We took the dogs out for a walk today, taking advantage of a brief window of sunniness in an otherwise rainy day. Jelly surprised by completing an entire walk around the block. Bribes were required in the form of dog treats every twenty feet or so but still very impressive.
So, I’m trying out Crunchyroll, a site that allows you to stream anime (and various other Asian entertainment), usually within 24 hours of its airing in Japan. I haven’t had to make use of the 24 hour turn-around service as Akemi and I have been concentrating on old episodes of Gintama (two a night before bedtime). We’re on episode 50 and apparently have another 197+ to go! We both love the show and, while 50% of the humor goes over my head, it’s great to have Akemi there to explain the subtle (and usually not so subtle) pop references and cultural in-jokes. So far, the only problem with Crunchyroll has been the lack of recent (as in 2011) titles. High School of the Dead, Steins;Gate, We Still Don’t Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day, and Puella Magica Madoka are nowhere to be found. 🙁
In addition to improving my Japanese language listening skills (by watching silly anime), I’m also working on my Japanese writing skills. I set aside an hour of every day to translate a page of the manga I purchased while in Tokyo (Baby, Please Kill Me). It was slow, frustrating going for the first few days in which I had to look up every damn symbol but, as I’ve progressed, I’ve gotten quicker – at hiragana anyway. Katakana is still a bit of a mystery to me. As are the odd kanji symbols that pepper the text.
Not exactly smooth sailing on the horror script front but I managed to negotiate a creative hurdle these last few days and am back on track to finish up a first draft for months end (as I promised Ivon). I’ve hit page 73 and all hell has broken loose! Once I’m done, I’ll send a copy to Ivon and Paul, discuss, rewrite, and then start brainstorming the teaser Ivon is going to shoot. Creepy.
Hey, guess who might be going to Comic Con in July? Okay, beside most everyone else in the film, television, and comics? And their fans? Yes, me. I was discussing the possibility of doing a Dark Matter signing with my story editor at Dark Horse. If plans solidify, will let you know. If you were making alternate vacation plans, it’s time to change ’em! Book a flight for San Diego and swing by and say hi in July. We can talk food, Dark Matter and Stargate after which I’ll leave a heartfelt message on the inside cover of your copy of Dark Matter #1 (ie. Please don’t walk off with my pen like the last fan who visited this booth. Sincerely, Joseph Mallozzi).
Great sushi dinner last night compliments of the ever affable Ivon R. Bartok.
And then today, Akemi truly outdid herself, preparing a very Japanese lunch:
Black cod marinated in kasu (sake lees), sake , mirin and saikyo miso for five days, then roasted and broiled. Miso soup with shitake mushrooms, kasu, and yuba. Sticky rice with roasted onions, dry shrimp, shitake mushrooms, kurobuta pork, and ginger. Grilled Chinese sausage. A kumquat compote made of kumquats, a touch of sugar and honey, water, and ice wine. Sweet, oven-roasted garlic. And genmai tea.
We’re heading out tonight with Rob, Ivon and co. and even though we’re going to one of my favorite Italian restaurants, Don Francesco better be delivering its A game tonight because lunch is going to be very hard to beat.
Why You Should Eat Dessert for Breakfast
Today’s entry is dedicated to birthday gal Julie Aloha!
Look who’s back! Miss me? Things went well for the most part except Patrick did not want to sleep much the entire 7 days we were gone which resulted in a seizure at the airport (at least the one at home after we got off the plane) which resulted in paramedics, an ambulance ride, etc.
Now I have to catch up on all your blogs, so I’ll start here and go backwards. I’m not going to be able to make ComicCon. Likely I will be in NY at my high school reunion. Can’t manage both trips. Well, I might not be able to afford that trip either, but at least I won’t have to pay for hotel or car rental as my friend is going to let me crash at her place on Long Island.
Jelly looks good! Whatever it takes to get them moving. Maddie gets a treat if she does not pull while we are walking. Speaking of my dog, she was downright depressed. They called us Saturday and said she had diarrhea and asked if they could give her Pepto-Bismol. We called on Monday to check on her and she stopped eating. We were late picking her up Wednesday because of Patrick’s seizure on Tuesday (and he just didn’t look like he was going to survive an hour drive there and an hour drive back), but he did. Maddie was so excited to see us. Nearly took my hand off while trying to get to the car to come home. Hopefully we won’t have to leave her again.
