Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 476
January 4, 2013
January 4, 2013: Montreal’s culinary highlights and lowlights!
As much as I love being on east coast time here on the west coast, I find something weird and just plain wrong about getting up before the sun has risen. It strikes me as inherently unnatural, like fluorescent green pistachio ice cream or the tuck rule in football. I mean, there’s “early” and then there’s just “silly early”. For instance, this morning, I woke up “silly early”, but stayed in bed until “early” (the dogs were unusually cuddlesome) and THEN got up. And I still found time to get a whole bunch of errands done today.
Akemi proved equally productive ahead of her planned four day trek to Yellowknife with friends to watch the Northern Lights. She thinks it’s downright un-Canadian of me not to join her but, hey, last time I checked the temperature there was a not-so-balmy -26 degrees celsius (about -15 fahrenheit). Apparently, boiling water tossed into the air comes down as snow. No, thanks. Fortunately, Akemi prepared for the brutal cold with a dry run that saw her visit Montreal woefully under-dressed for the winter weather there:
Note the rain boots – perfect for rainy days. Terrible for walking on icy sidewalks and keeping your feet warm.
Speaking of Montreal – while in town, in addition to some terrific home cooking (compliments of mom, natch), I also enjoyed some great restaurant meals as well. Today, I’d like to offer up the culinary highlights (and lowlights) of my holiday grazing in la belle province…
RESTAURANT LALOUX (Restaurant Laloux – Bistro)
Highlight: The 40 day aged Ematimi farm beef prime rib served with vegetables and sauce forestiere.
The menu states it’s “for two” but it could have served four. And it was even better the next day, cool and thinly sliced.
Lowlight: My sister talked up the desserts, but we were disappointed to learn the former pastry chef had left since the last time Andria visited. The sweet selection was fine, but nothing really stood out – with the exception of the after-meal, bite-size caneles that proved magnificent.
PETINOS – WEST ISLAND (Restaurant dejeuner diner | Petinos | Montreal | Terrebonne …)
Highlight: I’m not a huge fan of breakfast places, but I did appreciate Petino’s banana-nutella pancakes:
Lowlight: Their smoothies – artifical-looking and tasting. Terrible.
AU PIED DE COCHON (Au Pied de Cochon)
Highlight: Well, damn, pretty much the entire dinner. I’ve never had a bad meal here. The tarragon bison tongue is always great as are the desserts (maple milkshake and sugar pie!). I suppose if I had to choose one stand-out dish, it would have to be the headcheese. Like I said a couple of entries back, don’t let the name fool you. There’s no actual cheese in it – just head mostly:
Lowlight: Nothing we ate and more what we didn’t. They ran out of the stuffed trotters (my sister’s favorite) and have since taken the pouding chomeur off the menu. Boo! BOO!
WISUSHI (WiSushi)
Highlight: Having spent plenty of time in Japan and lived the past 13 years of my life in Vancouver, I don’t have very high expectations for Montreal sushi and so I can’t say I was disappointed. I suppose if I had to choose a highlight, I’d go with the kamikaze roll, ubiquitous in Montreal but unheard anywhere else I’ve traveled.
Lowlight: I wasn’t blown away by the sushi but, on the other hand, wasn’t enormously disappointed either.
DA EMMA
Highlight: Great atmosphere in this dark, moody, cave-like setting that was once home to Montreal’s first women’s prison. The service was the highlight. As far as dishes, I’d say the lamb – but, in all fairness, it’s a menu item I enjoyed on my last visit here.
Lowlight: The neon green pistachio ice cream.
GRAZIELLA (Restaurant Graziella)
Highlight: Appetizers and mains were all, in a word, fantastic. If I had to choose one dish…maybe the wild mushroom risotto.
Lowlight: The service was great – up until the neighboring table was seated and instantly commanded all of our waitress’s attention. It took us 20 minutes to get dessert menus, then another 20 to be served. As for the desserts – well, they were very pretty to look at.
KAM FUNG – WEST ISLAND (Welcome to Restaurant La Maison KamFung)
Highlight: I know you think I’m saying this just to be controversial but, seriously, the chicken feet were outstanding.
Lowlight: The siu long bao were too big and devoid of their trademark searing broth.
MAIKO SUSHI (Maiko Sushi Dollard-Des-Ormeaux)
Highlight: Again, I’m prepared to be underwhelmed by Montreal sushi and, in this case, was somewhat pleasantly surprised. The top roll? Oh, let’s go with the crispy tempura bits-laden kamikaze again.
Lowlight: Nothing comes to mind.
RESTAURANT PM (Prete-a-Manger)
Highlight: My sister is a regular and pretty much all of the dishes she recommended were great. My favorite, however was the hot pot chicken with ginger and mushrooms. It positively sang!
