an awful lot of running
SO MANY THINGS have been going on. AMONG THEM:
- Well, not revising my thesis! Not yet. I need to email Prof Big Cheese and clarify a few things from the defense before I get started. My committee wants to see the revised Introduction by Friday, so I have time.
- Gilgamesh opened! ciaan came, which was NIFTY! I also went to the designers' grad pad party, where I was mostly socially awkward but hey- that's pretty much how I roll.
- I got to hang out lots with Sister and Frank on Friday, doing what I could to take the baby while S got work done revising her OWN thesis and working to prepare for her oral exams. I ended up with Frank strapped to my chest as I baked pita bread for the party that night. It was a struggle to get trays of pitas in and out of the oven with a sleeping newborn attached to my torso, but we managed. Plus, the pitas were a hit, which was very affirming. :)
- I slept in late today and used the afternoon to watch some S4 Doctor Who. It's not that I'm likely to FORGET how much I love the Doctor and Donna, but it's always nice to get a reminder. Seeing Ten reinforced my conviction that Matt Smith's Eleven is NOT recreating Tennant's Doctor- they give a very different energy. I think they did MS a disservice, really, when they chose that costume- I'm not as sure about the costume differences between the first and second Doctors, but all the others have been SUCH a departure from each other in their styles. In the new Era, Nine and Ten dress VERY differently, but Ten to Eleven? The difference is comparatively negligible. AH WELL. I like the look and I think it suits Matt's Doctor, but yeah- it doesn't help to distinguish the man from his last regeneration.
- I went out for dinner with the Js, Andrea, and A's sister Julia tonight to a nifty little Spanish restaurant. DELICIOUS food, but I kind of maybe almost passed out at the table- I'm still not entirely sure how it happened (or nearly happened), but my vision was getting wonkier and wonkier and I had to stop pretending it was fine. Jason took me outside for some fresh air and had me drink lots of water- I started to feel better pretty quickly, but it definitely shook me up. For all my faults, my body is pretty damn dependable, so it really freaks me out when it doesn't act like it should. Jason and I figured that I may have been pretty dehydrated, so left my glass of sangria untouched (*tear*) for the rest of dinner and instead have been concentrating on drinking glass after glass of water. LE SIGH. I have a bit of a headache, but I'm feeling oodles better (heh. Ood. Watched 'Planet of the Ood' today, which, KIND OF WEIRD EPISODE)
- SPEAKING OF DOCTOR WHO.
DAMN, MOFFAT. Like a lot of people, I was concerned that the Angels wouldn't be as nifty the second time around, but DAMN. They kicked ass AGAIN. The new ones, with the fading faces, are INCREDIBLY scary- both in terms of sheer numbers, but also in the way that figures without faces are oftentimes just a hell of a lot scarier. (Moffat REALLY LIKES this idea)
The idea that Amy is affected by seeing the Angel's eyes is a little silly- this wasn't an issue in 'Blink'- but it was executed REALLY REALLY WELL. First, the whole sequence of Amy watching with growing fear as the video!Angel slowly came to life was AWESOME, but then that wonderful, horror story thrill that came as soon as Amy started to rub her eyes (NOT TO MENTION THE SAND).
ALSO. THE BITING. THAT WAS PRETTY GREAT. Actually, I just loved that whole scene- their rapport is so strong and it's wonderful to see their appreciation of each other. The look on the Doctor's face as he talks to her is so FOND- he knows that if he can't convince Amy of the truth quickly enough, they're both dead (and so is everybody else in their group and who might be affected by the Angels if they keep gaining strength unchecked), but he's just... SMILING. Amy really impressed me by how quickly her brain must have worked- to go from denial to realizing (however untrue) that she was doomed but that there was no point in making a fuss, in risking anyone else's life, ESPECIALLY the Doctor's. She was going to quite literally look death in the eye as long as she could and she was ok with that. And the, BLESS, her indignant reaction to being BITTEN was awesome, as was the Doctor's disbelief that she CARED, considering the alternative.
Ha- random thought. We all loved the hand!porn that started between Nine and Rose in their first episode. Well, NOW WITH ADDED BITING, I GUESS.
"HAVE YOU GOT SPACE TEETH?"
God, I love this show.
