Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 455

June 29, 2013

June 29, 2013: Oh, and another thing! Not so fast, Cookie!

1Oooh, check ‘em out.  Macaron ice cream sandwiches.  They come in four flavors – strawberry cheesecake, coconut-mango, raspberry-pistachio, and chocolate on chocolate with cocoa nibs – now available at Payard.  Read all about them here: http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2013/06/payard-macaron-ice-cream-sandwiches.html.  Thanks to sis for the heads up.


Also pursuant to our macaron discussion my macaron rant in yesterday’s blog entry, here’s helpful article to help you (or your celebrity chef friends) distinguish the difference between a macaroon and macaron: Macaron vs Macaroon – There’s No Place Like Oz


photo by Robyn Lee

photo by Robyn Lee


And here’s an article to help you (or your celebrity chef friend) know what to look out for when judging a macaron: Macaron vs Macaroon – There’s No Place Like Oz


Finally, to the celebrity chef judges of Masterchef (Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot, Joe Bastianich) who have, apparently, never in their lives seen a macaron prepared with fresh fruit (which, frankly, shouldn’t be all that surprising since they can’t even get the name right), may I present the Pierre Hermes Ispahan:


photo @ http://www.madbaker.net

photo @ http://www.madbaker.net


After over a year and a half of film reviews here on this blog (and over on his own.  They’re all here: http://cookiemonstermovereviews.wordpress.com/) for our weekly superhero-themed Supermovie of the Week Club, it appears as though our resident film critic, Cookie Monster, has pretty much watched and critiqued every American superhero movie ever made and should be wrapping things up by August.  Yep, it certainly looks that way.  But, upon closer scrutiny, I couldn’t help but notice he missed a few. Namely:


Abar, the First Black Superman (1977)
Dr. Strange (1978)
The Toxic Avenger (1984)
The Toxic Avenger II (1989)
The Toxic Avenger III (1989)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1990)
The Guyver (1991)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993)
The Crow (1994)
Guyver: Dark Hero (1994)
Black Scorption (1995)
Darkman: The Return of Durant (1995)
The Crow: City of Angels (1995)
Darkman II: Die Darkman Die (1996)
Black Scorpion II: Aftershock (1996)
Star Kid (1997)
The Crow: Salvation (1999)
Citizen Toxic: The Toxic Avenger IV (2000)
The Crow: Wicked Prayer (2005)
Despicable Me (2010)
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Man of Steel (2013)
Kick- Ass 2 (2013)
The Wolverine (2013)
*
Now before Cookie reads this and has a nervous breakdown, I am willing to cut him some slack.  For instance, I won’t blame him if he’s unable to get his furry mitts on a copy of the 1977 Abar, the First Black Superman, and I certainly won’t force him to watch the Black Scorpion sequel, much less all three Toxic Avenger sequels – but I do expect him to make a concerted effort to at least watch the first installment in both glorious film series.
*
To make things easier on him and (hopefully) wash the bitter aftertaste of some of these movies out of his mouth – and eyeballs – I’m going to suggest we alternate between these overlooked superhero movies and a movie to be voted on by readers of this blog.  So, let’s start taking nominations for a non-superhero film that Cookie Monster can enjoy review.
*
Finally, a reminder to watch the 2012 pointless remake of the 2002 Spiderman in advance of this Monday’s Cookie Monster review:
*
Oh, and since we’re on the subject, check out this oh-so-true rundown of 10 WTF Superhero Movie Monents YOu Won’t Believe They Got Away With: http://whatculture.com/film/10-wtf-superhero-movie-moments-you-wont-believe-they-got-away-with.php.  But be warned!  Spoilers abound!

Tagged: Gordon Elliot, Gordon Ramsay, Joe Bastianich, macarons, MasterChef, superhero movies, superheroes, SuperMovie of the Week Club
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Published on June 29, 2013 14:26

June 28, 2013

June 27, 2013: MasterChef screws up macarons! Let’s all chip in and get the Golden Boy something nice!

