Boss is our protagonist, a loner with an affinity for diving old wrecks, derelict spaceships long-forgotten but potential sources of treasure, tech, and – most important of all so far as Boss is concerned – rich historical significance. And when Boss discovers a thousand year old ship in a remote region of space, she believes she may have hit the jackpot. She assembles a team of trusted veterans to help her in exploring the incredible find but quickly discovers there is far more to the ancient Dignity Vessel than she could have imagined. It holds a dangerous but incalculably valuable secret that will fray nerves, seal betrayals, take lives, and quite possibly hold the key to not only galactic conquest but an answers to the mysterious “Room of Lost Souls” incident that has haunted our heroine since childhood.
I’m pleased to say that Diving into the Wreck is a novel that more than lives up to its intriguing premise, offering up a thrilling SF take on deep-sea diving by transposing the perilous pursuit for sunken treasure to the outer reaches of space. Rusch’s sparse prose style is in marked contrast to the complex dilemmas and interrelationships that run throughout the book, and yet this economy of language – a voice perfectly suited to Boss’s no-nonsense disposition – is one of the many things that makes Diving into the Wreck such a compelling read. The story moves along at a brisk pace, introducing some fascinating hard SF elements, yet never bogging the reader down in the details. In many ways, it reminded me of the works of some of the grandmasters of science fiction in its ability to deliver ideas that are intellectually challenging, theoretically plausible and, above all else, accessible to those who may not possess a degree in quantum mechanics. Like, you’ll no doubt be surprised to learn, me.
The book is divided into three sections: Diving into the Wreck (which deals with the initial salvage operation and discovery aboard the Dignity Vessel), The Room of Lost Souls (that examines the bizarre, seemingly otherworldly anomaly aboard an abandoned space station), and The Heart of the Machine (that sees Boss lead a new team on a return dive to the Dignity Vessel for a final reckoning). I breezed through the first part but will admit to being thrown by the time cut and seemingly divergent developments that kick off the second part of the book. I feared that the engaging mystery introduced early on would merely serve as an introduction to Boss and her world, something to hook the reader and set down the ground rules that would never be fully explored to my satisfaction. Well, how wrong I was. Rusch throws a feint, then proceeds to expertly weave together the seemingly disparate pieces of what turns out to be a most satisfying narrative tapestry.
My first Kristine Kathryn Rusch book, but certainly not my last. Loved it. Your thoughts? And, along with those thoughts, throw in some questions as well for the author who has kindly agreed to swing by and visit with us.
Well, back in the office today for most of the writers (with the exception of Robert Cooper who, at last report, was still partying at Cowboys Stadium) as we kick off pre-production on SGU’s second season. We settled in and immediately got down to business – discussing the NFL playoffs, our respective Christmas holidays, and, of course, what I ate in Tokyo. This was followed by Paul, Carl, and I commiserating over our respective scripts – which took us to lunch…
- Carl runs through his usual “WTF did I order?” lunch routine.
- This is what Paul ordered: apparently, a take-out container filled with lawn trimmings. Not exactly what he expected from the good folk at Cactus Club.
- Carl savors his lunch.
The rest of the afternoon was devoted to more chitchat and trying to figure out why the Bridge Studios decided to upgrade the perfectly-fine network so that, now, no one can either print or stay online for any significant amount of time. Brad couldn’t open his script and when he tried to print it, had the page count balloon to about 117 pages. Paul, now wearing his Exec Producer’s hat for the show’s second season, made the executive call and informed him: “Yeah, that’s too long.” I, on the other hand, smell a two-parter.
Off to work-out! I’m doing two-a-days for as long as I last…
I vote for a super long episode…..Syffy’s gotta love that right?
You deleted your print connection on your laptop and re-connected yeah?
