No Strings Attached

Wizard World Philly 2008 Day 1

After New York ComicCon, this one is easy to navigate but still large. The emphasis is comic books and that is quite evident. Most of the major publishers are here. It is more comic book than manga driven. There are also the exclusives that are sold only at Wizard Cons and some of them are really quite cool.

We spent part of the day getting acclimated and I spent a chunk of the day taking care of a few things that needed taking care of. I took Caroline swimming. I got a package off to Harlan. I found small screwdrivers so I could put the batteries into Ariel's Doctor Who watch. Peter did a signing at the Marvel booth and spent most of the rest of the day at his table. Ariel got some free time to run around and look at everything.

Today Peter's schedule is a little fuller with panels and signings. Caroline wants to go swimming again. And I will go with the flow.

I am grateful for the nice people at Wizard who have been so helpful.

Wizard World Philly (The Beginning of Day 1)

We drove down last night to avoid the traffic we would have hit if we left this morning. Peter has a signing at the Marvel Booth at 12:30 today and rather than running again the clock, we opted for a late evening drive. Good thing too since there is a lot of highway construction going on. We managed to make it through some nasty patches right before the barriers went up.

We arrived after midnight. Peter carried the unconscious Caroline up to the rooms. I was helping the bellman when my back decided to give up on me. I think I saw stars. I do know I saw lots of little lights in my eyeballs as I tried to convince myself to stand up straight. I now understand the term "blinding pain" and wish I didn't. The rest of the evening is a bit of a blur but it is better this morning.

Most of yesterday was getting ready for the trip today. We managed to only leave one or two things at home and we can pick them up here in the city. I managed to get all the laundry done which amazed me since I swear every time I went to put the last load in, the laundry pile had grown to two more loads. The fast turn around between the two trips is not something I would want to do again but will probably end up doing in August when we have back to back conventions which we knew we were doing when we agreed to both.

So we have been slowly getting ready for the day. The girls are up and fed. Peter is working out and I have his breakfast waiting for him when he gets back. Then I think Peter and I will head over to the convention center to find out the lay of the land before everyone shows up.

I am looking forward to seeing people. It will be a very different bunch from last weekend's group.

I am grateful that we made it here safely and in a reasonable amount of time.

My first Review

One of the things waiting for us when we got back home was our author copies of Doctor Who: Short Trips: the Quality of Leadership in which I have a story called "On a Pedestal" and Peter has one called "One Fateful Knight". It is published by Big Finish and readily available in the UK. For getting a copy in the US, I recommend highly Mike's Comics who I can also highly recommend for all your Doctor book, audio, and toy needs.

And since I have something published, there is a chance that someone is going to review it which has already happened. You can see the review for the entire anthology on the website Unreality-Sf

The short review by DB aka Dan is as follows and of course any and all copyright to the material he wrote is his.

The Second Doctor returns with Jamie and Victoria in tow for Kathleen O. David's On a Pedestal, a breezy tale in which Jamie encounters his hero, William Wallace, who turns out to be a bit different than Jamie had imagined. It's a nice inconsequential piece with a fine portrayal of Jamie, and writing which evokes the Patrick Troughton era skillfully and with charm.

So there it is, my first review to go with my first published work without a co-writer.

I am grateful I had this chance to write this peice.

We're home and relatively intact

After some delays that added about 2 hours and a bit to our travel time, we got home about 2 o'clock this morning. The cats were happy to see us. Caroline was asleep on the couch. She woke up a little when Peter took her up to her bed so she went back to sleep knowing that Mommy and Daddy were home.

And in two days we will be on the move again. Peter is appearing at Wizard World Philadelphia this weekend and we are taking the family. So today is about laundry and getting ready again to depart. Our usual cat sitter is back from college and more than ready to come house sit for us.

We did get to Sandia Peak and spent some time hiking before we left Albuquerque. I highly recommend that if you are in Albuquerque, go to Sandia Peak. It is so beautiful. We also got to the Isotopes park and got some hats. Yes, the name of the farm team in Albuquerque is the Isotopes. Some of you will get why that is funny for the rest, don't worry it just means you don't watch the Simpsons regularly. I'm going to let Peter tell the tale of the race to the airport because he was driving. For a preview to why it was a race, George Bush was coming to Albuquerque that day for a fund-raiser in the afternoon.

We got to the airport and pretty much got out on time. We arrived in Minneapolis/St Paul 15 minutes early and then sat on the tarmac for half an hour waiting a gate to clear so we could taxi in. Peter and I raced to our connection to only find that it had been pushed back from 6:58 to 8:00 because of air traffic on the east coast. We called up our car service to tell them we were going to be late which they expected since a rather vicious set of thunder storms were rolling through bringing everything to a halt.

We left about 8:30 and got into LaGuardia 11:50 only to be kept on the tarmac while we waiting for a plane to clear the gate so we could park. Our car was there and we got home very late. Caroline came in to see us about 8:30 and she was all smiles and hugs.

So now I am doing a little catching up on the computer. Then I take stock at what needs to be done for our trip this weekend. But first I am going to take a moment and enjoy the thought that I am back home.

I had a great anniversary in Albuquerque. No doubt about it. But it is good to be home.

I am grateful that they didn't put us on the plane and then have us sit on the tarmac for an hour and a half in Minneapolis/St Paul waiting for clearance.

A few thoughts while packing

As I start to pack us up for the trip home today, I have been reflecting on the last couple of days. They have been very good ones. Peter got to go out and play with the big kids and he did right well for himself. I got to watch him play with the big kids and to play some slots and came out ahead by the end of the day or rather very early this morning.

Albuquerque is a very beautiful city. I love the art scattered through out it. The people have been very friendly and helpful. There are probably more of them out there in the plaza today then there has been in the last three but then it was a holiday weekend. We had some great food and some wonderful company to have the food with.

