Pushing Daisies

So the other day I was at the local Try-n-Save in order to replenish my dwindling supply of instant ramen (BTW there is such a thing as non-instant ramen and it's way awesomer), super-extreme size Doritos and criminally over priced razor blades when I just happened to find myself in the electronics section browsing the DVD aisles. Actually this has become a fairly standard routine on my visits there. I just like to browse and see what's new or maybe find an under-appreciated movie that didn't sell well and has been banished to the $5 bin now finding itself stuck between The Four Minute Ab Workout and The Land Before Time-Part 17.



Anyway, while looking through the New Releases (shouldn't that be "Newly Released") section I noticed Season One of "Pushing Daisies". I had never seen this show but remembered hearing good things about it and decided to buy it blind just on a hunch. I am so glad I did and I'll tell you why in a minute.

I've never been a huge fan of the "big three" types of TV shows. You know, the ones that revolve around cops, lawyers or hospitals.
There are so many already and they just seem to be pumping out more every day. Did you hear they are coming out with Law and Order SUX and CSI Boise. They have apparently run out of hospitals in the US to base Doctor shows on so the next one is going to be shot in Calgary and be called "Foothills Emergency - Take a Number and Shut Up".
I mean they're alright I suppose but there have got to be other areas of the human existence that could also be explored.

Recently my kind of TV shows have included:
Arrested Development
The Office (UK)
The Office (US)
Extras
Wonderfalls
and now Pushing Daisies

Pushing Daisies is unlike anything I've seen before. It's about a pie maker who can bring dead things back to life by touching them but if he touches them a second time they are dead again forever. It sounds kinda weird I know and it is. But it is much more also. It's original, witty, warm, funny, sweet, and leaves you feeling good at the end; rather than feeling like you've just had your "tolerance for evil and sleaze" envelope pushed ever further.
I ended up watching all nine episodes of the shortened first season in just three days and now I am totally hooked.

It's not a mainstream show for sure so you may not like it as I do but if you're looking for a new show to watch on Wednesday nights you might want to give it a chance. It actually airs on Tuesdays as well in Canada on the ACCESS channel.

The season two premiere is tonight in Canada on ACCESS and tomorrow (Wednesday Oct 1) on ABC.


P.S. If you are interested, I would highly recommend renting season one to get caught up as the storyline is continued and develops from episode to episode.

Things I’ve done

(borrowed from another blog)

The one's I've done are in bold type.

1. Touched an iceberg (at Berg Lake, beside Mt. Robson)

2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby’s diaper (9 younger siblings)
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said “I love you” and meant it
11. Bungee jumped (twice)
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Russia
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke (I've lived in Japan, it's mandatory there)
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don’t
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie (if a Japanese TV drama counts)

Here are four of the actors who were in it

Check out the awesome 1990 ski wear

60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently (see #49)
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone (right leg jumping off furniture when I was 7)
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph (see# 78)
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi (that whole lived in Japan thing again)
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read the Iliad
93. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
94. Taught yourself an art from scratch
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all fours
106. Raked your carpet (we had green shag carpet complete with carpet rake when I was a kid)
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse (meh!)
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band (trumpet)
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum (Had to look up the word but, yes)
121. Tutored someone (taught English in Japan)
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in a historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
132. Made a hole-in-one
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class (business but not first)
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite (not on my dime but yes)
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo (although not where anyone could hear me)
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter (not telling)
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter (I don't know what that is)

