So I've just got around to catching the first episode of the 4th season of the 'new' Doctor Who. At what point does a series that has been remade stop being called new and just referred to as what it is anyway? How about Who 2.0 or something?
Either way. The series brings back the Donna Noble character, who filled the gap between Billie Piper's spectacular character 'Rose' (Season 1 and 2) and the great-but-not-Rose Martha Stewart (Season 3). She was all right too, but where Doctor Who companions are concerned, there's Rose and then there's anyone-who-isn't Rose. I guess Romana would be worth an honourable mention as well, but she's almost 60, and I just can't crush on that, no matter who she's married to.
I fucking love Doctor Who, btw. I have since I was a little kid. I think I can thank a cousin of mine for that initial indoctrination (see what I did there?). I'd watch it when my parents would dump me off at an Aunt's place, and even though these visits pre-dated videotape by a good margin, it seemed like it was always on there. This cousin of mine watched the show, read the books, and even knitted herself a 12' scarf and wore it along with her long brown trench coat. She would've been cool in an uber-geek way to me, but the family rumour was that she slept in the same bed as her Mom, and that just killed the whole thing for me. Ugh.
Where was I? Billie Piper. Right. So I get around to watching the season 4 premiere, 'Partners in Crime' and thanks to the asshats at CBC, I have to download a copy that was upped by British fans after their national broadcasting company did the right thing and aired it in the first place. Fucking CBC. I will watch Rick Mercer on that channel, but otherwise, no thanks. The episode was classic Who. Lots of David Tennant running around trying to save a bunch of people, plenty of sonic screwdriver action, and a whacky alien. But right in one of the final scenes of the ep, there is a cameo with a certain totally unexpected blonde character, who is supposedly exiled to a parallel dimension forever. She appears for a few seconds, interacting with the new companion briefly, and then walks away, fading into transparency.
Even though she's been off the show officially for two seasons, I seem to be unable to help my fascination with Rose's character. There's just so much to like about her. She is smart, and isn't at all afraid to stand up to her partner. She exudes so much natural beauty. She is not rail-skinny and not what you might first think of as model-pretty. She actually reminds me a lot of Superwife. Beautiful, but not the kind that looks fake. The kind that just is. Hmm, now that I think about it, if Superwife were to put on a blonde wig and start singing ferociously bad pop songs, I could get something going here. And even though I know she'll never read this, I seriously don't know how she puts up with me, even for just thinking nonsense like that.
But she'd still look good in that wig.
Either way. The series brings back the Donna Noble character, who filled the gap between Billie Piper's spectacular character 'Rose' (Season 1 and 2) and the great-but-not-Rose Martha Stewart (Season 3). She was all right too, but where Doctor Who companions are concerned, there's Rose and then there's anyone-who-isn't Rose. I guess Romana would be worth an honourable mention as well, but she's almost 60, and I just can't crush on that, no matter who she's married to.
I fucking love Doctor Who, btw. I have since I was a little kid. I think I can thank a cousin of mine for that initial indoctrination (see what I did there?). I'd watch it when my parents would dump me off at an Aunt's place, and even though these visits pre-dated videotape by a good margin, it seemed like it was always on there. This cousin of mine watched the show, read the books, and even knitted herself a 12' scarf and wore it along with her long brown trench coat. She would've been cool in an uber-geek way to me, but the family rumour was that she slept in the same bed as her Mom, and that just killed the whole thing for me. Ugh.
Where was I? Billie Piper. Right. So I get around to watching the season 4 premiere, 'Partners in Crime' and thanks to the asshats at CBC, I have to download a copy that was upped by British fans after their national broadcasting company did the right thing and aired it in the first place. Fucking CBC. I will watch Rick Mercer on that channel, but otherwise, no thanks. The episode was classic Who. Lots of David Tennant running around trying to save a bunch of people, plenty of sonic screwdriver action, and a whacky alien. But right in one of the final scenes of the ep, there is a cameo with a certain totally unexpected blonde character, who is supposedly exiled to a parallel dimension forever. She appears for a few seconds, interacting with the new companion briefly, and then walks away, fading into transparency.
Even though she's been off the show officially for two seasons, I seem to be unable to help my fascination with Rose's character. There's just so much to like about her. She is smart, and isn't at all afraid to stand up to her partner. She exudes so much natural beauty. She is not rail-skinny and not what you might first think of as model-pretty. She actually reminds me a lot of Superwife. Beautiful, but not the kind that looks fake. The kind that just is. Hmm, now that I think about it, if Superwife were to put on a blonde wig and start singing ferociously bad pop songs, I could get something going here. And even though I know she'll never read this, I seriously don't know how she puts up with me, even for just thinking nonsense like that.
