Joseph Mallozzi's Blog! (SPOILERS For All SG Shows and Dark Matter)

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December 30, 2015


10. Renovations.

9. Facebook.

8. Listening to jazz.

7. Holding your baby.

6. Watching the NBA.

5. Tequila.

4. Beaches.

3. Breakfast.

2. New Years Eve parties.

1. Writing

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December 31, 2015

Photo: Blog wrap-up


Another year, another 365 posts.

When I started this blog back in late 2006, little did I realize that I’d still be writing daily instalments – nine years later! Over that time, I’ve covered everything from my personal life to my job to everything in between, offering readers production insights, behind-the-scene tidbits, reading and restaurant recommendations, oodles of dog pics and much, much more. Go back over these 3000+ posts or use the handy archive scroll in the right sidebar and pick a post at random, relive production on Stargate: Atlantis’s final season or Stargate: Universe‘s run. Check out the guest Q&A’s with such authors as John Scalzi, Michael Moorcock, and Lois McMaster-Bujold. Read resident film critic Cookie Monster’s Supermovie reviews. Discover my opinion on such wide-ranging topics as The Olympics and the sheer impossibility of eating a mango.

2015 introduced an all-new subject to this blog: Dark Matter production. I took you behind the scenes on the show’s first season with pics, videos, and write-ups on the show’s first season. And, as this year draws to close, production on season 2 is already underway.

So, what were some of this year’s blog highlights? Well –

Now, let’s get down to the numbers we’ve all been waiting for. WHO were this blog’s post prolific commenters?

Well, coming in at the #5 spot is one of this blog’s most loquacious opinionators…

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In the #4 spot is a very busy individual who still manages to find time to swing by, catching up on missed posts and then taking the time to comment on almost every one…

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In the #3 spot is a hardy east coaster who, when he’s not out hiking or building a house, is right here on this blog offering words of support – or disbelief…

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At #2 is a looooong-time reader of this blog who has been here almost along as I have…

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And, at #1, by a HUUUUUUUUGE margin, is a blog regular who never misses a post, or the opportunity to offer a comment or two…occasionally three…

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Thanks to not only the aforementioned, but each and every one of you who has taken the time to come by and support this blog by reading and occasionally posting your thoughts. I have BIG things in store for 2016, so here’s hoping you stick around. Or tell a friend!

Happy New Year!

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January 1, 2016


During my first year on Stargate, I put on fifteen pounds (The Freshman Fifteen!). I blame mostly the fantastic catering – Steve’s terrific cooking and Anthea’s extraordinary desserts. At one point, we were producing two shows (SG-1 and Atlantis) and that meant TWO catering options. Then script coordinator Lawren Bancroft-Wilson would scout out the trucks and report back so that we could make informed dining decisions. The SG-1 truck has schnitzel! Or The Atlantis truck has hazelnut torte! It wouldn’t be uncommon for us to walk from one end of the lot to the other to put together our ideal plates. Between the fine food and the sitting around all day in the production offices, chatting with my fellow writer-producers (and, occasionally, writing) I tipped the scales at 180 lbs!

And then, over the course of a vacation, I lost a whopping 15 lbs on what I like to call The Snake Soup Diet. Many of you may remember (if not, just do a blog search) that it basically consists of ordering the snake soup at the Hong Kong airport, then flying into Tokyo and being violently ill for a week. The pounds just melt away! Then, when you return home, you just start working out and keep the weight off.

Eventually, between eating right and exercising (at one point, I was doing a cardio workout in the morning and weights at night), I got down to my ideal weight of 165!

And then, last year, I moved to Toronto to work on Dark Matter. No longer able to access my treadmill and weights, I was suddenly reliant on the condo’s health center and it’s weirdly inconvenient hours. The demands of the production didn’t help either. There were times when I had to get up as early as 5:30 a.m., and got home as late as 10:00 p.m. – and the last thing I wanted to do was wake up even earlier to work out, or hit the gym after an exhausting day on set.

