Whew! After two winless weeks in fantasy football league play, my Snow Monkeys appear poised to claim their first victory. Ivon’s team, The Running Dead, require a near miraculous performance by both his wide receivers to make up a big 49 point deficit. This win is, of course, huge for the defending champions who are looking to return to dominance – just as soon as Fred Jackson and Pierre Garcon come back from his injury, the Giants bench Ahmad Bradshaw, Drew Brees and Marques Colston start playing better ball, Jacquizz Rodgers shows more consistency, we pick up a bunch of better players and lose a bunch of bad ones, and, most important of all, catch some lucky breaks.
Today, lunch was provided by the aforementioned Mr. Bartok who prepared an exquisitely sweet and smokey slow-cooked pork served on corn tortillas accompanied by sweet onions, pickled carrots, and a blow-your-face-off spicy mix of jalapenos, cayenne and habanero peppers.
In addition to eating, we watched a little football – and spent quality time with the dogs.
So remember a couple of days ago when I asked you all for some mystery reading suggestions? I outlined not so much what I was looking for but what I wasn’t looking for (September 18, 2012: Recommend me a great mystery read! Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! Spoils of War!)? Sure you do. Anyway, those guidelines are pretty much out the window. Using the Mystery Writers of America list of the Top 100 Mystery Novels of All Time for inspiration, I picked up the following titles:
Clockwise from top left: 1930’smystery with a recurring detective character, a medieval mystery, a mystery with a recurring detective character, a post-WWII mystery, and a mystery set in the 1970’s. So, yes, pretty much exactly what I didn’t want. And, rounding out the selection, I stopped by my local second-hand book shop and picked up a few more:
Yeah, these should keep me busy for the next month or so.
Our walk down SGA memory lane continues with…
TRIO (416)
There wasn’t a whole lot of love for this episode when it first aired which was kind of surprising since I thought it a nice change of pace featuring three very stronger actors. We ended up redressing and using the gimbaled set that formerly played as the ship’s hold in Continuum. It was a tough, demanding shoot, especially for Amanda Tapping who, apparently, like me is not a huge fan of heights and was required to do a little high-wire performance. Trio had the placeholder title, Three’s Company, while we were developing the story (for obvious reasons) but before we sat down to spin it, there was some spirited debate about who should be trapped. We discussed various permutations: McKay and Carter, McKay and Keller, McKay and Carter and Keller. Finally, we decided the old fashion way: Survivor-style with Martin Gero playing the part of Jeff Probst reading out the secret ballots cast:
There were more laughs and fun working on this episode than any other.
Ivon’s tacos were yummy 🙂
Isn’t this the one, where after Carter breaks her leg, her sock is removed and we see freshly polished toe nails?
You skipped Outcast…
i was looking forward to you getting to this ep! :p
it’s a shame the sam-keller boyfriends talk ended up on the cutting room floor… maybe mgm will put it back in in some future atlantis dvd release… OR a combo movie will be made and we’ll finally get that official confirmation! :p
it would have been SO fun to be on the set of this ep being made!! amanda, david, and jewel work so well off each other. 🙂
The behind-the-scenes pictures and videos are great!
However,
No Ronon.
No Sheppard.
No like.
Pulled pork tacos? Yum!
I think you picked some excellent mystery titles, but why did you change your mind about the books? Nevertheless – enjoy!
i see crocodile on the sandbank in your haul. (even though it goes against a couple of your guidelines for a mystery) hope you enjoy it as much as i did & will want to read the others in the series.
I had a lot of fun making that diorama! good memories.
Really cool behind the scenes pics and clips, Thanks. 🙂
Those hot peppers would kill me, LoL.
Just caught up on your blog and read about Anne/Kelly. My heart goes out to Kelly’s family. May God comfort her family and friends during this time, and know that Kelly’s memory will live on in our hearts as a fellow blogger and as Major Anne Teldy.
Enjoyed Trio and all the controversy over it. Lots of fun memories! Thanks for the ongoing trip down memory lane.
Raven-Patriots…wow.
I’m happy for the Ravens win, but man that was a messily ref’d game. Sorry also to hear about Torrey Smith’s brother…that made it an incredibly emotional win.
@Ivon:
Your slow cooked pork looks good! Any recipes you want share? I’ve got a Corvette Club Chili/BBQ Cookoff in November that I’m trying to prepare for.
