Wow! A pretty exciting time to be in Toronto. The Blue Jays just clinched a spot in the American League Championship Series. It was an amazing, hard-fought victory. And these were the highlights…
Oh, right. I forgot. My place in Toronto only offers the most basic of channel selections. I may not get the sports stations or food network or AMC, but I do get The Aquarium Channel. Look at that blue fish go!
Although it’s not all bad. After a long and exhausting cross-country flight with the dogs (on which they were mostly well-behaved) we were finally able to settle in to a place that, if not exactly clean (Akemi, who complained that the dishes “smelled funny”, ended up spending an hour wiping down the counters, refrigerator, and washing the cutlery), WAS cleaned out of the pantry supplies left behind by the previous tenant. Well, mostly. The landlord was kind enough to gift us a whole garbage bag full of expired herbs and spices –
Also the former tenant/landlord’s prescription medication. What’s Champix? Well, whatever it is, it should be taken twice daily with plenty of water.
Oh, they DID end up picking up a dust pan – which they helpfully left propped up on the wall, right next to the pile of spilled dirt.
So, when WAS the last time this place was actually cleaned? Hard to say but, in the interim, THIS big-ass spider had time to spin one equally big-ass web in the living room –
Because Bubba is suffering from separation anxiety, and because I didn’t want to miss a second of that exciting baseball game hearing my neighbours’ reactions to that exciting baseball game, we elected to eat in…
Which allowed us to break in the already-well-broken-in dining room table.
So, how was YOUR day?
Hey, it’s time for another mailbag! Post your questions in the comment section and I’ll field them this weekend!
1. How many months are you going to be living in the Bates Motel?
2. What’s your mailing address now?
3. How’s Lulu’s tummy issues?
4. How’s your lung?
5. How’s mom and sis?
Hope everyone is well, and that you can look at your new digs in Toronto as an adventure rather than an inconvenience. And be good to spiders – no matter how scary they are, if you do right by them they will do right by you. 🙂
das
Glad to hear that everyone made it fine and you’re settling in. Well, settling in as much as you can in that place. Nice coffee table, by the way. And look at the bright side, at least the furniture all seems to match!
I don’t blame Akemi for going on the cleaning spree. It looked pretty gross before.
Was that spider and web IN the living room or on the outside of the window by the LR? If it was *in* the room, that would be the first order of business. I can’t believe they actually went and got a dust pan… and then DIDN’T use it to clean up the spilled dirt. Gah!
Apparently, Champix is for nicotine addiction. So, make of that what you will.
Give Bubba a hug for me and tell him everything will be okay!
So are you allowed to throw out all the crappy furniture? And…the snowshoes? Sadly I’m pretty sure bonfires are illegal within the city.
By the way, here’s some pics of the new house. It’s getting there!
This is outside – the last of the siding had to wait until the (backordered) stone front was put on:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v98/gforce2002/8BD2EF77-76E1-4297-8C82-B1E9DEF3DA15_zpsutl5rgii.jpg
The inside looking toward the LR from inside the front door:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v98/gforce2002/327BB0EA-726D-4E89-91BC-147EA2C29239_zps4e2yyoom.jpg
The view from the LR window!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v98/gforce2002/F1B7A704-3BA1-4CBA-9EC9-67E2276B79ED_zpshze4xmqh.jpg
@Das:
I’m glad the adoption from the trip last October didn’t go through…I would’ve had to live there. 😀
Mr. M. While these horrible apartment stories make for an entertaining blog, doesn’t the studio/production company have “people” that could sort this for you? Or send in a Wraith.
Nice house gforce. Joe, don’t you have a mechanism to sue for breech of contract? The laws in California are very pro-tenant. Can you buy a place for a few years? I love that you are taking pictures and posting them on the Internet. You could also make a big sign to put in your window or in your parking space with a simple message, “lying slum lord owns this” or put an add in the local paper with all the pictures. Maybe you can get them banded from advertising there property in the “for rent” listings. Maybe you can send them the cleaning bills and buy a dresser and take it out of the rent. Maybe you could have the balcony fixed and take it out of the rent. Maybe you could call an exterminator and take it out of the rent. Maybe you could buy curtains and take it out of the rent. Maybe you could get premium cable and take it out of the rent. It sound to me like you could live there rent free for a few years. At the least I would have my lawyer send them a threatening letter. Sigh. I’m sure you have a few tricks up your sleeve. Just don’t do nothing.
