Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog

August 18, 2013: Fantasy football, gnocchi, and a prospective dog-sitter!

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Great.  Now I think I may have pulled my solar plexus!  Is that even possible?  Not sure if it’s the result of the heavy weights I’ve been lifting, stress, or some mysterious bug but it feels as though I’ve taken a sucker punch to the stomach.  Curiously though, only when I apply pressure to the area.  I know, I know.  So don’t apply pressure to the area.  Gotcha.

Well, I spent most of today researching and number-crunching in preparation for my upcoming fantasy football league draft.  As you know, my Snow Monkeys are still smarting from last year’s disappointing season but are poised to make a big run THIS season.  Just as soon as I draft a team.  Anyway, I sat down and started going over the various statistics when Akemi and I got home from the farmer’s market this morning.  I figured I’d work for a little while before breaking for lunch.  I was partway through my Top 30 running backs when Akemi poked her head in from the next room and asked me when I’d be having lunch.  “It’s still early,”I told her.  “No, it’s not,”she said, pointing out the time.  Holy crap!  I thought I’d only been at it twenty minutes.  It was closer to an hour and a  half!

And while most of my afternoon was dedicated to draft strategy and the comparison of positional performances over the past two years, Akemi was in the kitchen trying her hand at gnocchi…

Following the Gordon Ramsay recipe
Following the Gordon Ramsay recipe
As well as Fabio Viviani's recipe
As well as Fabio Viviani’s recipe
With turkey sausage, fresh parsley, garlic, and olive oil.
With turkey sausage, fresh parsley, garlic, and olive oil.
With chorizo, crispy sage, and brown butter.
With chorizo, crispy sage, and brown butter.
With fresh tomatoes and basil.
With fresh tomatoes and basil.
Garlic soup
Garlic soup
And quinoa salad with sungold tomatoes, mango, and fresh basil.
And quinoa salad with sungold tomatoes, mango, and fresh basil.

We are BOTH exhausted.

Hey, you’ll be pleased/ambivalent to hear that I may have a solution to my dog-sitting problem.  As most of you know, I have three small dogs who, while very smart, are unable to fend for themselves if I ever leave town.  In the past, it wasn’t a problem because I had a dedicated dog-sitter who stayed at the house with them while I was away.  Unfortunately, said dog-sitter has moved on, leaving me dog-sitter-less…with a Tokyo trip pending.  It’s been surprisingly difficult finding a replacement willing to live out of my house for two weeks, drink my liquor, watch television and movies in my basement home theater AND get paid for it.  But I may have finally found someone – my sister!  IF she can swing it.  The plan is to fly her and a friend over from Montreal for those two weeks.  And problem solved!

Until I go visit my sister for Christmas.

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24 responses

  1. Deni Avatar
    Deni

    Excellent idea! If it doesn’t work, I’ll come over. 😉 No, really, I will.

    Reply
  2. dasndanger Avatar
    dasndanger

    …it feels as though I’ve taken a sucker punch to the stomach. Curiously though, only when I apply pressure to the area.

    It’s a turd caught crosswise. You need more roughage. *reads rest of the blog*

    Oh. Garlic soup AND quinoa salad?? Yeah, things should be moving along quite nicely any moment now. 😉

    das

    Reply
  3. Ponytail Avatar
    Ponytail

    Akemi made all those gnocchi dishes pictured up there? Wow! They look awesome. Gnocchi is made with potato correct? I am wondering if they would be good starring as the dumplings in Chicken and Dumplings?

    Great if your Sister can come and babysit the dogs. But who will babysit her dogs while she is gone? Oh my!

    Reply
  4. Alexis Avatar
    Alexis

    What a nice sister and friend. 🙂 I’m tired just looking at all that food. Great job Akemi. 😀

    Reply
  5. archersangel Avatar
    archersangel

    But I may have finally found someone – my sister! IF she can swing it. The plan is to fly her and a friend over from Montreal for those two weeks. And problem solved!

    Until I go visit my sister for Christmas.

    at least you have about 5 months to figure it out.

    Reply
  6. melinda ward Avatar
    melinda ward

    If the pain is mostly on the left side of your belly-get checked for diverticulitis. I’ve had exactly ONE bout of this. Came, went after massive antibiotics, and has never come back. Frankly, I’m surprised you haven’t rxperienced this before with the way you eat 😉

    Reply
  7. Ponytail Avatar
    Ponytail

    @ das – 😆 Is that possible…a sideways turd? 😆 It’s not like he’s having a baby or anything. It’s probably just gas. 😆

    Reply
  8. DP Avatar
    DP

    It’s not that I didn’t want to drink in your air conditioned home theater, but if I’m watching animes, how will I stop my kids from throwing half-eaten food into the deathhatch? I also need to be sober to think to check the dryer vent for any missing flammables like ripped-off wallpaper. I’m sure you understand.

