I've only been working with her a couple of weeks and I already a huge, HUGE fan. "Why?"you may ask. Well, why don't I just let her a few samples of her work answer that question... She also designed our future currency - but those pictures are on my other laptop. Do remind me to…
December 15, 2014: The Dark Matter Cookie Exchange!
The plan was to make my dough the day before, allow it to chill overnight, and then wake up early Monday morning and bake my cookies so that they could be fresh and warm for the 10:00 a.m. cookie exchange. In retrospect, a late decision to test-bake a batch probably saved my ass. Given the…
December 14, 2014: Snow Monkeys, Bourbon-laced Cookies, and Dogs!
My Fantasy Football team, The Snow Monkeys, are on life support following a career worst performance by Green Bay Quarterback Aaron Rodgers. And subpar performances by Tre Mason, Steve Smith, and Adam Vinatieri didn't help. We're down 96.82 to 71.2o heading into tomorrow's Monday Night game. Do you think my final player, running back Matt…
December 13, 2014: Snow Dogs!
Well, turns out I'm not the only one who is going to have to get used to deep freeze here in Toronto. Due to her hip dysplasia, arthritic shoulders, and advanced age (almost 16!), Jelly gets a free ride. Literally. She gets shuttled from the hotel to the park and back in a special…
December 12, 2014: Dark Matter! The Week in Meetings!
We are officially in prep on episodes #101 and #102 of Dark Matter. The train has left the station and is barreling down the tracks. There's no turning back now. We're making a t.v. show! As we creep ever-closer to our first day of shooting, the days grow longer, the pace more frenzied, and the meetings…
December 11, 2014: Dinner with former cohorts!
Back before Stargate, before my years on teen sitcom Student Bodies, before my time story-editing for the CBS Saturday morning lineup, I was the Manager of Animation Development at an animation studio in Montreal. It's been a long while, but I still keep in touch with a few of my former co-workers and even get…
December 10, 2014: The shuttle!
We're heavy into prep on episodes #101-102 and, with the commencement of principal photography about a month away, sets are coming together nicely. Our ship, The Raza, has come a long way in the past couple of weeks. The corridors have been textured with faux-grate flooring, pipes, vents, and grills, its walls painted in metallic…
December 9, 2014: Not peanut butter and other ingesting tragedies!
Every morning, I make myself a breakfast shake comprised of ten varied ingredients, usually: almond milk, keffir/yogurt, green tea, cinnamon, flaxseed oil, one banana, another piece of fruit, oatmeal/bran, a piece of manuka honey, and a tablespoon of peanut butter. This day's prep seemed no different than any other and, after blending together all the…
December 8, 2014: Snow Monkeys Win! Let’s celebrate with dog videos!
That's it! My Snow Monkeys move on to the semi-finals to take on The Mighty Merkins! Let's celebrate with doggy videos... First up, Bubba finally has enough of Lulu's noisy toy-playing: Next season on Discovery Channel's "Eaten Alive":
December 7, 2014: The weekend roundup!
Errands, errands, and more errands. And I still didn't have time to get around to a couple of them. Despite the fact that our apartment is an island of dog beds, that hasn't stopped us from picking up a few more. Like this one we thought might be too tiny and tiny but Lulu manages…
December 6, 2014: Stand or die!
Apparently, some Brazilian doctors have developed a test that predicts mortality. It's a "simple" sitting-standing exercise that measures flexibility and your chances of dropping dead soon. Real soon: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2858804/Can-exercise-test-predict-DEATH-People-struggle-sitting-rising-test-five-times-likely-die.html Here's it is: 1. From a barefoot standing position, lower yourself down to a cross-legged sitting position without using your hands (or any other body part) for…
December 5, 2014: Introducing Locations Manager Zachary Beckwith! And our first official Dark Matter locations scout!
Remember that guy back in the day? The one with all the connections? The one who could get you and your friends in anywhere, no matter how popular or exclusive the place? Well, that guy now works on Dark Matter. His name is Zachary Beckwith and he is our Locations Manager. If you're looking for somewhere…
December 4, 2014: Natalie’s Birthday Blog!
The announcement was made over the office P.A. system at around 2:00 p.m. this afternoon: "Natalie Cooper, please proceed to the production office for your surprise birthday party." I hurried down and joined the others in waiting for the birthday gal who showed up fashionably five minutes later. The candles on the cake were lit…
December 3, 2014: Introducing Dark Matter Visual Effects Supervisor Lawren Bancroft-Wilson!
Our Visual Effects Supervisor arrived today - all the way from Vancouver, B.C.! Some of you may recognize him as the manager of The Fighting Hyphens, a team my Snow Monkeys crushed back in Week 4 of fantasy football league play: Some of you may identify him as the guy who was offered $1000…
December 2, 2014: Cookies, Snow Monkeys, and Exercise Accessories!
We interrupt the previously scheduled blog post for this important announcement. Monday, December 15th will be the very first Dark Matter cookie exchange. Participants are required to make a half dozen cookies for every other baker in the exchange "plus a half dozen or so extra for the rest of the (lazy) office to sample!"…