Continuing my socializing, some of my co-workers (including my former boss, Jamie E., who now lives in Puerto Rico) and I met onetime CW IT guru Dora J. for lunch yesterday at the Naked Fish in Natick, Massachusetts. I had a tasty Cuban ham-and-cheese sandwich. Between vacations and illness, we're again short-handed this week.

Backing up a bit, on Thursday, 24 April 2008, I watched the latest episode of Smallville (which I erroneously posted previously as having aired its season finale). I'm glad that "young Superman" television series has continued to get closer to the continuity established by DC Comics (I'm still catching up on hardcopy titles) and the various movie adaptations, even if it still indulges in melodrama.

On Friday, April 25, I enjoyed the latest installments of alien menaces on The Sarah Jane Adventures and its parent show, Doctor Who. The SciFi Channel missed out on a trifecta of British programming by leaving the more adult Torchwood to BBC America. I hope that the rotating cast of companions on Doctor Who won't hurt the revived time-travel drama.

I was pleased to play a pick-up game of City of Heroes online with our entire supergroup. I'll have more in the coming weeks about the transition from my D&D3.5 "Vanished Lands: the Broken Chains" Arabian fantasy campaign to various one-shots and Dungeons & Dragons Fourth Edition.

Online recaps have helped me keep with the revisionist Battlestar Galactica. Although many fans and critics claim that the military space opera is one of the best genre shows ever, several of my friends have become disenchanted with its relentlessly pessimistic and conspiratorial view of human (and Cylon) nature. As David I.S. has noted, supernatural slacker comedy Reaper has upped the ante by having its surprisingly close group of friends struggle to thwart the machinations of the Devil, as played by the charismatic and funny Ray Wise.

On Saturday, April 26, Janice and I drove down to Dedham, Mass., to check out Chipotle, a Mexican-American fast-food chain that we first ate at in Virginia. There was also a good discount-DVD store next door. We found some classic Doctor Who videos featuring Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker as the good Gallifreyan and Elizabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith.

I took advantage of a sale at New England Comics in Norwood, Mass. This coming weekend is "Free Comic Book Day," so I'll stop by Bedrock Comics in Framingham, Mass., before Iron Man. The latest Spectacular Spider-Man has kept up the pacing and faithfulness to previous incarnations of the webslinger.

I also watched the season premiere of the BBC's latest incarnation of Robin Hood. I like the actors' portrayals of the legendary heroes on the latter show, which doesn't have the mystical overtones of the popular 1980s Robin of Sherwood. I have several books on this topic, and my favorite versions are still the Howard Pyle novel (I recommend the edition illustrated by former Green Arrow artist Mike Grell), the 1938 Errol Flynn swashbuckler, and the hard-to-find Legend of Robin Hood miniseries.

On the other hand, the current Robin Hood's anachronistic arms and armor and dialogue are distracting. (Don't even get me started about Prince of Thieves.) England cut down its forests in the 1200s, so the show is filmed in Hungary. Thus, it's no surprise that the peasants look more Central European than like proper yeomen.

Coming soon: Iron Man, gaming returns, the environment and politics, and comic book reviews!

Friends, I hope that all's well with you. The past week has been busy, despite the break from the usual gaming schedule. Although I missed the birthday party of niece Ava, I look forward to seeing my family in Virginia at the end of next month.

I attended CW's annual editorial off-site from Sunday, 27 April 2008, through Tuesday, April 29, at the Warren Conference Center in Ashland, Massachusetts. The meetings were productive, the food was excellent (including lobster), and the weather was unfortunately cool and damp. It was especially nice to see co-workers who work in our remote offices.

Thanks to features such as "speed meetings" and "Who am I?" I was impressed to learn of co-workers' literary preferences and some common interests. Donna S. and I brought board games, which went unplayed. Although reporter Eric L. trounced me in ping-pong (both doubles and singles), I had fun.

On Friday, 11 April 2008, former Boston-area role-player Byron V.O. arrived at T.F. Green Airport in Rhode Island. He, Thomas K.Y., Janice, and I ate dinner at Bertucci's, a restaurant chain that hasn't yet reached St. Louis, where Byron now lives with his family.

Byron, Thomas, and I then watched the Stargate SG1: The Ark of Truth on DVD, thanks to Thomas' Netflix subscription. The direct-to-video release wrapped up the main storyline from the military space opera's 10-year run on television. It felt like a longer-than-average, more elaborate episode, but it was satisfying to see a cast and crew that we liked one more time. Stargate: Atlantis and Continuum (as well as a possible out-of-continuity movie sequel) will continue the franchise, which hasn't gotten the recognition it deserves.

