Given that Akemi hails from what I consider to be the best city in the world for eating, I was a little apprehensive about taking her out while she was in town. Now the great thing about Tokyo is that you can be blown away by the culinary offerings at a simple hole-in-the-wall ramen-ya just…
February 19, 2010: Dinner at Bishop’s! Sushi at Aki’s! Checking out the art scene!
Last night, we went to dinner at a place many consider a Vancouver institution: Bishop's Restaurant. It had been a year since my last visit and I was eager to see if it was still as great as I remember it. Our meal went something like this - I followed by usual M.O. when it…
February 18, 2010: Disaster denied or simply delayed? ReFuel! And Bathtime for Bubba!
I feel like I'm a character in one of those Final Destination movies. The reason? Well, way back when I was in fourth grade, I was helping my gym glass set up the trampoline. At one point, a section of the equipment clamped down on my fingers but I was able to quickly slip my…
February 17, 2010: Dog time! Dim sum! And your Olympic update!
Finished (not "fished") two of my three books last night (I would've gone back and corrected the entry, but then that would have left those of you correcting me in the comments section looking silly. So, instead, I'll just look silly myself - which I'm kind of used to anyway). Akemi, meanwhile, is having all…
February 16, 2010: Playing Host
Having already established that I am unable to sleep through the night prior to a day on which I fly out, I can now confirm that I am unable to sleep through the night prior to a day someone flies in - if I'm charged with the task of either picking them up or dropping…
February 15, 2010: Some last minute chores! That comic book project! Dog pics and vids! And another Olympic update!
Today, I completed all of my last-minute preparations for Akemi's arrival. I shined my shoes, steam-vacced the theater room carpet, did laundry, organized the dvd room, and, most importantly, bathed the dogs so that they could be smelling their best. Earlier today, on the prospective comic book front, I completed a breakdown of the first…
February 14, 2010: Valentine’s Greetings! Olympic Update! And – A Reality Check!
Happy Valentines Day! I celebrated by thinking warm thoughts of each and every one of you. And pan-frying some chicken livers with caramelized onions and a plum port reduction. While many were celebrating the start of the Olympics, many others were protesting...well, I'm not exactly sure what the hell they were protesting. I'm sure there…
February 13, 2010: Thanks! Vancouver can’t get it up! Another Olympic Update! Peaceful Restaurant!
First off, thanks to everyone who chipped and helped clean up. To those of your regulars and semi-regulars I didn't name, I limited myself to those who had posted in the last two days figuring they'd be in the neighborhood. Don't feel left out because the floors will need a fresh buff before Tuesday morning.…
February 12, 2010: A brief rundown of recent outings! And help me out here!
The other day, my friend Theresa called me up out of the blue. She was in town for an audition, was free for dinner, and wondered whether I might be interested in getting together. She felt like pho, so we headed over to Thai Son on East Broadway where we enjoyed - well, pretty much…
February 9, 2010: SGU Season 1.0 DVD Contest Winners! Bye Bye Brie! Olympic Update!
Anyone remember that episode of WKRP in Cincinnati, the one in which Johnny Fever mistakenly announces a five thousand dollar prize to the first person who can correctly identify an assembly of various tunes? With Andy and Venus's help, he creates a near impossible to identify mash-up comprised of a fraction of a second from…
February 7, 2010: Super Sunday!
Today, I hosted a Superbowl party at my place. A good time was had by all, especially the dogs who ended up eating the leftover tenderloin. And, to top it all off... SAINTS WIN! SAINTS WIN! Not even the shitty Canadian commercials were enough to dampen the spirits of everyone in attendance. Except for…
February 6, 2010: Superbowl Bash! Olympic Update! Mailbag!
Last night, I dreamt I was back in Montreal. I was downtown and looking to catch a bus back to West Island, a ride that would take approximately 45 minutes, compounding my problems given that it was already 4:30 p.m., the Superbowl had kicked off an hour earlier, and I was supposed to be hosting…
February 5, 2010: Barbecue! Olympic Update! SGU Season 1.0 DVD Contest! Mailbag!
We made plans to go out for Peking Duck and, as usual, extended the invitation to Ashleigh who, as usual, blew us off, trotting out the old "But I'm a vegetarian" excuse. I pointed out that, in point of fact, she wouldn't be eating any duck meat, only the crispy duck skin. "Look at it…
February 3, 2010: News of Note!
Empire Magazine has put together their voter-generated list of the Top 10 Worst Movies of All Time. Leading the pack by a wide margin was Batman and Robin, outdistancing runner up Battlefield Earth which, quite frankly, would have gotten my vote. You can check out the entire rundown here: http://ca.movies.yahoo.com/news/movies.reuters.com/worst-movies-all-time-led-clooneys-batman-reuters. Of course, whenever someone puts together…
February 2, 2010: It’s an outrage that so few films are nominated in the Best Picture category!
Hey, they revealed the official Oscar nominations today and, while perusing the Best Picture category, I couldn't help but notice a few notable omissions. Where was The Hangover? And Coraline? Thirst? Ponyo? Zombieland? Fantastic Mr. Fox? Sadly, handcuffed by the fact that they are only able to nominate a very limited number of films in…