Damnit! I forgot about the live chat we were supposed to do. I’d like to give everyone a 24 hour reminder. How’s tomorrow night for you guys? 9:00 p.m. EST, 6:00 PST? [correction]
Akemi and I went out with Rob and Hillary last night. We discussed a lot of strategy – and ate a fair amount of sushi. And then some.
Then, today, I was downtown and met up with blog regular, Maryanne, who was in town visiting. We, of course, ended up doing the food truck tour…
And then capping things off with dessert at Cadeaux Bakery.
Hey, Maryanne, nice meeting you – and thanks for keeping up. Enjoy the rest of your stay in Van!
Days of Stargate: Atlantis past continues…
ECHOES (312)
Here we go again. Carl Binder and his damn ghosts. Or variations thereof. While members of the Atlantis expedition start seeing (long) dead people roaming the corridors of the city, McKay’s whale-watching yields some interesting findings on Lantian whale behavior and coronal mass ejections. Although the stakes are extremely high, the episode itself delivers a nice balance of action, humor, and memorable character moments (who’d have thunk Rodney would have a soft spot for alien marine mammals?).
Although Carl wrote the script, he received uncredited input from his brilliant daughter – and by brilliant, I do mean brilliant. The proud owner of a Ph.D in Astronomy, she provided insights, information, and admonishments on many a story. We always walked the line between science and science fiction on the show and having someone like Carl’s daughter to rely on invariably made that line all the more narrow.
We ended up saving the planet – and the whales in this episode. In a later episode, the planet comes under threat again. When we were spinning this episode, we suggested that Atlantis take flight and abandon the planet. Exec Producer Robert Cooper hated the idea given the effort we had put in to saving the whales in this episode. After much heated discussion, I offered a creative solution. Since these were alien whales, we had no way of knowing what type of defense systems they possessed. So, what if, as Atlantis is flying away, they pick up movement on their short-range sensors. They bring the image up on screen in time to catch the winged whales sail up out of the water and fly away in search of another world. Martin Gero dubbed them “whangels”. Sadly, they did not make the final cut.
Save the whales is always a good episode, my fav Start Trek epi is all about the whales. So great job Carl and Carls daughter. I think I forgot about the chat also,,ooopsie, so I will try to remember tomorrow also. Glad you got to meet another blog regular. and food (dessert) was involved, how great!!
1. @ sparced – Looks like a good catch! Joe, if that is the miniseries you were working on, it sounds good!
2. @ Tam Dixon – Those foodie pics are too cute for words! 😀
3. *Waves at Maryanne!* Look at you go! Gave Joe a real foodie run for his money, you did! 😀
4. @ The Absent-Minded Raconteur – Not sure about tomorrow night. If I can join in, I will, but 6 pm is a bit early for me (I often work until 7ish), and Mr. Das wants to do something ‘summery’ tomorrow evening (if he doesn’t work late). However, don’t let me stop you; you’ve been more than generous with your time and in answering my questions over the years both here and in e-mail, so this can be an opportunity for others to have a bit of one-on-one for a change. Besides, if it goes well I’m sure there will be other live chats down the road, and maybe by then I won’t be running around like a head with my chicken chopped off and I’ll actually be able to come up with something terribly inappropriate to ask. 😀
das
Hey Joe,
Have you watched any of season 5 of breaking bad? Thoughts?
Maryanne? Is that Chevron7? Good to see you enjoying yourself and no broken bones. 🙂 Joe how many friends do you have??
Tomorrow night chat. Check!
Loved Echoes, of course. It is one of my favorite episodes. I love ghost stories. This one spooked me out! Teyla would make a good ghost hunter. When you see one, you are suppose to chase after it, not run away. She was go’in for it. I thought it was a very interesting story. I had forgotten why the whales were coming and the Ancients were walking in their (dead) sleep until I saw it again tonight. I was a little frustrated Rodney took so long to explain everything. I was on the edge of my seat saying “what is it?!, what is it?!” But this episode had everything in it . . . tons of humor, spooky flooded areas of the city, ghosts repeatedly walking the halls, burned ghosts, friendly whales, pidgeons, hearing loss, sparing, meditation, The Daedelas, saving the planet and the whales, Zelenka. It was super cool. Great job Binders! But where was that damn pineapple!?? “Not so much as a thank you.” “Your welcome.”