But she'd still look good in that wig.
Labels: doctor who, scifi
Whilst watching Wonder Woman yesterday (yes the 1970's comics-inspired tv show with Lynda Carter in the Amazonian title role), during a gun fight, as the bullets richochet harmlessly away, Superwife exclaims to the bad guys:
"Quit aiming at her bracelets everytime!"I laughed my ass off. And that's exactly the kind of thing that when it happens, reminds me why I love her so much.
Dear Trinity,
Has a month gone by already? Where did that one go?
I thought I'd first tell you about how your voice affects me these days. I have been working more nights this month than usual and your Mom and you have been calling and leaving me messages on my phone's voicemail. Usually they are of you telling me what you guys are doing at that given moment, either what you did after supper, or what books you might read later. Maybe it is to tell me that you love me or that you had a big poop. I have been saving all of them and listened to them in a row last night while at work. Its good that I was again on nights, because I might have to answer questions from people wondering why I was crying a little at work.
You are so funny lately. You asked me the other day if I was going to go to work that night, and when I said no, you actually yelled 'Woohoo!' and did a little dance. It was awesome. Speaking of dancing, somewhere along the way you have decided that the thing to do while dancing is pull your pants down so that the crack of your butt is exposed, followed usually by a lot of giggling. Not sure where that one comes from, but I do know that you keep doing it because I can't help laughing every time I see you do it. If I have, in so doing, encouraged you into a profession that I might not have otherwise approved of, I formally apologize.
You and I went for haircuts together this month and it was a lot of fun. I couldn't believe how still and obedient you were with the girl doing your hair. Frankly I was thinking about seeing if we could set her up at our place in some way, since you seemed to enjoy the experience so much that you forgot to be your normal wild self. But then the moment passed and I realized that one of the things I love most about you is that you are your own person. But it really was adorable.
Storytime has had a bit of a paradigm shift this month. You have now gone past the point where you want us to read your stories to you, as well as past reading your books to us, and have moved right to attempting to read my books to me. It is very cute and made better by the fact that you like to make up your own stories and characters as you flip the pages. Case in point:
And now, the screaming. Looking back and reading this, do you remember that when you were 34 months old one of the best ways you could think of to get our attention was to scream as loud as you can? We certainly are having a tough time figuring it out. You get a lot of attention from both of us, and you pretty much always have your Mom around to interact with, so its a strange thing when you start screaming for no apparent reason other than to get us to stop doing whatever it is we're doing and try to get you from hurting your larynx and our ears any further.
The weather finally started changing for the better a bit this month, although we only had nice weather for a few days and then it either got cold again, rained a lot, or often times both. We actually had snow on the road when we came home from visiting your Aunt and cousin. We had a nice time visiting with them, and not only were you ok with the long drive, you really didn't seem to care that you were cooped up in a car for 5 hours straight each way.
When the weather was nice though, we took you to a bigger park than our usual one and we tried flying a kite, to limited success. But you had a blast alternatively chasing that thing around the park or dragging it along the ground. The view through your eyes really is a fun one. Maybe a little opaque sometimes, but it still provides a sense of wonder to my life that I would never otherwise have.
I love you,
Daddy
Has a month gone by already? Where did that one go?
I thought I'd first tell you about how your voice affects me these days. I have been working more nights this month than usual and your Mom and you have been calling and leaving me messages on my phone's voicemail. Usually they are of you telling me what you guys are doing at that given moment, either what you did after supper, or what books you might read later. Maybe it is to tell me that you love me or that you had a big poop. I have been saving all of them and listened to them in a row last night while at work. Its good that I was again on nights, because I might have to answer questions from people wondering why I was crying a little at work.
You are so funny lately. You asked me the other day if I was going to go to work that night, and when I said no, you actually yelled 'Woohoo!' and did a little dance. It was awesome. Speaking of dancing, somewhere along the way you have decided that the thing to do while dancing is pull your pants down so that the crack of your butt is exposed, followed usually by a lot of giggling. Not sure where that one comes from, but I do know that you keep doing it because I can't help laughing every time I see you do it. If I have, in so doing, encouraged you into a profession that I might not have otherwise approved of, I formally apologize.
