I’m working my way, backwards, through this blog – seeking out, copying, and pasting passages I’m thinking of using for an upcoming project. The experience has proven a little surreal, like traveling back in time. Unlike a photograph that captures an instant for future reflection, these 2358 entries, one for every day since I started this blog, are more like a movie, surprisingly detailed in the developments of the various aspects of my life. I hit rewind. My dog Jelly’s hip dysplasia miraculously improves as her staggered gait transforms into an enthusiastic bounding. My other dog, Maximus, is alive again, the effects of the disease that claimed him gradually reversed as he fills back out, hale and hearty, and reassumes his place among the pack.
My year in Toronto goes from bad to worse to an impossible-to-navigate morass and then to better once again, on to hopeful and positive at the start of the journey where I want to wave my hands to grab my past self’s attention and shout: “Look out!” – but, of course, it won’t make a difference. I’m traveling upcurrent through the timestream, a mere observer to past events. Akemi and I go from worrying about whether we should move to worrying about the status of her Canadian Residence application to worrying about the approval of the extension to her visitor’s visa, and then another, and then another, and then she’s settled in and then she’s considering staying on and then she’s back from Perth and then she’s going to Perth and then she’s visiting Canada for the first time and then we’re back in Tokyo and out on our first date and I’m thinking “What will come of this?”.
I clear out my office and leave The Bridge Studios for the last time and then we’re hearing that the show has been canceled, then we’re hearing the show will be back for a third and final season, and then we’re working on SGU’s second season, and then it’s first, and then we’re being told Atlantis won’t be back for a sixth season and I’m not really understanding why the hell not. Paul and I are show running SGA’s fifth season, then it’s fourth. I’m on the phone with composer Joel Goldsmith who is telling me, as he’s told me countless times before, how much he loves the show. Don S. Davis is sitting in my office, all smiles, happy to be back, suggesting we go for dinner, a dinner, I realize now, will never happen.
Blog regulars come and go and come once again. Long lost friends return. Former co-workers I haven’t thought about in years are suddenly foremost in my mind. Past relationships, dissipated by time, coalesce and take form. Past decision, and indecisions, haunt.
And, suddenly, it’s November 21, 2006 and I’m sitting in my office, watching the battery recharge on my new HD camera (less than an hour to go!), making final preparations for my trip to Hong Kong and Tokyo. The plan is to keep a travel diary of sorts – and keep you all entertained, natch – and, if I can figure out how to do it (provided I can theoretically do it at all), I intend to include some pics to accompany the undoubtedly dry text to follow.
And there my journey ends. Beyond this point are fractured pieces of my life, free-floating memories cast adrift, losing focus as they recede.
But if the impossible were possible and I could manage to communicate via an infinitesimal data burst from the present to that me sitting there in my office 5+ years ago, the message would be concise: Don’t worry so much. And appreciate the now.
Today’s entry is dedicated to birthday gal poundpuppy29 (Erika)!
This blog has been kind of a diary for you (or journal if you prefer). You may not give a lot of personal information, but when you look back it serves as a memory trigger “Oh yeah I was thinking this or going through that when I wrote this post.”
“Past decision, and indecisions, haunt.” This one gets me too…
Hago!
K
this may be your best post ever….your memories, and we the readers going back in time with you, to the days Anne Teldy was among us, when we grieved the loss of each of the Stargate shows…and LOTS of drooling over your culinary adventures. Thank you for sharing the trip.
Like.
I still miss Don, and I’m sure many others do. Thanks for the memory. :'( and 🙂
My guest arrived safely & on time, BTW. She and my spouse are exchanging their world views at the kitchen table.
Don.
:'( and 🙂
BTW, our YVR guest arrived and is deep in conversation with my spouse.
(That’s supposed to be tears and smiles)
You picked a good month for THE GREEN HORNET. It’s in heavy rotation on basic cable in my area. (I think it’s FX Channel, if anyone wants to see it.)
L’importance du moment présent, sans oublié le passé pour mieux préparer l’avenir.
going back through time can be very depressing.
(((joe)))
Wow, that was a great entry Joe. A terrific hop thru time and space. The message is still good today. Smiling faces and puppies, what a treat. And all the stuff that happened b4 makes tomorrow all the more exciting, right!?!
Joe this is a beautiful post. Actually brought tears to my eyes. I can’t wait for this project you are working on!
