You’d think I had one of the cleanest dogs in the world. Bubba not just loves bath time, he craves it. Lately, there hasn’t been a day that’s gone by when I haven’t walked into the bathroom and found him sitting on the edge of the tub, patiently awaiting my attention. If he doesn’t get it immediately, he’ll start to whimper, then whine, then, eventually, bark his outrage until, finally, like one of those less-than-ideal dog owners profiled on The Dog Whisperer, I’ll eventually give in – filling the tub with lukewarm water and dropping him in (what would Cesar Millan say?). Toss his pong in with him (that rubber ball with the tiny feet that are now minus those tiny feet because he always chews them off) and he can amuse himself for hours, bobbing and batting after the floating ball. Literally, hours. And it’s not just baths. Some mornings, he’ll actually hop into the running shower, position himself under the hot stream, and simply sit there until he is forcibly removed. All well and good and I don’t mind drying him off twice a day because he enjoys being clean, yet why do his paws always smell like nachos?
Went to the Sha Lin Noodle House the other night. As is usually the case after 6:00 p.m., the place was packed but we didn’t have to wait long before getting a table. I had the number 28 – nutritious soup with lamb and stewed pancake. I’m not exactly sure what makes it nutritious, but it may have been the bok choy or the seaweed or the plethora of mysterious dried berries that balanced the savory broth with a subtle sweetness. Bargain-hunters take note – $10 will get buy you a huge bowl. Fondy and I also shared a plate of sweet and sour batter-fried pork – more sweet than pour, more batter than pork -, and one of the house specialties: a terrific spicy cumin fried lamb. The glass-walled kitchen allows for a front row view of the noodle chefs in action – twisting, kneading, pounding, cutting, and tossing. Kids get a big kick out of the show and, occasionally, so do adults – like the time one of the chefs slammed his noodle rope down onto the table with such unexpected ferocity that one blasé father almost jumped out of his skin, much to the delight of his young son.
Let’s field a few questions…
Minigeek writes: “I did. Thought you might be interested in Dolby’s response.”
Answer: Gah! I showed Carl and he LOVED that pic.
UberAmandaFan writes: “When did you want us to remind you about re-posting your poem?”
Answer: Soon, soon.
Copernicus writes: “What do you think of Aaron Sorkin’s writing, be it for The West Wing, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, or any of his earlier projects?”
Answer: I enjoyed Sports Night.
Anonymous #1 writes: “can you please give us hints on Carter’s position in the Atlantis? Will there be a 5 person team like on SG-1, or will she stay on base?”
Answer: We will not be going with a 5 person team.
Grace writes: “Joe, I hope you have your resume ready. You’re going to need it.”
Answer: Why? Do you have any hot tips on some upcoming job openings? Dish.
Lauren writes: “You also referenced that the revelation in season 4 is going to be of ‘Gift’ preportions.”
Answer: I did?
Anonymous #2 writes: “Do you have a favourite scene from an SGA episode? “
Answer: Whenever I watch Duet, I always crack up when McKay lays the expected yet no-less shocking smack on Beckett.
Prior_of_the_Ori writes: “1) Will we see any more Wraith like Michael who got infected by the retrovirus? 2) Will we see any more people who used the Wraith enzyme like Ford did? 3) Will we see anymore people with the Wraith gene like Teyla? 4) Will we see anymore Runners like Ronan?”
Answer: 1) Possibly. 2) Perhaps. 3) Maybe. 4) It’s possible.
Allison writes: “If you could only pick one book that I just had to read, what would you suggest?”
Answer: I’d have to know a little more about your taste in books. Just going by the very positive responses from other I’ve recommended the book to, I’d suggest John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War. If you like fantasy, check out Scott Lynch’s The Lies of Locke Lamora. If you’d like to check out a very funny, period time-travel adventure, check out Connie Willis’s To Say Nothing of the Dog.
Lizzyshoe writes: “Mr. Mallozzi, sir, how do you feel about the coffee/chocolate combination? Heavenly union, yes?”
Answer: Possibly. To be honest, I’m not a coffee drinker.
Ruffles writes: “Are you any closer to casting someone for Larrin in Travellers?”
Answer: The lovely and talented Jill Wagner, formerly of Blade.
Joseph writes: “So Joe, my fairly odd but delightful local butcher offered me squirrel last time I wandered in. Yea or nay?”
Answer: Personally, I would lean towards nay. It’s not like it’s a delicious raccoon.
Maja writes: “So those who disagree don’t matter and their opinion is less important? Why do we have to be put down constantly by some other fans and the executive producer of the show. It still surprises me every time… and I don’t think it’s fair. One would think TPTB would be glad the character they created caught on with the audience so much.”
Answer: Everyone involved with the show appreciates the fact that fans are passionate about Stargate. The fact that so many fans came out to support Carson Beckett was great to see. Similarly, I can’t fault fans for expressing their likes or dislikes concerning creative decisions – unless they do so in an obnoxious manner in which case they can expect to be slammed. Similarly, if they insist on continuing to voice asinine opinions regarding actor intentions and motivations based on little more than conjecture, they can expect to be slammed hard. Such was the case yesterday.
Shawna writes: “I actually went to Chocoatl yesterday. I tried several of the chocolates, and while they were certainly very good, I have to admit to being slightly disappointed after the rave reviews I’ve read.”
Answer: You have to try to Mokachino chocolate and the Denso hot chocolate.
Anonymous #3 writes: “Over at the Scifi channel forums Jim Butcher, the guy behind The Dresden Files, made the following post:
“It’s a common misconception that the production crew of SG1 WANTED to keep on making the show. They didn’t. The show’s been going for ten freaking years. It doesn’t matter how great a crew you have to work with, after that much time you start to develop problems and issues, and people start to want to try new things and get other projects on their resumes. SG1 had one of the better runs of any show on TV, much less within the genre. They’re ready to do new things. It’s pretty much as simple as that. What, you think SciFi /wanted/ to cancel the longest-running genre program on TV? A proven success, whose personnel and audience were reliable and firmly in place? Not even. TV execs love the shows they can rely upon. It was SG1’s time. Life is like that.”
Is what he says true? Did you guys want to stop making SG-1? Were you just sick of it? Or is this guy full of shit?”
Answer: Full of shit is a bit harsh. Let’s just say “he couldn’t be more wrong”. We were ready and willing to do another season. We were cancelled.
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