Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog

July 30, 2010: Dinner with an old friend! News of Note!

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Last night, I had dinner with a friend I hadn’t seen in over twenty years.  Way back when, Rob was a fellow comic collector and the Alex P. Keaton of our high school.  He was smart, had surprising business savvy for someone his age, and seemed destined for life as either the CEO of some Fortune 500 company or a highly successful stock broker who would make his fortune early and then retire early to some Caribbean island.  So when I later heard that he was pursuing a college degree in engineering, I was shocked, then not surprised to hear he’d given up on engineering, then even more shocked to hear he’d given up on engineering to a philosophy degree.  Regardless of what he chose to study, I was happy for my friend.  My dear, clearly very crazy friend.

I lost touch with him after that and didn’t hear from him for some five or six years and then one day, out of the blue, he called to tell me he was in town and wanted to get together.  I told him sure and suggested we meet up at the local pool hall my writing partner Paul and I used to hang out at.  I made plans to meet with Rob, but didn’t tell Paul who would occasionally ask: “Hey, whatever happened to Rob?” like he was some t.v. child star who’d disappeared following the cancellation of his outrageously successful sitcom.  I remember talking to Paul, who had his back to the pool hall’s entrance, when I spotted Rob come in and head toward us.  I chatted away as though there was nothing unusual and then, as Rob stepped up behind our table, fell silent.  Paul, perhaps sensing something was up, cast a quick glance over his shoulder and spotted Rob who had suddenly apparated like a ghost from his past.  It’s the closest I’ve seen Paul to passing out.

Anyway, we had a great night, caught up and, just as he’d done some six years earlier, Rob disappeared into the night never to be seen or heard from again. At one point, back in SG-1’s fifth season, I managed to exchange emails with him – before losing track of Rob again.

Finally, fast-forward to a few weeks ago when I received an email from none other than my buddy Rob.  He was passing through Vancouver and was wondering whether Paul and I wanted to get together for dinner.  This was a once in a decade opportunity.  Hell, yeah we could get together.

We ended up having dinner at the always great Q4…

The house antipasto platter.  A little of everything.

Rob reports he sold off his comic collection years ago.

Q4 recently added pizzas to their menu.  This one, with chorizo sausage and mushrooms, was outstanding.

My writing partner Paul prays they don’t forget his Spaghetti Quattro.  They didn’t.

I always go with my favorite – the Cornish Game hen.  It also happens to be my dogs’ favorite when it comes to leftovers.

The Pasta platter

The Dessert platter. Okay, unlike the pasta platter, there is no dessert platter on the menu. I just ordered all the desserts on the menu. Incidentally, Paul hogged the creme brulee.

A great evening of catching up after which I dropped Rob off at his hotel and watched him disappear into the night.  Hopefully, it won’t be another twenty years before I see him again.  As for how things worked out for him – he never did become the CEO of a Fortune 500 company.  He did, however, make his money on the stock market and retire early to a Caribbean island.

Some news of note…

Japanese artist Isaho Hashimoto offers up a time-lapse map of all the nuclear explosions that took place from 1945 to 1998.  Alternately fascinating and frightening: http://www.geekosystem.com/every-nuclear-explosion-time-lapse/

Tokyo’s oldest living man has been dead for thirty years: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20100730/tod-tokyo-s-oldest-man-died-30-years-ago-870a197.html

North Korea congratulates its national soccer team for surprising everyone by qualifying for the recent World Cup where they hung tough with heavily favored Brazil before bowing 2-1.  Juuuust kidding!  The players were publicly shamed for six hours and the coach was fired and forced to become a builder: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/7918468/North-Korean-football-team-shamed-in-six-hour-public-inquiry-over-World-Cup.html

Are reality t.v. shows setting unrealistic standards for skanks?  http://www.theonion.com/video/in-the-know-are-reality-shows-setting-unrealistic,14308/

Say the gang at FailBlog.org: “I know we were all bad spellers, but COME ONE!”

Hey!  The tireless Steve Eramo is gathering fan questions for Rachel Luttrell, Stargate: Atlantis’s Teyla Emmagen.  If you’ve got something to ask, head on over –

http://scifiandtvtalk.typepad.com/scifiandtvtalk/2010/07/stargate-atlantis-rachel-luttrell-wants-to-hear-from-you.html#tp

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36 responses

  1. link022 Avatar
    link022

    oris and ancients formed only one before.
    We have never had the opportunity to be able to observe one of alteran ship.
    given that the destiny is the oldest ancient ship we have ever known.
    Is that possible he could looks be like the ships were before the seperation of ancients and oris

    Reply
  2. link022 Avatar
    link022

    A generator of supplement was used by o neil to join ida’s galaxy.
    Is you it as powerful as the E2PZ of the ancients?
    Could it serve to join more quickly the destiny once studied and built in the chaine
    O’ neil used basic materials to build it while the construction of the zpm is another mystery for us

    Reply
  3. DP Avatar
    DP

    So, why would anyone want to be the best at soccer in NK? Oh, yeah, maybe the players get fed for a while.

