December 16, 2007

Does anybody remember when I said my mother was getting in today? Approximate time? Flight number? Feel free to leave any pertinent information in the comments section. I want to make sure this trip to Vancouver gets off to a wonderful start (ie - a lift from the airport) as I’ve done even more research and come up with some spectacular mom-son activities for the coming weeks. I’ve narrowed it down to -

1. African Healing Dance Workshop for Women: Fairly self-explanatory. I’ll have to dig through the back of my closet to retrieve my comfy shoes.

2. A Conversation with Alan Greesnpan: The former chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board speaks in Vancouver! How cool is that?! I agree. No very.

3. Puppets Purple - The Holiday Show: Purple, huh? A hilariously racy little production perhaps? You bet! No child under 3 permitted.

4. Debbie Does Dallas (The Musical) - Not sure if this would be entirely appropriate for my mother. She hates musicals.

5. Electrik Soulstice: An evening of progressive house and electro showcasing eight different DJ’s. With eight different DJ’s to choose from, chances are she’s bound to find one she likes.

6. Camra Christmas Caskival: A tasting of 20 seasonal cask winter ales from local breweries. At first glance, this looks like a no-brainer but I must point out that the last time we attended one of these, I misplaced my mother and didn’t find her until the following weekend. In New Mexico.

7. A Very Agnostic Christmas: Featuring spiritless classics and equally spiritless eggnog.

So, any stand-outs in the list?

By the way, thanks to Scarym for the Elfyourself link. I spent far too long this afternoon, Elfing friends and family when I really should have been downstairs shampooing the carpet. I created a version of the season 5 executive producing team of Mullie, Mallozzi, Gero, and Binder in elf garb, dancing up a storm, then sent it to the aforementioned. I predict that Carl will find it hilarious, Martin will find it somewhat amusing and weigh in with a sarcastic observation about my elf’s dancing abilities, and Paul will be absolutely horrified but feign casual indifference and borderline disbelief in what I’m doing with my free time.

Keep the comments coming. Liking the new blog home?

I’ll try to field some questions tomorrow.

December 15, 2007

Woohoo! Look at what arrived in the mail yesterday! Yes, it’s a super special advance copy of the third and final book in Joe Abercrombie’s First Law trilogy. As regular readers of this blog know, I count the first two books in the series - The Blade Itself and Before They Are Hanged - among my Top Twenty-Five Books I Would Take With Me Were I To Be Exiled To An Otherwise Pleasantly Livable Planet By A Loathsome and Senselessly Vindictive Organization Like, Say, The Folks At Blogger. And just how did I get my hands on an advanced copy? Well, to make a long story unnecessarily longer -

I’m an acquaintance of Baron Destructo (who is acting president of L.A.M.E., the League of Aliens and Mutants for Evil, an organization hellbent on world conquest and the subjugation of the entire human race) from way back when we used to run in the same Dungeons and Dragons circles (Delfoss Draco, 14th level goblin thief, mediocre numbers across the board with the stand-out exception of a charisma of 18, pleased to meetcha). Anyhoo, several years ago, I ran into the Baron at a baby shower for a mutual friend and he invited me back to the moonbase where the league was planning to celebrate their recent invasion of Madagascar (You didn’t hear about it because it was never made public. I refer to both the invasion and the after-party). So I went to the party where I met the rest of the league and made the acquaintance of Sinderella Washington and her boyfriend at the time, the Tumbler. Her abilities were essentially hypnosis-based - powers of suggestion and the like - in addition to superhuman agility, a spectacular proficiency with blades, and a leather outfit guaranteed to stop casual bystanders in their tracks. He tumbled. Backwards, forwards, sideways - executing a roll or two before bounding back up onto his feet, none the worse for wear. Impressive at parties but as far as inspiring fear in potential victims or Captain Spectacular and his Confederacy of Justice - not so much. When Sinderella excused herself to go beat senseless the waiter who had served her a gin and tonic as opposed to the gin and 7 she’d ordered, the Tumbler confided that he wasn’t cut out for this whole supervillain thing and had only joined the League in a misguided attempt to save his eroding relationship. It seems they were growing apart - he, then a struggling film editor with aspirations to someday write one of the most enjoyably atypical fantasy trilogies of all time, she, a merciless villainess with a penchant for wholesale slaughter. They were destined to be two ships passing all-too-dangerously close in the night, but he sought to forestall the seemingly inevitable by transforming himself into one of the greatest villains in the history of villaindom (or at least for as long as they were keeping official records)! Instead, he settled for The Tumbler. Shockingly, his powers didn’t derive from any mutant gene or alien physiology or even a state-of-the-art wardrobe. He was just good at tumbling. In any case, we had a long heart to heart (it took Sinderella a while to track down the waiter who’d been hiding in the walk-in shoe closet), and it became clear to me that here was a man with courage and heart, a man who was willing to do anything for love. And I decided right there and then that I was going to help him.

