IkuMai マウス

broderic on March 22, 2019

Ponytail!

I haven’t watched this at all, but it’s got to be awesome. Yes. It’s got to be awesome.

Suzuki No. 1

broderic on March 21, 2019

My favorite baseball player not an Oriole, Ichiro Suzuki, has retired.

I am gonna miss that guy.

The only jersey I still wear if I wasn’t fat. I would’ve done it today. And I almost did because I knew the Mariners were playing in Japan. But fat.

So glad that I have seen him play.

ありがと、鈴木さん。

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

broderic on March 10, 2019

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is the finale of strange trilogy. It started in 2010, had a sequel in 2014, and finishes with this last installment. Amazingly, they allowed the characters to grow up and older –from a teenager to a young man in these films. I don’t know if they were following the 9 year arc, but it still ended up being an interesting way to tell this story.

3 of 5 stars.

Alita: Battle Angel

broderic on March 10, 2019

I have read the manga back when it came in the floppy and reversed comic version available at your local comic shop in the 90s. It was actually titled, “Battle Angel Alita.” It’s been 20 years and it has finally made it onto the screen as Alita: Battle Angel.

At first, I wasn’t going to watch it, but you know what I just had to. I mean twenty years!!

Robert Rodriguez directed this in conjunction with a long gestating James Cameron script. Cameron was attached to this all through the twenty years. He even modeled his television show heroine in Dark Angel as a proto-Alita. Cameron must’ve really loved the manga. Personally, I found it okay, but I was young in the ways of manga reading at the time. Plus, it went into the weeds and the releases were few and far between before I could pass judgement.

A bit of Rodriguez leaked out. It came in the form of some cheesy love bit that felt like it was from Spy Kidz. It felt contrived, but all movies are love stories in the end. But the film redeemed itself by being rather good and not being a bad anime/manga adapation.

I’m hoping for the sequel.

3 of 5 stars.

Happy Death Day 2U

broderic on March 2, 2019

I was curious about this movie, Happy Death Day 2U, because I read a review that said it was interesting. Hopefully, if you read my review, you find the film interesting, and you too will decide to watch it. But don’t blame me, if you don’t like it. My reviews are short and don’t cover the film just my reaction to it.

That being said, I went to see this on the first weekend. Then the theatre couldn’t figure out how to put the hard drive into the projector. I was disappointed, so I got my money back.

But I finally caught it the second weekend. It was okay.

The first one was more a thriller than a horror movie. This one was more a science fiction film than a horror movie. They all have some comedy to them. Don’t be surprised that it makes you laugh rather than scared.

I would watch it again — on TBS next year.

3 of 5 stars.

Always War Stars

broderic on February 27, 2019

Umm. Now I’m kind of excited for the latest last installment in the franchise. Thanks to the guy from that 70s Show!

1st Day Against

broderic on February 21, 2019

https://youtu.be/IjrnDKK-SXU

Nogizaka46 7th Year Birthday Live has begun!

Four days of fun culminating in Nishino Nanase’s graduation concert. This year is the return to form where they will perform their entire discography: 22 singles and 4 albums totaling 177 songs!

But the legendary 1st Generation of Nogizaka shrinks at the end of the week. One this month. One next month. They’ll be down to 13 original members. So let’s celebrate with their swan song, Against. When they are all graduated, we shall remember them all so fondly. But until then, love your oshimen.

An Allium I Haven’t Met

broderic on February 20, 2019

For making stock this past weekend, I bought a package of leeks to use instead of onions. Unfortunately, the package comes in 2 huge stalks. I used only one placing the other in the fridge for later. I needed to use it or it would go to waste.

I’ve never cooked with leeks before, so I scoured the internet for ideas. I made it as far as how to clean and prep them for cooking. I think I will wing it. So I did.

Mushroom, barley, leek salad? A side to my baked salmon. It didn’t turn out half bad, but I still have leek left over.

Using my favorite cooking method: one sheet cooking, I place a salmon filet on a bed of this mushroom, barley, leek salad and bake it in the oven for 18 minutes. I am still getting fish cooking wrong. The time is too long. It took the salmon filet to flaking which is past the “just about flaking” standard for fish. I’ll have to adjust the time down. I think I’ll try 15 minutes.

As for the salad? I cooked the barley in my rice cooker in ration of water to barley as 2-to-1. I also seasoned the water with a couple dashes of fish sauce and threw in some mushrooms to boot. I cut the leeks into half-moon pieces threw some more mushrooms and asparagus into a mixing bowl with them and seasoned with a pinch of salt, freshly ground pepper, and olive oil. When the barely was done I threw it into the bowl added a tad more olive oil and tossed the whole thing.

When it was all done, I sprinkled with lemon juice.

It was an interesting and tasty experiment. I will have to learn the ways of the leek.