I was first introduced to the works of Kage Baker through Lou Anders’ Fast Forward 1: Future Fiction from the Cutting Edge, a former book of the month club pick. Baker’s contribution to the collection, “Plotters and Shooters”, was far and away my favorite of the short stories in FF1 and so, when it came…
June 29, 2008: My Home Away from Home Away from Home.
It’s a little like choosing between two people you happen to be dating. When you’re with one, all thoughts of the other are instantly forgotten and the decision seems pretty simple. But when you’re with the other, it’s just the opposite. Well, I made my decision nine years ago when I moved to Vancouver and,…
June 28, 2008: More BIG Book of the Month Club news! Montreal Visit Day 1!
I woke up at 5:20 a.m., a full forty minutes before my alarm was scheduled to go off. It’s always the way the night before I travel. For some reason, something in my subconscious mind won’t allow me a restful sleep. There’s always that niggling doubt, that faint uncertainty that I did, in fact, set…
June 27, 2008: Adventures in Haircutting! Pineapples! Retractions! And the Return of the Mailbag!
Fondy cut my hair last night and it was about time too as I had begun to resemble a cross between Gary Oldman’s Dracula and that guy from Flock of Seagulls. She’d been busy of late dealing with business matters and, as a result, my once trim do had gradually deteriorated to the capillary equivalent…
June 26, 2008: My green initiative, more special guests, and next month’s Book of the Month Club picks.
Hurray! Today, I received my $100 Climate Action Dividend from the government of British Columbia. According to the document that accompanied the check: “…this year’s Provincial budget is making it easier for British Columbians to choose a lower carbon lifestyle.” I suppose, for instance, the $100 could be put toward the purchase of a scooter…
June 25, 2008: Spoilers abound, the scene that almost got me killed, and actress Janina Gavankar offers to swing by and field your questions.
Mailbox quota exceeded? How the hell is that possible? I mean, COME ON! My writing partner Paul hasn’t deleted an email in over three years. His inbox looks like a guest list for an Italian wedding and yet he doesn’t seem to have any problem either sending or receiving. Of course, it may have been…
June 24, 2008: What the hell is a seamless version? Well, I’m glad you asked…
I swung by post today to approve the seamless version of Broken Ties. The seamless version is, of course, the uninterrupted version that will eventually find its way onto DVD. Many shows (The Shield come to mind) simply go to black at the end of each act but Stargate’s episodes run uninterrupted, segueing smoothly from…
June 23, 2008: France vs. Germany! Paul vs. Oswald! Wraith vs. Whoever That Is!
Our agent contacted us with the good news. A one hour action series had just been greenlit and the production was looking for writers. The timing couldn’t have been better as Paul and I had just finished work on another show and were looking for a steady gig. Of course there was that possibility…
June 22, 2008: Lulu and I hit Greek Day
I took in the Greek Day festivities with Lulu this evening. Now lest I be accused of playing favorites, there’s a very good reason why I chose Lulu to be my date: Jelly, as I’ve already made mention, suffers from a hip condition that makes extended walks problematic. She’s good for approximately a half…
June 21, 2008: Gremlins, Curses, Psychics, BOTMC Winners, and Kung Fu Scotsman!
I realize this may sound a tad crazy, but I actually believe I’m being harassed by gremlins. Last month, it was the water damage in the furnace room. Weeks later, my satellite stops working. The other day, my cell phone dies on me. This morning, I go to turn on the t.v. and am greeted…
June 20, 2008: Comic Con update, dinner at Fuel, and yet another chunky mailbag
No official word on this year’s Comic Con line-up yet, but I hear that there will be both a Stargate: Continuum and Stargate: Atlantis panel. The former should include writer-executive producer Brad Wright, director Martin Wood, and Michael Shanks, Chris Judge, Amanda Tapping, Ben Browder and, if the rumors are true, one Richard Dean Anderson.…
June 19, 2008: Gunfire on the set!
I‘m offered a choice: “Do you want plugs or cans?” I take the cans, fishing the oversized headphones out of the box and horse shoeing them around my neck as the cast and crew prep for the upcoming sequence. Distances are measured, the armorer checks the guns, the camera operators hunker down behind their plastic…
June 18, 2008: Black Belt Pope to Take On All Comers!
Went into the office today and found a huge shipment from Amazon.com awaiting me. The veritable treasure trove of titles included Tobias S. Bucknell’s Ragamuffin, Jeff Carlson’s The Plague Year, Karen Jay Fowler’s Sarah Canary, Ken MacLeod’s Newton’s Wake, about a half-dozen books by Jeffrey Ford, and numerous others. I selected a few from the…
June 17, 2008: Month of September Cancelled Due to Lack of Interest
So I was watching Euro Cup today and it got me to thinking. One of the biggest complaints I hear about soccer (occasionally a.k.a. football) is that it’s too slow-paced. Not enough points. The final scores are always Two-Nil or One-Nil or the dreaded Nil-Nil. Three goals are considered an offensive explosion. Well, I came…
June 16, 2008: New Crabgrass and Vaseline Diet Yields Quick Results!
For some mysterious reason, my cell phone has stopped working. Despite various attempts to turn the damn thing on, it remains unresponsive. Dark. Dead. For the life of me, I can’t figure out what happened. I didn’t drop it, knock it against something, or otherwise damage it in anyway. It never left my possession so…