We returned to Earth and immediately got to work, fashioning a whole new super villain persona for him - one that he could be proud of, one that would command the respect of not only the love of his life, but the entire League of Aliens and Mutants for Evils. We researched and worked, days turned into weeks, weeks into months, months into other months (I think we celebrated Valentine’s Day twice that year) but, eventually, our work was completed. He’d been thoroughly re-imagined, from the lowly Tumbler to the charismatically nefarious Matriculator (because he was eager to learn!) with his ultra-light, space age cyber-suit designed to give him the strength of a hundred men, the speed of a jet, and the ability to withstand molten heat, sub-zero cold, and sudden drafts.

To this day, I’ll always remember the look on his face when he clapped his hands down on my shoulder, smiled at me and said: “I’ll never be able to repay you. But some day. Some day…” And then he turned and bounded off to pursue his dream, and his one true love.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. I’d forgotten to recharge the batteries in his suit and he ended up getting pretty beat up at the hands of Captain Spectacular, then spent about a year and a half in traction before being transferred to a state penitentiary in Louisiana. A sad, sad tale.

I’m sorry. What was the point of the story? Oh, yeah. Joe Abercrombie. He was the waiter who mixed up that drink order.

Speaking of Joe, he’s got his own website (Ooooooh, aren’t we special?) and blog. You can check him out here -

http://www.joeabercrombie.com/

Since my mother rolls into town tomorrow night, I figured I’d better get an early jump on January’s Book of the Month Club selections. To all those interested, even marginally so, start reading. You needn’t read all three to participate. Or two. Heck, just pick your favorite genre (Sci-Fi = The Time Traveler’s Wife, Fantasy = The Princess Bride, or Horror = Ghost Story) and read one. Discussion begins that first full week of January. Also, a reminder that in the second week, we’ll be discussing Sean Williams’ The Crooked Letter: Books of the Cataclysm One. Those taking part and weighing in with comments could win a copy of the second book in the series (Blood Debt: Books of the Cataclysm Two) compliments of Pyr.

So, what do y’all think of the new digs? For the most part, I like Wordpress and suspect I’ll grow to like it even more as I grow more comfortable with the new location and better acquaint myself with all of the nifty doodads. One drawback I’ve found is the picture quality - specifically the clickable thumbnails. Compare these to the clickable pics I imported from blogger.

Also, re: comments. I had the option of automatically approving comments by previously-approved posters and elected not to exercise this option simply because I want to ensure I read each and every one. I also had the option to allow anonymous postings and, after some deliberation, have decided to only permit comments from individuals with working email addresses. This will hopefully weed out some of the curse-cut-and-run posters and will also allow me to amass a terrific potential customer base should I ever get my mail-order seed catalog business off the ground.

No mailbag today as I’m in the process of preparing the house for mom’s arrival. P.S. Thanks for all of the great suggestions on what I should do while she’s here. They are so great, in fact that I’m considering holding another contest: The Win A Day With Joe’s Mom Extravaganza. Details to follow.

December 14, 2007

THIS BLOG HELD HOSTAGE - DAY FOUR

It was while I was scanning the top shelf, looking decidedly undecided, that the saleswoman stepped up alongside me and asked: “Can I help you find something on your holiday list?” “Sure,”I replied, thankful for the offer. “Do you carry Wii’s?” She threw me an uncertain look - you know, one of those looks an uptight aunt might throw a child who’d used the word “boobies” during polite dinner table. But I suppose the reaction was warranted. I was in a cookware shop after all. “Ah, forget the Wii,”I followed up before she had a chance to respond. “Just get me that Cuisinart blender.”

And so, while I was unsuccessful in tracking down the gaming system Fondy so desperately wants for Christmas, I was able to get myself a new blender so that I’d never again have to use that stainless steel hand blender that sprays peanut butter and banana all over the counter top every time I attempt to make a post-workout smoothie. I also picked up the perfect gift for the lazy shopper: gift certificates! Each card entitles the lucky owner to a $50 dollars eyebrow waxing. How cool is that?

