With Fondy heading out of town for the week, Akemi and I assumed temporary possession of her house.  And dogs, Brie and Stewie.  As a result, we’ll be hosting a veritable pooch party for the next little while…

From left to right: Lulu, Brie, Stewie, Jelly, Bubba, and Maximus. But you eagle-eyed observers already knew that.
Stewie and Brie, all bummed after mom left.
They're tough guys, but they do stick together.
Bubba settles in for the long haul.
Lulu is always in play mode, regardless of locale.
Stewie makes himself comfortable.
Brie doesn't seem to mind subbing as a seat cushion.
Lulu and Bubba practice their tennis spectator look.
Jelly enjoying the great outdoors.
Maximus doing what Maximus does best.
Jelly and Brie getting reacquainted.

Slow progress on the script rewrite front.  It seems that whenever I sit down to tackle Act III, I’m distracted by meetings, requests for 1 liners, 5 liners, character descriptions and approvals.  I finally put everything to bed and redirected my focus to the rewrite – only to have Trevor walk in with a first draft of Carl’s new script.

Thanks a lot, CARL!!!!!!!

Things were much brighter on the lunch front today.  Following a somber offering of pasta so thoroughly cooked that fully fifty percent of blind taste testers would have certainly identified it as wallpaper paste, we got barbecue today!

Finally, something Alexander and I can agree on!
Best brisket sandwiches ever! Barque Smokehouse!

Later in the afternoon, I finally sat down to work on that rewrite.  And then, just as I was about to start, an alarm that sounded very much like Donald Sutherland in the last shot of Invasion of the Body Snatchers went off – only a hell of a lot louder…

Not sure what the problem was, but I suspected it may have had something to do with THIS –

Got some great photos of series director Andy Mikita in action, manning the fire hydrant but, alas, none of the pics came out (time for a new camera).  Anyway, after being informed the fire department had been called, I decided to leave early – not to go home, mind you, but to double-check and make sure the firemen were, in fact, on the way.  Also, as I explained to Andy, I probably wouldn’t be back because, as so often happens in these situations, I invariably end up staying to help volunteer put out a few fires before eventually calling it a night.  I’m just that kind of guy.

25 thoughts on “June 17, 2011: I’ve become that crazy dog guy my writing partner warned me about. And barbecue! Oh, and the weekend alarm sounds early!

  1. From Twitter:
    jonnymorris1973

    There are three stages to writing a script: Being unable to start it, being stuck in the middle, and being unable to finish it.

  2. I’m exhausted, don’t even have the energy for a snarky jab, but I do want to thank you for the puppy pics, the vids, and the end-of-the-week smiles. 🙂

    das

  3. awwww, sweet doggie pix. Thanks.
    You do look rather happy near the food. Sandwiches look good.
    Hope you enjoyed.

  4. Yes Joe, grab your camera a head right into the raging fire or directly confront the heavily armed robbers breaking in through the back door. 😐 Next time you hear the alarm, run like a girl, screaming all the way out the front door. Save yourself!

    Fondy could not have asked for a better dog sitter. But are you sure it’s okay for the dogs to be on the furniture? I don’t remember any previous pictures with Stewie and Brie on the furniture. They sure are cute. Stewie is especially beautiful in color. That backyard is very pretty.

    That lunch looks heavenly.

    I can still hear that alarm in my ears…

  5. Ever thought of just building a house – in Fondy’s garden would be a great idea. 😉

    Once you investigate the cause of the black water I trust that you will update us!

  6. Just wondering… but in the one picture, it looks like Lulu has her own green lantern!

    …what kind of constructs does she make w/ her power ring??

    Giant boxing gloves like Hal Jordan??

    …or giant chew toys?

  7. I hate alarms. Why, with our brilliant technological advances, can’t we have more imaginative alarms? You know, the “Red Alert”, from Star Trek, or a “Defcon” status alarm based on the severity of the problem? We could even consider a mechanical voice shouting, “Riot!”, although that might have the undesired side effect of people running toward the problem instead of away from it.
    In a psychology course I took years ago, I learned that the irritating noise of fire alarms is intended to drive people out of the building and away from the potential danger. It also warns people outside not to enter. Seems to me, however, that a verbal warning from a computer controlled recording would be more effective and less likely to cause deafness.

    Joe, when you first started looking for work after graduating from University, were you a sci-fi fan? Or did that develop with time? Did you intend to look for work writing sci-fi? When did you determine it was time to look for an agent to represent you, and how did you decide on the right one for you?