Cheers, Chev
p.s. I prematurely thought yesterday’s game was all over. Way to go Green Bay for making it interesting. We had people from all over the world watching & tweeting – was fun!
p.p.s ….awesome Ashleigh *giggles*
Man this is really crazy but a few weeks ago I was at the bookstore and decided to pick up that book not even knowing it was the book of the month. I quite enjoyed the book though at times found the second and third parts a little slow but in the end found the book quite enjoyable. The characters involved were very interesting and I really started to care for them. However I didn’t like the idea of lost technology. Maybe i’m wrong but i don’t see people losing something like true stealth technology which would be such an important discovery.
Rob could have stopped by to say ‘hi’ to me while he was in town Saturday at the Cowboys game. Alas, I was at drum corps rehearsal and a post-rehearsal party with my pals in the hornline. We did watch the game, and I thought I saw Rob Cooper amongst the 93,000 people in the crowd, but I couldn’t be quite sure. guffaw
Interesting note, though…many of the guys who perform in the drumline at Cowboys stadium were in the drumline of my drum and bugle corps last year. And the gentleman who writes their music and directs them is our percussion caption head (Paul Rennick).
All this probably means nothing to you, but it’s important to me and others in the world of music, so there you have it.
Don’t have my copy of Diving the Wreck at hand, so just some extemporanious comments on the book.
First, I really liked this book. I thought it was an intriguing premise to have characters who lived by seeking out and going over abandoned vessels or wrecks, especially as a tourist attraction. I also found the idea of a spacefaring human civilizatoin that had regressed technologically, but still spacefaring, to be somewhat refreshing.
The structure of the book caught me off guard, as the first section of the book came to a close, and we were suddenly propelled years into the future. And I was slow on the uptake that the second section actually tied into the first part of the book. The mystery of the room, the relevation of the main character’s father’s role in events, all managed to catch me off guard. I actually found the final third of the book to be the weakest, though this is not to say I didn’t like it. It’s just that the mystique of the ancient earth vessel had been pulled back, and the story seemed a much more straightforward space opera type of tale.
Among things tht stood out to me included the characters. I almost felt as if I were watching an artist in the park drawing a sketch of a customer. With a few broad strokes of the pen, then some quick shadowing put in, we’re left with portrait that is both more life-like and more etherial than the reality. As the story unfolds, it feels as if the characters are full fleshed. It’s only when I sit back and consider each of the characters that I realize how little we know of them. This thus draws me into the book as if I were trying to solve some mystery being offered. The same applies to the technology. Rather than pages of technobabble we’re offered only the barest information on what the technology does, and nothing of the details of the how. This succeeds in keeping the pace of the book moving at a clip that prevents the reader from easily putting the book down.
I’ll get the book out and perhaps add some comments tomorrow; as of now, time to bed. thanks for bringing up this book for the BotM club, and looking forward to next month’s offering.
I have to thank you for choosing this book for January’s BOTM because I thoroughly enjoyed it. Of the books I’ve read lately, this is one of my favourites.
My question: Do you dive?
I really enjoyed this book. It’s one of the first from the book club that I’ve actually read in time to discuss it.
The details that she put in, whether it be the divers having to remember footholds and watch for things that could tear their suits to being able to tell the difference between someone land-born and those raised in space by the way they walked and their muscle mass, really impressed me. In general, I just loved the idea of taking deep sea divers and setting it in space.
I vaguely remember being thrown by the shift in the story during the second part as well but was equally happy when it all tied together in the end.
One other thing I liked was the facets interlaced throughout the story of how little we as humans trust one another and the consequences that follow as a result.
Thanks for introducing it to me, Joe!
I guess the only question I can think of at the moment for Kristine Kathryn Rusch is:
What was your inspiration for setting deep sea divers in space? Also, thank you for an excellent story!
Wait, if Paul is an exec producer this year, does that mean you are, too? I thought you were a bonded pair!
Nice to see everyone, especially Carl!
Very tired – just crawling off to bed, but wanted to wish you a good night, Joe…and hope all is well with you, and yours. Take care, sir!
das
@JennyRobin
Texas…a small town disguised as a state.
In other words, it’s a small world.