Toronto catering is, thankfully, nowhere near as good as in Vancouver. However, our crafts service team (with the ever affable John Schieder at the helm) is very good – and very accommodating. If you don’t like the breakfast options laid out for you on the crafts service table, just head over to John’s truck and he’ll whip you up a breakfast burrito. Between breakfast and lunch, and then again between lunch and dinner, John’s crew serve up subs (aka “substantials”) to tide over the hardworking crew. Options vary and range from homemade clam chowder to chicken burgers. If we go late, the production will spring for dinner. Eggplant parm sandwiches and pizza were popular offerings last year. And, between that, are the catered lunches.

Staying in shape – and avoiding temptation – is hard when you’re working on a show. But I’m determined to make this year different.

Forget the gym on weekdays. I’ll kick off every morning with a 30 minute work out that will consist of stairs, lunges, calf raises, squats, burpees, tricep dips, push-ups, incline push-ups, decline push-ups, and crunches – 30 reps each.

Breakfast will consist of a protein shake (banana, whey protein, all-natural peanut butter, almond milk, berries, and steel cut oatmeal). I’ll stick to lean options for lunch, have a healthy afternoon snack, and stick with a healthy dinner option. The plan is to do three pescetarian days, two meat days, and two vegetarian days.

We’ll see if this game plan lasts past January.

They usually don’t.

So, that was my New Year’s resolution: To get back down to my fighting weight.

And yours?

Back in 2014, I read a whopping 180 books! In 2015, distracted by scripts and work, I barely cracked 85. As a result, my list of Recommended Reads isn’t quite as lengthy as last year’s Top 35 –

https://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com...books-of-2014/

But there were nevertheless some real gems in both the ongoing comic series and book categories…

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MY TOP 10 COMIC BOOK READS OF 2015

10. This Damned Band by Paul Cornell and Tony Parker

9. Ant-Man by Nick Spencer, Ramon Rosanas, and Jordan Boyd.

8. We Can Never Go Home by Matthew Rosenberg, Patrick Kindlon, and Josh Hood

7. Monstress by Marjorie M. Liu and Sana Takeda

6. Squadron Sinister by Marc Guggenheim and Carlos Pacheco

5. Jupiter’s Circle, vol. 1, by Mark Millar and Chris Sprouse

4. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina by Robert Aguirre-Sacasa and Robert Hack

3. Descender by Jeff Lemire

2. Arcadia by Alex Paknadel and Eric Scott Pfeiffer

1. Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples.

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MY TOP 10 BOOK READS OF 2015 (hardly any of which were actually published in 2015).

10. The Deep by Nick Cutter (Horror)

9. 419 by Will Ferguson (Fiction)

8. The Candlemass Road by George MacDonald Fraser (Historical Fiction)

7. The Time Traveler’s Almanac edited by Anne VanderMeer and Jeff VanderMeer (Science Fiction)

6. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink (Fiction)

5. Cutter and Bone by Newton Thornburg (Crime Fiction)

4. Get Carter by Ted Lewis (Crime Fiction)

3. Lexicon by Max Barry (Science Fiction)

2. So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson (Non-Fiction)

1. Sharpe’s Tiger by Bernard Cornwell (Historical Fiction)

Honorable Mentions:

Half A War by Joe Abercrombie

Nightborn by Lou Anders

The Serpent’s Tale by Ariana Franklin

Slow Bullets by Alastair Reynolds (Science Fiction)

The End of All Things by John Scalzi (Science Fiction)

The Emperor’s Blades by Brian Staveley

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What were your top reads of 2015?

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January 2, 2016

Photo: Lulu, Bubba


And I am absolutely exhausted. Following a two week whirlwind Montreal stay, early wake-ups, an intense new morning workout routine, and a four and a half hour drive back to Hog Town, I’m feeling a lot like these two –

I have a little over a day to rest up before I head back to the Hyperion-8 Maximum Security Galactic Detention Facility where – well – all hell is about to break loose. So much so that we couldn’t pack it in to a normal five-day work week and had to schedule a Saturday shoot as well. How’s that for a “Welcome back!” present?