Lowlight: Akemi and I didn’t fare so well with our orders. I didn’t love the peanut butter dumplings while the mapo tofu lacked the spicy pepper punch packed by Akemi’s take on the dish.
MOM’S PLACE
Highlight: Plenty of terrific plates from mom’s kitchen – eggplant parmesan, fried peppers, fried eggplant, her trademark friendship cake…but my favorite has to be her rabbit. I don’t make it myself and have given up on ordering it when I go out because its invariably dry and nowhere close to mom’s version -
Honorable mention for Akemi’s highlight,the roasted chestnuts -
Lowlight: None. (Hey, I’ve got to go back next Christmas!)
Tagged: Montreal restaurants 
January 4, 2012: Montreal’s culinary highlights and lowlights!
As much as I love being on east coast time here on the west coast, I find something weird and just plain wrong about getting up before the sun has risen. It strikes me as inherently unnatural, like fluorescent green pistachio ice cream or the tuck rule in football. I mean, there’s “early” and then there’s just “silly early”. For instance, this morning, I woke up “silly early”, but stayed in bed until “early” (the dogs were unusually cuddlesome) and THEN got up. And I still found time to get a whole bunch of errands done today.
Akemi proved equally productive ahead of her planned four day trek to Yellowknife with friends to watch the Northern Lights. She thinks it’s downright un-Canadian of me not to join her but, hey, last time I checked the temperature there was a not-so-balmy -26 degrees celsius (about -15 fahrenheit). Apparently, boiling water tossed into the air comes down as snow. No, thanks. Fortunately, Akemi prepared for the brutal cold with a dry run that saw her visit Montreal woefully under-dressed for the winter weather there:
Note the rain boots – perfect for rainy days. Terrible for walking on icy sidewalks and keeping your feet warm.
Speaking of Montreal – while in town, in addition to some terrific home cooking (compliments of mom, natch), I also enjoyed some great restaurant meals as well. Today, I’d like to offer up the culinary highlights (and lowlights) of my holiday grazing in la belle province…
RESTAURANT LALOUX (Restaurant Laloux – Bistro)
Highlight: The 40 day aged Ematimi farm beef prime rib served with vegetables and sauce forestiere.
The menu states it’s “for two” but it could have served four. And it was even better the next day, cool and thinly sliced.
Lowlight: My sister talked up the desserts, but we were disappointed to learn the former pastry chef had left since the last time Andria visited. The sweet selection was fine, but nothing really stood out – with the exception of the after-meal, bite-size caneles that proved magnificent.
PETINOS – WEST ISLAND (Restaurant dejeuner diner | Petinos | Montreal | Terrebonne …)
Highlight: I’m not a huge fan of breakfast places, but I did appreciate Petino’s banana-nutella pancakes:
Lowlight: Their smoothies – artifical-looking and tasting. Terrible.
AU PIED DE COCHON (Au Pied de Cochon)
Highlight: Well, damn, pretty much the entire dinner. I’ve never had a bad meal here. The tarragon bison tongue is always great as are the desserts (maple milkshake and sugar pie!). I suppose if I had to choose one stand-out dish, it would have to be the headcheese. Like I said a couple of entries back, don’t let the name fool you. There’s no actual cheese in it – just head mostly:
Lowlight: Nothing we ate and more what we didn’t. They ran out of the stuffed trotters (my sister’s favorite) and have since taken the pouding chomeur off the menu. Boo! BOO!
WISUSHI (WiSushi)
Highlight: Having spent plenty of time in Japan and lived the past 13 years of my life in Vancouver, I don’t have very high expectations for Montreal sushi and so I can’t say I was disappointed. I suppose if I had to choose a highlight, I’d go with the kamikaze roll, ubiquitous in Montreal but unheard anywhere else I’ve traveled.
Lowlight: I wasn’t blown away by the sushi but, on the other hand, wasn’t enormously disappointed either.
DA EMMA
Highlight: Great atmosphere in this dark, moody, cave-like setting that was once home to Montreal’s first women’s prison. The service was the highlight. As far as dishes, I’d say the lamb – but, in all fairness, it’s a menu item I enjoyed on my last visit here.
Lowlight: The neon green pistachio ice cream.
GRAZIELLA (Restaurant Graziella)
Highlight: Appetizers and mains were all, in a word, fantastic. If I had to choose one dish…maybe the wild mushroom risotto.
Lowlight: The service was great – up until the neighboring table was seated and instantly commanded all of our waitress’s attention. It took us 20 minutes to get dessert menus, then another 20 to be served. As for the desserts – well, they were very pretty to look at.
KAM FUNG – WEST ISLAND (Welcome to Restaurant La Maison KamFung)
Highlight: I know you think I’m saying this just to be controversial but, seriously, the chicken feet were outstanding.