Joe, well I pretty much got my answer to the e-mail I sent you. It was someone who DID NOT know anything. I thought it was an official source, but that was wrong. If you see Mark S. , tell him I said thanks for responding to my question. @ the movie! He is a nice guy. Sheryl.
Still losing weight since your trip?
Ok sorry to say but pleasssseee. No more draw oout two parters. I can accept darkness and light being one cause you are trying to establish the characters and setting, but it’s season two. Let’s pick up the pace!!!!!
Thanks so much,
Major D. Davis
Gonna’ have to put off commenting on Diving into the Wreck until tomorrow. I’m writing way too much.
I smell a 2-parter too; is it contagious?
Seriously though, 117 pages is longer than even 2 scripts! There’s no way that can be cut down to 1 episode and still maintain the impact. I loved Darkness and Light, and if it were cut down to 1 episode, it would’ve lost a lot of the many, many character moments.
Put me down as a vote for a 2-parter!
Speaking of Brad script, what’s going on in the hierachy, anyway? Paul is Executive Producer? Congratulations, Mr. Mullie!! So what does that mean? There are 4 Exec Producers now (Brad, Rob, Paul, Carl)? Or did one or more of them step down?
@ Major D. Davis: Hey man! I’ve been busy adjusting back to University! Lots of work to be done!
@ Tammy “Fists of Fury” Dixon: Hey hey! It’s good to be back! Why, I get my energy from you guys, of course! Yes, I covertly drain your life forces in order to provide you all with witty comedy. 😉 Thank you for the compliments on the titles!
@ das: That’s a “no” on the googling then. 😉
Hi, I’ve been reading your blog for a while and I meant to ask. Are you a fan of Lost? Coz the island itself is a stargate…
Also, if you could take an unlimited supply of one food item only before being stranded on an island, what would it be?
I quite enjoyed “Diving into the Wreck”. Although, I have to admit that I also found the shift between the first and second parts to be quite jarring. I was actually thinking that the book was going to be a collection of “short stories” at that the transition rather than an integrated whole. However, it was a nice surprise to find events actually circling around to tie back into the first section.
Questions for Ms. Rusch:
1. Are you a diver? If so, are you certified as a wreck diver? If not, did you research the subject or speak to people that are certified wreck divers in order to be as true to the requirements as possible? Some combination of the two?
2. I never would have associated diving in the ocean with “diving” a wrecked spaceship. How did the idea for that type of association develop for you?
3. Regarding the “Room of Lost Souls”, I found it kind of odd that the Room would reveal more of the station outward from the central core as the stealth field collapsed. I would expect a collapse to, by definition, fall inward. Is this an effect of the “dimensional rift” created by the stealth technology (i.e., does the Room expand in Boss’ reality as it is drawn through the rift from its “original” reality)?
4. I was reading a book the other day on character naming in stories, and there was a section dealing with using a “title” of some kind for a character rather than actually assigning a name. Did you consciously decide not to give your character a name and simply refer to her as “Boss” or did that aspect develop as the story was being written?
5. Not a question, simply a comment: I quite enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of your stories. Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions.
Hey! It’s Ashleigh! Glad to see she survived the hiatus okay. 😀
Hey, Carl too! 😀 (Remember to tell him to avoid sharp pointy objects!)
I think you’ll enjoy the Otherland series…of course…I only read the first one before I got into another series, LOL, so I don’t even really remember the first book, other than remembering that I really liked it, and it having something to do about this wierd computer world that someone was taking over…LOL
In other news, I am now reading Clash of Kings…which I’m completely enjoying so far. I LOVE this series.
This may interest the Stargate Fan crowd: The BBC is reporting a new dig new the great pyramids in Egypt proves they were not build by slaves: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8453026.stm
They do, however, leave the question open WHY they were build. So landing platforms are still an option. 🙂
I really want to like this book. And there are many things I *do* like about the book. But at the same time, there are things that bother me.
First off, I loved the idea of something very old being technologically advanced beyond the current state of technology. It’s one of the main things that attracted me to the SGA. It’s something I’m still hoping for in the SGU. It was a huge draw for me to this book.
