here’s a shocker:

I’m a Talent!

You’re a risk-taker, and you follow your passions. You’re determined to take on the world and succeed on your own terms. Whether in the arts, science, engineering, business, or politics, you fearlessly express your own vision of the world. You’re not afraid of a fight, and you’re not afraid to bet your future on your own abilities. If you find a job boring or stifling, you’re already preparing your resume. You believe in doing what you love, and you’re not willing to settle for an ordinary life.

Talent: 77%
Lifer: 15%
Mandarin: 41%

Take the Talent, Lifer, or Mandarin quiz.

Having never watched Who before this new series, I found it very strange and fascinating to watch David Tennant play the Doctor, since the only one I’ve ever seen is Christopher Eccleston. I keep sitting there trying to think, “How would the last Doctor have done this?” and I don’t know. I can’t tell if that’s because Tennant’s doing an extremely fine job of playing an ongoing character (and I’d need to see earlier Doctors to really know that, I think) or if he’s playing the character closely enough to Eccleston’s version specifically that I’m not experiencing cognitive dissonance when I expect to, or if I’ve just accepted the new Doctor straightaway and the differences in how they might act are irrelevant because it’s the same person, or…it’s very confusing! And interesting! :)

Also, I thought Eccleston was pretty damned heartbreaking, but I spent pretty much this entire season going “snif!” I don’t know if that’s because it’s better written (it is) or if it’s Tennant’s Big Brown Eyes, or if I’m just getting more familiar with the character in general and therefore more sympathetic to him, or what, but man. I knew (in general) what was going to happen at the end of season 2, and grew increasingly squirmy with agonized anticipation, and it basically paid off. WAUGH. I really, really would like to see Eccleston play those scenes, just to see the /differences/ as much as the samenesses. Kind of like the Jimmy Scene in season 5 Highlander (a comment which will make sense to two people reading this). -sigh- Also, while I appreciate why they did it, I wished they’d just closed the season with the Doctor alone in the Tardis, rather than pulling in a New Adventure and a Plucky Ending. I liked the heartbreak.

Actually, the heartbreak was part of why I liked “Girl in the Fireplace” so very very much. (That, and the very excellent lines I’ve seen quoted here and there on the net: “I believe it is customary to have an imaginary friend only in childhood. You are to be commended for your persistence,” and, “What’s a horse doing on a spaceship?!” “Mickey, what’s pre-revolutionary France doing on a spaceship? Get some perspective!”) But mostly I liked that the Doctor encountered Madame Pompadour for what, a total of several hours of her life, and he still very clearly loved her. I imagine you have to fall in love fast and hard when you’re immortal, because there’s really no time for anything else.

And obviously the Doctor (or this version, anyway) just adores humans, too (I love, love, *love* the bit in “The Impossible Planet” where he first warns Captain Zach that he’s going to hug him, and then does so. I don’t know if I like the warning, the hug, or the fact that Zach gave him a warm hug back best, but I liked it all. *beam*), which makes it all that much more agonizing. *sigh* (Possibly I have a great whacking weakness for very old immortal characters capable of making the hard decisions without much in the way of visible regret yet still able to fall hopelessly in love. You think?)

I got it from somewhere–, probably–that the Doctor seems to be getting younger as he reincarnates down over the decades. If the show were mine to deal with (and I’m sure this’s been suggested before, but still), I’d have the 13th and final incarnation be as a child. Twelve or so, so he could grow up and start the regeneration process all over again, thereby allowing the show to continue. It’s what *I* would do, anyway.

Anyway, it was good stuff, and coincidentally the new season starts tomorrow night. I can’t decide if I’m going to watch it or not, because if I start I’m going to have to make an effort to *keep* watching it, and I haven’t watched TV on TV for years now… :)

This afternoon I put books into envelopes until I ran out of envelopes, and also until I ran out of copies of THE CARDINAL RULE. I have four left I’m keeping for myself, and all the rest are gone, gone, gone. That’s kinda sad. Sniffle!

Ok, that’s it from me. :)

ytd wordcount: 63,700
miles to Minas Tirith: 17