The reasons I didn’t really like Trio (besides hardly any Sheppard) was that it made McKay look really sexist and immature (the flash the boobs thing). He was better than that at this point in his life. Or he should have been. He was always one of my favorite characters but scenes like this and his later romance with Jennifer (who was far too young for him) really made me question my devotion. And since when was Zelenka seen as creepy by anybody? He was a beloved character who was being trashed. Just not right. And Keller as a bar game player? We thought she was supposed to be the shy geeky genius that had no social life. Just because the writers evidently loved these actors best doesn’t mean that the combination necesssarily worked all that well when put on screen. Or, more to the point, made them act out of character. Sorry to be harsh, but this was one of my least favorite episodes of the series.
I hope your Snow Monkey’s finally won one. I’m sure they’re just getting warmed up for the loooong season ahead. For some reason this year I’m needing to wrap myself in the football season like a warm fuzzy blanket. I’m watching teams I don’t even like. The Raiders and Cowboys for starters. I’d love to see my beloved Rams, but being in LA, I’ll be lucky if we get to watch a single game this year.
I was never a huge Keller fan, so Trio wasn’t one of my favorite episodes. I honestly thought it was somewhat boring. The three of them endlessly trying to climb up and out got too repetitive for me. Also, the kids were wasted, twice. Nothing ever came from them storywise.
But the set was amazing. I never realized until I saw photo above how huge it was. I’m also loving the behind the scene videos!
What’s happening with your projects? Any closer to moving forward on Dark Matter?
@for the love of Beckett: Your beautiful thoughts for Kelly made me tear up all over again. I’m still having a hard time accepting that she’s gone.
I agree with JeffW, we need that pork recipe from Ivon! I would love to try it.
Weirdly, I have no recollection of Trio at all! I really need to buy the rest of the Atlantis DVDs.
Loved this episode because of the this…or that game. Colbert or Stewart. Neil Degrasse Tyson or.. Oh gosh I forget the “or choice” The pork looks good.
Had to go check my DVD’s… yup, Outcast came before Trio. Maybe you used the shooting order, and they aired differently? In any case, not one of my favorites. I think Bailey’s comment above is close to how it affected me – the characters just didn’t ‘feel’ right, not how I expected them to act.
Ah, “Trio”. The episode where we almost got the strongest Sam/Jack hint yet, almost tasted like confirmation. Still remember the moment when someone burst my bubble telling the scene got cut. Other than that, I liked the episode.
Funnily enough, this was my favourite episode of all SGA. Normally I like the ones with heaps of action, but this was just too funny.
Now, if only I can get the videos to work…
Yeah Trio.
Better best forgotten.
~~@Ivon, please please pretty please the recipe, that picture looks delicious, just how I like pulled pork to look, yummy! My recipe book is always open for more..
~~LOved Trio, was fun watching Rodney be a hero,(sort of) he does it so nice, McKeller was off to a nice start, a drinking cue, Amanda and David and Jewel were terrific as usual. Thanks for behind the scences videos,,,, gosh I miss these guys..~~sigh~~
I LOVED this episode. It is one of my favorites. I own it and then I bought it on Itunes for my iPad to watch at school. The chemistry between Jewel, Amanda, and David was AMAZING!!!
I loved Trio. I thought the end was genuinely nail-biting, and it was one of the Atlantis episodes where Carter is really in the thick of the action, being a badass.
Ponytails’s right – you skipped Outcast! I want to hear about that fancy house that Shep gre up in. Loved that ep because we finally got a backstory for Sheppard. And Ronon on earth. What’s not to love?
JeffW: Thanks for the link and the honorable mention! Those pictures had me craving biscuits. I love bread of any kind.
Nice pictures of your family!
Thank you Mr. M., for that sweet picture of Lulu. Is Lulu the jealous type? I was just wondering where Ivon’s “human” girlfriend fit into this picture. If Lulu is around, we never see pictures of Ivon’s other girlfriend.
Why do you have so many rules for books? You may miss out on something grand. I get leery of serial character books but some of them are so good!
The food pictures looked soooo yumilicious. Too bad we can taste it. 🙁
Trio: I want to be Sam Carter when I grow up. This episode showed her tenacity, bravery and her perseverance.
Hmm. Snow monkeys win, pictures of good food, picture of Lulu. (Ivan isn’t hard on the eyes either). Pictures of the mystery books you have picked up. Review, with behind the scenes video clips. Very good post.
I did really like this episode, though the tension factor was not all that great(sorry, just knew you would not kill off a lead under these circumstances).Bailey had a point, but I think part of the fun with McKay is that he can still revert at times. After all, he was simply putting himself in the boys’ position. The BOYS might not have really have wanted a flash, but kid(and adult) Rodney certainly did. And he redeemed himself with the rope, coming through when it mattered, and not even noticing the cost until afterwards. Plus, there aren’t that many girl moments in the show, so glad to see one.
