“I better get cracking!”I informed Alex Levine as I hurried in to unlock my office door. “I have a lot to do today.”
“Putting out the revised script, huh?”Alex assumed.
“Script? Screw the script! I’ve got to make my picks for the NCAA March Madness pool!”
So I settled down, did my research, and made my selections. As did both Cookie Monster and Baron Destructo. While I’m picking Memphis to win it all, I’m banking on both Louisville, Wisconsin, and West Virginia to make a strong showing. The Baron, on the other hand, likes a couple of the number #1 seeds – North Carolina and UCLA – but sees something in Stanford and the Georgetown Hoyas (who he has picked to win it all). Finally, Cookie Monster, always thinking out of the box (Hey, he DID pick the Giants to upset the Pats!), is riding Clemson all the way past North Carolina and into the finals where he’s predicting they’ll upend Texas. Alex and Ivon will be coming over tomorrow so that we can catch the games on the big screen. Thursday’s and Friday’s games tip-off at 9:25 a.m. PST and the final game should wrap up just in time for dinner. Same tip-off time for Saturday and Sunday’s games with the revelry dying down a little after dinner. Guess I’ll set Monday aside as my writing day. And, if I have time, I might even see the wife.
Growing up, I was a voracious reader, a passion my mother was only too happy to nurture. While most kids my age were outside playing hockey, I was inside reading The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (despite the fact that I wrote my Master’s thesis on The Subversion of Meaning in Julius Caesar, Henry IV parts 1 and 2 remain my favorite). My reading list was comprised of everything from X-Men comics to the science fiction novels and short story collections my mom would surprise me with, most which now sit on my office bookshelves – works by Harlan Ellison, Isaac Asimov, and, of course, Arthur C. Clarke. I read a lot when I was younger but, given life’s distractions, it was a hobby I found less and less time for as I grew busier with more and “more important” matters: school, work, women. But it wasn’t until a few years ago that, my schooling done, my career established, and my choice in women finally narrowed down to one, I rediscovered my passion for books. And rediscovered some of the classics that spurred my imagination and started me on the road to writing: Alexander Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo, Jim Shooter’s Avengers, and Arthur C. Clarke’s Childhood’s End. Seminal works all. So I was saddened to read the news of Clarke’s passing. Granted, at ninety years of age he lived a full life before leaving us. Still, it really feels as though he took a little piece of my childhood along with him.
As did Gary Gygax who passed away last week. Gary was the creator of Dungeons & Dragons, the role-playing game responsible for shifting my focus away from reading and over to exploring deathtrap-laden castles and slapping around recalcitrant elves. So consumed were my buddies and I back then that we would play through entire weekends, Nick as the righteous warrior, Cas as the wizened wizard, and me as the vexatious goblin thief Delfoss Draco. Finally, one of my friend’s parents, concerned with our unhealthy obsession, took the rather extreme step of locking away his Dungeon Master Guide and Player’s Handbook in the house safe. And so, with access to our gaming paraphernalia severely restricted, we lost interest in D&D and eventually discovered alternate interests to occupy our free time. Alternate interests like beer. And B-52 shooters.
Carl put out his first draft of Tracker today. In a word: awesome! McKay and Ronon make a terrific team. We also sat down to a director’s cut of The Seed. Great episode. Poor Zelenka.
Finally, a big thank you to Amy Lynne for the shipment of chocolates and bucketful of walnut cakes. The habanero bar kicked ass.
Poor Zelenka??? You leave us with Poor Zelenka???
Bastard!
Hi Joe,
Question what episode are the set pictures from?
Have you ever tried e-books? I’ve found that I like the medium as it allows me to just stick it on a SD card, stick it in my palm on the fly, and then reading with out having to cart around books.
I think the last two days were so sh**ty, not only did Clarke pass but also one of my fave film directors Anthony Minghella.. *right sp?*
Btw, is that Chuck the Technician on the Captain’s seat??? -Cute! 😀
Great pictures. I recall my Mom being a playwright herself encouraged me to read at all times. I do recall several nasty looks when I was caught reading at family parties or at the dinner table. I remember Tad Williams Otherland series being amongst some of the books she got me as a pre-teen.
Ohhh, just when I thought I’d seen your first bad post (sorry, but March Madness makes me gag,even if I play in a pool), but then, there were the pictures. Caldwell, Sheppard, and a new battlecruiser? Then your tortuous teasing tidbits. And thank you for bringing up the passing of Clarke and Gygax. The loss of each is another candle going out in the world. Fortunately you and the many regulars here manage to keep the light from fading entirely…Anne Teldy,that’s your cue to hurry up, get out of the hospital, and get back to posting.
hi, joe,
is the timeline for sam; 1- ark of truth, 2- atlantis, 3- continuum?
sally 🙂
Walnut cakes? I thought they were frozen chicken wings! Granted, I didn’t click on the picture, but only viewed the thumbnail.