A few years ago when I stumbled onto this blog (by googling Jason Momoa), I was so impressed with your daily writings and all the interesting comments here, I went back to your beginning. Each day, by starting with your very first post, I read every word you wrote and every comment made until I was caught up to the present (back then). I think it took at least a month. It was like a warm cozy book. And lot’s of fun.
Anything that comes from this research you are doing will be good. I can’t wait to see/read it!
Natsukashii…
1. Lovely entry.
2. Carl…smiling? Sell that rarity on ebay and pay off all your debts!
3. Ever have one of those days where everything that you say seems to come out wrong or stupid, and you end up trying to fix it by talking even more, and then afterwards when you’re alone you pummel yourself over and over for being such a dumbass doofus? Yeah, today was just like that. 😛
4. I’ll try to take your ‘don’t worry so much’ advice…starting tomorrow.
das
Joe San,
Such good advice applicable at any moment of our lives.
Don’t worry…and most important – appreciate the now!
It has been a wild ride and I’ve enjoyed every moment of and on your journey.
Looking forward to at least 2358 more posts.
Remember, Akemi said so!
Here’s to the future may it hold great things for you Joe.
I miss your weird food purchase of the day videos.
you went though all 2358 entries?! that’s a lot of stuff to wade though; meals, chocolate, movie reviews, Q & A sessions and weird food purchases. one thing about a blog, it’s easier to access the memories.
Reflection is good for the soul….the happy times and the sad times…seem to balance out eventually to a new starting point.
Many years ago someone told me to take advantage of every opportunity I had offered to me, as I would probably not get those opportunities again. Or I wouldn’t be physically able to do them. Life happens. That was great advice as I got many opportunities to travel in Europe and South America that I could never do now. My grandmother told me this gem: Never burn your bridges as you never know when you might have to go back across it. This came into play with me when I was fired from a job due to a co-worker’s incomptence. I remembered the advice, didn’t make waves, took the severance pay and went out and got a better job. Four years later I was interviewing at a big company for an even better job and who was the director of human resources? Yep, that old boss that fired me. He was so nice, complemented me on my graceful exit and recommended me for the job, which I got and had a great time there.
Wow. That’s good advice. I wish someone would tell me that.
Personally, I really DON’T know HOW You do IT??!! — Tomorrow, will be MY **1000th**-Straight-Day of “POSTING”!! — I’m usually keeping VAMPIRE-HOURS trying to get the Entries done… And then, my Computer will crash or something else Karmic will happen…
btw, have I “mentioned” that I have **NO LIFE**!!? — And then, having to write ANYthing “pithy” about said LACK is often DAUNTING!!
Anyway, despite your Dietary-“Choices”, You ARE an “INSPIRATION”!! — THANK YOU!! 😀 xx
I’m reading your latest blog and wondering where my life has gone. It goes by far too fast. You 20 somethings, pay attention. Before you realize it, you will be middle aged and then older, wondering where all the time went. Make the most of the ‘now’, or you will spend too much time wishing that you had.
This post is why you are a writer … you painted a picture and took me on a journey. Thank you.
OK, this brought tears to my eyes… wow! can’t begin to imagine living through these times Joe <3 thank you so much for sharing with us all !!
Great post Joe. And you’re so right, we worry too much about the future. Don’t get me wrong its unwise not to make some plans, but as a wise man once said, plans are made to be broken.
Now, today, is a new page waiting to be written. We should grab it with both hands, enjoy it to the full, and appreciate those we have in our lives.
Have a good one!
Joe,
I’ve truly enjoyed your blog over the past five years. Amazing to think I’ve been reading it that long and that your post quality and quantity have never diminished. There were times when I disagreed with you, times when I envied your dinner particularly, and times when I was moved to either a smile or a tear. Thank you for sharing all the triumphs as well as the tribulations of the past few years. I must agree with thornyrose – this may be one of the best posts ever.
That was wonderful! Thanks Mr. M. and that is great advice. Sometimes it’s hard to remember to chill out.
I hope Jelly is better.
Beautiful entry.
Thank you so much for this entry, Joe.
Thanks for this, Joe. It’s helped me as I am doing sort of the same thing–looking back on my own life.
Seems to be the year for looking back. It’s become the unplanned, but overriding theme on my own blog, this year. Not sure why I started doing it, I just sort of did!
*shrugs*
Since I’ve been writing various random bits of silly gaming oddness over the years, I’m able to look back and typically find a game that I’ve previously released “on this day in history”.
