The other day, my friend Theresa called me up out of the blue. She was in town for an audition, was free for dinner, and wondered whether I might be interested in getting together. She felt like pho, so we headed over to Thai Son on East Broadway where we enjoyed – well, pretty much one of everything: spring rolls, the house pho, lemon grass chicken and pork, pork fluff, and a sweet and savory seafood crepe stuffed with shrimp and squid. For dessert, Theresa went with the Vietnamese Coffee and told me all about her experience on the Chinese version of Dancing With the Stars. I would love to have seen it, not so much for the dancing, but for the fact that she’d marked the occasion by sporting a blond do. Anyway, it was lovely seeing her, as always, and now we can get to work on our super secret project.
- Vietnamese coffee: the coffee slowly drips into the condensed milk…
- Theresa patiently awaits the completion of the somewhat baffling process. I mean, can’t you just order a coffee black and spoon in some condensed milk?
The other day, I received another surprise call. It was former Stargate writer-producer Alan McCullough who was back in town to start work on Sanctuary’s third season. His timing was perfect as I was making plans for my Superbowl party, so he joined us Sunday and then, days later, we got together for dinner at Re-Fuel.
Suffice it to say, Re-Fuel ranks up their as one of my dogs’ favorite restaurants given that, whenever I go, I always bring back leftovers “for sharing”.
Then, last night, I got together with my friend Tomo who heads back to Japan next weekend. We went to Tojo’s. She was 45 minutes late. Note to google: “Tojo’s changed location three years ago. Please update your directions!”
- Fresh sea urchin
After dinner, we took an evening stroll through Chapters and then went for coffee…
Well, at least that was the intention. No sooner had we taken a seat at a booth than we were politely asked to leave. Turns out that their downtown location was hopping and the manager ordered the staff to shut down and get down there. Sorry.
We ended up taking the hostess’s advice and going to a place called Cafe Barney where we enjoyed (?) a pumpkin cheesecake that tasted like a 100% synthetic chemical creation.
As I say goodbye to Tomo, I say hello to another Japanese friend who flies in for a ten day visit next week. I plan to spend the next few days changing light bulbs, making up the guest room, steam vaccing the theater room carpet, finally replacing the lock on my garage door, and generally making the place more presentable. Of course if we all pitched in, we’d get it done in no time. So who’s with me?! Great! Okay, here are your assigned tasks:
Ponytail, vvv0472 and Kabra – You guys are on light-bulb-changing duty. One of you unpacks the bulbs, one of you replaces them, and one of you holds the ladder.
Gilder – You’re on vacuum duty.
PoorOldEdgarDerby – You’re on steam vac. Make sure you get the corners.
DP and Airelle – Wipe down the theater chairs. The leather restore is underneath the basement sink.
PG15 – Make sure all the bathrooms are fully stocked with soap, towels, and toilet paper.
Gen – The dishes aint gonna wash themselves.
Das – You seem the handy type – which I’m not – so why don’t you install the new garage door lock.
Tannie and Tammy Dixon – You two are on laundry duty which includes washing, drying, AND folding.
Avabird and Michael A. Burstein – Please make sure the guest room is fully stocked with soaps, toothpaste, and shampoo.
Quade1 and PBMom – Wipe down the tubs.
noelm, Thornyrose and PaganX – The DVD room is a mess. Shame on you! Please organize and alphabetize all the titles in their proper sections: comedies in Comedy, t.v. in T.V., and Japanese horror movies with deadly yo yo-wielding schoolgirls under Japanese Yo Yo Horror.
Anais – Jetez les vieux fruits.
PJR – Empty the fridge.
Vojtech Gabriel – Clean the fridge.
Wahlyn – Put everything back in the fridge.
Joel and Michael – Dusting and mopping the hardwood and kitchen floors.
Matt Silver, Susan the Tartan Turtle, Narelle from Aus, and Sylvia – Each of you pick a dog. Bathe them, clean their ears, wipe under their nose folds, then dry them off and pat them down with baby powder so that they smell their best.
Sheryl, Barbao, and Jean – Empty the various garbages and toss them in the big bin. It’s in the garage.
Bailey and DeeinSouthAfrica – Recyclables in the recycling blue box.
Scarym and Iamza – Newsprint in the blue baggies and cardboard and everything else in the yellow ones.
Deni, Shirt ‘n ‘Tie, and Chevron7 – Go through all the shoes, ditch the ones that are past saving, then shine the rest. I want to see my reflection in them!
Cherluvya and Annie from Freemantle: Alphabetize the liquor, from Absinthe to Wild Turkey.
cat4444, Eric.Stewart, Wade, and Randomness – Hit the supermarket for some fresh fruit and veggies. Nothing too tart and nothing too bitter. I like my bananas fairly ripe. And see if you can track down some fresh figs.
Ytimyona and Shiloh – Have the beds been made? I didn’t think so either. What are you waiting for?
Shawn Cassidy, Siba, Bloomgate, and Sparrow_hawk – The library is a mess. Re-shelf everything and throw out those back issues of Flare, Style At Home, and Victoria’s Secret. No, wait. Better hang on to the Victoria’s Secret catalogues. They may be worth something some day.
Sue and duneknight – Could you please toss out those phone books! They must be at least give years old!
Patricia Lee, Shiningwit, fsmn36, Ganymede, Pol, and Bilo&Bella – Everyone grab a lint-roller and de-lint/de-fur every item of clothing on the premises. Wait! JYS, Marsha_R, Jojo and Paloosa – You’d better help.
Shadow Step – You’re on toilet duty.
