Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 136

January 27, 2022: Breaking Bread News!

Two years ago, Akemi took up bread making.   Her first loaf was a spectacular success.  Heartened, she baked another loaf – but it disappointed.  As did the next one.  And the one after that.   Disappointed, she gave up – until last week.   Inspired by the  home made bread and cultured butter from a local restaurant, she gave it another go.  The results?  Success!  Not as memorable as the first time, but, as with most anything, it’s never as memorable as the first time.  But delicious nevertheless.

Look at this gorgeous loaf – seated beside this gorgeous loaf!

So, do we have any bakers in the audience?  What’s your secret?

Recent culinary forays: black cod with tempura sauce (left) and fiorelli in a crab guts and butter sauce.

Today’s Yes/No…

Sakura White Chocolate with Milk Pudding? Yes/No
Starbucks Japan jump starts sakura sweets season with new Sakura White Chocolate with Milk Pudding https://t.co/r8na0z1fwu via @RocketNews24En

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) January 27, 2022

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January 26, 2022: Amazing Covers!

A few that caught my eye…

The Death of Doctor Strange #5 – cover art by Kaare Andrews

Aquaman/Green Arrow: Deep Target #4 – cover art by Kael Ngu

Batman/Catwoman Special #1 – cover art by Lee Weeks

Detective Comics #1050 – cover art by Gabrielle Del’Otto

Wonder Girls #8 – cover art by W. Scott Forbes

So, which were your favorites?

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January 25, 2022: Meanwhile, on the home front…

Meanwhile, on the home front…

Real Script Notes:
We need more action before the tease.
Her line "Oh my God! Fire!" is a bit on the nose.
Would she use the term "missiles"? Sounds too professional.
We need a few more succinct George Kennedy moments.
The ending is a little cliffhangery. Was this intentional?

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) January 23, 2022

I've always admired the brutal honesty of service staff at Chinese restaurants. Once, when my ex-wife ordered a coke, the waiter grudgingly informed her that he would bring her one, but advised her not to drink too much lest she put on any more weight. 1/3

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) January 23, 2022

Yet another time, we went for lunch with my sister-in-law and her young son. "Three adults and one baby,"she informed the waitress. "Two babies,"the waitress corrected her. "One baby,"pointing to her son. "Two baby" pointing to her belly. She wan't pregnant. 3/3

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) January 23, 2022

It reminds me of a Chinese restaurant I used to frequent in Montreal.  Whenever serving me, one waiter would always say: “Take your time, Jerry.  Take your time.”

Jerry?

Today’s Yes/No…

Maple-Soaked Pancake Ice Cream? Yes/No
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams Wants You To Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast https://t.co/3aOhNMexRn’s Splendid Ice Creams Wants You To Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) January 25, 2022

 

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January 24, 2022: 2022 Reading Reviews!

Murder in paradise,

Echo by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

Travel journalist and mountaineer Nick Grevers awakes from a coma to find that his climbing buddy, Augustin, is missing and presumed dead. Nick’s own injuries are as extensive as they are horrifying. His face wrapped in bandages and unable to speak, Nick claims amnesia—but he remembers everything.

He remembers how he and Augustin were mysteriously drawn to the Maudit, a remote and scarcely documented peak in the Swiss Alps.

He remembers how the slopes of Maudit were eerily quiet, and how, when they entered its valley, they got the ominous sense that they were not alone.

He remembers: something was waiting for them…

But it isn’t just the memory of the accident that haunts Nick. Something has awakened inside of him, something that endangers the lives of everyone around him…

It’s one thing to lose your life. It’s another to lose your soul.

