Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 373

October 13, 2015: And that’s a wrap on Vancouver 2015!

Our last day in Vancouver for the foreseeable future was marked by a lot of frenzied dashing about driving.  Did some banking, visited a couple of book shops, picked up some replacement light bulbs and baby Gravol for the dogs.  For my final Vancouver lunch, it was tacos at La Taqueria.  Damn, I’m going to miss that place.

It’s an early turn-in for us tonight as we’ll be up bright and early dark and early tomorrow morning well before the crack of dawn.  Out of bed at 4:30 a.m., picked up at 5:20 a.m., flying out at 7:00 a.m.  Crazy, I know, but I’m hoping the dogs will be nice and tired for the flight.  They’re usually pretty good so…fingers crossed.

Just received word from the production office that the landlord/realtor of our crap apartment in Toronto –

https://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/2015/10/06/october-6-2015-my-hatred-for-my-new-toronto-place-goes-up-to-11

is unwilling to let us out of the lease.  They’re also unwilling to install blinds or dressers.  So, in the event we can’t work something out and I’m stuck with the place, I will be posting the full address of this condo from Hell on this blog as I highlight it’s hilarious lowlights in regular instalments.  In the event this place goes back on the market, a quick google search will bring up ACTUAL photos of the place…along with an honest tenant’s appraisal.

Today, I also bid adieu to my friend Vancouver Ivon who is leaving the city after fifteen years to move back to his home town of Toronto.  Granted, since he’s a Consulting Producer on Dark Matter, I’ll no doubt be spending more time with him than I’ll care to this coming season, but it will nevertheless be sad to think I’ll have to make my own slow cooked pork tacos next football season.  The end of an era.

Speaking of which – a blog dedication to Vaun Wilmott and the rest of his Dominion team for two ferociously unique seasons of television.  And another dedication to Dominion  fandom.  Fight on, Angel Corps!

October 12, 2015: Travel plans!

Akemi: I can’t believe we’re going back to Toronto.

Me: Neither can I.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, will mark our last day in Vancouver for the foreseeable future. Our last day to enjoy the city and all the comforts of home.

Can’t say I’m actually looking forward to Wednesday.  We’ll be up at 5:00 a.m. so that we can catch our 7 a.m. flight.  The dogs, of course, will spend the better part of the day – roughly six and a half hours – in their cramped little pet carriers, hopefully calm, comfortable, and crap-free.  And, when we finally arrive in Toronto, we’ll be settling in to this place:

https://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/2015/10/06/october-6-2015-my-hatred-for-my-new-toronto-place-goes-up-to-11/

Hoo boy!

Back in early 2015, when the wheels were in motion to get the series green lit, there was talk of producing the show in Vancouver.  When we finally got that green light, it was bittersweet news for me because, while on the one hand I finally had my own show, on the other hand I had to travel to the other side of the country to produce it.  I had, admittedly, mixed feelings about  moving to Toronto at the time but it was my show and I told myself that, ultimately, I could just do the one season.

We wrote the scripts, prepped, cast the series, then rolled into production.  And – surprise surprise – I had a great GREAT time working with some of the most talented, kindest, down-to-earth people you could ever hope to spend time with.   We were well-prepared (with 12 of 13 scripts written before we went to camera), got to tell the stories we wanted to tell, had an unbelievable cast that brought the characters to life and an equally unbelievable crew that brought the world of Dark Matter to life.  The fact that everyone was so damn good at their jobs ensured that the production ran smoothly – and the money ended up onscreen.  That first season was hard work, but incredibly satisfying.  And, most importantly, a lot of fun.  “If this show gets a second season,”I remember my writing partner, Paul, telling me at the time, “you should just sell the house and move to Toronto.”  And I actually considered.  And when the time finally came to pack up and head west after the show wrapped, I was genuinely sorry to leave.

Well, while a permanent Toronto move is no longer in the cards, I nevertheless do look forward to reconnecting with my Dark Matter teammates and starting work on the show’s second year.  Whereas season one was a slow burn that gradually peeled the onions on our characters’ backstories, building on the mystery and suspense as it  drove toward a shocking finale, season two will see a more fast-paced, action-packed, sci-fi-themed narrative.  It’s going to be crazy!

