Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog

I woke up at 3:00 a.m., this despite the fact that my alarm clock was not set to go off for another five hours. I lay in bed, patiently waiting for sleep to overtake me, all the while thinking: “Okay, if I fall asleep now, I can still salvage another five hours.” And later: “Okay,…

I’ve always been a firm believer that you can’t teach someone to be a writer. Sure, anyone can be taught the basic mechanics of writing, but talent is something you don’t gain from a book or by attending a couple of seminars taught by the guy who scripted Airbud IX: Check-Mutt. A class in creative…

I still haven’t quite got the hang of this “sleeping” thing. I thought I did. Two nights ago, I fell asleep at 10:00 p.m. and didn’t wake up until 10:00 a.m. Twelve hours, uninterrupted! Now THAT is how the professionals do it! Unfortunately, last night’s session wasn’t quite as successful. I fell asleep at 11:00…

“Every time I try to get out, they keep pulling me back in.” A phrase that could apply to a gangster struggling to go straight, but would really be more appropriate to a television producer trying to enjoy some time off between seasons. When the doorbell rang this morning and I spied the courier through…

Evidently 14 hours of sleep isn’t going to get me back on track. I went to bed at 2 a.m., woke up at 4:00 a.m., and never fell back asleep. I’ve lost all sense of time - exhausted by mid-afternoon, alert at midnight, famished at 5:00 a.m. To be honest, I haven’t felt this disoriented…

I woke up this morning feeling refreshed, revitalized, and downright ravenous for breakfast. How easy was that? Here I’d been, worried about the effects of the time-change, imagining I’d be sleeping all day and awake all night, my internal clock thoroughly screwed. But I’d powered through. Even though I was exhausted, I’d refused to allow…

With the possible exception of a cold forest floor on a rainy night with the deranged serial killer closing in, an airplane is probably the last place you want to be sleeping. It’s too bright, it’s too noisy, and the seats are possessed of these unfathomable bumps and indents that seem to target the unlikeliest…

Good news! I`m able to squeeze in one more blog entry before leaving　Japan thanks to my foresight in bringing along my laptop, the convenience of the airport internet lounge, and good old-fashioned Air Canada incompetence that has seen our flight delayed by three and a half hours.We had intended to wake up early this morning…

There’s a lot to be said for leaving your fate in someone else’s hands. More often than not, it means you’ll suffer less research, preparation, and planning with the added bonus of having somebody else to blame if something goes wrong. Conversely, those who choose a more proactive approach have the satisfaction of knowing that…

I suffered some major indigestion last night. I know exactly what you’re all thinking and I have reached the self-same conclusion: it’s a side effect of the pills I’m taking. To think, that the medication I’m taking to make me well is actually making me sick. I lay in bed late last night, pondering fate’s…

Shun Fujimoto at the 1976 Montreal Games. Terrell Owens in Superowl XXXIX. Joseph Mallozzi during Asia foodfest 2006. What do these three individuals have in common? Well, they were all proven athletes in their respective sports (gymnastics, football, eating) who despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles (a broken leg, a severely sprained ankle and a fractured fibula,…

Shun Fujimoto at the 1976 Montreal Games. Terrell Owens in Superowl XXXIX. Joseph Mallozzi during Asia foodfest 2006. What do these three individuals have in common? Well, they were all proven athletes in their respective sports (gymnastics, football, eating) who despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles (a broken leg, a severely sprained ankle and a fractured fibula,…

Shun Fujimoto at the 1976 Montreal Games. Terrell Owens in Superowl XXXIX. Joseph Mallozzi during Asia foodfest 2006. What do these three individuals have in common? Well, they were all proven athletes in their respective sports (gymnastics, football, eating) who despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles (a broken leg, a severely sprained ankle and a fractured fibula,…

Shun Fujimoto at the 1976 Montreal Games. Terrell Owens in Superowl XXXIX. Joseph Mallozzi during Asia foodfest 2006. What do these three individuals have in common? Well, they were all proven athletes in their respective sports (gymnastics, football, eating) who despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles (a broken leg, a severely sprained ankle and a fractured fibula,…

The marbled beef cheeks and uni spaghettini did me no favors. Last night was the worst yet as my body struggled to fight off whatever it is I’ve been battling over the past couple of days. It’s easy to blame the snake soup but, truth is, it could just as easily been the in-flight meal…