As production on Episode 202 continues with Director Bruce McDonald at the helm, prep begins on Episode 203. And, of course, the writing continues on, oh, twelve different scripts in various stages of development.

It goes without saying that I’ll continue to update this blog on a daily basis, packing it full of behind-the-scenes insights and other goodies. As for what those “other goodies” should be, I’ll leave that up for discussion. In addition to the usual, I’m thinking of bringing back the Book of the Month Club in which we choose a book to read and then have the author drop by for a little Q&A discussion. And since I’m going to have my hands full with the show, I thought it might be fun to do a comic book version of the book club. There are a lot of great titles out there, a number of which I listed in yesterday’s blog entry.

What do you think?

What other territory would you like to see this blog explore in 2016? I’m open to suggestions!

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January 3, 2016

Photos: Lawrence, Mel, Bertram, Valerie, teddy bear tree, Bubba


I woke up this morning, rolled over, and checked the time. 7:00 a.m. I briefly considered getting up to help accustomize my body to the early wake-ups to come…then thought better of it and went back to sleep, ultimately logging in a spectacular ten hours of sleep! And, I have a feeling, I’m going to need it.

Tomorrow, the action kicks off at our second stage, the Hyperion-8 sets, where two of our characters plot their escape, someone gets taken down hard, one of our characters reveals a surprise “gift” from an old friend, Arax Nero “improvises”, and some black market lipstick comes in very handy.

How’s that for vague yet intriguing?

Hey, I came up with another idea for this blog that might be a lot of fun. Those of you who were following back when the show first aired may have joined me on Periscope (https://www.periscope.tv) for a couple of live post-episode chats. Today I was thinking: “Wouldn’t it be fun to do one of those live Periscopes while I was at work? Maybe during prep on an episode? Or while I’m at the office? Or maybe even while I’m on set?”. What do you think? Who’s in?

In other Dark Matter-related news, here’s a link to an interview I did with Australia’s FilmInk about the show and the upcoming season:

http://www.filmink.com.au/2015/deep-space-matters/

Dark Matter made Fandomania’s Favorite TV Shows of 2015 list. Thanks, gang!

http://fandomania.com/fandomanias-fa...=socialnetwork

Capping off today’s entry with some of the highlights of my Montreal trip…

Dinner and drinks with my long-time buddy, Lawrence – and his wife Mel (aka Mrs. Buddy).

Getting together with Supa Nige and the rest of the Movie Nite Crew for a double-feature (Third World Cop and War of the Arrows) and Bertram’s home made puncha cream. Also, three varieties of flavored vodka: mandarin orange, salted caramel, and ice cream!

Mom’s neighbor, Valerie, invited Akemi and I over to her tea room for a tea ceremony.

The teddy bear tree.

Bubba’s numerous costume changes.

Alright. Fun time’s over. It’s back to work. But first – a good (half) night’s sleep!

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January 4, 2016

Photos: Dark Matter, concept sketches of hairstyles


We were back on set today for Day #2 of Dark Matter Episode 202. Normally, a 5:20 a.m. wake-up compounded by a thirty minute work-out would have had me nice and tired and ready for bed – at around 2:00 p.m. Luckily, consulting producer Ivon Bartok was packing his GreensPlus. A single shot was enough natural caffeine to keep me alert and awake well past 3:30 p.m.!

Pictured above: Director Bruce McDonald oversees the second level action.

I got in at a respectably early time, half an hour before call (but admittedly later than a lot of the crew that had rolled in MUCH earlier), so that I could wish everyone a Happy New Year, get them to run down their holiday highlights, and then regale them with tales of my Montreal road trip.

Pictured above: Ivon gives Alison, Anthony, and Alex his capsule review of the new Star Wars movie.

Spending time with family was nice, but getting back to my second family was even nicer.

