General discussion about Usagi Yojimbo, the comics, the stories, the characters, collectibles, TV appearances, Stan Sakai, Space Usagi, Nilson & Hermy, and all other related topics.
Janice Chiang wrote: Yesterday
Last night, I didn't have time to run to Artist Alley... So happy to see Stan before Preview Night officially ended! : )
Stan Sakai wrote: 8 hours ago
We are having a great time at Comic-con, and Hannah has been texting us throughout the days as to how Sharon is doing. Yesterday was really up-and-down. Great in the morning, but later threw up and given medication, but then she walked in the afternoon. I got a text from Hannah's phone in the evening, "I love you", then another one immediately after, "Mom wrote that".
The big regret Sharon had about missing Comic-con is that she would not be able to see her friends, so I have been taking photos of people she would usually see as they wave to her. Here are just a couple, and one of my commissions.
Stan Sakai wrote: 8 hours ago
Greetings from Kazu Kibuishi at the Scholastic Books party last night.
Stan Sakai wrote: 8 hours ago
With Kathleen Glosan, Vijaya Iyer, and Jeff Smith at the Cartoon Books booth.
Stan Sakai wrote: 8 hours ago
A commission in progress.
Joyce Nabeta Teague wrote: 8 hours ago
A pleasure to see you and pick up 47 Ronin sets to share yesterday, Stan. You da man.
Stan Sakai wrote: 8 hours ago
Joyce--It is 2:15 in the morning! What are you doing still awake? It will be another big day at the con tomorrow, or rather, today.
Stan Sakai wrote: 8 hours ago
And, Joyce, thank you for sending your own photo greetings to Sharon. You are one of those that she misses seeing every year.
Lyn Martin wrote: 4 hours ago
you are the best husband!
Stan Sakai wrote: 4 hours ago
Sharon is the best wife.
Joyce Nabeta Teague wrote: 8 hours ago
Stopped by to say hullo to the modest, hard-working creator of Usagi Yojimbo. His recent 47 Ronin series is pretty special. Wishing him and his wife safe passage as they support one another through a rough ride due to her health. They make an admirable team.
Stan Sakai wrote: 3 hours ago
A couple more photos for Sharon from Comic-con, and some in-room commissions.
Jeff Manley wrote: about an hour ago
This is my favorite photo so far from SDCC. Not only do you feature Doug TenNapel (the Giant) and Jeff Smith (looking like a hobbit), it was taken by Stan Sakai!
Stan Sakai wrote: 3 hours ago
Janice Chiang and Paul Jenkins.
Stan Sakai wrote: 3 hours ago
Armored Usagi commission
Stan Sakai wrote: 3 hours ago
A split-page drawing with Kevin Eastman. Usagi and Leo back together again.
Stan Sakai wrote: 2 hours ago
More folks at Comic-con waving to Sharon.
Stan Sakai wrote: 2 hours ago
Geof Darrow!
Stan Sakai wrote: 2 hours ago
Walter Simonson.
Stan Sakai wrote: 2 hours ago
David Silverman
Stan Sakai wrote: 2 hours ago
Sam Viviano.
Stan Sakai wrote:
2 hours ago
Julia and David Petersen
Stan Sakai wrote:
2 hours ago
David presented the Russ Manning Newcomer Award tonight. He is a former recipient himself. I was up for it many, many years ago, but lost out to some guy named Arthur Adams. What's he doing now?
Stan Sakai wrote:
2 hours ago
This is really a great photo. Thanks, guys. Sharon is going to love these.
Stan Sakai wrote:
2 hours ago
Sergio Aragones, Juanjo Guarnido, and Diana Schutz. Juanjo won two Eisners tonight, and Diana got one.
Stan Sakai wrote: 2 hours ago
Juanjo showed me a drawing of Usagi he did at the New York show. Really, really cool!
