A few that caught my eye this week…

DIE!Namite #1 – cover art by Peach Momoko

Red Sonja #15 – cover art by Jae Lee

Iron Man/Hellcat Annual #1 – cover art by Stanley “Artgerm” Lau

Detective Comics #1061 – cover art by Ivan Reis, Danny Miki

Swamp Thing #14 – cover art by Mike Perkins

Tales of Terror Quarterly: Back to School – cover art by Pierluigi Abbondanza

The post JUne 29, 2022: Amazing Covers! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

This morning…

Not feeling well. I blame either the steel-cut Irish oatmeal, the yogurt, or the frozen blueberries. My wife, surprisingly, suspects the crab guts pasta.

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) June 28, 2022

This afternoon…

Getting back on the horse!
Hoping this salmon roe will settle my stomach. https://t.co/RY1T23oNBG pic.twitter.com/ZrBxFNDVAu

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) June 28, 2022

I feel like I’ve just gone three rounds with an opponent who has been relentlessly working my midsection.  Hopefully I’ll have enough time to recover for tomorrow night’s dinner with the guys.

Today’s Yes/No…

Reiwa Pocky on the Rocks? Yes/Nohttps://t.co/69iUbwi4uW【recipe】/

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) June 28, 2022

Honestly?  Meh.

I told Akemi I need this for the bedroom….

children being eaten by bears as punishment for mocking a bald man, germany, 15th century pic.twitter.com/Z7xHCcjpyL

— weird medieval guys (@WeirdMedieval) June 25, 2022

Atlantean hand stunner concept art c/o James Robbins

Man, comics have sure come a long way…

The post June 28, 2022: Akemi’s money is on the crab guts! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

Waiting on those deals to close.

Yep.

Any day now…

Boy, “Ancient” laptop is right.  I think it came pre-loaded with Space Invaders.

Instead of writing anymore pilots, I'm going to focus on crafting the blow-up tweet that lands me my next show.

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) June 27, 2022

This is where we planned to strand Atlantis in the unproduced Stargate: Extinction script…

TRIANGULUM GALAXY full of active HII regions pic.twitter.com/gqgfHj2sx1

— Aleix Roig (@astrocatinfo) June 26, 2022

Pages from the script.

Spooky-cool…

A ghost sculpture at the castle of Vezio, Italy pic.twitter.com/Ns7R1INB12

— History Defined (@historydefined) June 26, 2022

This shoebill stork in the rain… pic.twitter.com/daBEjwv2Zv

— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) June 27, 2022

Full report available also covers funding for classics studies like:
Why people are rude on tennis courts
How long it takes to cook breakfast
Peruvian brothels (apparently the researchers kept going back to the brothel “in the interests of accuracy.”)https://t.co/U0sqUUM82t

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) June 27, 2022

Today’s Yes/No…

Chili Mango Pops? Yes/No https://t.co/4IVkiSjchM

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) June 27, 2022

The post June 27, 2022: Oh. I see we’re back to Monday again. appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

The great outdoors.

Hitting the links.

High roller.

Pinky LaRue.

Zonked.

Hail Hydro!  She’s up to 16 minutes walking!

BIG bite!

The post June 26, 2022: Suji Sunday! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

Over the past couple of years, my social media patience has waned – to the point that my block/mute list on twitter now roughly rivals the population of Djibouti.  Instead, I’ve shifted focus to far more interesting fare.