    I saw a documentary where a NK girl of maybe 8 yrs. old said things like “when I was younger, I didn’t like doing things in large groups.” I realized she was actually talking in code, meaning, as long as she expressed herself in the past tense, her family was safe (her family was living in a nice town because of her place on a team of children who put on mass choreographed shows).

    What a life. When I was 8, I had no idea how to speak tactfully, much less protect my family with code talk.

    Reply
  4. riley Avatar
    riley

    I think Rob made a fine choice. Philosophy degrees are awesome. Who cares if you never make a million from it – there’s more important things in life than money.

    Oh, Rachel Luttrell – she was wonderful as Teyla. Teyla, like Philosophy, was also awesome.

    Reply
  5. chevron7 Avatar
    chevron7

    LOL….Urethra Franklin…..I’m still laughing at that….

    Now while I was perusing the Soccer article I noticed an article calling our Miss Universe costume a “national joke”.

    http://tinyurl.com/2w2mxny

    I happen to love it! I might not be wearing it to work or for dinner next week but its Miss Freaking Universe…the outfits are supposed to raise eyebrows and other things.

    Now onto the nuclear explosion time-lapse…that was scary..may I share the following site with trailer for upcoming film Countdown to Zero – a world w/out nuclear weapons…I’m in http://bit.ly/9xS9Gy.

    <blocquote?Countdown to Zero is directed by Lucy Walker and produced by the Academy Award winning producers of An Inconvenient Truth, Lawrence Bender and Participant Media. The film will open in U.S. theaters July 23.

    The film is a fascinating and frightening exploration of the dangers of nuclear weapons, exposing a variety of present day threats and featuring insights from a host of international experts and world leaders who advocate the total elimination of nuclear weapons.

    Countdown to Zero is a chilling wake-up call about the urgency of the nuclear threat. It tells the striking story of uncertainty, exposing the real possibility of nuclear disaster and revealing the truth behind an issue on which human survival itself hangs.
    Source: Countdown to Zero

    Chev

    Reply
  6. chevron7 Avatar
    chevron7

    oops…typo in the html..imagine its a blockquote will y’all

    cheers, chev

    Reply
  7. Sparrow_hawk Avatar
    Sparrow_hawk

    Does anyone have any magic cures for the dread TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorder? Life is not good when your face hurts all the time.

    Reply
  8. Fangsong Avatar
    Fangsong

    Hi Joe,

    Please would you mind comment again on this previous comment:

    “Jenks writes: “I hope the ‘edge of the universe’ line was just character ignorance, otherwise you need to fire your scientific advisor’s!”

    Answer: Nope, we’re actually going to do a story where Destiny topples off the edge of the universe. Either that or reaches the end of the universe and has to turn around and go back the way they came.”

    I feel your reply was somewhat ironic but a lot of people are taking it quite litteraly (at least on French forum), should I do so?

    Thanks!

    Reply
  9. Narelle from Aus Avatar
    Narelle from Aus

    Thanks for all the well wishes guys 🙂

    I’m hoping it’s a temporary farewell and will be back in a few months once things have settled down. My new role is already unrecognisable from what was originally planned. I now have a bigger team, bigger projects to run which always seems to mean more meetings therefore more offline. I’ll have web while I’m away but will be working until 11pm each night. That’s still less stressful than having to know every detail of what is happening in an organisation. All relative I guess.

    Have to come back for the day at least for the Masked BOTM discussion!

    I doubt I’ll be able to stay away from posting the odd sunrise or latest nutso thing one or both of the dogs have done on Twitter though 😉

    In the meantime, keep smiling.

    Reply
  10. josephmallozzi Avatar
    josephmallozzi

    A few months?!!

    Reply
  11. Narelle from Aus Avatar
    Narelle from Aus

    More or less than you thought? 🙂

    Reply
  12. josephmallozzi Avatar
    josephmallozzi

    More, of course. Now who’s going to keep me in line?

    Reply
  13. Narelle from Aus Avatar
    Narelle from Aus

    When you feel a disturbance in the force, know that it is I. It’s that or das with the voodoo doll again.