Dear Gordon Ramsay, Joe Bastianich, and Gordon Elliot,


THIS -


1- is a macaroon, while THIS -


1  – is a macaron.


MACAROON -


1MACARON -


1They are two strikingly different desserts in terms of taste, texture, and appearance.  I can cut a fledgling home cook some slack for getting the two confused, but you guys should really know better.


Alright.  Now that that’s out of the way, I need your help.  Next weekend, I’ll be heading down to L.A. to help celebrate Golden Boy Martin Gero’s birthday by eating all of his food, getting really drunk, and cooking his throw pillows in his back yard pizza oven.  In addition, I’ d like to get him a gift.  I know, I know.  My presence should more than suffice and, while true, I thought it would be nice to get him something anyway.  But what?  Presumably, if he really wanted something, he’d already have it.  So what do you get a guy who has everything he seemingly needs?  Simple.  You get him something he doesn’t know he wants.  So, in your opinion, what would that be?


1 Look at him, all suave and relaxed, dressed like a hit man in some British indie gangster flick.  What do you get someone like this?


 Do you think he’s already got one of these?


1


Or one of these?


1


Or maybe something for his dog -


1


Weigh in with your suggestions!


Thanks to PBMom for the update on Woody’s son: “The transplant surgery was a success and now they wait and hope it takes (i.e., there is no transplant rejection) and he does well on the immunosuppression therapy.”  Great to hear



Tagged: gadgets, Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot, Joe Bastianich, macarons, macaroons, MasterChef
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Published on June 28, 2013 19:53

June 27, 2013

June 27, 2013: Randomness!

There’s nothing quite as sad and disappointing as a soggy waffle.  This I realized yesterday after purchasing the cinnamon variety from a waffle-themed food truck.  A waffle-themed food truck!  Seriously. You’d think that, if they’d get anything right, it would be waffles.  No pearl sugar.  Not crispy.  Just bland and flaccid.


1


Hey, it looks like we’ve got a dog-sitter!  My former Stargate co-worker Kerry (with a Y) has kindly volunteered for the job.  She will be moving in with her husband for four glorious days while we’re away.  I will, of course, be paying her in booze.


1


Okie-dokie.  We’ve landed another project in development.  Joining Dark Matter (pilot and series overview presently awaiting word from a key player – on the heels of some interesting developments this morning), the urban fantasy series (pilot and series overview presently under consideration), Johnny Mnemonic (Paul and I start breaking the pilot next week), and the action feature (we hammered out a loose structure for the script with Jay), is our female-driven non-genre pilot that has received some very positive responses – most recently from a broadcaster who we’ll be partnering with to “bring it to the small screen”.


Sure, interesting.  But perhaps more exciting is the prospect of Akemi audition out for Masterchef Canada.  I know she’d love to try out and I know she’d be great – but she needs some convincing.  The world needs to see her mapo tofu and piri piri chicken.  Tell her here!  Or here: http://peasnatch.wordpress.com/


Today’s entry is dedicated to blog regular Woody Woodward, his family, and especially his son who is receiving a transplant today.  Sending positive thoughts your way, buddy!



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Published on June 27, 2013 17:40

June 26, 2013

June 26, 2013: Upcoming under-the-radar movies to look forward to! Or not!

Yesterday, it was the big releases.  Today, let’s take a look at the “smaller” movies of interest (well, movies that have piqued MY interest anyway) upcoming in July…


1


THE WAY, WAY BACK


Release Date: July 5, 2013


What it’s about: A coming of age story about a 14 year old boy who befriends the good-humored manager of a Water Whizz Park.


What it’s got working for it: Written by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash (Dean Pelton on Community!), two very funny guys.


What it’s got working against it: Steve Carell’s feature forays typically don’t rock the box office.



1


COFFEE TOWN


Release Date: July 9, 2013


What it’s about: A guy enlists two of his buddies in a staged robbery, all in an attempt to save his favorite coffee shop from being turned into a bar.