Too funny! You better get some more cable channels or you won’t ever have any friends come over. When you get tired of watching the fish, The Animal Planet has a cockroach cam. You can watch them wander around a little miniature kitchen.
One question:
In Dark Matter, what is that “trough” running down the middle of their dinning table for?
@ gforce – that is a beautiful house sitting on a spectacular view! How many acres do you have? Gorgeous! Thanks for sharing. I love watching new homes being built.
I thought the table was cool at first, then I remembered how my kids would get milk and taco fixings between the slats and it would be impossible to clean.
If you’re bored from no cable, you can ponder what the spider was planning to eat.
Do you know how to inspect for bed bugs?
I am sad that the snow shoes are of different sizes, but I’m inconsolable that the spacing suggests they used to be part of a set of three.
With all the oddities of the new place, you may need extra help in the cleaning department.
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/lGMmmeNhcAg/hqdefault.jpg
(Sorry if it doesn’t show. Never tried to put an image in a comment before.)
Okay, questions:
1) ‘Fess up. You secretly used the Aquarium Channel on the Raza, right?
2) Will you be watching Big Ass Spider (the movie, not the houseguest) any time soon?
3) What comes next for season 2?
3a) Is it mainly writing for now or are other processes running in tandem with it?
3b) When is shooting on season 2 planned to begin and how long is it expected to last?
4) Has Jodelle given back the goggles or are they now part of her permanent wardrobe?
5) Who’s adjusting to Hell Home better, you or Akemi?
6) As someone who owns an older dog, but has always lived in the same place, how do you accustom yours to a new place and routine?
7) I’ve seen a few sites saying the DVD release of season one was October 12 (not sure what country/countries), but can’t really find much information beyond that – you know, like where to buy it. I’ve not even seen any press releases, so I’m hoping you might have some insight into when I can relieve my grubby hands of this filthy cash and replace it with a shiny box of Dark Matterness.
8) This is a statement, not a question: I officially hate you now. I’ve been to 3 different stores that all sell Mephistopheles’ Munchies (aka Chicago Mix) and every one has been completely sold out. On a related note, nobody seems to sell cherry Toaster Strudel any more, either. It was a disappointing shopping day for food, pity me.
1)When does season 2 start filming?
2)What were the last flavors of the cola tasting?
3) How is Lulu doing?
Joe, do you know any CSI types in Toronto? I’m thinking you need one of their clean-up crews. I wouldn’t be using the plates and cutlery. I would box them up and go out and buy your own.
Mailbox:
1. Have you told everyone here to VOTE for Dark Matterfor Favourite SciFi/Fantasy show at People’s choice? You can vote multiple times.
2. Do you know if the featurettes Ivon shot that were only available on the SyFy site solely for people in the US will be available on the DVD?
3. Will the Raza become property of the Galactic Authority?
4. Are there still more past secrets that the Raza crew don’t know about themselves?
5. If I sent something to the studio in Toronto (like a birthday present) would you get it or is it too soon?
Cheers, Chev
@gforce – you have a beautiful home 😊
Happy Birthday Joe
Hope that things get better at your new (really arcane) apartment! Admittedly, the table does look intriguing to me, lol…. A few questions:
1) Aren’t tenants allowed to change the curtains or put up curtains in a rental space? Or did the apartment not come with a curtainrod?
2) Would pretending the new-to-you place is an “undiscovered until now” section of the Destiny (or the Raza) help with your writing?
3) Are you going to try and find a few culinary spots in the area you’re living in and perhaps blog about those (when not writing scripts) along with pics and/or a “pass or fail” report on them?
4) How are the pups taking to the new neighbourhood?
Joe, you know how much we enjoy seeing you in pain. Did you rent this apartment just for our entertainment? It’s working!
Champix.
Looks like an Orb Spider. They do make big-ass webs but they’re very good at killing flying insects. If it was inside then it probably means you’ve got a fly problem. You might want to leave it there.
Nice house, @gforce! Are you just trying to rub Joe’s nose in it? 🙂
@Ponytail: I always thought the trough in the middle of the Raza’s dining room table was to collect the blood. It looks like an autopsy table!
Heh. Bold tag fail. I closed it with an italics tag instead of bold. Duh!
@gforce — Nice house. Reminds me of when they built my house 7 years ago, and I had to move in before the floors were done and before the electricity was connected. But years later, it finally feels like a home. Except I hate how the wasps seem to be attracted to the stone and side paneling… You’ve got a beautiful view though.
@Joe — I see the Bell remote on the table; you have my sympathies.
