August 16, 2014: Top 10 Greatest Fruit!

In order of awesomeness... #10. Coconut #9. Pear #8. Papaya #7. Miracle fruit #6. Yuzu #5. Cherry #4. Watermelon #3. Blueberry #2. Avocado #1. Banana

August 15, 2014: All Hail the Conquering (Vegetarian) Hero!

5 days into my 7 day Vegetarian Week, I've far surpassed expectations.  And, by "far surpassed", I mean actually doing it.  Unlike Pescaterian Week that saw me fall off the wagon four times, I've yet to have any meat or meat-derived products (ie. stocks, animals fats, or delicious bacon bit toppings).  To be perfectly honest,…

August 14, 2014: Doggy updates and a mini mailbag!

First off, I'd like to direct your attention to a GoFundMe campaign organized by blog reader Lorinda.  Her daughter's service dog, a 12 month old Rottie, requires surgery to repair ligament damage in both knees and it's a pricey procedure.  If you'd like to donate, head on over here: http://www.gofundme.com/roxysknees.   And if you're unable…

August 13, 2014: Pre-Production update! And a mailbag!

Yashaaa! * (*Made-up exclamation of satisfaction with a recent accomplishment. Yoshay! is an accepted variation).  Just finished a first draft of episode #4! Initially, I thought it was going to be long but, in the end, it actually turned out a little long. I had WAAAAY too much fun with this one.   I'm going to…

August 12, 2014: My June Reads!

These are outrageously overdue.  Capsule reviews of my June reads.  And there were a lot of 'em... LAGOON by Nnedi Okorafor When a mysterious object crashes into the waters off the coast of Lagos, the lives of three strangers are forever changed as they become intermediaries between humanity and an alien race.  A mix of…

August 11, 2014: Dog bones! Awesome t-shirts! And Boxy!

Well, I got that second opinion on Jelly's hip.  Apparently, she dislocated it a while ago.  It's an old injury and that makes it even harder to treat.  Popping it back in will be a very painful procedure - and given the deterioration of her hip bones, it's almost guaranteed to pop out again.  Our…

August 10, 2014: Dumplings! Dumplings! And more Dumplings!

Guess what we had for lunch today?  Why, yes!  How'd you know? Today, Akemi and I headed down to Chinatown for Vancouver's Golden Dumpling Cook Off, featuring signature dumplings from a variety of local chefs, all in support of The Chinese Elders Community Kitchen.  The purchase of a "golden dumpling passport" got you a dumpling…

August 9, 2014: My poor girl!

Akemi and I came back from visiting the farmer's market to find Jelly's water bowl upended and Jelly splayed out on the wet hardwood floor.  Her head was completely drenched and I suspect she must have done a face plant into the water before losing her balance and falling...and then not being able to get…

August 8, 2014: News of note!

Well, hey - just in time for travel season!  Conde Nast offers up a list of the U.S.'s friendliest - and unfriendliest - cites: http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/06/travel/us-unfriendliest-friendliest-cities/ Charleston and Savannah, two cities I REALLY want to visit, top the "friendliest" list.  On the flip side, I'm reconsidering my travel plans to Newark. No wonder they had so…

August 7, 2014: Seafood! Sumo! And scripts!

Well, my Pescatarian Week was a success.  To those of you who don't know, pescatarianism is "the practice of following a diet that includes fish or other seafood" (Wikipedia).  I decided to give it a try and, after seven days, I have to say, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be -…

August 6, 2014: Closing in on that first draft! Beware food! Eat cardboard and live longer! (Wait. Now there’s a new study that says cardboard is bad for you too?)

Well, I'm exhausted.  Although I only wrote seven pages today, I also ended up rewriting another twenty.  By the time the dust settled on my laptop this evening, I'd hit the 50 page mark.  All I have to do now is finish off this conversation, completing Act V, then write the tag which will include…

August 5, 2014: Top 12 Superheroines in Need of the Big Screen Treatment!

With the news that Sony is fast-tracking a superhoine movie that will hit the big screen before the turn of the decade (http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=41823), I thought this would be a good time to weigh in with my suggestions for My Top 11 Superheroines in need of the big screen treatment!  Just in case the studios were wondering...…

August 4, 2014: News of note!

Screen Rant's "1 Good Movies with Bad Endings": http://screenrant.com/good-movies-bad-endings/  Hmmm.  I agree only insofar as some of these movies have bad endings.  But to call them "good" is a bit of a reach.  Maybe 2001: A Space Odyssey - and Sunshine and The Wolverine which I haven't seen. Space noise: http://www.thedailyepic.com/nasa-probes-record-sounds-in-space-and-its-terrifying/ See, this is why I don't…

August 3, 2014: Sunday – food with friends!

Today, Akemi and I checked out the Japanese-Canadian Powell Street Festival with our friends Nicole and Lan.  The highlights (most of it food-related, natch)... The onstage entertainment. Guy mans the barbecued salmon grill. Akemi discovers how HOT the udon is. Nicole and Lan: Let the Eating Games Begin! The spam sushi - an Okinawan culinary…

August 2, 2014: The Visitors!

Today, we entertained.  First, my cousin Evelina's husband and son, Brian and Jake (pictured above on their hogs), stopped by.  They're apparently on a whirlwind motorcycle tour of Canada, covering the west coast before heading back home to Saskatoon before embarking on the more challenging cross-country leg of their adventure that will take them through…