Tuesday, July 31, 2007
TV Boyfriend Tuesday #2: Bad Brit Boys of Sunnydale
I attended a local showing of the Buffy Singalong this weekend (more on that tomorrow), and this picture, one of my favorites from back in the day, kept going by on the preview screen and making me all nostalgic.

And so, full of renewed Spike love, and in honor of all of the work Marsters is getting lately, and in honor of the forthcoming Ripper movie, and as a reminder of why Alexis Denisof deserves to be so very much more than Mr. Allyson Hannigan, I bring you Sunnydale's British Hotties (ignoring the fact that two of them are faux-Brits).

I'll eschew commentary on this one (mostly) and just let all the pretty speak for itself.

SPIKE






JAMES








RIPPER









ALEXIS





SO James Bond



I wanted to include Prom Chaperone Giles in his tux for symmetry, but believe it or not, I couldn't find a picture. Sigh.

As usual, any requests to see your own personal TV Boyfriends can be left in the comments.

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Rate your day!
Sponsored post alert!

Click here to read my rating! One feature I enjoyed about my old LiveJournal account was the mood icons, and I kind of miss having them here. Now you can get a blog widget that comes close--I Rate My Day is sort of a cross between LJ mood icons and Twitter, where you can tell the world what kind of day you're having and why. People can comment on your day, too. Social mood icons. What will they think of next?

While you're there, be sure to check out the contest for a free Microsoft Zune!

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Monday, July 30, 2007
Buffy fans recognize! Plus: 'Ripper' movie news. TV giveaways, and more
I have a lot of busy-work to catch up on today, which makes for a slow blogging day. Instead of coming up with content of my own, here's what's loaded in all my Firefox tabs at the moment, most of which is Whedonverse related, natch:

Will the Vampire People Please Leave the Lobby?@ Physics of the Buffyverse author Jennifer Ouellette reviews Allyson Beatrice's book Will the Vampire People Please Leave the Lobby? True Adventures In Cult Fandom. Which, I gather, is more memoir than expose. I avoided The Bronze, so Beatrice never made it onto my BNF radar, but I still think I need to check out this book.

@ Lots of juicy news bites coming out of Joss Whedon's Comic-Con panel, not the least of which is an announcement that the Ripper movie is a go! Yay! Also touches on plans for Angel: Season Six and Buffy: Season Eight (and Nine!!!), including "casting" spoilers for the latter.

@ Nothing But Red is seeking submissions for an upcoming anthology, to be published through Lulu.com, the proceeds of which will go to benefit women's rights organizations (most likely Equality Now). Their mission statement:
The purpose of Nothing But Red is to bring attention to the issue of violence against women worldwide, as well as the continuing need for equality, through art—both written and visual—and by raising money for a charity that strives to help women of all faiths, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds, with the support of dedicated volunteers who share a desire to promote equality.

This project was inspired by Joss Whedon's now-famous essay about the televised "honor-killing" of Dua Khalil, who was stoned to death by the men in her family after she had been seen in the company of a man from another faith. I'm still trying to decide whether I'll submit anything, but either way I want to spread the word.

@ On a happier, and non-Whedon-related note: 5 Minutes for Mom is giving away a TV! All you have to do for a chance to win a 37″ Flat-Panel LCD HDTV, courtesy of Best Buy, is go comment and then spread the word. Done and done.

@ Finally, one for the Potter-maniac knitters on my list: This Dark Mark Illusion Scarf pattern is made of cool and dipped in awesome sauce. I only wish there were more Harry Potter fans in my inner circle of family and friends, so I'd have an excuse to make one for somebody for Christmas. Hmm, looks like I'll just have to knit one for myself instead. Tragedy!

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Friday, July 27, 2007
Happy weekend!
Hope you find the time to enjoy it. And that you ComiConers stay out of trouble.

See you Monday!


New (and unexpected) Whedon-y Comic Goodness!
In case you need any more reasons to love Joss Whedon: Sugar Shock! Battle Royale With Cheese. Delicious Joss-y banter at its finest.

