Apologies for the tardy blog entry but I was out tonight for dinner and a show with big-time Hong Kong actress and all-around adorable sweetheart Theresa Lee (she made the finals of China’s version of Dancing with the Stars y’know).
Yes, blame her. She’s in town for a few days and we decided to get together to discuss that potential post-Stargate project we’ve been kicking around. While we brainstormed, we enjoyed some local Thai cuisine…
After dinner, we headed downtown to Maxine’s Restaurant & Lounge where we took in the show part of the “dinner and a show”. And, on this night, “the show” was the Candy Girl Cabaret.
Going in I wasn’t really sure whether I’d enjoy myself but I ended up having a great time. Yes, the ladies were lovely and scantily clad, but it was all very tasteful and the performances were energetic and tightly choreographed. The audience was a lively one, mostly made up of young women who got so caught up in the show that some of them even started dancing at their tables. Suffice it to say, I’ve got to get out more.
So I was strolling through my local butcher shop today when my eyes happened to alight on what I at first assumed was a pasty white boiled pork ball. Then, upon closer scrutiny, I recognized the delicacy for what it truly was: Haggis! About this same time last year, I considered and, ultimately, decided against picking one up – and ended regretting it. In the end, what made me decide to pass wasn’t the haggis itself (and, specifically, the ingredients that go into haggis) but the cooking process. Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer my innards crispy and the thought of boiled heart, liver, and lungs packed into a sheep’s stomach didn’t exactly fill me with an overwhelming desire to try it. Roasted heart, liver, and lungs packed into a sheep’s stomach is another thing entirely but, apparently, that would be tantamount to sacrilege I believe (and I base this assumption on the look actor and Scotsman Robert Caryle threw me when I floated the idea past him. Seriously. I thought he was going to all Begby on me.). So tell me, Haggis-lovers! Are steaming and boiling my only options? And are turnips and rutabagas my only side options? Help me out here.
SGU season two episode list:
#1: INTERVENTION
#2: AFTERMATH
#3: AWAKENINGS
#4: PATHOGEN
#5:C*O**R*A**
Mailbag:
Susan the Tartan Turtle writes: “Talking of ‘resourceful’ fans – have you ever been recognised by a fan in the street? Asked for your autograph? (Apart from the young lady from Montreal).”
Answer: A couple of months ago, I was in HMV with Ivon Bartok and had one of the sales associates recognize us from the blog. Several years earlier, the cashier at a local drugstore recognized me. So it does happen, but rarely, meaning I’m free to frequent my usual dives and seedy hotspots without fear of being found out.
Susan the Tartan Turtle also writes: “Has Brie left home yet?”
Answer: She’ll be gone in about two weeks. I’ll miss the little gal. While she’s a complete and utter pain in the ass during the day, she’s a primo cuddler at night.
Arctic Goddess writes: “If you are already pressed for time, how are you ever going to find time for baths? If you do find time, do you have a Jacuzzi tub?”
Answer: No jacuzzi bath but a fair-sized tub nonetheless. As for how I’ll find the time – simple! I’ll multi-task. Instead of reading in bed at night’s end, I’ll simply read in the bath.
PG15 writes: “Anyway, I hope this revelation of what your reality really is doesn’t damage you psychologically – but, if it did, we’ll all be right here to help!”
Answer: Well, now, don’t we have plenty of time on our hands!
Fsmn36 writes: “Why do you have so many colognes? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love a lot of scents, but I stick to one and one only. It feels too cluttered to have more than one.”
Answer: Smell is apparently at the top of the list of memory-triggers, so I like to marry a particular scent to a particular event. For instance, I wore John Varvatos Vintage while in Tokyo and now, whenever I smell the cologne, I’m always reminded of the wonderful time I had there.
Rex Carter writes: “How many kinos are on the destiny including the 2 from the alternate timelines?”
Answer: Lots.
Major D. Davis writes: “Will there be any hand to hand scenes in the second half of the season like the one in Justice?”
Answer: There will be a couple of tussles.
Kevman7987 writes: “1) How do the gates that are not in the SGC or Atlantis able to refill their power reserves.
2) How would a gate figure out which address to accept first if two incoming wormholes were dialed at the same time from similar distances?”
Answer: 1) This is an aspect of the series we’ve yet to explore.
2) It’s impossible for a gate to receive a simultaneous signal from two incoming wormholes. Even micro-seconds apart, one will be recognized first and take precedence, locking out the other.
given your excellent taste in companions, and the fact you”got out”, you’re forgiven for the late post. Glad you’re enjoying yourself, and thanks for the pictures. The thai looks pretty good. Certainly the only thai place I’ve tried locally was a seroius disapointment.
