September 27, 2011: I'm jet-lagged so this one's a bit of a ramble…

Alexander M. Ruemelin in: "Don't Mess With the German". Rated R!

"Who's Michael Vick?"asked Akemi.

"A guy who killed a lot of dogs,"I replied.  And then, almost as an after-thought: "He also plays football."

And, lately, not very well.  Turns out dog-killer has regressed to his original mediocre/selfish game play.  And, of course, it's all the fault of the refs, according to Vick. He did so much whining in his last post-game interview, you'd think he'd been body-slammed and electrocuted.  Boo hoo hoo.

In celebration of my Snow Monkeys 2-1 start to this fantasy football season (and the fact that their next opponent will be the winless Reagan's Raiders who, delightfully, used their #1 draft choice to grab Michael Vick), I'm thinking of hosting a little football screening this Sunday.  My fellow league GM's are invited over for the day – or up until my Snow Monkeys start losing.

Yes, that's right.  I'm finally back in beautiful Van.  Flew out Sunday with my buddy Steve and two dogs (Maximus and Bubba), stayed the night, flew back Monday morning, stayed the night, then flew back out today with Akemi and the other two dogs (Jelly and Lulu).  All four were incredibly well-behaved.  Although I'd originally planned to bring Maximus in on the second trip, I bumped him up a couple of days because I feared it was his last days.  He'd stopped eating and I wanted to make sure he got the chance to enjoy the familiar surroundings of home one last time.  Happily, he started eating again (although, like everything else since his diagnosis, it's slow going) and he seems in better spirits.

And that's it.  I think.  To be honest, I didn't announce my plans because, the way things have been going, I wouldn't have been surprised to have been surprised by the news I wasn't going anywhere.  Even though I'm back home, I'm not wholly convinced I'm here to stay.  All I can say is it's been a very, very, very weird year and I'm not taking anything for granted.

We're happy to be back.  The dogs seems very happy to be back.  And our old buddy, James, from Bella Gelataria – the greatest gelato place in existence – was very happy to have us back.  We dropped by tonight after dinner (real sushi after seven months!) and enjoyed three flavors: a decadent dark chocolate and brownie, a buttery salted caramel, and a nutty nocciola.  How good is the gelato here?  REAALLY good.  You'll just have to trust me.  Or, even better, check it out yourself the next time you're in town.  Owner James Coleridge trained at the Italian Culinary Institute and then did his advanced masters training at Carpigiani's Gelato University.  Yes, you heard correctly.  There's a Gelato University!  And I wasted all those years getting a Bachelors degree in Political Science and History and  Masters in English Lit.

James was the recent recipient of this award in recognition of Gelato Pioneers who embrace the genuine Italian spirit of gelato - a first for someone outside of Italy.

Next year, James represents Canada at the World Cup of Gelato.

James and his new sous chef.

So I'd like to settle back into my routine: working out, cooking, and reading.  I checked out about a half dozen books over the last couple of weeks, several of which failed to impress, others that proved so disappointing I didn't even bother finishing them.  I am, however, enjoying the hell out of Helen Simonson's Major Pettigrew's Last Stand.  Anyone else read it?

Am thinking of shifting some focus to the new fall season but, to be honest, kept up on the new shows.  I feel like I was abducted by aliens and held in their inter-dimensional fortress for the past seven months, away from loved ones, the comforts of home, and the new fall t.v. previews.  Is there a new show out there that you, my dear readers, would recommend?  Let me know.

Finally, today's blog entry is dedicated to the German bad-ass whose pic leads this day's ramble, the determined and talented Alexander M. Ruemelin, a guy who shepherded The Transporter t.v. series through its infancy and, when all is said and done, will have spent two full years of his life bringing it to the small screen.  So let's stop a second to give credit where credit's due – for the unflagging dedication, long hours, and countless rewrites.  Viel Respekt!