Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog

September 11, 2011: Our Toronto Farewell Tour Commenceth!

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Well, our Toronto Farewell tour officially kicked off tonight.  Not sure when, exactly, we’re leaving, but I imagine it’s somewhere between next week and December, depending on how quickly several outstanding issues can be addressed and put to bed.  In the meantime, I’ve lined up a slew of goodbye and see-you-later dinners that, if necessary, will take me to December.

Anyway, tonight we went to dinner with our friend Ryna.  Our destination – well, I’ll let you guess.

And, chances are, you guessed correctly…

Ryna is also a transplanted Vancouver native. And a foodie. I'm trying to convince her to move back!
Akemi has been camera-shy of late as she awaits the arrival of the contact lenses she special ordered.

Okay, yes, you guessed it.  We went to Scarpetta…

The sweet and sour onion varietals.
A terrific steak tartare with a hint of truffle.
Akemi, sporting her sexy librarian glasses, prepares to dig in.
Not only is Ryn a foodie, but she also photographs her meals. Sound familiar?
The delectable branzino with eggplant caponata. I've been meaning to try making this fish at home. I have a feeling that my preparation will be nowhere near as delicious.
And, of course, the dish we all came here for: the spaghetti with basil.
I consider my dessert options.
We decided to go with three, but the coconut panna cotta remains the standout.
Akemi and Ryna.

Our Fantasy Football league (R.I.P. Stargate) kicked off its second season this weekend (well, technically, Thursday night) and, despite the many underperformers on the roster, my Snow Monkeys looked poised to pull of a week #1 win over the Surrey Monkey Poachers.  I’m up 10 points heading into the Monday Night double-header where our final two running backs face off: my Knowshon Moreno vs. his BenJarvus Green-Ellis.

TOUCHDOWN!!!

I dumped Manning and started Romo but, in the coming weeks, will keep my eye on my back-up QB, Fitzpatrick, who positively decimated the hapless Chiefs. My big guns – Jahvid Best, Adrian Peterson, Hakeem Nicks, and Roddy White – disappointed but I’m counting on them to bounce back next week when I take on I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter and their trash-talking GM Daryl.

Just as I was just about to hit “publish” on today’s entry I read the news of Andy Whitfield’s passing (R.I.P. Andy Whitfield).  He was a wonderful actor whose breakout role as the titular character in Spartacus: Blood and Sand won him well-deserved praise.  Very sad.

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25 responses

  1. sylvia Avatar
    sylvia

    Great start to the “Aloha” tour before leaving Toronto.
    By the way, Akemi look stunning with glasses. She has a very fashionable pair!

    I enjoyed Andy Whitfield in Spartucus – sorry to see the news.

    Hoping our Snow Monkeys continue with the burst of energy to do you proud.

    And, with the late posting and foodie pix…now I’m hungry again. Gotta find a snack.

    Reply
  2. Ponytail Avatar
    Ponytail

    I could understand being “camera shy” if you were waiting on a new glass eye, or front teeth, or that huge pimple to go away, or a cold sore to heal, or the purple streaks in your hair to grow out. But a contact lens? Remember, glasses are a fashion accessory. Akemi would look good wearing anything. Your dinner and companions look great.

    Andy Whitfield was way too young.

    Reply
  3. dasndanger Avatar
    dasndanger

    Akemi, you look adorable in glasses! Of course, you look adorable in everything you wear, so don’t worry. Besides, it sounds like Joey thinks they’re sexy…the naughty, naughty boy! Tell you what…just put on those glasses, grab a couple books, hold your finger to your lips, and go, ‘Shhhhhhhh! Quiet, this is the library!’ and just see what happens. 😉

    das

    Reply
  4. dasndanger Avatar
    dasndanger

    @ Tammy Dixon – I’m a big fan of Midsomer Murders! A&E used to air them all the time back when that channel was good. It totally sucks now (it was a casualty of 9/11; they almost went bust after the attack and totally changed their programming from Arts and Entertainment to Crap and Crap). Anyway, love that series, especially the earlier eps with DS Gavin Troy, and I do have one boxset. I’m not sure how Netflix works…I should probably look into it because I don’t have the funds to buy loads of boxsets.