Lowlight: The siu long bao were too big and devoid of their trademark searing broth.
MAIKO SUSHI (Maiko Sushi Dollard-Des-Ormeaux)
Highlight: Again, I’m prepared to be underwhelmed by Montreal sushi and, in this case, was somewhat pleasantly surprised. The top roll? Oh, let’s go with the crispy tempura bits-laden kamikaze again.
Lowlight: Nothing comes to mind.
RESTAURANT PM (Prete-a-Manger)
Highlight: My sister is a regular and pretty much all of the dishes she recommended were great. My favorite, however was the hot pot chicken with ginger and mushrooms. It positively sang!
Lowlight: Akemi and I didn’t fare so well with our orders. I didn’t love the peanut butter dumplings while the mapo tofu lacked the spicy pepper punch packed by Akemi’s take on the dish.
MOM’S PLACE
Highlight: Plenty of terrific plates from mom’s kitchen – eggplant parmesan, fried peppers, fried eggplant, her trademark friendship cake…but my favorite has to be her rabbit. I don’t make it myself and have given up on ordering it when I go out because its invariably dry and nowhere close to mom’s version -
Honorable mention for Akemi’s highlight,the roasted chestnuts -
Lowlight: None. (Hey, I’ve got to go back next Christmas!)
Tagged: Montreal restaurants
January 3, 2013
January 3, 2013: Home, dogs, aches and pains, and our 2012 Blogging Year in Review! Revealing…our top five most active commenters!
We’re back in comparatively balmy Vancouver (it’s a positively tropical -5 degrees celsius/23 fahrenheit) and I just got through unpacking. I’m exhausted and nursing a wicked headache that I roughly equate to the feeling of having the sudden expansion of your brain rudely checked by your skullcap. Also, my left eye hurts. Could this be the mythic “migraine”, the neurological disorder that has afflicted my mother these oh so many years? Or was I right the first time and has my brain tripled in size? It seems that, lately, my complaint of the most minor ailment will send Akemi into an anxiety-fueled tizzy, culminating in her insistence I go back to the doctor and get checked out immediately. That pain in my shoulder could be a silent heart attack! The ache in my legs a blood clot! And the headache, of course, could be anything from diabetes to an impending stroke! So, I’ve got a choice: make that appointment with my family doctor or just ignore it – in which case a simple headache will be the least of my problems once Akemi gets through with me. Yep, I guess I’ll make that appointment.
Lulu makes short work of Akemi’s Christmas slippers.
Check it out. Akemi’s new duck slippers didn’t even last their first night back. More like an hour – which is how long it took Akemi and I to pop out and grab dinner before returning home to discover the damage our frenchie, Lulu, had wrought.
It wasn’t all bad news however. We arrived home during doggy dinner time and Akemi was positively thrilled by the fact that her boy, Bubba, actually stopped eating to trot over and greet her. This is a pug who LOVES his food. But one who clearly LOVES Akemi even more!
Bubba = momma’s boy.
Hey, I received my 2012 Year in Blogging review from wordpress. Some interesting insights into this blog. For example…
My Top 5 Most Viewed Entries in 2012:
5) September 30, 2008: An AU Season 6! In which I discuss the stories we were considering developing for Atlantis’s sixth season.
4) August 15, 2010: MY Top 10 Favorite Stargate Episodes Self-explanatory.
2) June 12, 2010: Actress Julia Benson Answers Your Questions! Even more popular!
1) May 12, 2011: Stargate: Universe, Beyond Season 2! What Might Have Been! In which I discuss some of the ideas we were considering for Universe’s third season.
On the one hand, this demonstrates the strength of some of these past entries which obviously continue to resonate with fandom. On the other hand, this demonstrates I need to up my blogging game. Not one entry from 2012 cracked the top five!
For what it’s worth, my busiest day in 2012 was this entry: Q&A Tonight!. A simple Q&A. I guess I should consider doing these more often.
And now let’s give it up for the Top 5 Most Active Commenters on this blog in 2012:
5 
Deni 324 COMMENTS
4 
DP 438 COMMENTS
3 
Tam Dixon 471 COMMENTS
2 
Ponytail 480 COMMENTS
1 
dasndanger 576 COMMENTS
You five have been almost as busy as I have on this blog! Thanks for staying active and, just to show my appreciation, I’m going to send you a little something.
As for the rest of you slackers, 2013 is a new year. Start our commenting!
January 3, 2012: Home, dogs, aches and pains, and our 2012 Blogging Year in Review! Revealing…our top five most active commenters!