Scifan, Majorsal, Luis, Kiwiclare, and Joshua Meyers – Office! Filing!
Teal’c_PI, Janet, Pastry Girl, and Bryan M. White – The windows need washing, inside and out.
Debra – You’re ironing the dress shirts.
Malibunextyear – You’re hanging up the dress shirts after they’ve been ironed. Try to color coordinate – white with whites, purples with purples.
Maj. Cliffhanger, Maggiemayday, Arctic Goddess, Luvnjack, and Jonathan Quirk – Those plants in the front yard are dead. Please dispose of them.
E, DaffyDave, Steve C, and MadWelshBoy – Those plants in the back yard are dead. Please dispose of them.
Rob Ward, Shadowesque, Major D. Davis, and Susiekew – Those plants in the house are dead. Please dispose of them.
AndyBrind, Suziesbluefeather, Shiningwit Fargate One, and Rex Carter – Please find out why the sump pump keeps making that noise. And fix it.
Tim Lade, Cindee, BrandonW, Cody, and Elminster – Get to work on that outline.
Everyone else – Look busy!
Haha I don’t even make my own bed, though I’ll make an exception for this. *makes the beds with Shiloh* Enjoy the visiting friend, Joe! 😀
Surprised Google was wrong…Google is taking over the world, so they ought to be right all the time!
Wow
De/Linting duty? You got it, I am on it! I am so good with a lint rollar. It’s a good thing I didn’t get toliet duty. I am not good at that.
All done, Joe, except for that man eating plant by the front door. It got Maggiemayday….uh, sorry. Do you want it gone too?
Patricia
>>Debra – You’re ironing the dress shirts.<< Dear gods, Joe is an Ori. How else would you know that I'd do ALL the other jobs alone just to avoid ironing. I'll take to the cleaners! 🙂 Gladly. On me.
I will wash the dogs for ya 🙂
You picked the perfect job for me! THANK you. I love working alone, and away from other distractions. In fact, while I’m at it I will clean and organize everything in your garage. Except the car…
A few things…
1. I am surprised you put pg15 on bathroom duty – he’d be much better at cleaning out the fridge! 😉
2. Do you not like plants, indoor or out?
3. Shadow Step on toilet duty??! You’re so bad! (SS – make sure you get under the rim with Joe’s toothbrush… 😈 )
4. Purple shirts? The fellas in my town would just LOVE you to pieces! 😉
5. Yeah. I figured. Victoria’s Secrets catalogues. 🙄 I’m surprised you don’t keep those in the bathroom…
6. Alan is STILL beautiful!!
7. You forgot to get someone to wash and detail your car.
8. You have a basement?!? What do you do in there??? Please, O Please tell me you’re digging the Panama Canal!! CHAAAAARRRRGGEEE!
9. I don’t even wanna know what’s in ‘spider roll’. 😛
10. I think you should have pg15 move in with you, then he can be Felix to your Oscar. 😉
Have a good night/good day, everyone!
das
Doing my best impression of Special Agent Tony DiNozzo ON it Boss! … Lint Roller in hand!
Done…. whadado! Next!
Cheers…
Glad I don’t leave too many comments. I can do looking busy.
Joe,
Now that you’ve finished delegating, what are you going to do? Probably take a vacation. (That’s what I’d do.) 🙂
You forgot to tell me to change the batteries in your smoke detectors 😛
That’s awesome!!!
ok Joe, I’m on it,what kind of bulbs do you want, the new energy saving fluorescent ones or the old incandescent bulbs? Ladder? how high is the ladder?? C’mon guys who’s climbing the ladder? Do we we need 3 way bulbs? White,soft white,pink? Black light? How many?
Phew! Got out of work again. I’ll just follow everyone else around and make a mess.
w00t! I get the library! All those wonderful books to read! Oh, wait… you mean I have to clean it up?
Hey Joe – got some discrete file boxes for those stacks of Victoria’s Secret catalogs?
Have fun installing the new lock, das!
Oh yeah Google, they had my name/address listed under a business that I hadn’t operated in over 10 years and to make matters worse, the satellite image, was the side of our townhouse that indicated how secluded it is. It wasn’t even a view of the front of the house. I quickly had them remove my name and address which they promptly did.
What’s in it for me, Joe? Eh, I’ll do it. I got nothing to do anyway. And maybe I could use this moment to “borrow” something tasty from your kitchen.
Hmmm…outline? Um, sure, be glad too…have you even started yet? Just kidding…have a good time with your friend! 🙂
If delinting at your house is anything like delinting at my house, I think that it won’t leave me time to pick up the corn tamales. Your call?
*does her best to look busy*
Sparrowhawk – I’ve finished installing the lock, but Joe doesn’t get the key until he pays me! 😈
das
Cool beans, Joe, that’s actually one of few cleaning tasks I enjoy. I should probably take the seats out first…and cleaning them as well would be good form…
I think I’m gonna enjoy this.
Okay – what the hell is ‘gentlemen’s butter’? Knowing what you eat, I’m really afraid to find out. 😛
das
So glad you didn’t ask me to do anything. I could send my teenagers over. But the only thing they know how to do is play online games. Sorry. I guess that means I need to LOOK busy.
Wow, sounds like my house on Saturday mornings! GeekBoy and I try to hide and look busy while Mr. Crazymom barks out tasks. Lately he’s taken to writing them on a whiteboard bought especially for that purpose that has a central spot on the front of the fridge. The poor man can’t help it–his mother was a Marine.