Movie Theaters & Ghost Town

On friday I went to the movies for only the third time this year.
On my first two outings I saw Wall-E and The Dark Knight, both of which were pretty good but somewhat over-rated in my humble opinion.
I used to go out to the cinema much more often but lately I have found myself waiting for the DVD to come out and watching movies at home.
A few of the reasons for this change are:
- The ridiculous price of the snacks. I honestly don't mind paying $12 or $13 for admission because I realize that making films costs a lot of money. However, the price for a large popcorn and drink at my local googleplex is now (I checked) $12.50, for what is probably 17¢ worth of syrup and corn kernels. It's truly mind boggling to me how they can charge so much and baffling to me that there are still so many people who are willing to pay it. I figure, for the price of admission, popcorn and a drink I can own the movie on DVD later and still have a buck or two left over.
- The manners, or lack thereof, of my fellow movie goers. People talking, letting their phones ring, answering their phones, proceeding to have a conversation on their phones, texting, checking e-mail, talking, kicking the back of my seat, putting their feet up on the empty seat beside me. (Sometimes you can still smell the dog poo they stepped in, not that same day of course but about a week prior and it's still just barely lingering if you know what I mean.) Did I mention talking?
- Then there's the candy noise, or should I say wrapper noise. It always seems to happen just at that moment in the movie when the tension is highest, the major twist is about to be revealed, and you could have heard a pin drop, if it weren't for the guy who chooses that exact moment to rummage frantically for his last M&M while he simultaneously sucks in about three litres of air from between the remaining ice cubes at the bottom of his drink which hasn't actually contained any real liquid for the last half hour. It still amazes me to this day that such thin and seemingly delicate plastic can make such a noise as to fill the entire theater with ear piercing snaps, crackles and pops that would surely put those Rice Krispy elves to shame.
- I'm sure there are more reasons but that is what comes to mind at the moment. In the old days having people, who ranged from mildy inconsiderate to just plain rude, ruin the movie was a fairly rare experience but it seems nowadays it happens literally nearly every single time. So I tend to go less often.

Anyway, back to the real reason for and topic of this post. (And here I thought my last post got away from me.)

The movie I saw this time is called Ghost Town. You may wonder why I chose this one to see on only my third outing of the year. Basically I wanted to see it because I'm a Ricky Gervais fan. You may not have ever seen him or heard of him but if you have ever seen the show "The Office" he is the one who started it all. The American version with Steve Carell is of course a remake of Gervais' original British version. I'm a big fan of both and also liked Gervais' next project called "Extras".
I was hoping to see more of his particular brand of humor and wasn't disappointed. I will admit that some people don't care for him much but that is bound to happen when someone is doing something that noone else really does in the same way at all.

This is a romantic comedy but don't let that put you off. Also, I know movie trailers often contain the best bits of the whole movie but that is definitely not the case for Ghost Town. It is much better than the trailer lets on. I won't spoil anything for you but if you like comedy that's quick witted and razor sharp, thanks to Gervais' unmatched delivery and his impeccable timing along with some genuinely touching moments, you might want to give this a try. It's not the greatest movie of all time by any means but I quite enjoyed it and think you might want to consider it as well.
At the very least, see it once it comes out on DVD.

P.S. I'm not the only one who liked it either. As of now it's at 87% on Rottentomatoes.com which is significantly better than all seven of the movies that outsold it at the box office this weekend.

...you got that hair slicked back and those Wayfarers on Baby...

Sometimes, no, lots of times, I think it would be nice to live someplace where summer lasts for more than just two short months...

No, I haven't actually been anywhere lately.
These pictures are from four years ago when I was on a business trip and just happened to have a free weekend in Miami Beach.
I just figured that since I don't have much else to post about right now plus the fact that I don't really recall telling anyone much about this trip at the time, I might as well use these pictures for a sort of end-of-summer post now.

It was hot, humid (in the best kind of way) and just all around tropical there. Even the rain was warm...
(Yes I realize it's so not raining in this picture but I was just sayin' when it did, it was.)

I stayed at the Ramada..... and this ain't it!

I got to see a Champcar (Indycar) race there as well. Talk about good timing. Ultimate awesomeness!

I'm definitely looking forward to my next "blue sky holiday"... whenever that may be.