Here are a few of my new favorite follows…

@futurism

Space weather is weird. https://t.co/pvO9Q9SOro

— Futurism (@futurism) June 25, 2022

@Cathrinmachin

Getting wrapped in the swirls of the universe pic.twitter.com/UYBziWIuzP

— Cathrin Machin Space Art (@Cathrinmachin) June 25, 2022

@HubbleTelescope

This conically shaped nebula, appropriately named the Cone Nebula, is a result of light from several stars carving its shape out of a field of dust and gas. This radiation also causes the hydrogen to glow red. Learn more about the role of excited hydrogen: https://t.co/gHv3bensoy pic.twitter.com/dDwp8GsrzW

— Hubble Space Telescope (@HubbleTelescope) June 24, 2022

@konstructivizm

NASA Jupiter's Dolphin pic.twitter.com/HI4xUCS6qS

— Black Hole (@konstructivizm) June 25, 2022

@chiitan7407

石橋は叩いて渡りますっ☆ちぃたん☆ですっ☆

safety first
 pic.twitter.com/AsItYUK6oE

— ちぃたん☆／Chiitan (@chiitan7407) June 21, 2022

@wonderofscience

Amazing footage of a blanket octopus unfurling her cape in the Lembeh Strait of Indonesia. pic.twitter.com/nUXlMJvokU

— Wonder of Science (@wonderofscience) January 24, 2022

pic.twitter.com/8EzR4G2N6a

— Universal Curiosity (@UniverCurious) June 23, 2022

@historydefined

Statue of King Arthur by Rubin Eynon, Tintagel Castle, England. pic.twitter.com/i7GfFXBZwQ

— History Defined (@historydefined) June 24, 2022

Alongside the Nanxi River in China, nestled between lush steep mountains is Yanjin county,

widely considered to be the world’s narrowest city pic.twitter.com/AYOdVkw87s

— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) June 23, 2022

The Top 35 Types of Syrup That Aren’t Maple https://t.co/iayp3DM2Ed pic.twitter.com/1hIh5r3v1t

— Daily Infographic (@DailyInfographc) June 13, 2022

The post June 25, 2022: Top 10 Recent Fun Twitter Follows! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

For a while now, it's been like the sixth season of t.v. show where the writers throw all logic and established canon out the window in favor of increasingly outlandish storylines.

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) June 24, 2022

Cool…

Statue of King Arthur by Rubin Eynon, Tintagel Castle, England. pic.twitter.com/i7GfFXBZwQ

— History Defined (@historydefined) June 24, 2022

Also cool…

These leaf insects with spectacular leaf mimicry,

walking leaves with elaborate marks resembling veins, disease, damage, holes and ‘insect bites’

This kind of camouflage where animals blend into their surroundings is called protective resemblance pic.twitter.com/kDiqnOLATK

— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) June 24, 2022

Uh oh…

June 24th, 2022.

The last time was in 2004 the next time in 2040.

Historically folks in power found this alignment to be extremely powerful—even in this epoch.

“Believe” or not believe for you, “they” believe, adjust accordingly. pic.twitter.com/0t6qIbi6UL

— Brian Roemmele (@BrianRoemmele) June 20, 2022

Meanwhile, on the home front…

“stole”

Today’s Yes/No…

Original Glazed Soft Serve? Yes/No
Krispy Kreme Rolls Out "Original Glazed" Soft Serve Ice Cream https://t.co/zcmJkDIMaz Kreme Rolls Out "Original Glazed" Soft Serve Ice Cream

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) June 24, 2022

The post June 24, 2022: So endeth yet another weird week! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

Today was Akemi’s first class of the eight-session pottery course at Clay Arts Studio.  I, of course, showed my support – not by actually attending the class with her (Perish the thought!), but by accompanying her there and meeting up with her once she was done.  During the downtime in between, I roamed the neighborhood, no doubt raising the suspicions of local shop owners who must have seen me suspiciously saunter past a good half dozen times over the courses of a three hour window.  I perused bookstores, checked out pet shops, and, at one point, mistakenly wandered into a tattoo parlor.  In between, I did some eating….

My first stop was When the Pig Came Home Delicatessen – or, as Akemi mispronounced it, When the Pig Came Home Deliciousness.  And, you know what?  It was!

I had the classic porchetta – 1.3 lb of succulent pork with crispy crackling served on French milk bread.  Service was prompt and super friendly.  Highly recommended.