I don’t do that at MY house,why would I do it at yours-garbage-, but my hubby does, I’ll get him to do it!! The XL black bags or the LG. white ones? AND, if I help you, I expect to stay THERE, not in a hotel, when I come to visit!! Now that this is settled, I’m going to find the hubby -“Brett, Joe wants you to take the garbage out”! nite, Sheryl.
On it!! Got LOTS of fresh fruits and veggies for you. Super fresh figs, too! Has Vojtech Gabriel finished cleaning the fridge yet?
Ummm, one problem – what’s your address? Can’t provide the fruity and veggie goodness if I don’t know where to deliver them.
*waits*
Well??
**looks at watch**
No answer?
***taps foot***
I’m waiting!
****”I don’t like to be ignored****
Oh, well. Guess I’ll have to eat them myself, except for the figs. Bleah 😕
Are you absolutely certain you want Das to put in the new lock? She’s likely to make an extra key for herself so she can sneak in and look for some tall, pale, and blond guy. Pretty sure she thinks you hide him at your place somewhere, kind of like protective custody.
Right, Das? 😀
Like Patricia Lee said….ON IT BOSS! woohoo.
It is my honor to serve!
Love the duty you gave me…and I won’t even arugue of be picky over which of the babies is assigned to me. LOVE them all.
COOL BEANS!
So glad I skipped commenting in my surgery induced high yesterday 😉 (just got the wisdom teeth out ick)
Have fun with the visiting friends Joe!
Joe, had to tell ya,ya made me feel special,even if it was only cleaning. I guess you really do love us, in a sick sort of way! BTW, you Canada and Vancouver people should be proud!! You really out did yourselves tonight at the opening ceramonies, they were wonderful!! They showed off VAN. ,beautifully! Makes me want to jump on a plane and come visit – NOW, I hope you have more than 1 guest room.! Sooner or later, I’ll get there! …. Sheryl
Joe, I have a confession. I’m a Vietnamese coffee addict.
I was introduced to it around 10 years ago by a Vietnamese restaurant owner in Footscray. A friend of mine back then, who is a local comedian, decided he’d have two lots one night (against the restaurant owner’s advice. This guy is already super hyperactive). After the second coffee he did an impromptu stand up gig in the restaurant and then ran outside, grabbed the garbage collector from his truck, brought him inside and introduced him to the restaurant. He rang at 3am saying he was still bouncing off the walls from dinner.
Did you know there’s different levels of Vietnamese coffee?
I thought Vietnamese coffee was Vietnamese coffee, but recently some of the cooks at a Vietnamese Restaurant I frequent stopped me on my way out the back door (yeah, you know you go there too much when you do that). They said, “Next time, we give you new coffee!”. There was much ribbing of each other with elbows as they predicted how I would react to this new coffee. And it wasn’t bad, not bad at all. I’m looking forward to sleeping in 2012.
Better fire up the teleporter if I’m on dog duty. The flight is a be-arch to Vancouver from here! If it’s cold, I’m reserving Bubba and Maximus for extra warmth.
alphabetize the liquor… ??????
WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!
You said NOTHING about not drinking them… 😉
*hic*
i’m in the office, filing! :p
(i’ve also brought starbucks. and alcohol)
P.S who’s mowing the lawn and cleaning up dog poop?
OOOoh! I want to walk your dogss =)!
Well…but…who didn’t water said plants? I mean, I’ll dispose of them, but really…maybe you should look into fake plants?
@Majorsal: I don’t know about mixing alcohol with filing, young lady. We don’t want you paper-cutting yourself and bleeding all over the files. Friends don’t let friend drink and file. File drunk. Flile drink?
Okay, dead plants all tucked away in my back yard! I mean GARBAGE! IN THE GARBAGE! *cough*
Vacuuming? Me? *Husband snorts in background*
I’ll trade for any of the filing or alphabetizing jobs.
I’m on an administrative roll. Spent at least four hours today researching the FOUR Facebook profiles/pages for Chimaeracon. Seems our members have been proactive, bless their hearts!
Of course, that means I didn’t complete any of my PLANNED computer tasks, nor laundry, nor did I start packing for 10 days in frozen Maryland (flying Sunday). What’s the emoticon for frustrated? >>:-(
Ahh, Joe…? Have I “mentioned” that I pretty much – full-time – live and *breed* “Dust Bunnies”?!
Hell, I even have a lovely rabbit on a heart-shaped wooden sign [made by my sister & her husband] hanging on my bedroom door that says, “This Room is Protected by Killer Dust Bunnies and Friends!”.
And, that I’m a graduate of the “Sherlock Holmes’ School of Filing”…?
Going anywhere near, let alone actually *handling* a lint-roller, would be genocidal! Then, there’s that whole Home Improvement Tax Credit thing… Did you know, that when herded together properly, Dust Bunnies can provide a least an “R2” rating of insulation?!!
Actually, I’d rather see to the removal of snow around the house… Oh, wait… you live in Vancouver, where the “Winter” Olympics are — there is NO snow!!
…nevermind…
I knew there was a reason I had been lurking here for a couple of years without commenting… now I get to sit back and watch you all work!
*Chev reporting for duty*
“Where are Deni and Shirt ‘n ‘Tie? Oh well I’ll get started”
“I wonder what size shoe Joe is? Those are some pretty cool Nikes. They look past their date, let’s try them on. Wow, Joe has big feet, who’d a thunk it?”
“Man, this shoe has dog spit on it….I guess that’ll work just as well as shoe cleaner. I think I have to rub it in.”