Evil man. potential post stargate project? It’s good to see you looking ahead, and would love to know what that is all about. I suppose after a year or two of teasing us, you may let us know something, anyways.
Thanks for taking time from the pooches to give us the update. Now to crawl back to bed for a nap, now that the nice policemen have hauled away the drunk we were awakened for.
“Crossroads”?!
Don’t I remember you or someone in the writing team rubbishing that as a title in the same vein as “A Turn of Events”?
Hi Joe..
I’m sure you will miss Brie more than just during the evening cuddle…
How about this for the title guess for episode 5: CROSSROADS
Is mom doing ok in the rehabilitation facility?
Gina
Hi Joseph!!
ça va bien??
Sympas votre soirée, les femmes sont jolie, mais bon…je préférez voir des hommes…ou bien des hommes qui se déguisent en femmes…mouahhaha j’ai déjà assisté à un t’elle spéctacle est c’était très drôle, en plus elle ou il? O_o s’amusaient à martiriser nos pauvres hommes qui ne savaient vraiment plus ou se mêttre tellement ils avaient hontes XD
Outch vous êtes comme mon pére vous mangez des parties bizzarre des animaux (foie, coeur, tripe), pour que je mange ça il faudrai me faire un lavage de cerveaux afin que j’oublie de quoi il sagit.
ahhh mais moi le jour où je vous vois, je vous saute dessus!! (lol qu’en même pas mais limite xD) ça sera le plus beau jour de ma vie ♥!
Passez une bonne journée!
Bisou !
Ok I’m scurred to ask , but what in the world is that dish?
Looks like blue pasta flowers , stuffed with rice and I dunno what all else.
It actually took less time than you think, which is alternately sad and scary. I believe it alternates sinusoidally (the only acceptable way to alternate).
Still, it was about time I took a break from schoolwork. I wasn’t born to do schoolwork for cryin’ out loud!
Oy, I can just imagine what das‘s reaction would be to the Candy Girls. In fact, my subconscious has already decided that it will be a sight to behold, as I meant to type “Oh” at the beginning of this paragraph, but accidentally typed “Oy” – it’s more appropriate, me thinks. 😛
I gotta admit, the title of the 5th episode is looking more and more like “Crossroads” every day. Still, you guys won’t actually reuse a title from SG1, would you?
Would you?!
Or…maybe it’s a name of a location, like “Vegas”. Doing some fiddling with the Internet, my guess now shifts to:
“Cloverdale”
But the fiddling also came up with:
“Crossreact”
Which is related to medical jargon apparently; considering that it comes after “Pathogen”, it might have some merit.
Lastly…well, it’s no big deal in the grand scheme of things obviously, but I’m kind of disappointed that the 1000+ days-long roll you’ve been on for posting a blog entry every day has been broken. Technically, you posted this entry several minutes into January 24th in your timezone.
Oh well. 1000-something days of daily blogs (and sometimes more than 1 a day) is more than impressive.
Since Brie is leaving soon, could we get some more photos of her? She is quite some model and I enjoy seeing pictures of her adventures.
I was wondering if there had been disagreements over casting among those who have imput into those decisions? Did someone in charge just decide? Any regrets in casting? I was wondering if there were casting decisions you made on SGA that you consider to be brilliant? I would suggest two: Amanda Tapping and Robert Picardo. Sam coming to command Atlantis was a no-brainer IMO, but I thought Woolsey??? Yet, it was a brilliant decision and really brought a unique aspect to the show. and some great storylines.
the only episode title i could think of is Crossroads, but an sg1 episode already had that name
I Think I have It……………..
5. Crossroads
Cue Eric Clapton, or even more retro, Robert Johnson
Yeah… that still looks like Crossroads.
I’ve ever only bought them pre-cooked, which seems to be the default version here in the UK. You can get raw or make yourself which is where all the steaming comes in. However, I tend to either microwave or put in over to heat. You can also slice and fry, which is pretty tasty with the crispy bits. If you really want to, Scottish chip shops have made an art of deep-frying them. I’ve also had it stuffed into Chicken breast, which is a great meal
It’s gotta be CROSSROADS!
Yeah it’s CROSSROADS, no need to keep teasing Joe.
The only thing I can get to fit #5 is crossroads, but I thought that had been guessed.
Not turnips! ‘neeps’…!!!