Pictured above: Crew blocking.

Pictured: Backlit prisoners, Hyperion-8 Gen. Pop.

Pictured: The techno-crane gets a helluva workout in our first two episodes.

Finally, a little something from Dark Matter Key Hair Renee Chan – concept sketches of hairstyles for the dangerous Misaki Han...

This one was my favorite: practical (for sword fighting) and elegant.

I liked this one too. Had nice retro Blade Runner feel.

Nice but felt more worthy of an Empress.

Love the intricacy. I’m saving this one for Akemi’s season 2 wrap party look!

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January 5, 2016

Photo: Bruce McDonald


Today, we were back on Hyperion-8 for our third day of main unit. On the docket:

Inserts owing of the “flash”
The lipstick acquisition
A deal is struck/A plan is hatched
A complication leads to an improvisation (that will, in turn, lead to another complication – which will, again, lead to another improvisation)
The ladies out and about
Bubba’s back!

I can’t begin to tell you how much fun it’s been working with director Bruce McDonald again. He always brings such a great energy to set. There’s never a bad or boring day when Bruce is calling the shots.

So, before the holidays, I mentioned there were some big guest star announcements coming your way. Well, they’re still coming. In the meantime, said guest stars have made their to Toronto for costume fittings, hair and make up sit downs and, in a couple of cases, some actual on-set action. Like “that Stargate alum” (and our Arax Nero), the formerly Scottaholic Misaki Han, the actor playing Devon with the family connection to a former kick-ass bad girl, and a big screen player playing our crew as Chief Inspector Lee Shaddick. Confirmations to come!

Regarding the Periscope I mentioned in a previous post, I was trying to pick a time that would be convenient for all of our fans – but work commitments and different time zones make doing so a near impossibility. UNLESS – we happen to do it on a Saturday. And, as it turns out, we happen to be shooting THIS Saturday. So, all I have to do is pick a time – and then the rest will be up to you. Head over here (https://www.periscope.tv) or visit your local corner app store, download the app and then prepare for a live stream (via subspace comms) directly from Hyperion-8. Tell your friends!

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January 6, 2016

Photo: Zoie Palmer

Today was all about the Android. Between set-ups, I finally got a chance to sit down with actress Zoie Palmer and take her through our plans for the Android in season 2. We discussed the surprising encounter in Episode 204, the wildly atypical happenings in Episode 205, and those late-season developments and payoffs (plus much of the in-between). Then, it was back to set – the tech room – for “Lights out! Mayhem!”.

Tomorrow, Misaki Han, the new Commander of the Royal Guards of the Imperial House of Ishida hits Hyperion-8 while Chief Inspector Shaddick of the Galactic Authority’s Serious Crimes Division grills the crew.

It’s truly Double Jeopardy Day!

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January 7, 2016

Photos: Joe Mallozzi, Susanne Döpke, Marietta Steinhart, Mirsad Halilovic, Alison Hepburn, Roger Cross, Lawren Bancroft-Wilson, Renee Chan


Selfie with Susanne Döpke (Geek Magazine), Marietta Steinhart (DIE ZEIT), and Mirsad Halilovic (NBCU) who flew in today to talk Dark Matter and take in the super secret on-set action. Between set-ups, I got to sit down and talk season 2 plans, guest stars, and schnitzel! I had a great time. Miss you guys already!

Beware of co-workers bearing gifts. Unless, of course, it’s whisky. Or whiskey!

Script Coordinator Alison Hepburn surprises us with a bottle of Angel’s Envy bourbon.

Roger Cross (SIX) springs a bottle of Yamazaki 14 on us.

Not to be outdone, VFX Supervisor makes his own addition to our little club: Michter’s small batch bourbon.

And key hair magician Renee Chan makes her own contribution: a bottle of Balvenie 12.