We’re back in comparatively balmy Vancouver (it’s a positively tropical -5 degrees celsius/23 fahrenheit) and I just got through unpacking. I’m exhausted and nursing a wicked headache that I roughly equate to the feeling of having the sudden expansion of your brain rudely checked by your skullcap. Also, my left eye hurts. Could this be the mythic “migraine”, the neurological disorder that has afflicted my mother these oh so many years? Or was I right the first time and has my brain tripled in size? It seems that, lately, my complaint of the most minor ailment will send Akemi into an anxiety-fueled tizzy, culminating in her insistence I go back to the doctor and get checked out immediately. That pain in my shoulder could be a silent heart attack! The ache in my legs a blood clot! And the headache, of course, could be anything from diabetes to an impending stroke! So, I’ve got a choice: make that appointment with my family doctor or just ignore it – in which case a simple headache will be the least of my problems once Akemi gets through with me. Yep, I guess I’ll make that appointment.
Lulu makes short work of Akemi’s Christmas slippers.
Check it out. Akemi’s new duck slippers didn’t even last their first night back. More like an hour – which is how long it took Akemi and I to pop out and grab dinner before returning home to discover the damage our frenchie, Lulu, had wrought.
It wasn’t all bad news however. We arrived home during doggy dinner time and Akemi was positively thrilled by the fact that her boy, Bubba, actually stopped eating to trot over and greet her. This is a pug who LOVES his food. But one who clearly LOVES Akemi even more!
Bubba = momma’s boy.
Hey, I received my 2012 Year in Blogging review from wordpress. Some interesting insights into this blog. For example…
My Top 5 Most Viewed Entries in 2012:
5) September 30, 2008: An AU Season 6! In which I discuss the stories we were considering developing for Atlantis’s sixth season.
4) August 15, 2010: MY Top 10 Favorite Stargate Episodes Self-explanatory.
2) June 12, 2010: Actress Julia Benson Answers Your Questions! Even more popular!
1) May 12, 2011: Stargate: Universe, Beyond Season 2! What Might Have Been! In which I discuss some of the ideas we were considering for Universe’s third season.
On the one hand, this demonstrates the strength of some of these past entries which obviously continue to resonate with fandom. On the other hand, this demonstrates I need to up my blogging game. Not one entry from 2012 cracked the top five!
For what it’s worth, my busiest day in 2012 was this entry: Q&A Tonight!. A simple Q&A. I guess I should consider doing these more often.
And now let’s give it up for the Top 5 Most Active Commenters on this blog in 2012:
5 Deni 324 COMMENTS
4 DP 438 COMMENTS
3 Tam Dixon 471 COMMENTS
2 Ponytail 480 COMMENTS
1 dasndanger 576 COMMENTS
You five have been almost as busy as I have on this blog! Thanks for staying active and, just to show my appreciation, I’m going to send you a little something.
As for the rest of you slackers, 2013 is a new year. Start our commenting!
January 2, 2013
January 2, 2013: Catching up! Blog Talk Radio interview – Part II!
Whenever I pay a return visit to my hometown of Montreal, I always find time to catch up with old friends. Last week, it was my former co-worker Anne-Marie and the former host of our weekly Hong Kong Movie Nite, Supa-Nige. This week, I managed to connect with a few more familiar faces in advance of tomorrow’s departure.
Battling over the leftovers.
My oldest friend (and I mean “oldest” in terms of length of our friendship as well as the fact that he possesses the sense of humor of somebody’s grandfather), Lawrence, joined us for sushi the other night. Aka “Buddy” also brought along his lovely wife, Mel (aka Budette). They’re back in Montreal after spending three years in London. Surprisingly, they returned with no trace of an accent, or affinity for bowlers and umbrellas, but have admitted to lingering Coronation Street habit.
Just the sake, please.
Another old high school friend, Nigel, put it an appearance with his wife – but only long enough to have a little sake before moving on to the next party. They made the trip from Columbus, Ohio, home of James Thurber and purportedly not-so-good sushi restaurants.
Today, we braved the cold to visit another old friend Montreal’s greatest comic book store: 1 000 000 Comix!
Akemi enjoys the crisp Montreal air.
I’ll do an Uncanny X-Force. And make it a double.
Alex and I also go way back. He’s largely responsible for a crawlspace packed with comics, toys, and supervillain statues. The sole proprietor of my favorite comic store in Montreal, he is also a lead organizer of the Montreal and Ottawa Comic Cons.
Dealer’s choice.
Rob, a 1 000 000 Comix mainstay, is a voracious reader. ”What do you read?”I asked him. ”Everything,”was his response. Well, I figured he was the expert so I picked up a few titles on his recommendation: the trippy looking Mind the Gap, Revival (which he described as The Waking Dead), and Driver for the Dead which looks a lot like The Transporter (The film series of course. What else would I be talking about?) with a supernatural twist.