Thanks for the dessert link. I feel better about indulging my chocolate cravings now. Most of the non-chocolate candies contain high-fructose corn syrup or other sweeteners I’ve been advised to avoid.
Hmmm…San Diego in July…tempting, but…
I have to go to Massachuss…Massa…NW of Boston in July, though. We’re lending the Civil War & WWII POW blanket to this exhibit.
http://www.athm.org/exhibitions/future_exhibitions/
Matter of fact, I told them I’d fly it up this coming week but haven’t made travel arrangements yet (prepaid airfare from charity auction). Time to turn off the iPad!
Hey, how about Emerald City Con here in Seattle ?
VERY close to home and we have good manners and killer food here also. You could drive down with the doggies.
Perhaps something to think about..
Well? Was it “the best sushi in Vancouver,” as it was hyped?
I hope “TPTB” already have a hotel room booked for you, otherwise, UNLESS you have GOOD friends who live in SD, you’ll be sleeping in the Airport Limo! Oh, and book a flight out on the Tuesday. SD Airport is a parking lot on CC Monday!
Hi Joe,
Hey, thanks for the dedication – I wasn’t hinting, honest(!), but I got a warm glowy feeling nonetheless! I had such a cozy, sweet birthday – nothing fancy, just good times and lots of laughter – perfect!!
I did get to read DM#2 tonight – Wow! for the graphics and I love the weaving of humor and conflict throughout the storyline – lots more meat in this issue. I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but I noticed something very like a pineapple in amongst the foodstuffs – made me think of Will Waring! Can’t wait to see the next issue and much more the series!
Smiles, Julie
Oh man. I’ve never seen a tamago-unagi roll. My mouth is watering as I type this. You never did mention, was it the best sushi in all of Vancouver? This is required information for those of us that plan to see Vancouver at some point in the future…
Can’t make it to ComicCon , but I’m going to ChiCon (World Science Fiction Convention) in Chicago in September. Any chance you’ll be making an appearance, Joe? John Scalzi is the Toastmaster. Hugos (Hugoes?) will be awarded. Good times!
247 episodes of Gintama? I had no idea it was such a long running series!
@das: Yes, I saw the post yesterday. Now you’re just baiting me. 😛
@PBmom: I’m glad you and the family had a relatively uneventful trip and are back home safe and sound.
MMM, tamago-unagi …. two of my favorites in one?! Yum.
We had a prolific kumquat tree in our yard in Shioiri. We ate them sometimes, but I should have made better use of them when I had the chance.
I for one would love to stop by and visit you at Comic Con…but I’ll have to see what I can schedule. My son’s scout camp is the second week of July and his football practices start right after. That and then we go to the big fly-in at Oshkosh (AirVenture) during the last week of the month; July’s a busy month for us.
I’m at the parenting age where my kid’s schedules define my day more than my own schedule.
And a belated Happy Birthday to JulieAloha!
@PBMom:
Glad to hear you’re now all back safe and sound…traveling can be tax taxing at the best of times.
Welcome back!
In the Malta Carnival this year, there’s a Stargate float!!
cool..
Jelly girl! Awwwww….she looks good! 🙂 Still got the limp but she’s got a lot of spunk in her. She keep up with a good pace. 🙂
Mmmmm…that sushi look yummy! And…Akemi’s Japanese lunch looks scrumptious! 🙂
@JeffW: Do you ever go to Sun n’ Fun in Lakeland, FL?
@PBMom: Good to see you back! Is Maddie all better?
I’m impressed with Jelly’s progress. She is wobbly but she doesn’t seem to be painful. I was telling my Vet friend, Jo, about Jelly’s progress. Jo would love to have the stem cell procedure done on herself!
Akemi’s lunch looked so delicious! Does she have problems finding the proper ingredients in Canada?
San Diego does sound fun but I’ve got a kid in private school. School and car insurance, that is where our funds go. I can’t believe how much it was to add our 16 year old son to our car insurance! It’s over $4000, a year to insure a low end Honda and a Nissan truck. I can’t imagine how much a BMW, or Mercedes would cost.