From Comic Book Resources:
"Dark Horse Presents," the seminal indie comics anthology that launched not just countless comics careers but one of the industry's most important publishers, is returning after a seven year absence in the form of an online series on social networking giant MySpace. Just as the original print form of "DHP" nurtured new talents and creator-owned properties, so too is the goal with the new project, officially called "MySpace Dark Horse Presents."

...

Every digital issue of "MySpace Dark Horse Presents" will feature at least one story created or co-created by someone discovered on MySpace. "Every issue except #1," Scott Allie said, "because, frankly, it didn't make sense to let a newbie in on our biggest secret of the year. We needed to focus on our already trusted partners."

And it's all for free, too.

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Bite me, Johnny Depp. Please?
Ain't It Cool has the new poster for Sweeney Todd, starring Johnny Depp, and it looks awesome.

Speaking of future Deppaliciousness, Johnny's also been cast as Barnabas Collins in an upcoming big-screen version of Dark Shadows, according to Moviehole.

And to think I used to have Detective Tommy Hanson posters gracing my walls alongside Ben Cross's Barnabas, and yet that combination never even crossed my mind.

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Thursday, July 26, 2007
Just when I was getting optimistic about Moonlight...
David Greenwalt Exits Moonlight, according to E!'s Kristin.

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Honorific
Jennifer at The Life of a School Bus Driver has chosen Sparkle Motion as today's Blog of the Day.

This is me, blushing.

Thanks, Jennifer.

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Thursday Thirteen #2: Harry Potter Edition

Thirteen Things about Harry Potter


This was originally going to be "Thirteen Ignorant Things I've Heard or Read Recently about Harry Potter", but surprisingly, I couldn't come up with thirteen. Or maybe not so surprisingly; the anti-Potter crowd does tend to repeat itself.

At any rate, here instead are seven ignorant criticisms of Harry Potter, followed by six refutations, prompted mainly by having to hear from my mom for the umptieth time the other day why Harry Potter is a tool of the devil and I shouldn't be reading those evil, evil books.

    The Critics:
  1. "JK Rowling is a white witch."

  2. "The incantations in the book are authentic and children who repeat them may unwittingly summon dark forces."

  3. "JK Rowling has said that parts of the books are based on her own life experiences. Therefore, she has practiced witchcraft and the magic portrayed in the books is real."

  4. "Harry Potter has caused a rise in Satanism among children. I read an e-mail that says so."

  5. "Harry Potter causes children to turn to Wicca and Paganism."

  6. "Harry Potter teaches moral relativism and that there is no such thing as good and evil."

  7. "Harry Potter is a Christian allegorical tale along the same lines as The Chronicles of Narnia and Lord of the Rings."

    The Rebuttals:
  8. Re: #1 - No she's not. And saying so, especially on your own political propaganda machine thinly disguised as religious news program, amounts to slander, Pat Robertson.

  9. Re: #2 - You mean these "incantations"? Really? I mean, really?! Most of these are regular English words with Latin suffixes attached. They're as made up, nonsensical, and also about as authentic and dangerous as "Bibbity-bobbity-boo." I know singing that song never caused any of my pets to turn into pumpkins or coach drivers any more than shouting "Expelliarmus!" has caused papers to fly out of my co-workers's hands. Not that I've tried to do that.

  10. Re: #3 - JK Rowling has said that she drew inspiration for aspects of the story from her own life. And I'm sure she couldn't possibly have been talking about the parts of the book that deal with being a teenager, dating, navigating relationships, relating to teachers and parental figures or any of the myriad other parts of the story that have absolutely nothing to do with magic.

  11. Re: #4 - Er, yeah. You mean this e-mail?

  12. Re: #5 - This essay, which I've linked here before, gives a much more eloquent, studied and thoughtful rebuttal to that argument than I could ever provide.