Aside from the Christmas shopping, I’ve been shuttling Jelly back and forth between home and the Granville Island Animal Hospital. The poor girl has a degenerative hip condition that makes it painful for her to do much walking (she’ll usually just sit at the bottom of the stairs and wait for me to carry her up to bed or sit by the couch and bark until I pick her up and settle her down on the headrest, her preferred scoping position) and she’s been limping more than usual of late. She also lost her appetite (which for a pug is highly unusual). Well, the blood work came back normal and after some treatment with Tramadol and Metacam, she seems a little better. At this point, I’m not sure if her reluctance to go outside or climb stairs without my assistance is due to hip pain or sheer laziness on her part. I suspect a little of both.

Also, welcome all to my new - mayhap temporary - home here on Wordpress. Special thanks go out to Michelle who suggested the change of venue. Also, extra special thanks to Michelle who alerted me to the “import” feature that allows me to import by entire blog from blogger and effectively back-up my year’s worth of irksome ramblings. So thanks and extra special thanks, Michelle. Check out today’s extra special pic - just for you.

December 13, 2007

THIS BLOG HELD HOSTAGE - DAY 3

Months ago, MGM offered to host this blog and, after careful consideration, I respectfully declined only because I didn’t necessarily want this to be an all Stargate all the time blog. Granted, more than a few of you do by now and then to delight in the behind-the-scenes pics of Joe Flanigan eating lunch and David Hewlett changing his socks, or to find out how that oft-mentioned musical episode is coming along, but this blog has always been more than that. It’s been chocolate and books and dogs and me complaining endlessly about everything from chilly airplane cabins to kiwis. I felt confident that staying with blogger would allow me the freedom to continue blogging about whatever and whenever (with the notable exceptions of rodeo clowns, the Rambo movies, and Halliburton anytime between the hours of 2:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on the last weeks of February, March, and August). Alas, I was sorely mistaken.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m all for rules. In my opinion, nothing typifies an advanced society like the need to tell its citizens what to do. Back in elementary school, I was voted Most Likely to Follow the Rules (also, for what it’s worth, Least Likely to Learn How to Juggle). Still, the whole point of having rules is to punish those who break them and reward those who follow them - or, at the very least, don’t punish those who follow them. Which brings me to me, and my present situation: inactive and blogless until a time when the folks at blogger clear me of any wrongdoing. Which begs the questions: What have I done? and Will I be cleared? Well, let’s refer to the blogger terms of services and find out:

“Pornography and Obscenity: Image and video content that contains nudity, sexually graphic material, or material that is otherwise deemed explicit by Google should be made private. Otherwise, we may put such content behind an interstitial.”Was someone offended by that photo of the chocolate dessert with the raspberry coulis? (I know I was.) Was the shirt Cliff Simon wore when he dropped by the studio for his Continuum fitting too decollete for some? Are there readers who objected to the use of the terms “lollygag”, “tender meatballs”, or “hazzencockle”? If so, my apologies, but it’s evidently not against the rules.“HATEFUL CONTENT: Users may not publish material that promotes hate toward groups based on race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, veteran status, and sexual orientation/gender identity.”

Hmmm. How about groups given to jerkidity and boneheadedness? No? Moving on.

“VIOLENT CONTENT: Users may not publish direct threats of violence against any person or group of people.”Granted, that video of Lulu and Bubba doing their best imitation of pint-sized sumos doing battle was certainly exhilarating - but violent? Nah.“COPYRIGHT: It is our policy to respond to clear notices of alleged copyright infringement.”I haven’t heard from either Lulu or Bubba’s lawyers, so I think we’re good here too.

“PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION: We do not allow the unauthorized publishing of people’s private and confidential information, such as credit card numbers, Social Security Numbers, and driver’s and other license numbers.”Aside from the occasionally in-depth account of Baron Destructo’s plans for world domination, not much in the way of sensitive data being released on my blog. Oh, unless you count that time I released Cookie Monster’s private email. Hmmm, now that I think of it, please wipe the following email account from your respective memories: Coooooookiemonster@yahoo.com “IMPERSONATION: We do not allow impersonation of others through our services in a manner that is intended to or does mislead or confuse others.”Nope, no impersonations either. I’m me and several of my close friends will vouch for my identity, among them: Aloysius P. Hazzencockle, Percival H. Lintmuffin, Margaret Quibble, Agent Wexler, Cookie Monster, and Baron Destructo and the entire League of Aliens and Mutants for Evil.“UNLAWFUL USE OF SERVICES: Our products and services should not be used for unlawful purposes or for promotion of dangerous and illegal activities. Your account may be terminated and you may be reported to the appropriate authorities.”