On Saturday, April 12, Byron and I stopped in at Newbury Comics for miniatures before meeting Thomas, Beruk A., and latecomers Sara F. & Josh C. for lunch at the busy Minado sushi buffet in Natick, Massachusetts. The meal and camaraderie were excellent. From there, we drove back to Janice's and my second duplex in Needham Heights, Mass., where we were joined by Greg D.C., Brian W., and John C.M. (see group photo above).

The latest D&D3.5 "Vanished Lands: the Broken Chains" Arabian fantasy session went well. Byron, as Anpur (Jackal-man) Druid "Kemosh," and Thomas, as Sylvan Elf Ranger "Ahrad," met up with the current Player Character party — Beruk/"Kunal," Greg/"Killian," Brian/"Mumtaz," John/"Nebi," Sara/"Neela," and Josh/"Raz" — on Emein Island, where they fought demons.

As we do on Tuesday nights, we ordered dinner from Oak Hill Pizza. In addition to our usual levity, we talked about pop culture and upcoming one-shots between the "Broken Chains" and our first Dungeons & Dragons Fourth Edition party, such as Josh's proposed Everway scenario. Byron and I later drove back out to Natick to drop off Beruk and Thomas, and with cleaning up after the gamers, it ended up being a late night/early morning.

On Sunday, after her usual stint at an animal shelter in Dedham, Mass., Janice cooked pancakes and sausages (she had made brownies that we had inhaled the day before). Byron and I then logged in for a D&D3.5 "Vanished Lands: Holy Steel" teleconferencing session with Dexter V.H. in Brooklyn. Despite some technical and scheduling snafus, Byron's Paladin "Ibrahim," Dexter's Drow Ranger "Faelonia," and their followers made significant progress in their journey across the hostile Halmed Desert.

We weren’t able to get together with Ken G., but there'll be other events. Unfortunately, I'll be missing about a month's worth of City of Heroes with the Thursday night/Sunday morning supergroup because I'll be busy, but the face-to-face games take priority. Greg stopped by briefly on Sunday afternoon, and Thomas rejoined us for dinner at Blue on Highland, a very good bistro in Needham Heights, Mass.

Once again, we talked late into the night about travel, gaming, science fiction and fantasy, and history. It turned out that all of us like Nickelodeon's animated fantasy Avatar: the Last Airbender, but have mixed feelings about the SciFi Channel's revisionist Battlestar Galactica. We're also looking forward to this coming summer's crop of genre movies.

Since then, I've returned to work and caught up on recorded television shows. The first season (and possibly series) finale of immortal New York cop drama New Amsterdam was good, but ended on a bit of a down note, while the series premiere of The Sarah Jane Adventures was entertaining. I met lead actress Elizabeth Sladen at a recent science fiction convention.

The Doctor Who spin-off is aimed at a younger audience and is thus much lighter in tone than conspiratorial sibling Torchwood, which featured its characters' backstories and whose second season ends next week on BBC America. The fourth season/series of the revived time-travel drama Doctor Who will begin airing in the U.S. soon.

Last night, Janice and I walked up to the Trader Joe's near where we live for a cheese tasting before watching the latest episode of Spectacular Spider-Man and Part 1 of "Masterpiece's" well-done adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility (not to be confused with the recent movie with Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant). I also touched base with fellow science fiction fans David I.S. and Jim J.D'B. This coming weekend, we'll be driving down to Pennsylvania to visit Janice's extended family.

Although I've fallen behind again in recent genre television, such as time-travel drama New Amsterdam, I have managed to find time to see a few new things. For example, on Wednesday, 26 March 2008, Janice and I watched an adaptation of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf on PBS. I was favorably impressed by the labor-intensive stop-motion set to classical music.

On Saturday mornings, I caught the series finale of Superman and the Legion of Superheroes, which was decent, but not as good as its animated DC Universe predecessors Batman, Superman, Justice League, and even Teen Titans, some of which I can catch late at night on Boomerang, Toon Disney, or the Cartoon Network. I am still enjoying the new animated Spectacular Spider-Man.

The latest legal settlement regarding the heirs of Superman co-creator Siegel may threaten future comic books, television series, and movies using the first true superhero, but remedying the injustice done by Warner Bros. predecessors to such artists is long overdue. I guess we'll have to wait a few months for the direct-to-video Gotham Knight, which is timed to be released around the same time as the live-action Dark Knight movie.

Thanks to the Cartoon Network, animation fans can also look forward to the computer-animated Star Wars: Clone Wars series and somewhat retro-styled Batman and the Brave and Bold on Friday nights. Nickelodeon will have the Marvel Comics-based Wolverine and the X-Men and young Iron Man programs. I hope the change in directors won't hurt the Gatchaman movie from Imagi Studios, which released the computer-animated TMNT. Speaking of which, Disney has announced its upcoming slate of animated movies.