My thoughts: Thomas Olde Heuvelt is one of contemporary horror’s best authors. His writing is sharp, confident in its exquisitely ominous builds and terrifying pay-offs. Hex was one of my favorite reads of 2016, so I very much looked forward to Echo which I imagined would deliver a similarly memorable chilling experience. At it did, for the most part. The prologue that opens this book is one of the most effectively creepy scenes I’ve ever read, setting the stage for a gloriously atypical horror novel. Following a mysterious mountain climbing accident that kills his friend and lands him in a hospital with a major facial disfigurement, Nick Grevers is haunted by an experience he can’t fully recall. Helping him through his troubled recovery is his boyfriend, Sam Avery, who is battling some inner demons of his own. The narrative shifts back and forth between both men’s points of view as the mystery surrounding the incident, and Nick’s horrific injuries, unfurls, eventually landing them both in a small Swiss village whose superstitious inhabitants don’t take kindly to strangers. It’s a wonderfully spooky set-up that surprises with more than a few highly imaginative scares before dovetailing into a (literally and figuratively) chilling climax. But it takes a while to get there. And that, in my opinion, is this book’s biggest drawback: it’s too long. While Nick’s diary entries charting his descent into darkness are gripping , Sam’s chapters are less engaging, resulting in a somewhat uneven story progression. And once they arrive in Switzerland, the suspenseful slow-burn sputters and stalls out before eventually regaining that lost momentum and barreling to a satisfying climax.

3/5

***

Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins

When Lux McAllister and her boyfriend, Nico, are hired to sail two women to a remote island in the South Pacific, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. Stuck in a dead-end job in Hawaii, and longing to travel the world after a family tragedy, Lux is eager to climb on board The Susannah and set out on an adventure. She’s also quick to bond with their passengers, college best friends Brittany and Amma. The two women say they want to travel off the beaten path. But like Lux, they may have other reasons to be seeking an escape.

Shimmering on the horizon after days at sea, Meroe Island is every bit the paradise the foursome expects, despite a mysterious history of shipwrecks, cannibalism, and even rumors of murder. But what they don’t expect is to discover another boat already anchored off Meroe’s sandy beaches. The owners of the Azure Sky, Jake and Eliza, are a true golden couple: gorgeous, laidback, and if their sleek catamaran and well-stocked bar are any indication, rich. Now a party of six, the new friends settle in to experience life on an exotic island, and the serenity of being completely off the grid. Lux hasn’t felt like she truly belonged anywhere in years, yet here on Meroe, with these fellow free spirits, she finally has a sense of peace.

But with the arrival of a skeevy stranger sailing alone in pursuit of a darker kind of good time, the balance of the group is disrupted. Soon, cracks begin to emerge: it seems that Brittany and Amma haven’t been completely honest with Lux about their pasts––and perhaps not even with each other. And though Jake and Eliza seem like the perfect pair, the rocky history of their relationship begins to resurface, and their reasons for sailing to Meroe might not be as innocent as they first appeared.

When it becomes clear that the group is even more cut off from civilization than they initially thought, it starts to feel like the island itself is closing in on them. And when one person goes missing, and another turns up dead, Lux begins to wonder if any of them are going to make it off the island alive.

My thoughts: I read this book in two sittings. It would have been one, but my laptop battery died at about 1:00 a.m. so I had to pick things up in the morning. Suffice it to say, this is a very hard book to put down, with a central mystery that unfolds at a steady pace, masterfully setting up its premise, its players, and then, once all the pieces are in place, hitting us with a flurry of narratives twists and turns. The forward narrative is juxtaposed by flashback chapters that shed light on two of our characters, the seemingly innocent Lux McCallister and her mysterious passenger, Amma. Hawkins does a brilliant job of of revealing just enough about their respective backstories to flesh them out as interesting and complicated characters, but withholding key elements that, once revealed, deliver some surprising revelations.

When it all comes together at books’s end, however, the author doesn’t quite stick the landing, delivering a couple of surprises that, while clever, stretch credulity. Still, it was something I was willing to roll with – until the wheels completely came off in the last few pages. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, but I’ll just say the last few deaths stuck me as a character betrayal, reading more like a development designed to shock the reader rather than service the wonderful story established to that point.

An incredibly compelling read, but a disappointing ending.

4/5

***

Goliath by Tochi Onyebuchi

In the 2050s, Earth has begun to empty. Those with the means and the privilege have departed the great cities of the United States for the more comfortable confines of space colonies. Those left behind salvage what they can from the collapsing infrastructure. As they eke out an existence, their neighborhoods are being cannibalized. Brick by brick, their houses are sent to the colonies, what was once a home now a quaint reminder for the colonists of the world that they wrecked.