You and I went for haircuts together this month and it was a lot of fun. I couldn't believe how still and obedient you were with the girl doing your hair. Frankly I was thinking about seeing if we could set her up at our place in some way, since you seemed to enjoy the experience so much that you forgot to be your normal wild self. But then the moment passed and I realized that one of the things I love most about you is that you are your own person. But it really was adorable.
Storytime has had a bit of a paradigm shift this month. You have now gone past the point where you want us to read your stories to you, as well as past reading your books to us, and have moved right to attempting to read my books to me. It is very cute and made better by the fact that you like to make up your own stories and characters as you flip the pages. Case in point:
And now, the screaming. Looking back and reading this, do you remember that when you were 34 months old one of the best ways you could think of to get our attention was to scream as loud as you can? We certainly are having a tough time figuring it out. You get a lot of attention from both of us, and you pretty much always have your Mom around to interact with, so its a strange thing when you start screaming for no apparent reason other than to get us to stop doing whatever it is we're doing and try to get you from hurting your larynx and our ears any further.
The weather finally started changing for the better a bit this month, although we only had nice weather for a few days and then it either got cold again, rained a lot, or often times both. We actually had snow on the road when we came home from visiting your Aunt and cousin. We had a nice time visiting with them, and not only were you ok with the long drive, you really didn't seem to care that you were cooped up in a car for 5 hours straight each way.
When the weather was nice though, we took you to a bigger park than our usual one and we tried flying a kite, to limited success. But you had a blast alternatively chasing that thing around the park or dragging it along the ground. The view through your eyes really is a fun one. Maybe a little opaque sometimes, but it still provides a sense of wonder to my life that I would never otherwise have.
I love you,
Daddy
Labels: trinity
The concept of Star Trek as teacher is not exactly a new sentiment for me. I was introduced to it at the tender age of 4 by way of my Mom taking me to see ST:TMP in a theater (yes, I am that old), and it has been my constant companion ever since.
Way back before Trin, even before Superwife, I had a wall poster that said exactly this: Everything I needed to know about life I learned from Star Trek, and it contained a number of mostly comical adages about life for the geek who pays more attention to science fiction than to the so-called real world. Things like 'always set yourphaser on stun' and 'never trust anyone with pointed ears'. I can't find an image of it, or there would be one in this post, but you get the idea.
I recently watched the TNG Season 6 episode Tapestry, in which Picard's artificial heart fails on him during a mission and he dies on the operating table because of it. He is then taken back in time to see if he can change the event that caused him to have an artificial heart in the first place, a purported wrong choice that led to him getting stabbed. He makes the appropriate changes, avoids getting stabbed, and is then brought into what should be his present, only to find that history is not as he remembers it. He is now a Junior grade Lieutenant, living a quiet, safe life shuffling papers around. Turns out that choosing the safe, easy path led to a life of not taking the opportunities he was presented with, and ultimately creating a much different life than the one he remembered. Picard then goes back in time yet again, sets history right, gets stabbed in the heart, and with the timeline restored, wakes up on an operating table in his present, his artificial heart once again working.
Where is this going exactly, you might ask? Well, yesterday I was presented with not one, but two job opportunities; one a headhunter contact, and the other a firm offer, both of which would lead to me getting off of shift work and back into working the daily grind like most of the rest of the world. One would in all likelihood be for less money than the one I have now, the other was a little more; one would offer significantly new challenges, and the other was basically a modified version of the job I have, just doing it straight days.
Essentially, (and here's the Star Trek part) like Picard I was faced with two paths: I could take the easier, safer path and maybe be sentenced to a life of quiet non-involvement, or I could take one of the other offered positions, and maybe start a chain of changes that could lead to who knows what. (Maybe my own ship someday?) But here's where Picard and I part ways. Because where he was horrified to find himself trapped in a job with no passion, of never being noticed by anyone, I am quite content with the same. Some might see it as a lack of ambition, some might think I am just plain lazy, but the truth is that as long as my basic needs are met in a job (i.e. enough money to support my family), I just don't get gratification from job recognition. I like coming into a job, doing my thing to the best of my ability and going home to the people that matter to me. And that is all. I don't crave praise at a job or need to feel validated by others for my accomplishments. I work to live baby, never the other way around.
So for a litany of reasons, I made the choice to stay where I was for now, and Superwife, as always, remains my stalwart supporter. As long as I am happy, she is happy for me. She is the absolute tits, in case I haven't said so lately, btw. It is so great that the only friend whose opinion I honestly value, who supports me no matter what, also happens to be my wife. If we were ever to part ways, I am so screwed, because I could never ask for a better partner in life.