*starts shining a pair of Nikes*
“I don’t know if I’m doing this right. Where am I supposed to see the reflection?”
*moves onto the Italian loafers*
“Oh, these are hot! I wonder how much I could get on eBay for them? They’re probably screen worn during interviews for the special features.”
“I wonder if he’d like them catalogued? I could take polaroids and stick them on the boxes. Or better yet create a database a la Clueless so he could mix and match outfits.”
“Hmmm….probably don’t have time. I’ll just shove them in the closet in order of hotness.”
*runs to Carl to get the job approved (apparently Joe’s too busy to oversee this work)*
Cheers, Chev
Jeez! How many closets do you have? I’m exhausted. I’m handing off to Morjana.
Um question here….were you afraid to put Malibunextyear on the booze duty? Shame on you.LOL I can just see her in your closet putting those shirts away….brave man there Joe LOL
Coucou Joseph!
ça va bien? moi oui, j’ai bien dormie, je vais regarder la cérémonie d’ouverture des JO ce midi car je n’ai pas pu cette nuit….vous avez vu, il y’a déjà un décés -_-“.
Tout ces plats on l’air délicieux 🙂
Vous avez des nouvelles de votre soeur? je ne la voit plus connécté, elle n’a plus d’ordinateur ou quoi?
Bisou =)
A plus!
Magic wand at the ready = windows, done! But I think I better go help the crew on dog washing duty – those little doggies can run FAST once they get going LOL
Mmmm, charcuterie plate looks yummy…
@ das – Gentlemen’s butter is usually a flavored butter used as a sauce, also called maitre d’hotel butter. I don’t know why the names, but it is very good ! If I get inspired, I’ll go look it up….
Anybody else watch the opening ceremonies? Joe, any opinions? I liked all the First Nations dances etc, and the spouting “whales”. Cool FX – oh, and the wire work !
Curious as to where the “outside” Olympic cauldron is, I couldn’t tell where they went when Gretsky et al left the stadium.
Woo hoo – weekend!
Lisa
E, DaffyDave, Steve C, and MadWelshBoy – Those plants in the back yard are dead. Please dispose of them.
I’m on my way!
You know we South Africans are not good a recycling.
*grumble*
Where’s the yellow gloves?
Green bin, right? Blue Box? What happened to the green bin?
Bailey, are the pugs recyclable? What do you mean no?
I’ll just wander around with a clipboard and tick off the completed jobs then…
BTW, there is no coverage of the Winter Olympics here in South Africa. Okay, we have a highlight package later today, but when the Summer Olympics was on we had three extra dedicated channels on the Satellite TV. Not now.
So what if some of (most of) us South Africans have never heard of Luge and Curling, 10% of us have and would have loved to have seen some of it live. 🙁
“E, DaffyDave, Steve C, and MadWelshBoy – Those plants in the back yard are dead. Please dispose of them.”
What a coincidence! I just picked up a Garden Waste bin from the council last week.
*Looks Busy*
Oh, I’m going to read The Stand. I started last night and got an entire chapter in before I fell asleep. This doesn’t have anything to do with the great book, just that I read so late while I am in bed.
Shame about the cheesecake. I fancy myself a cheesecake aficionado. I prefer to just make my own, costs me about $10 USD when its all said and done. I generally prefer it plain, or with a bit of a lemon kick… I can’t help myself. I’ll even put lemon zest in the crust! Mmmm.
Hard to say what the best cheesecake recipe is. I’ve tried so many… Alton Browns is alright I suppose. In the end I just make up my own recipe, more or less. Always throw in some sour cream!
Do you have any base cheesecake recipe you’d recommend? I’m always searching for the absolute best.
LMAO Good choice of me for the DVD organising I am sorry to have fallen down in that duty of late but I really am known for my obsessive tendencies and organisation…..you should see my dishwasher, cupboards and my tupperware collection. I even put the same coloured pegs on the same lines and heaven forbid they get mixed up…my friends call me TAO!! (The anal one!!) LOL!!
I’ll get right on it Runs for the DVD’s ohhhhhhh Stargate collections Ummmmm it may be kinda distracting doing this…..maybe you’d better remove the DVD and TV before we begin! ;P
Ummm But Joe *whispers* what do you want me to do with THESE ones??
Hey Joe,
Could I PLEASE, one day before I die..have a dinner with you. OMG you kill me with your food show-n-tell. I love every-moment of it though. Ha…kill me now.
Ha, the booze…me? Are you kidding? I am such a SGUDG participant..I may snatch something…ha Okay, okay..for you I would do that…maybe! No really, for you anything..well maybe not anything..but you could ask. hehehe
Too much fun…and I have been drinking with the SGU crowd tonight…so Friday comments don’t COUNT. ha
Best to you Joe,
Always,
Cheryl 🙂
Well, I seem to remember a photo of the dogs near your shoes, and it wasn’t pretty! I have a feeling you’re Imelda Marcos when it comes to shoes, too… Shirt n’ Tie and Chevron7, we’re gonna be there till April 😉
Okay, what the hell is “Gentlemen’s Butter”? No, wait, I don’t think I want to know.
What? I’m not doing that! How about I give it a go on that Outline instead? I’m good at constructive criticism.
