Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog

October 22, 2011: Dinners, projects, and Snow Monkeys!

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Recent dinners:

Transylvania Flavor with Steve, Jodi, Akemi, and Gemma…

Steve just got back from a big gaming convention in Juarez. What's next? A tech conference in Grozny?
Jodi, also an avid reader, gifted me two SF books for my birthday – one a short story collection from my mother's most hated author, Margaret Atwood!
The platter. A little bit of everything.

Bao Bei with Jacqueline…

Jacqueline really needs to expand her culinary horizons. She doesn't eat chicken feet. Can you believe it?
One of my favorite dishes of the night: lotus root with black bean, Chinese chive, and curry.
Another favorite: steamed buns with pork belly, bean sprouts, preserved turnip, and sugared peanuts.

Bistrot Bistro with Ivon and Sara…

The steak
The caramelized onion tart
The happy couple!

I spent the greater part of the afternoon organizing my library, ultimately coming to the conclusion that I may have way too many books and not enough shelf space.

Also started fleshing out some ideas for the show(s) I’ll be developing with Ivon.  Akemi is VERY excited, for obvious reasons.

As tempted as I am to take part in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), especially since it coincides with the start of work on my planned novel(s), I think it would be preferable to work at my own pace.  I know, I know.  NaNoWriMo offers terrific motivation in the form of a deadline but I honestly think the emphasis on quantity over quality would prove detrimental to the finished product, especially considering I’m toying with the idea of writing not one but two novels.  Unlike my writing partner, Paul, who can only concentrate on one project at a time, I prefer to jump back and forth between projects.  If I get bogged down on one, there’s nothing more energizing than taking a break to jump on to another.   And then there’s the fact that I’ve been toying with two ideas for novels, one in the SF genre, the other in the fantasy genre.  Hey, chances are I may not get around to finishing either, but I’m feeling increasingly up to the double challenge.

Signed off on a few more pencil pages of Dark Matter’s third issue.  Artist Garry Brown continues to amaze.  I promised my editor, Patrick Thorpe, that I’d write the copy for the advance solicitation of issue #4 by next Friday.  So somebody remind me!

Tomorrow’s R.I.P. Stargate fantasy football game of the day sees my Snow Monkeys beat up on Ivon Bartok’s Running Dead.  ‘tsgonna be ugly!

GO SNOW MONKEYS!!!

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22 responses

  1. Ivon B Avatar
    Ivon B

    That may be the worst picture of me ever

    Reply
  2. Mike A. Avatar
    Mike A.

    Can’t wait to see what you and Ivon come up with. Will Paul be a part of that project, too?

    Good luck to the Snow Monkeys! This week will be tough in the league I’m undefeated in because I have four guys on bye and my fill-ins are well, fill-ins.

    Crossing fingers!

    Reply
  3. Lissa (@americanaussie) Avatar
    Lissa (@americanaussie)

    Wish you the best of luck with your novels. They sound interesting, of course I love sci fi and fantasy. (I know I should participate in your novel reading group. I have read some of the excellent books on your list, but never in time to do the group discussions. It isn’t always easy to get the books here in Oz. I was incredibly surprised by the Book of Joby, it’s turned out to be one of my favorites.)

    I’ve been working on a historical fiction novel for some time and I’m stumped. So, I thought this next month could give me a chance to go at it and try something new. November is going to be a busy month with my birthday, our big shindig for Thanksgiving, then our trip overseas, but with luck my novel will come along nicely. I’m pretty excited, it’ll be my first time with NaNoWriMo.

    Best of luck @Lisa R 🙂 May the creative thoughts flow freely.

    Reply
  4. Gilder Avatar
    Gilder

    There’s a gaming con in Cd. Juarez? Please give Steve my email addy and ask him to send the website address. I’d like to pass it to my friends at Chimaeracon.

    Reply
  5. KevinInNS Avatar
    KevinInNS

    Ivon’s lady sure looks alot like Julia Benson…or maybe Julia Benson looks alot like Ivon’s lady.

    Reply
  6. Ponytail Avatar
    Ponytail

    Best picture yet of Ivon!

    Reply
  7. Debra Avatar
    Debra

    The only thing I read of Atwood was The Handmaiden’s Tale. Been very very long ago, I don’t remember what I thought of her writing but the story was great. But since I never bothered to read her other works, probably wasn’t enthused with her style. Let me know if you like it, maybe will give another look.
    Chicken feet. Eww.
    Holy cow, 3am EST– my arse needs to hit it. The Basenji, evil things that they are, insist on getting up in the morning before 9 am.
    My daughter doesn’t like this smile– Cara does it on command. Maybe you could write a part for her, lol.

    I never remember how to do this.
    NOTE: didn’t seem to work and entire post didn’t appear… forget it, here is the link:
    http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f203/DebraDownSth/Dogs/CaraBIGsmile1011.jpg

    Reply
  8. Mike A. Avatar
    Mike A.

    Forgot to mention: Dog-sitting this weekend. House built in 1925, a beagle, a german shepherd/husky mix, and SGU in syndication. Fun times.

    It’s “Trial and Error” tonight. Fantastic episode. Kudos, sir.