True, I had originally intended to call this blog: Thoughts and Tirades, Rants and Ruminations, Pirated Cable and Black Market Bear Gall Bladders For Sale… BUT DIDN’T!

“SPAM, MALICIOUS CODES AND VIRUSES: We do not allow spamming or transmitting malware and viruses.”Malicious code is admittedly out of my depth and unless you’ve caught my cold, that’s the extent to which I could be transmitting any viruses. As for spam - well, as longtime readers know, I’m not only an active spam buster but have turned down offers to shill various products on my blog. Despite the many attractive money offers received, I’ve remained firm on this issue - as firm as…SMEVEK’S ULTRA-MINT GUM! The gum that stays firm - even after repeated chewings!

Nope, that can’t be it either. BUT, according to the blogger folks (who will heretofore be referred to as “the blokes” or, conversely, “the floggers”), spamming is the issue here. “Blogger’s spam-prevention robots have detected that your blog has characteristics of a spam blog,”they say. Characteristics of a blog? What characteristics? Well, according to blogger, spam blogs “can be recognized by their irrelevant, repetitive, or nonsensical text”. Irrelevant, repetitive, or nonsensical text! Holy shit! If that’s all it takes to raise the red flag, I’m surprised they didn’t shut me down sooner!

Blogger breaks it down (and I feel increasingly guilty) -

“Spam blogs cause various problems, beyond simply wasting a few seconds of your time when you happen to come across one.”

Dovil: “Oh hell. Here we go with the friggin’ oxtail risotto again!”

“They can clog up search engines, making it difficult to find real content on the subjects that interest you.”

Cheeky Lil Devil: “Why can’t I find any entries about Shep getting beaten up in one of those Japanese mud bath spas?!”

“They may scrape content from other sites on the web, using other people’s writing to make it look as though they have useful information of their own.”

PG-15: “Hey, wait a minute! This Cookie Monster response is lifted almost word for word from Senator Joe Biden’s 1988 Democratic primary speech.

“And if an automated system is creating spam posts at an extremely high rate, it can impact the speed and quality of the service for other, legitimate users.”

Jenny Robin: “Our computers are running slow! It has to be Mallozzi!”

So here I sit, blogging for no one (or hopefully everyone eventually) wondering whether an alternate blog host might be a better way to go given that this particular hiccup has cost me three days and counting. Anyone have any suggestions? I’ve looked into wordpress but can’t figure out how to upload images. I could set up my own website, but I have a feeling that would prove incredibly complicated. Far more complicated than, say… subletting Robert Picardo’s blog?

Hey, Bob, how about it? I’ll promise to tidy up when I’m done!

Today’s pics: Our dinner at the Congee Noodle House with Steve and Jodi followed by Steve’s homemade eggnog.

December 12, 2007

THIS BLOG HELD HOSTAGE - DAY 2

In the future unlikely event that I miss another day blogging, I would appreciate it if, rather than simply note my absence as odd and move on, you all use your heads and make the logical assumption that I am trapped somewhere (in all probability, my legs have been pinned under a fallen refrigerator) and require if not your help, then your sympathy. So if you’re not going to rush over and save my life, at the very least bake me a batch of pistachio creams or knit me a cool shoulder holster, something that will help me while I convalesce.

So, with mere days before my mother’s arrival in Vancouver, I am in the process of putting together my “Fun Things To Do With Mom While She‘s Here” list. After checking out some of the online tourism Vancouver sites and perusing the Upcoming Events section of the local independent weekly, this is what I’ve come up with so far:

1) The Holiday Tap Weekend Extravaganza: which includes workshops for people lacking the will to refuse.

2) Bodyslams for Toys: All Star Wrestling benefit featuring matches between Gorgeous Michelle and Aaron Idol in addition to a bout pitting Penni Lane against Nikki Matthews versus Veronika Vice.

3) Retro 80’s dance party at the Atlantis Club (!). I wonder if any members of the expedition will show?

4) Breakfast with Santa: Pancake and sausage breakfast, face painting, and bouncy castle. (Bouncy castle!!!)

5) Winter Funk 2007 Canada: showcasing the latest Bollywood moves.

6) Solidarity Notes: The Vancouver labor choir performs songs of workers’ struggles and social injustice.

