My mother is 74, yet she still works four days a week, walks her dog two to three times a day, and prepares some of the most labor-intensive holidays dishes this side of the Imperial Palace. Today, for instance, I offered to lend a hand and spent a couple of hours carefully arranging mussels and [...]
Archive for December, 2008
December 31, 2008: Preparing for my Future
Posted in Uncategorized on December 31, 2008 | 79 Comments »
December 30, 2008: Dissociative Identity Disorder + Paranoia x Megalomania = Pure Genius!
Posted in Uncategorized on December 30, 2008 | 60 Comments »
When my mother suggested I head down to the garage to look through the antique suitcase sitting beneath my father’s old workbench, little did I expect to uncover the veritable treasure trove of trash sitting within. Among the numerous long-forgotten items I discovered: The universal translator I made the year I went trick-or-treating as Captain [...]
December 29, 2008: Chinese Cultural Learnings, Biting (Chewing, and Swallowing) the Hand That Feeds You, and some Book of the Month Club Reminders.
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Book of the Month Club, City of Saints and Madmen, David Weber, Jeff Vandermeer, John Joseph Adams, On Basilisk Station, The Living Dead on December 29, 2008 | 50 Comments »
In an effort to follow up on yesterday’s lesson in Italian slang, I asked my wife for some suitable Chinese examples with which to educate you al. Alas, she was only able to come up with two: Heui-sei: Which, she cautions, is a very bad thing to say and translates to “Drop dead!”, and… Chee-sin: [...]
December 28, 2008: Learn Italian! Impress Your Friends! Offend Your In-Laws!
Posted in Uncategorized on December 28, 2008 | 49 Comments »
In yesterday’s entry, I was discussing some of the quaint English figures of speech that one can incorporate into every day conversation as a means of sounding a little more native. A 19th century upper-class native, but native nevertheless. I say – corking kippers, wot? Growing up in an Italian household, I was [...]
December 27, 2008: Au Pied de Cochon
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Au Pied de Cochon on December 27, 2008 | 53 Comments »
Holy crap it’s cold here! In just the few minutes it took my sister and I to walk my mother’s dog, Felix, around the block, my ears had turned a bright, festive pink and felt like someone had sanded them down to the cartilage. A far cry from Vancouver that, while snowy, was positively [...]
December 26, 2008: If video games were more about love and friendship than shooting and killing…I’m guessing we’d have a lot less kids playing video games.
Posted in Uncategorized on December 26, 2008 | 49 Comments »
After a Wednesday of heavy-duty eating, I took the Thursday to relax and recuperate. Well, part of Thursday anyway because, by last night, I was back at it again in a different venue but following a very similar agenda: eat, drink, repeat. We celebrated Christmas at my sister-in-law’s along with the rest of the Tam [...]
December 25, 2008: Season Greetings! A Doggy Update! And a Mountain of Macarons!
Posted in Uncategorized on December 25, 2008 | 67 Comments »
Well, it would seem as if we got out of Vancouver just in time as, by all reports, the city has been blasted by another storm that has made getting around almost impossible. “Christmas is cancelled,”my writing partner matter-of-factly informed me Lawren, meanwhile, reports that his car is stuck, essentially trapping him at our house [...]
December 24, 2008: I’m here! Finally!
Posted in Uncategorized on December 24, 2008 | 74 Comments »
“My keys!”cried Fondy in frustration. “I can’t find my keys.” She suddenly left off her bag rooting to throw me an accusatory look. “Do YOU know where my keys are?” I shrugged and, in my best Scooby Doo, muttered: “Ruuunuhnuuuh.” She, of course, needed the keys to get into the car so that we could [...]
December 23, 2008: Montreal-bound!
Posted in Uncategorized on December 23, 2008 | 62 Comments »
Travel day! As you read this, I’m in the air, crossing the country enroute to my holiday destination: sunny Montreal. Either that or cooling my heels in the airport. Whichever the case, I’ll be on the go pretty much all day today with no way of knowing when and if I’ll have computer access and [...]
December 22, 2008: Snowbound and My Imaginary Wife Made Real
Posted in Uncategorized on December 22, 2008 | 60 Comments »
Yesterday, we were blitzed by a snowstorm that caused congestion, closures, and cancellations throughout the city. Being a native Montrealer, I grew up with the stuff so am unfazed by things like three foot snowdrifts. Unfortunately, however, nine years in Vancouver has made me soft and unprepared for the inclement weather. How unprepared? Well, how [...]
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