Ok fine. Bathroom duty it is. I will not fail you. However, there are a few things I will need in order to accomplish this most important of tasks:
1. Money, and lots of it. You may not know this, but due to the economic crisis, soap now costs $25 per bar. $30 if you want it to smell nice (and, for some reason, $35 if you want it to smell bad; hey, don’t ask me about economics). Toilet paper is even more expensive, as it is now considered more valuable than the US dollar and thus used as currency. I have a good supply of them, as I had foreseen this, but I am sorry to say that I cannot share them; at this time, it is every man for himself. Last I heard, every square of toilet paper costs $10; I would sooner spare a dollar than spare a square (HAHAHAHAHAHA OH YOU KNOW YOU LOVED THAT). Now, if you actually want it in roll-form instead of the now-typical pile form? Forget about it; you’ll probably be better off getting a bidet.
Now, the towel I can do; I always have 5 towels on my person at any one time, one for each of the Douglas Adams-authored Hitchhiker’s Guide books. In addition, I carry a small piece of tissue paper in honor of the new Hitchhiker’s Guide book by Eoin Colfer.
2. …No, money is pretty much all I need.
Rest assured, Joe, that by the time your Japanese friend comes to visit, she will be so impressed by the well-stocked-ness of your bathrooms (though she may find the toilet woefully inadequate) that she will no doubt decide to reside there for the duration of her stay.
—
Poor Shiningwit; it appears that she is tasked with 2 jobs, unlike the rest of us. I suppose I should consider bathroom duty a pretty good gig in comparison. 😉
Hooray! I got a job. I’ll have you know, I’m an expert lint-roller, too. And I’m grateful I didn’t have to clean the toilet since I already did my own today. One a day is enough!
So, with your busy schedule and cleaning, I doubt you got around to it but…did you get to see the opening ceremony? I was really impressed. Which was surprising since Beijing was so stunning. This was just good in a different way. Although a sad day, too, with the death of the Georgian athlete.
Happy Saturday!!
LOL I’ll take special care of the VS catalogs for you. In fact, I’ll probably spend the majority of my time examining each page of each one carefully to make sure that none are damaged. Then, if there is damage to any, I will search the internet for VS pictures and reconstruct the damaged catalogs from scratch. I could probably then create a custom catalog of favorites for you Joe, if you like. Then again, you might not be able to sell the custom one with your collection due to copyright issues. I guess you would just have to keep it.
It may seem like overkill, but any job worth doing is worth doing right. 😉 😀
Hot diggitty! Would you prefer the list to be in Excel, Word, or another format? Haven’t used Apple before, so have to take a crash course to make sure you can get the list. And of course we’ll have to doublecheck to make sure each dvd cover actually holds the correct dvd. And you can’t have damaged dvds, so we’ll have to watch each and every one of them…lucky for you I have camping gear, as getting a hotel will be impossible, and based on above it will take a few extra hours. But I’ll also bring a foldout chair, so that DP and Airelle’s work doesn’t go to waste. But I noticed that certain names were lacking. Like, oh, Carl, and Paul, and Ashleigh…surely your coworkers would be happy to pitch in. After all, making you look good makes them look good.
Thanks for a hilarious post, and hope the next couple of weeks turn out to be a great and fun time for you and your guest.
Quote: “Tim Lade, Cindee, BrandonW, Cody, and Elminster – Get to work on that outline.”
Why do they get to write the outline? Can I pitch in? I’d have to read all the other previous scripts to get up to speed though. 😀 😀
J.
Hi Mr M!
Re: Shoes….. I ditched the ones not saving…(admittedly the Churches, Dubarry’s) I saved the Berluti’s, John Lobb, Edward Green…The Pradas looked a bit past it…and well hey, I’m a size 9 too, so…*cough*…..they’re really nice thanks!!
Had hoped to swop detail with PaganX but gosh she’s so darn good at organising the DVDs!!
Best to all…The opening ceremonies looked great last night. Well done to all in Vancouver for same.
Also, any chance of a blog dedication to the Great Bam Bam? As you know, he’s in hospital recovering from a hip operation! I wish him a speedy recovery and hope he’s back up and at ’em again soon!!
Best to all
S’n’T
Sir! Yes Sir!
Nicely done, das. Always plan ahead! And I was wondering about the Gentleman’s butter, too, so I googled it:
GENTLEMAN’S BUTTER
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 Tbsp diced (1/8 inch) shallot
1 Tbsp rendered bone marrow or bacon fat
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp sliced tarragon
2 Tbsp smooth Dijon mustard
1 tsp sherry vinegar
Pinch of salt
1 tsp freshly ground extra-bold Tellicherry pepper
1 lemon, zest of
1 tsp brandy
Well, Joe, I’ve finished organizing and shelving the books in the library. Scifi and fantasy are over here, mystery and horror are there, non-fiction and biographies are up there. I gave the graphic novels their own section as well and I divided that section into manga and Western author graphic novels. And VS is safely boxed and stashed. I’m sure you won’t mind if I just borrow a couple of these books…
I really enjoyed the Olympic opening ceremonies (though I could have done without the operatic performance of the Olympic hymn). I love the artwork of the First Nations of the Northwest Coast and I loved the way they worked it into the impressive high-tech show.
All right, the dishes are done…except for that baking dish, I don’t know what the hell one of you cooked in it, it’s soaking for now…and the sink is scrubbed clean and shiny.
You guys understand what this means of course, yes? There is to be NO more cooking or baking or doing anything that would involve dishes. Or the sink. At least until our…um…Joe’s guest arrives. Use the paper plates and plastic silverware.
For the liquor-sorting crew, this means I need you to skip using glasses to sample and just drink out of the bottle.
Damn.
I wasn’t invited 🙁
Laundry, huh? Not a problem if you don’t mind that your socks don’t match 😀 . Hubby’s gotten used to it.
Coffee? I’ve never developed a taste for the stuff. Glad you had a good time with your friends, though.