As for River... yeah, I'm not the biggest fan. It's nice to see that there's some more interesting backstory than I'd feared for her character, but I don't find the concept of her as fun as I think the writers do. I have NO REASON to be invested in her, not really- the Library episodes (which I rewatched today) still feel kind of like a mess. It's like she's the payoff without the buildup- SHE might have the fun history, but without actually getting to see any of that, well, I don't care so much.
HA I TOTALLY CALLED THE TWO HEADS VS. ONE HEAD ANGELS. \o/
I really loved this exchange:
'But that's the Church for you. Uh, no offense, Bishop.'
'Quite a lot taken, if that's alright.'
YES. THIS. Even if you take this out of the context of the show, too often people say INCREDIBLY RUDE THINGS (eg, the most recent Project Runway reunion special) and then tack on a disclaimer in the most insincere way, and you know what? NO. It's NOT okay, and when an apology isn't meant, there's no societal pressure in the WORLD that means you need to accept it.
Anyway.
While I'm talking about the Bishop, I really loved the moment that came shortly after this, where the Bishop pointed out that when they get through all of this, the Doctor will get to leave and he's the one who will have to be the one to take on the responsibilities of all of us in the real world. He'll have to call the families of the men who died and deal with the consequences that the Doctor can avoid. I love it when storytelling takes on this idea- it's why the second half of Into the Woods excites me more than the first, and why Lev Grossman's The Magicians fascinated me- life, real life, goes on and you eventually have to face up to the consequences of the actions you've taken and the world you've created. It's not fun, but that's REAL.
I should also note HOW GLAD I AM that those shots of the Doctor with a gun were of the final moment of this episode- I get DAMN TWITCHY when the Doctor holds a gun, and I was quite apprehensive when I saw those moments. So he shot some gravity thing, which, what- will let them all (but not the Angels) get whisked up into the ship? WHO CAN SAY. All I know is that I am DAMN eager for the next episode. :)
- OH. ALSO. I got an email yesterday that I am somehow still being considered to be part of a solo quartet in my choir concert. I've got to audition again on Monday before rehearsal starts, so I've somehow got to sweettalk Big Cheese into letting me leave class an hour early to make it to the Cathedral on time. We shall see what happens! I am kind of amused that what was supposed to be a one-off audition to help me get over auditioning nerves is turning into THREE rounds of auditioning, but it's hard not to appreciate the affirmation. :)
- Well, not revising my thesis! Not yet. I need to email Prof Big Cheese and clarify a few things from the defense before I get started. My committee wants to see the revised Introduction by Friday, so I have time.
- Gilgamesh opened! ciaan came, which was NIFTY! I also went to the designers' grad pad party, where I was mostly socially awkward but hey- that's pretty much how I roll.
- I got to hang out lots with Sister and Frank on Friday, doing what I could to take the baby while S got work done revising her OWN thesis and working to prepare for her oral exams. I ended up with Frank strapped to my chest as I baked pita bread for the party that night. It was a struggle to get trays of pitas in and out of the oven with a sleeping newborn attached to my torso, but we managed. Plus, the pitas were a hit, which was very affirming. :)
- I slept in late today and used the afternoon to watch some S4 Doctor Who. It's not that I'm likely to FORGET how much I love the Doctor and Donna, but it's always nice to get a reminder. Seeing Ten reinforced my conviction that Matt Smith's Eleven is NOT recreating Tennant's Doctor- they give a very different energy. I think they did MS a disservice, really, when they chose that costume- I'm not as sure about the costume differences between the first and second Doctors, but all the others have been SUCH a departure from each other in their styles. In the new Era, Nine and Ten dress VERY differently, but Ten to Eleven? The difference is comparatively negligible. AH WELL. I like the look and I think it suits Matt's Doctor, but yeah- it doesn't help to distinguish the man from his last regeneration.
- I went out for dinner with the Js, Andrea, and A's sister Julia tonight to a nifty little Spanish restaurant. DELICIOUS food, but I kind of maybe almost passed out at the table- I'm still not entirely sure how it happened (or nearly happened), but my vision was getting wonkier and wonkier and I had to stop pretending it was fine. Jason took me outside for some fresh air and had me drink lots of water- I started to feel better pretty quickly, but it definitely shook me up. For all my faults, my body is pretty damn dependable, so it really freaks me out when it doesn't act like it should. Jason and I figured that I may have been pretty dehydrated, so left my glass of sangria untouched (*tear*) for the rest of dinner and instead have been concentrating on drinking glass after glass of water. LE SIGH. I have a bit of a headache, but I'm feeling oodles better (heh. Ood. Watched 'Planet of the Ood' today, which, KIND OF WEIRD EPISODE)
- SPEAKING OF DOCTOR WHO.