I like the honesty in the character of Boss. Even when she knows she is doing something for the wrong reasons, and against her character, she is honest about it (to herself).
I liked the surprise basket (the weave). The way the Room connects to the story, the way we discover the reason for trouble when they get out of the Room. The idea behind why Boss was able to get out of the Room. Things like that. Very clever ideas, very clever way to put them together. I _like_ it!
But…
I never quite got into the characters, especially the character of Boss. That really bothers me given the first-person narrative, and is perhaps surprising in view of how much of the book focuses on the characters.
For example, there is a lot of writing about the anger Boss has toward her father, but I never feel it. Somehow, the slew of words never crossed the rational into emotional for me. Yes, I read the words, and yes, my logic and understanding tells me what they mean, that she is angry. But it all feels as if it’s coming from someone lying to you, as if there is an element of sincerity missing.
And this is not the only example. Even though the book is a first-person narrative, the entire time I felt as if I was looking at Boss from the outside. Most of the time I questioned if she was being honest when saying what she was feeling. The only time I got close to feeling what she was experiencing was the excitement of the dive, or apprehension of entering the Room. But overall I just didn’t “believe” what she was feeling. And that made it difficult for me to fully accept the character.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t limited to the Boss’ character. I completely did not understand the character of Squishy, for example. I never felt her motives, didn’t understand her constant attitude, just didn’t buy it. I read the words, and they did register. I *understood* that she was bothered by the technology discussed (avoiding spoilers here), I just didn’t *feel* it. I wanted to, though, which made me struggle continually with that aspect of the book.
I was surprised at the end of the book that the lack of intricate techno-speak didn’t bother me so much. It speaks a lot about the parts of the book I did like. Because, once again, there are many things I like about the book, and I want it to be a great book. Unfortunately, it’s not a great book for me. But it is a good one.
Finally, I have to confess, the book made me understand the difference between the artists and the critics. For the first time ever I can see what bothers me, but I cannot offer suggestions on how to fix it. Which frustrates me to no end. It also means that I’m a critic, and I hate that. 🙂
I’ve had little time to read for pleasure for quite a while now, and am not happy about that at all, but will spare you my rant. To be honest, though, I’m stuck in the rant’s complicated third paragraph — the one where (1) I’m working out till I’m too drained to do anything besides watch BTVS DVD’s (oh, and Bridget Jones’s Diary, a Christmas gag gift — I am SO not laughing, except ’cause it’s always very funny) because I got fairly lazy over the past 10 months or so — karma’s a bitch, eh? *hears Chev laughing*; and (2) I keep forgetting to get the lamp for wintertime blues, like the one Das has — one reason I’m jonesing for vacation time in the mostly sunny Colorado Rockies. Free lodgings (my grandfather’s second family lives there), free food as long as I do my share of the cooking (no prob!), and a discount on lift tickets — hard to beat that, unless you’d rather be someplace warm where you can get a tan on more than just your face. Will get my chance soon enough.
I’m not going to ask if any of that made sense.
Well, more importantly, I wanted to say thanks for the pics — always love them, but the ones of everyone at The Bridge are special — and for your compelling review of Diving into the Wreck, which I now *have* to have for vacation reading. (Buffy and Angel will just have to languish for a while. ‘S okay — they were looking pretty, uh, happy when I had to bail the other night.) This book sounds like a really great read, so thanks much for the glowing reco.
Where’s Brad?
Hey again Joe.
Any plans on visting “sunny” England in the near future? Also, what was the first tv show you wrote for, was it Stargate, or something earlier?
Cheers,
Josh
I enjoyed the book. Once I found that it was actually a compilation of 3 novella-length stories the structure made a little more sense.
I was truly surprised at the fate of at least one character. Some mysteries are revealed, while some go unsolved. I’d look forward to a follow-on were one to be announced.
Boss undergoes a change in motive towards the end of the book that’s kinda odd given her actions throughout. I wonder if the author will comment on that. It kind of came out of left field.