  13. Re: #s 6-7 - These arguments are flip sides of the same extremist coin, and the truth lies somewhere in the middle. I think stories that depict negative consequences for negative actions, overt punishment for rule-breaking, and have clearly defined "good guys" and "bad guys" can hardly be accused of promoting moral relativism. Does it allow for gray areas? Yes. Because the world is not black and white, and in my opinion, neither are good stories. Should parents leave it up to the books to teach their kids right from wrong? Of course not. That would be some seriously lazy parenting right there. But while these books DO depict clear-cut divisions between right and wrong and good and evil, and DO also promote values such as loyalty, friendship and love, they also don't sugar-coat the dangers faced by Harry and his friends, or the issues normal, non-wizard teenagers face every day. And to say that they're overtly and intentionally Christian in their depictions of good is a stretch too far in the opposite direction. Rowling has said that she was inspired by Lewis and Tolkein, but has never said openly that, like them, she's a Christian and set out to promote Christian values. But that doesn't mean she set out to undermine them, either.

In short: Chillax, people, and stop regurgitating alarmist propaganda about books you clearly have never read, because if you did, then you would know better.

And somebody please pass this list along to my mom. Maybe if she read it in an e-mail, she'll finally believe it.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. Mitchypoo
2. qtpies7
3. exhausted intern
4. Comdy Plus
5. J. Lynne
6. Joely Sue Burkhart
7. Nicholas
8. Annie

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!



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Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Crocs are... cute? Really?
Sponsored post!

I've always turned my nose up at Crocs because, well, they're ugly. I don't care how comfortable they are, I just can't handle that much pure fug on my feet, and besides, they're not allowed at my office, anyway. Except, I just checked out some of their new styles, and, well, these are pretty cute. Cute enough to be tempting. I'm pretty sure they'd pass muster with the dress code, and as much running around as I tend to do on a daily basis, cute, comfortable, affordable shoes are pretty much my new Holy Grail. These are a decent price to begin with, and with these ShoeBuy coupon codes, it looks like I can get them for a steal (aren't online coupon sites the best thing ever?).

I already blew my fun money budget for this week helping to line J.K. Rowling's heavy pockets, but just you wait, Crocs Sassari - Chocolate/Gold. Next payday, you will be mine.

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Fannish tidbits
@ Buffy Singalong this weekend! Yippee! I am, however, kicking myself, because I knew about it months ago, but didn't order tickets right away because A) I was hoping I could convince some friends to come with us and B) I was afraid my husband would change his mind about going. And then I forgot about the whole "needing to buy tickets" part. When I finally remembered and went to buy the online the other day, the 10:00 PM showings on both nights were sold out. So we're going to a midnight showing. Husband is most displeased. He still says he's going, though, 'cause he's all wonderful like that.

@ I ordered my copy of Deathly Hallows, and thanks to a free trial of Amazon Prime, it should arrive tomorrow. I'm still going to try to hold out until I'm done re-reading the other books, though. I'm enjoying reading about Harry's early, more innocent days with the bittersweet knowledge of what's in store for him, but without the ultimate knowledge of how it will all end for him. So long as I manage to stay unspoilt. *knocks MDF*

@ I think I saw somewhere that Buffy: S8 #5 actually ships this week, which would mean it's out today and waiting for me at my comic shop as I type this. I should probably look into that.

@ I haven't had time for a review, but I did watch Dr. Who this weekend. Can I just say that I love Ten? Because I do. He's made of awesome.

@ I caught a new TV spot for Moonlight the other day that showed a little more promise than what I'd seen previously. Greenwalt's influence was coming through loud and clear. That can only be a good thing.

@ My mom just agreed to switch back to Dish Network in exchange for two free DVRs, one of which she'll let us have in our apartment. No more having to share the downstairs TiVo and camp out down there to catch up on my shows on Saturday mornings. This makes it very tempting to scrap that whole "moving to Tulsa" plan and just stay put. Yes, we're cramped and we have no kitchen and the commute is hellish and expensive. But my very own free TiFaux! Priorities, people!

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Download IDrive for IBackup
Sponsored post!

If you use IBackup for extra storage, then you'll probably be interested in IDrive, a free (for members) download that effectively turns your web storage into a network drive on your computer, giving you drag and drop capability right on your desktop. Increased productivity yay!