Bad news about Clarke and Gygax. Admittedly, I never read the former’s books nor played the latter’s game, but they were giants in their genre and will surely be missed by their fans, and future fans alike. May they rest in peace.
Looks like the next few days will be very busy for you. Try not to loose your voice yelling at the TV and the players and their coaches. I’ll be watching my Sooners to see how far we get [gotta watch since they pay the bills!].
Have you ever eaten anything gluten-free?
A late thank you for hiring Mitch Pileggi – I love that guy, sexxy!!
P.S. What about Kansas!!??
Hi, Joe.
Thank you for your comments on Mr. Clarke and Mr. Cygax. I too was a voracious reader as a child (still am), and while Mr. Clarke didn’t introduce me to the wonderful world of scifi (that fell to Robert Heinlein and Rocket Ship Galileo), I’ve read many of Mr. Clarke’s novels, and love both 2001 and 2010 the movies based on his novels.
Thank you for the all the pretty shiny new photos too!
But…but…poor Zelenka?
He lost the betting pool?
The IRS tracked him down in the Pegasus Galaxy?
Please…nothing TOO much in the whumpage, deathage, etc. area for our WONDERFUL Zelenka!
Best wishes, Morjana
Joe….
Thanks for the pic’s//// but we are going through mailbag withdrawal…. 🙄 any chance you’ll catch up on your mail bag while you watch the NCAA March Madness games??? PLEASE!
Q: Are you and Marty Gero still on for Dinner at Fuel April 1st & 3rd. Please say YES…you bet ya!
Thanks
Patricia Lee
hey Joe,
yeah I heard about Arthur C. Clarke and Gary Gygax, may they RIP.
I read an article about Amanda Tapping’s involvement in season 5. remember a few weeks ago when I asked you about her? you said she’ll definitely be back. according to this interview she “returns to Atlantis to film at least part of the end of season 5”. I’m not sure what to think because Sam may leave in Search & Rescue which would make this the second ep you mentioned. hopefully I’m wrong!:) here’s the link
http://scifi.about.com/od/tvshowsaz/a/SciFi08upfronts.htm
cool pics, it’s always good to see Mitch Pileggi aka Caldwell. great news on Tracker! and regarding The Seed: poor Zelenka? what’s that supposed to mean? I wonder if there are Zelenka whumpers LOL
Oh, and a few questions. Hopefully I’ll be lucky enough to catch a mailbag session tomorrow…hopefully. Anyways…
1. Would you say that there are hints/foreshadowing in any of the first 9 episodes of the season of the new race/enemy introduced during the Mid-season 2 parter?
2. I know how ideas are thrown out at the writers’ table during spin sessions, and sometimes a writer gets to write his own idea, while at other times he scripts anothers’ idea. Of the scripts you write, are more of them from your own ideas, or the other writers’ ideas?
Thanks in advance!
Arthur c clarke is dead? oh my god. thats one thing that i find weird living over here as apposed to england, the news is all over the place there! I dont get to hear about it as much here or read about it. Strange.
Well im hoping you are having a better end of the week than the beginning! Heres hoping the rewrites all are now finally final. I guess you have had your bout of 3 for bad luck should be well.
A questing about something that has been bugging me for a while i apologise if it has been asked already but in unending there is a scene where vala is crying and daniel is comforting her. Can you tell us why she was crying? if someone else already has the answer please feel free to share lol.
Sounds like your days are on the upswing. Good thing. I was about to suggest a long vacation in a quiet place with nice white padded walls. And suicide watch.
Truly pleased to know things are going better. ~hugs~
Habanero … I drool. I have got to get me some of that!
Ah, D&D, not the girliest past-time, but I was a Hobbit thief-assassin. My young friends assure me that I would now be a rogue. How times change. Dear Hubby has the original books and dice which are older than a goodly portion of SGA fandom. I still have a very sharp dagger which was my sword; we all had weapons, LARPing before LARP was an acronym. I am such a geekette at heart even my inner fangirl rolls her eyes.
But booze is good too. And chocolate. And SGA.
“It’s full of stars.” Let us hope you find out if you were right or not, Clarke. May your journey be ever-lastingly wondrous.
Em, yeah, habañero tends to do that.
Heh, first thing I thought when I saw that third photo, was, pitifully enough: ‘Yay! Chuck commands a ship!’… That’s… not him, is it?…>_>
And what in the world is that second picture??
Poor Zelenka
Carl’s not going to do to him what Martin did to Carson last season, is he? Zelenka’s my fave character, after Ronon.
As a Memphis grad, I applaud your choice. 🙂
“Poor Zelenka?” You’re cruel for teasing us like that… gotta love it. And Rodney and Ronon as a team? I am so there.
Thanks for sharing the photos!
🙁 I was sad to hear about the passing of Arthur C. Clarke. And Gary Gygax for that matter. I will have to reread Childhood’s End.