I thought the ‘diving’ metaphor transferred well into the space-walking, as others have mentioned. Air, footholds, etc. I’m not a diver but it seemed like a good fit.
I’ve just started to get into this sort of space/tech genre – I’ve gotten into John Hemry’s “Lost Fleet” books as well as bought the first Honor Harrington book. I quite like them so far.
PG15: That explanation explains a lot!
How does Carl stay so thin?
Questions/Comments for Kristine Kathryn Rusch:
I enjoyed reading Diving Into The Wreck. I found it intriguing you segregated people into what kind of gravities they were exposed to as children. I liked the way these low/zero gravity children could be differentiated based on appearances. I suppose medical advances kept these individuals bones from losing too many minerals? So that when they switched to a normal earth gravity, they didn’t have the problems with broken bones? Have you done any cave diving? Sleath technology, fascinating! Thank you, for participating in this Q & A!
I would like to share one of hubby’s witticism with Carl. My hubby, when asked about his thinning hair, his reply: “My hair is falling out because my brain cells are pushing out the hair follicles”.
Work time.
I’ll be reading the book tomorrow, on the plane. So I skipped a lot of the blog and comments.
? Hawaii. Because Utah is cold and yesterday officially has the worst air quality in the nation and I have asthma. And high BP, just yesterday diagnosed, not yet treated. So I need to relax. Hawaii is just the thing. And my kitchen sink has been leaking into the floor/false ceiling of the basement. Luckily over the washer so when it began to drip, nothing was ruined but my temperament when I made the discovery last night. And the ceiling when I went at it with a claw hammer. I found the old bubblegum pink paint of years past to be quite soothing when I uncovered it.
@pg15
Good to have you back man!!! Not on GW much anymore but very active on here
@pg15
Now I have to respectufully disagree about the episode. While darkness and light had great character moments, and really gave us a feel for the situation, it’s season 2 and I think they should pick up the pace. While I agree that the first half should set the stage and even have slow episodes to act as a set up for future episodes, I do think they should start to pick up the speed of the stories, as most would like to see the average episode of sgu to be a bit faster than darkness. However if the script is actually 117 pages, and it wasn’t just a printing error, it would make TOTAL sense for it to be a two parter. I’m just saying if you have a script that runs overtime, rather condense it than make it into a two parter. I mean darkness was great, but it was no secret it was slow as heck. We know the characters, we know the setting, it’s time to pick up the pace.
Anyone agree with me or understand what I mean?
Thanks so much,
Major D. Davis
For those commenting about the 117-page script and fearing a two-part episode: IT WAS A JOKE. Please re-read that paragraph…Joe was commenting on a computer glitch.
*sigh*
Coucou Joseph!!
Alors bonne journée? Moi oui sa a été!!!
Merci pour ces photos =) je suis contente de revoir Carl, son plat à l’air appétissant lol!
Je dois me sauver…
Gros bisou, a demain.
Another episode title suggestion:
Rush hour
Yea, where’s brad? Is his script really 117 pages, or was it a font or printing error?
Diving into the Wreck
I thought Rusch did a great job milking the first person present tense for all it was worth. Boss didn’t think the word “I” too much. The present tense allowed us to mostly discover things with Boss, which was fun and fitting for the story.
The lack of rivets and ladders in the future was adorable. You wouldn’t believe how many breakthroughs are waiting for us to bypass the need to put fasteners across layers of dissimilar materials.
There was a violation of the laws of motion. After the science ship explosion, the science ship started rolling, then stopped. I figured, if the hull delaminated and gas escaped tangentially, the ship could roll from an internal explosion, but that wasn’t consistent with the damage described. (Hah, “wasn’t consistent with the damage”, can you tell I used to do Failure Analysis?) Boss should have been surprised when the ship stopped rolling without anything to stop it.
I had to put too much thought into how The Dignity Vessel’s crew left the Sol Sytem at a time when no other ship had left the Sol System, then bred with the (human?) civilizations they encountered.
