A disappointing start to the (fantasy) football season saw my Snow Monkeys upset today in unspectacular fashion. Looks like it’s going to be a loooong season.
Well, at least I was able to drown my sorrows – in Philly cheesesteaks, donuts, and chocolate chip cookies:
It was a lower than expected turnout (four of us instead of the expected ten) so I had a bunch of leftovers. As Tobias was leaving, I made sure he took home a bunch of donuts and cookies, a package of bread – and a second package of bread I tucked under his warm as he headed out the door. After all, the last thing I need are distractions. I’ve got to get in shape for Tokyo where I expect I’ll be doing a lot of eating (or, in a worst case scenario, running from Mount Fuji lava).
It was a better day for my frenchie, Lulu, who got to see her favorite guy, Ivon. Don’t know what it is about him (really, I don’t) but she absolutely adores him:
I got a call from writing partner, Paul, who suggested we get together this week to discuss some of the series ideas we’ve been pitching. I think he’s feeling a little antsy after our extended time off and would like to start work on a new project – specifically, writing another pilot we can go out with. For my part, I’ve been enjoying my time off but, admittedly, feel the need to get back at it as well. At the beginning of this year, I figured I’d enjoy my leisurely 2012 and, while I certainly have, I’ve also been surprised by how busy my presumably less busy days have been. It seems like there’s always something that needs to get done and ever enough time in the day to do it. How the hell did I ever manage it when I was working on Stargate?
Anyway, getting together to spin ideas for some new scripts sounds like a great idea, especially since some recent developments on the Dark Matter front (Paul and my comic book series) seem to have fizzled. Things had looked very promising and I was hoping to make an exciting announcement next week but, alas, as is often the case in this business, what seems a sure thing on a Monday inevitably becomes a longshot on Friday. And on we go…
Continuing our trip down SGA memory lane…
TABULA RASA (406)
I liked this episode a lot but, and how’s this for irony, don’t remember that much about the production given that I had my hands full with Reunion at the time. This was, of course, our version of memento with an SF twist. Writer-producer Alan McCullough did a terrific job on the script and the cast (David Hewlett in particular) did an equally terrific job with the material.
I do recall this episode shooting during an international press junket (as they called it) that saw a number of reporters from European magazines descend on the Bridge Studios for an official Q&A with the show’s creators and cast – after which they hung around to do some cameos (they all appear in the big in mess hall scene). Among those who put in an appearance was G4’s Zach Selwyn (Attack of the Show) who got a slightly meatier role as a result of this video:
Can’t quite tell if the roll was like a Philly roll, but the cheesesteak looks good, though a bit light on cheese. I like mine absolutely gooey! (When I could eat a cheesesteak, that is. 😛 )
The donuts look great, too! Rob can come visit me anytime! 😀
And who wouldn’t love Ivon? Lulu’s got good taste!
Sorry it was a bit of a downer day with the Sea Monkeys, and all. Maybe things will pick up next week. Too bad you didn’t hang onto some of those rolls, you could’ve…ya know…experimented with some variations on the Philly cheesesteak this week. 😉
das
I wouldn’t worry too much about the Snow Monkeys. As I recall, they were off to a slow start last year too. The spread looked pretty decent too. Tabula Rasa is one of my favorites of this season, and holds up well for the whole series. Figuring out what was happening between the flashbacks and present scenes, Zelinka skulking about, pill popping Lorne, and Ronan shooting Sheppard, all great moments. The story just came together on so many levels.
Loved the rap song. Recalled when it first came out, still fun to listen to. Well deserved bit part for producing that.
Sorry to hear that Dark Matters seems to have stalled. Hoping things get back on track. And/or your other projects take off. Meantime the mutt is making it clear she wants to go to bed, so who am I do disappoint her? Hope you have a fun and productive week.
“It seems like there’s always something that needs to get done and ever enough time in the day to do it. How the hell did I ever manage it when I was working on Stargate?”
My late father said much the same thing in the years following his retirement from Eastern Air Lines.
Ivon and Lulu are so cute together. Looks like she is whispering sweet nothings in his ear, “Come on Ivon, let’s leave this joint and run off together. We could be happy together forever and ever, just you and me baby.”
Very professional and delicious looking donuts from Chef Rob. Your sandwich look good too.
When are we going to Tokyo? November?