Stan Sakai wrote: 2 hours ago
Sharon's potassium level was a bit low, so they added some to her liquid diet. Also, she has some liquid in her lungs that came up when suctioned. They sent some in for analysis.
Here are just a few more of the people who waved to her. I apologize is you are not on here, but I took photos of so many people.
Stan Sakai wrote: 2 hours ago
Maggie Thompson
Stan Sakai wrote: 2 hours ago
Michael Golden
Stan Sakai wrote: 2 hours ago
Chris Houghton
Stan Sakai wrote: 2 hours ago
Denis Kitchen
Stan Sakai wrote: 2 hours ago
Andy Runton, with his mother, Patty
Stan Sakai wrote: 2 hours ago
Frank Cho
Stan Sakai wrote: 2 hours ago
Travis Charest
Stan Sakai wrote: 2 hours ago
A group of us went out to dinner--Joe and Dotty Ferrara, Sergio, Andrew, Andrea, Floyd Norman, Matt, Kirby, Sarah, me, Scott Shaw. You have not been entertained until you hear Joe and Sergio serenade you with Ghost Riders in Spanish.
Stan Sakai wrote: 3 hours ago
Here is the last of the Comic-con wavers for Sharon, taken at the Dead Dog Party. I took a couple hundreds of these, mostly of fans who come to our booth every year and who Sharon has gotten to know. I'm sure these photos will bring a big smile to her face. Thank you everybody!
Stan Sakai wrote: 3 hours ago
Maggie Thompson and Graphitti's Bob Chapman
Stan Sakai wrote: 3 hours ago
Ultra-cool Steve Leialoha
Stan Sakai wrote: 3 hours ago
Ace journalist and all around cool gal Heidi MacDonald
Stan Sakai wrote: 3 hours ago
Editor Diana Schutz with her newest boy-toy (actually, my son, Matthew)
Stan Sakai wrote: 6 hours ago
Monday was a travel day, but we visited Sharon yesterday and today. She really appreciates all the photos, cards, original drawings and gifts from San Diego.
She has been weaned off physical therapy, into nurse therapy. Today she used a walker and walked the corridor loop around the convalescent center--a good 300 feet, the length of a football field. There was a nurse at her side carting the oxygen, and I was bringing up the rear with a wheel chair. Sharon had to stop a few times, but she never sat down. She made it all the way back to her room, and waved as she passed the physical therapy room.
Here's one of the gifts she received, a crochet hat made by Kaytee Sumida and modeled by son Matthew.
Stan Sakai wrote: 20 hours ago
Sharon walked the entire corridor loop of the convalescence center again. She had to stop to rest after every dozen steps, but she did not sit down in the wheel chair I was following her with. She only walked half that distance yesterday, after feeling sick in the morning.
Son Matthew is back up in Northern California, after buying a car down here (a retired police car), so I'm home alone again, at least for awhile.
Juanjo Guarnido wrote: 5 hours ago
Didn't know you were going through hard times family-wise, Stan. You certainly had the courage not to let it show in San Diego. Seems amazing to me. Wish you the best and was so happy to meet you.
Hugs,
J
Stan Sakai wrote: 3 hours ago
Thank you, Juanjo. It was such a pleasure to meet you. I have been a fan of Blacksad since I discovered it in the French editions. I am so happy that Dark Horse is publishing it in the US.
Stan Sakai wrote: 15 hours ago
The speech therapist checked Sharon out this afternoon for her ability to talk and swallow. She failed on both counts, so she will continue to write on a pad to communicate and be fed through her feeding tube. It does not help that her brain tumor has paralyzed the left side of her tongue and throat. She has more tongue exercises to do. Right now, she has minimal muscle control of her tongue and is unable to even stick her tongue out of her mouth.
I haven't had a chance to do marketing since returning from San Diego, so have been making do with what's in the fridge. Tonight I had pork loin roast with apples cooked with ginger and lemon, and frozen green beans with garlic.