Akemi, regretting those rain boots.
And then we were off, braving the elements once again to head down to the Eaton Center where we met up with another former co-worker and freelance writer, Gerard.
aka Gerry
We had a lot of catching up to do but, unfortunately, not all that much time to do it in. Gerry and I have a lot in common, particularly with regard to our personal lives over the past – oh, four years or so – and it was nice to get another perspective on things. He’s artistic, soft-spoken, thoughtful – and terribly out of place in Montreal. The guy belongs in Vancouver.
Well, that’s it for Montreal. One final dinner at home with mom, sis, and Akemi tonight, an early breakfast tomorrow and then we’re off – back to the dogs, the rain, and those two very important scripts…
What are you up to tonight? Have plans? Well, break ‘em. And tune into Blog Talk Radio for the second part of my Stargate: Universe discussion with Barbara Barnettt. I’ll be answering questions on SGU and Stargate in general so, if you’d like to chat, tune in (9:00 p.m. Eastern, 8:00 p.m. Central, and 6:00 p.m. Pacific) and call: (718) 305-6982. Let’s Talk Stargate Universe Season 2 w/Joe Mallozzi ].
January 2, 2012: Catching up! Blog Talk Radio interview – Part II!
Whenever I pay a return visit to my hometown of Montreal, I always find time to catch up with old friends. Last week, it was my former co-worker Anne-Marie and the former host of our weekly Hong Kong Movie Nite, Supa-Nige. This week, I managed to connect with a few more familiar faces in advance of tomorrow’s departure.
Battling over the leftovers.
My oldest friend (and I mean “oldest” in terms of length of our friendship as well as the fact that he possesses the sense of humor of somebody’s grandfather), Lawrence, joined us for sushi the other night. Aka “Buddy” also brought along his lovely wife, Mel (aka Budette). They’re back in Montreal after spending three years in London. Surprisingly, they returned with no trace of an accent, or affinity for bowlers and umbrellas, but have admitted to lingering Coronation Street habit.
Just the sake, please.
Another old high school friend, Nigel, put it an appearance with his wife – but only long enough to have a little sake before moving on to the next party. They made the trip from Columbus, Ohio, home of James Thurber and purportedly not-so-good sushi restaurants.
Today, we braved the cold to visit another old friend Montreal’s greatest comic book store: 1 000 000 Comix!
Akemi enjoys the crisp Montreal air.
I’ll do an Uncanny X-Force. And make it a double.
Alex and I also go way back. He’s largely responsible for a crawlspace packed with comics, toys, and supervillain statues. The sole proprietor of my favorite comic store in Montreal, he is also a lead organizer of the Montreal and Ottawa Comic Cons.
Dealer’s choice.
Rob, a 1 000 000 Comix mainstay, is a voracious reader. ”What do you read?”I asked him. ”Everything,”was his response. Well, I figured he was the expert so I picked up a few titles on his recommendation: the trippy looking Mind the Gap, Revival (which he described as The Waking Dead), and Driver for the Dead which looks a lot like The Transporter (The film series of course. What else would I be talking about?) with a supernatural twist.
Akemi, regretting those rain boots.
And then we were off, braving the elements once again to head down to the Eaton Center where we met up with another former co-worker and freelance writer, Gerard.
aka Gerry
We had a lot of catching up to do but, unfortunately, not all that much time to do it in. Gerry and I have a lot in common, particularly with regard to our personal lives over the past – oh, four years or so – and it was nice to get another perspective on things. He’s artistic, soft-spoken, thoughtful – and terribly out of place in Montreal. The guy belongs in Vancouver.
Well, that’s it for Montreal. One final dinner at home with mom, sis, and Akemi tonight, an early breakfast tomorrow and then we’re off – back to the dogs, the rain, and those two very important scripts…
What are you up to tonight? Have plans? Well, break ‘em. And tune into Blog Talk Radio for the second part of my Stargate: Universe discussion with Barbara Barnettt. I’ll be answering questions on SGU and Stargate in general so, if you’d like to chat, tune in (9:00 p.m. Eastern, 8:00 p.m. Central, and 6:00 p.m. Pacific) and call: (718) 305-6982. Let’s Talk Stargate Universe Season 2 w/Joe Mallozzi ].
January 1, 2013
January 1, 2013: Ringing in the New Year, “my family” style!
Before
After
Yep, it was quite a night! We rang in the New Year in typical Mallozzi family fashion: eating an enormous dinner and then fighting to stay awake just long enough to catch the countdown before turning in for the night.
Some of the highlights:
Sis breaks out the mead. I was the only one who drank it, and only because I was feeling all Games of Throne-ish on account of the goblets.