My admiration for you has risen to an even higher level, Mr. Mallozzi, for banking on Wisconsin to make a strong showing. Go Badgers! (Tomorrow, 8:40pm central time! Watch and cheer for them!!!)
On a related note, yes, Tiger’s Eye, I will be attending UW-Madison for grad school. I am impressed that you were somehow able to glean that from…somewhere. My goal is to spend an entire decade of my life enrolled there. I’m definitely on my way. 😀
I spent quite a bit of time doing my own research for my brackets. I spent minimal time on my “normal” bracket. However, as an experiment, I filled out 2 additional brackets. On one bracket, I based everything on the teams’ mascots. Whichever team had the better mascot was the winner of the game. I have the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels winning in this one…have you seen the ‘stache on that mascot??? Awesome! The runner up was the West Virginia Mountaineer. However, I was also a big fan of the USC Trojan guy and the Western Kentucky Hilltopper who looks like he hangs with the Hamburgler. Then again, as far as I was able to tell, the St. Mary’s Gaels mascot is a robot reminiscent of a cylon. Which is also pretty awesome.
My second experimental bracket was based on the attractiveness of the head coaches. This landslide victory went to Washington St., who is headed by Tony Bennett (no, not the singer). Then again, perhaps I’m biased because he used to be the assistant coach for the Badgers. Or maybe it’s just because he’s seriously good-looking.
We’ll see which bracket proves to be most accurate.
-Emily
habanero bar?! *drools* I want!! I’ve been enjoying Cabot Habanero Cheddar – Amazing! If you like hot – it’s SO much better than wussy pepper jack. Burns SO good!
So…McKay and Ronon make a terrific team? Gonna have a lot to live up to after Ronon and Todd – in fact, it was suggested somewhere (by someone…not me, believe it or not) that Ronon, Todd and Teal’c would make a GREAT commando team…
I gotta agree…though, at the time, I wasn’t sure if they were talking attack force, or…no underwear.
Either way, I’m in!!!
😀
das
Have no idea what the bucket of doughy looking things are, but I harbor great hopes for your continued survival.
And may I say, Joe Flanigan has a distinctive profile, front, back, and sideways, so much so that he can be identified in any of your phoneshots. I hope this is a great comfort to him.
Btw, is Baron Destructo interested in computer dating?
Just thought I’d ask.
Whoa, I’m early.*peers round cautiously* There’s gotta be someone around.
Joe said:”..Gary was the creator of Dungeons & Dragons, the role-playing game responsible for shifting my focus away from reading and over to exploring deathtrap-laden castles and slapping around recalcitrant elves.”
Ah D&D, little did I know that in playing D&D I was preparing myself for married life, try negotiating a death-trap laden two bedroom semi (with exquisite views to front and rear of the property but unfortunately Wimpey omitted to dig a sizeable moat for generic lurking serpents to reside in.) and instead of recalcitrant elves (slippery little buggers at the best of times) try slapping around a bad tempered Ogre before spending years trying to devise more nefarious plots to bring about his downfall because quite frankly those twelve sided dice are pretty ineffective as weapons, doesn’t matter how hard you throw them or how accurate your enchanted slingshot happens to be they still don’t do as much real damage as say a well placed mystical sword thrust through the vitals or well aimed Star Trek collectors plates on the ricochet (they bounce pretty well before final impact and the MOD is apparently thinking of issuing them to the lads in the field and anywhere else they happen to be trying to to survive)
Methinks 3.38am is way too early to be pretending to be a) awake and b) coherent.
Good Morning!
Never read Avengers, but IMHO The Counte of Monte Cristo is one of the greatest characters ever. Finally saw Gankutsuou, and can you really say it is as good as the book? It was impressive, but I still don’t think it comes close to capturing that je ne sais qua of Dumas original.
And a science fiction writer who doesn’t pay their respects to Clarke shows very poor taste.
I have high hopes for a McKay-Ronon episode and am a big Binder fan, so “Tracker” is near the top of my list of most anticipated episodes.
Its me again. I think all this talk about recalcitrant elves has upset my computer moniter elves, you know the ones who control the pictures, they don’t want me to see picture number 4 in detail, now where’d I leave my enchanted sling shot?
Joe,
Thanks for the fantastic pics!
Your mentioning the NCAA made me laugh because not 30 minutes ago Anderson Cooper of Anderson 360 on CNN showed that while all the reporters in the back of Barak Obama’s plane thought he was preparing another speech, he was, in fact, making NCAA picks. Both of you definitely have your priorities straight…LOL!
Now, I have to stop writing fiction and reading your blog long enough to grade papers! My priorities…(giggle).
Have a wonderful Thursday!
MA
Hey Joe!
Heh, so you’re into March Madness as well? Seems like everybody’s being swept into it. Good luck with your picks!
Nice pictures as well! Love the little sneak peak images. Non-spoilerific, but always a good sight. 🙂
Thanks as always!