    Reply
  9. Randomness Avatar
    Randomness

    Probably best to get it checked out by a Doctor Joe, incase you have injured yourself. Or if it’s a symptom of something else. Though you can wait a few days and if it’s still bad see someone.

    Reply
  10. sylvia Avatar
    sylvia

    @ Das and Ponytail…well this could give new meaning to the words, “give birth to a turd.” bad…bad….bad….

    Meanwhile, great news about sis being able to stay with the puppies.

    And @ Akemi…you did it again. Great looking food and so MUCH!
    yummy!

    Reply
  11. Alma Avatar
    Alma

    Akemi’s gnocchi look delicious. I’m off to google the recipes.

    Reply
  12. Janet Avatar
    Janet

    G’day all

    I would happily dog sit…IF I lived on your continent. I do not drink, so your liquor would be safe 🙂
    Not so much your DVD collection. I would seriously raid that.
    Great idea on sis sitting the puppies.
    Akemi is such a great girl.

    Reply
  13. Tam Dixon Avatar
    Tam Dixon

    Yay for Sis! Yay for gnocchi! Really, it would take a lot of patience to make that much gnocchi. Well done!

    Reply
  14. gforce Avatar
    gforce

    Wow, that food looks fantastic. Did Akemi make all of that in one session? Incredible. And filling!

    Good question – if your Sis is watching your dogs, who’s watching her dogs? Mom, I suppose?

    Reply
  15. Maggiemayday Avatar
    Maggiemayday

    I agree, give it a few days, then see a doc. I’ve had diverticulitis too, and it is NOT FUN.

    Reply
  16. Chev - Maryanne (@imwebgurl) Avatar
    Chev – Maryanne (@imwebgurl)

    Awwww Joe thanks for the dedication. Thanks also to JeffW, Tam Dixon and For the love of Beckett. I’m OK, although it would be nice if my boss wouldn’t take out his stress on me.

    Saw an amazing work opportunity on the weekend. An internship on the social media team at the Vancouver Canucks. How cool would that be? Only barriers are that I only have a few hours to apply, it would either be low pay or no pay and I’d have to take leave from my current job, oh yeah and get a work visa. Still, it’s interesting. Apparently digital media is big in Vancouver right now.

    Joe, have you ever thought about writing a novel based on your life, using your blog posts. They are endlessly entertaining…. I lol’ed at Ivon and the wasp. Please don’t tell him that.

    The gnocchi looks pretty awesome… well done Akemi.

    Better go to bed…

    Byeeeee Chev

    Reply
  17. shinyhula Avatar
    shinyhula

    Yep, I thimk I’m gonna faint from looking at that fabulous food. The gnocchi looks sooo good, the salad is gorgeous, the soup looks tasty. I predict I’ll be able to eat gnocchi again in 2015 at the earliest; I’ll make do with my sauteed broccoli, sniff!

    Hither to the doctor to get your spot checked out. It’s easy to get a hernia, or to have had a tiny hernia that becomes larger.

    Reply
  18. Randomness Avatar
    Randomness

    @shinyhula

    Not to mention with Hernias, though I’ve never had one, I think you’d need surgery if it gets bad. If that happens, I guess you’d have to turn your blog over to a guest blogger or someone to keep the daily run of entries going lol

    Reply
  19. Kathode Avatar
    Kathode

    Have you tried Katy at Furkids? (vancouverpetsitting.com) She was recommended by VOKRA (Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Assoc.). We’ve used her (and her coworker) for our kittens a couple times. I’m not sure if she’d be willing to board at your home, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask.

    Reply
  20. Kathode Avatar
    Kathode

    What was the verdict on the gnocchi recipes? Which was the better gnocchi (as opposed to the sauces and accompaniments)?

    Reply
  21. arcticgoddess Avatar
    arcticgoddess

    A late thanks to @ponytail for the birthday wish.

    Joe, what @Randomness said. I thought the very same thing – a hernia. Lifting heavy stuff is the main contributor. I had one once. They are very painful. If you feel a lump in your stomach you may have torn the muscle allowing intestine to protrude. See your doctor.

    Reply
  22. Jenny Horn Avatar
    Jenny Horn

    That garlic soup looks fantabulous! Is the recipe in a particular book? I desperately want to give it a try.

    Reply
  23. Gracey Avatar
    Gracey

    I was waiting to see if you were posting this..but it’s getting late here on the East coast…and I am tired…
    io9 posted a quick blurb about your upcoming movie
    http://io9.com/this-weeks-tv-an-a-i-revolution-from-the-writers-of-1165248813

    Reply
  24. PBMom Avatar
    PBMom

    I think this may be a first. I would actually eat everything that was listed above (or at least try it).

    Your sister sounds like a fabulous pet sitter. Will she then have to get a pet sitter for her pets or will your mom care for them?

    Reply

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