What it’s got working for it: Brought to you from the guys behind CollegeHumor.  They’re usually pretty funny.


What it’s got working against it: Usually.



1


CRYSTAL FAIRY


Release Date: July 12, 2013


What it’s about: A comical road trip involving a kooky girl called Crystal Fairy and a quest for a hallucinogenic cactus.


What it’s got working for it: It certainly looks unique in its telling.


What it’s got working against it: Having watched the trailer, I feel as though I’ve already seen the movie.



1


FRUITVALE STATION


Release Date: July 19, 2013


What it’s about: Based on the true story of a 23 year old man shot by a Bay Area Transit officer on New Year’s Eve.


What it’s got working for it: The Grand Jury Prize for dramatic feature and Audience Award for U.S. dramatic film and the 2013 Sundance Festival.  Also, actor Michael B. Jordan is terrific.


What it’s got working against it: Will it offer a realistic account of the individuals portrayed or a Hollywood-ized version?



1


THE HUNT


Release Date: July 12, 2013


What it’s about: An innocent man becomes the target of a town’s wrath when he is wrongly accused of a heinous crime.


What it’s got working for it: This role earned actor Mads Mikkelsen the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival.


What it’s got working against it: Sounds like a downer.



1


THE KILLING SEASON


Release Date: July 12, 2013


What it’s about: Two war veterans wage a one on one battle in the Appalachian mountains.


What it’s got working for it: De Niro and Travolta are heavy hitters.


What it’s got working against it: Heavy hitters but far from infallible.  Remember Little Fockers?  From Paris with Love?  How about Godsend?



1


PAWNSHOP CHRONICLES


Release Date: July 12, 2013


What it’s about: Three humorous, action-packed inter-connected tales share a common thread: a Southern small-town pawn shop.


What it’s got working for it: A structure and tone reminiscent of Pulp Fiction.


What it’s got working against it: Could be a pale imitation of the Tarantino classic.



1


TERMS AND CONDITIONS MAY APPLY


Release Date: July 12, 2013


What it’s about: What happens when you click “I AGREE”.


What it’s got working for it: I’m sure many of us are curious to know what, exactly, we are giving up every time we sign off on those user agreements.


What it’s got working against it: And, I’m sure, many of us dread knowing what, exactly, we have given up every time we signed off on those user agreements.



1


VHS 2


Release Date: July 12, 2013


What it’s about: A collection of mysterious VHS tapes are the door in to this found footage horror anthology.


What it’s got working for it: Love the anthology format, especially in the horror genre.


What it’s got working against it: There are A LOT of found footage horror movies out there, most of them not particularly good.  It’s a tough sub-genre desperately in need of some originality.



1


ONLY GOD FORGIVES


Release Date: July 19, 2013


What it’s about: A former kickboxes and gangster seeks revenge on the corrupt police officer who killed his brother.


What it’s got working for it: Director Nicolas Winding Refn and actor Ryan Gosling, the duo behind Drive.


What it’s got working against it: Booed at Cannes.



Today’s entry is dedicated to birthday girl Lise (for the love of Beckett).



Tagged: Coffee Town, Crystal Fairy, Fruitvale Station, Killing Season, Only God Forgives, Pawnshop Chronicles, Terms and Conditions May Apply, The Hunt, The Way Way Back, Upcoming Releases, VHS 2
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Published on June 26, 2013 14:04

June 25, 2013

June 25, 2013: Upcoming movie releases to look forward to! Or not!

1


DESPICABLE ME 2


Release Date: July 3, 2013


What it’s about: The lovable (?) former supervillain, Gru, is recruited by the Anti-Villain League to stop a new super criminal.


What it’s got working for it: Looks promising.  Didn’t see the original, but many clearly did as it did well enough to warrant a secret!


What’s it’s got going against it: So did The Hangover.



1


THE LONE RANGER


Release Date: July 3, 2013


What it’s about: Tonto and the Lone Ranger ride again on the big screen!