So Joe, can you call me at 5:45 ish tomorrow to remind me to be on here? 🙂
@Maryanne: Love the pics!
Went to my daughter’s ultrasound/obstetrician visit today. WHAT A CUTE KID my grandson is! Smart, too. :):):)
Sorry. Meant 9:00 p.m. EST, 6:00 p.m. PST.
hang on… Didn’t Doug Adams already do “Planet-Leaving-In-Case-Of-Extinction” Whales..?? Hence, that 4th book in the HITCHHIKER Trilogy…
So. IF I ever make it back to Van to visit my BFF again, can I do “Lunch”, too??!! 😀 — [actually, something chocolate would be good seeing as I’m so-not a “Foodie”! and have allergies… fussy tastebuds…]
Ok then, call me at 8:45 ish, ok? :):) My daughter and I went out for a late cuppa and dessert and on the way home saw a dog in the middle of the road. I stopped immediately and tried to grab him/her (Joe, a Frenchie or a big Chihuahua, couldn’t tell) but the poor thing was terrified and bolted. We drove around for over an hour and saw him/her again twice, but each time he/she would run, terrified. How the hell am I going to sleep now?
K. Got the reminder locked into my skull. The food as always looks great, and it’s always fun to see the blog folks show up.
Echoes was definitely fun. As.you said, the balance of dama, humor, and action was perfection. And a much stronger episode than I expected after coming off the midsession finale. Yet another reason I think this may have been the strongest season.
Late night so off to bed pondering what to ask tomorrow…
Oh my….did Das just say she was a chickenless head?
Hope that does not hurt…LOL.
too funny
FOOD looks good as usual. it is almost midnight and I am now hungry thanks to the pix. sigh.
waves to Maryanne and Akemi.
Hey everyone!!
Yes I can’t believe I kept up…no exploding haha…. Although I did only eat fruit for dinner.
All of the food vans we tried were fantastic..
I’m planning on trying some more during the week… I’ve got the food van app on my phone.
I must say I’m pretty damn proud of that Ivon impersonation…hope you got a laugh Mr Smooth!
Cadeaux was incredible…the funniest thing was when I went to use the washroom and they gave me the keys….3 MASSIVE keys on a chain. Well unbeknownst to me there was also an infinitesimal key that actually unlocked the door… I’m looking at the lock and keys thinking surely this can’t be right. I tried it and turned to the guy and he pointed out the tiny key…that had me laughing for ages….
@Airelle -yes it was awesome!
@Das – *waves back* that I did but Joe is still a world class eater. I don’t know where he puts it all…
@Ponytail – Yes it’s me!!!!! Thanks I was showing Joe and Akemi the scar on my wrist.
I’ve been trying to be really careful.
So far I’ve been to Bridge Studios, Kits Beach, Grouse Mountain, Waterfront and Canada Place, Granville Island, Science World, Queen Elizabeth Park and have eaten at so many lovely restaurants.
@Deni – Thanks heaps!!! OMG!! Ultrasound photos so exciting 🙂
Cheers!! I better go for another stroll.
Cheers, Chev
Vancouver is PST isn’t it? I’ll probably be having a quick bite in Richmond before heading in to see Ek Tha Tiger which opens tomorrow.
For those that don’t know it’s a Bollywood film and BamBam co-ordinated the stunt sequences filmed in Cuba. The film was shot in a variety of locations. Really looking forward to it… Haven’t seen a Bollywood film before.
Cheers Chev
@Maryanne (aka Chevron7?):
Joe is a great host on the food truck tours and it looks like you held your own very well. Did you get to try macarons?
Now I’m curious about the goat-cheese cheesecake…I might have to try some when I visit again at the end of the month.
@Joe on the live chat:
I’ll try to check in but I’ll have to think of some questions first. Maybe I’ll pull it up on the family room TV and have the whole family join in. It’s been crazy-busy here lately (think headless chicken mode), so we’ll see how well I do at composing a question.
Don’t worry, Joe. I totally forgot about it, too. You do mean EDT, not EST right? 😉
Great to see you, Maryanne/chevron7!! Wasn’t Japadog great? I had the Kurobuta pork dog myself and it was awesome. I’m sure you had a great time on your tour – Joe is an excellent host! Sounds like you’re having an excellent time in Vancouver. It is really one of my favourite cities. Take a drive up to Whistler if you can spare the time! It’s a beautiful drive and really cool when you get there.