If you don't even know what IBackup is, it's an Online Storage site that can be used to back up your hard drive, provide extra storage to free up some space on your computer (providing a nice, safe place for all those digital photos of your cat you still need to write captions for), and even provides file sharing and collaboration capabilities, with plans starting at $9.95 a month.

I wish I'd known I could take advantage of this a year ago before my computer died. Then I'd still have access to all of the unfinished Buffy fic, LiveJournal icons, MP3s, and the TOTALLY NOT PIRATED copy of Photoshop that are lost in limbo on my dead hard drive. I thought I was safe backing up to CDs, but I had to learn the hard way that CDs have a tendency to get scratched and become corrupted. That's not something I'd ever have to worry about here. At least I'll know for my next computer, right?

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No power in the 'verse can stop me
From coveted to pre-ordered.

Shiny.

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Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Speaking of supernatural...
Now it's officially a theme.

This morning I stumbled upon this ghost pic thread at Rotten Tomatoes and spent a ridiculous amount of time there ensuring that I will never, ever fall asleep without the lights on again. Yeeeeeee!

I've had more than a few episodes throughout my lifetime that are reminiscent of some of the occurrences relayed in this thread. Most of them, while freaking me right the hell out in the beginning, have since been explained away as night terrors and sleep paralysis (a sleep mask, St. John's Wort and a squirt of Afrin at bedtime to control my apnea symptoms seems to keep them at bay); but there have been other experiences during waking hours that are just too spooky and upsetting to contemplate.

Have I mentioned that I still have nightmares about frigging Samara and her stupid frigging well? Now I'm afraid she'll be in good company. If you're like me and stuff like this creeps you out on a level that's lasting and just plain not fun, then you might want to skip that thread. I kinda wish I did.

So why can't I stop hitting refresh?

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TV Boyfriend Tuesday #1: Supernatural Edition
It's time to up the shallowness quotient here at Sparkle Motion (is that even possible?) by introducing TV Boyfriend Tuesdays! This is intended to become a regular weekly feature, so if you'd like to see someone other than All James Marsters, All The Time, leave a comment to let me know who your TV Boyfriends are, and I'll see what I can dig up. Then we can all sit back and enjoy the eye candy.

I'm actually betraying my loyalty to my James for this first edition, because this interview with Eric Kripke (spoiler warning) has put me in a Supernatural kind of mood. Though, really, that's becoming increasingly easy to do these days. So without further ado, I present to you the pretty, squared.



The boys with guns. So intense! And intensely purty.





Another gun pick. I'm not sure what it says about me that I like the boys with the guns.



Guh. This one makes Jensen a contender for my new top TV boyfriend. Don't tell Spike!



As does this one. This is a pretty Dean-loaded post, isn't it? I'm sorry, Sammy fans. Maybe this last one will make it up to you (click to embiggen):



Guh. That is all.


***

Stay tuned for next TV Boyfriend Tuesday, when we can all ogle... who? I don't know yet. You tell me.

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Monday, July 23, 2007
Oh noooes!
The big trucks be crashing and clogging up the tubes!



(Via Bojojoti.)

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Public Service Message for Harry Potter Fans
I do not have The Deathly Hallows. I might try to pick it up after work tonight, but I don't plan to read it until I've finished re-reading the other six (I'm currently two chapters from the end of Sorcer's Stone).

Consider this a friendly reminder that if you spoil me I will come over there and beat you with a shovel.

Have a nice day, and happy reading!

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Freeze It!
This is a sponsored post, but that doesn't make it any less true. My love for this product is a pure love.

My mom has a fun tendency to get hung up on one product that is her magical cure-all for everything. For my entire adolescence, it was Alkaseltzer Plus, for all things reasonable and otherwise.

"Mom, I have a cold."

"Take some Alkaseltzer Plus!"

"Mom, I stubbed my toe!"

"Take some Alkaseltzer Plus!"

"Mom, my date stood me up!"

"Take some Alkaseltzer Plus!"

