Tony and Cappy R.I.P.

Moving to a new city is an exciting adventure. It takes time to 'get into the groove', like finding personal favourites of your new city, such as what radio station to wake up with. After a day or two in Dallas we found a station we both liked, Mix 1029, which has an eclectic mix of current music (and the call numbers also happen to be my birthday).

Hubby fell hard for the radio station's morning show with "Tony and Cappy". He would tell me amusing stories regarding the duo's radio escapades...although, I have a terrible habit of sleeping in, so I would usually catch the last 90 minutes of the show. I loved their banter, Tony the bachelor with the dogs and Cappy the family guy in the suburbs. My personal fave was when Cappy surprised one of his favourite grade-school teachers back home as she was teaching. You never knew what was going to be said next.

This week I noticed that instead of Cappy's voice there was a Victoria chick that usually does Hollywood gossip. I didn't pay much attention as I find her annoying, and just assumed that Cappy was on holiday. But, this morning I woke early and hubby asked me what happened to Cappy as the radio promos just said Tony and Victoria...no Cappy. I googled Cappy and found his MySpace: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=32784856 . Cappy was fired!!!! Out of the blue a week ago, Clear Channel (the owners of Mix 1029) told him that they wanted to go in a new direction and he wouldn't be part of it. They should have at least said something on the air about his absence, or had a blurb on their website. Instead it is like he never existed.

Tony and Cappy, it was just too good to last. Mornings won't be the same without your banter. R.I.P.

Heart-Shaped Pizza

We bought into the Valentine's hype. But, can I help it if I love getting flowers and being wined and dined? I received a lovely bouquet of red roses from hubby when he arrived home from work and then we were on our way to a popular Addison steakhouse. It must be popular because there was a queue outside the door as we arrived. Not a good sign. We just thought they were overwhelmed with the arrival of all the 7pm reservations, but it took over five minutes to check in as the hostesses were too busy answering the phone and managing the reservation system. Got a sinking feeling when we were told that it would be a fifteen to twenty minute wait for a table.

After thirty minutes of standing in a crowded lobby/bar, the evening was feeling more cattle-call than romantic. It seemed like everyone was getting a table but us. We decided to ditch the restaurant, but hubby wanted to have a word with the manager while I wanted a quick escape. Only after complaining (and being halfway out the door) were we offered a table. I just wanted to leave since the manager offered no apologies and stated that "a half-hour wait was good on the busiest night of the year," and "...that some people had been caught in traffic." So, what exactly is the point of making a reservation a week ahead? The restaurant was ill-prepared and took too many reservations. With the plethora of steakhouses in the DFW area you would think that this restaurant would want to stand out by offering exceptional customer service. Wrong. Good food is only part of the equation in a fine dining experience, and this steakhouse (with the name of a British prime minister best known for his appeasement with Nazi Germany) is sorely lacking in customer service and ambience.

Seething and venting during the car ride home we vowed never to set foot in that particular steakhouse again. We did end up having a quiet romantic evening eating a heart-shaped pizza from Papa John's in front of a roaring fire in the fireplace. It was such a fine evening after all that we decided to make heart-shaped pizza an annual valentine tradition. Thanks Papa John's.

Tragically Hip

Tragically Hip are coming to Dallas. (Although some might argue that we who ARE tragically hip live in Dallas, that is a matter of opinion.) They are scheduled to play at the Palladium Ballroom the evening of March 16, 2007.

I am very excited!! The prospect of seeing Tragically Hip perform in a club is unbelievable. I last saw them at the Corel Centre in Kanata (or whatever it is called now...originally the Palladium) with at least ten to fifteen thousand other people. The acoustics were absolutely dreadful as every sound bounced off the steel and concrete. So, the thought of seeing them in a smaller venue is enough to make me hyperventilate. But, there is a catch: my husband's parents will be visiting with us during that time...and I just can't imagine them attending a Tragically Hip concert. Timing is everything isn't it.