I’m going to try this recipe soon: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/brown-butter-madeleines-recipe/index.html
JeffW: I’m impressed that your kids will eat Black and White Pudding! My mom makes a chocolate gravy and that’s more our speed 😉 .
PBmom: I’m sorry that Patrick had a seizure on the trip but I’m so glad it in your home city!
Thank you for the recipe for the love of Beckett!
@Deni:
I haven’t made it to Lakeland, although I’d like to go…from everything I hear from my pilot friends, it sounds like Sun-n-Fun is more like Oshkosh was about 10 years ago. AirVenture now seems to be more about corporate flying rather than experimental or general aviation…those elements are still there just not promoted or highlighted like it used to be.
@Sparrow Hawk:
I’m with you! If Joe comes to Chicago for ChiCon, I’ll make the trip to go say “Hi!”
What do you say Joe?
like Sorashi senseisaid it himself (the author of gintama), even japanese people dont understand some of his jokes, but definitly one of the best anime, you picked a good one there
Heck, if everyone else is pitching con appearances, I’d throw in Shore Leave as a nice way to spend the first weekend in August. In the Baltimore area, with a number of dining options(alas, not so much in the immediate vicinity of the con, but many an hour or less from the venue). A fan run con, it’s well organized, well tattended, and with a large contingent of Stargate fans. As for heading to Comic Con, doesn’t look like that’s happening this year. With luck I’ll be in a money making rather than money spending mode in July. And I have yet to decide on the itinerary for my annual “drag my Canadian friend to who knows where” tour. No way to top last year’s planes, trains, automobiles, and cruise ship mystery tour. Unfortunately, said friend managed to break herself in odd ways that defeated my intentions of scheduling a vacation that would leave her rested and fit when she got home. But I did make the suggestion to get the airline to have a wheelchair for her to get through the terminals, which she used…(yes, it was that bad)
Anyways, horror flick eh? Outstanding. Good to know you’re not overdosing on the anime at the expense of your creative talents. Looking forward to hearing more as the project advances. Thanks for the daily dose of “life through Mallozzi’s eyes”, as always entertaining, informative, and sometimes even inspiring…especially Jelly’s cunning ability to get extra treats out of you.
Jelly is doing great! It must do your heart good to see her getting around so well, compared to what it would have been without the auto stem-cell treatment.
I had sushi Friday night, too, but yours looks better, so now I want to eat sushi again! 🙂 I had the crunchy grouper for an entree, but it was only breaded, not crunchy as advertized. It had great taste, but texture was really what I was looking for. The sushi was an appetizer, and the best part of the meal. I could eat sushi 2 or 3 times a week and be happy. Akemi, your miso soup looked perfect! 🙂
Or Joe, if you came to Indy for GenCon in August, I’d make it a point to visit. A lot of the TV foodies were in town for the Super Bowl recently, and loved La Libertine. It’s a cozy wine & martini bar, with a kitchen that doesn’t close. One reviewer loved the liver pate, bacon “flight”and the desserts.
Dark Matter 2 – Some questions are now being answered, but I don’t think things are quite as they seem…yet. I think more mysteries abound. They can call the Kid whatever they want but I haven’t figured out why HE is there. And why can’t HE sit in a chair properly? HE acts bored. I love the idea of Dark Matter being a TV series! I am looking foward to a long hair guy on TV again. I miss Ronon. Who gets to write all the sound effects, you or Paul? (Vrrraaw!, Vrooosh!, Boom!, Bzaat!) Probably you Joe. Paul seems much too sensible for that. 🙂 Looking forward to Dark Matter 3!
Jelly walks fast! Why doesn’t she have on a collar? Are collars and leashes optional in Canada? Not here. They are mandatory, plus dog tags to prove they have had their rabies shot.
@ JulieAloha – Happy Birthday young lady!
Welcome back, PBMom!
And Akemi’s lunch preparation looks amazing. It all sounds delicious and is even presented very nicely.
No luck on the Comic-Con, though. The trip I’m planning for Australia in April will drain the Aeroplan miles down quite a bit! I also do some volunteering in July down at the Appalachian Mountain Club huts in New Hampshire, like this one: http://www.outdoors.org/lodging/whitemountains/huts/huts-lakes.cfm
It’s a lot of work for a few days, but it’s very fun.