The family gathers – and waits impatiently for me to snap a pic.
Mom’s eggplant parmesan.
Mom’s baked musssels.
Mom’s biscotti.
Roxy hogs the couch.
Mom’s dogs. And sis.
We toasted the New Year, I knocked over an open champagne bottle (actually, Asti Spumanti) which is apparently considered good luck by some and, soon after, I was in bed.
I made the most of the first day of 2013 by lounging about, perusing the internet, and grazing on leftovers. I also partook in a Greek New Year’s tradition compliments of my sister’s friend, Daisy, who brought over…
Vasilopita, a (slightly) sweet egg bread. Baked inside is a lucky coin.
The sign of the cross is made on the underside.
After which the bread is sliced, each slice representing a member of the family, the house, the poor, and the New Year.
My slice was, sadly, devoid of lucky coins. 
As is custom in our household, the festivities continued through lunch as the family gathered to continue our hard partying ways…
Mom, resting her eyes.
So, do tell. What are some of the traditions you follow to ring in the New Year? Was your New Year’s Eve as exciting as mine? Really? I find that hard to believe.
Best in 2013 to all you regulars, semi-regulars, sometimes blog readers, and first-timers!
[Oopsy. Forgot to mention that I'll be joining Barbara Barnett on her Blog Talk Radio show tomorrow (Wednesday, January 2nd) night for the second part of our Stargate: Universe discussion. Again, I will be taking calls on the Stargate franchise so if you have one, phone in. And tune in at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, 8:00 p.m. Central, and 6:00 p.m. Pacific: (718) 305-6982. Let's Talk Stargate Universe Season 2 w/Joe Mallozzi ].
Tagged: New Year's Eve
December 31, 2012
December 31, 2012: Hear yea! Hear yea! Let it be resolved that [2013 version]…!
It’s that time of year again – the time of year to make promises you can’t keep. Before getting around to my 2013 half-commitments I thought it might be interesting to look back on last year’s batch of best intentions and gauge the various successes and failures…
“Joe’s 2012 New Year’s Resolutions:
1. Sit down to a marathon viewing of the entire 1967 animated Spiderman series. I know, I know. I’ve been talking about this for ages but this year, I’m really going to do it!
-No, no I didn’t, although I certainly did think about doing it. A lot.
2. Finish that pilot script I’ve been kicking around, like, forever. I mean, seriously. I’ve been working on this particular pilot, on and off, for two years now – writing, rewriting, shelving, re-rewriting, shelving, re-re-rewriting. And shelving. Compare to my buddy Robert Cooper who joined a bunch of us for a dinner back in Toronto where we discussed a fellow friend’s unnervingly creepy experience in what some (ie. those two dudes from Ghost Hunters) would consider a haunted house. ”We should write a script based on this story,”Rob said at the time. Two months later, he had completed the script and was shopping it around. Okay, I know. Rob Cooper is possessed of superhuman writing abilities. Still, if he can knock off a feature in two months, I should be able to complete a pilot script in less than two years. No?
- Sadly, no. I did actually start work on it – only to get sidetracked by other projects: the miniseries, the horror script, those other pilots.
3. Complete research on that grand historical drama and, if all goes well, actually start writing the script.
- Nope. Again, I blame the distraction of the other projects…and the fact that I ultimately lost interest in this one.
4. Set up Dark Matter as a television series (or mini-series). The comic book launches January 11, 2012 (but you knew that already) and, while getting a television series up and running is a daunting challenge, we have the personnel and game plan in place to make it happen.
- More on this in the coming months.
5. Investigate the deepest, darkest recesses of my crawlspace and clear it out by getting rid of half the stuff that’s been sitting there, in boxes, since I moved in six years ago.
- This one was marginally successful. While I didn’t get rid of anywhere close to half the stuff in the crawlspace, I did manage to clear out enough to make room for new stuff.
6. I make this resolution every December 31st but, after my experience this year, I’m determined to see it through: When it comes to business, stop being so pleasant and accommodating to others and be more of an asshole (before they are).
- This one has proven far more difficult than I imagined. It pains me to admit that I fell back on my old, pleasant/accommodating ways again this year – and had it bit me in the ass yet again.
7. Dramatically improve my Japanese speaking and listening skills. You know what I hate? Meeting someone who has only been studying Japanese for mere months yet speaks and understands the language far better than I do. More language CD’s in the car, more grammar reviews, more anime watching and, as a last resort, maybe a second Japanese girlfriend to help me practice conversation.
- Dramatically? Not even close. On the bright side, I have picked up a few interesting expressions like “peko peko” (hungry) and “dondake” (which I’ve yet to figure out but never fails to delight native Japanese speakers when I toss it out).
8. Master the doggy gate at mom’s place.
- Impossible.