It’s weird to look back at games I’ve made almost a decade ago, and still get a kick out of them.
Weird, but fun!
Very beautifully written, Joe. I rescued one of my old hard drives and discovered 12 year old emails, and I was surprised that my siblings and I had gotten so very angsty about things that we ultimately forgot about, and I did want to kick myself for worrying about the wrong things.
There were quite a few writers who had blogs going years back, but this is one of the few that is still going strong, and I’ve recommended it whenever I’ve done writing lectures. And this blog quickly became my food guide; I grew up the pickiest of eaters, so I’ve enjoyed your culinary adventures and I love discovering new recipes and foods here; but I haven’t tried anything as adventurous as your food exploits.
This is that rare blog that I’ve recommended to foodie friends and to other writers, and of course to other pup parents, and to Stargate fans.
This blog reminded me of the old black and white films where you see the months of a calendar flying off into the future, except in this case, the months are flying off towards the past. So many things I miss. It was a good picture of Don – he totally fit the character…. ALL the actors fit the characters they played (again, shows the talent in picking them).
So the question I have to ask is, after ruminating on the past as you have done, do you see any point at which a different decision/opinion/whatever that was made that would have changed the process to cancel SG1 and SGA.
The next statement/question is that such rumination and past reflection usually is as a result of a serious life change or impending one. I’ve been there, having had a stroke and operation last year. I hope that things are well with you and that whatever decision you have to make will set you in a most positive direction.
Don’t worry so much. And appreciate the now.
…words to live by, in retrospect, but “at the time” (during whatever nightmare one is going through) one does not have a crystal ball. Bummer. 🙂
Is this the end of your blog? (…snif…)
Great post, Joe. I just relived your blog/life back to the beginning. It was a nice trip.
Excellent post, Joe. While extremely personal, it’s also extremely relatable. Nostalgia is something I both love and loathe, sometimes. But, I’m always learning from it.
Although, I think if you could send that “note through the gate” (a la “2010”), it’d be filled with stock tips and lotto numbers. That way you could buy a controlling share of MGM and make whatever shows/movies you wanted. 😉
-Mike A.
Hello Joe,
like Ponytail I devoured every blog entry, although I’ve stumbled across it much earlier around 2008 or something.
I enjoyed all the Thoughts and Tirades, Rants and Ruminations,
all things Stargate, Dogs, Food and of course everything about your food companion Martin and his replacement Carl. 😉
I’ am hoping that you are not going to retire too soon from blogging, even though you have considered it in the past, so I we all can enjoy reading about your adventures to come.
@ Sparrow Hawk – YES….Natsukashii…
Lovely post, and great advice — thanks so much for sharing so much with us!
Joe…just Gibb’s slap me upside the head. My ‘talking’ problem isn’t getting any better. It’s getting worse…much, much worse. Today at the post office I was joking around with the clerk. Now, mind you, I ALWAYS harrass the PO clerks, male or female, doesn’t matter (and as long as there isn’t a line behind me, of course). Sometimes I dump their penny cup out all over. Sometimes I rearrange the items of the counter. Sometimes I ‘steal’ their tape and pens. Sometimes I demand candy. In other words, I AM a pest. 😈
But today was different. Today I actually had a load of letters to send out, amongst other things. It was all real business and not monkey business, and I took up a lot of time trying to figure out the best way to ship things, and such. During this process a mother came in with her child, a girl about 6 year old. The postal clerk helping me asked the little girl if she’d like a lollypop, and he put a box on the counter. Well, the girl was short and having trouble seeing what was in the box so I tipped it over and the lollypops started spilling out, and her mother got all fussy and worried that maybe I was doing something wrong, and so I blurted out (quite innocently), ‘It’s okay, I molest his lollypops all the time.’
😀 … 🙂 … 😐 … 😕 … And then I realized what I said…to a 6-year old. 😛 Ugh…UGH! Like I said…just Gibb’s-slap me upside the head – hard!
Don’t know what a Gibb’s slap is? This is a Gibb’s slap…and careful, it is contagious!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRM2OENl2jk
das
Oh, poop…I forgot.