And, hopefully, like season 1, a lot of fun – because when it stops being fun, why bother?

Regardless of how things shake out for me in Toronto this coming year, if the production runs as smoothly as it did last season (And why shouldn’t it?), you, dear viewers, are in for one hell of treat!

October 11, 2015: Don’t know what it is, but I can tell you what it isn’t!

“Excuse me!  Excuuuuuse me!”the guy in the bathrobe called out to the hospital staff.  “Can I have a yogurt?”  When it became clear he wasn’t getting one, he sighed, strolled into an examination room, turned off the lights and went to sleep. There he snoozed peacefully away – until he was chased out by a doctor about twenty minutes later.

As the elderly lady in the gurney started to regale a nurse with tales of her recurring bowel obstructions, I checked my phone.  I’d already been there three hours – but, in that time, I’d accomplished quite a bit: read three graphic novels, one novel novel, taken a blood test, an EKG, and a chest x-ray.  Seemingly out of tests, and reading materials, there was nothing left to do but wait.  And avoid eye contact with the bearded starer roaming the hall.

I’d been suffering from what I’d termed “a sore lung” for going on almost two weeks, a dull ache that manifested whenever I took a deep breath – or lay down for any extended period of time.  When the initial visits to my doctor yielded no definitive results, I decided to get a second opinion.  Dr. Google’s findings were more expansive and, potentially, more dire, running the gamut from strains and pleurisy to embolisms and cancer.  And so, suitably terrified, I decided to get a third expert’s opinion.

The blood work, EKG, and x-ray came back all clear.  I wasn’t suffering from any of the more tragic possibilities.  And it was unlikely I was suffering from a blood clot.

Hang on.  Unlikely?

Well, yes.  The doctor informed me that the only way to know for sure would be to do a ct scan, but he wasn’t convinced I needed one and it would mean being subjected to more radiation.  I gave it some thought and decided to what the hell. It had worked out for Peter Parker and Bruce Banner.  Besides, I had a few hours to kill before I had to wake up and put that turducken in the oven.

They hooked me up to an i.v., pumped the blue liquid through my veins, and ran me through the humming machine like a leftover dinner on sensor reheat.  And, when all was said and done – another all clear.  I was perfectly healthy!  Except for the whole sore lung thing.  I still don’t know what THAT is.

Anyway, having received the clean bill of heart health, I was able to enjoy THIS today…

[Thanks to Rob for the charcuterie platter, Ivon for the pie and ice cream, Tio for the laughs, and Akemi for EVERYTHING else including the turducken she popped in the oven at 5:30 a.m. to ensure it was cooked in time for lunch.]

After all is said and done, I’m glad I went and got checked out.  I can finally rest easy knowing it isn’t anything serious.

Instead, I’ll just worry about the alarming amount of radiation I was subjected to.

October 10, 2015: Dark Matter clues!

These voice-overs were intended for a late season episode, but didn’t make the final cut.  The dialogue hints at some possible future storylines and backstory elements.  Can you make out what is being said?

 

Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter

October 9, 2015: Things I have to eat before I leave Vancouver!

I’ve got roughly four days before I leave for Toronto – four days, but a lot of food to cover.

These are the things I have to eat before I go…

A porchetta sandwich from Meat & Bread.

via DennisTheFoodie.com

The Dirty Burger from upstairs Campagnolo.

The Peaceful beef roll from Peaceful Restaurant.

The salmon oshi sushi from Minami Restaurant.

The kimchi pancake from Sura Restaurant.

The kickass rice from Le Tigre Cuisine food truck.

The lamb popsicles from Vij’s.

The lengua and cachete tacos from La Taqueria.

Chocolates from Beta 5.

Soft serve from Snow Peaks.

Gelato from Bella Gelateria.

I’m going to be pretty busy!

October 8, 2015: Home! X-ray! Script elves!

Wow!  I can’t tell you how nice it is to be home, back in a place with a backyard, proper t.v., window blinds, and actual dresser with drawers for storing my clothes!

Nice while it lasts.

