The first thing my writing partner Paul said when I walked by him this morning was: “Somebody’s got a healthy vegan glow about him!”.  In fact, it wasn’t a healthy vegan glow.  It was much, much worse!  As Ashleigh informed me, we hadn’t eaten vegan after all.  We’d actually gone to a raw food restaurant!    So, after last night’s experience, I’d say vegetarianism is to veganism is to raw food dining as lobotomizing is to trepanning is to cracking someone’s skull with a hammer blow to get them to shut the hell up.

For his part, Carl was complaining about the peculiar lingering odor coming off his backpack.  “It’s that hippie stench!”he cried.  “That’ll never come off!”  Apparently, Carl’s hippie-issues stem from an emotionally-scarring incident in his youth that saw him denied the opportunity to celebrate his tenth birthday at Disneyland because a bunch of hippies had taken over Tom Sawyer Island, forcing the park’s closure.  It explains a lot.

Excruciatingly slow going on the script front.  Still stuck early in Act I, spinning my creative wheels in frustration.  It’s times like these I regret not having pursued my childhood dream of being a detective.  If I was offered ten million dollars never to write again, I would gladly take the deal.  As a matter of fact, make me an offer before I have to complete this latest script, and I’ll settle for 7.5 million.  Come on, haters!  Put your money where your mouths are!  Remi Aubuchon doesn’t have 7.5 million to spare but kindly offered to kill me and thereby obviate my need to finish the script.  I turned down the offer.  Paul suspects that a week from now, when I’m agonizing over Act III, I’ll come to regret my rash decision.

Pics of the gang –

Patrick Gilmore, SGU's Dale Volker, looking very Mad Professor.
Brian J. Smith, SGU's Lieutenant Matthew Scott, wonders "How the heck did I get into this?".
Super VFX Supervisor Mark Savela drops by to talk t.v. and how the visual effects in Awakening are going to blow away anything we've seen to date.

Hey, sis sent me a pic of Maximus in his svelter days…

Compare to present-day Maximus (pictured in the blog banner).  No wonder my mother refers to him as “salciccione” = big sausage.

50 thoughts on “April 8, 2010: Smells like hippie! The joys of writing! Pics!

  1. I’m new to the commenting game, but I’ve been lurking for awhile. I really enjoy all the foodie posts. I had to post after seeing the picture of Maximus. So cute! How much older is he now?

    As an aside…I’ve watched all the different Stargates over the years and I love SGU. Space was an awesome episode.

  2. I love that you go out to eat with Ashleigh at least once a year! She forces you to broaden your foodie horizons! 😀

    Oooh PICTURES!!!! SQUEE!!! 😀 Particularly the second! Looks like there’s some delicious Scott whumpage coming up!!! Either that or he’s rolling around in the dirt! 😉 And either way, I’m *very* excited about it! 😀 😀 😀

  3. Ahhh…I was wondering about that restaurant (and the cold food). Yeah – raw foods are a bit…meh. Not all…but I’ve looked into it, and it’s not my cuppa. Some things just need to be sauteed in olive oil and garlic. 🙂

    Maximus is adorable! If only we all could stay svelte like we were in our younger days! Well…except you, Joe…you’re still svelte. Hubby, too. But that’s good – he doesn’t mind a little meat on my bones, and I love a skinny guy (rock star skinny, too…as in practically emaciated… though Mr. Das isn’t quite that thin. Wouldn’t mind if he was, though).

    Sooo…Carl is afeared of hippies?? I thought he WAS a hippie! NOW I totally understand his reaction to the skeevy thing…and I’m so very sorry.

    Have a good night, sir!

    das

  4. Deni….more hugs as you await information for your decision making.

    Joe,
    Just about every restaurant – high end or “hole in the wall” has something about their ventilation that seems to circulate all the air from the kitchen throughout the entire establishment. Thus, heavy coats and most clothes will have the aromas (good and bad) of the last restaurant. And, that is the issue…it may smell fine while you’re there, but the next day….could be eeuuwwwww….find the fabreeze!

    Sorry to hear Carl likely put his stuff on a table, chair, counter, or worse may have dropped on the floor to pick up the finer “fragrances” which he now cannot stand.

    You’re giving us even more reason not to go vegie.