Speaking of Friday nights, the SciFi Channel's Battlestar Galactica has returned. I know that many viewers and critics claim that it's the best science fiction on television, but I've often found the revisionist BSG to be rather nihilistic. On the other hand, the acting and thinly-veiled political allegory of the military space opera have been strong.

We'll see how the postapocalyptic series winds down and if the cable network's revised lineup can bounce back in the ratings. I do plan to watch the youth-oriented Sarah Jane Adventures as well as returning parent show Doctor Who. Speaking of children's literature, I reluctantly watched Tim Burton's adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which may have been darker in tone and more faithful to the Roald Dahl book, but it didn't displace Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka in my childhood nostalgia. As with L. Frank Baum's Wizard of Oz or Frank Herbert's Dune, multiple adaptations are possible.

Although it currently broadcasts Stargate: Atlantis and is planning a Stargate: Universe ship-based pin-off, the SciFi Channel hasn't shown The Ark of Truth, the direct-to-video movie that wrapped up some of Stargate SG1's storylines. While the Star Trek franchise is getting ready to come out of hibernation, it's a pity that the long-running SG1 doesn't get more recognition. Thomas K.Y. and I (pictured above with David I.S. during his visit last month) may rent Ark of Truth during Byron V.O.'s visit to the Boston area from St. Louis this coming weekend.

On Sunday nights, I've watched some of Showtime's bodice-ripper The Tudors and Tracey Ullman's amusing mockery in State of the Union, but we still need to catch up on Masterpiece Theater's "The Complete Jane Austen."

I don't know if I'll get to see the SciFi Channel's Odysseus: Voyage to the Underworld, martial artists Jackie Chan and Jet Li in Forbidden Kingdom, or the Iron Man movie when they first come out. The coming weekends will be busy with the aforementioned visit by role-player Byron V.O., travel to my in-laws to Pennsylvania, and CW's off-site meeting, in addition to the usual gaming schedule.

Speaking of role-playing, I was pleased to learn recently that Ray C., who was one of my first Dungeon Masters back in high school, has started running a D20 Star Wars: Saga Edition game in Florida. We'll see how this coming weekend's D&D3.5 "Vanished Lands: the Broken Chains" and "Holy Steel" fantasy sessions go this coming weekend, as well as the one-shots planned for next month…

Friends, I hope you've had a good fortnight. Thanks again to Steve M.R., Hans C.H., and Brian W. for the favorable feedback to my retro role-playing blog posting on April Fools' Day. Fellow blogger Ken G. has posted links to similar Star Trek humor.

On a more somber note, in addition to the recent obituaries of genre luminaries E. Gary Gygax and Arthur C. Clarke, I must also note the passing of classical literature scholar Robert Fagles and movie actor Charlton Heston. I enjoyed Fagles' translations of Homer's Illiad and Odyssey and plan to check out his version of Virgil's Aeneid. I also listened to them on audiotape. Although I didn't agree with Heston's politics, I liked his work in Ben Hur, Planet of the Apes, and Soylent Green.

In the past few weeks, I've been busy with work, copy editing online news feeds and trying to get ahead on print issues. We've also discussed pressures on journalists in the wake of cutbacks at The Boston Globe, CBS's Boston affiliate (and possible outsourcing of news gathering to CNN), and French newspaper Le Monde in preparation for our annual off-site retreat at the end of the month. The New Yorker has offered some insightful analysis on current media trends.

Fortunately, the esprit de corps among my co-workers is strong. After work on Thursday, 3 April 2008, CW's copy desk went out with reporter (and soon-to-be father) Brian F. to J.J. McKay's Restaurant & Pub in Wayland, Massachusetts. On Sunday, April 6, Janice and I drove to the Weston Town Hall to see Ken G. in a community theater production of Brigadoon, which we liked (I have fond memories of the Gene Kelly movie musical). Afterwards, we had dinner at Margaritas on Moody Street in Waltham, Mass.

Backing up a bit, on Tuesday, 25 March 2008, I had a follow-up appointment with the doctor who did my root canal a year ago. Fortunately, the X-rays didn't find any further problems. On a related note, my latest oil change at Direct Tire & Auto was free, thanks to a frequent-customer card. No additional automotive repairs were needed — this time.

On Saturday, March 29, Janice and I went to the Sugarloaf Crafts Festival in Hartford, Connecticut, where we browsed among various art vendors, as well as sampled and bought some foods. We also picked up some housewares on the way home, although our bathroom still needs painting. Rain has kept us from yard work, but I have to admit that I'm not in a big hurry to face spring allergies.

Coming soon: entertainment and travel!