What it’s got working for it: Johnny Depp, Director Gore Verbinski, and A LOT of money.


What’s it’s got going against it: Looks like your typical Hollywood cookie-cutter period actioner.  Swap out Sherlock and Watson for the Lone Ranger and Tonto and serve to an undiscerning audience.  Also, Johnny Depp as Tonto?  Hmmmm.



1


PACIFIC RIM


Release Date: July 12, 2013


What it’s about: Super robots versus giant monsters.


What it’s got working for it: Fans of mecha rejoice!  Finally, a movie with the budget (estimated at $180 million) to do it right!


What’s it’s got going against it: Big visual effects extravaganzas aren’t exactly known for their engaging characters.  Let’s hope some of that $180 million went toward a good script.



1


THE CONJURING


Release Date: July 19, 2013


What it’s about: Based on the most harrowing case file of real life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren.


What it’s got working for it: Horror fans will be pleased to hear the MPAA has given this movie and R rating for “sequences of disturbing violence and terror”.  Terror?


What’s it’s got going against it: The trailer makes it look like pretty much every horror movie cliche from the last ten years packed into one movie.



1


R.I.P.D.


Release Date: July 19, 2013


What it’s about: Two cops working for the RIPD (Rest in Peace Department) protect and serve the living by protecting them from restless souls.


What it’s got working for it: A pretty gonzo premise.


What’s it’s got going against it: Jeff Bridges’ gonzo cowboy cop.  Yeesh.



1


RED 2


Release Date: July 19, 2013


What it’s about: The gang of ex-operatives reunite to track down a portable nuke.


What it’s got working for it: The original, RED, was surprisingly entertaining.


What’s it’s got going against it: The trailer makes it looks like they raided Wanted’s bag of tricks.  Five years later, they don’t quite so fresh.



1


THE WOLVERINE


Release Date: July 26, 2013


What it’s about: Wolverine takes on the Japanese underworld.


What it’s got working for it: An intriguing premise and some great looking visual effects.  Oh, and Hugh Jackman.


What’s it’s got going against it: The dialogue in the trailer doesn’t exactly crackle.




Tagged: Despicable Me 2, Pacific Rim, R.I.P.D., Red 2, The Conjuring, The Lone Ranger, The Wolverine
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Published on June 25, 2013 13:48

June 24, 2013

June 24, 2013: The Supermovie of the Week Club reconvenes! Cookie Monster reviews The Avengers!

Avengers - posterDis movie have everyting you would expekt from a summer blockbuster.  Humor!  Fun!  Action!  Dazzling speshul effekts! Cracking dialogue!  Overlong running time!  And some developments dat not make sense – but be pretty cool anyway.


Not exactly low key

Low key he aint


Movie begin at top secret S.H.I.E.L.D. facility where scientists studying glowy box very similar to one we saw in Captain America: The First Avenger.  Dey call it a tesseract and it be a powerful energy source – dat, it turn out, able to open a portal to distant part of de universe, allowing mischievous Loki, brother of Thor, to reach Earth.  He attack facility, put scientist and superagent Clint Barton (aka Hawkeye) under his mind control, den leave wit tesseract.  Nick Fury respond by self-destructing facility wit hundreds of agents inside.  But plenty more where dey come from!


Loki plan to use tesseract to power another portal dat will allow aliens to invade Earth (Why never be really explained.  Because dey covet our resources?  Because dey spiteful?  Because dey pissed off wit Downton Abbey turd season finale?).  To do dis, he need to stabilize power source so, while Hawkeye steal iridium for him, he create distraktion in Stuttgart dat end up wit him giving himself up to Iron Man and Captain America – and, later, brother Thor who show up for classic “pre-Oh, we’re all good guys after all!” fight.


Loki imprisoned in ultra-cool flying aircraft carrier (de Helicarrier) while Earth’s Mightiest Heroes (and Black Widow and, mebbe, Captain America) try to figure out why he gave up so easily, where tesseract be located, and what be up wit his glowy space scepter.


