Picked up some books for mom in anticipation of Mother's Day: Picked up some books for myself while picking up books for mom in anticipation of Mother's Day: Spent time with my girlfriend: And my dogs: Roasted a chicken: And veggies: Ate a slice of blueberry cheesecake: Got a parking ticket: 🙁 And finished outlining…
May 3, 2012: Photos of my life and others
Can you imagine stepping out your front door to THIS? From a distance, it looked like a really bad paint job - but, upon closer scrutiny, that bad paint job actually turned out to be thousands of tiny, carefully-applied post-it notes. How long do you figure it would take to pull off something like…
May 2, 2012: This blog goes to the dogs. Again!
Whereas most adults my age are either dropping their kids off at school or picking them up from school or buying them clothes and toys, or attending their various extracurricular activities, I'm dropping my dogs off at doggy daycare or picking them up from doggy daycare or purchasing them leashes and toys, or attending various…
April 28, 2012: Today’s Blog Entry co-starring Robert Picardo as “The Dinner Guest”!
You may recognize him as The Doctor from Star Trek: Voyager, or the officious/annoying/not-so-bad/humorous/ultimately-quite-likable Richard Woolsey from Stargate SG-1/Stargate: Atlantis/Stargate: Universe, or from one of about a 100+ film and television roles. I refer, of course, to the great Robert Picardo who got into town the other night for some convention (I think it's a Star Trek…
April 26, 2012: My Top 10 Bookstore Turn-offs!
You're at your local bookstore, browsing the shelves, when something catches your eye. Whether it's an interesting cover or an intriguing blurb or a fantastic review, it's an unexpected "something" that impels you to buy that particular book. Being an impulsive shopper, it happens to me all the time and I've ended up discovering some…
April 25, 2012: Becoming a No Man
Back in the day, Exec. Producer Brad Wright used to say: "Fast is good, but good is better than fast." To which then writer/director Peter DeLuise would invariably reply: "GotitgoodisbetterthafastGotit!". But there was no rush. Usually. Stargate was a well-oiled machine, this in no small part due to the writing department's ability to have a…
April 24, 2012: Recent Eats! Adoption! The L.A. Complex!
Some recent meals... Meat & Bread : 370 Cambie Street : Victory Square : Vancouver BC. As tempted as I was, I decided to take a rain check on the maple-bacon ice cream sandwich. On the home front... Heard from the Seattle Pug Rescue today. They informed me that since it was impossible for them…
April 22, 2012: Beta 5! A Top Chef contestant checks in! Switching over from horror to mini-series mode!
Akemi and I paid a follow-up visit to Beta 5, a bold new addition to the Vancouver chocolate scene. Located in the out-of-the-way industrial area off Main Street (appropriately enough, on Industrial Avenue), the shop/factory offers up a variety of intriguing products, from bars to caramels, marmalade to caramelized Marcona almonds. I picked up a…
April 20, 2012: Cringeworthy moments!
Cringeworthy moments. You know what I'm talking about, those singular instances in your life - sometimes painful, sometimes embarrassing, always impossible to forget - that, when recalled, incite the sort of response commonly reserved for that part in the horror movie when the bad guy/monster/ghost/possessed grandmother crosses the line from horrifying to Oh-my-God-I-can't-believe-they-just-did-that! The mere…
April 19, 2012: 2001 – A Food Odyssey!
A couple of months ago, I was reconsidering this whole blog thing. In truth, after 4+ years of daily blogging, I was thinking about calling it quits or, at the very least, scaling back. I was on the fence and so, elected to look ahead to my next milestone post - the big 2-0-0-0. I…
April 18, 2012: Happy 2000th! And Happy Birthday Akemi!
This entry marks my 200th consecutive blog post. Yes, what began as a simple travel journal over four years ago has flourished into this unduly verbose everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-me-and-then-some collection of thoughts, essays, rants, and pictures of my dogs. And, over the course of those 4+ years, this blog has become a typical part of my daily…
April 17, 2012: Al-most there! Things that have been getting on my nerves lately…
This will apparently mark my 1999th consecutive blog entry. And, should everything go as planned, I'll upload my 2000th entry tomorrow. The milestone will happen to coincide with another notable occasion: Akemi's birthday. Akemi will celebrate by attending her English classes all afternoon. I'll (hopefully) be finishing my final (for now) pass on my horror…
April 13, 2012: The Doggy Guilt Trip!
My dogs have a way of laying on the guilt trip. Whenever I put on my jacket to go out, my thirteen year old pug, Jelly, transforms from an arthritic perennial lounger to a pup at heart, hopping up and bounding about, tail wagging, barking. It's her way of saying: "Finally! We're going out! Allow…
April 12, 2012: Garvige Day! Things Japanese! Mailbag!
"Garvige day?"I asked. "What's garvige day?" "Gar-vige,"Akemi enunciated for me. "Garvige day." "You mean garbage day,"I said. "Yes,"she confirmed as if that's what she'd been saying all along. "Garvige day. Why? How do you spell it?" "G-A-R-B-A-G-E". I said the letters aloud as I wrote them in big block letters on the piece of paper.…
April 7, 2012: Akemi and I attend the Annual Waiting Festival! Dark Matter #4 Preview! Mailbag!
Ever see that South Park episode where Cartman and the gang visit an amusement park? We discover them in an incredibly long queue where Kyle complains about the fact that they've been standing in line for almost an hour. Thankfully, as Cartman points out, they're almost there. Seconds later they finally reach the end of…