Speaking of Renee, I was in the hair and make-up trailer today, meet-and-greeting one of our guest stars (a lovely Lost Girl alum who’ll be playing the role of the nefarious Alicia Reynaud), when the conversation turned to the blog. I mentioned the Q&A’s I used to do with the various crew members while on Stargate and suggested that she, and key make-up magician Linda McCormack, would be perfect candidates for future Dark Matter-related fan Q&A’s. What do you think? I’m sure they have A LOT of great stories. Give me a couple of days and I’ll make the official announcement, then open up this blog for questions.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ll be doing a Periscope this Saturday – a live stream from the set of the show. Follow me on twitter (@BaronDestructo) to get the go-time, but it’s looking like 2:00 p.m. EST. That’s 11:00 a.m. PST, 4 p.m. for fans in Latin America, 5 p.m. for fans in Brazil, 6 p.m. for fans in Australia, 7 p.m. for fans in Portugal, the UK, and 8 p.m. for fans in Germany and the Netherlands. Fans in Asia and Spain should check their world clocks!

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January 8, 2016

Photos: Dark Matter, Drew Williams, Craig Wright, Matt Purdy


In a perfect world, I’d be sleeping peacefully away like those two pictured above (Look at them! They get to actually sleep on set instead of pretending they’re simply “deep in thought” which is MY go-to) , but until they finish fine-tuning that teleportation technology I’ve been anxiously awaiting (for going on thirty years now), it looks like early (early!) wake-ups will continue to be part of my daily routine.

Not only do you have to get in early enough for first blocking, but you really need to get in early enough to grab a parking spot otherwise you’re shuttling over from the production offices.

Mind the flashing light! If it’s on, DO NOT ENTER at the risk of director Bruce McDonald throwing you in solitary.

Given the choice, I always choose “Lunch”.

I discover two other early birders: Boom Operator Drew Williams (left) and Director of Photography Craig Wright (right). I assumed they came in early to beat traffic or simply misread the call sheet, but it turns out they were in Gen. Pop. lockdown overnight.

Speaking of Drew, I was watching some of the behind-the-scenes footage I’d shot last night with Akemi. Her prevailing comment of sheer amazement? “Amazing scene!”? “Super cool set”? No. It was “He (Drew) should be careful or he’ll have back problems!”.

Also in early early this morning – Matt Purdy who, between stand-in work on the show, is editing a short film AND a feature he just co-wrote, directed (and co-directed) during the hiatus. Busy guy!

Once we got started, director Bruce McDonald positively blazed through the day, wrapping early so that we could all get a head start on the weekend!

I mean, get a good night’s sleep ahead of tomorrow’s special Saturday shoot!

P.S. Join me for my Periscope session tomorrow, live from the Dark Matter set! Lunch has been pulled, so I’m aiming for 1:45 p.m. local time! Check your world clock for the time in your area!

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January 9, 2016

Video: Live Periscope

Photos: Dark Matter, Bruce McDonald, Matti Huhta


Wow. I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather spend a Saturday than in outer space with the Dark Matter crew…

Up and at ’em!

Director Bruce McDonald contemplates an orange prior to blocking our first scene in Alicia Reynaud’s office. Alicia who? Check out Dark Matter season 2 (summer of 2016) and find out!

First shot of the day – 8:26 a.m.

Stand-ins Alicia and Matt in action.

Off-screen eyeline.

Script Supervisor Matti Huhta kicks back on set during a crew blocking.

We would have wrapped an hour earlier but we had to take some time to buy lottery tickets for tonight’s Powerball draw. But don’t worry. We’ve collectively decided that when we win the $900 million, we’ll still come in to work and finish out the season.

As threatened, at 1:45 p.m., I took the time out to do a Periscope, live streaming via subspace comms from Hyperion-8 on the very edge of colonized space!

https://t.co/yNR9EfCZPF

I’m going to try to do one of these once very 2-3 weeks – and include some of the crew and, dare I say it, cast members. What do you think?

And another Saturday on set draws to a close. Don’t forget to lock the airlock on your way out!