I ended up grabbing a mocha and pistachio cake (surprisingly moist and not overly sweet) at Claudia’s Coffe where I set up my home-away-from home office for about an hour or so.  I’d prepared by packing my travel laptop and two graphic novels (which I never got around to reading).  Unfortunately, it’s been over three years since I last used my travel laptop and I never got around to updating my various passwords so I wasn’t able to check my email, twitter feed, or reddit.  I also found myself unable to connect to a lot of the sites I  often frequent.  Every time I tried, I’d receive the following ominous warning:

The first few times, it looked kind of sketchy.  After about the tenth time, however, it was just annoying.

I concluded my afternoon foray by once again dropping by When the Pig Came Home and picking up a couple of beef patties – one spicy (for me) and one not (for Akemi). The spicy was gloriously so.  And very tasty.  One of Toronto’s best.

We returned home, took Suji for her afternoon carpet run, and fed her, after which I caught up on emails and was preparing to unwind after a day of walking around under the hot sun…only to have Akemi remind me that I have dinner plans tonight with out-of-town friends.  The reservations are for 8:00 p.m.  8;00 p.m.!!!  That’s dinner time for Spaniards and vampires!  Meanwhile, there’s a special one-night-only truffle dinner happening tonight I’ll be missing.  My friend Natalie, who brought the event to my attention, tried to reassure me that there will be another one later this year – but it’s black truffles not white truffles!  I briefly considered whether I might be able to pull off a bang-bang, but the timing is too tight.  Sadly, it looks like it’ll be just one truffle-less dinner for me

Today’s Yes/No…

Salt on watermelon? Yes/No
In defense of putting salt on watermelon, because it's just better that way https://t.co/BuMqXx6hKW

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) June 23, 2022

The post June 23, 2022: Being a supportive husband! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

A few that caught my eye this week…

Star Wars: Crimson Reign #5 – cover art by Rahzzah

Arrowsmith #6 – cover art by Nekro

Hellcop #8 – cover art by by Brian Haberlin, Geirrod Van Dyke

Jennifer Blood #9 – cover art by Tim Bradstreet

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #4 – cover art by Derrick Chew

Checkmate – cover art by Alex Maleev

Fables #152 – cover art by Mark Buckingham

Nightwing #93 – cover art by Bruno Redondo

Magic: The Hidden Planeswalker – cover art by Miguel Mercado

Robyn Hood Annual 2022 – cover art by Ivan Tao

So, which were YOUR favorites?

The post June 22, 2022: Amazing Covers! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

You know what I hate?  “No, Joe,”you say, rolling your eyes.  “What else you got?”  Well, I’ll tell ya – going to a restaurant only to find it closed, even though google AND the restaurant’s home page AND its instagram page say it’s open.  So, instead of Indian pancakes, we ended up going out for pizza which was perfectly fine, but NOT a butter chicken burger.  We kept things light as we are going out tonight with friends.  We’ll be checking out that new hipster douchebag restaurant with no signage, fancy drink list, and menu entirely made up of snacks.

I will, of course, report back.

Speaking of disappointment…

Damnit! My favorite ice cream shop has swapped out their boozy ice creams for summer fruit flavors, so now I have to go out and pick up a pint of Haagen-Dazs and a bottle of Wild Turkey.

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) June 21, 2022

Still working on the ratio.

Cool…

Queen Isabel II, veiled, 1855 C by Camillo Torreggiani. Masterful use of light and shadows to make it look like real lace. pic.twitter.com/jMV8bDQ4I3

— History Defined (@historydefined) June 18, 2022

Wraith hybrid!  Look out!