So if you were going to take your mom to one of the aforementioned, which would you choose?

Okay, so if you had to choose?

Alright, someone is holding a gun to your head and threatens to kill you unless you attend one. Which will it be?

Fine! Many people are holding guns to your head and the heads of pretty much everyone you know. To save countless lives, you MUST select one.

Well, it doesn’t matter. I failed to check the dates. These events are all happening THIS week. I’ll get an updated rundown of Upcoming Events and follow-up with a brand new list for you all to vote on soon.

To be honest, I haven’t had much occasion to take my mother out and about (besides dinners of course). I believe the last time I did was the time I took her to see the third Lord of the Rings installment, The Return of the King. I remember her commenting loudly throughout the movie as if we were sitting in her living room watching it on t.v. Finally, at the point in the film where the Steward of Gondor rebukes his son Faramir and openly wishes he had perished in battle instead of his preferred Boromir, my mother could barely contain herself. “It’s so ugly that a father would say that to his son!”she remarked. I nodded in agreement and sushed her, making it clear that we should discuss the movie later. And so, she quieted down and watched…up until the part where Frodo and Sam brave the arid journey to the Crack of Doom, when the sight of the two parched hobbits caused her exclaim: “ACH! THEIR LIPS!”.

McGillion suggested she might enjoy going up to Seattle to catch a Supersonics game. I countered that she’d probably prefer three days of sight-seeing fun with her favorite Stargate Atlantis character: Carson Beckett! In the end, we agreed to disagree.

So, help me out here. I’m certain that some of you out there are mothers or have mothers or at least know (of) mothers. What would be a fun mother-son excursion? And don’t say “Go with her to a couples spa,”as my wife (I hope) jokingly suggested. Creepy.

December 11, 2007

Words hurt, but not as much as fists or fingernails. Still, they do hurt - as was the case today when I was labeled…a spammer! Well, actually, my blog was identified as a potential spam blog by the fine folks at blogger. I received the following email: “Your blog, […] has been identified as a potential spam blog. […] You will not be able to publish posts to your blog until we review your site and confirm that it is not a spam blog. To request a review, please fill out the form found here: […] We will take a look at your blog and unlock it within four business days. Please note that if we do not hear from you within 20 days, we will remove your blog.” Ah, I thought, a much-needed break. Four days would be just about right. So I clicked on the provided link to start the review process - and ended up with an error message. Successive attempts (oh, let’s say thirty) proved just as futile. Fortunately, I was able to navigate the blogger help section that, while wholly unhelpful, did provide me with an email address belonging to a real (and hopefully at least partially) live person. And so, I sit back and await my day in court. However, in the event I attempt to post an entry in the interim, I am met with the following warning: “This blog has been locked by Blogger’s spam-prevention robots.” Robots! How cool is that? I’m afraid to test their resolve lest I provoke them into zapping me with their laser eye beams or crushing me in their oversized mechanoid mitts.

Aw, hell. Since I’m killing time, why not answer a few questions -

Angel writes: “I have another book suggestion for you — “Spin” by Robert Charles Wilson. I just finished it last night and it was awesome…”

Answer: I read Spin a couple of months ago and agree with you. It was awesome. On the strength of Spin, I also picked up Bios which I haven’t gotten around to yet. Read it?

Anonymous #1 writes: “Joe, you do know that Reese wasn’t a replicator, right? Right? You do know that she was a robot, right? Because there is a big difference…”

Answer: Yes, thanks for that. She was a robot and not a human form replicator like Fifth. However, her ability to create replicators presumes a physiological parallel (or connection) between the two “life forms“. In other words, her ability to fashion replicators wasn’t magical but a direct result of whatever physical characteristics she possessed that allowed her to do so.

Jenny Robin writes: “Also, what are you sending me for Christmas?”

Answer: My love?

Jamie writes: “are there perhaps any other Rodney/Teyla friendship moments in upcoming episodes?”

Answer: BAMSR.

Neep writes: “Yesterday my twin sister and I (she is recovering from eye surgery and I have a nasty cold) went out for a birthday lunch at Strawberry Fare.”

Answer: Those desserts looked great! And kind of racy!

Thornyrose writes: “Do we get to see Teyla explain her ‘condition” to her teammates, or is that something that will happen offscreen?”

Answer: We will definitely see the reveal onscreen - as well as the ensuing fireworks.

Tim writes: “Just wondering, how does one perform a search on this here blog?”

