Okay…..what gives? Why have a part 2? As you probably can tell, I’m not a professional writer. Not even close. I tend to write quickly, make a lot of mistakes (grammer whats that?) and once I’m finished I think about what I left out. So….I guess that means, I should have a part two.

First of all - lets be clear - 2022 wasn’t all bad. In fact it was pretty good.

As the year progessed the need to ensure Covid safety seemed to quietly slip away. Especially since almost everyone you know already has had Covid. When you get Covid and get through it to tell the tale, you can get a little blase about the experience. I mean if you have taken all of the right precautions and have your shots and did your best to avoid certain situations, it may begin to feel that maybe what you experienced was not that bad.

Now, I realize it was not the same for everyone. Lot’s of people suffered and some more than others. But as the year went along there seemed to be a noticeable change in attitudes - sort of a “screw it.” In the big city you clearly could notice it. Some people who you would expect to be masked for the rest of their lives were suddenly mask free. I guess people weren’t so scared and decided maybe it’s time to simply get on with life.

Family gatherings such as getting together for Christmas came back and it was great to see family/friends which you have not seen for what seems like an eternity. What used to be standard - Thanksgiving, birthdays etc had become something of the past - or so it had seemed. Lets hope that is now all behind us.

Meetings with old friends also took place in spite of some still maybe feeling a bit uncomfortable. I can’t recall the last time I had to use Zoom or Microsoft Teams and that’s a relief.

It wasn’t always pizza by the way. We managed to get out and try a lot of new things. We had an excellent meal at a new place called Bouffe. It has been around for a few years in the Junction and only recently moved to Dundas Street west.

By the way, Dundas West was recently declared the 12th coolest street in the world. West, from Trinity Bellwood Park to Lansdowne Avenue, came in 12th place in the latest edition of the Time Out Index, which ranks the coolest streets and neighbourhoods for fun, food, culture, and community. Not sure I would agree but I must admit that you can see how the area is in transition with new places opening all the time. Another area that has been hot for awhile is Ossington - which has a lot of great places. Not so new but maybe new to us. We hit up Mandys one cold, wet weekend day. This place is what is known as an ex-pat. They are Montreal based and fairly recently brought their style to TO. Very well known for their salads.

To my daughters surprise, I’m maybe sort of cool. I never was very much into YOUTUBE but 2022 was the year for me. I was hooked and one of the stars is a guy named Dave who does pizza reviews. I should have known - he has 850,000 followers. Anyways, he does these somewhat short pizza reviews with his trademark - one bite, everyone knows the rules. He is a bit over the top but they are fun to watch and he has strong opinions of what he likes. He did a pizza tour in Toronto (which I originally missed) and tried/scored a number of places here. You can easily find them on YOUTUBE and as you would figure - I’ve managed to get to some of them. Not all of them yet. Lots of time in 2023.

Of course, 2022 was also the start of the coffee shop adventure. I managed to and continue to hunt down coffee shops that appeal to me.

Some of the best pizza below……

And of course, it was also another year with Ms. Sarah. We had her around all summer (sigh) and although at times I’m sure I got on her nerves, we did manage to have fun and some great times together. She has her own life now with University, hanging out with friends and a “boyfriend.” Oh no! Of course, I wish we would speak more but I also respect and like that she has her independance and you always continue to hope they make the right decisions.