DAMN, MOFFAT. Like a lot of people, I was concerned that the Angels wouldn't be as nifty the second time around, but DAMN. They kicked ass AGAIN. The new ones, with the fading faces, are INCREDIBLY scary- both in terms of sheer numbers, but also in the way that figures without faces are oftentimes just a hell of a lot scarier. (Moffat REALLY LIKES this idea)
The idea that Amy is affected by seeing the Angel's eyes is a little silly- this wasn't an issue in 'Blink'- but it was executed REALLY REALLY WELL. First, the whole sequence of Amy watching with growing fear as the video!Angel slowly came to life was AWESOME, but then that wonderful, horror story thrill that came as soon as Amy started to rub her eyes (NOT TO MENTION THE SAND).
ALSO. THE BITING. THAT WAS PRETTY GREAT. Actually, I just loved that whole scene- their rapport is so strong and it's wonderful to see their appreciation of each other. The look on the Doctor's face as he talks to her is so FOND- he knows that if he can't convince Amy of the truth quickly enough, they're both dead (and so is everybody else in their group and who might be affected by the Angels if they keep gaining strength unchecked), but he's just... SMILING. Amy really impressed me by how quickly her brain must have worked- to go from denial to realizing (however untrue) that she was doomed but that there was no point in making a fuss, in risking anyone else's life, ESPECIALLY the Doctor's. She was going to quite literally look death in the eye as long as she could and she was ok with that. And the, BLESS, her indignant reaction to being BITTEN was awesome, as was the Doctor's disbelief that she CARED, considering the alternative.
Ha- random thought. We all loved the hand!porn that started between Nine and Rose in their first episode. Well, NOW WITH ADDED BITING, I GUESS.
"HAVE YOU GOT SPACE TEETH?"
God, I love this show.
As for River... yeah, I'm not the biggest fan. It's nice to see that there's some more interesting backstory than I'd feared for her character, but I don't find the concept of her as fun as I think the writers do. I have NO REASON to be invested in her, not really- the Library episodes (which I rewatched today) still feel kind of like a mess. It's like she's the payoff without the buildup- SHE might have the fun history, but without actually getting to see any of that, well, I don't care so much.
HA I TOTALLY CALLED THE TWO HEADS VS. ONE HEAD ANGELS. \o/
I really loved this exchange:
'But that's the Church for you. Uh, no offense, Bishop.'
'Quite a lot taken, if that's alright.'
YES. THIS. Even if you take this out of the context of the show, too often people say INCREDIBLY RUDE THINGS (eg, the most recent Project Runway reunion special) and then tack on a disclaimer in the most insincere way, and you know what? NO. It's NOT okay, and when an apology isn't meant, there's no societal pressure in the WORLD that means you need to accept it.
Anyway.
While I'm talking about the Bishop, I really loved the moment that came shortly after this, where the Bishop pointed out that when they get through all of this, the Doctor will get to leave and he's the one who will have to be the one to take on the responsibilities of all of us in the real world. He'll have to call the families of the men who died and deal with the consequences that the Doctor can avoid. I love it when storytelling takes on this idea- it's why the second half of Into the Woods excites me more than the first, and why Lev Grossman's The Magicians fascinated me- life, real life, goes on and you eventually have to face up to the consequences of the actions you've taken and the world you've created. It's not fun, but that's REAL.
I should also note HOW GLAD I AM that those shots of the Doctor with a gun were of the final moment of this episode- I get DAMN TWITCHY when the Doctor holds a gun, and I was quite apprehensive when I saw those moments. So he shot some gravity thing, which, what- will let them all (but not the Angels) get whisked up into the ship? WHO CAN SAY. All I know is that I am DAMN eager for the next episode. :)
- OH. ALSO. I got an email yesterday that I am somehow still being considered to be part of a solo quartet in my choir concert. I've got to audition again on Monday before rehearsal starts, so I've somehow got to sweettalk Big Cheese into letting me leave class an hour early to make it to the Cathedral on time. We shall see what happens! I am kind of amused that what was supposed to be a one-off audition to help me get over auditioning nerves is turning into THREE rounds of auditioning, but it's hard not to appreciate the affirmation. :)