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!"…
December 1, 2014: Introducing Line Producer Norman Denver!
Sometimes, there are more producer credits on a show than acting credits and viewers can be excused for wondering: "Do they really need THAT many producers?". Which begs the next question - one I'm often asked: "What does a producer do?". Well, the answer is: "It depends." Producers can be divided into two groups: Group…
November 30, 2014: Videos of note!
Robot Dance Japan: Wanderers - a short film by Erik Wernquist: <p><a href="http://vimeo.com/108650530">Wanderers - a short film by Erik Wernquist</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user13714879">Erik Wernquist</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p> Best Snow News Bloopers Ever: Black Friday shoppers, take note! This is how to line up in an orderly fashion: This reminds me that I've got to start…
November 29, 2014: Things I miss about Vancouver!
1. My Home Gym I'm not the most motivated guy when it comes to working out and yet, when I was living in Vancouver, I would schedule two-a-days: a 45 minute run in the morning and a 45 minute weight workout at night. How did I manage to pull off such an ambitious routine? Well,…
November 28, 2014: Operation Wine & Cheese!
"This five dollar bill has blood on it,"said Caitlin from the back seat, examining the keepsake from a recent road trip to Buffalo. "Maybe it's Buffalo wing sauce,"suggested Alison seated beside her. "Except we didn't have any wings while we were there." An awkward silence finally broken by Natalie, our navigator, who advised me to…
November 27, 2014: The Uninvited Dinner Guest!
Today, Akemi made a roasted pistachio-crusted lamb shoulder. She spent over a half an hour toiling away, de-shelling the pistachios and de-skinning them. Her arduous work finally complete, she stepped away to use the bathroom and, when she returned not a moment later, discovered Lulu up on the table, enjoying the fruits of her labor. She…
November 26, 2014: Welcome to the Gun Show – Part II!
Prep continues on Dark Matter! The other day, we had our follow-up gun meeting as we move toward arming our kick-ass crew. It's a dangerous galaxy out there! The inspiration for the weapon of choice the Ferrous Corp soldiers (corporate guards) will be carrying. Each corporation (Ferrous Corp, The Mikkei Combine, Traugott, Volkov-Rusi) will have a…
November 25, 2014: Akemi opining, Snow Monkeys winning, doggies relaxing!
"Tastes like old man who likes pachinko." - Akemi on the smoked trout I picked up last weekend. Well look at which team is sitting in second place in our fantasy football League of Accommodation. Yep, my Snow Monkeys, on the strength of a close-shave two-point victory this past weekend, wrapped up a playoff spot…