Squishy’s timeline: she went from school to the research program to (maybe other things to) diving wrecks. Other characters speak of her as if she’s been diving wrecks for a long time, but the oldest orphan of the missing researchers was 12, many were younger, so I ended up thinking too much about Squishy’s story.
I love that tidbit where Boss is sitting on wicker, but doesn’t know the name for it, and is amazed delicate sticks could be used that way. That grounded her character as a fish out of water when it came to homey things at the right time for the story.
No one even feared the empire would abuse their power, although the Empire clearly had enough impunity to get away with it.
I had an easier time than others rolling with the jar of the step into Part 2, but what followed was unorthodox. Boss had decided to completely step away from the story and didn’t know she was still in it until the end of Part 2. The story elements were hard to pinpoint and the main peril was blurred when the POV character wasn’t aware she’s been in the same story the whole time. Bad? No, it was still entertaining so that trumps everything, but I thought the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still was exonerated because nanites ate a semi so what do I know?
I had trouble with the unanimity of such a large group of independent-minded people deciding to act in part 3. Ever try to herd cats?
The empire wasn’t evil enough. The empire acted with impunity in big matters, but governed competently and fairly in small ones. On the small scale, they enforced rights about discoveries without evidence their enforcement “services” were available to interest groups who could buy favor to help them “compete”with someone as independent-minded as Boss. There was no evidence of corporatism on a smaller scale so was Boss’s father’s massive influence an exception or an inconsistency?
Stuff characters should have been worried about if the Empire was even the average amount of evil a gov’t tends to be.
–Coercion or “incentive” to keep the crew silent about the Dignity Vessel discovery instead of a huge commission which could have served as proof of her discovery.
–Being charged with more than destruction of property even if no one died when they tricked the Empire, then planted a bomb!
–The empire’s security searching them and finding their real dive gear.
–The empire’s security hulking out on them, then charging them for assault.
If a Leviathan like the Empire is un-evil enough to overcome the historical axiom of impunity = abuse to this extent, I’m not sold on the peril of their desire to conquer the sovereign colonies. If the colonies aren’t conquered by the Empire, it’ll just be someone else who, history tells us, will be much worse. I’d rather the Empire have the added impunity of stealth tech than the next guy, too.
The moral: never pass on a chance to make an antagonist eviler. If you want complex evil/good motivations, give them to the protagonists to overcome to unite against the horrifically evil antagonist. Ever hear someone complain the antagonist was too unbelievably evil in a story?
Overall, it was a fun journey in the future that could have been more fun with a little more believability for the periphery characters and a clearer peril. It felt a little like it was written quickly, with limited passion for this story, but I’m heartless so, as long as there’re explosions, it works for me.
Questions for KKR:
Why didn’t anyone worry the Empire’s security would hulk out on them?
Are there any aliens in the universe of Diving into the Wreck?
How do you describe the story’s structure?
What do your novel outlines look like?
Why did you decide on the present tense?
Why did you decide on the first person?
@gilder
I see. That’s what I kinda suspected. Still, i hope if it is a bit over, I hope it’s a 1 parter. 😉
Wow you really have a live one on your hands with this new crew Joe! I don’t envy you down the line….. :O
Joe, I had a genereal studies exam today and there was a section all about blogging. I mentioned your name in it, I hope you don’t mind…
Joe,
I second Michelle’s, query, if Paul Mullie is now an Executive Producer starting season 2, are you also an Executive Producer?
I ask because you once told us here on your blog, that the producer titles are pretty much interchangeable and, one assumes, of equal weight. Still true? Or did I misunderstand?
Yet…I never liked the “consulting producer” appellation, it felt somewhat, tentative.
This is proof that we hang on every word Mr. M.
G’nighties,
2cats
sparrow_hawk – Is Selling Out essential before reading Book 3 of Quantum Gravity? I’ve had it on my Reader for months now as an audio book but I keep on falling asleep while listening.
David Blue and Craig Whatshisname of Syfy Digital passed this on twitter…appropriate to your office situation.
