a peek inside the fishbowl

I’m tapping this post out on a new Samsung Chromebook that was delivered to our house earlier this week courtesy of Staples.

I will be in Wisconsin next week for a press tour and I considered letting the kids have the Chromebook while I’m away (I’m already convinced it’s going to be a fantastic for homework), but I’ve reconsidered my decision to leave it behind. It will make a sweet little blogging machine while I’m travelling. It’s so light and portable., and it easily slides into my purse. I can’t possibly leave it here now!

So far so good. I am definitely liking the Chromebook.  I think the keyboard is going to take some getting used to (there are a few shortcuts that differ from my Mac), but that’s hardly worth mentioning. ANYWAY, there WILL be a review posted within the next couple of weeks. It may be early to say but do think the Chromebook will be of interest to parents of schoolage kids and those of us who need portable workstations. In the meantime, this is what we’ve been up to this past little while:

It’s been busy around here lately, but the good kind of busy, you know what I mean? I can’t complain. I’ve been really enjoying our summer but I can’t wait for our school and work routines to start again. How are you winding down the summer?

This was one of the ideas I suggested when I was on CTV Morning Live on behalf of Capital Parent a couple weeks ago.

If your kids are looking for things to do, how about suggesting they organize a comic book swap?

If your kids have as many comic books as mine do you’re probably kicking yourself for not thinking of this idea sooner.

You can make this activity as easy or as intricate as you’d like. For example, your child can design invites and pop them in friends’ mailboxes and serve snacks and make a bit of a party out of it. Or not. But the basic premise is simple: all you need to do is invite a group of kids to meet at a designated place and time with an agreed-upon number of comic books. That’s it!

If they bring ten of their comics, they get to trade them for ten new ones. The kids get to spend some time together and then go home with new reading material. And you know what that means, right? QUIET TIME. I’d say that’s a win-win, don’t you?

It’s been a rather hectic week here at the Fishbowl. I’ve been wearing my editor hat and working on the paper (it comes out Friday!) and also wearing my freelancer hat and doing other writing too. BUT, that is neither here nor there. Let the record show that I’m officially 41 now (my birthday was yesterday!) and as per birthday tradition here at Casa Fishbowl, the birthday person gets to pick where he or she wants to go for dinner. I chose the Baja Burger Shack at Britannia Beach.

The verdict: it’s not a cheap burger, but it’s a very good one. It gives Hintonburger a run for it’s money (I think that’s the closest comparison).

Baja Burger Shack offers a pretty limited menu. I don’t have a problem with this, I only mention it in case you’re thinking it’s something like The Works. Here’s a pic of the menu (click to enlarge):

Nothin’ fancy here! Baja is basically a patio right beside a beach. Expect plastic chairs and wobbly tables, but hey, that’s just part of its charm if you ask me.

We ordered one french fry to share (this was plenty for us – and they were perfectly done), four cheeseburgers, canned pop for the girls and beer for the parents. (Hooray for licensed beach patio!). I ordered my burger all-dressed, with lettuce, tomato, red onion, and a special sauce that may or may not have been mayonnaise and taco seasoning. (But it was good.) The patty is thick and extremely juicy. No pink in the middle here. I gobbled it right up.

Here’s a peek at my meal:

The bun was not a regular burger bun. There were mixed reviews about Baja’s buns online so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I thought it was really good. It was made out of a mildly sweeter kind of egg bread, which was super fresh, perfectly toasted yet soft without being overly bready.

Want to try Baja Burger for yourself? You better act fast. Summer is almost over, as evidenced by the signage on the cash register:

And here’s a tip: BRING CASH. They don’t take debit or credit.

It was a great little meal and I was happy with our dinner destination. In fact, I found myself wondering why we don’t come here more often. It’s such a pretty setting. We went for a stroll afterwards and were not disappointed.

What about you? Have you been to the Baja Burger Shack? I’d love to hear about your experience if you have. Someone on Twitter mentioned that their veggie burger was pretty good. Maybe I’ll go back next week!