Earth's Least Mightiest Mightiest Heroes

Earth’s Least Mightiest Mightiest Heroes


But it turn out dat scepter have power to make people irritable and, soon, all de heroes be arguing wit each other like de cast of Real Housewives of New Jersey.  At which point Hawkeye lead attack on helicarrier wit mind-controlled soldiers.  Good guys do deir best to kill dese innocent mind-controlled soldiers (Don’t worry.  Plenty more where dey came from!) but it too late.  Helicarrier badly damaged.  As Iron Man and Captain America work to get helicarrier back up and running and Black Widow fight Hawkeye and Thor fall thru sky, Loki eskape after injuring Dr. Bruce Banner who turn into…


Hulk

Temper temper!


De Hulk.  It turn out DAT was Loki’s plan all along!  He wanted Bruce Banner to Hulk Out and cause damage!


But why?  He already have tesseract and working on impervious force shield to protect it.  Why bother wasting time wit superheroes? Because he be mischievous?  It feel like a giant stage weight – but a spectakular, action-packed, very cool stage weight anyway.


Heroes figure out where Loki set up tesseract = on top of Stark Tower! Dey head off to stop him – along wit Hawkeye who seem all better after getting konked on de head. Even though he lead attack on helicarrier and was working for Loki an hour earlier, he immediately accepted and trusted by everyone.  Dis movie have no time for second-guessing!  It have a climaktic to get to!


But bad news for heroes!  And New York!  Loki succeed in opening portal and alien army arrive!  No way to stop dem because portal protected by impervious force field!


x

Ah, dey not dat tough.


But great news for heroes!  And New York!  Alien army may look scary and tough, be almost seven feet tall and armor plated, but regular humans like Hawkeye and Black Widow have no problem kicking deir asses or punching deir lights out.  Also, turn out impervious force field NOT impervious after all because mind-controlled scientist who built it created fail safe in de system…despite de fakt he be mind-controlled.


While Black Widow work to turn off portal and heroes battle aliens, Iron Man fly nuke up through portal and straight to alien HQ special delivery.  He power down and plummet – just as nuke explode and portal closes.  Luckily, he saved by Hulk!


Speaking of which: What up wit Hulk?  In previous movies, it take him a while to Hulk Out but, in dis movie, he do it faster den a speeding bullet (Literally – Bruce Banner tell heroes he try to shoot himself in mouth but Hulk spat out bullet).  Up on helicarrier, Hulk a crazed beast dat can’t be reasoned wit and attack innocent people – which be someting he never do in previous movies, only attacking dose who attack him first.  But later, in movie, he seem to have control over when he can Hulk Out (“Oh, I’m always angry” be de excuse) and he not only can be reasoned wit, he aktually take orders from Captain America.  You can argue dat, back on helicarrier, he under influence of Loki’s space scepter – but den why only him and no one else?


Still, Hulk’s “mopping de floor wit Loki” sekwence one of movie’s high points!


Day saved!  Time for celebration!  Even though probably thousands of New Yorkers killed.  World loves Avengers!


Verdikt: And so does Cookie Monster!


Rating: 8 chocolate chippee cookies.



Tagged: Avengers, Black Widow, Captain America, comic book movies, Comic Books, Comics, Cookie Monster, Cookie Monster reviews The Avengers, Hawkeye, Iron Man, Loki, Nick Fury, S.H.I.E.L.D., superhero movie reviews, superheroes superhero movies, The Avengers, Thor
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Published on June 24, 2013 19:20

June 23, 2013

June 23, 2013: My Top 10 Worst Comic Book Supervillain Costumes! And one for good luck!

In no particular order…


CAPTAIN BOOMERANG


Captain Boomeran 1


Captain Boomerang 2He dresses like an Australian flight attendant.


FISHERMAN


Fisherman 1


Fisherman 2Okay, granted, he must do more than his fair share of wading, but those hip boots are NOT flattering.  Is that a bathing cap?