So after years and years of that sort of thing, you can bet I was glad when she found a new favorite cure-all, even if I'm the one who found it first, by doing something as simple as throwing my back out. After my chiropractor sent me home with a handful of Biofreeze samples, my mom tried some on one of her many aches and pains, and a new catch-phrase was born:

"Mom, I'm hungry."

"Put some Biofreeze on it!"

For once, I had to agree with her enthusiasm, if not necessarily her application. Biofreeze is good stuff. It's crack for the chronic back pain set, making you feel tingly and warm and taking the pain away. Trouble is, it's about as convenient to get a hold of as crack, too, and also about as expensive.

This explains why I'm actually glad, in retrospect, that I woke up one morning last month with the mother of all neck cricks. I was all out of Biofreeze, and in a panic, I called my mom. "Mom! I have the mother of all neck cricks!"

"Put Biofreeze on it!"

"I can't! I'm out!"

"Well then, I don't know what to tell ya."



*whimper*

I popped some painkillers, trudged to work and suffered through the morning, unable to turn my head. By lunchtime, I'd had enough, so I packed my stiff, sorry self into the car and headed to Wal-Mart to find something that could possibly fill the void left by my beloved Biofreeze.

I scanned the shelves. I started to lose hope. And then, there it was.

Freeze It.

What's that? I asked myself. The packaging sure looked a lot like my favorite brand of crack. I picked it up and examined it more closely:

"Compare to the active ingredients in Biofreeze(r)!"

Could it honestly be? An affordable equivalent right there in the Wal-Mart pharmacy? One that I didn't have to make a special trip to the chiropractor's office or take out a small loan to purchase? This was simply too good to be true.

And then I tried the stuff.



Did it work as well as its snooty, high-maintenance twin?



Yes. Yes it did. And it stole my heart. I was so overcome with gratitude and adoration that I even caught myself making out with it.


Because that's the stuff, baby.

Of course, I had to tell my mom about this stuff; and now we have a new catch phrase:

"Mom, my toast is burnt!"

"Freeze It!"

Freeze It, indeed.

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Thursday, July 19, 2007
Cross-blog administrative note
Tomorrow is my day off, so I'll be offline for the next three days. Have a good weekend, folks, and I'll see you Monday.

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Bacon makes everything better.
I cannot wait to get me some of this: Bacon Salt

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Thursday Thirteen: The "Nerdier Than Thou" Edition
Look, ma! I'm participating!


Thirteen Things you might not already know about why Jean's a giant nerd:


1…. I was first chair alto sax in high school, from the day I finally won it in 9th grade until I graduated, much to the relief of the second chair.

2…. I can also play the harmonica, although I'm no John Popper.

3…. I didn't eat my first sushi until about two years ago, when my husband took me to a sushi restaurant when we first started dating. I didn't know how to eat half of it, and I couldn't handle the chopsticks, and even though I'm pretty sure I embarrassed him, he was very patient with me and had a good sense of humor about it, thereby increasing my already growing suspicion that this was the guy for me. My love for both Husband and sushi has continued to blossom to this day.

4…. I once thought I was a fairly hard-core Trekker. Then I attended my first (and only) Star Trek convention and learned that I was but a lowly padawan (wrong universe, but you get my meaning). Since then, I've grown kinda "meh" about Trek, although I still have a warm, squishy place in my heart for the original series, TNG and DS9.

5…. Speaking of me being a giant nerd, I only stood in line for four hours for the first midnight showing of The Phantom Menace, yet somehow I still got interviewed by a local TV news reporter doing a story on the crazed fans. I mean, other people stood in line for like a month. I don't think four hours made me that crazed.

6…. Except that it would have been more like four days if the theater management hadn't barred us from the premises.

7…. I didn't visit a foreign country until I was twenty-five.

8…. I didn't visit another one after that until my honeymoon last year.

9…. I used to be completely obsessed with the Joker. To that effect, I even built a fairly popular (by those days' standards of popularity, which were definitely not today's standards) fan site about him.