Really liked Tabula Rasa. It is one of my favorites! It was a nice what-the-hell-is-going-on mystery. Had lots of memorable moments like Keller examining the healthy Ronon then later trying to do it again because she (claims she) forgot. (I’d love to forget and examine him several times too) Amnesic Carter’s inner born leadership abilities shinning as she tries to organize the mess hall crowd. As Deborah Rose said, the pill popping Lorne had me wondering exactly what he was taking. Carter saying, “How big can this place possibly be?” before stepping out onto a balcony overlooking the city. Ronon and amnesic Sheppard taking the jumper to a planet where Ronon shoots Sheppard to keep him from waundering off and saying “Never gets old.” And when they returned, I really liked the picture in Lorne’s vest pocket of Sheppard telling him he is the boss, do what he says. Zelenka acting like he was running from zombies. Very fun episode.
I really liked this episode! Ronon stunning Sheppard “never gets old!” Also the scene where Sheppard can’t quite remember he’s in command but tells Lorne and Co. to follow whatever Ronon says. Stealth Ninja Zelenka!. I always try to read what McKay wrote on his arms. Looking out at the panorama of the city after wondering “how big could it be?”Tons of excellent scenes in this one.
@Joe:
Sorry to hear about Dark Matter…I was looking forward to seeing it on the screen. Hopefully the prospects will improve.
@ for the love of Beckett:
Sorry, I do have sympathy for Indy Colts fans, just no sympathy for the Irsays. This is why:
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/baltimore-colts-move-to-indianapolis
I went to bed that night hearing Bob Irsay say the Colts were staying in Baltimore and woke up to news they were gone…left in the middle of the night.
If I do get down towards Indy though (Starbase Indy maybe?), I’ll be sure to bring a cheesecake as a peace offering. 😉
As for salt and pepper on watermelon, I get that from my maternal grandmother. As far as I can figure out, the family has done it for as long as anyone can remember…maybe back to the roots of the family on Maryland’s eastern shore in the 1700’s. My dad’s family does it too.
We’ll also put salt on green apples…it’s not that weird; after all, Joe puts bacon in Ice Cream. Joe, you wanna help me out here?
@Das on cheesy grits:
I’ve had cheesy grits before (and I like the hot sauce). I’ll eat cheesy grits as long as the grits aren’t soupy. I can’t stand soupy grits. 😀
@ JeffW – AGREED!! Soupy grits are the worst! But you know what’s even worse? Salt on apples and watermelon!!!
Heathen.
😉
das
Cheesy grits with gouda mmmmmmm
We do salt on watermelon too, and mayo on cornbread.
A wonderful football day with the Broncos win and the Bears trouncing the Colts. \o/
WHAT’S WITH THE SALT ON WATERMELON???!
Doesn’t it just the sweetness? I just can’t imagine…
(In Hawaii they told us to put salt on pineapple to cut the acid – I didn’t like that, either. And yes, for those of you who know I won’t fly, I did when I was younger, and the more I flew, the more I hated it.)
das
Blargh. I meant, ‘Doesn’t it ruin the sweetness?’
I edited the sentence to remove the ‘just’, and removed the ‘ruin’ instead. This is what happens when you stay up past your bedtime, kids.
😛
das
Hopefully the Dark Matter fizzle is just a speed bump and not a stop sign in the grand scheme. Or hey, if it is a stop sign, maybe you get to turn it towards a new direction?
I feel like on days when I’m not busy with work and life, I find ways to keep myself busy. It’s as if that’s what my body and mind want… to stay busy, to stay focused. Perhaps you’re the same way?Taking it easy and relaxing doesn’t mean not being busy, it just means being slightly less busy.
@JeffW – I do like salt on watermelon, haven’t tried pepper. A salt-shaker in-hand is how watermelon, apples, and fist-sized tomatoes should be eaten. I can’t tolerate a lot of salt these days, so I might opt to eat more watermelon without salt instead of having to limit myself.
I have eaten grits with salt, pepper, and butter. Isn’t every vegetable served that way? Then added something sweet. We even ate rice with salt, pepper, and butter when I was a kid.
I will try some cheesy grits someday. I do realize my upbringing was wrong on this.
@das – I definitely haven’t had garlic anywhere near grits. I gathered some wild garlic once as a kid thinking I was bringing home some weird wild onions. I had no idea what garlic even was. My mom had had a Sicilian step-dad so she knew to put it on bread and I remember thinking it was odd to spread a vegetable on bread and call that a snack. I’ve more than made up for the lack of garlic exposure in my earliest diet.
I still don’t know how a Fantasy Football League works?????
My parents ate salt on watermelon. They said it made the sweetness sweeter. Same for certain apples, raw tomatoes, etc.
