Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 477

December 27, 2012: Aspen

A sad day amid the holiday cheer.  My sister’s husky, Aspen, passed away this morning.  He was a brave and beautiful boy, much loved and he will be missed…

Tagged: Dogs, huskies, husky

December 27, 2012: Snowed in!

No, not some back country trail in the early evening hours. This was my mother’s street at 10:00 a.m.

And another reason why moving back to Montreal holds little appeal: the snow and the cold.  It’s miserable out there today.  Pretty.  But miserable.  Especially when you’re trudging through two foot high drifts with your mom’s dogs, the wind whipping your exposed skin to a rosy pink.  The plan was to head downtown today for a little underground shopping followed by dinner at a Japanese restaurant (after three straight days of heavy French and Italian, Akemi is dying for Asian cuisine) but the weather has put a little hitch in that schedule.  It’s looking more likely we’ll be going with the alternate plan: season 2 of Modern Family, George MacDonald Frasier’s Flashman, and leftovers.

And not even last night’s leftovers!  We left those with sis!

Last night, we went to one of my favorite restaurants in town, Au Pied de Cochon, for a truly rustic, down home, Quebecois meal…

We were joined by my friend, fellow writer, and former co-worker (way back when I held an office job, developing animated shows for kids), Anne-Marie and her boyfriend, Jerome.

Sis and Daisy.

Akemi, off to a good start = bread and butter.

The tarragon bison tongue, a can’t-miss menu item.

The foie gras poutine temaki. Not bad but I wasn’t completely sold on the potato-rice combination.  It came with a foie gras sauce for dipping/pouring.

The melt-in-your-mouth foie gras terrine.

The guinea hen liver mousse.

Akemi – not the biggest fan of foie gras.

The blood sausage tart. It’s an acquired taste – which, yes, I’ve acquired.

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The headcheese. Fear not. There’s no actual “cheese” in the dish. Only parts of the head. And tasty potatoes!

Other menu items sampled included some bison rib, cromesquis (tiny deep fried foie gras bites), two types of pork chops, creamed squash, onion soup, tomato tart, and this interesting dish – duck in a can (served table side):

And, of course, dessert…

The uber dark chocolaty dark chocolate pot de creme.

Sugar pie. Yep. Pretty damn sweet. But tasty.

The lemon meringue tart.

Maple ice cream.

And to wash it all down – everyone else ordered coffees and teas, but I went with the maple milkshake.

I guested on Blog Talk Radio last night, the first part of a two part chat on SGU and the Stargate franchise in general.  It was fun, interesting and, occasionally, a little bewildering.  One of the early discussion points was character creation and I explained how screen presence and chemistry will often steer character development.  I cited the case of Dale Volker, a character we had planned to kill off halfway through season one – but who won a reprieve on the strength of Patrick Gilmore’s impressive performance.  He was too good to kill off!  We covered a wide range of SGU-related topics (the creation of the series, ratings, its premature demise) and I fielded a few questions.  Join us next week for the second part of our Stargate-related discussion during which I’ll field some more of your queries – and fill you in on my plans for 2013.

Apparently, Montreal isn’t the only area snowed-in.  But it’s nice to see our very own gforce making the best of it -

December 26, 2012: The Family Feast! A Blog Talk Radio reminder!

Mom preps for the family feast.

The family feast is a holiday tradition we have celebrated since way back when.  Over time, the faces at the table may have changed but the turnout has always been…let’s call it robust.  Yesterday, we all gathered at my cousin Marolyn’s place for the BIG holidays meal…

Akemi dons appropriate head gear.

Akemi spending time with the extended family. In this case – Lola.

Finnigan and Sis.

Cousin Jeanie – the Happy Homemaker – shows off her ham-carrying skills.

Cousin Evelina bedecked with ribbons and onion gravy.

The spread includes mom’s pasta and eggplant parmesan, and Akemi’s gravlax.

Dessert!

Lola and Akemi take a break.

Akemi and Molly.

There were seventeen of us in all.  In hindsight, I should have taken more photos of cousins, aunts, and nephews but, damnit, those dogs were so goshdarn cute!

And don’t forget to tune in tonight when I join Barbara Barnett on her Blog Talk Radio show.  We’ll be discussing Stargate: Universe’s first season and I’ll be taking calls on the Stargate franchise.  So tune in – and call in at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, 8:00 p.m. Central, and 6:00 p.m. Pacific: (718) 305-6982.  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/barbara-barnett/2012/12/27/lets-talk-tv-special-stargate-universe-season-1 …

December 25, 2012: In the holiday swing of things!

