Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 65

December 28, 2023: Montreal Day #6!

Mom and Sharky

Sis and green beans

Akemi and bear-with-antlers sweater

Yesterday, we went shopping at the local C&T Chinese supermarket where Akemi was thrilled to pick up some natto and Andria was equally thrilled to pick up 6 jugs of corn oil (on special!) that my mother uses to cook.  Well, I should say “fry” because she fries EVERYTHING!  Looking forward to getting back to our “olive oil and roast”.

For lunch, we picked up some assorted items from the shop’s BBQ section: BBQ duck, BBQ pork, and wings.  And green beans.

My mother has been feeling under the weather for weeks and hasn’t had the strength to make her annual friendship cake.  So I ended up snacking on these marzipan fruit my sister got me for Christmas (along with two packs of butter rum lifesavers).  I used to love these as a kid.  Spoiler alert: Each piece of marzipan fruit tastes exactly the same.

After dinner, mom cooked up some chestnuts – only to have the lid fuse onto the pan.  Despite best efforts, it would not disengage so we ended up putting it out on the back patio until, ten minutes later, Akemi heard a POP.  Done!  My mother found them too hard to clean and gave up, but Akemi is a huge fan of tedious chores and spent hours carefully separating them out.  By the end, she was looking a little crazed.

Rain day today.  We may head out to Victor Rose, a dog-friendly coffee shop in the air.  Then, tonight, it’s dinner (our lone dinner out on this trip) at Montreal Plaza.  Expect plenty of food pics tomorrow!

***

My mother, while folding laundry, suddenly concerned: “Is this the type of underwear you wear now?”

She was holding up Akemi’s panties.

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December 27, 2023: Amazing Covers!

A few that caught my eye this week…

Immortal X-Men #18 – cover art by Phil Noto

Marvel Super Heroes: Secret Wars – Battleworld #2 (cover art by Adam Christopher)

Spider-Woman #2 – cover art by David Nakayama

Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #3 – cover art by David Talaski

Batman/Santa Clause: Silent Knight #4 – cover art by Dan Mora

Harley Quinn #35 – cover art by Jenny Frison

Power Girl #4 – cover art by Jamal Campbell

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #115 – cover art by Taurin Clarke

Red Sonja #6 – cover art by Bjorn Barends

So, which were YOUR favorites?

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December 26, 2023: Happy Boxing Day!

Seasons Greetings from us (except my sister who is snapping this pic)!

Sis’s dogs – Ralphie and Kona – who Sharky doesn’t exactly get along with.

Years ago, my mother special-ordered a glass top for her kitchen table.  Something nice and thick that wouldn’t chip and would allow her to make pasta.  She insisted it be THIS thick (cue rough finger measurement) despite the guy’s protests that it would be too heavy.  But my mom persevered and got her way.  And now, it takes four of us to just slightly move the damn kitchen table.  Mom: “He should have told me.”  Me: “He DID tell you!”

I’m reminded of that scene from The Last King of Scotland when Idi Amin admonishes the James McAvoy character –

Idi Amin: You should have told me not to throw the Asians out, in the first place.

Nicholas: I DID!

Idi Amin : But you did not persuade me, Nicholas.

 

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December 25, 2023: Merry Christmas!

Last night, we did Christmas Eve dinner at my sister’s place.  As is the Mallozzi tradition, the meal skewed heavily seafood: oven-roasted shrimp, baked rainbow trout with sautéed onions, pan-fried octopus and some vegetables.

Sis prepping the octopus

Mom and Sharky on standby

Mom in her garlic-peeling outfit

Akemi in her penguin sweater

Kona making sure her paws are clean and she is generally presentable

Ralphie grabbing a seat at the table

Mallozzi Christmas

This morning, we made the trek to Starbucks because Akemi was hankering for a coffee (specifically soy cappuccino).  I got the chestnut latter.  No puppuccino for this guy as the last time he had one made him a little – uh – overly-regular.

For Christmas lunch, we decided to do something a little different this year and ordered a platter from Al Quds Grillade.   A delicious assortment of grilled meats (lamb, filet mignon, shish taouk, kafta kabab) and veggies along with roasted potatoes and rice.

I ate way too much and ended up having some kefir and nuts for dinner.

Starting to put together my New Year’s resolutions.  More reading.  More watching.  More writing.  What’ve you got?

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December 24, 2023: Sharky Sunday!

And we’re back on schedule with our first Sharky Sunday post in weeks!