I got 2.  You?

pic.twitter.com/wRAXxUV4we

— MaryEllen JUSTICE for U.S.! (@squirlkit) June 17, 2022

Today’s Yes/No…

Ketchup Popsicle? Yes/No
Thanks (?) to the MANY who sent this my way. https://t.co/rRPePj9Ryw

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) June 21, 2022

The post June 21, 2022: You know what I hate? appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

I am a creature of habit and there are certain things I do every day without fail.  Looking back over my routine, quite a few things I do every day…

Feed Suji her breakfast (usually live-streamed)

Check the new kpop releases so I can…

Upload my first tweet of the day – featuring a kpop track.

Take Suji out for her morning walk.

Upload my second tweet of the day – the food-related Yes/No feature.

Review and respond to emails.

Review and respond to social media messages.

Review the news (online, mostly stock-related).

Track the stock market open.

Upload my third tweet of the day – Stargate-related, usually concept art.

11:00 a.m. lunch – my biggest meal of the day.  Relatively early because I don’t bother with breakfast.

Track the post-lunch stock market moves.

Take Suji out for her carpet run.

Have a cup of matcha.

Snack on dark chocolate.

Feed Suji dinner (usually live-streamed)

Review the stock market close.

5:00 p.m. dinner = usually steel cut oatmeal with protein powder, almond butter, and blueberries.

6:00 p.m. workout = 30 minute run

Upload daily Suji picture to twitter, Facebook, and reddit.

Late night stroll with Suji

Cup of chamomile tea and manuka honey.

Shower before bed.

Watch videos with Akemi: playful otters, profiles of Asian cuisine, videos on Japanese culture, spotlights on the local Toronto food scene, stock market-related videos.

Bedtime!

And that’s it, more or less.  Oh, sometimes, my schedule gets shifted around (ie. I my tweet my food-related Yes/No tweet before my kpop feature), and I do find the time to squeeze in other activities like reading, going out for mochi donuts or, say, work.  But I don’t like to mix things up too much.  I am a creature of habit.

***

Concluding today’s entry on a sad note today with news of the passing of blog regular James E. Finch, Quantum Mechanic.  In addition to our interactions here and on twitter, James was a participant in my fan zoom chat a couple of years ago.  He was a thoughtful, spirited individual and his contributions here will be missed.    My condolences to his friends and family

The post June 20, 2022: A Creature of Habit! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

New headshot for her business profile.

Our neighbor Totoro.  I mean Sujiko.

One with nature.

One with the couch.

Enjoying some post-physio R&R.

The post June 19, 2022: Suji Sunday! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

I want to kick off today’s blog entry with an apology to user “weight loss recovery” whose comment was inadvertently flagged as spam and ended up in the trash folder –

Your words of encouragement are greatly appreciated as I strive to ensure this website live up to its awful potential.

I’d also like to acknowledge David McCalman’s intriguing proposition that also erroneously ended up binned amongst the sketchy online offers and boner pill ads –

If this is an idea for another Stargate spinoff, then you’ve come to the right guy, one utterly devoid of the creative capacity to come up with his own idea for a new series, despite the fact that he spent 12 years of his life writing for the franchise.  Rather than support producer Brad Wright, who co-created the existing Stargate shows and showed confidence in me by giving me my first big opportunity in this business, I think I’d prefer to hitch my wagon to your unproven vision.  Is your idea a prequel that focuses on the Ancients?  Even better!  Next to chocolate mint and stage musicals, there are no two things I hate more!

Finally, I’d like to extend my warmest regards to the following grievously ill individuals who reached out to me from their respective death beds in search of a good-hearted individual who can ensure their money ended up in the hands of “orphans, widows, physically challenged people, elderly and children”: Melinda Cruz. Allura Warenka. Elizabeth George, Magdic Tomislav, and Arturo Genk.   Hang in there!  or You will be missed! depending on how this message finds you.

The post June 18, 2022: Apologies and deathbed well-wishes! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

Aside from a brief mental lapse in which I momentarily forgot a character’s name, today’s pitch went really well.  Confident, not rushed.  I distilled the richly detailed 12+ hours of game play down to a two hour feature format by streamlining the main narrative, compressing some of the timelines, and stripping away the side quests while building out the world, fleshing out the supporting characters, and injecting some humor into the whole.  In so doing, I crafted a movie that, first and foremost, will appeal to viewers who know nothing about the game and yet, at time same time, will prove an incredibly rewarding experience for fans of the game.  In short, I crushed it.  As for how it was received…hard to say.