UPS screwed up another mango shipment.

I’ve been in full family mode for the past couple of days.  This of course, means different things to different people.  In my case, it means watching the second season of Modern Family on dvd with Akemi.  Oh, and eating and drinking and hanging with my own family…

Mom’s dogs – dressed for success.  And the snow.

Me, getting into the holiday swing of things.

We gathered at sis’ place for the gift exchange.  When we were kids, we were only permitted one present on Christmas Eve and had to save the rest until Christmas morning.  As we grew older, it became two presents, then three, then, eventually, all the presents after midnight. Nowadays, I’d prefer to get right down to business, but my mother insists on sticking to tradition.  Or as close to it as possible.  And so, rather than toll into the unwrapping of the gifts right after dinner, we wait for the appointed time.  In this year’s case, the appointed time being whenever mom woke up from her nap…

My favorite ornament from my sister’s eclectic collection.  I double dog dare ya!

Mom rests up for the big gift exchange.

I won’t bore you with a full run-down but rest assured I did get what I REALLY needed: about a dozen socks.  And I do mean REALLY needed because I only brought two pairs along with me for my visit to the east coast.

Akemi shows off her new slippers.

Only a foodie would get a dried mushroom assortment for Christmas.

Mom tears into her gift.  Roxy feigns disinterest.

Felix poses for his boudoir shot.

Art for the discerning pug owner.

My chocolate haul!

Sadly, it wasn’t all good cheer.  Sis’s husky, Aspen, isn’t doing too well.

Aspen

Sending extra special holidays wishes his way!

[addendum: A quick reminder that I'll be joining Barbara Barnett on Blog Talk Radio Wednesday, December 26th to talk/field Stargate questions.  That's 9:00 p.m. Eastern, 8:00 p.m. Central, and 6:00 p.m. Pacific.  Call in number: (718) 305-6982.  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/barbara-barnett/2012/12/27/lets-talk-tv-special-stargate-universe-season-1 …]

December 24, 2012: The Supermovie of the Week Club reconvenes! Cookie Monster reviews Zoom!

Dis be less a movie and more an interminable collektion of lame musical montage sekwences punctuated by occasional attempts at a plot, charakter development and, worst of all, humor.

It say a lot about dis catastrophe dat de most interesting part of Zoom be opening five minute info-dump voice-over dat explain how two brothers, Zoom and Concussion, were part of superhero team (Zenith) until government experiment wit extra radiation (Gamma 13) turn Concussion evil and cause Zoom to lose his powers.  Concussion eliminate other team members but he blasted and seemingly killed. Until…

Turdy years later, scientists be tracking “a pan dimensional anomaly moving toward our space-time continuum” (accompanied by computer graphic dat seem to indikate de other dimension be lokated somwhere outside Long Beach).  Huh?  Not “huh” as if “Wow!  Dis too complikated for monster to understand!” but “Huh, dis make absolutely no sense!”. It as if someone couldn’t even be bothered to come up wit half-ass techno-babble.  In hindsight, dis not so surprising since it turn out same people couldn’t even be bothered to come up wit half-ass rest of movie.

Decision made to hire washed-up former Zoom to train new team Zenith.  We introduced to each potential new member in – CUE MUSICAL MONTAGE SEKWENCE!

At Area 51, Zoom and scientists hold American Idol-like auditions for new team Zenith – CUE MUSICAL MONTAGE SEKWENCE!

Making de cut are kids wit real super powers – invisibility, telekinesis, super strength – and some chubby kid who can inflate himself.  New Team Zenith trains – CUE MUSICAL MONTAGE SEKWENCE!

Zoom takes kids out on a joyride in a flying saucer.  Kids train some more – CUE MUSICAL MONTAGE SEKWENCE!

Kids trap scientist in eco-chamber and press weather buttons.  Ho ho ho.  Scientist get rained on.  Snowed on.  He get struck by lightning. Struck by avalanche.  Sprayed by a skunk.  Actors unconvincingly convey hilarity.

Kids train some more – CUE MUSICAL MONTAGE SEKWENCE!

Invisible boy and telekinesis girl develop romance.  Dey have all de seksual chemistry of John Madden and Pat Sumerall.

Zoom, meanwhile, reflekts back on de old days – CUE MUSICAL MONTAGE SEKWENCE!

Finally, it’s time!  Concussion arrives “in our space-time continuum”. And, boy, he pissed.  Zoom try to talk some sense into his brother. But no go.  Army try to capture his brother.  But no go.  So Team Zenith launch into action.  Concussion not so tough.  He get beat on by a bunch of kids!  How possible for him to ever be considered such a threat?

