karenmiller ([info]karenmiller) wrote,
@ 2008-04-14 12:56:00
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Current location:my study, where else?
Current mood: chipper
Current music:BSG
Entry tags:life, psych

Burblings ...
So it's Monday, and time to get back into the Real Work. I picked up my new contact lenses today, what fun! I can look at a computer screen without the left-hand lens spinning round and round on my eyeball! And I'll be getting new glasses, too, with spiffy modern frames.

The last week was spent totally recovering from the beginning of the year, reading one manuscript for feedback and giving it, reading another one that affects something else I'm doing, finishing up that Stargate short story, finalising the outline for the next Stargate novel, working out something else for another project, organising more research items for the next Rogue Agent adventure, cleaning up my horrible house, coping with a major crisis in the play (the leading man quit 6 weeks from opening, what fun), exercising, a bit of shopping ... and that was a quiet week!

Also, I totally resisted buying a puppy. A really gorgeous black version of my late darling Baxter. I was strong, I did not succumb. But I really really wanted to.

On Saturday night I saw the first ep of Season 4 New Who -- I love Donna so much -- and the season opening for BSG's last chapter. Loved that too. And caught up with friends and ate way too much good Chinese food, so where was the bad????

And yesterday, when I wasn't working through play stuff with the new leading man, I was watching the first season of Psych. And loving it.

What is Psych, I hear you ask?????

Well, it's a comedic mystery/crime show starring Kevin Roaday, who I didn't know, and Dule Hill, who was Charlie in The West Wing, and Corbin Bernson, who was Arnie in LA Law. The only reason I took a punt on the first season, sight unseen, was because of Dule Hill. And it was a good punt!

(I know, I know, download the first ep for a suck-it-and-see. And I would, if I knew how to download stuff. I'll get there eventually.)

This is very very very witty tv. The premise is that the main character is abnormally observant, a combination of talent and training from childhood by his cop father. He keeps on phoning in tips to the local cops and helping them solve crimes. When he's accused of being a criminal accomplice, he claims he's psychic and that's how he knows stuff. And so the charade goes on. He's in cahoots with his best friend from childhood -- played by Hill -- and the heart of the show is their relationship. It's a lot of fun, and I recommend it highly. It's not a grim and serious crime show, it's more in the vein of Moonlighting.

Also, I spent some time reading the biography of Rudolf Nureyev that I bought. Best bit:

Nureyev was a tad demanding and temperamental. While he was working with the Australian Ballet Company he decided he wasn't going to dance a bit from Swan Lake as a coda to the main performance, he was going to dance Le Corsair. Robert Helpmann said no, no, he'd be doing Swan Lake. No! Nureyev argued. I will dance Le Corsair. Well, said Helpmann, you dance what you like, Ducky, but the orchestra will be playing Swan Lake.

I laughed and laughed ...

And now that I've burbled, I must away and really get my head down. Much, much work to do between now and August, yikes! And August will be here before any of us know it!



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[info]sg1scribe
2008-04-14 05:53 am UTC (link)
(August will be here before any of us know it!)

Counting the days :-)

Actually I'm counting the days to the end of May because I have two online courses going live May 1st. This is a bit scary as neither of them are ready yet, but students are signed up and anticipating course material. 13 working days - it will be fine... I hope!

Well done on resisting the puppy. I'm currently trying to resist sending in an application for the 2009 London Marathon. Hardly the same I know, but time - I don't have time!

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[info]karenmiller
2008-04-15 07:10 am UTC (link)
Oh, me too. I'm counting them nervously, because I've got a lot to do between now and then, but I'm also very excited. We're going to have a blast!

You'll go great guns with the courses. You are a phenomenally focused person. It will happen, and your genius will be appreciated.

And actually -- I say go for the London Marathon. You can always withdraw, but in the meantime it's good incentive.

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[info]lilifae
2008-04-14 11:00 am UTC (link)
Hello! Not visited you for a while - coursework and studying law..meh - who needs it!?

But thought to drop a line to say: Empress looks amazing here in the UK - I made sure it was prominently displayed on the shelf and it is part of the 3 for 2 book offer at Waterstones. Grinning madly.

Well done for resisting the black pup. I would not have been able to. And best of luck with the new work(s) in progress.

Liz

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[info]karenmiller
2008-04-15 07:08 am UTC (link)
You do! And studying law, too! That's a huge demand.

How thrilling to hear the book is prominently displayed. I'm still nervous about it, but hopefully people will like it.

And yes, I'm still proud of myself over the puppy. I am such a sucker for little furry people.