– Enzo Aquarius
Yay! Ronon and McKay working together! I can hardly wait for Trackers. The title makes me think of The Three Hunters (Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers) and I wonder if Ronon and Rodney will be hunting for someone in a similar manner. Your comments on The Seed have me worried for Dr Zelenka, though. I love that little guy and I don’t want to lose him! Or is he just going to be stuck with kids again? I seem to recall he liked Planet Kid about as much as Rodney did. *crossing my fingers for Dr Z’s safety*
Instilling a love of reading is one of the best things a parent can do for a child, in my opinion. Your trip down memory lane reminded me of some of the things I enjoyed (and still do). I’ve been thinking of rereading Dumas’ D’Artagnan series and your mention of The Count of Monte Cristo brought it to mind again. Have you thought of putting some classics (of any genre) into the Book of the Month Club?
Some geeky questions for you while you’re tripping down memory lane, Joe:
Was Delfas Draco your favorite player character and if not, who was? I can definitely see you playing Rogues of one variety or the other, particularly the old First Edition Bard as you definitely have the gift of Blarney. My favorite character was a second edition human Beast Rider, whose name I took for my online alias.
Have you ever used some of the elements from favorite campaigns as story lines in scripts? It would seem to be a gold mine, considering some of the twists players and DMs alike can throw into a campaign.
Do you think that your early RPing, especially DMing, helped make you a better writer?
Also, yesterday’s post has got me wondering exactly which military regulation is causing you trouble. I’m hoping it’s one in particular and that you can find a way around it (or better yet that it changes in the not too distant future). I’m not going to say which, though you can probably guess.
I *love* Count of Monte Cristo!
Hope you do well in the basketball picks. I’d rather watch hockey. Not that I have a team, I’d just rather watch hockey than basketball, baseball, football… which I don’t watch.
Hope your re-re-rewriting goes well and doesn’t ruin your entire weekend. Stop and take the wife and kids for a walk!
suse
You realise that speculation is going to run wild now that Zelenka will be killed off.
I was also saddened by the loss of two childhood influences. I did not picture you to be a D & D player…not meant as insult. Rather I find it makes you more understandable. I have been reading your blog for almost a year (so sorry I am late). However, during the season I found that I had to avoid your blog from Friday until the airing of Atlantis on Monday nights…I am not really sure when I became such a purist, but I was unable to deal with any spoilers that might be forth coming. I would just like to say that I throughly enjoy reading your blog and that you find the time to write each and everyday…considering it is what you do for a leaving.
Diabolical, you are tempting me with your finally words…”Poor Zelenka” you cruel man.
Oh. Oh, Joe. You cannot scare me like that when it comes to Zelenka! But a McKay and Ronon episode sounds lovely, and is that Caldwell I see? Yay!
My friend actually held a small D&D get together in honor of Gary Gygax. Unfortunately I was unable to attend, but I heard it was great. Next best thing to acting on stage, I say.
And my heart skipped a beat at the mention of Ronon and McKay making a great team. I’ve been waiting for a Ronon/McKay episode since season 3 and now my anticipation has skyrocketed. I have a really good feeling about the upcoming season.
You guys keep up the good work. ^^
<3
I wanted to comment on yesterday’s post, but managed to miss it. (Hey, I also forgot to email my brother, who is in a different country and can only check email once a week. Try not to feel neglected, Joe.)
Re: yesterday’s post. That picture of John kneeling is beautiful. Sigh… And Iron Chef Guy! (I still think you’d be a fantastic ICA judge, Joe.)
I’m glad you’re starting to bounce back from the rewrite set-back. Keep with the chocolate and you’ll be okay!
McKay and Ronon! A team of awesome!
Emily said:
On a related note, yes, Tiger’s Eyes, I will be attending UW-Madison for grad school. I am impressed that you were somehow able to glean that from…somewhere. My goal is to spend an entire decade of my life enrolled there. I’m definitely on my way.
A quick note so I won’t forget to quell any suspicions of internet stalking, since I once very stupidly fell into victim-hood (not at a truly serious level, fortunately. And they say they’ll let me know when the guy gets out of Leavenworth.)- Either I know things like this because I’ve taken too many nocturnal journeys to the vicinity of a certain black monolith, or else I remember it from Joe’s blog.
UW Madison was once high on my list for potential grad schools, and even one mention would be certain to remain in my memory – especially since I’ve spent time in Madison on four separate occasions now. (I remember being completely impressed by the University ice-cream outlet [there was one off-campus in ’98] down near whichever of the lakes it’s nearest, because they had mint ice cream sans chocolate. Only place I’ve ever found such a thing – made my own a few times.) – Oh yeah, and the swim in Lake Mendota. (I think.) And the view of Lake OneofFour from across the street from Frank Lloyd Wright’s Omni Building. And the walk up to the top of the Main Quad, accompanied by many chipmunks, with its rewarding view of Lake Monona (?) – So, anyway, yeah, I tend to remember who went where if it’s a place I had a strong interest in myself. (No longer in my plans, alas. But I’m glad you’re well on your way to spending a decade there. I had aimed at something like that with my own school, but this one guy sorta changed my plans, moving all of them from Mass to Missouri. . . ah well.)