Stan Sakai wrote: 17 minutes ago
I finally had a chance to go marketing, and saw blueberries are on sale. You know that can only mean, IT'S MUFFIN TIME!
Stan Sakai wrote: 16 minutes ago
Peaches are also on sale, but blueberry muffins look much more dramatic than peach.
Scott Shaw wrote: 15 minutes ago
WHAT?!? No blueberry pancakes?
Stan Sakai wrote: 11 minutes ago
Contrary to rumors (spread by you, Scott), I am not a big pancake fan.
Stan Sakai wrote: 11 minutes ago
Crepes, on the other hand, are great
.
Stan Sakai wrote: 10 minutes ago
I'm more partial to flapjacks.
Stan Sakai wrote: Saturday
Sharon walked the corridor loop around the convalescence center just now. That is 300 feet each time, third time this week. However, she continues to lose weight. She is down to 77 pounds. They tried increasing the feed flow, but her body cannot absorb it fast enough and she throw up.
Stan Sakai wrote: Saturday
For those who asked for it, here is my Sour Cream Blueberry Muffin recipe
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup blueberry (though I use at 2)
1 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Cream butter and sugar, add eggs. Sift flour with soda and salt, add to mixture, alternating with sour cream. Add vanilla and blueberries. Grease muffin pan, bake at 450 degrees approximately 15 minutes. Yields 1 dozen.
Stan Sakai wrote: Saturday at 9:19pm
One of them has some flax seeds on top, just to see what it was like.
Stan Sakai wrote: Saturday at 9:20pm
Also, it tastes good with some lemon zest.
Stan Sakai wrote: Saturday at 10:21pm
A lot of stores have blueberries on sale right now. Let me know how they turn out.
Stan Sakai wrote: 9 hours ago
It's not a good day for Sharon. She got dizzy when transferred to a wheelchair, and her blood pressure shot way up. It quickly settled down but it left her pretty drained, so no walking or other exercising today
She was just changed to a richer feeding formula in the hopes that it will help her gain weight. She had been on protein suppliments, but that did not help. She was 77 pounds on Friday.
I started hiking again this morning, after a three week absence from the trails. The regulars all said they missed me. One told me of a bear encounter a couple weeks ago. The bear was ambling down the trail, about the mile and a third point, as they were going up. They startled each other, and it was the bear that turned off the path and up the mountain. I've been hoping to see a bear (though at a distance) since I started hiking. All I've seen this year are a bunch of rattle snakes.
Stan Sakai wrote: 8 hours ago
I have actually seen quite a few bears in the wild, and I wasn't wearing my bacon pants. The closest bear sighting while walking was about a hundred feet. While in a car, was about 50 feet. Where the bear was driving to, I don't know.
Thank you Stan for your great humor, it really put a smile on my lips. Although the serious situation concerning Sharon's health is like it is, it's good to see, that you can put that humor into your postings in facebook.
I excuse my english, I hope you understand what I meant.
My thoughts are with you.
Greetings
Jens
And thanks to Steve for posting the postings here in the forum!
Stan Sakai wrote: 5 hours ago
Good day for Sharon today. Her blood sugar was well within the normal range--90. It's been awhile since that's happened. She took her walk around the convalescence center, and she made the loop in record time.
For dinner tonight I made braised chicken with green beans. I used some cognac in it just because I wanted to flambé something. The furikake is just to give the rice some color to stand out on the white plate. I've got to get some color plates.
Stan Sakai wrote: 5 hours ago
I made a steak last night. I'm always in a dilemma when I make it. It takes 10 minutes to broil, but has to rest for 20 minutes to let the juices absorb back in. But it's cold by then. I waited 10 minutes before cutting, and a lot of juices flowed out. Is there a solution?
Patty Leidy wrote: 5 hours ago
foil it
Andy Wise wrote: 5 hours ago
Like Patty side, make a tin foil tent and put it over your steak, it is also good to keep it in a warmer spot in the kitchen near something else you are cooking.