Zoom get his powers back and trap Concussion in a vortex dat, uh, draw de evil radiation out of his brother’s body.

CUE MUSICAL MONTAGE SEKWENCE!

Verdikt: As much as makers would want it to be, Sky High II dis aint.

Rating: 1/2 chocolate chippee cookie and one coupon for half-price laxative.

Monster wish everyone Happy Holidays!

Tagged: Cookie Monster film reviews, Cookie Monster movie reviews film & television, Cookie Monster reviews Zoom, superhero movies, superheroes, SuperMovie of the Week Club, Zoom

December: Happy Holidays from the dogs! And Akemi and me!

From my family to yours.  Happy Holidays!

Jelly goes for a walk – Christmas Edition:

P.S. A reminder that I will be joining Barbara Barnett on Blog Talk Radio this Wednesday night (9 p.m. Eastern, 8 p.m. Central, 6 p.m. West coast time) to discuss Stargate: Universe’s first season – and field all Stargate-related questions. Tune in.  Call in (718) 305-6982).  Details here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/barbara-barnett/2012/12/27/lets-talk-tv-special-stargate-universe-season-1 …

December 22, 2012: Downfall! Blog Talk Radio! And holiday plans!

Well, this is nice.  I received request to have my superhero-themed short story, “Downfall”, reprinted for an upcoming anthology by Rich Horton.  Rich is an SF enthusiast, avid reader, and reviewer for publications like Black Gate, Fantasy Magazine, and Locus.  He read “Downfall” when it first appeared in the Lou Anders-edited Masked and had very nice things to say about it at the time, referring to it as “nicely twisty [...] involving throughout, with some worthwhile surprises.”

Looks like I’ll be in great company, sharing the pages of this collections alongside the likes of Peter S. Beagle and Kelly Link.

From the book jacket: ”Superheroes: modern gods and goddesses, remote, revered, but like the pantheon of heroes and heroines of ancient myth, great power tempered with flaws. And now, find within these pages tales by gifted and award-winning authors who move superheroes from the four-color panels of comic books to fiction… reminding every adult of the child within, who ever wanted to wear a cape and cowl!”

You can order it here: Superheroes

On December 26th, I’ll be joining Barbara Barnett on Blog Talk Radio for the first of a two-part Stargate: Universe-themed discussion.  If you’d like to ask participate, tune in at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 26th, when we’ll be chatting about/fielding questions on SGU’s first season.  Then, tune in again January 2nd for a discussion on season 2.  And, if you’re feeling particularly bold and questiony, call in at (718) 305-6982 when we’re on the air.  Details here:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/barbara-barnett/2012/12/27/lets-talk-tv-special-stargate-universe-season-1 … [update: the Q&A forum will be open to questions about all three Stargate shows - SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe].

So, provided the world doesn’t end (again) tomorrow, what are all your holidays plans?

December 21, 2012: Apocalypse Now! Or a little earlier or a little later depending on your time zone!

Hunh.  With all due respect to the doomsday sayers, this apocalypse has been vastly overrated.  I don’t mean to complain but I put off my Christmas shopping figuring there would be no real point given the coming global catastrophe.  And now here I find myself, still in one piece, but with a “to buy” list as long as line-ups outside the public bathrooms in Bugarach right about now.  The tiny French town was expecting some 20 000 idiots apocaloptomists to flock to a local mountain where aliens are rumored to be living.  The thinking, apparently, is that said aliens may have extra room on their space ships and might be amenable to offering lifts outside the Alpha Centauri cosmic limits when it all goes to hell.

Well, there’s still time to expect the worst – roughly three hours by my clock – so let’s take a moment and reflect back on our lives.  Any regrets?  None?  Liar!!!  If I had a time machine, I would certainly go back and offer my past self some sound advice:

1971: Take that entire box of comic books, put it in the garage, and forget about it for the next forty years.

1972: Never mind what mom says.  The long hair ain’t cute.

1974: You and Christian Summer Camp.  NOT a good mix.  (P.S. As much as you love them and think it’s a terrific idea, DON’T order five ice cream sandwiches at tuck).

1975: Steer clear of that trampoline!

1978: What did I say about the hair?

1979: Your parents are wrong.  Time spent on Dungeons and Dragons will pay off A LOT more than time wasted on any math or Canadian history class.

1982: Buy extra coca cola to go with that white rum.

1984: Savor this Raiders Super Bowl victory.  The next one will be a long time coming.