I tend to go over my pitch countless times before the big day, alternating between reading it verbatim to winging it.  By the time I’m ready, the two are almost indistinguishable.  Still, during the zoom pitches, I like to keep my written pitch up, fullscreen, and make eye contact with the camera.  As a result, I don’t really track reactions – which can get a little odd on those occasions when the executive you’re pitching to doesn’t utter a sound, prompting you to peek in on them every now and then lest they are madly signaling to let you know your audio dropped out fifteen minutes earlier or, worse, THEY dropped out altogether and you’ve been pitching to no one.  In the case of today’s pitch  there were thankfully no such tech issues.  I did my thing, fielded a couple of questions, and…that was that.  Maybe I’ll hear back from them  later than sooner.  Maybe I won’t hear back at all.  Such is the business.

Rather than worrying about it, I’m switching gears.  I’m about to close the deal on an option for a fun sci-fi pilot.  I’ll look to do a rewrite, craft the pitch, and take it out before year’s end.  After that, it’ll be smooooooooooth sailing!

Meanwhile, on the home front…

New mad scientist glasses.  Who dis?

Today’s Yes/No

Gundam Burgers? Yes/No
McDonald’s Japan is selling Gundam burgers, endorsed by anime’s most charismatic antagonist【Vids】 https://t.co/5nQleYnWtR via @RocketNews24En

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) June 17, 2022

The post June 17, 2022: The Pitch! How’d it go? Who knows?! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

Tomorrow, I pitch my vision for the big screen adaptation of that awesome 2021 sci-fi game.  It’s one of those rare instances where I’m actually looking forward to a zoom call, in this case because I know I have a fantastic take.  I am confident, not necessarily that I’ll land the gig, but that if anyone BUT me lands the gig, it simply won’t be as good and I’ll have my passive-aggressive revenge.

Tomorrow’s attitude…

Please be advised.  These are the only “adorable kid” videos I can get behind…

Some news of note…

Time to retire those copper hats. https://t.co/v9ZwuN0iUj

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) June 16, 2022

Like something out of a sci-fi movie. https://t.co/avIB0u9dWD

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) June 16, 2022

You can't tame a wild luggage cart. https://t.co/jlRr8e6Hfx

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) June 16, 2022

Royal Portuguese Reading Room, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. pic.twitter.com/QjZ7LJel1Q

— History Defined (@historydefined) June 16, 2022

Now you'll be able to really stretch out those legs! pic.twitter.com/q1Sz7jPDYd

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) June 15, 2022

Today’s Yes/No…

Licorice Ice Cream? Yes/No
Thanks to @xstortion for the tip. https://t.co/ayCuO9x6gm

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) June 16, 2022

How’s your week going?  Big weekend plans?

The post June 16, 2022: Pitch on deck! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

A few that caught my eye this week…

Fantastic Four #44 – E.M. Gist

Moon Knight: Black, White & Blood #2 – cover art by Dustin Weaver

Batman/Catwoman #12 – cover art by Clay Mann

Batman/Catwoman #12 – cover art by Travis Charest

Alice Ever After #3 – cover art by Dave Johnson

Black Adam: The Dark Age – cover art by Alex Ross

So, which were YOUR favorites?

The post June 15, 2022: Amazing Covers! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

Happy Dark Matter Day (7 years since the show premiered) fell on Suji Sunday.  So rather than interrupt the previously scheduled programming, I shifting the celebrations to today’s blog entry with a bunch of my favorite clips from the series – in absolutely no particular order…

The post June 14, 2022: Dark Matter Day review! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

Pie time!

The Pug Whisperer…

The people have spoken!

