“Tokyo crows are very smart. They eat McDonald’s garbage and their brains get bigger.” – Akemi, October 11 2o11.
Today, I brought Akemi to the dentist to get a cavity filled and, I assure you, she was not very happy about it. Oh, she doesn’t mind visiting the dentist. In fact, unlike most, she actually enjoys going in for a check-up and cleaning. I suppose it doesn’t hurt that she finds our dentist quite dashing. Or “hansamu” as she says. No, it wasn’t the visit itself but the cause of her visit that had her upset. She was incredibly downcast at the prospect of having one more cavity. She suspects it’s genetic, but I think it may have more to do with her recent addiction to Nutella that sees her eating the stuff by the spoonful.
Anyway, once she was done, I thought a trip to some local sweet shops would have made the perfect reward. Not for her, mind you – her mouth was still frozen – but for me since I had to wait for her in the dentist’s office (I read the first 140 pages of Iain M. Banks’ The Algebraist. Brilliant!). As I mentioned in a previous blog installment, I’m on a quest to find the best macarons in Vancouver and have decided to do a little comparison tasting. I’m pitting 16 of the city’s macaron makers in head to head competition, sort of a literal Sweet Sixteen. A Macaron-off. Or, if you prefer, Smackaron-off.
So, on this day, tour search for Vancouver’s best macaron led us to Thierry Chocolaterie Patisserie on Alberni Street. Thierry’s macarons would be taking on next door’s Urban Tea Merchant’s tea-infused macarons in their first round match-up. As I approached the assortment, the cute girl behind the counter seemed to recognize me. “Joe?”she asked. Damn. I’m usually pretty good with faces. Terrible with names to go with those faces, but usually pretty good with faces. Not this time. I hesitated, buying time. She did look vaguely familiar… “Nadine,”she said. And, immediately, it clicked. Of course. Nadine. Blog regular/Vancouver native/on Ashleigh’s winless soccer team Nadine! We chatted a bit and eventually, not wanting to get her fired, picked up a seven macaron assortment, a cappuccino for Akemi, and one hazelnut chocolate meringue dessert for good luck! Given the fact she has an English bulldog named Bella, I have a feeling our dog-walking paths may cross very soon.
As we headed back to the car, I explained the Stargate/Blog/Ashleigh connection to Akemi. She was surprised. Which spurred yet another awesome Akemi-ism that, I suppose, speaks volumes on the nature of Japanese SF fans:
“She is cool geek. Not oily grossy geek.”
I assured her that the quality of my blog readers was beyond reproach. Geeks perhaps, maybe even nerds, but certainly neither oily nor grossy. They hang out at the anti-SGU boards.
Off to dinner tonight with some Stargate friends, then looking to the waiver wire for some fantasy football pick-ups – and then, another 100 or so pages of The Algebraist.
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