Joining mom for her morning stretches.

He really loves his box.

He prefers it to his bed!

In his taxi and ready to fly.

Sharky’s first winter boots…

This California dog is winter-ready!

Merry Christmas Eve!

 

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December 23, 2023: Montreal Day #1!

Evidently I still haven’t quite shaken off my jet lag.  We went to bed at 9:00 p.m. last night.  I woke up early, believing it was around 6:00 a.m.  It was actually 2:50 a.m.  Went back to sleep and woke up again closer to 8:00 a.m.  We packed up Sharky and headed to Victor Rose, a dog-friendly coffee shop in Pointe-Claire Village.

Sharky sniffing out Akemi’s London Fog latte.

Despite feeling under the weather, mom made taralli.

We tried out a new dumpling place for lunch today…

Over half the menu wasn’t available including the fried dumplings and the desserts, so we went with the peanut butter dumplings, siu long bao, and lamb with coriander.  We ordered soups – that were served cold.  My sister sent hers back and asked for it hot and it was returned, moments later, still cold.  The couple beside us did the same thing with the woman advising the waitress to: “Put it in the microwave for a minute.”  Her soup was also returned – cold.  Guess we’ll be scratching this place off our list.

Afterwards, we went shopping and I picked up this interesting looking jar of honey with nuts.  Akemi and I had it with some kefir and a little almond butter.  Delicious!

My mother has prepared for the coming apocalypse.

So how are you all celebrating the holidays?

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December 22, 2023: Montreal-bound!

I never sleep well the night before I fly and last night was no exception.  It was a night of tossing and turning and weird dreams.  One particularly disturbing one I remember involves me walking onto the set of a new Dark Matter episode.  But because the production didn’t have any money, it was being done on the cheap.  The Raza set was half-finished, just a lot of exposed, unpainted wood.  And the script was only 26 minutes long.  Furthermore, I hadn’t written it!  I remember panicking, grabbing a copy of the script and presuming I could do a pass on whatever had been written only to read it and realize it was beyond saving.  What a nightmare.

So I woke up at 6:30 a.m. this morning, not feeling particularly rested, took Sharky for a walk (He finally pooped almost 48 hours since his last one and only an hour before leaving for the airport!).  The flight was quite smooth all things considered.  Bit of a late departure and arrival, I forgot (and had to retrieve) some presents I left behind, but Sharky slept peacefully through the flight at our feet in his little sherpa carrier.

Sharky rushing to catch his flight.

Ready to go!

Mom cleaning rapini.  Just like old times!

Mom’s space tree.

Well, I am positively exhausted.  Going to sleep early tonight.  Can’t wait to find out how that Dark Matter episode turned out.

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December 22, 2023: Back on the Crime Binge!

Braquo (2019 – 2016) Season 1  

A dark realistic cop series follows a squad of Paris cops who exist in the blurred boundaries at the very edge of the law, often using violence and intimidation to get the job done.

My thoughts: France’s answer to The Shield.  Gritty and fast-paced.  Terrific.

4.5/5

The Stranger (2020)

Follows the lives of suburban families whose secrets and lies are made public by the appearance of a stranger.

My thoughts: Setting up a mystery is the easy.  Paying it off is the hard part – as this series demonstrates in its nonsensical denouement.

2.5/5

Deadloch (2023)

A feminist noir comedy set against a bucolic backdrop with a rising body count.

My thoughts: Went in with muted expectations but ended up pleasantly surprised.  Although the social commentary attains levels of absurdity late in the season, it’s a lot of fun.

4/5

Spiral/Engrenages (2005 – 2020) Season 1

Follows criminal investigations in Paris from all the different points of view of those involved.

My thoughts: Gripping, at times surprisingly dark, character-forward crime show.

4/5

Blanca (2021 – ) Season 2

Blanca, a blind profiler, comes back to Genova, her hometown. A difficult case forces her to remain and to face with her mysterious past. Based on books by Patrizia Rinaldi.

My thoughts: At times, it’s all sorts of silly, yet Maria Chiara Giannetta’s performance is so damn charming it makes you willing to forgive some of the shortcomings in the writing.

4/5

Catching a flight tomorrow morning.  See you in Montreal!

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December 20, 2023: Back in Toronto!

We flew out of Tokyo over an hour late.  Twenty minutes in, I felt a sharp and sustained pain in my ear.  I figured it had something to do with my blocked sinuses and feared I’d have to sit through the entire 12 hour flight in pain.  But fortunately, the pain subsided after another fifteen minutes – although I lost hearing in my left ear until this morning.