    Reply
  9. SiSi Avatar
    SiSi

    I just signed up for NaNoWriMo for the first time. With my November schedule, I don’t think I’ll get to 50,000 words but I’m hoping my competitive spirit will kick in and that this will provide a kick-start to the sci fi/mystery novel I’ve been “planning” for quite some time.

    Reply
  10. Knowles2 Avatar
    Knowles2

    I am think of taking part in, NaNoWriMo, just to see how far I get along with writing an idea I have had for a novel for years, it just knowing where to with my idea. I got a second idea for a novel as well but it far less developed but probably more interesting for the wider audience.

    Reply
  11. maggiemayday Avatar
    maggiemayday

    Mmmm, lotus root.

    Reply
  12. noellam Avatar
    noellam

    Does your new show idea have anything to do with food?

    Reply
  13. Naomi Avatar
    Naomi

    I never think of myself as having too many books, I just do not have enough shelf space. Perhaps, I need a book on building shelves. 🙂 I’m looking forward to hearing more about the show(s) you and Ivon are working on. I signed up for this year’s NaNoWriMo, my first time participating. I wondered about the focus on quantity over quality, but I think I need that sort of challenge. I’ve been known to spend an hour editing, re-editing, and editing yet again, a four sentence paragraph. Best of luck to everyone participating in NaNoWriMo!

    Ivon, if that is the worst ever picture of you, you must be very photogenic. I never saw my worst picture. With my first driver’s license, I did not know that wearing a hat was not allowed. I had to take my hat (a skull fitting knitted cap, without a brim) off for the photo, and my hair looked really bad. The photo was so awful the state didn’t issue my license. Instead, they sent me a letter requesting that I take another photo.

    Reply
  14. paloosa Avatar
    paloosa

    Writing a novel and developing new show ideas? The novel alone seems like a full time job. So much for that break you were taking. 🙂

    Will you be trying to develop TV series, or even delve into feature films?

    And I too was wondering about Paul. Is he still in Toronto? Is he working on other projects as well?

    Reply
  15. Tam Dixon Avatar
    Tam Dixon

    Great pictures!

    Good luck with book ideas. I’ll read them.

    You seem to be full of energy. How do you get settled down enough to sleep?

    Max and Jelly doing ok?

    Reply
  16. PBMom Avatar
    PBMom

    I’m losing my mind today. Did I post my other message or did I get distracted and lose what I wrote? This is not good.

    I guess I’ll see what turns up.

    If you guys want to check out my Maddie, check this out:
    http://youtu.be/93gi0pZGyr4

    She makes the FUNNIEST noises. Wait until you hear her when I record her tomorrow when Patrick gets home. He is a rock star to her.

    Reply
  17. Debra Avatar
    Debra

    LOL PBMom– this is my lovely Arwen (video dark, but she’s under the covers anyway)
    http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f203/DebraDownSth/Dogs/Arwen102011.jpg

    And this is the not so lovely noises she makes (not unusual for basenjis btw– fortunately they aren’t as bad as they sound)

    Reply
    1. PBMom Avatar
      PBMom

      @Debra That is FUNNY!!!!!! I think that could be a Syfy feature. Scared me. I would not go near Arwen if I heard her make that noise. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
  18. Zed of Earth Avatar
    Zed of Earth

    @Naomi

    ‘I never think of myself as having too many books, I just do not have enough shelf space.’

    Yup!!

    ‘Perhaps, I need a book on building shelves.’

    Hee hee!

    ‘I’ve been known to spend an hour editing, re-editing, and editing yet again, a four sentence paragraph.’

    Only an hour?!

    ‘The photo was so awful the state didn’t issue my license. Instead, they sent me a letter requesting that I take another photo.’

    Wow, Harsh. Still, I suppose it’s better than having to go round with permanent hat-hair in order to match your photo. 🙂

    Reply
  19. Shiny Avatar
    Shiny

    That’s actually a great pic of Ivon’s pompadour; Ricky Nelson would be so jealous! Sara is very lovely, lucky Ivon!

    Handmaid’s Tale is seared into my brain, but I can’t seem to get through The Blind Assassin, I think I finally just gave it away. Does your mom like Edna Ferber? She was witty and modern; she wrote a novel title American Beauty in 1931, talk about being a head of her time. She wrote Show Boat and Giant.

    Reply
  20. JodiElle Avatar
    JodiElle

    @Gilder The website for the conference in Juárez is:
    http://www.juarezcompetitiva.org/

    This year, the opening address was given by President Calderón. It is a multi-disciplinary/cross-industry conference (so not solely focused on gaming). Hope this is helpful!

    Reply
  21. Duptiang. Avatar
    Duptiang.

    I am with Jacqueline on this. Many a time I passed a street vender in Thailand with those prongy little sticks on the grill and asked why? I know where those feet have been. There is a soup in Thailand basically called chicken leg soup, just the leg no feet-wonderful but not spicy like the dom yum goong. Maybe Jacqueline and I could exchange recipes?

    I most definitely will add these names to the list in planning for my upcoming “Food venture in Vancouver.”

    Yaowarat in Bangkok has some great chinese eats, not like that sweet/sour pork and General Tsoa chicken (no feet) you get in your local chinese restaurant here.

    Reply

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