    And, Maximus is just tooo cute and has the “muscles” to prove it.

  5. Hi Joe — raw food restaurants would never fly in the South — we cook EVERYTHING until it begs for mercy.

    @Deni — my thoughts are with you

  6. Well Joe, I remember how much pain Space caused you and how much you strugled with writing it, and yet the episode still turned out to be utterly AWESOME! Don’t worry, you got it. 😉

    Oh and thanks for pics of the gang! Keep the coming please!!

    Thanks so much,
    Major D. Davis

  7. I’m very frustrated. I work Friday nights, get home about 7:30 am to sleep and be back at the desk by 6:30 pm. Last weekend I insisted GeekBoy get up at 7:30 am Sunday when I got home so we could watch SGU before it was too late (and somebody spoiled me). The problem is I have to avoid Twitter and your blog, and threaten the SGU fans I know on Facebook, until I’ve watched the episode. That means I miss all the fresh discussions! I’m thinking that this Saturday I’m waking everybody up to watch SGU right away, and then go to bed.

    How many more weeks of new eps do we have? I start day shift at the end of May, and then I can watch the show LIVE.

  8. Wow, even my vegetarian friends (some of whom have dabbled in veganry) agree the raw food scene is a little off.

  9. Maximus’ lovely photo reminded me of the subject I took into custody last night. http://www.twitpic.com/1e0b0t Just a tad bigger than Maximus, though.

    Hey, we have an opening, if you’re looking to escape your current drudgery! Salary and benefits, pepper spray and uniform provided. You just have to answer nonstop phone calls and listen to people lie to you. Sometimes you do actually get to help people, and as a bonus you get to babysit dogs who drool and/or pee on the carpet. Last night I got to do all of those things, so it was a good night. The lies are entertaining, helping people makes you feel good, and the dogs are sweet, even if they are a little smelly.

  10. Hi Joe
    If you get a chance to do the mailbag please do these ones they have been burning for a while.

    How the hell did the blue aliens get a hold on a long range communication stone?

    Also is it true that each season the Destiny is travelling through a new galaxy?

    Thanks buddy

  11. (((Crazymom1))) Long time no see!

    Less than 17 hours until Chimaeracon opens. I, like a fool, volunteered to be first at venue at 10AM, have been assigned vendor booth layout and table setup. That’s what I get for telling people I’m available.

    So, I’ll probably not even lurk until Monday. Wishing Deni and her Elway all the best, and the same to all of you!

  12. I know adapt Atlantis to recharge using Sun Power so they can dial up Destiny and send them some backup and supplies at least once or once a year or so and for brief connections so they dont get used to it.At least send them some new clothes Col Youngs socks are already wearing out!

  13. Hi Joe:

    Have you ever considered that Ashleigh is trying to get you to eat the weirdest, most peculiar food she can possibly find until you finally come to your senses and tell her ‘no more’? I’m wondering if she has her own blog somewhere with her latest entry, “Look what I got Joe Mallozzi to eat this time!”

    If you want an excuse not to write, a bunch of us will be in town on April 15th. Tell us where you will be at, oh, say, 5:30 PM and we will take you into Fan custody until the following Monday. How much do you think that Bridge Studios will pay so we can tell the cops that’s how much we want for you?

    Patricia

  14. Raw… Duh!

    What was your first clue there, Nancy Drew? That the warmest dish was just above body temp…?

  15. Lasagna without pasta noodles or cheese is blasphemy. At least the chocolate was good, though.

    Thanks for clarifying the shield bit! I never thought of it shutting off shield power but that makes so much more sense now.

  16. CUTE MAX IS CUTE.

    Oh Jesus. A RAW FOOD restaurant?! What the hell even is that? That’s not a restaurant; that’s just people taking the ingredients of food and tossing it onto some table in front of you. What kind of jackhole thought of that?

    “Hey! I know! Instead of cooking food for my new restaurant, how’s about I DON’T cook the food, and see what happens? It would be effing HILARIOUS if they actually eat any of it! HAR HAR HAR.”

    Bunch of lazy jerks. See, nothing good ever comes out of a warehouse. Are you sure that that wasn’t just a warehouse full of raw food waiting to be shipped to a real restaurant, instead of…well, a raw food restaurant?