9. Wear my reading glasses in social situations to help cultivate a faux intellectual persona.
- Hell, I don’t even wear my reading glasses when I’m reading, much less out and about. Maybe with the right ascot…
10. E-NUN-CI-ATE!
- I remain as mumblesome as ever.
Hmmmm. Overall, not good. Not good at all. Let’s try and do better next year, shall we…
Joe’s 2013 New Year’s Resolutions:
1. Sit down to a marathon viewing of the entire 1967 animated Spiderman series. I know, I know. I’ve been talking about this for ages but this year, I’m really going to do it! Really! I may also include a Flintstones marathon as well!
2. Sell that horror script. And, failing that, put the wheels in motion to produce it myself. Come on, people! It’s a no-brainer!
3. Read more non-fiction. My attempt to get into the mystery genre has been a failure. I’ve read about a dozen highly recommended books and loved exactly none of them. I did, however, discover the works of Jon Ronson (who was recommended to me by fellow writer-producer-chef Robert Cooper) and loved exactly all three of his books I’ve read so far.
4. Produce one of two (maybe both!) shows poised to go in 2013.
5. Investigate the deepest, darkest recesses of my crawlspace and clear it out by shipping half my stuff to my sister in Montreal and letting her deal with it.
6. I make this resolution every December 31st but, after my experience this year, I’m determined to see it through: When it comes to business, stop being so pleasant and accommodating to others and be more of an asshole (before they are). I REALLY mean it this time!
7. Dramatically improve my Japanese speaking and listening skills. Or, at the very least, learn a few more colloquialisms to amuse my Japanese friends.
8. Get a little more techy. Seriously. I’m having trouble syncing my gadgets. How come season one of Homeland can play on my tiny laptop but not the big one?.
9. Wear my reading glasses while reading. It’s a start.
10. 20% more luboo-luboo (an Akemism for affection). This one was a personal request.
So, how’d you all do on this year’s resolutions? And, knowing this, what’s your game plan for 2013?
Tagged: New Year's resolutions, resolutions
December 30, 2012
December 30, 2012: My Top 10 Christmas favorites!
Christmas may have come and gone but the holidays are still upon us, so why not maintain that seasonal spirit with a little festive viewing. The following are My Top 10 Christmas Favorites.
Some are movies. Some are t.v. specials.Some are only slightly Christmas-related. Regardless, every one of them never fails to put me in a holiday mood.
BETTER OFF DEAD
A surreal, under-appreciated comedy that happens to be set during the holidays. A sexy French exchange student, an obnoxious rival (named, appropriately enough, Stalin), a claymation dancing hamburger sequence, and a very determined paper boy are just a few of the elements that make this movie joyously bizarre – and immensely entertaining.
STALAG 17
A Christmas movie only insofar as it happens to be set during the holiday season, A brilliant WWII movie starring William Holden as a roguish POW suspected, by his fellow prisoners, of being a traitor.
THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL
Michael Caine is terrific as Scrooge, but he’s upstaged by the likes of Kermit the Frog’s Bob Cratchit. One of my favorite Muppet outings.
TRADING PLACES
What the hell happened to Eddie Murphy? Long before Pluto Nash came this wonderful comedy set during the holiday season. Murphy was at his best and Dan Aykroyd was actually funny. It seems like so long ago…
HOME ALONE
Oh, say what you will about the sequels, but the original shines as a truly inspired kid-centric holiday movie.
A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS
Nothing takes me back to my youth like the Charlie Brown holiday specials. As great as it is, this one still runs a close second to It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.
HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS!
I’ve watched it every Christmas for as long as I can remember. Love that dog!
DIE HARD
The quintessential Christmas actioner.
BAD SANTA
Like you’re Christmas holidays dark? Then look no further. Billy Bob Thornton is great as the degenerate would-be Santa, but he’s upstaged by Brett Kelly as the lonely Thurman Merman.
A CHRISTMAS STORY
Not just a great holiday movie but a great movie all around. This is one my “desert island picks”, a movie I could watch over and over and over again.
Agree? Disagree? Are there any favorite you would include? Let’s hear ‘em!
Tagged: Christmas movies, holiday movies 
December 29, 2012
December 29, 2012: Well, it’s been a fun time in Montreal but it’s time to head back…oh. Not yet?
Sarah and Supa Nige.
Well, it’s certainly been nice reconnecting with friends and family here in Montreal but I’m looking forward to getting back to Vancouver and – oh, wait. What? I still have four a half days left in town? Shiiii-oooot! Uh…great! Fantastic!
