February 18, 2012: Jelly participates in her version of the Ironman! My Crunchyroll report (so far, so good)! Come say hi at Comic Con! Akemi's kaiseki lunch feast!

We took the dogs out for a walk today, taking advantage of a brief window of sunniness in an otherwise rainy day.  Jelly surprised by completing an entire walk around the block.  Bribes were required in the form of dog treats every twenty feet or so but still very impressive.

So, I'm trying out Crunchyroll, a site that allows you to stream anime (and various other Asian entertainment), usually within 24 hours of its airing in Japan.  I haven't had to make use of the 24 hour turn-around service as Akemi and I have been concentrating on old episodes of Gintama (two a night before bedtime).  We're on episode 50 and apparently have another 197+ to go!  We both love the show and, while 50% of the humor goes over my head, it's great to have Akemi there to explain the subtle (and usually not so subtle) pop references and cultural in-jokes.  So far, the only problem with Crunchyroll has been the lack of recent (as in 2011) titles.  High School of the Dead, Steins;Gate, We Still Don't Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day, and Puella Magica Madoka are nowhere to be found.

In addition to improving my Japanese language listening skills (by watching silly anime), I'm also working on my Japanese writing skills.  I set aside an hour of every day to translate a page of the manga I purchased while in Tokyo (Baby, Please Kill Me).  It was slow, frustrating going for the first few days in which I had to look up every damn symbol but, as I've progressed, I've gotten quicker – at hiragana anyway.  Katakana is still a bit of a mystery to me.  As are the odd kanji symbols that pepper the text.

Not exactly smooth sailing on the horror script front but I managed to negotiate a creative hurdle these last few days and am back on track to finish up a first draft for months end (as I promised Ivon).  I've hit page 73 and all hell has broken loose!  Once I'm done, I'll send a copy to Ivon and Paul, discuss, rewrite, and then start brainstorming the teaser Ivon is going to shoot.  Creepy.

Hey, guess who might be going to Comic Con in July?  Okay, beside most everyone else in the film, television, and comics?  And their fans? Yes, me.  I was discussing the possibility of doing a Dark Matter signing with my story editor at Dark Horse.  If plans solidify, will let you know.  If you were making alternate vacation plans, it's time to change 'em!  Book a flight for San Diego and swing by and say hi in July.  We can talk food, Dark Matter and Stargate after which I'll leave a heartfelt message on the inside cover of your copy of Dark Matter #1 (ie. Please don't walk off with my pen like the last fan who visited this booth.  Sincerely, Joseph Mallozzi).

Great sushi dinner last night compliments of the ever affable Ivon R. Bartok.

My favorite! The tamago-unagi roll!

And then today, Akemi truly outdid herself, preparing a very Japanese lunch:

Black cod marinated in kasu (sake lees), sake , mirin and saikyo miso for five days, then roasted and broiled.  Miso soup with shitake mushrooms, kasu, and yuba.  Sticky rice with roasted onions, dry shrimp, shitake mushrooms, kurobuta pork, and ginger.  Grilled Chinese sausage.  A kumquat compote made of kumquats, a touch of sugar and honey, water, and ice wine.  Sweet, oven-roasted garlic.  And genmai tea.

We're heading out tonight with Rob, Ivon and co.  and even though we're going to one of my favorite Italian restaurants, Don Francesco better be delivering its A game tonight because lunch is going to be very hard to beat.

Why You Should Eat Dessert for Breakfast

Today's entry is dedicated to birthday gal Julie Aloha!