Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 106
December 24, 2022
December 24, 2022: More Stargate concept art from SG-1’s second season!
Feeling much better today. Was it the light dinner? The bromelain? The matcha white chocolate? I’m playing it safe today but going with all three.
Rain yesterday and now we’re into the deep freeze. People are being advised to shelter in place. Fortunately, I’ve got a little over 1500 pages to go on this book –
A spectacular book that truly meant to be savored over weeks, perhaps months, highlighting many sci-fi greats and more than a few underappreciated authors. In fact, this book has inspired me to embark on a new project – to seek out collected works of some of the lesser known science fiction writers of the past.
I do love me a massive tome.
Tinkering with a few comic book pitches. Fleshing out one, rewriting four others, and trying to come up with one more – preferably near future sci-fi. That’s my mission for this weekend.
Hope you are all happy, healthy, safe, and enjoying the holidays with loved ones. As I sit here watching Akemi and my mother make capunti, I leave you with another drop from the Stargate archives…
The Serpent’s Lair
In the Line of Duty
Prisoners
The Gamekeeper
Need
Thor’s Chariot
Message in a Bottle
Bane
The post December 24, 2022: More Stargate concept art from SG-1’s second season! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.
December 23, 2022
December 23, 2022: On the mend?!!! A slew of Stargate stuff!
I slept well last night. Akemi will say it’s because I ate light (mainly boiled chicken and soup), but I can’t help but think it was the matcha white chocolate bar I sampled before bed.
Got in touch with my doctor who switched my prescription to something called Losec – but I’ll only be able to pick it up once I’m back in town on the 28th. In the meantime., enjoy more fantastic concept art from the Stargate vault….
Hathor
Singularity
Cor-Ai
Enigma
Solitudes
Tin Man
There But For the Grace of God
Within the Serpent’s Grasp
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December 22, 2022
December 22, 2022: On the mend in Montreal? Or not?
We got into Montreal LATE Tuesday afternoon and had just enough time to feed Suji before hopping into the car and making the hour drive to east end for our dinner reservations at Vin Mon Papillon. Although I was feeling somewhat better, I still wasn’t 100%, so I paced myself on this evening…
A very solid meal although the service was a little slow. I know, it may seem like a lot, but I actually ate less than either my sister or Akemi. (P.S. the beef tartare was my favorite).
Dessert was also solid, although I would have preferred my Paris-Brest without the tart fruit component. The sasaarin (buckwheat cake) with cheese tuile was….interesting. Akemi was a big fan and happily took home the leftovers.
And I ended up sleeping surprisingly well that night, propped up at a 45% degree angle like a passenger trying to get some shut-eye in coach. Were my problems behind me?
Spoiler alert: NO!
The next day, we had lunch at a place called Mama’s Dumplings on the West Island, sampling five different varieties of dumplings. Although I usually go pan-friend, I decided to err on the side of caution and went with the steamed varieties. I was surprisingly hungry – and perhaps ate a little more than I should have….and immediately regretted it.
I wasn’t super hungry for dinner (as has been the case of late), but we had reservations at my favorite Au Pied de Cochon. Given how well last night’s dinner game plan worked out (We enjoyed a variety of dishes, but didn’t over indulge), I ran it again…
Foie gras nigiri, foie gras parfait, duck tartare – all delicious!
We went with two desserts. The chocolate one was your typical chocolate fondant with the obligatory fruit coulis to ruin it. The pouding chomeur, a long time favorite, was a bit of a disappointment. It’s usually served bubbling hot – alarmingly so -with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. This one was served warm sans ice cream. When we asked, we were informed that their ice cream machine had broken that day.
Overall, a fabulous meal though, and I went to bed satisfied but not overly full. I propped up my pillows and went to bed, Air Canada economy-style…
Slept fitfully, battling a brewing nausea, then woke up at 3 a.m., stayed up until 5 am, then drifted off and slept in until 8 a.m. when I woke up feeling awful.
Today, my lunch was comparatively plebian: chicken soup, boiled chicken, and a sliver of mom’s almond torte. Then a little bit of chocolate we picked up from Chocolats de Chloe (white chocolate matcha, dark chocolate praline, and a couple of assorted). The chocolates were by far the high point.
Put in a call to my doctor and look to go in early next month. Thanks to this blog and m twitter queries, I have crowd-sourced some excellent potential diagnoses ranging from GERD to giardiasis, gal bladder to heart issues. Food for thought and worry in the lead up to my appointment!