My thoughts: The year is 2050. Those in a position to do so have already abandoned Earth in favor of better lives in space colonies. Those who remain, mostly black minorities, struggle to survive in a harsh, dystopian setting. This book uses shifting, multiple narrative POV’s to explore various themes ranging from classicism and racism to climate change and gentrification. It’s a powerful, provocative read that, at times, feel a little diffuse in its storytelling, relaying its message through a non-linear approach that reads more like a collection of slice-of-life vignettes than a straightforward telling. Its detailed depiction of life in what has become of New Haven, Connecticut is at turns dispiriting and maddening, but there’s hope at the heart of these characters and their respective relationships. In some ways, this book reminded me of Samuel Delaney’s Dhalgren, another tour-de-force study of a broken system, rife with social commentary. Goliath boasts superior world building and a deliberate pacing that proves challenging yet ultimately rewarding.

3/5

***

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruritania.

What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick is consumed with a mysterious malady of the nerves.

Aided by a redoubtable British mycologist and a baffled American doctor, Alex must unravel the secret of the House of Usher before it consumes them all.

My thoughts: This is a clever retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher with an interesting queer angle that, disappointingly, never impacts the story in any way. Our protagonist, Alex, pays a visit to an old friend only to find her seriously ill and her brother, well, seriously strange. What ensues is a fresh take on the Poe classic that honors the original source material while shedding light on the probable (terrifyingly improbable) causes for the events that transpired at House Usher. It’s a quick read, partly due to its relatively short page count, but mostly because it is smartly written, incredibly entertaining, and possessed of a delightful undercurrent of dark humor. What Moves the Dead firmly cements itself as stand-out in the horror sub-genre I’ve come to refer to as lichen-gothic.

4/5

***

The Employees by Olga Ravn

The near-distant future. Millions of kilometres from Earth.

The crew of the Six-Thousand ship consists of those who were born, and those who were created. Those who will die, and those who will not. When the ship takes on a number of strange objects from the planet New Discovery, the crew is perplexed to find itself becoming deeply attached to them, and human and humanoid employees alike find themselves longing for the same things: warmth and intimacy. Loved ones who have passed. Our shared, far-away Earth, which now only persists in memory.

Gradually, the crew members come to see themselves in a new light, and each employee is compelled to ask themselves whether their work can carry on as before – and what it means to be truly alive.

My thoughts: Through a series of short interviews, the combined human and humanoid crew of the Six-Thousand Ship offer insight into their lives aboard the corporate vessel. They touch upon everything from the mundanities of their occupations to deeper philosophical issues related to their respective existences. At first, the abstract nature of the entries and the lack of tangible personalities makes it difficult to connect with the material beyond the interesting premise, but as things progressive, one can’t help but be drawn in by the emotions conveyed and the metaphysical questions posed. By the halfway mark, I was all in as things started to go sideways for certain members of the crew forcing the board of directors overseeing the mission from Earth to take action. A thought-provoking contemplation on what it means to be human.

3/5

***

Joan is Okay by Weike Wang

Joan is a thirtysomething ICU doctor at a busy New York City hospital. The daughter of Chinese parents who came to the United States to secure the American dream for their children, Joan is intensely devoted to her work, happily solitary, successful. She does look up sometimes and wonder where her true roots lie: at the hospital, where her white coat makes her feel needed, or with her family, who try to shape her life by their own cultural and social expectations.

Once Joan and her brother, Fang, were established in their careers, her parents moved back to China, hoping to spend the rest of their lives in their homeland. But when Joan’s father suddenly dies and her mother returns to America to reconnect with her children, a series of events sends Joan spiraling out of her comfort zone just as her hospital, her city, and the world are forced to reckon with a health crisis more devastating than anyone could have imagined.

My thoughts: Some thirty pages into Joan is Okay, you might be forgiven for assuming our protagonist is a sociopath, so devoid is she of empathy in her dealings with others. But as our story progresses, we come to realize that while she may be introverted and socially awkward, Joan is a complex woman wrestling with a plethora of emotions beneath her stoic surface. She’s an incredibly endearing character, deadpan and acerbic (often unintentionally so), bewildered by a lot of the every day occurrences we take for granted. She’s a brilliant doctor, dedicated to her profession and revered by her peers, yet things like small talk and parties are beyond her ken. Still, she seems to have her life in calm control – until an impromptu visit from her mother, who has traveled all the way from China following her husband’s death, upends her quietly ordered existence, forcing her to reconsider some of the cultural contradictions she has long ignored.