    Reply
  14. dasNdanger Avatar
    dasNdanger

    *gets out bullwhip*

    I’m still here, Joey-san. 😉

    das

    Reply
  15. dasNdanger Avatar
    dasNdanger

    Crap, Narelle…I forgot the voodoo dolly! I gotta dig that sucker out…I think it’s in my sock drawer somewhere.

    das

    Reply
  16. chevron7 Avatar
    chevron7

    Narelle from Aus said:

    Thanks for all the well wishes guys :)……I’m hoping it’s a temporary farewell

    Crap! What did I miss?????? Where are you going?? Off to read the last blog entry……..

    Cheers, Chev

    p.s. Joe, get back the the script, oh and start working on a new WFPOTD vid….its been [insert no of days, I’m lazy] days since the last one.

    Reply
  17. chevron7 Avatar
    chevron7

    Aww Narelle *massive hug* ….have fun in Bali and on all of your travels. You’ll do a fantastic job in your new role in the company and be a great support to the new boss.

    Joe, if you haven’t already got something like it organised can we make tomorrow’s blog the Bon Voyage Narelle, come back to us soon blog!!!

    Cheers, Chev

    Reply
  18. Montrealer Avatar
    Montrealer

    @chevon7

    Sadly the clock will not go back to zero for nukes. It might be rewind a bit but not much.

    Nuclear fission devices are easily assembled with early 50’s era technology. It’s getting the fissionable material that is hard, mostly due to the scale of the project and the long material processing time required. Almost any competent Engineering grad can assemble a crude fission device. Mind you it might not function efficiently. And handling the fissionable matter will be quite hazardous.

    For me if nukes are not tested periodically than their deterrent value will diminish. Unless you actually explode a nuke, there is no guarantee it will work. So if the United States still have nukes after the next US presidential term, the pressure to test will be immense. Along with the need to restart Tritium gas production to replenish the naturally radioactive decaying supply. Tritium gas is required for modern thermonuclear fusion devices. Which can produce 110 mega-tonnes energy yield in a small beer keg size unit.

    I don’t think nukes will fade away any time soon. They more or less replaces an even more expensive conventional Military force after all.

    Reply
  19. Gilder Avatar
    Gilder

    @Sparrow_Hawk: I feel your pain…literally. The general advice on reputable websites is to manage the pain and avoid procedures that will make permanent changes to your jaw and mouth. I’ve been doing just that since this past winter.

    Multiple Ibuprofen and warm compresses help. I like the microwavable /freezable, re-usable gel or bead packs.

    Google National Institutes of Health (USA) and the Mayo Clinic and search “TMJ pain”. Both are good starting points.

    The dentist I see is a member of the American Academy of Orofacial Pain. There’s a searchable member directory on their website.

    Best wishes!

    Reply
  20. Gilder Avatar
    Gilder

    @Das: Point a little of that negative motivation my way, willya? Seems to be the only kind that works. *sigh*

    Reply
  21. Runciman Avatar
    Runciman

    Joe;

    I know you have the audi which is a nice car do you have an interest in them at all?

    Hows jelly doing now shes had her stiches out? has there been any more improvement.

    would there be any possiblility of seeing a vfx screenshot of the whole of the destiny or are you keeping certain parts of it a secret?

    or could we see the concept art like the one you released fro episode 10 Justice.

    P.s. Have you ever eaten pigeon or rabbit? both are very nice in pies lol (i’m from the uk its normal here)

    Reply
  22. Escyos Avatar
    Escyos

    Mailbag Q: Is the Destiny Expedition going to find some supplies of alien coffee, and then become addicted to said alien coffee?

    Reply
  23. Sparrow_hawk Avatar
    Sparrow_hawk

    Good luck with the new assignment, Narelle! And congratulations on not having to be the boss any more.

    But I’m sorry that you’re going to be away from Joe’s blog. We’re going to miss you dreadfully. Try to stop by once in a while and let us know how you’re doing. And post some pictures of the wonderful exotic places you visit on your blog, please!

    Reply
  24. Annie from Fremantle Avatar
    Annie from Fremantle

    ahahaha @ Urethra Franklin… mwahahahahaha

    Reply
  25. Major D. Davis Avatar
    Major D. Davis

    Man does that desert look good. 🙂 SO does that pasta. As for the others… well, whats the phrase. Not entirely my cup of tea. 😉 What can I say, I need to expand my eating horizions lol. Im a bland guy.

    WOW! Thats kind of creepy. Hes been dead for 30 years?

    Next mailbag questions.

