and sees what’s claimed to be the real “burning bush” in which God spoke to Moses. One of the monks, Texas-born Father Justin, shows him the Monastery’s world-renowned library of priceless religious art and manuscripts. Later, when Feiler climbs Mt. Sinai where Moses is said to have received the Ten Commandments, he is struck by the spiritual significance of the land, and its relationship to the people, and to God. As he follows the 40 year route of the Israelites, he visits a local Bedouin family who also derive sustenance from the desert, and travels to the “lost city” of Petra in Jordan where the Israelites may have lived for many years. Nearing the end of Moses’ journey, Feiler climbs Mt. Nebo, where God shows Moses the Promised Land the Israelites are about to enter. At the end of his own journey , Feiler realizes that although Moses is denied entrance himself, it is not the land after all that is important for Moses. It is his meeting with God.

http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/30days/main.html

From Academy Award nominee Morgan Spurlock ( Super Size Me ) comes 30 Days

After that we will probably have lunch at JUN JUN SUSHI on College and Borden. Here’s what they said abou tit in Toronto Life, Airy and bright, this quiet space makes an ideal alternative to the hustle and lineups of Bloor Street’s sushi strip. Dinner set boxes are well priced and generous, but money may be better spent exploring the large and varied menu. Sweet, nutty nasu dengaku ($3.25) roasts eggplant to soft perfection beside miso sauce, while warm sweet-potato tempura adds crispy texture and contrast to a roll with soft avocado (eight pieces $4.25). Light and tender, a dish of shrimp and vegetable tempura has an almost buttery quality ($5.25); thickly cut salmon sashimi might have leapt straight from the ocean to the plate (four pieces $5.25). Friendly staff recommend refreshing house-made deep-fried green tea ice cream ($3) topped with delicate bunches of fried noodles, iced to resemble cherry blossoms. To drink, flasks of sake, a modest selection of domestic and Japanese beers and a basic wine list.

It sounds great but I am still going to try and convince Rish to go to Xacutti for brunch. Not sure if they still do brunch on Saturday, after that I am hoping to scope out some vintage deals in Kensington. I am actually looking for a biker jacket. I saw a great one a the the GAP but it was a disastrous $300 plus dollars which probably cost them a days labour of $3 US in a steamy sweat shop. If you get a chance this weekend there are some great sales in the city. If the lineups not too long I will hopefully check out the latest DC samples sale at 161 Spadina Ave, where they supposedly have tons of Lacoste, Penguin, Ben Sherman etc. For more information on sample sales and deals around the city check out www.bestbuys.ca. Only fools pay retail.So its coming close to that time once again, yes another year and another birthday. So do I want the tiny, shiny new Ipod this year. Sometimes I think that they are just too small and infact maybe their predecessors although bigger actually make more sense. Are Ipods taking the same path as cellphones. remember when a cell phone was deemed as something that enabled you to make a call from one place to another. Now its all about the latest plan, which by the way they keep changing to get you out of the older plans that actually had merit. Now you pay for everything that you dont actually need. Do you really need to watch tv on your phone or get another ring tone. How about giving me an option called clear reception and dropped calls. I would buy into that. I must say though that the Pearl of all things tech for me this season has to be the Blackberry, Granted its still overpriced but its so stealth though. Hass anyone seen the JBL Sounddock for your Ipod its pretty cool too.

Check it out at, www.pbs.org

With his gentle acoustic sound and insightful lyrics, James Taylor remains one of the most influential and beloved singer-songwriters to emerge from the popular music scene of the 1970s. In a career extending over three decades, Taylor’s musical craftsmanship has delighted critics and audiences alike. In recognition of his many achievements in music, as well as his philanthropic efforts, Taylor was honored in February 2006 as “Person of the Year” by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences’ MusiCares program. The all-star lineup of performers paying tribute to “Sweet Baby James” includes India Arie, Jackson Browne, David Crosby, Dixie Chicks, Sheryl Crow, Jerry Douglas, Dr. John, Carole King, Alison Krauss, Taj Mahal, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, and Keith Urban.