1. What do you think of The Expanse? From what I’m hearing and seeing, it seems like it’s more soap-opera-y, like Ascension… and that show failed… On another note, I thought I read The Expanse was the most expensive show Syfy has produced to date, so does this mean it’s more expensive than SGU was? (When SGU was out, I thought there was an article saying it was the most expensive at the time, in terms of production/network budget.)
2. What are your thoughts on the Star Trek situation? Do you think we will ever see another TV series in our lifetime, or are we pooched because of the split between Viacom and Paramount, and the fact 10+ years have passed since Enterprise ended?
3. What do you think about the “Pick and Pay” situation the CRTC is enforcing on all cable/satellite providers starting December 2016, where you can pay for individual channels instead of being forced to subscribe to bundle packaging? Do you think the CRTC’s decision played a part in Verizon deciding to offer ‘Pick and Pay’ with their Fios setup?
4. Do you agree that ‘simultaneous substitution’ sucks, when it comes to Canadian networks (CTV, Global, City) being intentionally substituted over American ones (NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX) by all cable/sat providers in Canada, thus making Canadians miss the American show promos, episode previews, and commercials?
5. I think gforce brought this up before, but… any plans for a time travel episode in the future, similar to SG1’s Window of Opportunity… with… you know… lots of humor involved?
6. Has anyone ever accidentally associated the name Dark Matter with something else entirely? I just recently found out there’s a movie called “A Dark Matter”, and also that the science channel has a series called “Dark Matters”. Wonder if anyone’s ever gotten confused between the three…
Tom, I purchased my DVD from Amazon UK I’m afraid – got it a day before official release date too!
I feel sorry for you and your crappy appartment. Can’t you send Three with Bubba (the gun) to your landlord? He might be able to persuade the landlord to let you out of your lease. 🙂
As for the mailbag;
1) Any word on when the next DM cast Q&A will be held?
2) Do you know if DM season 1 will be available as Blu-ray as well? If so, when?
I guess the only ‘plus’ for your new digs is Location, Location, Location?
Can’t wait for filming to start and more great BTS posts.
1) Directors ‘some new yet familiar faces as well’ – David Hewlett, please? 😚
2) Can we have just a few ‘more’ wee teasers about Nyx, Arax Nero (love that name!), Devon, Kierken, Shaddick, Treihan, Reynaud and Misaki?
3) How many of Season 2’s scripts have you completed?
4) Who said what?
https://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/2015/10/10/october-10-2015-dark-matter-clues/
Gary. That view is absolutely magnificent! Am sure you and your family will be very happy there!
Joe:
Being you cannot get out of the apartment lease, first order of business should be bleach! Lots n lots of bleach!! Get that place scrubbed out from top to bottom, every nook and cranny shelf & closet, to deter spiders!
As for TV watching you can order an inexpensive adapter online to hook your lap top, tablet/pad or cell phone to your television to watch your fav tv shows via internet. (you’ll need to call your cable company back home to get your account # to watch most tv stations ‘live’ like sci fi & ESPN sports).
Some stations like AMC offer vid stream of previously aired episodes of shows without needing an account or log in. Walking Dead S6- 101 is now available.
While you are online at walmart you can also order an inexpensive linen table cloth to cover the ugly coffee table, kitchen utensils, mugs, plates etc, a mattress pad & pillows for the bed, clothes hangers and anything else that could help you feel slightly more comfortable. You can order with next day delivery for a few extra dollars or simply wait for normal delivery which is usually only 2-3 business days. http://bit.ly/1jBjYir
You can also order a large covered 3 drawer Tupperware dresser/cart for storing your undergarments for under $20. This way you can also have something solid at night stand height to put a lamp on top f it, or bed time needs like a glass of water or books/magazines. http://bit.ly/1Li4B9m
Be sure to stick the plants, bedroom storage crate and ugly décor wall hangings somewhere in an out of way corner so you don’t have to look at them everyday for next several months.
I also researched and successfully found an affordable, ‘Do-able’ solution for ‘comfortable’ ‘clean’ housing needs in GTA for season 3-5 that would more than meet all the needs of Akemi, Bubba, Lulu and You without having to worry about being stuck in a lease if DM isn’t renewed from season to season. Will send specific details w/ links to check it all out via your gmail/google plus account in next day or two .
Warmest Wishes, Hugs and Best Luck for smoother sailing in the future 🙂
@gforce: Beautiful house! Congratulations.
Joe, that um…”table”? Is more abandoned mining cart than table. I feel really bad for you now. But the good news is, with a spider of that size in the living room, I think you’re legally justified in setting fire to the apartment to exterminate.