Good luck to the Badgers – hoping to see them in the Elite Eight. I don’t know the odds, but it’s amazing how often the odds get beaten in college hoops. (Like you didn’t know. Your experimental-bracket analysis was pretty impressive. 😉 “Best-looking coach” worked well for me re. NFL playoffs when Jon Gruden was coaching the Oakland Raiders, and of course it paid off bigtime when his Buccaneers won the SB.)
Caldwell pics….
I am yours for life.
Thanks
Janet.
Here in the UK it is the first day of spring. Just looked outside, the sun is shining, some daffodils have decided to show their faces and I have a days holiday… today everything is right with the world 🙂
X-men comics… that reminds me. Being brought up with three brothers there were many X-men comics laying around for me to get my first taste of these as a child.I loved them. Reading was a good escape from the mayhem that are boys!
Henry IV parts I & II.. I remember that too – they used to frustrate the hell out of me at school. Since then I’ve grown to love the old Bard.
Childhood’s End sits on my shelf waiting….now must be the right time.
As always, thanks for the great pics.
JM said:
I bet it’s not anything to do with whumping. He probably gets dumped in something really icky. That’s all. Joe’s nothing but a big tease :-).
So Joe, any tidbits to offer concerning the episode The Queen?
Also, what’s your favourite word?
Cheers, Chev
The pictures of Mitch are from an upcoming episode, yes?
If so – THANKYOU – Caldwell has been one of my fav additions to the show, right alongside Zelenka and Lorne.
If not – GRR! – Please ask Sci-Fi if they happen to know away to clone people, then you can clone Mitch and not have to worry about his availability being right.
🙂
BYE
hey, nice to know you liked the choco’s 😉
Oh no.. why “poor Zelenka”? he is one of the characters I like a lot actually. I even have made a little episode that he is in. Ok, not made, just wrote. You can have a look at my blog. Let me know what you guys think 😉
Now to Arthur C. Clarke. He actually piqued my imagination when I was very young. I liked his T.V. series, with a whole lot of strange phenomena around the globe. Then there were his movies. 2001 and 2010 were great. H(i).A(b).L(m) was a great computer too… must have loved those memory cards. I will surely miss his personality. I never knew his relatives lived here somewhere in Australia either.
I remember growing up I liked only a few comics. like “Tanks”, hehe, and a couple of books that were sci-fi. Wish I could remember the titles, since they didn’t make it in the move from Greece to Down Under.
All I can say is… please, leave Zelenka do his thing, his a great guy. 😉 especially when he annoys McKay 😀
Mr. Mallozzi,
I have this recipe for awesome breakfast bars which are healthy AND decadent at the same time. Of course, I discovered this recipe while listening to NPR one morning.
I’d like to send them to you. What’s the best address to send them to?
Thanks!
ooo nice piccies, thankyou!
So that’s chili in chocolate? hmmm…
Whheeeeeeee! It’s Chuck! Chuck doing his stand-in thing! (He’s stand-in for Caldwell too?). Chuck’s such a sweetie.. though with an unexpectedly (for one so cute-looking) rude sense of humour! He mad the P2 convention a blast! 😀
I’ve always been a voracious reader since childhood too – thanks to my mum who herself read a lot from childhood. All the women in my family are great readers whereas the men rarely read anything more than the newspaper. :/ I used to love Saturday mornings when my mum, my sister and I would go into town and stop in at the local library to drop off a big pile of books and pick out some more. 🙂 That library was where I first picked up books by J T Edson, David Eddings, Dick Francis, Arthur C Clarke and many more.
I’d heard the sad news about Arthur C Clarke but not about Gary Gygax. The D&D legacy he has left behind is huge, not just in terms of the game concept itself and all the accoutrements and expansions, but the huge number of fantasy novels and even computer games that are based around the concept – any of the Baldur’s Gate computer games (which are fab – especially on the PS2) are D&D through and through!
I’d like to second the appreciation for the Wisconsin love – it seems like they’re far underrated, and few “experts” have little hope for a strong showing. As if I needed more reasons to love the people behind such a fun show…
I was watching Window of Opportunity yesterday and saw that the book that Jack was reading on one of the loops was called “Latin for the Novice” by none other than Joseph Mallozzi Ph. D.
1) Whose idea was that?
2) How did that come about?
Joe,
SciFi ran SG-1 season four “The First Ones” the other day. During the cave scene with Daniel and Chaka, I couldn’t help but ask myself: If I was offered roasted Goa’uld, would I give it a try? I think I’d have to. You know, just to say that I had. It would make for great conversation at parties. Now, knowing your culinary adventurisms, I’ve got to ask you Joe: If given the opportunity, would you try it? Or would you say “Ka”?