1985: Attend you East Asian History class on a more regular basis. Notice your classmates sooner.  Yes, that one.

1987: Don’t bother with that road trip to Quebec City.

1989: Seriously.  She talks to her teddy bears.  AND has them answer back. Get out now!!!

1995: Spend more time with Kennedy from sales.

1997: Take the year off to travel.

1998: In the unlikely event you didn’t follow the aforementioned advice, take it now.

1999: Don’t do it!

2008: Push the agenda sooner.  Get that movie in the can early because…you never know.

2009: Don’t put off until four years from now what you can do today.

2011: Take the year off.  Relax.  Travel.  Maybe freelance from home. If nothing else, be less accommodating.

That’s it off the top of my head.  I’m sure more will come to mind.  Luckily for everyone, I hear that, depending on the translation of the Mayan texts, doomsday was actually today – or Sunday the 23rd.

Yes, of course!  That’s what everyone meant.

Apocalypse later then.

 

December 20, 2012: Your Handy Wildebeest Guide!

Last night, Akemi and I met up with Simon and Sean for dinner at a restaurant I’ve been eager to check out for quite some time: Wildebeest.  According to the restaurant’s website, its focus is on “Meat-centric, off-cut farmhouse fare simply prepared with immaculate ingredients and thoughtful creativity”, reminiscent of L.A.’s Animal and Toronto’s Black Hoof, two other places I’ve been dying to try.

Because of the recent snowfall Vancouver’s inept drivers we gave ourselves plenty of time, leaving the house one full hour ahead of our 6:00 p.m. reservation and arriving fifteen minutes early.  Surprisingly, Simon also erred the side of caution and showed up at the same time. Sean, unfortunately, ended up stuck in traffic and didn’t get there until 6:30 – so we went ahead and made the executive dinner decisions.

To be honest, I wanted to try pretty much everything on the menu.  As Akemi put it, it would have been far simpler to just tell our waiter what we DIDN’T want from the listed items.  In the end, we decided to go with a few starters, a few mains, and a few sides.  This is how our meal broke down:

Pork schnitzel with Wildebeest mustard

The pork was perfectly prepared, crisp and succulent, and the Wildebeest mustard (honey dijon) made for a great dipping accompaniment.  Simon, however, wasn’t totally sold on the coating.

Bacon-wrapped country pate with pistachio, seasonal jam, and pickled vegetables.

Wonderfully rustic, studded with pistachio and hazelnuts.  Akemi, with a taste for the slightly sour, polished off the pickled veggies.

Popcorn chicken hearts, crispy shallot dust, caper relish.

One of the more intriguing plates of the night.  I liked it but didn’t love it.  Hearts are tricky at the best of times, predisposed to being a little tough, and deep-frying them renders them that much chewier.

Grilled beef tongue, wild mushroom consomme, toasted grains, mustard greens.

While Akemi prefers her tongue crispier and thinly sliced, Simon and I marveled over its mouth-meltingly tender texture here.  The broth was outstanding.

Roasted sweetbreads, caramelized buttermilk, wild mushrooms, porcini vinaigrette.

I’ll got ahead and call this my favorite dish of the night.  A nice contrast of tastes and textures – crisp, tender, sweet and savory. Probably the best preparation of the sweetbreads I’ve ever had.

Pork jowl, long pepper-scented oats, bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup.

I know you’d think I’d be a belly guy but, in truth, my favorite part of the pig is the jowl (with the temple coming in a close second).  You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more tender cut and Wildebeest’s take does it full justice.

Sunchokes and brussel sprouts.

An addition to the regular menu.  I liked the preparation but found the sunchokes underdone.

Slow-cooked natural Angus beef short rib, smoked salt, hay-infused jus.

Heavily marbled but deliciously smokey.

Poutine, roasted foie gras.

I’m used to the Au Pied de Cochon version which is a lot heavier on the foie, but this one was a consensus winner – surprisingly, less so for the foie than for the crunchy yet meaty golden fries.

Foie gras torchon, Earl Grey tea, orange blossom bread.

This one was a late addition.  As much as I enjoy a good pate or a pan-seared preparation, nothing beats a good torchon.  And Wildebeest does a damn good one.

We decided to run the table on dessert, ordering all four on the menu…

Pink Lady apple sorbet, vanilla grapefruit creme anglaise, granola, 63C egg yolk.

This was the dessert I was most looking forward to, less so for the fruit elements (of course) than for the inclusion of the 63 degree egg yolk. In the end, I didn’t love it – although Akemi did.

Cardamom & goat’s milk cheesecake, quince sorbet, crumble.

