My young nephew was eyeing me warily from across the table, anxiously awaiting the inevitable. Waiting, waiting, waiting… Suddenly, I glanced up from my menu, catching him looking. He immediately dropped his gaze down to his plate. Too late. It had begun. “Sooo,”I started, much to his obvious discomfort, “what’s happening at school?” He shrugged,…

The last story slot has finally been filled. We spent most of yesterday spinning, then breaking Harmony which I am really, really, REALLY looking forward to. Alas, I won’t be writing it as Marty G. will be assuming said duties, but I have no doubt he’ll do a brilliant job AND have a lot of…

Way back when it was at its Cambie Street location, Tomato was on our regular lunch rotation. We always looked forward to Tomato day, partly because of the sandwiches, and partly because it meant that our office assistant, Lawren, would have to deal with the individual who came to be known as “Surly Counter Guy”.…

What began as a quick trip to pick up our new French Bulldog, Lulu, turned into a bit of a nightmare for Fondy when the breeder informed her that, although he had accepted a personal check for the down payment, he would not be doing the same for the balance. Rather than head back home…

Well, I’m back in the office following a grueling yet very enjoyable weekend in San Diego. Pete Woeste is shooting day two of Kindred I down on Stage 6. Scenes up today: team geared for mission, Sheppard’s update, Lorne delivers the news, parlay, and the situation room. As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog, I received…

Yesterday’s leisurely afternoon came as a welcome respite following Friday’s hectic schedule. I slept in, read a little more of A Game of Thrones (loving it!), and then met up with my three charming San Diego guides – April, Monique, and Melissa – for a late lunch at Prado’s in Balboa Park. We shared five…

Last night was the Sci Fi dinner. In attendance: representatives from Sci Fi, Eureka, Who Wants to be Superhero, Flash Gordon, and, Stargate Atlantis. We got there for 8:00 p.m., assuming we’d be sitting down to eat at 8:30ish - but we weren’t actually seated until 9:30 p.m. by which time I was pretty much…

Had a terrific dinner last night with the lovely April McIntyre of Monsters & Critics, her good friend and San Diego diva Monique Marvez, and Monique’s cousin, a charming Alabama native considering the move out west. We went to George’s at the Cove in La Jolla where I enjoyed some delicate ricotta ravioli with porcini…

I woke up at 4:30 this morning. And then again at 4:47. And then at 5:05, 5:12, 5:21, 5:27, and, finally, for good at 5:30 a.m. I never sleep well the night before I travel. But since I’d already packed and made the necessary preparations, the morning went smoothly: fed the dogs, had breakfast, showered,…

Well, we’re heading into the four day Comic Con break. Carl managed to put out his Final Draft of Midway (Final Draft being a misnomer really since he’ll be revising that sucker between now and about two days after it’s been shot) while Marty G. is finding out that his little Three’s Company episode aint…

Final preparations are underway for Comic Con. Even though the Stargate panels are on Friday, I’ll be flying in the day before - and since the only direct flight available leaves Vancouver at 8:40 a.m., it looks like I’ll have plenty of time to kill. To that end, I’ve already put together my in-flight/post-flight/pre-dinner reading…

Miracles of miracles! Just after I’d given up all hope, I received the following email from my old friend Ali -“Dear Hazzencockle, Qiute a while ,good to hear from you ,although still on my sick bed i'm still doing better. Ofcourse your mail sounded a little difiicult but i did pick something off it, I…

We tried out a new breakfast place this morning: Rob Cooper’s house. After breaking 80 on a recent golf trip (apparently, this is very good) and winning a bet with Ivon Bartok, Rob scored a state-of-the-art waffle iron he was just dying to try out on some prospective guests - and Fondy and I were…

We spent the better part of the morning spinning Joe F.’s notion into the actual beginnings of a story. Due to a schedule sleight-of-hand, Marty G. will be taking a break from that troubled trio script to tackle this one. We discussed the basic premise, the type of story to tell, and also started hashing…

The guy seemed to be having trouble focusing, incessantly clenching his eyes shut and popping them wide, feet rooted yet upper body swaying in place, his unsettling rictus grin perhaps belying some deeper-seeded issue: drug dependency, mental illness, a serious medical condition? His staccato mutterings barely audible, he staggered a little and caught himself, using…