I guess now it remains to be seen how much this event will impact the direction of my life, at least in the short term. Maybe my decision isn't as life-changing as getting stabbed in the heart, but only time provides the appropriate context to put these kinds of events in.
Way back before Trin, even before Superwife, I had a wall poster that said exactly this: Everything I needed to know about life I learned from Star Trek, and it contained a number of mostly comical adages about life for the geek who pays more attention to science fiction than to the so-called real world. Things like 'always set yourphaser on stun' and 'never trust anyone with pointed ears'. I can't find an image of it, or there would be one in this post, but you get the idea.
I recently watched the TNG Season 6 episode Tapestry, in which Picard's artificial heart fails on him during a mission and he dies on the operating table because of it. He is then taken back in time to see if he can change the event that caused him to have an artificial heart in the first place, a purported wrong choice that led to him getting stabbed. He makes the appropriate changes, avoids getting stabbed, and is then brought into what should be his present, only to find that history is not as he remembers it. He is now a Junior grade Lieutenant, living a quiet, safe life shuffling papers around. Turns out that choosing the safe, easy path led to a life of not taking the opportunities he was presented with, and ultimately creating a much different life than the one he remembered. Picard then goes back in time yet again, sets history right, gets stabbed in the heart, and with the timeline restored, wakes up on an operating table in his present, his artificial heart once again working.
Where is this going exactly, you might ask? Well, yesterday I was presented with not one, but two job opportunities; one a headhunter contact, and the other a firm offer, both of which would lead to me getting off of shift work and back into working the daily grind like most of the rest of the world. One would in all likelihood be for less money than the one I have now, the other was a little more; one would offer significantly new challenges, and the other was basically a modified version of the job I have, just doing it straight days.
Essentially, (and here's the Star Trek part) like Picard I was faced with two paths: I could take the easier, safer path and maybe be sentenced to a life of quiet non-involvement, or I could take one of the other offered positions, and maybe start a chain of changes that could lead to who knows what. (Maybe my own ship someday?) But here's where Picard and I part ways. Because where he was horrified to find himself trapped in a job with no passion, of never being noticed by anyone, I am quite content with the same. Some might see it as a lack of ambition, some might think I am just plain lazy, but the truth is that as long as my basic needs are met in a job (i.e. enough money to support my family), I just don't get gratification from job recognition. I like coming into a job, doing my thing to the best of my ability and going home to the people that matter to me. And that is all. I don't crave praise at a job or need to feel validated by others for my accomplishments. I work to live baby, never the other way around.
So for a litany of reasons, I made the choice to stay where I was for now, and Superwife, as always, remains my stalwart supporter. As long as I am happy, she is happy for me. She is the absolute tits, in case I haven't said so lately, btw. It is so great that the only friend whose opinion I honestly value, who supports me no matter what, also happens to be my wife. If we were ever to part ways, I am so screwed, because I could never ask for a better partner in life.
I guess now it remains to be seen how much this event will impact the direction of my life, at least in the short term. Maybe my decision isn't as life-changing as getting stabbed in the heart, but only time provides the appropriate context to put these kinds of events in.
As heard in the car the other day, listening to the radio with Superwife:
John Tesh: "..so that's why experts say that you will live a longer, happier life if you select a career that financially rewards you for doing the thing that you love and are really good at."
Me: "A little bit obvious, but thanks anyways John."
Superwife: "That's a good idea but I don't think it would be all that good for our marriage."
Me: "What do you mean?"
Superwife: "Because with that advice, I should have been a prostitute."
Me: "..."
John Tesh: "..so that's why experts say that you will live a longer, happier life if you select a career that financially rewards you for doing the thing that you love and are really good at."
Me: "A little bit obvious, but thanks anyways John."
Superwife: "That's a good idea but I don't think it would be all that good for our marriage."
Me: "What do you mean?"
Superwife: "Because with that advice, I should have been a prostitute."
Me: "..."
Labels: everything else, superwife
the new office
Originally uploaded by raistlinsghost
So I have officially been moved to the basement now, as my 'old' office has been converted to a toy room for the munchkin. Now that she is going to be 3, she should be able to occupy 2 bedrooms, right?
I have been waiting for this shirt to be become available again at Threadless for-fucking-ever and even though it was just reprinted, the sonofabitching thing was part of the spring sale and sold out in less than a microsecond or two. Maybe they only reprinted one of them. But if anyone reads this, loves me, and loves me enough to buy me something, well, there's the link. Size Medium because I eat more nowadays. And if not for me, for any Batfan, once its available again you are going to want one of these anyways.