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/printers
you think my ” Japanese is jozu”, well , doomo arigatoo gozaimasu, or multe grazie, merci beaucoup, mèsye…
You cut your finger while wipping the stove top because the disassembled blades of the blender were sitting nearby. Were you on the phone ? sounds like you might have been distracted by something when it happened?!!!
Just throwing a question out there…
Anyone ever get to a point where they just can’t ‘entertain’ anymore? (Well, not you, Joe…since you wanna entertain MORE!)
What I mean is this…
My folks just left for Florida. So, I’ve got the whole business to deal with (it wouldn’t be so bad if the employees didn’t resist everything they’re told to do), and my tummy is acting up today, and I’ve just had a lot on my plate lately – so I wasn’t too thrilled tonight when I got the call to go out for ‘girl’s night’. Well, from my experience, ‘girl’s night’ = ‘gossip fest’ and that’s just not my cuppa…I mean, they just do NOT wanna talk about fun stuff, like sexy albinos, and Joe’s blog. 😀
Sometimes I feel like I’m forced to join in when I really just don’t feel like being ‘on’, like entertaining. You know – when you just don’t feel like putting on lipstick and a bra, but would rather curl up with a good
albinobook or something. I’ve felt that way a lot lately… 😛das
Joe, just sent you a facebook link. SG fan & friend has work in an upcoming art show. Hope the Bridge folk can support her.
http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs192.snc3/19943_279611911412_567921412_5102988_5748374_s.jpg
If this works, it will give info on above-mentioned art show. If anyone goes, please at least say hi to Beth and tell her I sent you.
Just so you know the folks on twitter heard from Ivon, holidaying in the Dominican, while the Haiti earthquake was occurring. He felt it but he’s fine.
I fear for the people of Haiti – just heard that the UN HQ has collapsed. Been watching CNN – terrible scenes
Chev
p.s. support the Red Cross
@ Chev – Yeah, been following the earthquake. The thing I fear is that no one will care – no one ever seems to care about Haiti or its people. 🙁 My thoughts and prayers are with all living in that impoverished country.
das
@Joe: Hi there. It’s nice to see that you’re back at work, writing with your friends. I’ve just been reading some of your past blog entries and I saw that Extinction is going to have “tragic loss”. Does this mean that Kanaan is going to go out in a blaze of glory? Will one of the “new beginnings” be John, Teyla and Torren John starting to become a family? Will Teyla and John have a real kiss? The one in Conversion is when John is turning into a bug, so it doesn’t fully count. I suppose you can’t say what‘s going to happen… Still, I have to ask.
I know you can’t tell us who dies, but can you confirm that the following characters are safe from extinction:
Carson – I don’t think many of us can take him dying more than once.
Teyla – I really love her character, so please keep her around. And maybe give her some useful lines, plus something to do.
John – He’s the lead, so I think he’s safe. And I see him as Teyla’s future hubby so, ya know:0)
Ronon – He already “died” in Enemy at the Gate, plus I like him. He’s been through enough.
McKay – I’m pretty sure he’s safe. I think he’s the favorite character in the writers’ room. I could be wrong .
Lorne – I like him.
Zelenka – I like him too. And he’s great with McKay. He offsets him well.
Torren John – I’m pretty sure he’s safe because he’s a baby. Babies are off limits, at least to me they are. I’m assuming that’s true with you too.
Well, there you go. Answer if you like or not. I know I’m just one person, so my opinions of the characters and why any of them should stick around doesn’t mean much, but I had to ask. I hope things are going well for you. And if you need any inspiration in writing for Sheyla (not that you do), here are a few short youtube videos that include some of my favorite Sheyla scenes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdvH1TeSe2Y&feature=related “If You Only Knew”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZl5V_9ZZ4c&feature=related “Everything Changes”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr-mgdFDCwU&feature=related “I need You”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YuIaq884JU&NR=1 “Open Arms”
.
.
I know, I know. The homemade vids are cheesy, but I like them. And hey, you all are the professionals. Imagine what you all could do if you wanted to. If you put them together then there would be no need for the amateur videos. That would be great.