Did anyone see the opening of the Olympics! Wow!!! Vancouver put on a great show!
Wow, Joe, the outline!
That’s right up my alley, have it done in no time.
Elminster
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA.
*looks busy*
Loved the opening ceremony! Well done Vancouver.
Shirt ‘N Tie was sleeping in the theater chairs. He looked so tired, I couldn’t disturb him. I’ll come back to it.
The man-eating plant did not, in fact, “get me”. I absconded with it. Just don’t check my ebay auctions….
Light bulbs, check.
Joe: is that cucumber on the outside of the spider roll?
Green tea cream brulee sounds good. I never met a cream brulee I didn’t like. And I agree about the fruit in this instance.
Okay… I haven’t posted in a while… BUT I HAVE BEEN READING EVERY DAY.
I can polish your bathroom mirrors to a shiny, brilliant luminescence.
Am I invited to help?
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pouting only slightly,
2cats
Hey Joe, just finished looking at the Sump Pump. It’s the little float switch inside, it was hung up on this black gooey stuff. Scrubbed the inside real well and filled it with water back to the desired level. I also cleaned under it to keep the “debris” from getting back into it and making that nasty sound.
So what was that black stuff?
I NEVER thought I would volunteer for house cleaning. God knows my own house could use some volunteers, all that cat hair, on everything, under everything, wall-to-wall carpeting… am I clear?
Still waiting for mirror-shining duty.
I can deny you nothing Joe.
2cats
Can I keep the dog after I have washed it? It has to be a cat-loving dog. Any nonsense from it and my lady cat (Merlin) will beat the crap out of it.
Susan
@Das isn’t Gentlemen butter full fat full calorie butter and lady butter the fat free no calorie butter?
Sump pump huh? Have that fixed in a jiffy. They don’t call me Bodgit & Scarper for nothing, someone hand me the 5 lb hammer please.
*looking-busy* 😉
Ok Joe, what happens when Das won’t let us into the garage to empty the garbage? I’d be done by now if it weren’t for that one little detail.
I also helped hubby shovel the mailbox out of the snow so that we can get mail today. And my road is finally two lanes wide again. Now we’re all ready for the snow Mon. night.
And what is pork fluff?
OK, everybody! Now come on over to my house! We’re also having company, and we’ve got ice dams and leaks everywhere. Bring your buckets!
Joe, you get furball duty, cleaning all those nasty stains in the carpet!
Okay, the recycle box is full. Where do you want Bailey to drag it?
The curb? The garage?
Oi – Das, unlock the damn door!
The outline’s already done or, did you use that one already?
http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/november-12-2009-progress-on-the-tech-front-almost-time-for-time-news-of-note/#comment-82814
At least you know your blog commenters will do these things in diligent detail.
I spent just as much time on the chairs — minutes, Man, whole minutes. I just decided to work around Shirt ‘N Tie. I’m sure he wore clothes with no baby spit-up on them before he came over.
Thanks for remembering us. I’m touched.
@2cats it isn’t just the wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling cat hairs that is the problem with me. There is the trails of cat litter on the stairs, in the bath and even in my bed. It sticks to Princess Merlin’s long coat.
@Joe – good luck with the cleaning and tidying. When my brother and his wife decided to visit in July of 2009 I decided to spray all the furniture to get rid of any smell of cat.
However all that it did was give my boy cat, Frankie, his first major asthma attack (including emergency vet call-out) and his continuous treatment since then. 😥
It seems that bad things happen when I try to do any housework. 😛
Oh! I’m playing busy alright! it takes a lot of energy to watch people work !!! !!!
today is my friend DAN ( the actor from Toronto)’s birthday. I just send him one of my personnalized homemade e-mail card. Hopefully he’ll like my card 8)
Ha! Little late to the game but as long as I don’t have to clean the fridge, I have no problems restocking. Bring it on! As payment you can take me to Re-Fuel.
My interview went very well. FINALLY!!!!! Guess where I’m going today!!!! Starting on a weekend 😛
What Joe, you don’t have a dishwasher! They don’t pay you enough at SGU.
I’m pretty good at looking busy, so no worries there.
I’ve never had condensed milk in coffee, but it’s darn good in tea. Using a spoon to get the condensed milk is perfectly acceptable too.
Grunt, Strain Plants mulched & in the composter! lol!
*Looks kinda absently at a miscellaneous dial and and takes “notes” on a clipboard. Then toggles what might be considered a switch.”
Turns out it was a picture of one of the walls of the deadalus.
Hmm. Not that I mind the assigned task, but hey, come on, why didn’t I get the outline job? So you didn’t like my “McKay gets a toothache on a mission and Ronon has to do an emergeny extraction in the field” idea way back when. And you can’t hold the ” Sheppard is hurled back in time to California, and spends time in Folsom prison with Johnny Cash while McKay keeps pulling Elvis into the future” idea against me. I also noticed you never responded to my ” The Destiny goes into orbit around what appears to be Earth, only to find that an alien society infatuated with the Japanese have reproduced our homeworld, and who want to hold the Destiny crew captive as role models” idea. Surely with this portfolio I’m a natural choice for the outline job…
…. okay okay, back to cataloguing, filing, sorting, cleaning, and admiring your dvd collection.
oooh, disposing of dead plants, I can do that, not that I have had lot’s of practice 🙂
being watching the first 10 episodes of SGU again over last week, i’m now off to bed to watch Life and Justice. Really enjoying watching them again over a short period of time.
Night/Morning all.