PASTE POT PETE (aka THE TRAPSTER)


P is for Paste Pot Pete


Nice chapeau.


TrapsterPresumably, the gang at Marvel got fed up of being ribbed by DC so they gave him a make-over and a new name.


CAPTAIN COLD


Captain Cold 1


Oh, he must be cold.  How can you tell?  Well, he’s wearing a freakin parka!


Captain Cold 2He looks like a demented elf.


KRAVEN THE HUNTER


Kraven


Kraven 2In the words of my buddy Martin: “Hey!  It’s Freddie Mercury!”


MOLE MAN


Mole Man 1


Mole Man 2His mommy made his costume.


CRAZY QUILT


Crazy_Quilt 1


Crazy_Quilt 2Powers include the ability to induce nausea via his absolutely fabulous costume.


TRICKSTER


Trickster


Damn, those slippers look mighty comfortable.


Trickster 2This is what I imagine my old high school drama teacher would run around wearing if he were a supervillain.


CODPIECE


Codpiece 1


The groin cannon aint exactly subtle.  Pictured above: I assume he has to work himself up by watching porn before he can shoot.


Codpiece 2He’s firing blanks.  Literally.


HYPNO HUSTLER


Hypno Hustler 1


Hypno Hustler 2Uh – groovy?


BARON ZEMO


Baron Zemo 1


Baron Zemo 2There’s nothing quite so fearsome as a Nazi in purple and pink with faux fur trim.



Tagged: Baron Zemo, Captain Boomerang, Captain Cold, Codpiece, Comic Books, Comics, Crazy Quilt, Fisherman, Hypno Hustler, Kraven, Kraven the Hunter, Mole Man, Paste Pot Pete, supervillain costumes, supervillains, Trapster, Trickster, worst supervillain costumes
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Published on June 23, 2013 14:37

June 23, 2013: My Top 10 Worst Comic Supervillain Costumes! And one for good luck!

In no particular order…


CAPTAIN BOOMERANG


Captain Boomeran 1


Captain Boomerang 2He dresses like an Australian flight attendant.


FISHERMAN


Fisherman 1


Fisherman 2Okay, granted, he must do more than his fair share of wading, but those hip boots are NOT flattering.  Is that a bathing cap?


PASTE POT PETE (aka THE TRAPSTER)


P is for Paste Pot Pete


Nice chapeau.


TrapsterPresumably, the gang at Marvel got fed up of being ribbed by DC so they gave him a make-over and a new name.


CAPTAIN COLD


Captain Cold 1


Oh, he must be cold.  How can you tell?  Well, he’s wearing a freakin parka!


Captain Cold 2He looks like a demented elf.


KRAVEN THE HUNTER


Kraven


Kraven 2In the words of my buddy Martin: “Hey!  It’s Freddie Mercury!”


MOLE MAN


Mole Man 1


Mole Man 2His mommy made his costume.


CRAZY QUILT


Crazy_Quilt 1


Crazy_Quilt 2Powers include the ability to induce nausea via his absolutely fabulous costume.


TRICKSTER


Trickster


Damn, those slippers look mighty comfortable.


Trickster 2This is what I imagine my old high school drama teacher would run around wearing if he were a supervillain.


CODPIECE


Codpiece 1


The groin cannon aint exactly subtle.  Pictured above: I assume he has to work himself up by watching porn before he can shoot.


Codpiece 2He’s firing blanks.  Literally.


HYPNO HUSTLER


Hypno Hustler 1


Hypno Hustler 2Uh – groovy?


BARON ZEMO


Baron Zemo 1


Baron Zemo 2There’s nothing quite so fearsome as a Nazi in purple and pink with faux fur trim.



Tagged: Baron Zemo, Captain Boomerang, Captain Cold, Codpiece, Comic Books, Comics, Crazy Quilt, Fisherman, Hypno Hustler, Kraven, Kraven the Hunter, Mole Man, Paste Pot Pete, supervillain costumes, supervillains, Trapster, Trickster, worst supervillain costumes
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Published on June 23, 2013 14:37

June 22, 2013

June 22, 2013: The search is on!

