The Staite of Jewel

By coincidence, many of my favorite actresses hail from the Great White North...Evangeline Lilly, Rachel McAdams, Carrie-Ann Moss, and Mia Kirshner, to name a few. However, I absolutely adore Jewel Staite!

'Jewel who?', many may ask. Currently starring in 'Stargate: Atlantis', she's probably best known for her role as Kaylee Frye in Joss Whedon's brilliant, yet short-lived, sci-fi western series 'Firefly', then the follow-up motion picture 'Serenity'.

Jewel doesn't stray far from her somewhat-naive acting style, which suits her innocent features just fine. She may be typecast, but why fix it if it ain't broke, right?

So here's to you, Jewel...& Oh, Canada! Love thy neighbor!



Ciao4Now.

P.S. Speaking of the SciFi Channel, I might have to check out 'Tin Man' this upcoming Sunday @ 9PM, starring Alan Cumming & Zooey Deschanel. http://www.scifi.com/tinman/

Safeway Club Card - Savings or Sham?

Looking at my receipt from today's Safeway shopping excursion, I 'saved' 33% (or $18.38) on my total...though, 15 out of the 16 items bought were Club Card sale items. Clearly, I am a price-driven consumer at this particular store.

Now, there are some things that I will pay a premium for (e.g. I buy my eggs from the Co-Op because they are locally-produced & cage-free), but today's purchases got me to thinking if I've been caught in some sinister Safeway marketing plan. It's no secret that the grocery gurus of these large chains disseminate their customer's buying patterns, and schedule their 'sales' in accordance to the purged data acquired from Club Card members.

I don't have a real big problem with a company viewing my purchasing history...it's not like I'm buying anything that would cause personal 'embarrassment' (e.g. "Jeez, this guy goes through a tube of Preparation-H a week!"). But for four years, I sold wholesale grocery products to Safeway (among other stores), and have a pretty good idea on retail mark-ups. Sometimes, I wonder how much non-sale prices are jacked up to make 'specials' more appealing.

Though, I compare pricing at other competing markets & usually know a good buy when I see it. In the end, you just gotta be a savvy shopper to get the most out of your hard-earned buck.

Ciao4Now.

P.S. Rest peacefully, Lonny Heckman...C G Am Em F G C.

Peeling a Pomegranate

Without question, the pomegranate is my favorite fruit...I love the pop and crunch of those sweet-yet-tangy ruby-red arils. Kinda reminds me of scavenging for guavas and passion fruit on the Islands as a kid.

Now, everyone has their own way of peeling a pomegranate...most cut off the crown, then section it into wedges. However, you end up with a bunch of broken arils. After years of experimentation, this is my method:

Put down some newspaper (it can get a little messy & the juice stains) and use a good serrated knife.


Cut off as much of the peel as possible.


Start plucking out exposed arils...from there, whole sections seperated by the membrane can be pulled apart. Collect the fruit sacs in a container.


Ta-da! Ready to eat!


I like to stick 'em in the fridge for a while...makes an awesome snack.

Ciao4Now.

A Very Happy Birthday...

...to my main man, nephew Brent, who turned 6 today!

Much love to you!

More Praise for Spike!

Evidently, Jonze's influence stretches clear across the Atlantic...from somewhere in France, un hommage à la merveilleuse intervention du Torrance Community Dance Group. C'est tres bon!!



Ciao4Now.

Where the Wild Vids Are

For those jonzeing for a new Spike film, the wait is less than a year away. Coming next October, the brilliant 'Being John Malkovich' director's adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic children's book 'Where the Wild Things Are' will finally be released. The CGI-heavy live-action feature stars Forest Whitaker, Michelle Williams, James Gandalfini, & Paul Dano ('Little Miss Sunshine', 'L.I.E.'), mostly as character voices.

So in honor of the man, here are some of his fantastically-directed music videos:

Maybe my all-time favorite, Fatboy Slim's "Praise You" (also starring Spike as the leader of the dance group):


The controversial Yeah Yeah Yeah's vid, "Y-Control":


The trippy backward-motion photography of "Drop" by The Pharcyde:


The Chemical Brothers' "Elektrobank" stars Spike's ex-, the beautiful & equally cinematically-talented Sofia Coppola:


And last but not least, the hilarious "If I Only Had a Brain" by MC 900 Ft Jesus:


Want more? Check out these awesome Jonze-directed vids on YouTube:
"Sabotage" & "Sure Shot" - Beastie Boys
"It's Oh So Quiet" - Björk
"Cannonball" - The Breeders
"What's Up, Fat Lip?" - Fat Lip
"Weapon of Choice" (feat. Christopher Walken) - Fatboy Slim
"Wonderboy" - Tenacious D
"Buddy Holly" - Weezer

Ciao4Now.

The Amazing Andrew Zimmern!

Last night, I had all intentions to tuck in early & get some good sleep...and then I stumbled upon the Travel Channel's 'Bizarre Foods' marathon.

Hosted by chef Andrew Zimmern, the show spans the globe to seek out 'unusual fare'. From deep-fried bats to fresh mangrove worms, Zimmern leaves no culinary stone unturned.

Though after viewing 4 hours of the often gastronomically-challenging program, I can honestly say that I would, at least, try 80 percent of the featured food items. Born and raised in Ha'wai'i, a veritable melting pot of cultures, I've consumed some dishes (e.g. dinaguan, a Filipino pork blood stew) that would make a Midwestern farmer lose his Denny's Grand Slam breakfast. Let's just say that I'm not simply a 'meat & potatoes' guy. Prepared adequately, I wouldn't have too much of a problem eating most creatures from the ocean, reptiles & amphibians, or anything bird-related, but what kind of skeeves me out are mammal organs (e.g. criadillas, or bull's testicles) and large, gooey insects or worms . Though to coin an old adage, 'don't knock it until you try it'.

Anyway, love the show...you can watch a bunch of episodes on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=DerfMik&p=r



Ciao4Now.