Hope you’re all feeling much better than I am and enjoying the holidays with family! I’m off to enjoy a chicken soup dinner and some ginger tea!
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December 21, 2022
December 21, 2022: Amazing Covers!
More than a few that caught my eye this week…
Kroma #2 – cover art by Lorenzo De Felici
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #10 – cover art by Dan Mora
Batman: One Bad Day – Catwoman #1 – cover art by Jamie McKelvie
Catwoman #50 – cover art by Jeff Dekal
Catwoman #50 – cover art by Sozomaika
Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 – cover art by Dan Mora
Dark Crisis on Infinite Earth’s #7 – cover art by Dan Mora
Dark Crisis on Infinite Earth’s #7 – cover art by Dan Mora
Harley Quinn: The Animated Series – Legion of Bats #3 – cover art by Yoshi Yoshitani
Nightwing #99 – cover art by Bruno Redondo
Giulietta Romeo: Hitwoman – cover art by Lesley “Leirix” Li
Lady Her #4 – cover art by Daniel Maine
Savage Tales Winter Special – cover art by Rafael Kayanan
Black Panther #12 – cover art by Alex Ross
Gold Goblin #2 – cover art by Michael Dowling
Strange #9 – cover art by Mark Chiarello
Die Wergelder #5 – cover art by Hiroaki Samura
Myths & Legends Quarterly: Blood of Gods #1 – cover art by Tristan Thompson
So, which were YOUR favorites?
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December 20, 2022
December 20, 2022: My Loooooooong Travel Day!
Finally arrived in Montreal after our 9 hour ordeal. It would have been faster to drive here!
Went out for dinner and am already fearing what tonight may bring. Or bring up.
In the meantime, just sitting here with mom, watching a Christmas movie clearly shot in July.
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December 19, 2022
December 19, 2022: Cautiously optimistic…
With my stomach seemingly recovered, I've started reintroducing certain foods back into my diet. Yesterday, it was sweet potatoes. Today, it was pizza and caramel budino.
— Joseph Mallozzi
(@BaronDestructo) December 19, 2022
That’s five night’s of restful sleep in a row. While I can’t say I’m feeling 100%, I am feeling well enough. That feeling of heaviness in the pit of my stomach has still not completely left me, and there’s always that hint of nausea. Can’t help but wonder how much of it is the meds and how much of it is me just getting over it. More to the point, I can’t help but wonder how I’ll feel once this prescription finishes. But I guess we’ll find that out in January. To be on the safe side, and at the behest of our medical professional friend, Dr. Blackjack, I have requested an endoscopy. Akemi insists it’s a breeze. Just swallow a camera, have them take photos of your insides for 5-10 minutes, and your done. Easy-peasy!
One of the people I had lunch with today mentioned a friend who went through something similar – weird stomach issues for weeks. They ended up undergoing a litany of tests – endoscopy, colonoscopy, CT scan – only to learn it was just a bug. A bug! Akemi vacillates between grave concern and being almost convinced I contracted E coli as a result of the improperly cooked flour in my pasta cheese sauce last month. But I dunno. Does E coli really stick around for weeks, disappear, and return weeks later?
To be on the safe side, I’m having the same thing for dinner I’ve had three nights in a row – three scrambled eggs with a touch of salt followed by some Greek yogurt with manuka honey.
Today’s Yes/No…
Almond Fish? Yes/No
Japan’s snack of almonds and whole fish might not be for everyone【Taste test】 https://t.co/p6ZlPrx2W1 via @RocketNews24En
— Joseph Mallozzi
But almonds will still taste like fish!
— Joseph Mallozzi
Hmmmmmmm
— Joseph Mallozzi
— Joseph Mallozzi
Who is this stalker?
Tomorrow, we are Montreal-bound…which means a sleepless night, but for reasons wholly unrelated to stomach issues. We catch a 9:30 a.m. flight (which means a 6:00 a.m. wake-up), and we’ll be flying with Suji who will, hopefully, prove cooperative. It’s only about an hour’s flight time, the airport is a 20 minute walk from our place, and I hope we’re flying early enough in the holidays season that the airpot won’t be all that crowded. I’m hoping for smoooooooooth sailing!
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December 18, 2022
December 18, 2022: Suji Sunday!
Reindeer games
With new buddy, Quenton.
Tulip mania
Suji getting the pizza dough treatment….
Egg time!
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Yozo
I'm Suji
すじ子
(@newoldpugsuji)
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December 17, 2022
December 17, 2022: Questionable Christmas Ornaments!