    Anyways, very cool to see the longer hair on Patrick Gilmore; it shows well the passage of time on Destiny and their lack of personal grooming devices.

    As for your script troubles, I’ll do one better: I’ll give you 10 bucks to let ME write your script for you! It might turn out to be a pile o’crap, but hey, 10 bucks can only get you so far. So, deal?

    @ Deni: Gotta say, I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized that I had misread your comment and thought you were going to put Elway down tomorrow, but it turned out that that was just preliminary. Phew.

    Hope everything goes well with the spleen surgery! I’ve got my fingers crossed Jonas style! 🙂

    @ annie from Fremantle: Haha! Thanks! I try. 😉

  17. late question for Elyse Levesque. Are you ready for the annual Mallozzi chocolate bash this spring?

  18. Ashleigh is diabolical…

    Tell us where you’re stuck, give us an outline of what you have, and we’ll be more than happy to help you noodle it out. heh heh heh.

    Aw! Max is so cute. Look at that chubby little belly.

    Have a good one!
    Kymm

  19. Raw food restaurant? If I wanted that I could go to the park and nibble on the trees. Or, if I want variety go to my stepmom’s garden and enjoy a nice selection of nasty green, yellow, and red stuff. Then they charge you for the dubious privilege of trying to ingest that stuff? I’d say Ashleigh seriously owes you. Next time you think about a pig’s head dinner, or a foie gras feast I think she should have to partake.
    Well, as soon as I have the 10million to spare, I’ll make sure to send it your way. That should keep you working(I’d say at a real job, but I am not sure writing qualifies as real) for the next couple of decades at least. Thanks for the cool pics, though I think Brian Smith’s caption is off. When I saw it I immediately thought “Alas poor Yorick”, as he waits to catch the skull. Ah well. That explains why you’re the professional writer….

  20. Hello Joe,

    Barely recognized Maximus in that photo. Awwwwwwww… So cute. 😉

    Best wishes,

    Bryan

  21. 7.5 million? If that’s in Dobra, you have a deal 😉

    The blog readers could also start donating ideas – I propose Young getting bitten by an alien bug and then starting to feel a strange attraction to Rush *g*

  22. See? SEE!? What did I say about raw foods?!

    Tell Carl that the best way to remove hippie stench is to BURN the backpack. Second best is to rub it with bacon. Third best, start drinking heavily.

  23. HI everyone, a very quick update because we’re headed out to UF for surgery this afternoon. The aspirate we got was encouraging, but we’re still doing this with the understanding that it could still be cancer and it could all go horribly wrong. Wish us luck, and please say a prayer for Elway. If this turns out to be benign, we’ve done the best thing to avoid a spontaneous bleed and possibly a horrible death, and if it’s malignant, well, the best we can hope for is a few months to spend with the beautiful Elway.

  24. “If I was offered ten million dollars never to write again, I would gladly take the deal.”

    I’d take it too, if I was allowed to use the money to set up my own publishing company and become a fiction editor. 🙂

  25. Coucou Joseph!!!!

    Me voila enfin!! Désolé de ne pas être passé hier mais mon internet ne fonctionné plus et il m’arrive encore quelques probléme…

    Votre soeur m”envoi l’autographe!! ♥ je vais guaîter la boite au lettre avec impatience …^^il faut déja que je trouve une joli cadre pour le mettre dans ma chambre =P

    1000 bisous, merci pour ces photos et bon week end!!
    Anais 😉

  26. I’d offer to help with ideas for your script there… but i’m not keen on having any spoilers for the back half of the season, let alone the next one… so… I’m afraid you’re on your own. 🙂

    I’m sure you’ll figure out something clever though. The more my brain has to work, the more I enjoy the show. So, maybe as a general suggestion… more twists and turns and wtf moments would be cool.

  27. @ Deni – Thoughts and prayers are with you!

    @ Tammy – Nope…since sushi may contain something that is processed or cooked (such as the rice). ‘Raw foods’ is uncooked, unprocessed foods – and nothing heated above 115 degrees F. Grains and some types of rice are eaten only after they are soaked, and sprouted.