I almost forgot! Don’t forget to vote for Dark Matter in the People’s Choice Awards!
https://vote.peopleschoice.com/#!/home/all/77/2
Gforce, your home is lovely.
We have big ass spiders, but they stay outside for the most part. One did a web across my front door. Halloween decor which installs itself?
That table … are you sure the art and props folks aren’t pranking you?
I’m in Kona, so the question is mai-tai, pina colada, or tropical mimosa?
– Gforce – Wow! What a gorgeous view! 😀 Nice house!
– I don’t recommend running up expenses and then omitting the price from your rent, without prior approval. You could end up being sued. See Judge Judy.
– Aquarium channel! Cool. I’d take that. 🙂
Mailbag questions: 1) Do you ever take any of the advise that your readers offer by the truckload? 2) Are you able to order additional cable channels at your expense? (Our apartment management offers Basic Cable, too. The rest is on us.) 3) Since, apparently, Alex isn’t going to answer the Cast Q&A list that you sent him, perhaps it’s time to send one to Roger Cross or one of the others. You can post them as they trickle into you.
So what new projects can you tell us about; short story anthologies, movie projects? I’d love to see Blumhouse put out a cool horror flick of yours. My brother got me hooked on the Purged series, though I still refuse to watch Saw.
Are there new faces in the writers room? Any familiar faces lined up to direct and/or star this season? As little or as much as you can say will be appreciated!
And hie thee to an Ikea and Target to cozy up your place, Can you get any more treasures from the Lost Girl set? I loved the hanging lamps in the Dal.
Gforce: Love the view! Storms are going to look so cool there.
As for questions, I think Das had some pretty good ones. My only question is, “Are you going to make do or find new digs?”
So sorry about the apartment. I thought your requests were very reasonable. If the owner was smart, he would have let you do all the leg work for the dresser/blinds and then take the money off the first month’s rent. With approval on your choices, of course. It’s not like you wanted the kitchen redone. I mean, I’m sure you do but you didn’t ask for it. Just be careful when you write your review. I’ve heard some people sue over bad ones.
Hope everyone has a good day!
Thanks everyone for the house comments! I’m hoping to be actually moving in around the first of November so I’m looking forward to that (but in one way not – i.e. moving again.)
Oh and is that Champix still good? I have a lot of relatives that might want that.
1.) Any news about Brad Wright or Robert C. Cooper? (Scripts, upcoming projects?)
2.) Was Anthony Lemke your first choice for the role of “Three”? (brilliant job)
3.) Do you have any former Stargate actor in mind to for an upcoming role in season 2?
Question: Where is our Alex Mallari Jr Q&A? Did I miss it? I don’t think so.
Joe, October 6th was your birthday!? The big 5-ohhh shit! Why did you distract us with your new apartment tour? Fifty ain’t nothing. Embrace it! People respect you more because you are wise.
Hey Joe, I’m curious about what you can say regarding seasonal budgets. Did a large chunk of season one’s budget go towards building the sets? Will an equally large chunk go towards more new sets for season two, or will it translate into more guest actors / location shoots / special effects?
well maybe these new rental “adventures will have and inspirational impact on upcoming episodes?
Hope it was not a long term lease. Seems like the need for another house search may be in the offering.
Well that is a rustic table. Any spills or pours go right to the floor, easy access for Bubba and Lulu. Well, at least it is not like you were pass a kidney stone last week.
I told you my spider story, but my philosophy is “spider inside-dead; spider outside-have at it as it only has a short time now.
Watching first season on “Continuum”; so many SG alumni in it. I counted at least 4. (I liked the fly over in ep 1. “Hey, look the Palisades.”)
Miss my house, one nice aspect with my big lot is the city does allow “recreational” fires. With all the trees and dead droppings I got to recreate; f.y.i, dry Pine branches need the utmost respect.
Here is to a satisfying resolution and productive future.
@ gforce- nice house, nice view
@Gforce Excellent
Champix: It’s like our Chantix, but this was a sad tale of some poor fellow who took Champix: “I strongly believe my father and my family have become recent victims of the rare but severe adverse reactions linked to Champix™ in which my father had taken his own life during what appeared to be a major “psychotic event”. He had been drinking in combination with taking Champix™ which has resulted in him hanging himself in the garden shed.”
Sounds more like the Bates Motel than we thought. Or has the potential. Maybe that is why the sudden exit of the previous tenant. I’d google that address and cross reference it with any crime-related activity.