10…. But that's nothing compared to the nerd points I racked up in Buffy fandom, in which I attended two fan conventions, wrote several novels' worth of fan fiction, wrote several academic papers, one of which I even submitted to Slayage for consideration, collected action figures, built web sites, moderated discussion forums, and spent countless hours on IM debating the shows' intricacies with fellow fans.

11…. I still have a sizeable Star Wars toy collection. I wanted to decorate our kitchen with it. Husband said please no.

12…. At the end of the month I'm dragging Husband with me to attend the Buffy Sing-a-long, and I'm so excited I just might pee my pants.

13…. And I'm not even going to get into my whole Phantom of the Opera phase.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. The Rock Chick

2. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)



Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!



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Once you go cruise, other vacations are a snooze
Did you know we're VIPs? *Strikes dignified, very important pose* Apparently, one cruise with a particular cruise line is enough to qualify you for VIP status. Who knew?

So we got our special VIP member magazine the other day, which was chock-full of cruise itineraries we couldn't possibly afford unless we were each willing to sell a kidney toward the fund-raising effort, which immediately made me question the legitimacy of their VIP membership criteria. The one that had us drooling the most, and had each of us briefly pondering how much the other's kidney might bring on the black market, was a two-week Asian cruise from Singapore to Hong Kong, which takes in Bangkok and just about every coastal city in Viet Nam along the way. I think we just found our dream vacation.

The only thing that could make that cruise more awesome is if it also visited Japan. Probably more than any other Asian country, that's the one I'd like to visit, and no, not just for all the cheap pirated anime. The Daily Random has some gorgeous pictures from Japan that give a pretty good sampling of why I want to go there (and they're supposed to post some from China next week) (and by the way, you gamers out there might want to keep an eye on this blog). So, so pretty. If they'd added Japan to the schedule, I might be offering up my own kidney to sign up.

Of course, at this point I'd settle for a weekend party cruise around the Gulf of Mexico. I'd just need to sell some plasma (twenty times) to afford that.

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Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Chess Coaster!
This would be right up my husband's alley. Now I just need to make sure he never sees it so he won't be getting any ideas....

Via Wil Wheaton, as usual.

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Pop Culture Roundup
First, breaking news: I have barbecue. Now don't you wish you were me?

Yeah, I thought not.

***

It's been a while since I've done one of these, but I've been saving so much up, I might as well cover them all at once.

Dr. Who (vague spoilers follow) - I'm two episodes into the third season (not counting the Christmas special) and -- say it with me, now -- I miss Rose. But so does the Doctor, and that does my heart good. In my vague recollections of the old series, the Doctor never spent too much thought on ex-companions, so that proves that Rose is speshul and he loves her! Sigh. Maybe Ten and I can both move on together.

I enjoyed Donna, brash, plus-size, inelegant redhead that she was (not like she reminds me of anybody), and was all set to accept her as the new companion, when she went and proved to have too much sense to go gallivanting off to who knows where with a mysterious alien with genocidal tendencies. Actually, I think it might have just been that last bit that put her off.

Martha has yet to witness the Doctor's dark and deadly side, so for now she can get away with being all wide-eyed wonder and glee. The flirty-jealous angle is cute, too, although I'm much too hung up on Rose to ever hope that that blossoms into anything real. So far, I'm liking Martha. I like her family, too, and hope we see more of them. Rose's domestics were one of my favorite parts of the new series, one that I thought anchored it and gave it a lot of heart. I miss Jackie and Mickey almost as much as I miss Rose.

Mostly, I just love that the Doctor loves strong, intelligent women. It makes him quite the sexy.

Can't wait to see where this season is going.

***

Spamalot - Tess and I took in some culture this weekend (what? Okay, yes, it's Monty Python. But it's also musical theater, so that makes it culture, so there!). I can tell you this: the show is not the movie, although it does share several classic scenes. It makes a lot of changes, too, though, and not just the increase in song and dance numbers. Most of the changes, I approved of. There were times, though, when I thought they got a little too wink-wink-nudge-nudge, we know we're on a stage, who needs a fourth wall? At times it crossed over from irony into preciousness territory. I also thought some of the lines were over-delivered, and it seemed like the lead actor was playing Tim Curry playing King Arthur instead of simply playing King Arthur. Those are all minor nitpicks, though, and overall, it was hilarious, and I loved it, and I feel I ought to point out that the Lady of the Lake was nothing less than fabulous. And I wish I'd bought myself a pair of killer bunny slippers.