    So, what does this mean? Well, something like tomato sauce is traditionally cooked, but a raw foods tomato sauce would be uncooked tomatoes and other veggies puréed, then served over a ‘raw’ uncooked pasta. The taste would be totally different.

    Those who are pro raw foods argue that it’s the most natural, healthiest diet we can eat. (Some raw food diets do include meat and other animal products.) However, there are risks since cooking does kill certain food food borne illnesses. Also, cooking foods can make their nutrients more easily absorbed by the human body. Take the aforementioned tomato sauce. Raw, there is some benefit, but the highest concentration of the bioavailable lycopene comes from processed tomato products, such as cooked tomato sauce.

    So, as with any extreme diet, there are pros, and there are cons.

    @ Debra – I was, of course, referring to the Israelites at the time of their exodus from Egypt, not modern-day Judaism which has evolved over the centuries. For instance, under the Law given to Moses at Mt. Sinai, animal sacrifices were required on the part of all of Israel – both as a group, and individually, depending on circumstances. Those sacrifices, of course, are no longer carried out, but at one time God not only approved of them, but commanded they be performed in order for the nation to have his approval. Of course, that all depends on whether or not you believe in God and in the Bible as his Word…otherwise, it’s all moot, and we could go round and round about it, without ever coming to agreement. So, I’m not debating beliefs or anything – just stating events as they occurred according to Biblical record.

    das

  28. Hello Joe,

    I haven’t read your blog since Space aired so I wouldn’t be spoiled. I finally got a chance to watch it this morning, so I’m catching up. Wow, I sure missed a lot. 🙂

    I really liked Space. I was disappointed that Destiny didn’t put up a better fight and kick that other ships ass, but then that would have kind of killed any further action, huh? 🙂 I like how Rush was brought back. I’m curious about the ship that was crashed on the planet Rush was left on. Why was it there? Casualty of a space battle? Was it actually crashed or just left there? I can’t remember if the episode specified. I hope we find out. It’s too bad visual effects are constrained by budgets. I was thinking the whole time the ship should have been filled with water. How cool would that have been? I’m really liking all the tension in Universe. Nothing is cut and dry. You don’t know who is going to side with who.

    That pic of you and Brie titled “Brie and me, just like old times!” from April 4th is just awesome. I don’t know what it is exactly that makes it so beautiful, but I love it. And the pic where it looks like you’re about to chomp on her ear? Hilarious.

    That maple syrup ice cream dish looks and sounds delicious.

    Thanks for all the behind the scenes pictures. I love seeing them.

  29. Agonizing over getting a dog (or two). Your pictures have almost converted me to a pug or French bulldog (the French bulldog appeals more because they look like little boxers). Or I could just go to the pound. But, at my age, do I really want to take on the house-breaking, not-chewing-my-shoes-and/or-furniture ordeal again?

  30. you’re having serious trouble with act 3? well the only thing I can think of is write nonsense for a minute and then get serious

    this may look like its coming out of the blue, but do you watch south park?

    I was watching the Imaginationland “Trilogy” and one of the plot devices was a stargate, and thought it was amusing…oh right and they used a soundtrack that was akin to the Stargate theme for the bg music…

  31. Joe, I feel your pain. Last week when were were wandering about Victoria, we decided to eat at Re-bar, a trendy place featuring hip and healthy modern food. My “monk’s curry” was good and had a pretty decent Thai green curry sauce. However, I decided to try one of the healthy drinks from the juice bar – a lovely mix of carrots, beets and kale. It tasted very… green. I couldn’t get more than one or two sips down. Should have left out the kale.

    @Deni: you and Elway are in my prayers. I hope things go well today.

  32. Thanks All for the Sushi education. I’ve only eaten Sushi once, didn’t care for it.

    RebeccaH: talk to a vet, or research it before you decide on a breed. Short nosed dogs “Brachycephalic” dogs are very cute but they CAN have a lot of problems that have to be corrected with surgery.
    All dogs can have genetic problems but pure breeds (each kind) have them due to poor breeding practices. There are lots of back yard breeders out there.
    My SIL bought the cutest little French pug but it needs three different surgeries (one to correct a turned in eye lid, one to correct narrowed nostrils, and a soft palate surgery). If you decide on a dog, find a good breeder!