P.S. I began this entry with the simple intention of posting my own personal favorite end-of-summer song and leaving it at that. After doing that though, my previous (and month old) "Breaking Dawn" post was still right up there with it (seemingly refusing to give up the number one spot and begin its journey downward into blog oblivion) so I decided to look for a couple of photos to add just to push BD out of the picture a little farther. Then I realized I would have to add explanation for the pictures and then came the addition of the DJ Sammy version of Boys of Summer and it all just kind of got away from me. Oh well.

Also, I just realized that neither I nor anyone else I know is in any of the pictures so who's to say I didn't just pull them randomly off the internet and then made up the whole went-to-Miami story. The fact that both versions are plausible is proof, though unintentionally and accidentally provided, of a heretofore unmentioned yet ultimately inescapable lameness which, I admit, did indeed loom over the entire adventure. I'm not saying it wasn't awesome. I'm just saying that I am perfectly aware that it could have been SO much better.

Breaking Dawn

version 1.1 (updated)

Spoilers? Absolutely!

Finally it’s time to find out how it all ends.
I must admit it is rare for me to get hooked into any type of book series, let alone one written for and read by mostly young girls, but the first Twilight book (thanks Krissy) got me completely absorbed into Bella and Edward’s (notice I didn’t include the Jword) story and after finishing it I had no choice but to continue reading from there. I just had to know how the story would unfold and how it would end.

Eclipse ends with Bella and Edward getting engaged and that Jared or John-Boy or whatever his name is finally getting a clue and taking off running like Forrest Gump; yet another passive aggressive stunt to try to make Bella sorry and love him more than Edward if you ask me. We all remember his ultimate manipulation “kiss me or I’ll kill myself” right?

Breaking Dawn starts out well. Edward and Bella are getting ready for their wedding and J-dog is still out jogging or whatever. The happy day arrives and everything is looking like it will go off without a hitch but wouldn’t you know it Mr. Homewrecker his own self shows up at the wedding and manages to upset Bella within seconds, he’s truly talented that way you know. It’s not just Jcub though. Even after she is married to Edward, Bella continues to call the Jword her best friend in the whole wide world and is constantly bringing him up in conversations, telling him she loves him and is basically so not over him the way she ought to be. Edward suffers quietly through all this of course because he just wants her to be happy.

Bella somehow gets pregnant but the baby is killing her from the inside. This turns Edward and Jelly donut into allies with the common goal of getting the little monster out of Bella and killing it before it’s too late but she’s not having any of that thank you very much.
Bella starts her blood diet, gets a little better, and baby is um… born. (In case you haven’t seen the movie "Alien" yet, don’t bother now. It’s like an episode of Dora compared to this scene.)
Edward then has no choice except to immediately turn Bella into a vampire to save her.

Turns out the new family of three is all hugs and kisses and Justin feels betrayed, angry and is now suddenly all set to destroy the newborn baby. (Yet another shining example of his unselfish nature, showing that he, like Edward, only wants to make Bella happy. OOPS! Maybe not.) However, just as he moves in for the kill he conveniently “imprints” on Bella’s newborn girl, yup that same baby she herself hasn’t even held yet .
If I may now take this opportunity to quote any random teenage girl and say “EWWW” that’s just not right. Although I am so happy that Jason has finally given up on Bella, having him obsessed with her baby is exactly the next worse thing to me. I truly wanted him out of their lives but it is just never going to be. Baby Renesmee does call Edward Daddy once in the book but other than that she is pretty much J and Bella’s kid now. Yuck! Other than this unrelentingly disappointing but unfortunately not unexpected portion of the story the rest is excellent and finishes up nicely.

The other Cullens all play significant roles and my personal favorite, sweet little Alice does disappear at one point and has seemingly run off with Jasper to escape the horrible fate of the others. I wasn’t worried for a second, the Alice I know would never abandon the ones she loves and I knew she would be back in the end and help save the day (which she does) even if some of her own family had doubts.