Thanks for taking time from the games to post.
I had some wonderful ideas of mystery novels you could read, but you shot them down immediately with your “me no want” criteria and then bought what you said you didn’t want anyway. Bah!
@ Anyone following “Hell On Wheels” (AMC cable network, USA) & with a wink to Das: It would be a grave injustice if Christopher “Todd” Heyerdahl were not nominated for the Leos or Emmys this year. Last night’s episode showcased his talent…and, um, anything not covered by a Sioux loincloth. 😮
1. The Eagles lost! Woo! (I am an equal opportunity gloater. 😀 )
2. @ Sparrowhawk – Methinks that Joey changed his mind about the mystery books when he realized that there was only one book out there that met his stringent criteria. 😉
3. RE: Ivon’s tacos. They look and sound absolutely fantastic!
4. Do NOT tell Lulu that she’s Ivon’s ‘second’ girlfriend. 😉
5. Joe, curious about Murder Must Advertise. I think I read one of Sayers’ books many years ago (probably 25 years, at least), but can’t remember which one it was. So, please, let us know how what you think of it. I’m [trying to] getting back into mysteries myself. Eyeing up the Hamish Macbeth series…for, like…three years now. I AM the world’s greatest procrastinator. 😛
6. I really enjoyed Trio. It was nice to see the focus on different characters for a change.
7. Lookit Akemi go! She got in the first comment! Not that she doesn’t have connections, or anything… 😉
Have a great day, Joe & Akemi & puppies galore!
das
whoopies. 😳
das
@ gilder – Crap. I just KNEW I shouldn’t have given up on tv so soon! I was aware of the show, but just didn’t feel like getting attached to another series, not with all that I have going on in my life. But Chris…in a loincloth? I just might have to re-think my priorities!! 😉
das
I hope your Snow Monkeys do well, those pictures you post of them are cute.
– I am going to the local book sale next weekend, maybe I will find a crapload I can not live without, I usually buy a ton.. Are there any books that you have never been able to find,?? I will look., you never know what these places might have. Have a great day!! 🙂
I LOVE Elizabeth Peters Crocodile on the Sandbank. It’s really really well done AND the archaeology (methodology, philosophy, and general attitude surrounding the profession) is pretty accurate! It’s pretty impressive.
My fantasy football team just died this week. I have no idea what happened…everyone just sucked. No one is injured or got injured, they just didnt do crap. But lucky for me my opponents team is even worse AND he even played Jonathan Stewart, who was out this week. So if luck holds tonight, I should go 3-0. But only if I’m lucky.
What fun football afternoons you guys have, and good food. Like a modern version of Sunday dinner with the family. 🙂
I kind of like the slower, character building episodes once in a while, but have to agree with Bailey and Paloosa on “Trio.” Yes, please, can we go back to “Outcast” before moving on? Loved that episode.
Paloosa — Thanks for the kind words. How wild was that, that Kelly was reading The Last Battle from the Narnia Chronicles? It’s a reminder that this is “good grief.” It is good for her to be free of worry and pain, in a beautiful world, at a great reunion. And a comfort for us to know it. (Love that two regulars dreamed of her at a party!) But it is grief for us. When Kelly passed, I took the news really hard; we were friends outside of the blog. I still fight back tears every day.
JeffW — Great blog on the Loveless Cafe. 🙂 Those blackberry preserves did look great. And here I’ve been asking my mom if her cherry “jam” could be made less like syrup, so it doesn’t run away. I learned somethin’! 🙂
Hey, I *liked* Trio! I thought it was a nice change of pace episode and a chance to see some great character interplay between the leads.
That pulled pork looks fantastic!
Since you are trying out some different mysteries I would suggest the Detective Murdoch mystery novels by Maureen Jennings. They are set in Victorian Toronto. I would also recommend ‘Guards! Guards!’ by Terry Pratchett. It is part of the Discworld series but it is the first appearance by this group of characters.
Speaking of Stargate, i always thought there could be a chance to make some episodes about Lord Yu, as he wasn’t pure evil Goa’uld, maybe in some episodes we could have find how his followers lived in the planets belonging to Yu, and maybe that he was revived as a clone for his First Prime (also very clever guy) or that his First Prime took command of those peoploe in the Jaffa Nation, or well, his son, as i believed he was also dead.
Those Tacos were tasty… For those asking: it’s basically a modified version of this Rick Bayless Recipe. I did it in a slow cooker as opposed to an oven with Banana leaves. I also drained off much of the fat at the end, but as you see ,it was still quite juicy!
http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/view?recipeID=169