Despite getting out of Tokyo an hour late, we actually landed early in Toronto.  Akemi, who is not a great flyer, was feeling incredibly nauseous on landing.  Then, even more nauseous on our uber driver home thanks to our stop-and-go drive.  Then nauseous once again on our uber drive to pick up Sharky.  And back.

Sharky was absolutely thrilled to see us.  Which was a relief because he looked like he was having a GREAT time from all of the photos and videos Jill, his home-stay mom, sent our way.  Finding her (and her family) was such a relief, knowing Sharky was in such good hands while we were away.  It means that we’ll be able to visit Portland (to hopefully pick up his adoptive brother or sister) in January with our worry.  If you’re in the Toronto area and need someone to watch your dog, I highly recommend Jill if you’re in the Toronto area!

I ended up getting about 5-6 hours of sleep on the plane, then another 8 hours last night.  Still feeling the jet-lag, but have to push through as I finish up errands in advance of our next flight, Friday morning, when we head to Montreal – this time Sharky in tow.

Came across this pic of my old gals.  Miss these two.

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December 19, 2023: Tokyo Day #12!

I fell out of bed early this morning trying to catch an errant pass.  In my dream.  To be fair, she claimed she’d played quarterback so I was expecting a much further throw and ended up having to compensate and make a play on the ball.

Anyway, that was about par for my sleeping experience in Tokyo.  Absolutely love the location of the hotel, but positively hate the bed.  But that’s a problem for next trip.

We got up to the news that our flight had been delayed by 90 minutes (later 60).  Not the news we wanted to hear as we were hoping to get in reasonably early and pick up Sharky from his home-stay family.  Guess we’ll see how it goes.  What do you consider a reasonable time to stop by and pick up your dog?  We were thinking 8:00 p.m. but it’s looking like closer to 9:00 p.m.  10:00 p.m. is definitely pushing it.

Having decided NOT to buy an extra suitcase, we shoved everything into my single giant 20-year-old suitcase, then headed out for lunch.  Today, it was Chikuyotei for unagi.  This place holds a special place in Akemi’s heart given that her grandfather used to always take her to the Osaka branch when she was a kid.

We shared the shirayaki (white eel), Akemi’s favorite.  While good, the Tokyo steamed version pales in comparison the Kansai-style crispy take.

While Akemi went with the snapper as her main course, I stuck with tradition – the lacquer unagi.  Very good, but a little bony.  The elderly man seated beside me (On what Akemi assumed was a date.  How cute!) seemed to agree.

Afterwards, we swung by the Mitsuioshi department store whose basement floor is packed with all sorts of goodies, both sweet and savory: cutlets and yakitori and tempuras and cakes and pies and chocolates and on and on and on.  I picked up a Maisen pork cutlet, a lotus root salad, two mini kouign ammans, and a tiny canule for the trip.  In addition to whatever I would find at the airport.

The gals

Happy Christmas from the demons!

Our last stop was Cafe de L’Ambre, a place for serious coffee lovers in Ginza.  Saddle up to the bar and let them know your flavor profile.  They’ll recommend a bean and preparation: hot, cold, straight, blended, with liquor, as pudding or jelly, or maybe with an egg yolk.  Choose from 30 different single origin varieties.  Ahem and Dr. Blackjack had the coffee jelly.  I went with a simple cafe au lait.

Then, it was back to the hotel for check-out after which we lugged our heavy suitcases across the street and two blocks over to the Higashi-Ginza station where we caught the Asakusa line straight to the airpot.  Surprisingly, it wasn’t that busy and we breezed through check-in, security, and in no time at all were cooling our heels, waiting to board.  In three hours.

I ate my katsu sando.  Had the lotus root salad that really should have been called a purple onion salad.  The canule was delicious.  And I instantly regretted not having ordered three more.

So, the flight leaves Haneda at 7:20 p.m. local time.  I figure I’ll try to sleep for much of the 12 hours so I can be fully rested when we touch down in Toronto at a little before 7:00 p.m.  That will hopefully give us time to go home, drop off our luggage, grab and uber, pick up Sharky, get back to the apartment, unpack, and be in bed by midnight (approximately 2 p.m. Tokyo time) where we’ll no doubt lie awake through most of the night.  We’ll have two days to readjust before we get back on a plane and head to Montreal for the Christmas holidays!

See you in Toronto!

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