    Patricia

  8. yea, those alarms are designed to be impossible to ignore. And to permanantly cause hearing loss if you are exposed to them for more than 7 minutes and 14 seconds. Really. And I would really really love to see you on a hoe line. Can always arrange that should you ever find yourself in the area. That would be a piece of video wqrth paying to see..
    The pack is just too incredibly cute. It’s nice they get along so well, and that you’re doggie and house sitting. As for the writing I guess that will come along in good time. Thanks for sharing and hope the weekend goes well for you and all your readers.

  9. Joe, these things only happen to you. 🙂 Thanks for the cute dog pictures!!

    Have a good weekend!!!

  10. Yes Joe, your widened smile with fork aloft, at the ready, certainly imparts gleeful anticipation of BBQ! (As it should) ‘Tis the season of the tangy sauce, roasted corn and skewered delights after all.
    Fondy’s home is just beautiful, even the backyard. It’s good to see all the furry kids getting along and enjoying each other’s company. Precious photos.

    Have a pleasant weekend all!

    2cats

  11. Has anyone told you about a guy name Laurence Moroney who is writing a “Virtual season 3” of SGU? He’s doing a reasonable job. I’m glad to have a sseason 3 of any kind, so I’m really grateful for this man’s initiative.
    [edit]

  12. Baby doggies!! 🙂 Awwww…Brie and Stewie look so sweet laying together! 🙂 Love all your doggies! They always brigthen my day!

    Don’t you just hate when your in the middle of doing something important, and that darn alarm starts blaring in you ear. But…I guess with that black water coming out there…I assume that’s a good reason. Gee…I wonder if you got a gas leak or something. That’s scary. :S Please…update us on what really happened. I feel like this is cliffhanger of some sort.

    Those brisket sandwiches look absolutely scrumptious! They make my mouth water.

  13. Hi Mr M! And All here!

    You are all famous!! I kid you not!
    I recently gave an interview for the Irish Times Weekend Magazine – it’s arguably the most read daily on a Saturday.
    The topic was book clubs – and of course I talked all about Mr M’s Online Book Club.
    You can read about it here.
    It’ll hopefully get more Irish Eyes (smiling or not) over on the site here Mr M!!

    Best from The Emerald Isle!

    http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/magazine/2011/0618/1224298893096.html

    S’n’T

  14. Great dog pictures and stuff Joe, speaking of that alarm, too bad you didnt have a working Zat gun on you, a simple zapity zap and that alarm would be history lol

    Seriously though, some of those alarms are far to sensative, you could be cooking food and if a tiny bit of smoke gets near one, it goes off, better safe than sorry though.

  15. hi, joe,

    any chance on getting carl to come here, to talk stargate: revolution? i just want to know the ‘what ifs’ and ‘what might have beens’…

    of course, if it’s just more damned crappy bad news, don’t ask him.

    i’m STILL pissed that the entire stargate franchise has been dropped, all b/c *one* aspect of it failed… 😡

  16. Way to go Shirt’n’Tie! You are the coolest dude 😎 (and dentist) I know!

    From Shirt’n’Tie’s interview: This is where the internet comes in. Although he’ll admit that a real-life club has its advantages too. “It also includes a glass of wine – which is absent from online discussions . . .”

    Who said? 😀 While reading Joe’s review, and what others think, and writing my own impressions of the current book, I might be, eating dinner, or dessert (ice cream, cookies, brownies), or drinking just about anything (fruit punch, soda, chocolate milk, or even that small glass of wine). (Joe’s blog has had plenty of drunken commenters.) And you don’t have to get dressed and go out…or even dressed. 😆

  17. PS: I’m waiting on the Pony Express (aka the US Postal Service) as we speak, to deliver my copy of Sweet Tooth. I keep trying to track the package but apparantly not everyone in the various states the book is leisurely passing through know how to use a barcode scanner. Last update said the book was with Das in New Jersey on the 16th. Gimme my book Das!!

  18. I just watched a featurette on Good Morning America about keeping dogs safe during a hot summer and one of the featured animals was a French Bulldog. Naturally I thought of you and your little four-legged babies. You should check it out. I think it’s on their website. They showed things like a kiddy pool designed for small breed dogs (like the French bulldog) with little doggy life preserver and icepack neckbands that’ll keep them cool. Even a pad hooked to a hose that they can step on and get a drink anytime they want outside without it messing up your yard. I know you aren’t the only one you know with little ones that this would be perfect for. Spread the word to Brie and Stewie’s mommy, she might like the info too!

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