My gal Jelly (pictured above) suffers from hip dysplasia and arthritic shoulders and elbows. It got so bad that she was barely able to walk, so I looked into possible treatments for her condition. Major surgery is an option to replace the ball joints of her hips, but its an extremely invasive procedure and, going on thirteen, I’m not convinced she’d be able to handle it. And so, I looked into alternate treatments – supplements to strengthen her joins, pain medication and, most recently, a stem cell procedure (documented a few months back) that resulted in dramatic improvement in her mood and mobility. Unfortunately, over the past week or so, her condition has worsened. While her mood remains upbeat, her hindquarters seem to be weakening to the point where she can barely hold herself upright to pee. Kristi from Vet-Stem has been following Jelly’s progress and suggested I take her in for a follow-up injection. I discussed the option with Jelly’s doctor and, while he thinks we can certainly try it, he suspects Jelly’s problems may be even more complicated than what we assumed. And so, next week, I’m taking my gal in to see a doggy neurologist (No kidding. I didn’t even know they existed.) who’ll check her out and, possibly, recommend at cat scan (ironic, no?) to get to the root of the issue. Sucks to get old.
Still, even though she’s slowed down, she clearly knows how to have fun…
Just in case you thought I’d forgotten all about you, I’ll be announcing my elite eight recipes in the “I Make the Best Whatever…” showdown later this weekend. Lots of terrific-sounding/looking dishes to choose from!
Well, now – this is timely. Tokyo maintains the title of Top Michelin City: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/101124/utravel/as_japan_michelin_guide
Happy Thanksgiving!
Mailbag:
Iom666 writes: “Is there an AI on Destiny itself ?”
Answer: Rush has suggested that, while Destiny does possess a certain awareness (ie. its ability to recognize and address insufficiencies in food, water, etc.), he stops short of saying it possesses intelligence. His ability to interact with the avatars on the bridge would appear to be a result of the ship’s neural link; its ability to understand and communicate presumably a result of its absorption of Franklin whose brain patterns now function as template for human understanding. Still, it appears to go one step further, by demonstrating what seems like empathy for Tamara – if, it really was behind her vision. So, to answer your question…I dunno. I just work here.
Michael Jones writes: “True, Destiny seems to be using the mind of the person having the visions to craft said visions, but they seem to show some level of character or personality.”
Answer: Agreed, although one could argue that what we perceive as personality is actually a personality construct manifested by Rush’s subconscious.
Laura writes: “I found Christopher Moore’s Bloodsucking Fiends at Indigo for 10 bucks and will probably read it over the holidays.”
Answer: It’s tough to stop at just one. I started with Fool, then read Bloodsucking Fiends, and now have another half-dozen Moore books sitting on my to-read pile.
Joel writes: “It would seem then that as capable and as advanced as the obelisk/planet beings are, they are not as capable or as advanced as the creation message beings. Am I correct in believing that these entities are in fact different and that one is superior to the other?”
Answer: That assumption would appear to be correct.
KEK writes: “So are we to assume that their lack of ‘soul’ is he reason they died again, or what that just Caines theory?”
Answer: No. It was a phsyiological design flaw (or re-design flaw to be more specific) that caused them to die again. The lack of soul (or perception thereof) was a failure/byproduct of the process.
dasNdanger writes: “Ye didnae answer me wee question aboot Japan an’ whole grain rice!”
Answer: I asked Akemi and she claims there’s only one kind of rice in Japan. And I’m assuming it aint whole grain.
Freeman writes: “Most of the ship was never explored or at least not yet, are there going to be any surprise stasis pods or anything like an ancient or two hiding somewhere on the ship?”
Answer: Well, now, wouldn’t that be interesting? Please remember to file this comment and response away for future reference. Like, say, late in season 2.
irish pete writes: “Hey Joe, i was looking at some old sg1 episodes and in an episode called ‘demons’ (season 3) the writer is carl binder. Is this the infamous moustache wearing, german supporting rogue that we all love/ hate/ are indifferent to?”
Answer: That be him!
Ben writes: “So, just for my peace of mind, what exactly happened to Caine? Is he dead, or still alive? He was still alive when the light appeared, but then he says he remembers his death. So, what’s going on there?”
Answer: One could draw the following conclusion from having watched the episode – Caine and the others died on the planet (in Caine’s case, it was on the heels of witnessing the white light). The planet’s caretakers/creators discovered them too late and sought to remedy the situation by restoring them to full functionality and reuniting them with Destiny. However, while constructing planets is easy, resurrecting once living beings is not and this resulted in – for lack of a better way of putting it – each of the restored human beings having an expiry date. Eventually, the damage done caught up with their corporeal forms, resulting in all of their deaths – even Caine’s which took place offscreen.
Joan001 writes: “Speaking of exploring the ship – don’t they have beaming technology and if so, will they discover it?”
Answer: You’re thinking of the Asgard.
Doug writes: “I disagree with that characterization of Caine. He was never a man of science or logic, all of his choices and responses in both Faith and Visitation seemed to be constructed on his system of belief.
As a religious scientist myself, my first reaction would always be to suspect the explicable before the inexplicable. It’s not a challenge to the faith of any reasonable believer to accept that not everything you dont understand is de facto divine.”
Answer: In this case though, it wasn’t a simple theoretical matter but a very personal life and death experience, and that no doubt informed his conclusion. Also, the fact that both the existence of powerful aliens or an omnipotent God are posited but neither hypothesis is supported by corroborative evidence.
Elminster writes: “I’ve often wondered why you haven’t done a ‘Japan Trip’ with your Sis?”
Answer: Okay, now you’re beginning to sound like my mother.
squall78 writes: “I am hearing from some of my sources that SGU will be renewed for a 3rd season. Same sources that told me Caprica was done, so I do trust them, but they said take it as any rumor or buzz or good/bad sign. Brad said he might possibly leave, but didn’t he leave or take a break back when SG-1 ended and you and Paul were running SGA? Also, would you take the showrunner position for SGU if Brad were to leave if the opportunity was given to you? I think you guys did great with SGA, would hate to see Brad leave totally but I think you and Paul would still make an amazing show. Your eps have been some of my favorites of this series.”
Answer: I wouldn’t put much stock in rumors. After all, many of us were convinced that season 11 of SG-1 was going to happen and, well, we all know how that turned out. To the best of my knowledge, the decision-makers have yet to broach the subject of a renewal and I don’t expect to hear definite word, positive or negative, until January. Right now, there’s no knowing what kind of a scenario we’d be looking at if and when SGU gets that third season pick-up but, for the record, Paul and I were co-show runners this year with Brad.
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