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K Barbecuing on coals and other great `Old School' things That's Life Guest Contributor 23 | Thursday, September 18, 2014 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com ids: I'm not about to tell you that everything was better back in the good old days. No, wait, that's exactly what I'm going to tell you. Last weekend, my wife and I were invited over by friends who treated us to a wonderful barbecue, much of which was prepared `Old School'. That is, the chef scorned the gas grill in favor of his brand-new old-fashioned charcoal barbecue. And the avor of the steaks coming off those coals was incredible. Naturally, over the course of the meal, we got talking about all things old school, and about how things `back in the day' were oftentimes way better than things of today. Take our washing machine. Seven months ago we bought a new machine. I'm telling you, this baby had Andy Juniper all the bells and whistles. Literally, if you inadvertently pressed an incorrect button, bells and whistles would go off. Not at all annoying. This modern machine was `high ef ciency', which, if you're not up on the lingo, means: low practicality. As it was explained to us, the washer uses less water and instead gets clothes clean via friction (clothes rubbing together). So, we were told to always wash big bunches of clothes together. Never wash anything alone. But, I questioned: what if the dog hurls on his blanket? Well, I was told: you really should nd something to wash with that (dog-barf) blanket. Yech. Suf ce to say, we quickly grew to hate this new washer. Particularly when it would hit the friction cycle and set the whole house shaking -- by my estimate, about a 7.1 on the Richter scale for measuring earthquakes. Floors would quiver, light xtures sway, the kids would cower under a doorway until the quaking quelled. Well, last week, this modern marvel quit working. Conked out. Bought the farm. When we'd go to turn it on, the bells and whistles would sound -- making the house sound oddly festive, like Christmas in the Alps -- but then it would just sigh and shut down. And so I found myself trying to get someone to come service the washer after just seven months (for comparison sake, our previous machine lasted 12 years, and needed its rst service call at the 10-year-mark). I spent ve days calling assorted numbers and getting absolutely nowhere. Apparently , we'd made the grave error of purchasing an extended warranty , which, at the time, we thought was a smart move. Alas, this extended warranty is confusing a lot of people: the manufacturer now thinks the company that sold us the washer should x it, the company that sold us the washer thinks the manufacturer should x it, while the idiot who bought the washer spends time he doesn't have running back and forth to a laundromat. OK kids, if you're not fully convinced things were better back in the good old days, you must surely agree those were certainly simpler times. Times when, if you needed something serviced, you placed a call and (gasp) someone actually came to x the problem. Having spent the week feeling like I was being made to walk across hot coals, a night with friends -- with wine and conversation owing and steaks cooking on the coals -- was just what I needed. Old school all the way. -- Andy Juniper can be contacted at ajjuniper@gmail.com, found on Facebook, or followed on Twitter at www. twitter .com/thesportjesters. BRITISH INV ASION weekend schedule of events PMS 1245 For more information visit www.visitoakville.com Bronte Village Kerr Village Friday, September 19, 2014 Downtown Oakville Movie in Town Square "Hard Day's Night" Starts at 8pm Saturday, September 20, 2014 ALL DAY: Watch for specials around town 12:30 ­ 1:00pm Morris & English Long Sword Dancers Bronte Village Mall 1:30 ­ 2:00 pm Morris & English Long Sword Dancers Heritage Park Square 340 Kerr Street ALL DAY: Wear your British-themed attire and receive a special treat at The Works 149 Lakeshore Road 11:30 am ­ 5:30 pm Musician Daniel Casavant In and around Town Square 1:00 ­ 6:00 pm A cappella quartet Find Grind In and around Town Square 2:30 ­ 3:00 pm Morris & English Long Sword Dancers Town Square 3:30 ­ 4:00 pm Morris & English Long Sword Dancers Centriller Square 4:30 ­ 5:00 pm Morris & English Long Sword Dancers Heritage Park Square 340 Kerr Street 5:30 ­ 6:00 pm Morris & English Long Sword Dancers Town Square 6:30 ­ 7:30 pm Musician Dave Hubert The Gingerman Social Eatery 335 Kerr Street 7:30 ­ 8:30 pm Toronto Morris Men & the Bilge Rats Coach & Four 2432 Lakeshore Road West 7:30 ­ 8:30 pm Orange Peel Morris Pub Singers The Gingerman Social Eatery 335 Kerr Street 9:00 ­ 10:00 pm County Vaudeville The Gingerman Social Eatery 335 Kerr Street 7:30 ­ 8:30 pm County Vaudeville The Queen's Head 118 Dunn Street DIAMOND WILD GAME FESTIVAL September 12th thru 30th Featuring Elk, Alberta Bison, Ostrich and Venison. See our full menu online. Join us for our 905-822-5751 www.michaelsbackdoor.com 1715 Lakeshore Road West Sunday, September 21, 2014 31st Annual British Car Day at Bronte Creek Provincial Park ­ Gates open at 9 a.m. Visit us: Better advice? Better car insurance? Better visit. Better car insurance starts with real advice from an RBC Insurance advisor. They can reveal benefits like Family Friendly PricingTM*, Vanishing Deductibles and Replacement Car Drop Off & Claim Start. Come in and talk to a Real Advisor. Underwritten by RBC General Insurance Company. ® / TM Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licence. *This offer is only available to residents of Canada. The savings is only applied to the cost of the insurance when combining more than one insurance product. This offer can't be combined with any other offer and may be changed or cancelled without notice. Certain conditions apply. At Prince Michael Dr. off Dundas St. E. 905-257-8200 At the Olde Oakville Marketplace 905-815-8121 At Appleby Line near Dundas St. 905-332-2551 TM