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[info]jamesgilmer
2008-04-14 03:23 pm UTC (link)
I like Donna too, and the second episode worked much better than the first. I didn't really care for the first episode of Nu-Who's fourth season because Donna seemed a bit off, and rather too eager to jump in with the Doctor, which was jarringly at odds with how she was in the Christmas special (yeah, I know they explained it, but it still jarred for me).

I'm looking forward to the season, and I think Donna will prove to be a much stronger companion than Martha did.

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[info]karenmiller
2008-04-15 07:07 am UTC (link)
Fair enough. I bought it because it's the whole thing of regrets, and second chances. And I really loved the stuff with her grandfather. And partly I think she was that way because of what happened with Lance. I think she really took a drubbing over that. He was an absolute louse. And I loved the fact that the Doctor is finally coming to terms with the impact he's having on these companions he picks up along the way.

So, you don't think Martha was a strong companion? Is that because of the whole unrequited love angle?

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[info]jamesgilmer
2008-04-15 04:52 pm UTC (link)
I just thought last season was weak as it, and the deus ex machina ending (okay, all the seasons have had those) was particularly bad because The Master was so very well done by John Simm. It seemed a pity to reduce it to Space Jesus/Tinkerbell "Clap if you Believe in the Doctor" to restore him from the Home Gnome state The Master put him in. To go from the brilliance of "The Drums" episode to "Last of the Timelords" hurt.

However, "Blink" was one of the best Nu-Who episodes, and I sorta would have rather seen Sally Sparrow join up with the Doctor.

The fact that all the companions fall for the Doctor has gotten silly, Martha felt a bit forced, like they didn't want to do the legwork to make us believe the relationship, and she while I didn't so much mind her having a fancy right out the box, it was just overdone.

Donna brings more humanity to the role, and the strong woman who says what she thinks was sort of pushed under for the premire to give her a reason to jump in with the Doctor, but now they seem to be letting her back in (thank god) as the voice of reason and outrage, which is much more interesting than Martha mooning over the Doctor while the universe crumbles around her.

Also, Martha just didn't have that identification factor that Rose did, as Martha came from a different class than Rose, which was interesting, but almost made it less likely that she'd throw everything away to go with him. Something vital to the dynamic was lost, and it was never clear why Martha was going along besides curiosity and the unrequited love.

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[info]karenmiller
2008-04-21 03:36 am UTC (link)
Sigh. I am so torn about the season ender. I think I kind of know where RTD was going with it, and there's a part of me that really responded to that ... and then there's the part that was going, WTF?????

But yes, when you stack up that scene against the wonderful scene with Jack and the Doctor, which was just brilliant emotion/character work which I love to teeny tiny pieces ... and hmm.

But I did enjoy the whole season. I really liked Martha. I didn't mind the whole unrequited love thing, because at the end of the day she did wake up to herself and move on, and he was the one left to deal with the downside of that. And they seem to be doing that in the new season, so yay. And I think it also showed that the Doctor doesn't look at his female companions as interchangeable convenient nookie. He was devastated about losing Rose, and he stayed devastated for a long time, and that gave meaning to the Rose/Doctor relationship that would have been cheapened if he'd just shrugged and moved on. And I like the fact that Martha was enamoured and dazzled and had to grow out of that. It's very real, very human.

Of course, there's the argument that folk don't want to see any kind of 'relationship' stuff between the Doctor and any companion ... but since I like the dash of romance, I'm happy with that element in the storytelling. I appreciate that classic Who fans might not be, but I like it. I'm a bit of a shipper in general, I'm afraid. *g*

As for her fancying him out of the box, well ... a girl could suffer from insto-smitten with that Doctor, trust me. I mean, I fell for him in about 5 mins flat ... *g*

Blink is splendiferous. I adore it to pieces. Magnificent writing.

I adore Donna. Loved her in Runaway Bride. That's the first full ep of Doctor Who I ever saw ... and I just fell hook, line and sinker.

And isn't curiosity and a crush enough to start out with? It grew from there. I don't social class has anything to do with it. I think, given her background and family, she was ripe for a bit of getting away on an adenture with a dashing young man. Anything to escape her appalling mother and the dreary soap opera of her father and the awful girl friend!

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(Anonymous)
2008-04-14 05:00 pm UTC (link)
I love Psyche. One of the funniest shows I've seen in ages. The episode with the Civil War reenactment was hilarious!

TK

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[info]karenmiller
2008-04-15 07:05 am UTC (link)
Yes, indeed! That's what really attracts me. The wit. And that ep is a cracker. Loved the thing about Lassie's beard. Love the fact they call him Lassie! *g*

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