I’d never ever think that you, Joe ‘eater of all kinds of offal, including endangered species’ genitalia’ Mallozzi would bypass Haggis.
This chicky didn’t. I liked it…. don’t pass up the chance.. I have no idea for alternatives to cooking it, but best trust the Scots to have the method down pat.. after all, they created the delectable delight…och da nooo!!!
CROSSROADS!!!
It’s Crossroads. Lots of people have guessed that. Oh, my rebuttal to those who say that’s already an episode title: So?
What? Crossreads? Cloakreafs?
Are you sure the title’s not Cuttlefish or Cephalopod? Eli sends the kino under a sea, flashes color changes to mimic chromatophore communication. Then, the cephalopods turn out to be a total emos. Very visual, very deep.
How can you get moody cuttlefish to free your friends from an undersea, alien base? What a puzzle.
What are those interesting blue flower thingies?
Your haggis comments reminded me of a conversation I had a while ago with a man in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He grew up on a deer farm, where they raised deer for extra money for eventual butchering. Most customers just wanted the meat so his mother would take all of the hearts, mix them with spices and herbs and pressure cook them into something like a big sausage. When cooled she would slice it up and he would take deer heart sandwiches to school. He loved those sandwiches and missed them. I am not a big fan of beef heart so I will reserve judgment on how good it would taste, but I am sure it wets your appetite.
Oh, Theresa Lee!! I’m sooo happy she’s still working and getting the chance for opportunities from the likes of you, Joe. I’d say it was about 12 or so years ago when she was down here in LA and spent some time with my friend, Jeff B. She was sweet, charming and affable, and us Hong Kong movie buffs were honored by her presence. Please keep us updated on any project you collab on. ^__^
And re: batch versus shower. I never takes baths here since my apartment only has the shower-bath combo, and there’s no way I’m going to take a shower, and then wait for the bathtub to fill. But I also won’t do a bath anyway but the Japanese way (wash first, then bathe). When I’m in Japan, I totally take the time and effort since they have perfected the art of soaking. It’s like a personal onsen! When I get a place of my own, I’ll be tricking up the bathroom with a Toto toilet (warm seats in winter, yesss!!) and a soaking tub. Is your bathroom at home already in a similar arrangement, or have you had the inkling to go that route?
Funny you should mention haggis – they were just talking about it on the radio. Some kind of new exporting law or something.
It’s cleeearly Crossroads.
Finally, whens the date for SGU’s return in the UK?
Hey there, Joe! Go for the haggis! It’s worth the steaming or boiling, or you can try one of the other methods that Rachel mentioned in an earlier comment post. Whatever the method, I’m guessing you will love it! I’ve been hooked on haggis since my first UK visit in the early 80s and I’ve made a point to have it at least once on every subsequent visit. All the best, Steve 🙂
Joe, let’s face it…you’re a bedlamite, AND a man-slut. 😀 I really hope Kerry rides yer skeevy behind for gleefully watching (and praising!) showgirls prancing about in frilly underpants, while you did nothing but bellyache and kick and pout like a four-year old over having to accompany her to a respectable-type musical show.
*Note to Kerry – Next time, invite Joe to the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show – it seems more up his alley.
And Joey…you’re also a slacker. See, we can practically set our watches by you, so late blog entries get some of us worrying a bit (okay, just me and pg15, but still…). It has nothing to do with us selfishly *needing* that new entry for our own personal entertainment, but more to do with stopping us from going off all willy-nilly-like and googling ‘Mallozzi, Vancouver, Car Accident’ if we don’t see some signs of life before 12:00am PT… 😛
Ya know…just for future reference. 😉
Have a good day, sir!
das
Closereach? That’s actually two words, but sometimes squished into one.
Cloverdale? Crossreact? Crossreach? Crossrealm? CLOWNREALM!!
I give up. 😛
das
Haggis? This is the one item I’ll be glad to live vicariously through you 😀 . BUT I understand about regrets. You will have to try Haggis to prevent yourself any regrets.
Narelle: We are still eyeing the e-reader. One more question: Can you store the downloaded books on a computer? You know, in case you run out of room. Normally, I can see that NOT happening in my case but hubby reads these huge computer language text manuals. He is considering the touch screen reader because it has a slot for a extra storage.
Crossreact” is not bad…..
Haggis – YUMMMMMM!
Thing is, all the bits are minced up, so it’s not like normal offal. Steaming is traditional, but as you can microwave Christmas puddings, I suppose you can microwave your haggis. But if you want to try something different, slice it and fry it.