There were many a summer day in Daddy’s youth where he would take off in the morning right after breakfast and he wouldn’t go home until after dark. He’d carry fishing line and a small sampler box of salt and his knife. He and his friends would catch fish for lunch, steal raw potatoes and/or tomatoes to make depression era soup, etc. and would eat outdoors. Best days, he said.
“Tabula Rasa”: it was what you guys called a ‘bottle show’, wasn’t it? Except for the outdoor jumper scene, everything was shot on existing sets, right?
A very good episode.
Anne Teldy
Joe, the cheesesteak looks great! You pulled it off. I had faith. How were the reviews?
Rob, nice job on the doughnuts!
Das, I like salt on watermelon. Just a dash. And on bananas. =)
I love the cheesesteak and the donuts too. Mmmm. Sorry, I haven’t been around much. Started the homeschool year with my kids, and my younger son will be playing fall baseball. Went to the first practice yesterday and managed to get the back of my neck sunburned. I’m going to have to coat myself next time. 🙂
Have a great day!!!!!!
@Das:
A little salt enhances the sweetness (ever see sweetbread recipes with both salt and sugar?) For green apples, it helps cut the tartness…especially at the end of the season when the fruit doesn’t quite ripen (we had apple trees and did a LOT of canning when I was growing up).
Yes, TABULA RASA was one of my favorites! Ponytail pretty covered all the points I had. She may now become my official spokesperson. I love medical mysteries and the cast did a great job! The picture in Lorne’s pocket was a nice touch.
Didn’t Ivon stay at the house with Lulu for a while? If so, guess she bonded with him. Does Lulu have a Godfather? 😉 When you have kids/pets, you always have to plan for every contingency. Do the pups have guardians appointed in case something happens to you? Well, you have Lulu covered. 😆
How the hell did I ever manage it when I was working on Stargate? I ask myself that every day…except for the Stargate part 😉 . I can’t seem to keep up some days. Getting older sucks!!!!
Sorry to hear about Dark Matter. Like J.Chris said, maybe another direction on the path will be coming up.
Das: My dad used to put salt on watermelon. With grapefruit, he would put salt or sugar. Is that Southern thing? How’s your diverticulitis these days? (I can’t believe I spelled that right!)
Marsha: My F.I.L. used to put mayo on grilled cheese sandwiches. Never heard of it on cornbread though. I think I’ll stick with butter. I love butter!
JeffW: My hubby is staying in Brentwood this week (little suburb outside of Nashville). I’m hoping he will have time to head over to Loveless. I wish I could have gone with him. I would have dropped him off at work and headed out shopping with friends. It would have been a blast 🙁 .
Wanted to share this picture from a local dachshund rescue fundraiser last weekend. Those dogs were so cute: https://twitter.com/jertam/status/245118760611086336/photo/1
JeffW, DP & Das: While I was in Florida, I tried some Pineapple Grits. They were very good!
On Southern eating… my mother would take a fresh baked cornbread block and crumble it up into a tall, cold glass of buttermilk, then eat it like a parfait sundae, digging through with a spoon. This would often be accompanied by a side of turnip greens laced with hot pepper juice and/or black-eyed peas. It was the perfect meal (according to her) and she would relish it. Mom was a Georgia girl.
At the time, I preferred cheese pizza. I’m a Brooklyn girl. 😉
2cats
I never heard of salting watermelon, but my dad used to put salt on his cantaloupe. Apples, too. Shoot, there is hardly anything he didn’t put salt on. He is fighting cancer now and the salt doesn’t taste as good, he says. Now he has a sweet tooth for the first time I can remember.
Huh? Any reason that my RSS reader decided to load feeds from your HK trip with Fondy back in the day? Strange, but kinda disconcerting how long I’ve been reading your blog! Lol
My dad also salted his watermelon. I remember sharing half-watermelons, cut lengthwise, with him (and salt) at one end, me (no salt) at the other. Daddynwas also good at squirting seeds from his pinched fingers. 😉
*sees typo too late*. Danged cramped iPad keyboard.
@How the hell did I ever manage it when I was working on Stargate?
Could be explained by being too busy that anything extra wasn’t a big deal, and when that part dissapeared, you’re left with a void that filled the time you would of speant working on Stargate inbetween doing what you usually do.
Anyways, no idea if people saw but on Amazon.com the instant video thing. Never used it before personally but you can get the complete series of SGU Seasons 1 or 2 for $2.99 in Standard Definition or $3.99 in HD, a good deal for people who don’t already own the series on Blu Ray or DVD.