    1. Just curious, why do you film episodes out of order? Specifically why did you film Visitation out of order?

    2. When you film the movies, will it be over hiatus or is it possible shooting (or at least prep) will overlap with SGU?

    3. A few months ago you said…. “As I’ve been saying all along, the hold-up in the movies comes not from a lack of desire on anyone’s part. It’s a result of several market factors that will hopefully see a turnaround in the coming months”….. So, did they see a turnaround for the better?

    4. MGMs latest Debt extension goes to mid september, so its unlikely they’ll greenlight any projects till then. However, if you received the greenlight for the movies in late September or October, could you still film the movies over SGUs season 2 hiatus?

    Sorry if im bugging you with questions. I JUST REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY want to see theses movies. I guess since I have not much to do in the summer this is my number one thought. I mean every time I watch SGU or think about the franchise I think about the movies and how I should be sitting watching extinction air on syfy in a few weeks and I should be admiring my Revolution DVD. Its just really depressing and it makes me just want to give up on the franchise.

    I mean, id still support SGU and watch it and buy the DVDs…. but I just want to delete my account at GW and not be involved in fandom anymore. Id rather go get involved in Battlestar fandom. I mean… their show ended in March and they got a movie in October.. SGA ended in January and we got a movie…. well not till over 2 1/2 years later at the least.

    I mean realistically I can’t quit fandom, because im committed to the Stargate Movies Campaign… And mailing letters and sending messages has helped, and I encourage everyone else to do so… I really makes you fell better and its better then doing nothing… But I really hope we hear something on the movies soon…. Otherwise im gonna go nuts. 🙁

    Thanks so much,
    Major D. Davis

    Reply
  26. Tammy Dixon Avatar
    Tammy Dixon

    Narelle: We are going to miss you. I hope everything works out JUST like you want it to with you new position. Have a blast in Bali! Tweet pics, please!

    Sparrow_hawk: wishing you pain free days!

    Food looks yummy! Glad you reconnected with your old bud.

    Reply
  27. Tim Lade Avatar
    Tim Lade

    Non Stargate related question for you Joe.

    We host a challenge here every year for our new student staff which is essentially a simplified version of Top Chef’s Restaurant Wars.

    In the past we haven’t really judged the food based on anything other than taste.

    What would you suggest – as a foodie – to base the judging model around?

    Reply
  28. dasNdanger Avatar
    dasNdanger

    Sparrow_hawk wrote: “Does anyone have any magic cures for the dread TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorder? Life is not good when your face hurts all the time.”

    BOOZE!!!

    😀

    But if you’d rather do it the hard way, I think you can get one of those mouth guard thingys that help keep you from clenching/grinding your teeth at night. Ask your dentist about it. Whatever you do, don’t have surgery – everyone I know who has had surgery or allowed their teeth to be filed have had nothing but trouble, one even reduced to eating all her meals through a straw now.

    @ Joe – You must be a nice guy, or an interesting guy, or something. I never keep in touch with old friends and I hate when I see them after many years. I have no idea what to say, the stuff I’m into (Wraith, albinos, bugs, ancient cultures, etc) they don’t get, and I avoid controversial topics. I just stand there saying, ‘Well, you look good. Anything new?’, and they come back with, ‘Not much. Kids are in college. And you?’, and I’m all like… 😐 …

    Then, because I have nothing interesting to say, I start telling them about YOU. LOL. No…really, I don’t go on vacations much, or even see movies or concerts or anything…and my life is so totally boring and I can’t talk about cats because when I do everyone thinks I’m the ‘crazy cat lady’, so I start talking about the stupid stuff I like like albinos or some obscure thing I learned and they get bored and walk away and I just go home and read or watch tv or play on the internet, or something.

    I don’t have very good social skills at all. 😛 Either that, or I just don’t like people enough to be what you would call a ‘friend’. Even my nieces used to call me Auntie Social, because…well…I’m not good at socializing in flesh and blood – though I can do it on line because then I can chit chat in my underwear and no one is the wiser!

    😀

    I have no idea where I was going with that. 😛

    das

    Reply
  29. Arctic Goddess Avatar
    Arctic Goddess

    Does it count if dinner with an old friend is your cat and a T.V dinner in the kitchen…with a wrench?

    Old “Clue” reference.

    Who here has actually played the board game?

    Yeah, my mind is now Swiss cheese. Too much morphine in the hospital.

    MMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…morphine…..gahhhhhhhh……

    Reply
  30. PBMom Avatar
    PBMom

    Narelle: Wow, I wasn’t expecting to read that. I must have missed a post here or there; I’m vacationing from Twitter right now. I wish you great success. I’m DM you (from Twitter) my email address. I hope you keep in touch and let me know how you and others are doing. I know how life changes; maybe you’ll be able to keep something (Facebook, Twitter, here) for us to keep in touch. Blaze the path you are creating. Hugs. I hate goodbyes, so I’ll just say Ta-Ta For Now.