Whichever way you decide to cook it, don’t forget you need to pipe it to the table and quote unpronounceable poetry to it. See if you can get Mr Carlyle to do that bit for you!
Neeps and tatties are obligatory!
Now I wish I’d gotten a walk-in jacuzzi for the master bath, instead of going full shower. But there were plenty of cons to that, including husband’s preferences.
Oh, well, if we ever renovate the hall bath…
As my late father-in-law would say, what IS that interesting…stuff?
Joe, I wish y’all would cast Gil Gerard, a gentleman on the order of Don Davis, in a guest role.
I’m going to go with CROSSROADS. I can imagine Eli walking late at night out of his quarters to an intersection where he sells his soul to Rush in exchange for some action that does not involve a kino.
So it’s Crossroads? Will the episode have the blues song playing in the background?? 😛
CLOWNREARS – another horror episode?
Also, will the food supply problem be solved in Season 2, or will unnamed crew members start to suspiciously disappear, and the main characters look somewhat…plumper?
My mom made it from the hospital to the nursing home. I was a little worried these past few days that what she really might need were swimming lessons as much as physical therapy. There was a threat of mud debris flows raging down our burned mountains during the latest rains. So far so good. But not for my mom I’m afraid. She’s notorious for not doing therapy, and I’m concerned this time she may not make it out of rehab.
Your mom looks great. After the walker, you’ll need to get her a cane with a horn so she can honk everyone out of her way.
I know it’s Crossroads, but I don’t wanna say it is because as soon as I do that won’t be it.
Although Clownrealm would definitely be my next choice, as well.
Re: Haggis
We always boil some cabbage and potatoes with a little lamb fat when we make haggis.
Here is the Haggis recipe we use if you’re interested.
1 Sheep stomach
1 lb sheep fat
1 lb sheep liver
1 lg sweet onion
1 ½ lb. dry oatmeal
½ tsp cayenne pepper
¾ tsp black pepper
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
¾ tsp salt
Clean the sheep’s stomach by turning it inside out and getting ride of all the nasty stuff. be careful to not rip it. Then turn it ride side out. Boil the liver and onions. Save ¾ cup of the stock. Cut liver and onions up and brown oatmeal. Mix everything and fill the stomach. Try and get all the air out when as you fill the stomach to keep it from bursting when it cooks. Put a small pin prick in the stomach after it is tied off and place into boiling water. Turn heat down to a simmer. Cook about 5 hours.
In the US Sheep stomach is considered uneatable so it’s hard to come by. One of my neighbors about 2 miles down the road has sheep and he always gives me everything that’s needed when it’s slaughter time.
When you cook the Haggis don’t heavy boil. It needs a light simmer. If you heavy boil it, the stomach can rip a part and then you have a really nasty pot of stuff. I found that one the hard way.
Also the original recipe called for cinnamon instead of the all spice but I’m allergic to cinnamon so I substitute.
What is the blue flower pasta Thai dish? It looks amazing, never seen anything like it (that was edible!) Where is Brie going too? I’ve been gone too long, suddenly pups are leaving, people are debating Haggis and the food is blue?
re: “Imagine! Being able to go back in time and change the past? Undo all of those mistakes, all those stupid decisions you later came to regret?
…I’d take more baths! …. I intend to turn my life around by making the time to take more baths!…”
I just couldn’t resist…. do you feel any different ???…I intent to keep my new year resolution… no sarcasm… 100, 99, 98, 97….
I think I’m just going to change subject. Your mom looks good.
…. If all goes well, I’m getting new headshots next week!!! very excited about it. Working on my first demo too. Waiting to finish both to upload them . Been exercising, like crazy, for the past few weeks, eating healthy… what can I say, I’m a picture of health, well, that’s what my doctor told me. Walked a flight of stairs of 100 steps, the other day, barely out of breath.
Interesting question about where the different gates get their energy. Has that not been addressed, yet, or is it just a matter of when and how such details would be shown for dramatic purposes?
What about Zero Point Energy, potentially an ‘any time, any where’ kind f Martini energy resource? Would imagine that the Ancients had sussed this and then some, so maybe it isn’t enough, at least alone, or there are caps on such use, either deliberate or due to faults in the old ship.
Wondering, too, about how the energy source fits with the non-hyperspace FTL tech.
Also, as the gate tech is wormhole-based, might there be other wormhole type technology on the ship apart from the Stones (that link to Earth), eg for scanning, sampling or even siphoning off energy without the vessel having to high-tail it to a star, though that is so good…?
Great stories. Great blog. Thanks