I got in a little after 3 pm today and the first thing I did (after greeting Akemi and the dogs of course) was to head over the nearby medical center and get that x-ray. For almost two weeks now, I’ve been suffering from what I’d describe as “a sore right lung”.  Every time I take a deep breath, it triggers a dull ache in the region. On my first visit to the doctor, he poked, prodded, listened to my lungs, then sent me for a blood test that came back all good.  He suspected it was a muscular issue. On my next visit to another doctor, there was more poking and prodding and listening to my lungs.  He also suspected a muscular issue – but sent me for an x-ray, just to be sure.  If I’d just gone on Monday, I’d already have my answer by now but, because I was feeling a little better, I elected to put it off.  Thus, I get to stew all long weekend.

I love the idea of it being muscular.  Only problem is, I can’t recall doing anything that could have caused the problem.  “Oh, at our age, you don’t need to do anything anymore,”my writing partner, Paul, informed me.  “Stepping out of the shower, sitting up, just turning your head – crack – that’s it.”

Really?  Can anyone confirm this through amusing anecdotal evidence?

Tomorrow, I commence my goodbye tour of my favorite Vancouver bookshops: The Comic Shop, The Book Warehouse, White Dwarf Books – and continue work on Episode 204.  That script aint gonna write it self.  Trust me, I know.  I left my laptop out two nights in a row with a dish of cookies for the script fairies only to discover the cookies gone the following mornings but absolutely no work completed on my script.  Has this ever happened to you?

 

October 7, 2015: Early prep on Dark Matter season 2 begins!

Following a fitful night’s sleep, I woke up at 5 a.m. this morning.  Well, I suppose it’s to be expected since I’m still on Vancouver time.  That’s what I thought anyway – until I realized that Pacific Standard Time is actually three hours BEHIND Toronto time, not three hours AHEAD.  So it was actually more like 2 a.m.

The early wake-up afforded me the opportunity to get some work done.  On my fantasy football team.  Cut a few players.  Picked up  few more.  At 2-2, my Snow Monkeys are poised for a run!

Playoffs, baby!

At 10:30, Kyle picked Paul and I up and drove us to the Prodigy Pictures production offices where we were reunited with the gang: Vanessa, Norman, Ian, Caitlin, Thea, Natalie, Elliot, and Alice.  And, once we’d dispensed with the formalities, it was on to pressing matters – aka selecting our lunch orders.  THEN – we got to work.

First meeting – a discussion of the directors’ schedule with Vanessa and Norman. Some familiar faces returning from season 1.  Some new faces.  Some new yet familiar faces as well!

Second meeting – a discussion of the season 2 sets, locations, VFX, and casting with Vanessa and Norman.  New sets, a few familiar locations, MORE visual effects, and the return of some friends (ish) and enemies along with a slew of interesting first-timers.

Third meeting – conference call with our casting director Lisa Parasyn in which we discussed: Nyx, Arax Nero, Devon, Kierken, Shaddick, Treihan, Reynaud, and Misaki…to name a few.

Fourth meeting – lunch with brisket sandwiches.

Fifth meeting – We interview for the Executive Producers’ Assistant position. Seeking someone with production experience and proficiency with bladed weapons, krav and/or maga.

Sixth meeting –  sit-down with Production Designer Ian Brock to discuss the super max and upcoming builds.  He has some TERRIFIC ideas.  Can’t wait to show you the design work and sketches when the time comes.

Okay.  Here’s a little something…

 Tomorrow, I fly back to Vancouver where I’ll, hopefully, complete a big chunk of episode 204, continue packing, get an x-ray on that pesky sore lung, say my goodbyes, and make sure everything’s set for this weekend’s Canadian Thanksgiving Fantasy Football Feast.  Turducken is, of course, on the menu.

October 6, 2015: My hatred for my new Toronto place goes up to 11!

So, I arrived in my new Toronto apartment today.  Because I live on the other side of the country, I wasn’t able to visit the place first but, instead, based my decision on the specs and photos.  It looked nice enough and, surely, it couldn’t be any worse than the place we stayed last year with the incessant 7 am to 7 pm construction right next door.  Could it?

Well…

“Cosy” best describes my parking spot in the deep bowels of the building parkade, located roughly in the seventh circle somewhere between the profligates and blasphemers.  “You might want to back it in,”I was advised.