Stan Sakai wrote: 5 hours ago
You're right, Andy and Patty, I learned that foil tent method from America's Test Kitchen. However, after 20 minutes it still gets cold.
Alexander Hoffman wrote: 5 hours ago
I sear steaks for 2 min a side in a cast iron pan before putting in oven for 6 min (medium) at 400 degrees...steaks rest for 5 min in tinfoil and no juices
Stan Sakai wrote: 5 hours ago
Alexander, that sounds good. I have a great cast iron pan that I can use.
Alexander Hoffman wrote: 5 hours ago
You will love it...it's wonderfully simple and sooo tasty
Stan Sakai wrote:
5 hours ago
I saw Ramsay cook a steak using a similar method, and he used a lot of butter, a lot more than I'm used to using. But it did look good.
Alexander Hoffman wrote: 5 hours ago
The steak will be just as tasty if you decide to forgo the butter at the end (you still need some in the pan) and go with another sauce (like a peppercorn or what not)...it's not essentially...yummy but totally replaceable
Stan Sakai wrote: 5 hours ago
Thank you. I'll definitely try this.
Yes, I would recommend searing the steaks. You can then either choose to continue to cook in the pan at a lower heat (which is usually what I do), or put it in the oven to heat through.
With a breeze comes a storm, but then you'll all be washed away...
Stan Sakai wrote: 6 hours ago
Sharon's numbers were really good today. Unfortunately, the nurse therapist was not in, so she did not walk. However, she did sit upright in a wheelchair for about 90 minutes.
Tonight I made cold ginger chicken with hot ginger rice, and a side of baked kabocha pumpkin.
Here's something you probably did not know: Years and years ago Sharon and I worked part time as cooking class and catering assistants. Our boss was then Chief Coroner of LA County Dr Thomas Noguchi. Jack Klugman's character, Quincy M.E., was based on Dr Tom. Some of his celebrity cases involved the deaths of Marilyn Monroe, Robert Kennedy, Sharon Tate, Janis Joplin, Natalie Wood, and John Belushi. Dr Tom was very colorful and often in the news, which meant he had a lot of political enemies. He was an advocate of dividing the Head Medical Examiner's office into two department, one administrative and the other investigative. After he was pushed out of office, he was replaced by two people--one for administration and the other for investigation/pathology.
Besides being the ME, Dr Tom was also a gourmet cook specializing in Japanese cuisine. Sharon and I started assisting him just as a lark, but we were good enough that we became permanent helpers. The pay wasn't great, but it was fun and we got to take home the extra food. I have to say that Dr Tom did know fresh meats. He once told his business partner to return some sashimi because it was just past it's prime. It looked okay to me, but who am I to argue with him. The store felt the same way.
Incidentally, this is not from any of his recipes.
Zack Davisson wrote: 5 hours ago
What is your recipe? I do a kabocha nimono I'm pretty proud of. I even take the time to carve the kabocha for the marbled effect, the way I was taught. A lot of effort, but worth it.
Stan Sakai wrote: 4 hours ago
The kabocha? All I did was peel it, chunk it, toss with olive oil, rosemary, garlic, and sea salt. Put it on a baking pan, and into a 400 degree oven until done.
Zack Davisson wrote: 4 hours ago
You know, I've never baked kabocha. I always simmer it in the traditional style with dashi, sake, mirin, and soy sauce. Rosemary and garlic with kabocha sounds interesting!
Stan Sakai wrote: 4 hours ago
I've baked it with other veggies before, but never by itself. I figured you can do it with pumpkin and squash, so the kabocha shouldn't be that different. Like you, I usually simmer it, as that's what my mom did. I think I'll do that with the other half.
Zack Davisson wrote: 4 hours ago
I'll have to give that a try sometime. I love roasted squash, usually with sage. But I have a nice rosemary bush in my garden, and I could pull some off and bake some kabocha.
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