Is the first picture (of the set) just the stand ins? Or people goofing aroudn?
To the poster asking about Vala crying in Unending – I took it as she’s crying because as happy as she/Daniel are – they’re never getting off the ship (maybe could never have kids, though I’m not sure that was high on Vala’s priorities!).
Joe – I picked Memphis too! Wow. Great minds. My 5 yo daughter did a bracket as well, and my husband about burst his buttons he was so proud. Of course, she picked St. Joe’s (because that’s the name of her grade school – didn’t understand it wasn’t ACTUALLY her St. Joe’s that was in the tournament) to win it all over St. Mary’s (because that’s the “school for kids who are blind” according to her Kindergarten teacher, and you know, Mrs. C is FAR smarter than mommy or daddy apparently, and us trying to explain it’s NOT the kids who can’t see in the tournament, although that might be more interesting…)
Where was I? Oh! Emily from Wisconsin = are you FROM Wisconsin? I grew up in Milwaukee! And I love your method for picking teams. Please tell us (or me) how you do on the hottest coaches and best mascots theory!
Sorry, long post 🙂 … wams352
A sad news:
French newspaper “Est Républicain” on march 20,2008 :
Mort de l’écrivain Arthur C. Clarke
L’écrivain de science-fiction britannique Arthur C. Clarke est mort au Sri Lanka, à l’âge de 90 ans. Auteur du livre qui a inspiré Stanley Kubrick pour «2001, Odyssée de l’espace», Clarke avait été plusieurs fois admis à l’hôpital pour insuffisance respiratoire depuis son 90e anniversaire en décembre.
oh now you’re going to have me on pins and needles for my beloved Czech. Damn you.
Clarke was my introduction to sci-fi. Before reading his works, I swore up and down I’d never enjoy sci-fi.
We see how well that worked out.
What is a Habanero???
What is a Habanero??? sounds spanish
It was very sad to hear of Arthur C Clarke’s passing. I confess to never having read any of his stories (yes, I hang my head in shame) but I know they are outstanding. I was also upset at the passing of Gary Gygax. I actually met him once. A truely wonderful man! I have played D&D, but quickly found I prefered games where you played a super being (DC Heroes RPG) or a spy (Top Secret/SI) Someone I used to know would run a D&D game at conventions that where always a great laugh. He called it “Monty Python’s Flying Dungeon” Basically, it was the Monty Python players in a D&D land hunting The Great Spam Monster.
Good luck on your March Madness pics.
Just one thing to say – go UCONN!!!
Oh, and thanks for the pics of Joe F. 🙂
When you wrote the Michael/Teyla/Beckett arc for the end of season 4, did you plan on stretching it out to season 5?
Ooh, pics … is that a new ship? Ooh, lookie, McKay in the background…mmm…! Nice to see Caldwell again.
Ah, you tease with the ‘poor Zelenka’ but I have high hopes that the whump won’t be too bad and that he will live – well, he’d better do, he’s one of my top three guys!!!
And Ronon and Rodney!! Yay!!! This girl is very happy and awaiting ‘Tracker’ eagerly!!! I don’t know why, but they are just so good together! Tell me, does Ronon do that ‘grabbing McKay by the tac vest’ thing he sometimes does?! Always makes me laugh a little when he does that (I know, I’m weird).
And it has just occurred to me that for all the classic sci-fi I used to read, I’ve never actually read a book by Arthur C Clarke. I must rectify that sometime. One of the greats; I can’t believe I haven’t read any of his books!
Of course, it’ll have to wait until I can handle reading something with a decent plot again. Stupid ME and its adverse effects on concentration … some days I feel like I’ve lost a few IQ points!!
Leesa
Oh, I forgot to add: Happy Vernal Equinox! Spring Sproing! We’re going to have our Spring Burn this Saturday night. We have catapults and shall be flinging flammables. Yeah, baby!
Hmmm, those walnut cookie things tempt me into making a batch of my very yummy chocolate-pepper sables. Dark, dark chocolate cookies with a hint of both black pepper and two kinds of powdered chilies. I’ll have to rustle up some black cocoa though, I’ve used most of what I had on hand. Care to try some?
Luis – a habanero is a type of (kick-ass hot!) chilli pepper! 😀
Hi!
I’m impressed with the amount of books you are able to read. That’s amazing! Do you speed read or just spend hours reading, or both? I’ve just started a grad program and I’m almost overwhelmed with the amount of reading I have to do. Know any tricks or speed reading tips? Thanks!
Thanks for all of the cool pictures that you’ve posted the last several days. I can’t wait for season 5 to start.
“Tracker” sounds like a fantastic episode. I love it when Ronon and McKay have scenes together, and I agree that the two of them make a terrific team. One thing that I really enjoyed about “Ark of Truth” was that we got Teal’c and Daniel teamed up together. I’ve always loved the friendship between the two characters over the last 10 years, and was thrilled to see it again in the movie.