A question, Joe. Doesn’t looking back through the years make up feel a bit melancholy? I’ve never been much for reminiscing…unless it’s to tell funny stories, or something. I don’t even like to look at old pictures – they make me feel sad that the things I love never stay the same. So, did you feel sad looking back through the years, or was it an uplifting sort of thing?
das
Wonderful post, Joe. You are a talented storyteller. Nice to take a trip down memory lane and remember the good and not-so-good times and realize how much has changed. Not so much looking at the “what if I would have…” but realizing how far you’ve come and the friends you’ve made along the way.
Thanks for taking us along for the ride.
Patty O
@ poundpuppy…Happy Birthday.
My bad…almost forgot cause of the great blog.
DAS – you are priceless! Line up to Gibbs’ slap Das..LOL.
This was a Natsukashii post, evening, today….
Joe’s words just triggered a lot of thoughts and emotions.
THANKS JOE!
Thanks Joe I had an awesome day
Hi Joe
I agree, ’twas a good post.
Elminster
Speaking about past events and Stargate Universe. I was more dissapointed, not with just the cancellation but with the way things were in general with the fans.
You had a small minority of the fanbase that didn’t like the show, but were very vocal and acted like vile trolls with their hate filled rants and bile directed at some of the cast and crew.
Then you had the section of the fans that didn’t like the show but were more or less casual about it and handled it in a more respectable way.
Then you had those that loved the show and conflicted with those that disliked.
And finally those that liked the show but acted respectfully to others, and those involved with the show.
Fair enough, if someone doesn’t like the show, you can’t please them all, but the way some people acted just disgusted me in general and you know, made the fact the show wasn’t coming back all the more worse.
Granted you had one or two cast members, and a certain producer(Not you Joe) making comments to fan the flames that made things worse with the haters but gosh the whole thing was so ridiculous.
I personally think it was a shame that show didn’t unite the fanbase when it ended, you know, everyone joining together to jointly express sadness that we won’t have more Stargate.
Although haters didn’t cancel the show, it’s just a shame it wasn’t around for you know, longer? Stargate Universe was a great show, with the best production team and cast in Canada behind it, it deserved better.
There were a lot factors involved in fans hating SGU..the least of which was TPTB letting it be known that SGA was sacrificed for SGU.
They also didn’t help their cause with opening scene being a sex scene. That being said the flaming of the cast was totally uncalled for as they were not responsible for SGA’s premature cancellation.
I was not a huge fan of SGU’s first season. Actually hated it BUT I did continue to watch mostly out of loyalty to the franchise. Season 2 was so so much better and I had begun to look forward to the show every week.
But if I had to choose between SGU & SGA….SGA would win hands down.
“the least of which was TPTB letting it be known that SGA was sacrificed for SGU.”
Untrue. This is a lie that continues to be perpetuated.
@Joe:
Very nostalgic…happy times mixed with bittersweet memories. I’m missing Don Davis right now, and it was good to see his smiling face. It brought back a lot of happy memories of watching SG-1 with my son.
@Das on the Gibb’s slap:
I’ve used a modified “Gibb’s slap” (two fingers thwacked on the back of the head) with my son for years (even before I first saw it on NCIS). Since he was used to verbally (and loudly) sparing with his sister, words were not much of a deterrent went he got too far out of bounds with his behavior, but a quick thwack to the back of his head always got through.
I can’t remember the last time I thwacked him…it’s been a couple of years now. So I guess he is growing up and maturing (he’s 14 now), but all I have to do now is hold up my two “thwacking fingers” and he knows exactly what I’m saying. Still, it has been quite a while since I’ve even had to make the threat; he’s a good kid.
Joe, it has been an honour to share this journey with you. I feel that I have come to know you and Akemi as friends. And the message you have taken from the whole thing is spot on. We really do need to appreciate the now. It won’t come again.
In other news, I’m back in Vegas after our hike in Grand Canyon. It was great and all went well. Pictures to come!
Love this one. Great job Joe.
*watches the Gibbs slaps* Poor Michael… funny Dinozzo. I love that show. 🙂
Now THAT is commitment. 🙁 Maximus 🙁 My eyes are welling up with tears. Same with the mention of Joel Goldsmith’s and Don Davis’ names.
I am so glad that you do this blog. I have met (in a virtual way) some really interesting people through this blog. While I’ll never turn into a foodie, there are pictures every now and then that do look delicious, but my favorite was your recent one of the Hot Chocolate Festival. Besides all the animal lovers here, your blog, beyond a shadow of a doubt, gave me a deeper appreciation of all the layers that go into what we see on screen, each person’s part important. And Akemi has been a wonderful addition.