There is no down time in this book. It kept my interest throughout with lots of twists and things going on. The ending, was definitely happy. After I finished reading I went on the internet to see what others thought of it. I was surprised to see many negative reviews. People complaining that vampires can’t make babies or that not enough people died, the ending was too happy etc.

Of course I can and do appreciate bitter sweet or sad endings as well. Even now after reading the complete story I must admit that my favorite or maybe I should say most memorable part, the one that affected me most was the description of Bella's realization that Edward had truly and completely abandoned her in New Moon.

Overall though it was so nice to be able to escape into Ms. Meyer’s world for a few hours and experience a beautiful story and a genuinely happy ending for a change. It is a world easy to get lost in, which makes it all that much sweeter.

It’s game over man, it’s game over!

Aye, the time is up, the hunt has ended.
Though surely I hid it well, my treasure has been discovered.
Four brave crews unlocked the clues and with seeming ease flew over oceans and across continents. They traveled virtually to the far side of the world.
Finally in Egypt, at the Great Pyramid of Giza they found my treasure.
Well done my virtual pirates!

The prodigious pillagers and/or plunderers are:

Raymond’s Raiders (Happy Birthday Ray!)
Shane’s Scallywags
Kendall’s Knaves
Michael’s Marauders

(Since there were only four entries and I made five prizes everybody wins, just like in kindergarten. Actually I never went to kindergarten but I’ve heard the rumors. Next time I’ll try to curb my enthusiasm a bit more I guess.)

Now as for your reward, though the hunt was virtual, the treasure is real.
Each brave crew will receive one of the treasure chests you see below.

Each is equally filled to overflowing with spectacular treasure much less glorious than any mere mortal could ever imagine.
As for the actual contents… you don’t think I’d spoil it for you now do you? You’ll have to wait until you open the chest to discover the wondrous loot. (As was implied above, actual loot may not be so wondrous.)

Just a hint though, for your imagination. The chests themselves be made of the most rare and precious, oh I dunno, let’s say… pine. They were gifts from my good friend and the best pirate you’ve ever heard of, Captain Jack Sparrow. Inside them ye shall find all manner of genuine zero carat golden goodies and delicious gemstone-like treasures that’ll make your eyes widen and your mouth water. They be the spoils of years of high-seas conquests hard fought and won. That plus some standing in line at Wal-Mart.
I hope it will be a satisfactory prize for your valiant efforts.

So until next time thanks everyone for playing. I hope you enjoy your well earned reward.


Yours truly,
Bob Loblaw (the dread pirate)

P.S. Ray, I’ll send yours in the mail. I will deliver everyone else’s myself.

Virtual Treasure Hunt

I, the dread pirate Bob Loblaw, have hidden a great and wondrous treasure, somewhere on the planet.
(Disclaimer: actual treasure may not be so great and is not really hidden)

If you can guess where it is, you might earn a share of it.

The answer is simple. Below are the latitude and longitude coordinates (in degrees, minutes and seconds) of the hiding place.

A B° C D’ E F” North G H° I J’ K L” East

Each letter represents a single digit and the answer to one of twelve questions. Plug in the answers and you will have the coordinates. Once you have them, you can locate the place by using Google Earth. Start Google Earth and move the cursor and gradually zoom in until you have found the spot. In Google Earth the coordinates are shown in the lower left corner of the screen and you will notice them change when you move the cursor.
(Google Earth carries the seconds to two decimal places eg. 12°34’56.78”. Don’t worry about the last two digits after the decimal; you won’t need to be that accurate.)

The questions are all from the movie Toy Story. You will probably need to watch it closely to get the answers. The questions are in chronological order so the answers will be revealed in the same order as the questions so there is no need to look for more than one answer at a time. Here are the questions.

