Last night, we got together with our foodie friends, Nicole and Lan, for an evening of Bees and Burgers. Campagnolo supplied the burgers while Nicole and Lan supplied the bees... Apparently, they picked them up in Portland (or had them shipped from Portland. I'm not sure how it works). They keep them in the above-pictured…
June 11, 2014: Things I hated when I was a kid!
10. Popcorn Chewy and flavorless. Yes, there's salt and butter, but why not just have the toppings and save yourself the hassle of those annoying bits that get stuck in teeth? 9. Shepherd's Pie Ground beef? Love it. Mashed potatoes? I like. Corn? Sure. All three together? Disgusting! 8. Candied Fruit I still don't understand…
June 10, 2014: A World Cup Primer!
What is soccer? "Soccer — also known as "the boring football" — consists of large groups of players kicking a ball, then chasing said ball back and forth on a field for extended periods of time." http://www.cracked.com/article_14785_cracked-faq-world-cup.html "If there's anything that resonates with the World Cup spirit, it's hundreds and hundreds of cheering, excitable, weirdly…
June 9, 2014: The Monkey’s Paw!
Seriously. I feel as though I'm the main character in a contemporary retelling of The Monkey's Paw. You know the story: Guy acquires a monkey's paw that is purported to grant its owner three wishes. Too late, said owner realizes he should have heeded the old adage "Be careful what you wish for.". There have been…
June 8, 2014: My May Reads!
Capsule reviews of all the books I read in May...and there were more than a few: ME BEFORE YOU by Jojo Moyes An individual with no caregiving experience is hired to look after a wheelchair-bound quadriplegic who has all but given up on life. Eventually, the two overcome their mutual uncertainty to form a bond, experiencing…
June 6, 2014: Akemi should get her own sitcom!
Zoodles. That's what Akemi calls the above-pictured dish. It's the disrespectful vegan version of spaghetti in which pasta is substituted with zucchini strips, yielding a culinary catastrophe that is both disgusting in appearance AND flavor yet less starchy and calorie-laden. In fairness, that would have also been the case had she substituted shoelaces instead. My…
June 4, 2014: Spring cleaning!
Viewer reaction to last Sunday's episode of Game of Thrones: Okay, moving on. Finally. No. Wait. I wanted to add that, having finished Dance with Dragons, I'm struck by the fact that the t.v. show has already caught up with certain storylines in the book series (ie. the Ramsay Snow arc). Either George R. R. Martin has…
June 1, 2014: My Top 10 Favorite Game of Thrones Characters!
10. Brienne of Tarth I love the fact that she's an atypical heroine and I find her sense of honor and principled loyalty so gosh darn endearing. 9. Asha Greyjoy Equally atypical is the ass-kicking Asha. Love her swagger and no-bullshit attitude. 8. Jonah Mormont Such a rich, textured and, ultimately, tragic character. 7. Cersei…
May 31, 2014: Akemi packs it away! Ollie! Judd!
"I ate like a garbage box." - Akemi, the other day, after a particularly filling meal. She has a way with words, no? These are some of the inspired dishes she's been packing away... Last night, we elected to take a break from the kitchen and headed over to our favorite Japanese restaurant: Yuji's (2083…
May 29, 2014: Lateral thinking!
Last blog entry, in compiling my list of crazy-but-true job interview questions, I failed to include one that should have made the list. Fortunately, my former Executive Producer Assistant, Trevor, was kind enough to remind me: “Are you comfortable occasionally draining my pet baboon’s anal glands?” – Joe Mallozzi To be honest, it wasn't a question…
May 28, 2014: Outrageous job interview questions!
I think pecans is the ugliest nut I have ever seen in my life - Akemi. I was, of course, shocked to hear it. It wasn't so much the bizarreness of the non-sequiter but the fact that pecan actually vaulted over walnut to take the top prize. Akemi clarified. Walnuts look like brains whereas pecans look…
May 25, 2014: Upcoming June under-the-radar movie releases to look forward to! Or not!
BORGMAN Release Date: June 6, 2014 What it’s about: A mysterious vagrant, a modern day Rasputin, insinuates himself into the lives of an upper-class family What it’s got working for it: Now that is one creepy and intriguing trailer. What’s it’s got going against it: Has the potential to be really good - or weird and…
May 24, 2014: Upcoming June movie releases to look forward to! Or not!
Hmmm. Slim pickings this month. EDGE OF TOMORROW Release Date: June 6, 2014 What it’s about: In the distant future, a soldier is caught in a time loop. What it’s got working for it: SF stories involving time loops are a lot of fun, IF they're done well. What’s it’s got going against it: But…
May 23, 2014: There is nothing worse than a missed opportunity!
Nope. Nothing worse than a missed opportunity. Why do I mention it? Oh, no reason. No reason at all. Hey, I should have mentioned in yesterday's blog entry - while we were on the topic of "waiting" - that I have yet to acquire copy of Paul McAuley's Evening's Empires for our forthcoming Book of…
May 22, 2014: Now we play the waiting game….. Ahh, the waiting game sucks. Let’s play Hungry Hungry Hippos!
One of the most irritating aspects of this business is the insufferable waiting. Waiting for notes. Waiting for ratings. Waiting for the catering truck to start serving lunch. And, chiefest of all, waiting for a green light. In the case of the latter, the frustration is both subjective and objective. You're personally frustrated by…