Joan’s relationship with her Old World mother resonated with me, the son of an immigrant, landing spot-on in its observations of family obligations and frustrations. I absolutely loved these characters as well as Wang’s prose which is spare but punchy, packed full of humor and wry observations, yet with a meaningful mission in its exploration of identity, what gives it form, and how it remains immutable in the face of life’s unexpected challenges.

15 books into 2022, and this one is far and away my favorite. In fact, it’s the best novel I’ve read in years despite its rather abrupt ending. A rare 5 stars from me.

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January 23, 2022: Suji Sunday!

Arrested by the KGB.

Dressed for success.  And her morning walk.

Crispy tongue!

Suji has misplaced her little friend.

Urban sprawl.

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January 22, 2022: News of Note!

News of note…

British Medical Journal demands the immediate release of all data related to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.

What compelling reason could one make for NOT releasing this data?  It’s like Pfizer dragging their feet on releasing data related to their trials.  I mean, if you want to convince people to take the vaccine, shouldn’t you be as transparent as possible.  This only serves to feed the conspiracies they’re trying to quash.

Moral hypocrisy could be Boris Johnson’s undoing

Okay, now let’s move on to the rest of the hypocrites in office.

CBD may hamper covid infections.

If that’s the case, I know at least one good friend who has to be immune.  I already told him I’m coming for his blood.

Lab monkeys on the loose after crash

So do NOT pick up any suspicious hitchhikers.

Iin Japan, they take their rock, paper, scissors very seriously…

Apparently, the tournament participants are all members of the J-Pop group AKB48, so named because they have 48 members (but, apparently, hundreds of members in their minor league-like training groups).  The winner of this tourney gets to front their own sub-unit.  Each member has their own fan contingent that fervently supports them.  What I find particularly interesting about in this clip is the icon breakdown of past rock, paper, scissors the girls have played in previous rounds.  If something keeps working for you, why change?

Today’s Yes/No…

Suntory Whiskey Chocolates? Yes/No
Suntory whiskey chocolates now exist in Japan thanks to aroma chocolatier https://t.co/bAdMfu9DLf via @RocketNews24En

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) January 22, 2022

I actually had these the last time I was in Japan.  They were fantastic.

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January 21, 2022: Special dinner!

Tonight, Akemi and I took out from one of our favorite Toronto restaurants – Edulis.

Picking up dinner in the deep freeze

Everything came individually packaged with simple prep and reheating instructions…

Canapé Toast of Tuna “Sobrassada”

Dungeness Crab with Cucumber, Radish, and Herbs

White Bouillabaisse with Rouille and Croutons.  This one was the smash hit of the evening.

Escarole Salad with Fennel, Celery, and Walnuts

“Stroganoff” of Wild Chanterelle, Black Trumpet, and Yellowfoot Mushrooms with Celeriac “Noodles”

Black truffle “bikini”.  Now this one was my favorite.

Came with its own little story!

Duck Leg Stewed with Castelvetrano Olives and Semolina Polenta.  Akemi tapped out before we got here, electing to save her duck for tomorrow.  This was Suji’s favorite course.

Apple Cake with Salted Caramel Crème Anglaise.  I topped it with a scoop of whiskey salted caramel ice cream from Pandoughra’s Box.  A perfect pairing.

A fantastic meal.

Tomorrow, it’s back to steelcut oatmeal and blueberries!

 

 

 

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January 20, 2022: News of Note!

News of note….

Payback for Space Jam?
Film Studio to Be into Launched in Space in 2024 https://t.co/vutOahWTLL via @thr

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) January 20, 2022

Really looking forward to not seeing this!

Hollywood planning movie about the January 6th insurrection.

In a totally legit poll, the Chinese ranked Canada as the worst country in the world…

Singapore jumps to China’s favorite country in 2021, as Canada falls to bottom.

Topping the list to no one’s surprise: China.

Daily glass of wine NOT good for you.