This long, useless, space-waster of a corridor greets you as you enter the place.

Here allow me to hang up your jacket, sir.  As for you, ma’am, you’ll have to keep yours on as we only have on hanger.

A cactus!  Perfect for unwitting dogs or, in tonight’s case, an equally unwary writing partner.  Hope he remembers to clean the wound when he gets home!

How thoughtful of the owners not to bother to clear out their shit.  That empty honey jar may come in handy.  As will that gently used toothbrush and shaving kit under the sink.

They were kind enough to leave us a half-used container of jalapeño mustard and a box of feminine napkins but, alas, no dust pan…which would have come in handy –

After I knocked over the unwieldy potted plant in the front room.  As it turns out, it’s impossible to just go out and buy a dust pan at 9:00 p.m. in Toronto…so that dirt will just stay right there for now.

Who needs bedrooms drawers when you have these handsome old coca-cola crates?  I’m kind of disappointed they didn’t leave their used milk cartons behind for sock storage.

No blinds on the entire east wall of windows offers everyone an unobstructed view into our personal lives.

Frustrated with my inability to properly store away any of our belongings, I decided to take a break and catch the Astros-Yankees wildcard game.

Really?  Basic cable package doesn’t cover the Sports Network?  Okay, I’ll just switch on over to AMC and catch a rerun of The Walking Dead in advance of its season premiere next weekend.

Are you shitting me?  Really?  No AMC either?  Okay, fine.  Food Network it is!

COME ON!!!

There’s also a balcony so treacherous-looking that I’m seriously considering krazy-gluing shot to ensure Akemi and the dogs NEVER set foot on it.

Finally, let me leave you with the little decorative touches that adorn the place…

In the event of a power failure this winter, I’m sure I’ll rethink critiquing this horrendous wall-mounted blanket.

And I suppose these wall-mounted snowshoes COULD also come in handy as well.

The arts & crafts ottoman?  Probably not.

ADDENDUM: Discovered the shoebox-sized Easy Bake oven.  Here it is, in action, warming up my leftover pizza slice:

Akemi is NOT going to like this.

October 5, 2015: Canadians love their scifi television!

Well, this is interesting.  Apparently, Canadians are HUGE fans of science fiction television:

“During the 2014-2015 broadcast year Canadian TV sci-fi series Orphan Black on Space (4.3 million viewers*), Dark Matter on Space (3.7 million), Between on City Total and Killjoys on Space (both 3.2 million) each reached roughly 10% of the Canadian population. In addition, these shows performed above their respective channel averages in the very desirable 18-34 demographic.”

That’s 10% of the Canadian population that tuned into our little show.

Tell me more…

Not bad.  It brings to mind another scifi series that far surpassed expectations when it aired on Canada’s Space Channel several years back.  I’ll give you a hint…

Speaking of Stargate, the giveaways are enroute.  We sent off the last one this morning.  Akemi, as always, personalized each envelope…

Pictured above: Canadian bunny, coasters in hand, on his way through the stargate to gforce’s house!

Toronto-bound tomorrow morning!  Hoping I can get some writing done on the flight.

Tagged: #BellMedia, #DarkMatter, Bell Media, Dark Matter, Science Fiction Television, scifi television, SF television, SGU, Space Channel, SpaceChannel, Stargate, Stargate Universe, Stargate:Universe

October 4, 2015: The dogs in Toronto prep mode!

They’re down to their flying weights and they’re rarin’ to go!

Akemi runs Bubba through his stretching exercises to safeguard agains the possibility of deep vein thrombosis.

Lulu takes one last longing look at the backyard.

Bubba contemplates his future in Toronto.

Bubba and Akemi celebrate one of the last sunny summer days of Vancouver in advance of the bitter winter days of Toronto.

Joined by Petunia (left), Lulu and Bubba practice quiet sleeping in preparation for the four and a half hour flight.

Bubba upon receiving the news that he would have to travel UNDER the airplane seat instead of on it.

 Bubba wonder why he has to travel to the other side of the country and work in a whole new bed when he’s spent so much time working in this one.

New look Lulu rockin’ the soul patch.

See you in Toronto!