Monster can't help but tink dat if Wonder Woman had been my high school principal, me could have accomplished so much more in life. Instead, here me is doing movie reviews to help support my cookie habit. But me suppose it could be worse. Monster could be reviewing Elektra again. Instead, dis week, me watch…
November 18, 2012: A Disastrous Day! Cheer me up by having me over for Thanksgiving Dinner!
Today was a disaster on so many levels. At the top of the list was the gut-wrenchingly disappointing loss my Snow Monkeys suffered in fantasy football league play. It was an especially bitter loss since all the projections had me winning. As a result, I ended up feeling like a Mitt Romney supporter on election…
November 17, 2012: Shao Bing and scriptwork! Another rainy afternoon!
Welcome to mid-November, Vancouver-style. Cold, wet, and rainy. But that didn't deter us from checking out the winter farmer's market today outside Nat Bailey Stadium. Less fresh fruit, more fresh root vegetables, several baked good stands doing brisk business, and the the food trucks were out in force. I counted five in all, including one…
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…
November 13, 2012: Dogs! Dogs! Dogs!
To be perfectly honest, there was only one thing I missed during my trip to Japan. And it wasn't the food or the television or the general comforts of home. It was the dogs. Even Akemi, who admittedly never "got" dogs before coming to Canada, could think of nothing but her dear Bubba those last…
November 12, 2012: The Supermovie of the Week Club reconvenes! Cookie Monster reviews The Fantastic Four (2205)!
Okay, yes, dis be garbage movie but viewer have to keep in mind dat it made in 1994 by schlock producer Roger Corman for miniscule budget and film never meant to be released...Wait. What? Dis NOT de Roger Corman crapfest but de 2005 $100 million budget version? Are you sure? Hmmm. Monster just checked and…
November 11, 2012: Best of the rest! Football Sunday/Ice Cream Resumes!
Some of the best of the rest photos of our Tokyo trip - Akemi makes a new friend in Omotesando: Even though I was on holiday, I wasn't on vacation from fantasy football. With my Snow Monkeys in the playoff hunt, I couldn't afford to be. And so, amid the sushi and shopping, I also…
November 10, 2012: Sayanora Tokyo! Dai San Harumi!
There are a grand total of three possible sleeping positions on an airplane seat and I exhausted all three today. I quite like the timing of the flights both to and from Tokyo. On the way there, the flight departs in the mid-afternoon, giving you plenty of time to sleep in and do your last…
November 9, 2012: Last full day in Tokyo! Restaurant Esquisse! Chez Tomo!
My friend Moro-san suggested we go to lunch at Restaurant Esquisse, a relatively new addition to the Ginza dining scene. It has only been open for about four months now and yet, in that short time, garnered some great word of mouth. Always up to trying something new, I booked us a table. I arrived…
November 9, 2012: Tokyo Day….? I’ve lost count! Star Bar! Nodaiwa! Nakajima! Quintessence!
When I travel to Tokyo, I usually stay at The Imperial Hotel. The service is great, the rooms very comfy, and I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather spending my nights. With the exception of Star Bar, a truly awesome basement bar Ivon Bartok and I discovered on our trip here a couple of…
November 8, 2012: The return of The Weird Food Purchase of the Day! Gyoza Stadium! Ice Cream City! Nodaiwa!
Today, Akemi and I headed over to Ikebukuro's Sunshine City Mall, home to Namco Namja Town's Gyoza Stadium and Ice Cream City. It's been some five years since my last visit to Ice Cream City (I still flashback to the aftertaste of that squid ice cream) and I was looking forward to the return trip.…
November 8, 2012: The Osaka wrap-up! Back in Tokyo! Family dinner! Honkogetsu! Killer ramen!
On our final night in Osaka, I was invited to join Akemi's family for a grand kaiseki dinner at Honkogetsu. It was a magnificent meal, due in large part to the food and company, but also in some small part because I made it through the meal without fumbling anything with my chopsticks or unwittingly…
November 6, 2012: The Osaka Walking Tour: Part Deux!
Wow! It's been a whirlwind few days here in Osaka. I've covered so much ground that I've decided to squeeze in an extra blog entry. Let's call it "November 6, 2012: The Quickening!" We met up with Akemi's parents on our first night in town. The plan was to go to Sushi Koyoshi, a mom…