Answer: Use the search function in the top left hand corner of my blog. For instance, write in “Cookie Monster”, hit search, and that should bring up most if not all of my Cookie Monster correspondence.

Gilder: “Would you please dedicate a blog to me this week?”

Answer: I dedicate this blog entry to you. So, how did you do?

ANAIS a ecrit: “Dite moi un chiffre entre 1 et 41?”

Reponse: 37!

Charlie writes: “Who’s the ranking military officer on SGA now?”

Answer: Colonel Samantha Carter.

Anonymous #2 writes: “earlier this year you said that it was a clue to carson’s return in one of the final 3 episodes of season 3, could you tell us now which episode it is in?”

Answer: No, but I can say that it’s near the very end of said episode.

Anonymous #3 writes: “At the Burbank Con, Joe F. revealed that under pressure from the actors, the producers agreed to do readthrus and then took them away because “there were more writers showing up then producers” even though there are two writers for every actor on the show!”

Answer: When Paul and I took over as showrunners, we had individual sit-downs with the actors to tell them what was in store for their characters in season four and to get their feedback. The actors had two requests: 1. Read-throughs, and 2. New Uniforms. So we changed the uniforms and started doing read-throughs (this despite the fact that a couple of producers who’d had experience with them warned they wouldn’t last). Well, they did last - up until about halfway through the season. While certain actors showed up for them, others were, uh, not quite as dedicated. As the season wore on, the turn-out consistently lessened to the point where we decided to discontinue the read-throughs. For the record, the “more writers than producers” was a joke.

Anonymous #4 writes: “He also said that every time he would go up to give you guys notes, you would tell him it was too late. He would read the scripts earlier and earlier and each time he would be told too late. Why is this?”

Answer: I’m going to have to go out on a limb here and assume you misheard him because we’ve always invited input from the actors. In fact, given the tight shooting schedule later in the season, I made it a point to personally visit Joe in his trailer to get his notes on Harmony and Outcast. Writers do their best to address any concerns. The only time notes are not incorporated into a script are those occasions when we fundamentally disagree with the note given.

Steph writes: “Well, it’s because I used the episode ‘Sunday’ as the topic for my essay. And seeing as I’m one of 108 students to be admitted early”

Answer: Congratulations! What will you be studying? Is it something space weapon-related? Baron Destructo and L.A.M.E. are hiring.

Anonymous #5 writes: “Are you planning to come back to Montreal for the holidays or will you be spending them in Vancouver.”

Answer: My mother and sister will be coming over to Vancouver for the holidays. Any suggestions for entertaining them while they’re here?

Morgia a ecrit: “Je suis ceeeertaine que tu te demandes: mais comment va son rhume ?”

Reponse: Comment va ton rhume? Mois aussi je souffre.

Promogirl writes: “Can you give us an update on Carl and how he’s fairing with the writers’ strike?”

Answer: Carl is out there picketing every morning at the Disney studios. Sadly, nary a Stargate fan has visited bearing those promised cookies. However, Xena fans did show up to distribute bottled water!

Anonymous #6 writes: “I was reading the news about Jason’s idea about Ronon going dark side in season 5 on GW. […] If you are throwing out ideas I hope it doesn’t come down to Ronon being captured and Sheppard unable to fee him because of the IOA.”

Answer: Well, as it turns out, Ronon’s desire to go darkside meshes nicely with a late season four story I had wanted to do - that, conveniently enough, has been pushed to early season 5. While the notion of Ronon feeling abandoned is interesting, I think it would be an irredeemable leap for his character to vow vengeance on Sheppard for not rescuing him in a timely manner. A more interesting scenario would have Ronon….ah, just watch the episode when it airs.

Rory21 writes: “From my point of view if Weir is alive or not is still a mystery, ¿I am right????”

Answer: From your point of view? Looks like it.

Sq2830 writes: “So, are you thinking about bringing Daniel Jackson in a comedic episode?”

Answer: I was kidding.

Kamilshka writes: “Of all the amazingly talented people involved with Stargate, he impressed me the most…”

Answer: Yep. John Lenic is a very talented guy and I couldn’t imagine making the show without him. In case you didn’t know, his non-Stargate credits include producing duties on A Dog’s Breakfast.

Anonymous #7 writes: “So, entire copy team is dead?”

Answer: Looks like it.

UPDATE

I'm back! But not here.

For the time being, I'm continuing my blogging activities over at -


josephmallozzi.wordpress.com


See you there!