I’m not sure I could keep up on a food truck tour, chev, so I think you did quite well.
@Joe on the live chat: I’ll be on my way back from getting one of the kiddoes from church. Is there anyway someone could post the name of the site you’ll be on so I can jump on when I get back? Thanks.
Have a great day!!!!!
Fun to see Maryanne with you. The food looks beautiful as always….and of course so does Akemi. *smiles*
Hey Alisa (and everyone else),
The chat will take place right here on this blog in the comment section. Just post your question and I’ll answer in real time. Once we’re done, I’ll post the whole as a dedicated blog entry tonight.
Thanks Joe. Looking forward to it.
Astronomer? Very impressive! Is that the daughter that runs marathons with him? Mr. Carl must be very proud. I liked Echoes and that story makes it even more special. Whangles would have been fun. It reminds me of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Didn’t they have something like that in one of the books?
Yay for Chevron7! Those desserts look good.
Das: Thanks! I may try making the cookie monster cake.
Deni: That is so exciting! I’m glad the baby is doing well. Any names picked yet?
Karate class tonight, so I may miss the Q & A. Sorry, hope all goes well.
I tried a lot of html, I hope I don’t make everything go bold/italic. (fingers crossed)
@Joe ( Live Chat)
Are you still planning an international friendly time chat at some point?
I would love to stay up til the wee small hours tonight to join in but I’d be half asleep at the lappy , unable to remember my name yet alone a decent question and useless in the morning.
Heck, I don’t even know the time differences! I think we’re (UK) 8 hrs ahead of Vancouver? I know I’m five hours ahead of a buddy who lives in USA – Michigan. I need to Google! 🙂
Hope everyone who pops on tonight has fun!!!
I had a laugh at the end of this episode (I believe it is this one). One of the characters received credit as merely Bam Bam.
Okay…this may be doable. I just have to think up stuff to ask. Problem is it’s just like going to the doctor – can’t think of anything to ask until after the visit is over. 😛
das
Flying whales? Too Star Trek is that why they cut them?
Personally Id like to seen them, the graphic would been a cool shot… http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/020/3/4/flying_whales_by_yoryk123-d37nian.jpg
No more mummy hands, is Akemi all better from her scrapes?
I would only allow the “Whangels” as long as they communicated a final message to Atlantis as they passed them in space:
“So long and thanks for all the fish!”
Then, I would’ve ok with it. I mean, c’mon, you guys referenced “Bing, tiddle, tiddle, bong” in a SGA episode as well as Picardo mentioning that they shut down the Star Trek Experience in Vegas!! Classic stuff.
-Mike A.
@Tam Dixon: Yep, his name will be Michael Blake! I’m still calling him Anakin, though. 🙂
I mostly liked Echoes (other than Teyla pulling yet another variation of the “I’m totally unwell but I will stay right here! (even though I’m of no use to anyone and might actually be a burden on personnel who could be doing other things)”). I like it when shows bring back relatively small elements from previous eps – it makes the universe feel lived-in. But a quibble: Rodney’s fear in GUP was reasonable in the circumstances, and in Echoes he’s fine with the whales. How does that fit with Doppelganger (which I loved), where we learn Rodney was so traumatised by Moby Dick that he still has nightmares of whales? [headscratch]
Boo Kitty hits youtube! It took forever to figure out how to post this – I had to get it off the phone to the computer, upload it, rotate the video, trim it, and just can’t get a clearer picture, but it’ll give you an idea of what I’m dealing with…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZcCGgBxoPs
das
Maryanne / Chev, it’s good to see you! Glad you finally got to meet up with Joe & Akemi. You deserved a good trip this time after getting injured last year! 🙂
Akemi, are you wearing a skin-colored bandage? Hope it feels better while it’s healing. 🙂
Ponytail, have you been able to watch eps online from Canadian TV, or are you watching DVDs? My collection isn’t complete, and wondered if there was somewhere to watch online.
Deni, glad that Michael Blake Anakin is doing well, and Lauren, too! If you’re still speaking to Princess Riley, scratch her ears for me. 😀
Oh Joe, that sushi looks delectable. And I can only look at it. Pooh…. 🙂 Will try to make it to the Q&A this evening.
@ for the love of Beckett – I’m watching my complete DVD Stargate Atlantis set. And loving every minute of it…
Waaaaaaa! I missed the live Q&A!!! *weep* I had a meeting!! :'( Alas…