September 2, 2012: YOUR sure-fire recipe for the perfect steak!

Last night, Ivon came over with fifteen pounds of meat.  Now, normally, the writer in me would be instantly suspicious of a friend who just happened to show up on my doorstep with a bag full of red meat that needed eating, but in this case Ivon paved the way with a (suspicious?) story about…

August 31, 2012: News of Note! Cast your ballot for The Most Heartbreaking Moment in Stargate History!

Off to dinner with Ivon and Tio tonight to discuss - what else? - football!  Our fantasy football season kicks off tomorrow when our league (Vancouver Unite) holds its 2012 draft.  As you all know, my Snow Monkeys are 2011 league champions looking to defend the title. I've done my research and plan to spend…

August 30, 2012: The things we do for our pets! Cast your vote for The Most Heartbreaking Moment in Stargate History!

Some of you were wondering about my sister's dog, Aspen, who made an appearance in yesterday's blog - a video of him following his post-chemo treatment, clearly feeling a little zoned-out.  Well, here's the update. In early June, the poor boy was diagnosed with prostate cancer that had metastasized to his bladder and lymph node.…

August 29, 2012: My sister’s dog is high as a kite! A souffle-less souffle outing! What was The Most Heartbreaking Moment in Stargate History?

My sister's dog is high: Aspen apparently feeling uber-relaxed following his latest chemo treatment.  Fingers crossed it helps! It never fails.  Every night, Akemi and I work out while watching one of the food shows, be it Hell's Kitchen, Master Chef, Top Chef, Top Chef Masters, Chuck's Day Off, Chef Academy, or Around the World…

August 28, 2012: The Most Heartbreaking Moment in Stargate History!

A new poll and another chance to win a signed script! What, in your opinion, was The Most Heartbreaking Moment in Stargate History?  In coming up with the list of candidates, I tried to consider the events in context.  For instance, while Universe's final episode was heartfelt, it was only heartbreaking insofar as the audience…

August 23, 2012: Dog Blog! Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! Vengeance!

The dogs make the most of the remaining days of summer: And we continue our look back at Stargate: Atlantis's third season with... VENGEANCE (319) Hot on the heels of the creepy, horror-like Submerged comes the equally creepy mini creature-feature guest starring the villainous Michael.  Turns out he didn't perish in that hive ship battle…

August 21, 2012: The Curious Case of the Unapproved Comment! News of Note! Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! Sunday!

Don't you just hate it?  You write up a comment and hit "post" only to be informed your comment is awaiting moderation.  Now, provided you weren't rude or disrespectful (or redirected to the spam bin) your comment will eventually appear.  But sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes, you'll comment, hit "post", be informed your content is awaiting…

August 19, 2012: Book Haul! Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! The Ark!

I know, I know.  What, you are no doubt wondering, am I doing STILL buying books - or, to quote an editor friend of mine, dabbling in "dead tree media"?  Well, truth be told, I do own a kindle which I find very convenient...whenever I travel.  But, the rest of the time, nothing beats the…

August 18, 2012: Dinner with Remi! Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! The Game!

Back when I was in San Diego for Comic Con, I ran into former Stargate: Universe writer-consulting producer Remi Aubuchon who was in town promoting Falling Skies, a scifi series he is showrunning for Dreamworks Television and TNT.  He informed me that he would be back in Vancouver to start production on the show's third…

August 17, 2012: Vancouver Olive Oil Company! The Weird Food Purchase of the Week returns! Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! The Tao of Rodney!

Akemi and I were out and about today, running errands, when we happened across The Vancouver Olive Oil Company, a delightful little shop on West Broadway (2571 W. Broadway to be exact).  Having recently read an article on the poor quality of the olive oil sold in most supermarkets (ranging from old stock to adulterated…

August 16, 2012: Blue! Green! Fists of Fury! Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! Irresponsible!

"Blue!"announces Akemi the second the traffic light turns green. "Green!"I correct her. "Blue!"she chimes as if she didn't hear. "What color is that?"I ask, pointing up at the traffic light. "Green,"she concedes. "But they're blue in Japan?" "No, they're green in Japan."  Beat.  "But they call it blue." "Why do they call it blue if…

August 12, 2012: Food Truck Fest! Earnest Ice Cream! Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! The Return II!

Today, after hitting the Sunday farmer's market (not to be confused with the Saturday farmer's market which we also make a point of attending), we headed on over to the Waldorf Hotel for Food Cart Fest. The weekly event started on July 29th and is continuing, every Sunday, until September 2nd.  It's a chance to…

August 11, 2012: Bao Bei! Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! The Return I!

The other day, our friend and fellow foodie (oh, and culinary apprentice) Simon invited Akemi and I out for dinner.  We ended up meeting him (and his friend Sean) at Bao Bei in Chinatown for inspired modern Chinese cuisine. It's a tapas-style menu offering a plates of varying sizes, from the tiny couple-of-bites appetizers to…

August 10, 2012: Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! Phantoms! Our Supermovie of the Week Club! Cookie Monster film reviews!

Had a phone conversation re: our comic book series, Dark Matter.  It was actually a prelude to a much bigger conference call scheduled for next week, a creative discussion with a network rep.  To be honest, the notion of doing Dark Matter as a feature has also been floated and, while I certainly wouldn't say…

August 8, 2012: Conversations with Akemi! Days of Stargate Atlantis past! Common Ground! That live Q&A! Mailbag!

Akemi: What do you call the ghost who doesn't wear a sheet?  He's all wrapped up? Me: A mummy.  And a mummy isn't a ghost.  In Ancient Egypt - Akemi: Dracula's friend? Me: In some movies, yes, I suppose they were friends...sort of. Akemi: And Dracula's from Europe? Me: Yes.  And he isn't a ghost…