I so would love to have Dark Matter Autographed Joe but the Wife is schedule for minor surgery in the latter part of June. Not able to make this Comic Con.
@Tam Dixon:
Well my daughter thinks it’s okay and will eat it if I make it, but my son won’t touch it. My wife and I love it though. Some pictures preparing it if you’re curious:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55871901@N05/6906123809/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55871901@N05/6906130323/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55871901@N05/6906135027/in/photostream
Now I have to ask…what do you put “Chocolate Gravy” on? Waffles? Pancakes? I’m assuming this is the Paula Deen variety of “Chocolate Gravy”…
For JeffW,
Didn’t know you were looking for the old-fashioned, authentic Pineapple upside down cake recipe! Oh, well. However, the Joy of Cooking cookbook has the original recipe, complete with the scratch-made cake batter, and baked in a cast-iron skillet. Can’t find a J of C version online that stays true to both elements, so will e-mail the recipe.
I’ll have to try the skillet version sometime, as we still have my great-grandmother’s iron skillet. It weighs a ton! 😯 The cast-iron skillet is also terrific for roasting pork or beef. Stapling a paper bag around the skillet to keep the juices in is my other grandmother’s trick. Usually 1-1.5 hours @ 350 degrees F. does it. If roast is frozen, 3 hours.
@ Sparrowhawk – Me, baiting you? NEVER!!! I’m…I’m… regaling you with eye candy!! Speaking of which, here’s more nommy noms! Hope you like ginger drops!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/dasNdanger/bartek76.jpg
Bartek Borowiec. Google him…you won’t be sorry. (The fella who works at our local coffee shop looks exactly like this guy, only his long red hair is in dreads. He’s adorable, and so very nice, too. Needless to say, Mr. Das doesn’t let me get my coffee by myself… 😆 )
das
JeffW: They look like sausages. Yes, the chocolate gravy on Paula Dean’s show is nearly the same as my mom’s. She serves it over biscuits. Yum!
Hmmmm…I thought I commented about Jelly in this thread. I wonder if I forgot to post it.
Anyways, it’s good to see the old gal trotting around so well! She’s doing better than me. 😛
Joey, you should come to Wizard World Philly! Paul McGillion is supposed to be there…and William Shatner…and a bunch of other famous people, most of whom I really don’t care much about. Fewer big name comic book creators, a few I’m familiar with, but no one I *must* see. If not Philly, then maybe Baltimore comic con – that’s supposed to be the best since it is all comic book creators, and not all the tv people. Either way, if you can make one of those, I can finally meet you and talk to you in real time and in real life and we can go to dinner and you can take pict…hmm. Ya know, I think it’s better that I just remain a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma, doncha think? 😉
das
Way to go Jelly, so cute! 🙂
I thought you would appreciate that I’m planning my first Chocolate tasting party (with a generous side of cheese, meat, and wine…), next month! It’s going to be an exciting event! My current menu includes Christopher Elbow, Mariebelle, and Vosges, and several organic selections from our local Earth Fare shop. I’m hope my fellow Anthropology grad students enjoy it!
@for the love of Beckett:
You’ve gone much beyond the call of duty on this one…thank you for all the help on the recipes! The Joy of Cooking version sounds like it might be the one my grandmother started with (depending on when it was published). It has all the elements, so I think I’ll start with it. Being print-only explains the difficulty I had in finding this one. Thanks again for all the help.
On the cast-iron, I have three of my grandmother’s seven Griswold pans (the others went to other family members, but I got the 8, 9, and 12 inch pans!) The new pans you see in the stores don’t have smooth bottoms like the old Griswolds do…
Unfortunately, it looks like it may be a while before I get a chance to try the recipe; I learned late this afternoon that an old friend from high school passed away in his sleep yesterday. He was one of the ushers at my wedding and I’ve known the family for 34 years. No causes known yet, and due to the circumstances, the family won’t know till after the autopsy. Forty seven years old is too young.
Ahahah, I could totally see the treat motivation in Jelly’s eyes and gait. So cute! She was moving right along.