1


Well, I’ve started my search for a new dog-sitter and so far, so slow. There are a bunch of people/places that offer pet-sitting services, but most board the animals at their homes or places of business and I’m looking for someone who would be willing to stay at my house for the four (ish) days that we’re away.  I have found a few who WILL actually come and stay at the house with the dogs, but not during the weekdays when they’re presumably working at their day jobs. I thought I had finally found the perfect sitter but two things she did/said when she came over gave me pause: 1. Leaving the dog she was watching alone in her car with the back window open while she came in to visit and, 2. Her response upon learning Jelly’s age (14): “Wow.  I can’t believe she’s alive!”.  Hmmmm.  Maybe I’m being picky, but I’d rather be extremely careful now than very sorry later.  Always in the back of my mind is the story of a local woman who lost her dog after he sitter forgot to shut the front door – and front gate.  This poor woman’s dog disappeared back in November of 2012 and she still hasn’t given up the search, constantly updating her dedicated facebook page and following up on suspected sightings all over town.  Given the same circumstances, that would be me!


Seriously, how hard can it be to find someone willing to lounge about my house for four (ish) days, watching movies in my home theater room, sampling from my well-stocked liquor cabinet, and, occasionally, bringing my dogs out to the backyard.  And getting paid for it?!


Well, the search continues tomorrow when I hit the local pug meet-up for advice.  In the meantime, I have few things to get done this weekend including…


1…meeting up with some friends from out of town, in this case Jeff and his lovely wife, Barbara.  We went out for lunch (spicy Korean!), then double chocolate shots and sweet, sweeeet snacks:


1And NOW I am officially on the program.  No, really!  I mean it this time!




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Published on June 22, 2013 20:01

June 21, 2013

June 21, 2013: Back on the home front!

1Well, look was awaiting me upon my return last night.  Yes, that’s a dark chocolate Nikka whisky ganache tart.  Here, take a closer look:


1


Notice the detail in the icing, the cloud-like heart, the correct spelling of my name.  Sure, it looked great, but how did it taste?


Fantastic.  Smooth and rich and redolent with bold whisky flavor.  I loved it.  Akemi was not as big a fan.  According to her: “It taste like pachinko shop.”  Apparently, something to do with the smokiness.


While I was away, Akemi was also busy on her line of doggy clothes. You saw Jelly’s denim ensemble a couple of entires ago.  Now check out too-fat-for-most-doggy-clothes Bubba’s cape:


11After seventeen meetings over four days, you’d probably assume I would finally take the time to relax – and, if you did, you’d be mistaken.  Today, I was all over town, picking up documents from my bank and delivering them to my accountant, picking up documents from my accountant and delivering them to my bank, calling Maytag, calling potential new dog-sitters, drafting, scanning sending.  Oh, and getting on a conference call to discuss that potential new development gig.  And I haven’t even gotten around to the follow-ups to all those meetings!


Overall, I have to say the L.A. trip was a success as it accomplished what we’d set out to do: get back on the radar!  Paul and I have been very lucky, working on Stargate for eleven straight years before heading to Toronto for a year before “taking the year off” to launch a comic book, develop two shows, write a mini-series, three pilots, and a horror feature.  On the one hand, it’s kept us very busy.  On the other hand, it’s kept us from going out and making new connections because, quite frankly, we haven’t needed to.  Realistically, we could simply go on like this, developing and writing here in Vancouver to our heart’s content, but if we want to move progress in our career, we need to get out there.  And by “get out there”, I mean start building relationships with a some of the big industry players – several of which we met over the last few days.  The doors have been opened and now it’s up to seize those opportunities.  Some very busy weeks ahead…


Vacations are fun, but there’s nothing quite like sleeping in your own bed.



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Published on June 21, 2013 19:33

Joseph Mallozzi's Blog

Joseph Mallozzi
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