I figured what better way to help Akemi learn English than by having her master the art of the tongue twister? Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers... The plan was to have a rough draft of the finished outline by Sunday. Well, yes, that was the plan. It's Sunday and I've only managed…
September 29, 2012: Dangerous dog treats! Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! The Last Man!
Watched an infuriating report last night on Marketplace that detailed the string of pet sicknesses and deaths purportedly linked to two dog treats manufactured in China: Waggin' Train Dog Treats and Milo's Chicken Jerky treats. I say "purportedly" because, even though many dogs have gotten sick and, in some cases, died after ingesting these treats,…
September 28, 2012: Make your own home made chicken heart tacos! I show you how! Days of Stargate Atlantis past! The Kindred II!
Since Akemi was attending a party for her ESL (English as a Second Language) class tonight, I thought I'd take advantage of her absence to make something a little atypical for dinner, something she probably wouldn't enjoy (until she tried it of course) if she was home. I wanted to make duck hearts. Now, last…
September 27, 2012: Quinto Quarto dinner! Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! Kindred I!
"In the cuisine of modern Rome quinto quarto (literally the "fifth quarter") is the offal of butchered animals. The name makes sense on more than one level: because offal amounts to about a fourth of the weight of the carcass; because the importance of offal in Roman cooking is at least as great as any of the outer quarters, fore…
September 26, 2012: Spinning our creative wheels! Dark Matters! Days of Stargate Atlantis past! Midway!
My writing partner, Paul, came over for Day #2 of our spinning session for the new pilot script we're working on. Next to starting a script and, perhaps, passing a kidney stone, there's nothing more painful than outlining a story, especially in those first few days. Ideas are pitched. They're shot down. The story is…
September 25, 2012: The Doggy update! Days of Stargate Atlantis past! Outcast!
Yep, them's is diapers Jelly is wearing. She's been having some issues, the result of an apparent bladder infection, so she'll be sporting the velcro shorts for the rest of the week. You can tell she's bummed because she was expecting something more stylish. Lulu, meanwhile, has been prone to occasional vomiting. Well, semi-regular vomiting.…
September 24, 2012: The Supermovie of the Week Club reconvenes! Cookie Monster reviews Catwoman!
How can movie about sexy bendy girl who wear leather outfit and carry a whip not be good? How possible? Well, why not we run down pros and cons of Catwoman. Cons: crappy akting, stoopid skript, lame direktion, annoying music, terruble speshul effekts. Pros: Not longer den 104 minutes. Hmmmm. Monster tink we have our…
September 23, 2012: Football Sunday! Mystery Reads! Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! Trio!
Whew! After two winless weeks in fantasy football league play, my Snow Monkeys appear poised to claim their first victory. Ivon's team, The Running Dead, require a near miraculous performance by both his wide receivers to make up a big 49 point deficit. This win is, of course, huge for the defending champions who are…
September 22, 2012: Heart of Duckness
I'm sure it's happened to you before. You're sitting back, watching a show on Food Network or the Travel Channel, when a dish catches your eye. You track down the recipe, study it, then jot down the ingredients, determined to recreate it at home. The next day, you go to the grocery store and pick…
September 21, 2012: In memory of Kelly
I awoke this morning and logged onto to this blog to find the following message awaiting moderation: "Anne Teldy’s lil sisAnne and I wrote this two weeks ago. All typos or mispellings are mine. I had hoped not to have to post this for some time, but sadly… Kelly Hurt, known on the Internet as…
September 20, 2012: A chance encounter! Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! Harmony!
Well, look who it is. Yes, it's my former Stargate arch-nemesis Ashleigh (not to be confused with my former Transporter arch-nemesis Tara) and her adorable pug, L'Eau. I happened to be in Gastown, enjoying an afternoon stroll with my frenchie, Lulu, when I happened to spot our former Exec. Producers' Assistant across the street. The…
September 19, 2012: The Curious Case of the Vindictive Vespula Germanica: A Joseph Mallozzi Mystery! Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! Quarantine!
It was a fiery pain, sharp and sudden, as if I'd brushed up against a white hot stove element. I dropped my bag of dog treats and immediately checked the source of the intense burning, discovered the detached wasp's stinger embedded on the inside base of my right ring finger. It instantly brought to mind…
September 18, 2012: Recommend me a great mystery read! Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! Spoils of War!
Not a fine mystery read or a good mystery read. I'd like you to recommend me a great one. A couple of guidelines: 1. As much as I respect the classics, I'd prefer to read something set in our contemporary world. Well, contemporary-ish. I'll pass on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allen Poe but…
September 17, 2012: The Supermovie of the Week Club reconvenes! Cookie Monster reviews Spiderman 2!
Spiderman 2 be most disappointing sekwel since Grover's little brother, Mervin, born. Unlike first solid outing, dis foray into web-slinging adventure be peppered wit WTF (What de Fudgee-o) moments and cheesy dialogue. First movie skirted line between serious and fun, but dis movie veer into stupid-silly territory, at times reminding monster of Richard Lester Superman.…
September 16, 2012: Seattle Road Trip!
Hey, remember that movie Road Trip where a group of friends hop in a car and drive cross country? Well, today, I experienced my own abbreviated version - minus the scene in which someone gets served a piece of french toast that took a ride down the back of somebody's pants (although, to be fair,…