"I am melting sleepy. I can't take it anymore." - Akemi, last night, apparently VERY tired. As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm considering adopting an elderly pug in memory of my boy Maximus. I've been scouring the pug rescue sites and came across the twosome pictured above. Buddy and Junior are brothers, aged…
April 1, 2012: Remembering Maximus
Today would have been Maximus's twelfth birthday. I'd like to dedicate today's entry to his memory and offer up some of my favorite photos of my boy, "the handsome one".
March 31, 2012: They’re killing your pet. And you could be next!
I've been reading Marion Nestle's Pet Food Politics, a book that details the mass 2007 tainted pet food recall and its far-reaching implications. For those of you who don't know, back in 2007, cats and dogs started dying under mysterious circumstances. Panicked pet owners contacted the FDA which, in turn, contacted pet food companies. Ensuing tests…
March 30, 2012: Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! And chocolate.
So I was in bed last night, dreaming about the end of the world (don't recall the details but I do remember we only got a days advance warning - fairly typical of the government), when I was awakened by the sound of something hitting the floor - kerplunk! I sat up, assuming it had come…
March 29, 2012: In Japan, the dogs go “waan waan”, the cats go “nyan nyan”, and the sheep go “meeeeeeeeh”!
Since returning from Tokyo in early February, I've set aside about an hour every day to study hiragana and katakana, two of Japan's syllable-based writing systems. Each contain about 48 characters, some frustratingly similar in appearance (like many of you, I occasionally have trouble distinguishing between シ and ッ,or ザ and せ), others so downright bizarre you would think they…
March 27, 2012: Pugs on the Beach!
With the warm(ish) weather upon us, I decided to treat the gang to a morning at the beach. Coincidentally, the last Sunday of every month is Pugs at the Beach so it worked out perfectly - minus the biting wind and fact that only about a dozen pugs showed. Bubba, impatient as always, couldn't wait…
March 23, 2012: Needy pugs! A beautiful partnership! And Happy Belated International Macaron Day!
"Nothing ruins a dog walk like a hole in a poopy bag." - Me, yesterday. Back when we first moved to Vancouver twelve years ago, we looked into adopting a pug from a local pug rescue, but the process proved so difficult and time-consuming that we gave up and went the breeder route instead. And it's…
March 21, 2012: A mini Stargate reunion! Last lunch at Refuel! NFL update! Sucker Punch! AND a mailbag!
Another Stargate mini-reunion of sorts the other night. I got the chance to catch up with some old friends over nachos and ale, several of whom you'll no doubt recognize from such places as twitter, Stargate behind-the-scenes features, and this very blog. It's good to hear everybody's keeping busy - but hopefully not too busy…
March 20, 2012: Odd Eats!
What's the oddest thing you've eaten recently? Now when I say odd, I'm talking about odd "to you". For instance, some of the food I've eaten over the course of my travels to Asia would be considered odd by many while I would consider the same items singular at worst. Whether its lamb neck, sea…
March 18, 2012: Another Dog Day Afternoon! Checking the spam bin!
So, what's the weather like in your neck of the woods? Here in Vancouver (it being Vancouver) it's been mostly overcast, cold, and rainy. But yesterday, there was a rare break of sunshine, a sneak peek at the summer weather to come. My dogs, of course, were quick to point out that it was perfect…
March 17, 2012: Kitchen triumphs! Out and about! How to treat a migraine?! And a mini mailbag!
So, while I've been busy writing, rewriting, pitching, re-pitching, doing meetings and conference calls, Akemi has been taking English classes, taking care of the dogs, and cooking cooking cooking! Last week, she made siu long bao's for the first time. Then, last night, she tried her hand at a Chuck Hughes (owner of my second…
March 16, 2012: The Comic Report! Dark Matter #3 reviews!
I've had an on again/off again/on again/off again/on again love affair with comic books over the course of my life starting back in elementary school when I was reading Batman and Justice Society of America after which gave them up for more mature pursuits (ie. girls), then resumed my passion for reading with titles like…
March 15, 2012: This and that and news of note!
Ever wonder what dogs think about? I imagine that, most of the time, it's food. What am I going to eat? When am I going to eat? Why aren't I eating? Other than that, I'm not really sure they concern themselves with all that much. My eldest pug, Jelly, seems all-around unconcerned on most days,…
March 13, 2012: A quick update and a mailbag!
A short blog entry today as I still have to get around to my daily hiragana/katakana exercises (And no, Das, they don't involve swords). A busy day today on a couple of fronts. First, I made significant progress on the rewrite of the horror script by nailing down Felliniesque birthday party scene. I'm going to…
March 9, 2012: Company Outings!
While I've been immersed in my esoteric/artistic pursuits (writing that horror script, pitching that scifi series, fielding show running opportunities, waiting around for conference calls that never happen, etc.), Akemi has been doing her own thing - specifically, attending English classes three to four times a week. The classes vary, from pronunciation to idioms to…