Lol Mount Fuji lava, that would be horribly unlucky for you Joe, that said you’d have plenty of warning and would be better off making your way out of Tokyo as there’s no way planes would be taking off at that point, taking food and water with you.
That said a scenario like that would be horrible for anyone but interesting none the less.
@Tam Dixon:
Barb and I will be in Nashville next week (I need to man the company booth at a navigation conference), so we’ll be stopping by Loveless on Monday night to try it out. I’m thinking about the Southern Sampler (I probably won’t be able to decide between the catfish, fried chicken, and the pulled pork BBQ, so I’ll just do all three!), and probably a plate of fried green tomatoes and maybe some okra.
I haven’t had fried green tomatoes for a while…you can’t get green ones around here and this year I didn’t really try to do a vegetable garden (too busy), so it’ll be good to have some. I’m also curious about the southern greens with pot liquor (moonshine?)…should be interesting. 😉
I’m assuming Joe will want pictures, so I’ll do what I can. It’s the least I can do when compared to all of Joe’s Tokyo trip pictures that I’ve enjoyed the past couple of years!
Those doughnuts look delicious! I’m kind of reminded of back when my mom was around and used to make cake doughnuts from scratch. They were unbelievably good, and I have such fond memories of those days.
Strangely, I had forgotten all about “Tabula Rasa”, too. I do remember it now though as being a pretty good episode.
Food
fightdiscussion! — This has been fun, and very educational. As for “to salt, or not to salt,” live and let live. The idea of salting fruit makes my mouth pucker, but it’s a free country. 🙂 Forgot to say earlier, loved your Philly Steak commentary, Marc Lombardi. Come tell stories any time! (And also Das and everyone else’s.)2 cats, I don’t have any family who eat cornbread in a glass with milk, but! A college friend, who was a fashionista and sorta big person on campus, ate her fresh chocolate cake in a bowl full of milk, all smashed up. Talk about a “what the heck” moment. Seems her family, from a rural area, always ate cake that way.
JeffW — I’m sorry Baltimore had to lose the Colts in the middle of the night. I never liked the idea that we finally got an NFL team that way. However, that link did tell me something I didn’t know: The city of Baltimore was going to seize the team from Irsay — without ever paying for it. And “rather than give up his team,” Irsay took the deal offered by Indianapolis. That information is, as they say, a game changer. The city was going to seize something worth a few million likely. They may have hated Irsay, but you can’t take what you want without paying for it. That’s stealing. Funny they don’t bring up that fact every time they casually refer to Colts history in TV commentary! The city of Green Bay owns their team. Baltimore should have come up with the cash. According to that article, Irsay was not the only one who didn’t do things the right way.
That would be cool to say howdy if you do ever make it down to Indy for the Trek con. Cheesecake not required. 🙂
Joe,</strong, so sorry that things fell through for Dark Matter. Was it a deal for TV, feature film, or both? That's got to hurt. If it's still a case of "who you know," would that be an incentive to move to LA for a while, to meet and work with people? Either way, what a reality check. Even very successful people get rejected. Best wishes to you and Paul as you work on new scripts! 🙂
Boy, Rob, your donuts look delicious! Good thing they're stuck behind a computer monitor. 🙂
*cringing* I forget to turn off the faucet again and left the boldface running. Sorry!
I thought this was a smart episode. I think the dangers of visiting a new world was first explored in SG1-“the Broca Divide.” Over the years of watching it became taken for granted that visiting new world was like taking a walk in Capilano Park. This was like when Chicken Pox visits Atlantis. It was a nice twist that such a seeming-less innocuous bacteria could cause such havoc. As explained I like the opening as they blow out the color, almost like a negative washing, to get the viewer in the know that something is not right; to make the POV as though you were in fever too. Another point that caught my attention was the subtle yet asserted head and eye movements by Rachel when she is talking to McKay on the importance of him completing his work. She did a great job selling the scene. I notices that Sheppard did not whine about being shout, perhaps such a line was edited. Guess Jason liked having to do the scene many times. Poor Lorin, second ep. he gets stunned.
Great treats.
I loved this episode. It managed to be funny, even though what they were going through was terrifying. Definitely one of my favourites.
That was a terrific rap! Thanks for sharing it with us, I’d never seen it before.
http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/09/17/15-best-cheesesteaks-outside-philadelphia/?intcmp=features
How come you aren’t on this list Joe? 🙂
Sorry to hear about the stall for Dark Matter. Let’s just hope it stopped off the gas at refueling station.