    das

    Reply
  5. Quade Avatar
    Quade

    I was just reading about Andy Whitfield. Ever since he was diagnosed, I have followed his story. When he was sick he was still stopping for fans, going to Comic Con, and calling up the new actor who took his job to give him tips on how to make it through the gruelling training/production days. Just think about that one, you finally hit the big time, a titular role in a show everyone is talking about, and you are diagnosed with a terminal illness. Yet you take the time to call the man who took your job, and your show, and help him with it. I think the reason he played Spartacus so well was because in real life he was a true champion.

    Reply
  6. Alexis Avatar
    Alexis

    Akemi looks very nice in her glasses. She should not hide from the camera.

    Reply
  7. ben Avatar
    ben

    R.I.P. Andy Whitfield. I really enjoyed the work he did in Spartacus: BaS.

    That spaghetti with basil looks really good.

    I just finished reading the Maximus posts, I really hope he gets better. Seeing his pics in the morning usually gives me a lift.

    Reply
  8. maggiemayday Avatar
    maggiemayday

    Yum!

    Reply
  9. Lisa R Avatar
    Lisa R

    I liked Akemi’s glasses. The ones I wear are very similar-looking. When I saw the news about Andy Whitfield, I thought of you and the others who have talked about Spartucus. Quite sad to die so young.

    Hope you have a good day!!!!

    Reply
  10. moi Avatar
    moi

    U should have begged the restaurant owner for the recipe for Spaghetti with Basil. Being a frequent customer does have perks sometimes

    Reply
  11. Tam Dixon Avatar
    Tam Dixon

    Oh yumm, that spaghetti looks so good. Can you duplicate it?

    Yes, Akemi and her friend are very beautiful. They could wear anything they wanted and still look fab!

    Das: I’m cutting down on movie buying myself. We are considering switching to Netflix/Hulu instead of Dish Network. Experimenting now, but we like it so far. Netflix has the older flicks and friends have told me that Hulu has the newer shows. Possibly a big savings at the end of the year. We still have Dish until we decide. You can try Netflix if you have a high speed internet connection and a way to stream it to your TV. Like the Xbox, Wi, Internet capable TV or an internet capable DVD player (careful on those, we tried one and it sucked).

    Reply
  12. Echelon Avatar
    Echelon

    I had no idea Andy Witfield passed away. That’s too bad, he was only 39. At least he died in the arms of his wife.

    I don’t envy you, I hate moving… I can’t imagine moving that far, especially with that many pets. Sounds like you’ll be a busy man for the next week.

    Akemi has the glasses, now she just needs the rest of the outfit.

    Have a good one, and be safe.

    Reply
  13. Debra Avatar
    Debra

    Akemi looks great in the glasses! LOL on dinner plans til Dec. Why not have one huge chocolate blow out party with everyone?

    Reply
  14. Shiny Avatar
    Shiny

    I love Akemi’s red glasses! She looks like a super heroine in her civilian disguise. Beautiful food, never seen prettier onions.

    Been tearing up over the passing of Andy Whitfield. I was pulling for Andy until the last. We lost a good friend to the same terrible disease, its very unfair. The last memory I have of our friend Mauricio before he got sick was his saving me and my baby nephew from a big ol’ spider. Mauricio also got stuck with making dinner for us that day, some really great steaks that we still talk about whenever we remember him.

    Reply
  15. Anais Bellieres Avatar
    Anais Bellieres

    Coucou 🙂 ça va bien? wwaou que de belles photos!!

    Ahaha j’adore Akemi, elle me fait trop rire 🙂 je voudrais bien la connaitre elle a l’air tellement gentil!! 🙂 umm ça devait être bon ce que vous avez mangé :)!!