Thanks,
J
@Das re: your comment on Haiti, your sweet 😉
re: your comments of the past 2 days, what happened ❓
You were in such a good mood a few days ago, and now it’s all gone. Did something upset you these past few days?
Have you thought that maybe you feel blah partially because you tend to be concerned too much with what people might think of you!!!! We can’t please everybody, it would be impossible, and it would require too much personal energy investment!
Or are you feeling blah because your tired of your job and maybe you feel the need for a new challenge, a more exciting life, differents activities from the usual ones 😕
You need to take time to explore how you fell and ask yourself why you feel that way. And trust me , this is no Tom Cruise advise. It’s just that sometimes when we stop to analyse what makes us unhappy, sometimes we can identify the cause and act on it and when we can’t, that’s when the doctor comes in handy!
Meantime , you’re probably getting tired of me referring to some silly commercials that only air in Canada, but just in a “ cheap” attempt to cheer you up, here is one of my favourite silly Fed-ex commercial that makes me laugh every time 😉
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zn7L3M2KxkU
and since we’ve been talking a lot about asian culture these past few days, this one is about to become my favorite one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OlYyRP3ugY
😆
Hey Joe!
Wow, I just realized how long it’s been since I dropped by and said “hi”!
Things have been a bit crazy – school started back up last week, and I’ve taken on a couple projects outside of school. One of which is reporting for WormholeRiders on Fringe. I’m having a lot of fun with it!
I had forgotten how great it is writing about something I actually *enjoy*. Seems like there aren’t really many opportunities to do so at university. I have also gained a new appreciation for your discipline in churning out a blog post every day!
Over Christmas our English Bulldog got sick – skin infection – she’s been doing a lot better. However, I spent Christmas afternoon/evening with her at the emerg vet down on 4th and Fir. They were great…
Hope your hand is healing up well!
Oh, speaking of Ashleigh, when we played her soccer team again right before Christmas (we played them two weeks in a row), they beat us the second time… 😛
Hope the pups are all doing great!
Nadine Ramsden
(naddycat on Twitter)
@ Eric.Stewart – I am worried about Haiti – no one takes the country serious because it’s so poor. I have already heard that some people in the Dominican Republic have a ‘who cares’ attitude about this tragedy. Very said that human lives are considered so worthless simply because of where they live.
As far as the ‘blahs’ go – they come and go for the most part. I mean, I have a negative self-image (that’ll probably never go away), and depression and stuff, but I don’t let it stop me. When I finally came to terms with it, I chose to embrace it instead of fighting it – I talk about it, and I don’t worry about what people think if I do. And see…that’s it – I really don’t care that much what people think about me, my negative self-image has nothing to do with other people, only with my own mind. My mind seems to hate me. 😀
But I deal…no worries. And my problems pale in comparison to those of others. Doing volunteer work helps me realize that…helping others is good therapy. 🙂
das
I know it’s not semifinal season and only their first meeting, but in the NBA…
SAN ANTONIO SPURS 105, Los Angeles Lakers 85
*Very sad – that was what I meant in that last line of the first paragraph… 😛
das
I have a lot of family in the disaster area. The surroundings of the capital suffered very minimal damages.
I have no news from no one. … just praying that everyone is ok.
@Das
1. re: “I have already heard that some people in the Dominican Republic have a ‘who cares’ attitude about this tragedy”, apparently from what I’ve heard, that is not a new feeling that the Dominican Republic has toward Haïti.
2.re: the way you feel, I’m glad you are not letting it bring you down and get the best of you.
Hi Mr M!
Glad to hear you guys are all back to the grindstone!!
Paul is Exec Prod! Nice! As mentioned above…I thought you two were a bonded pair? Does this mean you are Exec Prod too??
How have the Winter Olympics affected life in Vancouver?
Any sign of the returning cast yet?
Have you thought of a suitable competition to merit the on air DVD commentary shout-out?
Best to all at The Bridge.
S’n’T