This one was the hands down winner.  The cheesecake is almost a foam – light, airy, very tasty.  I was not a fan of the quince sorbet, its fizzy tartness reminiscent for me of slightly turned apple juice, but Akemi loved it.

Single origin Malumi chocolate cake, tonka bean ice cream, candied beets.

I was dubious about the candied beets when I saw them on the menu and, quite honestly, in the end, they failed to convince me.  Still, they fell somewhere in between the tonka ice cream (great) and the cake itself (disappointingly dry).

Composed cheese – baked farmhouse brie, seasonal fruit jam, buttermilk ice cream.

Well, I’ll give them points for trying.  Brie with buttermilk ice cream? At first blush it sounds a little off-putting but, after giving it some thought, it sounds like it may work.  It didn’t for me.

The kitchen at work

A few minor quibbles with our savory courses but there were at least three or four standout dishes I would recommend to a friend or look forward to on my return visit.  The desserts, on the other hand, while interesting failed to impress.

The atmosphere is laid back; comfortably casual.  The service was terrific, friendly and informative.  And the price point was a surprise, roughly half what you’d expect to pay elsewhere for a similar meal in the city!

Overall, an excellent dinner.  I look forward to coming back to try that roasted bone marrow luge with almond butter and tomato jam.

Wildebeest

This was a farewell feast for Simon who heads of to greener – and no doubt tastier – international culinary pastures.

Bon Voyage and Bon Appetit!

Tagged: food, Vancouver Restaurants, Wildebeest

December 19, 2012: Winter Wonderland! Justice for Chino and Ivy!

I opened the back door this morning to let the dogs out only to discover that, overnight, Vancouver had been transformed into a winter wonderland.  The yard, garage, and surrounding trees were adorned with a thick white dusting.  And Mother Nature wasn’t done yet.  I looked on, amazed, as it continued to flurry, big fat flakes drifting down to perfect the ideal White Christmas tableau.  My dogs, on the other hand, weren’t quite as impressed.  They eyed the transformation, sniffed the air and exchanged what looked suspiciously like WTF? looks before trotting back inside and going back to sleep.

Alas, no going back to sleep for me.  I was up and had errands to run. Gifts to drop off.  Comic books to pick up.  Girlfriends to drop off at their various English classes!

The road conditions were tricky but manageable, paricularly for a seasoned Montreal driver like yours truly who drives a big-ass SUV and had the foresight to switch out his summer wheels for winter tires. Unfortunately for yours truly, it appears that a significant number of Vancouver drivers: 1. Evidently forgot they lived in Canada and 2. Failed to get winter or all-season tires AND 3. Have evidently never driven in inclement weather before.  The streets were a disaster.  Cars stuck, spinning their wheels in frustration, or advancing at a cautious snail’s pace, commanding both lanes of the two-lane street.  I spent half my day in traffic.

Zipping along.

When I returned home, I was finally able to coax the dogs out.  But only partway.  Whereas the lawn is prime pooping real estate in the spring, summer, and fall, all bets are off come winter.  Apparently, now, anywhere it has snowed is fair territory.  My french bulldog, Lulu, two three steps, decided the end of the porch was good enough, did her business and scampered back inside.

Today, I’d like to bring to your attention a pet-related cause.

First up, there’s this very sad story about a family dog (a pitbull named Chino) who was shot by a police officer in Charlotte, N.C.:

“That’s when Chino and Ivy rushed outside for some love.

They weren’t barking, they weren’t growling.  They were running around me,” Janneth Sanchez said.

Sanchez says she bent over and held Chino by the hips.  At the same time Officer D. Bryant yelled at her to grab Chino, and officer Bryant shot and killed Chino by the time he finished his sentence.”

(http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/Family-CMPD-officer-killed-pet-bullet-nearly-hits-pregnant-wife-183999761.html)

By the way, Janneth Sanchez, Chino’s owner, was eight pregnant at the time.  Outrageous.

You can sign a petition demanding that the Police Officer responsible, D.Bryan, Badge # 4450, be held accountable for his actions: TAKE ACTION! Demand Justice for Chino and Ivywww.causes.comChino was shot and killed in Charlotte, NC on private property by a police officer D BRYAN on December 16, 2012. Ivy was also shot but only injured in the incident. Neither dogs were attacking the officer or showing any sign of aggression. Let’s help to get justice for this family. BACKGROUND IN…

Or lend the family some support by visiting here: Justice For Chino and Ivy

Tagged: Chino and Ivy, Dogs, Justice for Chino and Ivy, pitbulls