April 22, 2011: Days of Stargate Past!

Before I get into my Stargate reminiscences, a little update on the V1 Jets front.  For the full preamble, check out my April 19th entry (April 19, 2011: V1 Jets). In short: I booked a flight through V1 Jets, followed their instructions and sent them a wire payment but, since the wire payment did not reach…

April 19, 2011: V1 Jets

Update on the V1 Jets front..  Company President Andrew Zarrow called me personally after being made aware of the problem. After discussing the outstanding issue with me at length, he promised to look into the matter and get back to me asap.  He did  and presented a solution that would happily put the matter to…

April 15, 2011: Some thoughts on “The Hunt”!

My thoughts on "The Hunt"... VARRO AND T.J. - OH, AND YOUNG! Near the end of season one, while we were finishing shooting the last few days on Incursion I and II, I ran into Alaina on her way to set.  "So, is T.J. going to be getting together with any of the handsome Lucian…

April 13, 2011: Those deleted flashbacks from SGU’s “The Hunt”!

Back when I first envisioned this episode, there was no beast.  No hunt.  It was a story about T.J. trapped off-world, displaying great courage and inner strength in keeping a group of scientists and wounded soldiers alive in an inhospitable off-world environment while Varro and Young headed the rescue op to save them.  Initially I…

April 12, 2011: Talking Transporter stories! More behind the scenes pics of SGU’s “The Hunt”!

We kicked off the day with a four hour meeting followed, after a thirty minute lunch break, by another three hour meeting.  Over the course of these seven some hours, we discussed scripts and stories with our four broadcasters, covering everything from page notes on episodes #1 and #2 to big picture arc for the…

April 11, 2011: Behind-the-scenes on The Hunt!

$%&@!!!! "Why is the floor wet?"asked Akemi.  I walked over to investigate, assuming one of the dogs may have peed on the floor.  They hadn't.  It was worse.  Much worse! Apparently, the outlet hose of the air conditioner had slipped in from the window, pooling water onto the hardwood floor (Yes, that's right.  Even though…

April 9, 2011: Reading, eating, watching. And you?

So what are you guys reading?  Watching?  Before leaving Vancouver, I loaded up my kindle, stocking up for the long months ahead.  I figured I'd blaze through the selection in no time.  Instead, I've managed to read a whole half book since hitting T.O.  The fact is I just haven't had the time.  Between the…

April 8, 2011: An early start to my day!

Ah, apartment life.  This morning, at a tick past 5:30 a.m., we awakened to this: The dogs were freaked out by the alarm, Lulu in particular who just sat at the top of the stairs, refusing to move until I went up and got her.  At one point, a voice came over the P.A. to…

April 1, 2011: Sore knees! Carl’s last day! m:brgr!

Believe it or not, the dogs are actually even more freaked out and skittish about this move to Toronto than I am.  As a result, in an effort to reassure them and ease the transition, I've taken to sleeping with the pack on the apartment's pull-out bed.  It's a lot less roomy than my king-size…

March 29, 2011: Familiar faces and birthday dinner!

Today was Alexander's birthday. We celebrated in grand production style - with a morning director interview, some story spinning, casting discussions, and a rotisserie chicken lunch.  To top things off, we received a visit from a surprise guest... Mark was in town on Echoes-related business.  "What is Echoes?"you're asking.  Why, it's the SF pilot he…

March 23, 2011: COME ON!!! Sporadic creativity! St. Roch’s School for Gifted Dogs!

Just when things were starting to pick up here in Toronto, this morning I wake up to THIS - Welcome to Toronto. I mean, COME ON!  It's the end of March!  I bet you it's not snowing in Vancouver! Today was a day of sporadic creative bursts as we attempted to start breaking episode 3…

March 22, 2011: I really need to hit a gym!

I need to hit a gym.  It's been about two weeks since I last worked out and I'm beginning to feel myself getting fatter.  I spend the greater part of my days sitting down spinning stories, updating this blog, and sampling menu selections from a plethora of new restaurants.  It's a situation eerily similar to…

March 20, 2011: Damn, I miss Vancouver!

The title of this blog entry should leave no doubt as to how I'm feeling right about now. So we got to the airport late last night, dogs in tow.  Check-in and security were a breeze.  The airport personnel were very kind; all smiles and great with the pooches.  After some initial scratching and whining,…

March 19, 2011: Travel Day! Actually, no! No, actually, yes!

After much back and forthing, stressing, and weighing of options, I decided to just pull the trigger and charter a jet for the cross-country flight to Toronto. Expensive, yes, but at least this way, I would only have to do one trip, wouldn't have to cram the dogs under any seats, and wouldn't have to…

March 13, 2011: March Madness! Dog transport! Moderne Burger!

Well, damn.  I just realized that traveling next Saturday and the following Saturday will mean missing a big chunk of this year's NCAA tourney.  It's the one extending sporting event I look forward to more than any other and I hate the prospect of being on a plane while, somewhere, a Cinderella thirteen seed is…