  33. I’ve got a question for the wonderful Elyse, if it’s not too late.

    “What word would you use to describe Mr. Mallozzi?”

  34. Speaking of “healthy”,raw foods…here’s a recipe from a friend of ours who owns a gym – um I think I’ll pass. One is suppose to drink this.

    * 1 bunch (2 cups) red dandelion greens (feel free to use spinach or any other dark greens)
    * 1 cup strawberries
    * 1 banana
    * 1-2 cups filtered water

  35. I just choked reading about the Vegan Experience. It sounds like the most hilarious night ever, man I wish I was a fly on the wall while you guys were there.

    I have had some nice vegan AND gluten-free brownies before (they were so good I swore they couldn’t be vegan…but were), and I actually had a curried chickpea burger today that was vegan and quite nice, but it’s not really my favourite meal choice.

    Cheers,

    Amz/Amy

  36. Lol, if you stopped writing Joe, it’d be a huge loss for Stargate in general.
    Anyway good luck with your script, I’m sure it’l be awesome.

  37. “So, after last night’s experience, I’d say vegetarianism is to veganism is to raw food dining as lobotomizing is to trepanning is to cracking someone’s skull with a hammer blow to get them to shut the hell up.”

    *dies laughing*

  38. HI Joe, I have commented on here a few times now..

    I enjoy reading all the latest production news on All things StarGate…and the life of a Script writer.. its all very interesting.

    I have a question which I think most fans of Stargate and fans of other TV Series would like a answer to.

    I am in the UK, but I all so know this issue is TV Industry wide.
    For we do get Episodes a week or two after they have been shown in the U.S / Canada..

    Why is there a large a mid season break now…in all TV Productions.

    This is the first year this has happened..
    WE are about to see the Episode Space here next week on Out Satelite Network Sky 1.

    Which I am looking forward to..
    Normally when a Series starts here it runs from October to January / February time..with a few weeks break because of the Xmas Season.

    I know shows like Eureka, Bones, Big Bang Theory, Flash forward has had large mid season breaks this year.
    these are just shows I watch, a lot more has have been effected….

    Why this year, and last year are we having this happening to our Favorite U.S / Canadian Shows…

    Is this due to the writers strike a year or two ago..?

    Or is this a new Way of working in the Industry. ?
    If so I know a lot of people will not be happy with it.

    You are working on season 2 now when season 1 is still running… This never happened when you were doing Sg1 and Atlantis….?

  39. Is there a possibility that Ashleigh escaped from Vancouver after her meal with you guys for an alternate lifestyle? I was out and about in the wilds of Alberta and did a double take. Ashleigh or her double was handing out shopping carts to the merry customers of Walmart. Hmmmm…..

  40. Okay, I’m running away now, and I won’t be back until Sunday, which is my earliest opportunity to watch SGU. And it will also be my birthday. Huh, I forgot to give my husband a list. God only knows what he’ll get me…

  41. I couldn’t wait to comment – watched the teaser of tonight’s episode and it was incredible. Absolutely incredible! Will there be a list of the songs used or perhaps a soundtrack?

  42. Elway’s gotten through surgery and is doing well tonight 🙂 The mass in his spleen turned out to be much bigger than what we saw on the ultrasound, apparently because it was twisted under the spleen and went into his abdomen. The surgeons told me it was one of the biggest, if not the biggest one they’d ever seen in a spleen. They’d found 3 small nodules on his liver during ultrasound as well, so one of those was biopsied. Tonight, he’s in ICU, has eaten a bit of dinner and is hanging in there. For us, the wait for the pathology report will be long and hard (up to a week). We get to visit tomorrow morning, I’ll let all you lovely people know how he’s doing then. I can’t thank you all enough for the prayers and good wishes. I get to see him tomorrow, and that’s a hell of a lot better than the alternative 🙂 Off to watch SGU. Or fall asleep. Mr. Deni and Lauren thank you, too. And Joe, I thought Lauren was going to bust a gut laughing at your vegan adventures. She’s another fois freak and was drooling at the liquid stuff. 🙂 Good night everybody!

  43. Can I just say that I hate Wray and all women like her??

    ‘Cause…I do. I really won’t mind if she ends up in a refrigerator…

    Just sayin’…

    das

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