Poor Zelenka?!?!? You guys wouldn’t really hurt Zelenka now would you, Joe?
danielfanforever
Hi Joe
Did you play other RPGs? I can see Atlantis as Alpha Complex and Sheppard’s team as a party of Paranoia PCs. Although McKay wouldn’t last long when the Computer realised what havoc he could cause with a laptop.
Trust the Computer. The Computer is your friend.
Eccles
Bonjour,
ou est la tria sil vous plait?
Merci.
Any chance we’ll be seeing/hearing anything about the Tria in season 5? Or the 2.5 Wraith darts we’ve got?
Thanks.
Hello Joe,
are we going to have a Shep-centered episode in the first half of Season 5?
Are there any plans of an episode that focuses on his strong gene?
Do you have any idea when the Season 4 box set will be released?
Thanks!
Joe…. tell me you picked UConn, man.
You gotta go with a winner.
«And rediscovered some of the classics that spurred my imagination and started me on the road to writing: Alexander Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo[…]»
Of course, its a classic !
Morgia
Salut joseph =) sa va ??
merci encors pour ces photos de tournage!! Rooh plus que demain et mon lomg week end de 3 jour commence! ^^
OUla et bien moi et la lecture, ce n’est pas trés compatible..je doit lire un livre par ans lol …dés mon enfance on pas mis devant un télé pour que je n’empéte pas le monde…je ne sais pas pourquoi .
Rohh dommage que vous n’ayez pas d’enfants, vous pourriez leur faire passer cette passiont!
Yééé! je vient de reçevoir ma saison 3 de sga en dvd!!! je suis trop contente^^!!
Bon aller gros Bisou, je vous adore! a demain =)
Ronon and Rodney! Fantastic I love the two of them together, they have developed such an endearing odd couple friendship.
On a related note I’m always interested to see the dynamic between characters who haven’t shared a lot of screen time together. For example Ronon & Zelenka or Teyla & Woolsey and Sheppard & Keller haven’t had a huge amount of interaction yet. So any chance we can look forward to seeing more of a mix with the character interactions this season?
“Poor Zelenka?” Uh-oh, what happens?
Yeah, books are fantastic! (What’s Dungeons and Dragons? I’ve never heard of it.)
When are you going to say when the season four DVD set is coming out?
Hi Mr. Mallozzi,
I was just referred to your web site by someone who writes for various Sci-Fi publications and am enjoying exploring it. Your Frenchie is adorable! She looks a lot like our Frenchie, Fester, when he was a little one (he’ll be six next week).
What I really enjoy is reading about what a reader you are, and hearing about what you’re reading. Aside from people whose jobs revolve around writing and publishing, I don’t know a lot of people who seem to read anymore. I’ve been a voracious reader since infancy, and read as many as 7-8 books a week when I really concentrate and have nothing better to do. I work part-time at a bookstore hosting events, so I get to meet a number of authors as well. I was going to ask you what you thought of Joe Hill’s Heart-Shaped Box. I liked his short stories better, and highly recommend Twentieth Century Ghosts if you haven’t read it yet. The US version has an additional story, so I had to buy it twice. I was wary of him at first, but he’s obviously not just riding on his dad’s coattails.
Kath
Just make sure you place a pair of Manolo Blahnik criss cross ankle wrap sandals on Zelenkas grave.
Girls, this is the link:
http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod51260039&parentId=cat000209&masterId=cat000199&index=39&cmCat=cat000000cat000141cat000149cat000199cat000209
Waitwaitwat – “Poor Zelenka”? “Poor Zelenka”?!?!
*gasp of horror* Does he DIE?!!?!
Are we ever gonna get to see the weapons room of Atlantis again?
Tiger’s Eye, I’m relieved to hear that you’re not stalking me. 🙂 And I’m impressed by your memory and recollections of Madison. It is a great town!
wams352, sorry, I’m actually from Minnesota. Wisconsin is just my adoptive home. And so far, the Mascot Bracket is 7-0 (including games that aren’t quite over but really are, for all intents and purposes). Hot Coaches Bracket is coming in at 5-2…but things are looking dark, as Oral Roberts was going to the Final Four in this one! Ouch! 😀
-Emily
You have mentioned specific episodes for most of the cast in s5 but not Sheppard. What is the current outlook for getting a Shepisode in s5? Is it-
A)Outlook is excellent – we would never leave him out!
B)Outlook is fairly promising- we will fit one in if we find a space!
C)Sheppard who?!
Thanks Joe!
SheppyD
Waitwaitwat – “Poor Zelenka”? “Poor Zelenka”?!?!
*gasp of horror* Does he DIE?!!?!
I doubt he’s going to die. The spoilers for Ghost In The Machine say he’s in it. But I’m sure there’ll be some whumping.