RE: Gentlemen’s butter – Thanks, everyone! At least it’s not something gross…
However…
JOEY!! I found a box of stuff in the garage…not sure what you want me to do with it…but…ya know…there were handcuffs in it, and some chains, and a whip…and some kind of leather mask and harness with locks on it…
Is this your stuff???
das
…makes me think, on Destiny, who’s cleaning the ‘head’? Rota or ensuite for all and, npt only proverbially, they’ve all their own s**t to deal with?
’nuff, there’s work to be done here, against deadline (unlike Destiny) – ’nuff, I said…
OK. PJR – Empty the fridge.
Job done
– and enough goodies and oddities found (skipping the cream cheese spread) to make the toppings for the pizza party once everyone’s finished their jobs…and cleaned up afterward, before slipping out the back door en masse as the guest arrives. Until then, getting cooking with special pizza bases, rolled with wide-edge crusts that are crafted alternating veggie and meat chevrons, crispy duck earning its place. Pizzagates! Eat at Mallozzi’s!
Yum!
Toss out old phone books. You got it boss! Anything else I can do for you, Sir?
G’day Joe
Whoo Hoo I got a job. Windows I can do, wax on wax off, what’s that you do not like wax on your windows. Well phooey to you. I guess you will have to settle for glass cleaner.
As long as I only get to do the downstairs windows, as I am terrified of heights, I cannot even wear high heels without getting dizzy. Not that I need high heels, with being 6 feet and all.
Ok ok no more babbling, getting to work on those downstairs windows.
So much dog slobber on some of these…yuck.
Janet
@atimynona – think we should short-sheet the beds? I do! Hey, Mr M- we’ll take bribes of chocolate not to!
@Jasper/Jper
“Tim Lade, Cindee, BrandonW, Cody, and Elminster – Get to work on that outline.”
“Why do they get to write the outline? Can I pitch in? I’d have to read all the other previous scripts to get up to speed though.”
I’m more worried about how he knew I’m a writer. I don’t recall mentioning that before. o_O
Either”Damnhe’sgood”or”I’mgoingsenileatforty-one.”
(Sneaks in storyline for a non-Stargate spinoff series into the outline when no one’s looking.)
(Throws in bonus outline for an episode about the communication stones with the twist that it’s from the viewpoint of the communication stones … they’ll never see *that* one coming.)
@das
You know Joe supplements his income working for the WWE. Stop blabbing about it and get to work.
I am touched by your thoughtfullness! And would be happy to sort your shirts! When I finish, I will run help with the liquor!
Bless your heart Joe! Enjoy your visitor!
Ha ha ha,
Okay, I KNOW you are an amazing writer, but the fact I read the list of chores you assigned right to the end says something. (Probably something about being demented, both of us)
Are your grocery list as much fun to read 😉
Lint roller? What’s a lint roller? Around here we wait 5 min for a strong wind and stand outside.
Hey Joe, came across an interesting article: http://www.filmmusicmag.com/?p=4927
Obviously, I’m reserving judgment, since no one outside of the know really knows what happened. What are your opinions?
@ susan the tartan turtle you wrote “…There is the trails of cat litter on the stairs, in the bath and even in my bed. It sticks to Princess Merlin’s long coat.”
Ah yes, the trailing litter. Oh trust me, I deal with that too. Basil,my long hair calico, has convenient tufts of fur betwixt her toes. While this is all too cute, wherever she walks, she trots litter debris. Across the carpet, up the stairs, across my bed and upon her favorite perch, a covered (closed) toilet lid. The other cat, Scooter, is wont to fling the solid deposits about. Boys will be boys, sigh…
So, Joe…I bet your bathroom mirrors are a-shining now! Spent lots of effort to make ’em sparkle for ‘ya. The trick is the vinegar, works every time.
Boy, if your next house guest doesn’t appreciate the cleanliness and Mallozzi appeal of your abode, I’d say get a new friend. See how well your friends HERE take care of you? We want you to make a good impression!
g’night all… off to watch Olympic splendor
2 cats
Okay … I can’t get past it now. Please forgive me, but here’s the start … ;D
(in keeping with one word titles)
“STONED”
TEASER
Communication stones are sitting around, not doing much. TELFORD sits in a chair, tapping his fingers. His eye open and he looks bewildered for a moment, then leaves the room.
ACT I
TELFORD sits down in the chair, then looks around bewildered for a moment. “Damn you, Young.” He gets up and leaves.
On board DESTINY, YOUNG looks around bewildered. “Damn you, Telford.” He gets up and leaves the room. The stones sit in silence.
Back on EARTH, Telford enters the room, looks longingly at the stones. After a moment, he sits back in the chair. And waits. And waits. And waits.
The stones watch in stoney silence & awe that someone can outrock them.
On board DESTINY, CHLOE and SCOTT enter the room. “I can’t wait to see my mom,” Chloe chides Scott. Scott rolls his eyes. “Yeah, and I can’t wait to, uhm, see your mom.” They start kissing. The communication stones wonder what that’s all about.
As Chloe and Scott kiss, they accidentally touch the stones. They suddenly break apart. Telford/Scott steps away from O’NEILL/Chloe. O’Neill looks incredibly disturbed. “Okay,” he says. “That was just so, so wrong. YOUNG! (louder) COLONEL YOUNG!!”
O’Neill/Chloe storms out of the room, followed closely by a scowling Scott/Telford. The stones watch in silence once again.
—–
Joe I hope that coffee was worth the wait, I just have it black please..was that the secret project?
