"Top 25?!"said Paul. "How many books did you read this year?" Well, after the paltry 65 I got through in 2013, I decided to make a concerted effort to improve on that embarrassing number in 2014. My goal was a lofty 120 - which I ended up far exceeding, racking up a very respectable 180…
December 30, 2014: Exercise! Friends! And maple maple maple!
"You shouldn't do CrossFit. You should do Peanutty X." - Akemi this morning as she watched me struggle my way through my workout. Yes, it's been a while. But my buddies, Lawrence and Bruce, have inspired me to resume my daily exercise routine despite the absence of a home gym. Today, I kicked things off…
December 29, 2014: This Blog’s 2014 Year in Review!
This entry will mark my 2989th post here on WordPress! 11 more to go to the big 3000! 148 600+ comments and counting! Readers visitors this blog from 197 countries, everywhere from the U.S, the U.K., and Canada to Fiji, Turkmenistan, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Cuba, and Greenland! On to our annual countdown of…
December 28, 2014: Old Montreal! Le Bremner!
Last night, Akemi and I visited Old Montreal, my neighborhood of choice should we ever get a place here. It's beautiful, especially this time of year - After taking a stroll, we headed over to our dining destination on this night: Le Bremner, sister restaurant to Garde Manger. There's no signage outside the restaurant so,…
December 27, 2014: Jelly works up an appetite!
Too much fiber in her diet!
December 26, 2014: Getting together with Buddy! And Mrs. Buddy!
Today, I spent the afternoon with my buddy (Lawrence) and his wife (Mrs. Buddy). I'd heard they were having a little family get-together and, well, considering myself family, I decided to attend. Festivities officially got underway after 1 p.m., but official start times are for suckers. If got there early so that I could scope…
December 25, 2014: The Christmas Wind-down!
Akemi and I spent much of the day winding down from last night's festivities. It was quite an evening. A couple of the culinary highlights - After dinner, dessert, and drinks, we retired to the living room for the present-opening portion of the show. As usual, mostly food and drink-related items for me including a…
December 24, 2014: Twas the day before Christmas and all through the town, Joe was getting stuff done and running around!
Seriously. You'd think we were back in Vancouver. On perhaps the rainiest day of December, Akemi and I found ourselves running around Montreal, running errands. First, it was exchanging gifts and, of course, food ("Put the shrimp in the oven at 400 for 2o minutes!"). Then, we were off to the basement of the Ogilvy…
December 23, 2014: Things I learned today!
Things I learned today: 1. How to make Osso Buco Milanese. 2. I don't like Osso Buco Milanese. 3. Most of the Best Books of 2014 lists out there range from ridiculous to utter bullshit. A novel shouldn't be lauded merely on the basis of a touching premise. Execution really should factor in. 4. My…
December 22, 2014: Montreal Road Trip!
Whenever we bring out the suitcases, the dogs start to worry. And, invariably, Bubba parks himself inside one of the suitcases as if to not-so-subtly suggest we might want to consider bringing him along. It was only when he saw us packing away his dog bed that he seemed to calm down, presumably realizing that,…
December 21, 2014: Drunken (Southern) Uncles! That Bourbon and Brown Butter Cookie – with white chocolate chunks – recipe!
I made these for the Dark Matter cookie exchange and, since so many of you asked (there must've been upwards of two or three of you!), I'm sharing my version of this recipe. I say "my version" because I used this recipe (http://buddingbaketress.blogspot.ca/2013/04/brown-butter-bourbon-chocolate-chip.html) as a template and refined to my liking. To achieve the taste,…
December 20, 2014: The Dark Matter pre-holiday wrap-up! Alex Mallari Jr. in action! THE katana!
One of the last things we did before packing it in for the holidays was go on a walk-thru of our standing sets. Of course, not all of them are quite yet standing (ie. the shuttle, parts of the space station) and those that are still have a ways to go, but our Art Department…
December 19, 2014: Prep hiatus! I’ll sleep ’til January!
Today marked the end of our final week of prep before the holidays - and despite the fact that it wasn't all that busy (it WILL get busier), I'm exhausted. Some of that may be attributable to the last mad dash to get pink drafts of episodes #101 and #102, and production whites of #107,…
December 18, 2014: Introducing the Dark Matter cast!
In case you hadn't heard, we finally have our cast: https://www.nbcumv.com/news/syfy-announces-casting-new-acquired-scripted-series-dark-matter?network=33143 "NEW YORK – December 18, 2014 – Syfy today announced casting of the new acquired scripted series Dark Matter, which will feature Melissa O’Neil (Broadway production of Les Miserables), Marc Bendavid (Bitten), Anthony Lemke (White House Down), Alex Mallari Jr. (Robocop) and Jodelle Ferland (Twilight)…
December 17, 2014: Akemi scrooged! Everything is coming up Dark Matter!
So much for the Christmas spirit. Today, Akemi did something she rarely ever does. She actually bought herself something. The girl hardly ever spends on herself but, this afternoon, she made an exception when she came across a cup emblazoned with the letter A at a local shop. Being a big tea drinker - and…