More chocolate…? And I thought I had a lot. My sister teases me about the drawer full of candy in my room. It’s not that I buy a ton, it’s that I eat the stuff slowly, so whenever I get new stuff I stash it in the drawer… I’ve still got candy from Christmas in there, and there’s very little room. I don’t know where I’m going to put any Easter candy.
I’m also still curious about which military regulation is giving you so much trouble.
Anyway. Really looking forward to season 5. I’m already in withdrawal.
Ah Joe,
You’re spoiling us with all these great pictures! Don’t EVER stop either! Love today’s bunch…..Joe F. looks good from any angle, doesn’t he? And Caldwell!
Good luck on your March madness picks…..I’m more of a football fan myself.
Ronon and McKay= AWESOME!
Looking forward to that eppy very much. Those two
have such a great relationship.
Go Memphis!!!
deeinsouthafrica Said:
Just make sure you place a pair of Manolo Blahnik criss cross ankle wrap sandals on Zelenkas grave.
Girls, this is the link:
http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod51260039&parentId=cat000209&masterId=cat000199&index=39&cmCat=cat000000cat000141cat000149cat000199cat000209
You’ve got to be kidding, those are *gasp* $675.00! *Faints* Who has that kind of money for a pair of flimsy shoes?
Thanks much for your enjoyable reminiscences. Those of us who had moms (or dads) who encouraged us to read have a lot to be thankful for. Also, I was very interested by your mention of a few fav authors / works (including X-Men comics, an inspired addition to a bookshelf containing The Complete Works of Shakespeare. Really. Henry IV ought to have been illustrated.)
Strange but true: A few weeks back I had a dream about you and Carl Binder as English and history profs (respectively), co-teaching a uni honors course on Comparative Civilization. Unsurprisingly, the dream was very entertaining.
D&D fascinated me as a game, but the players I found to be a little daunting in their obsession – although usually nice when not wrapped up in the hunt. (Maybe I came across the same way. Difficult stage of life, after all.)
B-52 shooters??? Yikes!
And if UT makes it to the Final Four, or the championship match (again), I’d be most grateful to Clemson or anyone else if they take out the Longhorns.
Please answer these questions. 1. Have you ever read The Stolen Bacillus and Other Incidents by H.G. Wells? If yes, what did you think of it? 2. Have you read any of the Fandemonium Stargate novels? Or are they considered fan-fiction and are therefore illegal for you to read? And if they aren’t illegal and you did read them, what did you think of them? Thank you.
Happy Spring! more thx for more great pix. Love hearing that we’re going to get more of “The Rod n Ron Show”, the dialogs between those two have been increasingly more of a scream. The funny kind. But lets Czech the Radek violence at the door please. Doc Z is a fave, puts on a brave face and somehow gets my sympathy when he gets hurt more than, say, McKay or Keller- maybe because he doesn’t whine. Although Rodney’s gotten much better.
The Stainless Steel Rat lives!
DD
You are lucky your mother encouraged you to read!!!
Mine would always say things like “You shouldn’t be reading so much…. Why can’t you play outside? Clean your room? Play a sport? For heaven’s sake… watch television!”
She would threaten to take my library away from me if I didn’t have my room clean before company came over, or if I didn’t get my homework done before choir practice (but I hid some of my favorite books under my bed… just in case!).
Now that I live away from the majority of my books (I only brought my favorites with me to college), I don’t read as much, but still try to get in one or two new ones per month!!!
Please don’t kill off Zelenka! He’s one of the best characters on the show!
Thanks for the great pics! I’m afraid I haven’t been reading here much, sorry, I’m a bit of a spoilerphobe, but couldn’t resist coming to see Chuck in the Captain’s chair 🙂
I think, despite what you said all that time ago about Chuck being the least well-developed character in Season 4, I think maybe he did pretty well on that score – got out of the Control room (twice), got injured, and was revealed as a bit of a bookie. Wonderful stuff, many thanks to all concerned.
Please, if Chuck could continue to be as least well-developed as that in Season 5, I would be very happy 🙂 In other words – more Chuck!!
Also, thanks for giving Jason Momoa the option of losing his dreads, that weight must have been hard.
And while I’m here, and trying not to read things, thank you so much for bringing back Kavanagh, more of that please, and same for Carson… and try not to kill anyone else much, thanks! 🙂
Dear Joe:
Sorry about the snow.
Use the check to buy yourself a nice bar of chocolate.
and PLEASE if you ever find who is the designer of the SG1- dvd please, let them know they are committing one of the “seven deadly sins” of font use on a design world, bye using the “Papyrus font’ not once (which is ok if necessary) but twice!!! twice!!! on a dvd set!
Even “Chris Costello” the designer who unleash this monster into the design world, admits he should have added the following disclamer: “May be habit forming. Not responsible for overdose or inappropriate use of this product.”
So pass this on to the culprit(s) if you happen to cross paths.
😉