    Reply
  31. Rex Carter Avatar
    Rex Carter

    Hi Joe if I can ask that is if its not a part of the sga movie script how are the 3 zpms in Atlantis now?Are they heavily drained or are they still powerful enough to lift Atlantis off Earth or to a undisclosed location elsewhere on Earth and if so will Atlantis need the zpms from the Odyssey and the Antartic outpost unless Todd has some more zpms hidden away in Pegasus somewhere they can use.

    Reply
  32. Tammy Dixon Avatar
    Tammy Dixon

    Das: Yes, being the oddball is probably a common trait for sci-fi fans. I’ve had hubby’s friends say it’s hard to find women who enjoys sci-fi/fantasy.
    My autistic cousin says that you have to memorize and reply with the appropriate responses to engage conversation. Cold and calulating but she might have a point. People want the familiar.
    As for old school friends’, you are right, it can be hard to reconnect. I think it’s easier for guys to find common ground. Most of the women I know, are centered around their kids/work. Most of them would be clueless if I spoke of Wraith’s, SG1 or even Frodo. It’s one reason I don’t have a lot of close friends but the friends I do have love sci-fi!

    Reply
  33. dasNdanger Avatar
    dasNdanger

    @ Tammy Dixon – I communicate much better in type – it’s something I’ve come to realize over the years. In real life I will either be mute, or babble on aimlessly, unable to ever find the end of my thought. My problem in convo is that I can’t be fake – I can’t memorize the appropriate things to say because that’s not me – so I either say stuff that’s totally off the wall, or I just don’t say anything at all.

    Now, I do have lifelong pals and I can talk normally to them but I see them on a regular basis and they know – and ‘get’ – me…so there’s a comfort level there that I don’t have with people I haven’t seen in a while, no matter how close we once were. And sometimes I amaze myself and have a normal convo with someone I never expected to have a normal convo with – but that’s rare. Usually I just say too damn much. You know how Abby sometimes rambles on in NCIS about stuff no one understands or really cares about – yeah, that’s me, x100. I tend to do it with things I’m really obsessed over – the things that really don’t matter – and NOT about things that actually mean something to me, such as religion. I tend to keep stuff like that a bit closer to the vest because I don’t want anyone to equate my insanity with my faith. I know I’d be like this no matter what, but other people would just think I’m a crazy Bible freak…and blame my beliefs instead of the real culprit – my brain.

    das

    Reply
  34. Tammy Dixon Avatar
    Tammy Dixon

    Das: There is nothing wrong with you. I’ve noticed that some people are talented at drawing out conversation in a “real” way. They enjoy all types of personalities, and are flirty/fun. I tend to gravitate toward those people.
    The last person I met, who I felt I connected with, shot and killed her husband last month. She was a yoga teacher at the YMCA and she was trying to talk me into taking her class. She had been married 32 years! She seemed happy, vibrant, funny and a really nice normal person. Normal isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be I guess. So anyway, I’m going to wait on the yoga class. 🙄

    Reply
  35. JulieAloha Avatar
    JulieAloha

    Hi Joe,

    So had to laugh at the “oldest man” article – fav line: “Grandpa was a very scary man. So, we couldn’t open the door,” Mr Kato’s grandchild was quoted as telling the police. Priceless!

    @Narelle – will sooooo miss you, but so excited for you, too! Looking forward to hearing how things progress.

    Reply
  36. dasNdanger Avatar
    dasNdanger

    @ Tammy Dixon – Um. Yeah. Hmmm. See…

    I can be VERY flirty/happy/vibrant/funny when talking to other people – it’s how my nerves react to the situation – I’m either hyper and up, or brooding in the corner. Most people I know have NO idea I battle depression, because they think I’m so ‘bubbly and happy’ – so when they see me brooding they get a bit scared. 🙂

    I know I’m not totally weird – I’ve met really weird people and I can see that I’m quite normal by comparison. Maybe people think I’m okay – I think most of my problem is how I perceive myself. I also think this is only bugging me right now because I can feel my depression returning the last few weeks – it’s partly due to the stress of summer, and the excessive heat, and the lack of rain…and my crapped up garage, my messy house, my coat closet from hell, and a lot of other stuff I really need to do, but just can’t find the time or energy to do it. So instead I sit at the computer, burying my head in the sand in an attempt to escape all the stuff I don’t feel like dealing with right now. I really just need to grow the hell up. 😛

    das

    Reply

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