With three days to go until we travel to Montreal, I am STILL no on the mend. The pill I was prescribed has helped address one of the symptoms – that feeling of indigestion an overwhelming night-time nausea that forces me to sleep propped up for most of the night. But that weird feeling of heaviness on my stomach lingers, as do the night sweats and an occasionally roiling stomach. Trying to address…whatever this is…by taking in plenty of liquids – water, ginger tea, gatorade – and eating light and clean. Tonight, it’ll be three scrambled eggs. As per Akemi’s suggestion, I’ve been keeping a diet and discomfort diary, listing everything I’m eating along with a litany of ever evolving symptoms. I do not look forward to potentially riding this out on my childhood twin bed, wedged in with Akemi and Suji for eight nights.
So, hopefully not being too sick is my holiday plan. And yours? Going somewhere? Having people over? Do tell.
If you celebrate Christmas and are planning on decorating your tree, here are the Top 10 Questionable Christmas Tree Ornaments I discovered on Amazon
The post appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.
December 16, 2022
December 16, 2022: The Horror Marathon continues!
Captors (2020)
Alys escaped her captor in the dead of night. Ten years later, a man lures her to a cabin in the woods, where he will test her sanity and force her to fight to survive.
My thoughts: As if an A.I. was tasked with writing and directing a 90’s era woman-in-peril MOW. The results are, at times unintentionally humorous. But mostly unwatchable.
1.5/5
A Wounded Fawn (2022)
A serial killer brings an unsuspecting new victim on a weekend getaway to add another body to his ever-growing count. She’s buying into his faux charms, and he’s eagerly lusting for blood. What could possibly go wrong?
My thoughts: Gets off to a promising start but ultimately sinks into a pretentious morass.
2/5
Something in the Dirt (2022)
Maverick filmmaking duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead offer up a twisted reflection of our paranoid times in this inventive mix of buddy comedy and sci-fi thriller.
My thoughts: Patience is required, but you’ll be rewarded with a thoughtful and thought-provoking film that is heartfelt and, at times, delightfully humorous.
3.5/5
Mad God (2022)
The Assassin travels thru a nightmare underworld of tortured souls, ruined cities and wretched monstrosities forged from the primordial horrors of the unconscious mind of Phil Tippett, the world’s preeminent stop-motion animator
My thoughts: Vivid and visceral, surreal and startling, Grand Guignolesque and grotesque. A hellishly creative stop-motion masterpiece.
4/5
Bones and All (2022)
Maren, a young woman, learns how to survive on the margins of society.
My thoughts: A cannibal romance road movie that proves too languid and artsy for horror fans, but too gruesome and run-of-the-mill genre for the arthouse crowd.
2.5/5
Today’s Yes/No…
Onion Ice Cream? Yes/No
‘Glass Onion’ Ice Cream Isn’t as Nasty as It Sounds https://t.co/ExJzBYhZZF via @thedailybeast
— Joseph Mallozzi
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December 15, 2022
December 15, 2022: More from the Stargate archives!
Visited the doctor yesterday. Following a perfunctory physical, he prescribed me three weeks worth of Pantoprazole – which may sound like an Italian dish but is actually a proton pump inhibitor that serves as a short term treatment for erosive esophagus due to GERD. If that turns out to be the underlying issue. I popped one a half an hour before dinner last night and instantly felt better. My stomach still feels full, even when I’m hungry, but I did sleep through the night – so that’s promising. We’ll circle back on this in three weeks once my prescription taps out.
Did a little brainstorming today, hopped on a zoom to discuss an upcoming sci-fi comic book project, and received a long overdue payment for services rendered. Also switched up my entertainment viewing from horror to television. I watched the first season of The White Lotus (Is it just me who thought Paula was biggest villain?) and am about halfway through season 2. If nothing else, the show really makes me want to vacation in Hawaii in Sicily. Anyway, I’ll probably finish up the show tomorrow, then switch gears an start into some Holiday Horror films. Recommendations?
Speaking of the holidays, Akemi, Suji and I will be heading to Montreal to spend Christmas with mom, sis, and their dogs. Hopefully my stomach issues will be settled by then as my sister has booked some terrific restaurants.
Today’s Yes/No…
Super Cheesy Ramen? Yes/Nohttps://t.co/UfdkGsqkCs
— Joseph Mallozzi
Now, where did we leave off with that Stargate concept art…
Brief Candle…
Thor’s Hammer…
The Torment of Tantalus…
Bloodlines….
Fire and Water…
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