The elderly lady beside me stepped up to the display table, dipped a chip into the sauce, and popped it into her mouth. As she chewed, her face contorted and she made a noise, sort of a cross between a whoop and a wail. She muttered something and marched off in a huff. “She was mad,”Akemi pointed out the obvious. Indeed. But it was a winning demonstration so far as I was concerned. I pointed to the hot sauce that had sent the elderly woman into an endorphin tailspin. “I’ll take one of those.”
We were at a Toronto Garlic Festival, one of the many local events I was free to check out now that I was unemployed and all. We’d picked up about a dozen different types of garlic, some garlic powders, and sampled a bunch of garlic-themed snacks including a chocolate and black garlic popsicle which, quite frankly, would have been just fine without the black garlic. But it was the hot sauces that really drew me.
I moved on to the next table, spotting six bottles in a row. “That’s a habanero base, right?”I asked, pointing to a bottle on the far right, its contents a vibrant orange. The guy behind the counter confirmed it was indeed. “Okay,”I said. “I’ll take this hottest one on the end then.”
“Oh, that isn’t the hottest one,”he informed me. “Our hot sauces start with habanero, and then work their way up.”
I eyed the half dozen or so other bottles, then glanced back at him smiling amiably, chip bowl at the ready. A second’s hesitation and then: “Okay, let’s do this.” And so, I worked my way down the line, from habanero to ghost pepper to scorpion chili to the Carolina reaper to one at the end that was a seven pepper mixture I suspect is also used for crowd control by certain dictatorial regimes. So, yeah, I got a bottle.
One of the nice things about having your new original show cancelled in favor of reruns of another show is the opportunity it gives you to expand your cultural boundaries. For instance, I purchased Akemi and I an annual members to the Art Gallery of Ontario and this morning, Ivon Bartok in tow, we checked out the Guillermo del Toro exhibit, “At Home with Monsters”.
All hope abandon, ye who enter here! But photos a okay. (This photo courtesy of Ivon Bartok)
Aieeeeee! No flash photography!!!
You may kiss the bridge. Go ahead. KISS THE BRIDE!
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary…did I remember to lock the back door?
For the angry bibliophile who has everything – an electrified library!
Museum security says “Please, take your snack outside.”
He looked like he was about to read something aloud but after some twenty minutes of waiting, I decided to move on and leave him with his thoughts.
From Flight of the Penguins: The Director’s Cut.
Yeah, I think I’m just going to let my beard grow out. Thanks anyway.
Who wants to go for a swim?
Hey, to those international Dark Matter fans worried about getting your letters in time for the giveaway, the deadline has been extended to November 15th! And, apparently, we’ve already received our first letter! Jay predicted maybe a couple of hundred letters. I suspect we’ll receive a few more than that.
Suji Takes Flight!
But it’s not all fun and games. The wheels are turning on some other projects. I’ve had some preliminary meetings regarding some interesting opportunities and, in early November, I hit L.A. to start pitching a new series – and take a meeting with some, er, old friends.
That hot sauce sounds pretty intimidating to me. Of course, nowadays with my acid reflux I can barely handle medium salsa, unfortunately.
“One of the nice things about having your new original show cancelled in favour of reruns of another show”. Ugh. The whole thing still makes my mind boggle. Nothing’s cheaper than reruns, I suppose. Of course, the ratings are much crappier, too. Just like… oh, never mind.
The monster exhibit looks great! I didn’t get a chance to go to the AGO last time. Maybe I *will* have to make another specific trip up there soon!
Letter sent this morning!
So Captain Spicy Parts….curious if the LA trip works out and out here in Fandom we find Darkmatter a new base can you run both ships ? Oh of course you can put 2 in charge of Raza. On’t get to comfy we are gonna do this. At the same time enjoy this time in between .
Trev out
Hi Joe
I hope those ‘old friends’ isn’t SyFy…
My letter should be there tomorrow. Don’t think it could have been mine that came today.
Elminster
Is it mine?
Any chance your discussion with your old friends might revolve around chevrons? Because if so, November can’t come soon enough!
That’s a fine garlic haul there! Yum. Enjoy!
Interesting exhibit. I love museums, I could live in one. Probably explains my home decor.
I love Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy & Pacific Rim. This guy has one seriously warped and fantastical imagination. Of the three, Pan’s Labyrinth blew my mind. A spell binding story with unforgettable characters, add a haunting score and it’s the whole package. This is an awesome exhibit. Thanks for the pics.
So glad you had some friend time with Ivon, some gastrointestinal time with the hot sauces and “me” time with Akemi and Suji. Enjoy these “lazy” Fall days, I imagine you won’t be quiet for long!
If MGM was thinking about you reviving SGU and putting it on their new pay-to-watch network, I would subscribe right now. Even Stargate Atlantis. Or both.
Thanks for the extension on time. I’m kind of super busy until October 16. But October 17 my calendar frees up.
Love the Suji picture.
Well you DID need to replace your hot sauce supply.
The best anyone can hope for at this point is that MGM sees the benefit of producing another Stargate show in the current universe(And brings some old faces back in the writing room). At least that way SGU can be wrapped up, not in the way people would no doubt hope for, but in a way that offers some closure.
Given that they based Star Trek Discovery in the old universe rather than the rebooted one, making it the first Trek series in over 12 years is a positive sign. MGM have to resist the urge to reboot.
Getting heartburn thinking about those hot sauces.
Any chance that these opportunities might be that military science fiction series you’ve been teasing us with?
Jay only expecting a couple of hundred letters? Ha! I think he’s about to learn about #TeamRaza!
I dread to think what the cost of P7P is going to be especially when you factor in international costs.
Looking forward to whatever plans are ahead.
.. and hopefully by “er, old friends”, you don’t mean SyFy Execs!!
Chocolate and black garlic pudding and electrified libraries. There’s the ticket! 😀
Very glad to see ya taking some time to de stress.
Albeit, best be careful.
That photo of Suji with wings came out so perfect
she might just start giving ya a bit of competition
in fan following numbers again! xo
Take care and sign the contract on full time you want your next project to be if the meeting go right with that “old friends” . 🙂
I’m with gforce, acid reflux has limited my spicy food intake and tragically, it has completely stopped my indulgence of margaritas. 🙁
I’m glad you’re having a fun time off and I’m enjoying the pictures/captions. My favorite caption this post: to the Carolina reaper to one at the end that was a seven pepper mixture I suspect is also used for crowd control by certain dictatorial regimes. I could picture soldiers shooting hot sauce into the crowd. 😉
That’s quite a haul! Enjoy your time off. You’ve earned it.
Del Toro is a genius. Pan’s Labyrinth is one of my favorite films.
My letter goes in the mail today. And I can’t wait to hear about your new projects.
Hint: *Bubba* *Cough*
Ha! Couple of hundred, really. lol I´ll bet more like couple thousand letters will be on your way. You boys have your hands full reading all of them. You do, don´t you, read all of those hard written letters.. you better, though.
Ha! Suji looks unsure about flying.
Y’all can use some of that awesome me time to visit Paleyfest NYC, they’ve got Black Mirror, Walking Dead and ST: Discovery panels. And of course to get soft chewy bagels and lox spread.