    J’adore la photo de vous, vous avez la class comme toujours 😉

    Oui RIP Andy c’était un bon acteur et il était si jeune =(

    Passez une bonne journée! gros bisous!

    Reply
  16. dasndanger Avatar
    dasndanger

    I am not familiar with Andy Whitfield, but still so very sad for a young talent and life to be lost to that terrible disease. My heart goes out to all who loved him.

    das

    Reply
  17. PBMom Avatar
    PBMom

    @Das Yeah, the picture of my wound are pretty gross. It is closing up nicely. Will take a few weeks. Wish the nerve pain would quit (the median nerve was surrounded by infection and it was already irritated with my carpal tunnel syndrome. The overall swelling in the arm, lymph nodes, etc., seem to be almost equal now when comparing to my right arm.

    Been resting all weekend, so just caught up on all the blogs. I’m sorry there is not better news for Maximus, but I would not give up. Have you ever tried an alternative medicine practitioner for him? Of course, you have to be careful to find a reputable one, but the field of alternative medicine for dogs is growing. It may not stop the cancer from spreading, but may help give him pain relief through acupuncture, therapeutic massage, etc.

    Akemi shy? I don’t buy it.

    Is Refuel planning your ‘Welcome Back Joe” feast yet?

    I’m not familiar with Andy Whitfield either, but send out sympathy & love to all who did.

    Moving back will not nearly be as painful (or complicated) as moving back I think, because you are looking forward to going home.

    I agree dogs should be allowed to travel in-cabin. Of course, they should limit how many per flight so as not to have a German Shepherd jumping 3 rows back to play with the golden retriever (you get what I mean–chaos). Our carrier would not fit on the plane.

    Well, I’m going to attempt to work and see how my arm does. Wish me luck.

    Reply
  18. sam Avatar
    sam

    Yes tell Akemi she is adorable in glasses, forget the contacts. Just looked at the comic com that you intend to visit, great guests, and off course the De Lorean. That was a great car had the privilidge of riding in one from the factory as my uncle was working for the firm at the time in Belfast Northern Ireland. enjoy all your parties and good lick to Max.. keep up the photos on max.

    Reply
  19. Tam Dixon Avatar
    Tam Dixon

    So sad About Andy Whitfield. He was only 39 years old!

    Reply
  20. 2cats Avatar
    2cats

    Joe, how does one eat the branzino with eggplant caponata? I see fish skin. Does it peel off? Can you tell I usually eat filet-o-fishes between two buns?

    Akemi, you look sweet in your glasses; the amber frame color is very flattering against your dark hair.
    I’ve been wearing wireframe glasses since, well, decades let’s say. They are less trouble than contact lenses. (And I can’t stand the thought of something lying on my eyes). Now they are always bifocals.

    g’night to all and best prayers for all the furry kids, especially Max,

    2cats
    Basil cat & Scooter cat send their love too

    Reply
  21. dasndanger Avatar
    dasndanger

    Just a quickie:

    This is how to ride a bike – totally awesome ride, especially towards the end. The announcers are a riot, too (you must watch to the end for the best quote, ever!).

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCMQPzKcFqs

    das

    Reply
  22. SGASG1SGUSGI Avatar
    SGASG1SGUSGI

    So in the end of Continuum, when Carter says, “Actually, sir, I was hoping we could go over the plans for the new moon base”, was she hinting at Stargate Extinction’s opening scene?

    Reply
  23. DALLAS MARSHALL (@MrsTigercat) Avatar
    DALLAS MARSHALL (@MrsTigercat)

    Completely off topic. Someone sent me this picture and I thought you would enjoy it. http://www.twitpic.com/6k5fbv

    Reply
  24. dioxholster Avatar
    dioxholster

    thats just so depressing, it was bad enough knowing he had cancer but for him to die so young is too sad.

    Reply
  25. Narelle from Aus Avatar
    Narelle from Aus

    Sorry it wasn’t better news from Max’s treatments. Safe travels home.

    For those cosmically inclined, Neil deGrasse Tyson has released 30+ new podcasts.

    Reply

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