My grandmother who loved to the ripe old age of 112 would have probably begged to differ.

I have literally never eaten an M&M because always I found their characters outdated and offensive. Can’t wait to finally try one https://t.co/LrjbmqKV2V

— Tommy Smokes (@TomScibelli) January 20, 2022

I've always had a lot of questions about what the M&M mascots actually are and where they came from. A specific for today is whether the new empowered green M&M, like the rest of Mars' M&Ms, will be made from chocolate farmed by children in West Africa. https://t.co/idpTuBEfnc pic.twitter.com/EVh67HYKHF

— Osita Nwanevu (@OsitaNwanevu) January 20, 2022

Neuralink could soon implant its brain chips in humans.

But think of the conveniences!

What’s the record for most pizza meals in a row?  Asking for a friend.

Today’s Yes/No…

Triple Nama-Chocolate Frappuccino? Yes/No
Starbucks Japan’s newest Frappuccino is the only date we need this Valentine’s Day https://t.co/xV404oAJE0 via @RocketNews24En

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) January 20, 2022

 

I’m a huge fan of nama chocolate, a ganache that is at least 40% chocolate and 10% cream by weight, and no more than 10% water.  And THIS is my favorite nama chocolate…

It comes in various flavors (but I prefer the matcha) and can be picked up at the Narita Airport duty free before you get on your flight.  Akemi’s favorite Japanese YouTuber advises visitors not to worry about shopping for gifts as their trip winds down.  Just grab a bunch of Royce’s at the airport and you’re good to go!

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January 19, 2022: Amazing Covers!

A few that caught my eye this week…

Ben Reilly: Spider-Man #1 – cover art by Alex Maleev

Hulk #3 – cover art by David Nakayama

Moon Knight #7 – cover art by Rahzzah

Phoenix Song: Echo #4 – cover art by Ashley Witter

Silver Surfer: Rebirth #1 – cover art by Dan Jurgens

Strange Academy #15 – cover art by Humberto Ramos

Detective Comics #1049 – cover art by Dan Mora

Detective Comics #1049 – cover art by Lee Bermejo

Nightwing #88 – cover art by Jamal Campbell

Suicide Squad: King Shark #5 – cover art by Siya Oum

The Rush #3 – cover art by Martin Simmonds

Pop Star Assassin #4 – cover art by Marcelo Basile

So, which were YOUR favorites?

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January 18, 2022: News of Note!

Some news of note…

4th dose not good enough against omicrons Israeli study finds.

“The bottom line is that the vaccine is excellent against the Alpha and Delta [variants], for Omicron it’s not good enough,” she said.

More importantly, what exactly does this mean for the third dose (booster)?  If, as pfizer’s resident veterinary expert made clear, the first two shots offer little to any protection – and this Israeli study suggest the fourth dose doesn’t either, then what are the benefits of boosting?  Presumably everyone who gets boosted now will have to get boosted again when they come out with the new omicron-specific vaccine?

Meanwhile…

But omicron is the overwhelmingly dominant strain… pic.twitter.com/34Gmq5IEu8

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) January 14, 2022

Are they stupid?  Or do they think WE’RE stupid?  Hard to say…

Distrust in political, media and business leaders sweeps the globe 

“A majority of people globally believe journalists (67%), government leaders (66%) and business executives (63%) are “purposely trying to mislead people by saying things they know are false or gross exaggerations.”

The problem is…they’re not fucking good at it.

Motherfucker, YOU make the rules! They're YOUR rules!
Boris Johnson says 'nobody told me' Number 10 lockdown garden party was against the rules https://t.co/hgfWNOFngx

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) January 18, 2022

China claims omicron arrived in China via a letter from Toronto.

“After Beijing reported its first confirmed case of Omicron, officials in the city were quick to say that the patient had just received a letter from Toronto which may have been contaminated with the virus.”

Of course it had to be the letter.  How else could a highly contagious airborne virus have gotten into the country?

As the price of pork rises, people are turning to crocodile meat.

Not MY first go-to alternative, but apparently leaner than chicken.

Which brings us to today’s Yes/No…

Strawberry Pretzel Pie Ice Cream? Yes/Nohttps://t.co/5EmJyCb4SZ

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) January 18, 2022

 

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