Today, we dropped in on my aunt and uncle. An hour into our visit, it started to snow and, rather than risk being caught in a storm like the one we experienced the other day, we elected to cut short our stay and head home. My mother suggested that, rather than going back the way we’d come, we should try a different, purportedly quicker route. I was leery. The road conditions were bad and getting increasingly worse. Also, I may be adventurous when it comes to a lot of things, but driving aint one of them. It may take a little longer, but I prefer to know where I’m going. But mom insisted it would be simple. Just take a right on St. Martins, left onto the highway, then take the turn-off to Montreal and it would be smoooooooooooooth sailing.
Well, as most of you longtime regulars to this blog know, whenever I say smoooooooooooth sailing it never is.
So we took a right on St. Martins, a left onto the highway, took the turn-off to Montreal and then…we were lost. My mother suggested we take a right toward another highway. I took the turn and, for the next twenty minutes, we found ourselves slip sliding along with no highway in sight, ultimately winding our way through an industrial area where I eventually pulled over and consulted google maps. Another twenty minutes of white knuckle driving and we were finally on the highway and heading toward familiar territory.
As we turned off at our exit, mom glanced down at the dashboard clock and marveled over the great time we’d made (!).
An easier drive last night as Akemi and I headed downtown for dinner at Da Emma restaurant – which now occupies a building that was once Montreal’s first women’s prison. Dinner was good (I suspect better than what was served to the former occupants) but the company was OUSTANDING as we were joined by my good buddy Supa Nige and his friend, Sarah (pictured above). As long as I’ve known Nigel, he has been one of the city’s premier partiers: coming home from work, napping until 11:00 p.m., then heading out to hit the clubs until their 3:00 a.m. closing before heading home – unless it’s the weekend, of course, in which case it’s off to the after-hours parties. He seems to know everyone in town. Whenever we go out, he’s greeted with hugs and kisses from staff, clientele, and owners alike. He’s a charmer. And the quintessential bachelor. Back in the day, he lived in what he considered the perfect apartment complete with custom carpeting, a state of the art entertainment system, and high-end furniture. It had everything – except a stove. Whenever I called him on it, he always insisted it would just take up room, space that could go to one of those zero-G astronaut chairs or a humidor. Besides, he had a microwave, what the hell did he need a stove for?
Like I said, he’s always great company – and last night was no different. I can’t believe it’s been almost two years since I last saw him – at his house party where, during one exuberant response to the Jamaican gangster movie he was screening, he jumped up and brought one of his ceiling-mounted speakers crashing down.
Good times.
A couple of announcements -
Cookie Monster conveys his apologies but he won’t be able to review Spiderman 3 for this Monday. He’s visiting Kermit in The Hamptons. As a result, our Supermovie of the Week Club will reconvene the following Monday.
The owners of Chino, the pit bull shot by a police officer in North Carolina (one of many recent police shootings of family dogs on private property like this one Chicago police shoot and kill second innocent pet dog in one month, this one Police kill homeowner’s dog while responding to call at wrong address, this one Justice for Chloe -Dog shot by Commerce City Co Police, this one https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=263119177122122&set=a.251151961652177.42171.251137081653665&type=1&ref=nf) have hired a lawyer. Best of luck to them: Justice For Chino and Ivy
Finally, many thanks for the well-wishes sent my sister’s way following the passing of her beloved husky, Aspen. She left the following message for you in the comments section:
I have been touched by the number of people who have reached out on my brother’s blog and on Facebook, taking the time to leave me a few kind words. I appreciate every one and take comfort in reading them over and over again.Those of you who knew me, know that Aspen was special to me. He was my “bad boy”, a challenge to train who always had to have the last word. But Aspen was loving, loyal, funny, goofy, dignified and proud.
Aspen was diagnosed with transitional cell carcinoma in June. As is common with the disease, by the time we found out, it had already metastasized to his prostate, bladder and lymph nodes. Our only option was chemo, which we tried for a while. When it became clear that the chemo wasn’t working and that the side effects were beginning to destroy his quality of life, we stopped the treatment. In early November, Aspen was in such rough shape that I thought his time had come. But my boy rallied and blessed us with just over one more month with him.
I know everyone says you will know when it is time and then it will be okay. I have even said the same thing to others. The truths is, you make the decision when you feel their pain is too great and their quality of life is gone, but it is never okay. It is never okay and it never feels right.
I opted to let Aspen die peacefully at home, surrounded by familiar smells and the things he loved. I knew I needed to be there for Aspen… with him to the very end. It was the least I could do for him after everything he had given me during his life. As I lay spooning him with his face in my hands, I buried my face in his furry nape and kissed his head. His ears were so soft. I sang to him, and told him I loved him, inhaling his familiar scent for one last time as he took his final breath.
I miss him so much, and cry often, but you know what helps? Your kind words and knowing you understand. Thank you.
Andria (aka Sis)
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