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January 10, 2016

Photos: Linda McCormack, Dark Matter, Joe Mallozzi, Melissa O'Neil, Alex Mallari Jr., snacks


Today was the calm in the eye of the hurricane, that brief respite before the inevitable storm that will be tomorrow’s BIG extended action sequence. When I said that this was our most ambitious episode to date, I was, for the most part, referring to THIS particular scene. Can’t wait to see stunt coordinator John Stead’s masterpiece come together.

As I mentioned the other day, I’d like to offer fans a chance to get to know the talented people behind the scenes by bringing back the guest Q&A’s. And I’d like to kick things off by announcing our first Dark Matter crew member Q&A with our key make-up artist, the lovely Linda McCormack. When she’s not back at her trailer creating nasty-looking wounds like this one –

Or getting in at 5 a.m. to cover tattoos for that day’s shirtless scene, she’s usually on set discussing Italian dishes with yours truly. Having worked on a scores of movies, mini-series, and shows (Dark Matter and Lost Girl among them), I’m sure she has plenty of interesting stories to tell. Let’s find out!

Post your questions for Linda in the comments section. I’ll gather them over the next few days and then send them her way at week’s end!

Some set pics you may have missed…

Why so bummed, THREE? c/o Caitlin Brown.

Between set-ups, we seal our cast in individual cells to ensure they don’t wander off. c/o Jodelle Ferland.

Dinner is served on Hyperion-8! c/o Anthony Lemke.

Me practicing my fake smile. c/o Ivon Bartok.

Double trouble! c/0 Alex Mallari Jr.

In addition to being a rest day, today was – after a week of early morning work-outs and clean eating – CHEAT DAY! I still worked out. And I still ate a healthy lunch and dinner. But I DID snack on these…

Astoundingly good eclairs from Nugateau, Toronto’s first eclair-only patisserie (717 Queen Street West).

https://www.instagram.com/nugateau/

The three varieties we sampled (dark chocolate, pistachio, and vanilla) were…well…unbelievably delicious. The pistachio, in particular, was one of those bites the foodie in me will dream about for some time to come.

Or at least until next week’s Cheat Day!

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January 11, 2016

Photos: Flaccid boiled chicken, Dark Matter


We tried out a new caterer today. On the menu: flaccid boiled chicken, dressing-free salad, and fat slices of disquietingly gooey eggplant parm topped with cold cheese. Mmmmm. There were a lot of crew members ordering pizza this afternoon. In retrospect, I suppose it was apropos. Prison food for our prison set…

Today, stunt coordinator John Stead and his crew were front and center for the BIG extended action sequence. Fists and feet weren’t the only things flying on this day. John did a brilliant job choreographing the scene and director Bruce McDonald did an equally brilliant job capturing the on set mayhem.

Also today, we took a little walk-thru one of the new sets. Some terrific work by Production Designer Ian Brock and both the Art and Construction departments.

Oh, you do NOT want to go in there.

Well, this is creepy.

Down and dirty.

Textures, colors, and filth!

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January 12, 2016

Photos: Anthony Lemke, Bruce McDonald, Dark Matter, Lulu, Bubba


Anthony Lemke (THREE) and director Bruce McDonald discuss tattoos and such between set-ups.

Is it possible to have any more fun on set?

Bruce sets up his first shot of the day.

A meeting of the minds.

Meanwhile, back on the home front, the dogs express their delight for their winter wear…

He’s saying: “Noooooooooo!”

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January 13, 2016

Video: The Hyperion-8 set

Photos: Bruce McDonald, Dark Matter


Director Bruce McDonald serves up madness, mayhem, and remaindered produce.

The crew on recycling duty. One prisoner’s trash is another’s treasure. You never know what you’re going to find…

From the inside looking up.

A rare shot of yours truly in action compliments of Alyssa Pawlak.

A spooky walking tour of the Hyperion-8 set:

Today’s blog entry is dedicated to Tam Dixon and her Ruby. Condolences.