Thanks to all those who took part in my "Delete Linkedin? Yes/No" poll.
More "Delete Yes/No" polls to come! https://t.co/3EtuofxLJr pic.twitter.com/IQYK0QkjwS

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) June 13, 2022

I knew it!

Leaked #NASA photo of the Sun being taking away for maintenance. pic.twitter.com/ZZSeSpUWAq

— Antonio Paris (@AntonioParis) June 12, 2022

I'm doing my part by keeping the SUV idling while I run in to pick up plastic plates and utensils for tonight's climate change awareness tailgate. https://t.co/20NC0HyIX8

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) June 13, 2022

Today’s Yes/No…

Hoya? Yes/No
Japan’s hoya is a straight-up edible video game monster, and here’s how to prepare/eat it【Photos】 https://t.co/2JPum5lhFW via @RocketNews24En

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) June 13, 2022

The post June 13, 2022: Meanwhile, on the home front… appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

Getting her steps in.

Flower Girl.

Park day with dad.

Egg snack!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by YozoI'm Sujiすじ子 (@newoldpugsuji)

The post June 12, 2022: Suji Sunday! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

Yes, it’s true.  I’m putting it to a vote.  Do I delete or keep my linkedin profile?  Its fate rests in your hands!

Delete Linkedin? Yes/No

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) June 11, 2022

Seriously, just say you don’t want to hang out instead of coming up with lame dietary excuses.

Guess who’s making plum wine?

Apparently, we have to wait three months to drink it.  THREE MONTHS!!!

Hopefully it turns out as good as the limoncello Akemi made last year…

Recipe here!

So what types of boozy concoctions do you get up to in your respective parts?  Do tell.

Today’s Yes/No…

Buffalo Chicken Pizza Rolls? Yes/Nohttps://t.co/YFF4GGR2qq

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) June 11, 2022

The post June 11, 2022: Decide the fate of my linkedin account! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

Akemi had a hankering for pasta so, today, we ended up making the trek to Famiglia Baldassarre for lunch.  Our timing was off and we ended up arriving a half hour before open – which was just as well since a line had already started to form.  So we killed time chatting with the couple behind us and eventually ended up sharing a table with them.

The place serves lunch from noon until 2:00, or until they run out of pasta (which is often before 2:00).  The menu changes daily, but there are only two pasta options on the day.  Today, it was tagliatelle (with butter and morels or tomato sauce base) or ravioli (butter and pecorino or tomato sauce).

I went with the morel mushroom tagliatelle while Akemi went with the tomato sauce.  They were both terrific.  I preferred mine and, of course, she preferred hers, but my favorite is still their sans rigi rigatoni (the toni) because I love that al dente bite you don’t really get with tagliatelle.

On this trip, I decided to forego the appetizer in favor of a third plate of pasta: the ravioli.  Also great

For dessert, we ended up taking a walk down to an ice cream shop called Ruru Baked.

There are other offerings in addition to ice cream and, on this trip, we tried the Hawaiian butter mochi – which reminded Akemi of the mochi she used to eat as a kid.

And, since we WERE visiting an ice cream shop, we picked up some ice cream as well – a double scoop of horlicks and everything chocolate.  Also good…but, boy, it’s tough to be boozy ice cream.

We then ended up walking him.  It took us two hours.  And now my feet hurt.  You’re up to date!

Completed a killer pitch for the big screen adaptation of that game yesterday, then spent a good chunk of this afternoon running through it.  Action, adventure, heart, humor, twists, turns, and a terrific redemption arc.  It’s so good that the only way they pass is if they’re forced to hire a mobster’s son to write it.

Today’s Yes/No…

Pork Floss Sweets? Yes/No
We eat “pork floss sweets” that confuse our senses, stimulate our minds【Taste test】 https://t.co/9MrMMfmtdh via @RocketNews24En

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) June 10, 2022

The post June 10, 2022: Out and About! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.