A. When Andy shakes Hamm (the piggy bank) how many pennies fall out?

B. Immediately after the last army man slides down the skip rope, how many men are shown at the base of the rope?

C. How many points does Woody’s sheriff’s badge have?

D. What is the number on the billiard ball that falls between the table and the wall?

E. How many headlights (not including yellow fog lights) are on the semi trailer truck that pulls into the gas station?

F. How many “rocket rides” are there in the Pizza Planet arcade? (like the coin operated horse rides at a mall)

G. How many toy heads are floating in the Lava lamp in Sid’s room?

H. How many flowers are on the hat that Hannah puts on Buzz’s head?

I. When Woody is trapped under the crate there is a book titled “Improvised Interrogation Handbook”. What is the last digit of the code at the top of the book which begins TM 31-21__?

J. How many orange stripes are visible on one side of the road block/construction barrier which is next to Buzz when he has the rocket strapped to him?

K. After Buzz and Woody detach from the rocket they fall with style past some power lines and scare three birds away. How many birds are left sitting on the lines?

L. How many upstairs windows are there on the street side of Andy’s new house?

When you get the answer, please leave a comment here that you figured it out but do not post the answer here. Please e-mail it to me instead so we can keep the secret to the end of the game. This contest is open to anyone who knows my e-mail address or knows someone they can get it from.

I will send out equal parts of the treasure to five who come up with the correct answer. If there are more people than that who get the right answer the five will be selected randomly from among those who got it correct. The game will end on Sunday June 29.

Remember to e-mail me the answer and to not post it here thanks.

So, where is the treasure?

Good luck and thanks for playing.

The GYOZA

Well, I guess it was inevitable. Until recently they were mainly known only to Asian food lovers and RMs but it seems mainsteam North America has finally discovered Gyoza. You know something has really arrived when Costco starts selling it right!

First a little history. When I first went to Japan all those years ago everything was new, the country, the language, the food, everything.
Although I soon became accustomed to Japanese food, at first everything seemed weird, slimy, smelly or all of the above.
One of the first foods we quickly learned to rely on was Gyoza.
They were delicious, cheap, filling, and didn't have any funky ingredients to worry about.
(Over here they are often sold under the name "Potstickers" for some silly reason.)

Anyway there were many Gyoza places, especially around Osaka where I was, where you could get one "line" (6 pieces) of Gyoza for about $1.20.
It took about 4 lines (24) and a bowl of rice to fill me up then. I don't need quite so many nowadays.

About a week ago I was at KJAMBD's home and Kendall made some nice sushi and Meg brought over some wings and some of these gyoza-ish dumpling's that she had bought at Costco I believe. They were good and all but nothing like the real thing.

Originally Gyoza came from China. But like many foods that came from other places, the Japanese improved on the original.
You've probably seen and maybe tried the "dumplings" at a Chinese buffet. So have I, at many places. They are never very good. I have never found any to compare to the Japanese version of fried Gyoza. So, just in case you feel you may be ready for "The Gyoza", please don't settle for any substandard version you can buy here and there. Making them yourself is easy and they are so so much better. Here is what you'll need:

1 pkg. - gyoza skins (aprox. 70)


1 lb. - ground pork
3/4 - 1 head - cabbage
1 bunch – green onions
2 - eggs
3 cloves – garlic
1 section (2 inches) – ginger
3 TBSP – mirin (rice cooking wine)
3 TBSP – soy sauce (Japanese style)
1 TBSP – sesame oil

Peanut oil to fry in

Dipping sauce
1 part rice vinegar
1 part soy sauce
few drops of La-yu oil to taste

-First cut up cabbage just small enough to enable boiling in a pot for a couple of minutes to soften it up. Remove and cool under cold water. Then squeeze out as much water as you can from it.
-Chop up into fine bits
-Chop up 6 to 8 green onions finely
-beat eggs lightly
-Grate garlic and ginger into paste
-Combine ingredients also add mirin, soy sauce, sesame oil and some salt and pepper
-Mix well with hands until well mixed and redundant
-Cover and let marinate in fridge for one hour

Assembly
You'll need the gyoza goo, skins, a spoon and a small bowl of water
(This goes much quicker if you have two or three people to help)

Lay one skin in your baseball glove hand, scoop out about 1 TBSP of goo (or as much as you can fit and still close the thing) and place in center of skin.


