Well, whaddya know. At some point over the last couple of days, sometime when my back was turned, this blog welcomed its 9 millionth view. Thanks for coming! 9 million is actually quite conservative since it doesn't count the first year (or so) of this blog which started on blogger - until their spambots erroneously…
December 7, 2012: Hurray! Akemi is here to stay (as long as she likes)!
Hurrah! After a thirteen month wait (and oodles of paperwork and supporting documentation) we received word today that Akemi's application for permanent residence status here in Canada has finally been approved! There are still some signatures to be gathered and calls to be made but, for all intents and purposes, she is here to stay.…
December 6, 2012: Complain complain complain!
APPLE So I walk into the Apple Store this afternoon and, of course, the place is packed. There are about two dozen "geniuses" having their brilliance tested by roughly four times as many customers. I want to get in and out as quickly as possible so I approach one of the red-shirts (I suspect it's…
December 5, 2012: Culinary creations! Bubba hanging out!
The other day, I received THIS in the mail - No, not the pug. Or the Japanese girlfriend. Or the Japanese girlfriend's Dalmatian slippers [note: no actual dalmatians were hurt in the manufacturing of said slippers]. I refer, of course, to the cookbook - a cookbook chock full o' classic German recipes like gulasch, jagerschnitzel,…
December 1, 2012: Akemi on E.T., Shrek, Elmo and Yoda! Carl’s Disney experiences! Oh, and while we’re on the subject of Disney…
Today, Akemi was surprised to learn that E.T. and Yoda are not related. "But they look so much alike!"she insisted. Separated at birth? She was further shocked to learn that Yoda was much, much - about 800 years? - older than E.T. "But E.T. moves so slow,"she protested, "and Yoda is so quick!" "True,"I admitted,…
November 30, 2012: On parental responsibility and time travel II!
Well, a lot of interesting responses to yesterday post about parental responsibility. The prevailing opinion seems to be that parents should be held accountable only if their child exhibits problem behavior and no attempt is made to address the issue. But then the question becomes: What do you do? It's an easy enough answer if…
November 29, 2012: Soliciting your opinions on parental responsibility and time travel opportunities!
I just watched We Need to Talk About Kevin, a movie based on the award-winning book of the same title. The film is told from the point of view of a serial killer's mother. It jumps back and forth in time, tracing her son's troubled childhood, through his commission of a high school massacre, but…
November 27, 2012: My name is Joe and I am a fantasy football addict!
(http://andyyuill.deviantart.com/art/Snow-Monkey-103543204) I had to take a couple of melatonin tablets to fall to sleep last night and ended up dreaming of risky rooftop ball hockey, precariously perched apartments, and Vegas (for some reason, I always dream of Vegas). Why? Did I receive some distressing news? Was I upset by a sudden sad turn of events?…
November 24, 2012: Stargate lives! Sort of.
Well, MGM may have pulled the plug on Stargate - or, if you prefer, placed it on indefinite hiatus - but it's nice to see that interest in the franchise remains strong. A recent google search turned up the following Stargate-related news items... It was only a matter of time. Apparently, China has started their…
November 23, 2012: John Picacio launches Lone Boy! The word on his 2013 kickstarter Calendar Project! And some random musings!
I heard from my buddy, Hugo Award-winning artist John Picacio, today. He dropped me an email to let me know: a) He liked the look of that sweet potato pie Rob made for yesterday's Thanksgiving Football gathering. b) He has just launched his own company: Lone Boy | John Picacio Calendar & Loteria Cards c) He's…
November 22, 2012: Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone celebrating today with friends, family, loved ones, and their respective peculiar dates. Here in Canada, we already celebrated back in October (approximately two days after Canadian Christmas) but that didn't stop me from enjoying a good old-fashioned American style Thanksgiving complete with football, sweet potato pie, and the traditional post-meal vow…
November 21 2012: My gal!
"You two are always so happy,"noted the woman at the counter, wrapping up our olive oil purchases. "Whenever you come in, you're always laughing and smiling." I thought that was very sweet of her to say even though she was clearly mistaking my lunacy for merriment. Happens all the time. Still, I suppose I am…
November 16, 2012: Dark Matter! Mystery Projects! More J-pop and K-pop videos! And the mailbag!
Whew. What a day! It started with a doctor's appointment and ended with a conference call about an exciting potential new project. In between, I fielded texts, emails, and phone calls about Dark Matter, read what Paul has written so far on that "other" project, talked to a lawyer, met with my bank rep, and…
November 15, 2012: The weird and wonderful world of J-Pop!
It's nice to know that, no matter where you go in the world, the local music scene is peopled with weird/annoying/colorful characters. Just a different kind of weird/annoying/colorful character than what you're used to in your neck of the woods. Whenever I'm in Tokyo, I'm endlessly amused and, occasionally, mystified by the hot group/singer du…
November 14, 2012: Sweet, sweet, elusive sleep! News of note!
Hmmm. I seem to have lost my grasp on this whole sleeping thing. After a relatively promising first night back from Tokyo, I've been unable get back into a west coast rhythm. Last night, I lay awake until 3:00 a.m., trying to remember what, exactly, it felt like to fall asleep. I envy people who…