***

Cosmo - What? Coffee shops are too pop culture. This one is on Memorial, just north of 71st, across from Woodland Hills Mall, and from the outside looks more like a bar than a coffee shop. As I learned when Husband and I met our potential new BFFs there Saturday night, it's actually both, and also has a menu combining the best of both worlds of deli and bar food. All ages are welcome, although you have to be 21, natch, to approach the bar or get a shot of Bailey's in your cappuccino. They have a comfortable combination of restaurant-style table and chairs and coffee shop couture sofas and comfy chairs, with the requisite free wifi and a diverse selection of board games.

We killed a few hours there playing Apples to Apples and Trivial Pursuit, and killed a few more just hanging out and conversating. It was a pretty comfy and relaxed atmosphere, without a lot of the pretension you tend to find in a lot of Tulsa establishments. They also let us hang out there for a ridiculous length of time without giving us the stink eye, so that was nice. I liked it, and can see it becoming a regular hangout. My only quibble was some of the menu prices, which led me to expect bigger portions than what I got; but for the most part it was all pretty reasonable, and very much made of yum.

***

Books - Last week I finished off The Android's Dream by Scalzi. That, I must say, was an enjoyable read. I've never been into hard-core SF, and this isn't really that, so that worked out pretty well. I'm trying to think of something to liken it to, and I'm having trouble coming up with anything. It's not quite wacky enough to compare to Hitchhiker's Guide, although there are moments where it comes close. At any rate, I found it to be a pretty good blend of action, adventure and satire, and there wasn't a single paragraph wherein I felt anything less than entertained. Good job, Scalzi.

Now I'm re-reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I waited a bit long to decide I want to re-read them all before I read The Deadly Hallows, but it shouldn't take me too long to breeze through them, even at my slow reading pace. Especially since I can skip the parts I find a bit tedious (I can understand wanting to keep newcomers in the loop, but really, one description of how Quidditch works is quite enough for me, thanks). And in other HP news, I still haven't seen the movie.

***

And now I have cobbler. Go ahead and hate me now. I'll understand.

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Jim who now?
Sponsored post alert!

I think I'm about the only person left in Western civilization who has never seen an (American) episode of The Office. There are good reasons for this, primary of which is that several years ago, I came to the conclusion that I was watching far too much television (yes, believe it or not, I used to watch way, way more than I do now. Hush.), and that I could probably live without any more sitcoms in my life. So I gave up half-hour comedies and never looked back. The other reason is that I had seen the BBC version and, though I didn't get hooked on it, thought it was pretty high-larious, and, well, Hollywood doesn't have a very successful record of trying to Americanize British sitcoms, so I naturally assumed that the American version would suck.

According to almost every person I know, I assumed wrong.

So now Target has The Office Season One for $19.99, and I guess that leaves me without any excuses not to start catching up to the bandwagon. While I'm at it, I might as well finally get myself a copy of Angel Season 5 for $27.99. That's not the best price I've seen it for, but with one of these Target coupons, I can get $5 off. Oh, wait--I'm a few dollars short of the $50 requirement. Oh noes! How will I ever make up the difference? You know now much I can't stand shopping at Target! [/sarcasm] But seriously, somehow I don't think that will be a problem.

And then I'll finally be able to get to the bottom of all this Jim and Pam business.

This post is sponsored by Coupon Chief, the first place I always look for coupon codes.

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Monday, July 16, 2007
Today is like Fangirl Christmas!
It will be at least another year before I get to see it, seeing as how the first season of Torchwood won't kick off until September on any channel to which I have access, but if James Marsters' Season 2 appearance means the Internet will keep on bringing me eye candy like this, then I suppose I can be patient.

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