-ah joe, did you know what else is under the basement sink?, ok I will keep it under my hat,hmm..
-is the leather supposed to do that? I am sure that was leather cleaner unless the label was wrong>>uh.ok, almost done. Thanks for not asking me to do the wood floors(or toilet duty), I haven’t figured out to do mine(wood floors) the best way, let me know your secret Joel and Michael.
Thanks for the photos. nice smile on Alan, good looking fella. With all the team effort your house should be ship shape in no time, well maybe…glad we could help. well maybe…
Dead plant duty… How did you know I have a ‘brown’ thumb? ‘Course you do realize that means I can’t tell the difference between dandy-lions and rhododendrons, right? Should I get a back-ho to remove the dead … um, not sure what kind of tree that is. Is it dead? Looks dead… How am I supposed to tell what’s dead and what’s just dormant over the winter?
lol
I suppose I should be glad I don’t comment on here much, though I do read the posts….*grins*….*quickly looks busy*
Arrgh! 7 PM and I haven’t started packing!
See you all in a couple of days, once I get settled at my brother’s place.
Ok, the towels have been hung with care, in hopes that Joe’s guest soon will be here.
Now, since Joe has yet to give me the moneys that I seek, I’m forced to start selling his possessions. I don’t think he’d care though; a few possessions like a car, or a big screen TV is a just sacrifice for a well-stocked bathroom. By the way, I found that outline you lost weeks ago with the notes on it; it was taped to the bottom of your car. I sold it too since you probably don’t need it anymore. Just don’t blame me if the complete synopsis of “Awakenings” show up on the Internet; you do want a well-stocked bathroom, don’t you?
I also sold Bubba. The fact that it will save one of Matt Silver, Susan the Tartan Turtle, Narelle, and Sylvia from doing any work is, I think, a good trade off. Now now, Joe, don’t fret; the buyer told me that he is going to a farm up-province and will have plenty of room to roam and play.
With the funds I was able to raise from selling all these things (and Bubba), I was able to buy you one bar of soap that stunk to high heaven (only the best and most expensive for you, Joe). I was unable to afford toilet paper, so I stole some hobo’s newspaper/blanket/tent/only possession; I think it will do. Just tell your guests to not use too many sheets; the ink might rub off on…well, you know.
Oh hey! Bubba’s buyer just called back! He wants Lulu as well, and he will pay me $1000 for her! That’s like, another whole bar of soap! Isn’t life grand? I will be there to collect Lulu very soon. She will have so much fun running around that farm!
One last thing. Since you have no car anymore, I thought it wise to sell your garage. The buyer will be at your house to pick it up in…oh wait, there he is! Yep, there he goes, picking up that garage with that giant crane of his, aaaand…oops, he dropped it. Oh well, he was gonna sell it from scrap anyway.
Hey you didn’t have anyone in there, did you?
Gee, made a special trip to the blog on a Saturday and discovered you had put me to work! At least you gave me a task I can easily do… I generally have a supply of those items from Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual Sale. And there are all those cute little bottles from hotels we’ve stayed at.
Hope your friend doesn’t mind smelling like food.. I have noticed that I tend to buy food scents.
Speaking of food, the pics are yummy-looking, but right now, I’m too full to eat anything! For Valentine’s Day, we went to a place called Rafain’s, which is a Brazilian steakhouse. The food is unbelievable. The waiters bring it on skewers, and carve it for you at the table. And they cook everything perfectly, and for every taste. One of my favs is their lamb chops. It’s the only place I even eat that! The desserts are served buffet-style, but made there; lots of flan and chocolate!
Oh, Joe! you asked the wrong person to help with the houseplants. I can’t keep one alive to save my soul … and if i could manage not to kill one, the cat would eat it in the blink of an eye!!!
Maybe i could be on wire coathanger duty – we wouldn’t want any “Mommie Dearest” tirades when you have houseguests!
Whew, made it, and not a moment too soon! Thanks for giving me your address.
Seems you appointed some slackers to do the shopping. Eric.Stewart this means you – “playing busy” instead of shopping like you were supposed to. And where were the other two?
Hope you don’t mind having so many lemons and limes since it appears that you aren’t going to have any alcohol left to use them with once the “sorters” have finished cleaning (read “drinking the contents of”) the bottles.
Hope your friend enjoys the visit and appreciates all of the hard work put in to make your place sparkle. Okay, maybe not sparkle. How about glisten? Yeah, that’s it.
Wow, Mr. M, thanks for giving me a job! And here I’ve barely posted anything! Don’t worry, though, I’ve washed glass many, many times before. Your windows will be the cleanest in the neighborhood, if not the whole city, especially given the help of my fellow window-washers.
…
Okay, I’m all set! Thanks again for not forgetting me 🙂
susiekew: We have another name for houseplants at our house. We call them Salad. 😉
Jesus is coming soon.
Look busy!
Finished the tub, but I noticed that the bathroom needed recaulking. That is way above my pay grade. Enjoy your visit with your friend.
@ avabird
Sorry I was running late!
Hi Joe!
As usual, I’m a day or two or three behind, so I’m going to enjoy your beautiful house everyone else helped you clean and scritch the pups.
*scritch scritch scritch*
eddy
Don’t mind the new webcam!
Dude I know this is late but I am ALLLL over the outline.
In case you care, New Orleans was amazing/nuts. Things I will never do again in my life include taking 10 students down Bourbon Street on the afternoon of Mardi Gras. Bad Bad Idea!
On the food note though, everything was delicious and really…southern bbq can’t get any better.
Outline should be done tonight.
Peace!