January 2, 2012: Catching up! Blog Talk Radio interview – Part II!

Whenever I pay a return visit to my hometown of Montreal, I always find time to catch up with old friends.  Last week, it was my former co-worker Anne-Marie and the former host of our weekly Hong Kong Movie Nite, Supa-Nige.  This week, I managed to connect with a few more familiar faces in advance of tomorrow’s departure.

Battling over the leftovers.

My oldest friend (and I mean “oldest” in terms of length of our friendship as well as the fact that he possesses the sense of humor of somebody’s grandfather), Lawrence, joined us for sushi the other night. Aka “Buddy” also brought along his lovely wife, Mel (aka Budette). They’re back in Montreal after spending three years in London. Surprisingly, they returned with no trace of an accent, or affinity for bowlers and umbrellas, but have admitted to lingering Coronation Street habit.

Just the sake, please.

Another old high school friend, Nigel, put it an appearance with his wife – but only long enough to have a little sake before moving on to the next party.  They made the trip from Columbus, Ohio, home of James Thurber and purportedly not-so-good sushi restaurants.

Today, we braved the cold to visit another old friend Montreal’s greatest comic book store: 1 000 000 Comix!

Akemi enjoys the crisp Montreal air.

I’ll do an Uncanny X-Force. And make it a double.

Alex and I also go way back.  He’s largely responsible for a crawlspace packed with comics, toys, and supervillain statues.  The sole proprietor of my favorite comic store in Montreal, he is also a lead organizer of the Montreal and Ottawa Comic Cons.

Dealer’s choice.

Rob, a 1 000 000 Comix mainstay, is a voracious reader.  ”What do you read?”I asked him.  ”Everything,”was his response.  Well, I figured he was the expert so I picked up a few titles on his recommendation: the trippy looking Mind the Gap, Revival (which he described as The Waking Dead), and Driver for the Dead which looks a lot like The Transporter (The film series of course.  What else would I be talking about?) with a supernatural twist.

Akemi, regretting those rain boots.

And then we were off, braving the elements once again to head down to the Eaton Center where we met up with another former co-worker and freelance writer, Gerard.

aka Gerry

We had a lot of catching up to do but, unfortunately, not all that much time to do it in.  Gerry and I have a lot in common, particularly with regard to our personal lives over the past – oh, four years or so – and it was nice to get another perspective on things.  He’s artistic, soft-spoken, thoughtful – and terribly out of place in Montreal.  The guy belongs in Vancouver.

Well, that’s it for Montreal.  One final dinner at home with mom, sis, and Akemi tonight, an early breakfast tomorrow and then we’re off – back to the dogs, the rain, and those two very important scripts…

What are you up to tonight?  Have plans?  Well, break ‘em.  And tune into Blog Talk Radio for the second part of my Stargate: Universe discussion with Barbara Barnettt.  I’ll be answering questions on SGU and Stargate in general so, if you’d like to chat, tune in (9:00 p.m. Eastern, 8:00 p.m. Central, and 6:00 p.m. Pacific) and call: (718) 305-6982.  Let’s Talk Stargate Universe Season 2 w/Joe Mallozzi ].