Dip any available finger of baseball throwing hand into water and transfer wet to edge of half of gyoza skin (this will make the two sides stick when you close it up.)
While making a few folds in near edge close up gyoza. Done.
(This part takes a little practice but I would be glad to show you in person if you like)

Finished gyoza should be covered immediately as skins are quite thin and will dry out if left out too long.
Any gyoza not to be cooked presently should be frozen raw until use. Sprinkle surface with corn starch so they don't stick.


Cooking
Use large frying pan with well fitting lid
-Spray with Pam or one of her friends
-Add a little peanut oil for flavour (other oil will do but slighty lamer)
-place gyoza into med-high heated pan, cover and let bottoms brown for 2 or 3 minutes
-Add hot tap water to produce steam (maybe 3/4 or 1 cup) and steam vigorously with lid on for 7 minutes or so. If water is gone before 7 minutes are up add a little more. You need 7 minutes of old west locomotive grade steam basically. A little more won't hurt but you want the water to be gone before you remove the gyoza so not too much.

Serve hot with dipping sauce (above) and a bowl of rice for authenticity. Enjoy!

Quiz time!

This video clip contains sound bites and some accompanying text (I spelled Shirley and Elizabeth wrong) from twelve different movies. See if you can guess the movies they are from. Most of them are pretty easy but there are a couple that might stump you. Will anyone get them all without googling anything?

Eclipse – finishing what I started

My disappointment with some parts of the second book managed to keep me away from Eclipse for a grand total of about 48 hours. Despite being often genuinely frustrating, New Moon pulled me so far into the story that I can no longer resist it and will have to continue to the end no matter how many times I feel like hurling the book through the window.

It is nice to have Edward and the other Cullens (especially sweet Alice) back in town for the whole book this time. Unfortunately Jacob is also still around and becoming a bigger and bigger jerk by the second. My suspicions were correct. What I first thought was going to be a tale of pure love conquering all has degenerated into a sticky mess that leaves you feeling the need to take a shower.

Several things become crystal clear in Eclipse. Bella is not only a clumsy, irresponsible drama queen, but also quite selfish and nearly entirely oblivious to the pain she is inflicting upon Edward. It’s a good thing she smells so good to him because at this point I can’t think of any other reason why he should have fallen for her.
Jacob finally quits any further attempts to conceal his plan to steal Bella and becomes more and more rude, physically aggressive and more manipulative than an entire squad of cheerleaders.
Edward alone remains totally committed to Bella’s happiness in a way that neither of the two Pop Tart eaters could ever comprehend.

Edward spends most of the book trying to keep Bella alive and Bella spends most of the book trying to get away so she can be all warm and snuggly with her “friend”. Whenever she does come back to Edward we hear the usual lines about how perfect he is and how Bella could never ever be without him again but at some point along the way her actions begin to speak much more loudly and truthfully than her words.

Surprise, surprise, by the end Bella realizes that she is in love with BOTH of them but also FINALLY gets a clue that all of this might have been difficult for Edward.

In the end Bella once again officially chooses Edward. (Yeah sure whatever.)
I hope that Meyers has only added all this drama along the way to make the final undoubtable triumph of Edward and Bella all the more satisfying but I have serious concerns. To some, myself included, she may find that the hole she has dug herself into is just too deep and that when she finally decides to abandon the Bella and Jake thing, digging upwards just doesn’t work. It is going to take some serious magic to save this story.
I hope, more for Edward now than anyone, that she can somehow pull it off.


P.S. Apparently some people are rooting for Jacob. I would just like to say that everyone is entitled to his/her opinion. Also, if you are rooting for Jacob you are 100% wrong and have no soul.