November 27, 2010: How did I miss that?

November 26, 2010: Gift-giving! Recip... November 28, 2010: What's in YOUR pan...

November 27, 2010: How did I miss that?

I've been doing a little updating of late, clearing out some old emails and bookmarks, checking in with distant friends online, and discovered a bunch of interesting developments I missed out on for whatever reason. And so, I'd like to take a moment to draw your attention to said developments in this "How did I miss that?" entry.

1. Marty G. has a website!

Presumably a shot from his recent GQ photo shoot.

Martin Gero, as most of you know, is a good friend, fellow foodie, former Stargate writer/producer, and all-around charming talent who now calls L.A./New York/Toronto home as he jets between his various projects on the go. I try to keep up with Mary G. via his twitter account, the one stop spot for all the exciting developments in the Golden Boy's life (ie. Oct. 26th = "I'm 33, it's midnight, and I'm standing in line with my best friends to buy a videogame."). Anyway, I happened by the other day and, while it's entirely possible I just never noticed before, I noted a link to a Martin Gero website: http://martingero.com. Look at that handsome mug gracing the front page. Coincidentally, Martin called me this morning and, while we were talking, informed me that, in fact, the website has been up for two years now. Furthermore, my drawing attention to it on this blog would shame him into updating it given that it's been about that long since he last visited.

2. Jamie Elman co-wrote and starred in a web series!

Another funny and extremely talented guy I worked with way back when is Jamie Elman who, some time this summer, forwarded me a link to a great five-episode series he co-wrote and stars in called crazy/sexy/awkward. It's all three of those things and hilarious. What's it about? Well – "Neurotic romantic Ben Hoffman hasn't had sex in a year. Ever since the love of his life walked out on him, Ben has been stuck in a rut of despair and an endless streak of dates gone horribly awry. But now, his manchild best friend Sebastien and wingwoman neighbor Ashley have decided enough is enough: it's time to get Ben out of his cave, and throw him head-first into the wild jungle of the LA singles scene to break his seal." www.crazysexyawkward.com

I think I can be excused for missing it since the email was sent to my old email account, but I dug it up and bring it to your attention. It's funny as hell, but stand forewarned – it's raunchy stuff.

3. Alyssa Ciccarelli is writing for Riese.

Alyssa is someone else I know from way-back-when. She's a talented writer who is presently pulling scripting duties on Riese: The Series, a steampunk web epic now screening at SyFy.com: http://www.syfy.com/riese/. The cast boasts some impressive talent, among them several Stargate vets including Sharon Taylor, Patrick Gilmore, Ben Cotton, Ryan Robbins, and Amanda Tapping who provides the voice of the show's narrator.

4. There's an artisan sakemaker in Vancouver!

Despite my ridiculously replete liquor cabinet, I'm not much of a drinker. I'm not a whiner or whineo (what do you call a wine aficionado) nor am I the type to crack open a nice cold beer on those hot summer days. Having said that, I do enjoy my sake – so I was pleasantly surprised to learn the city boasts its own artisan sakemaker (http://osake.ca/). Head on over to Masa Shiroki's shop on Granville Island and do a tasting of his handcrafted Osake fresh premium Junmai Sake. Or check out the various inspired products that make use of kasu, the "lees" that remain after the fermented rice mash has been pressed. The flavor is intense and delicious, and can be found in products like kasu hot sauce, kasu cherry drink, and even an out-of-this-world kasu ice cream with raisins. Vancouver's primo gelato shop, Bella Gelataria, makes their own version of kasu gelato that is so unbelievable that it's surpassed chocolate as my favorite ice cream flavor. For real! But more on Bella Gelataria in the coming days…