Peter's team-mates were from all over. Some are noted bowling professionals like Mike Aulby and Lucy Sandelin and others have a great passion for the sport and a real love of the game that they help promote like the Vint family. It was a great group of people to hang with.

We are probably going to Sandia Peak today before heading home. I am in awe of the scenery around me. The contrast of the mountains to the desert landscape is amazing. The weather had been clear and comfortable the whole weekend.

As much as I have enjoyed my stay here, I am looking forward to going home and seeing the girls. I can't tell you the number of times that I saw something and thought well Caroline would love this or Ariel would get a big kick out of that.

I am grateful for the time we have had here.

Seven Years Ago

It is hard for me to fathom that seven years ago I walked down the aisle in front friends and family and said my vows of marriage. So much has happened since then but there are still clear memories in my mind. Some of them are kind of mundane like my mother handing my friend Jeff, who was doing my hair for me, a cup of coffee as he came in the back door. Which he thanked her for rather profusely. I remember my mother and my aunt helping me into my wedding dress and the looks of joy and pride on their faces. I remember my father come back to the bridal room, which was a room I had been in many times since that was also where we kept everything for mass, and giving me a gentle hug before walking me down the aisle. I remember seeing Peter as I was walking down the aisle. I knew that this was right and meant to be.

And it has been. In good time and bad, in sickness and health and all those other things that we said that day. We have been there for each other. We have held onto each other. We have encouraged each other. We have laughed together and we have cried together. I think we have been good for each other and our family.

Today I am in Albuquerque New Mexico with Peter. This is the first time since we went to Italy on our first wedding anniversary that we have been together alone. Well technically Caroline was there since I was pregnant but she wasn't really a bother. He is bowling in two squads in the USBC Open today. We have some stuff planned in between these activities. Last night we went to a local casino which also had a bowl alley. We had fun there. Tomorrow we go home.

There is no thing as the perfect marriage but I think what we have is close. I am very happy to be Peter's wife. Every night I go to sleep thinking I can't love him any more than I do and every day I find myself loving him a little more. We still discover things about each other than we didn't know. We compliment each other. We work well as a team.

Happy Anniversary Peter. I love you Sweetie.

I am grateful that I walked down that aisle.

A few words before I run off with Peter

I don't know if I am going to be getting online the next couple of days. It sort of depends on the Hotel we are staying at and how busy our schedule is.

I got most of the cleaning I wanted to do done. But not all of it. So I am working on the last few things today as well as doing some laundry and the packing since we are leaving before the Sun comes up. I'm leaving it to Peter to pack his bowling equipment.

This will be our 7th wedding anniversary. 7 years ago I was at my parents house doing such things as the final fitting on my wedding dress and helping to sort out the last minute details and waiting for my husband to be to fly down to Atlanta with the girls. There was a lot going on and a lot of waiting as well. Funny how those two seem to go hand in hand at certain points in one's life.

So anyone know anything open on Memorial Day that is of interest in Albuquerque New Mexico? We have a sometime before the tournament that evening.

I am grateful for such a wonderful husband who shows me how he loves me as well as telling me.

RIP Robert Lynn (Bob) Asprin

I found out this morning that Bob Asprin passed away yesterday. It was of natural causes according to my sources who were pretty close to him.

I met Bob waaaay back in the mists of time when I first started to go to Science Fiction conventions. Myth Adventures was one of the first small press books I bought. It is also the first book I had signed by both the author and the cover artist. Over the years we became waving acquaintances at conventions (we would see each other at a convention and wave). People would try to introduce us to each other and we would start up a conversation where we last left our story. I think the last time I really had a sit down with him was at Shoreleave when he, Jody and I had a long conversation in the bar about some recent shake-ups in publishing. I can't remember if I saw him at DragonCon last year or not.

Bob Asprin was a fixture at conventions in the south. I can't even being to count the number of times that I hear him read or sat down with a group of people at a bar or a con suite and just had one of those conversations that started at A then went to G and eventually wound back up at B. He didn't just sit down, he held court.

I loved the Myth series when I was a teen. I always was eager for the next book. Thieves World showed me a whole new way that world building could be done. My copy of Thieves World is falling apart I have read it so many times. Phule's Company reminded me why I liked Bob's work in the first place. The Cold Cash War is hard to find but a really good read. I knew that I could always count on Bob for a good read.

My most sincere sympathies go out to his family and close circle of friends.

I think I am going to be breaking open my Tullamore Dew tonight to drink a toast to him.

I am grateful that I knew Bob for most of my time in fandom.

Dancing with the Surviving Idol

Since three reality series have finished up with their most recent winners. I thought I would take a moment to comment on each. Understand that Survivor was really hit or miss on my viewing schedule this year, but I did watch the other two pretty consistently.

Survivor had yet another interesting idea to pit fan favorites against fans of the show. A previous contestant won, Parvati Shallow had participated in Cook Island. I really wonder how it would have gone with out the major injuries that seem to plague the contestants this year. Three out because of life threatening complications is the most so far. Yeah the women decided early to play the men and did a good job of it to get it down to an all female final. Overall what I saw was not bad but I felt that other than the real injuries, they had to create a lot of false drama to make it interesting.

Dancing with the Stars had an interesting set of contestants. I was cheering for Penn. Ariel was cheering for Marisa. Marisa made it much further than Penn. Apparently large men are at a disadvantage in this contest. It was pretty obvious that Kristine had an edge in this contest. Her training for skating, like Apollo's previously, gives her a sense of balance and body placement that the other contestants don't have. There was a lot of good dancing this year on both the participants and the other people they had dancing during the results show. But I have to admit my inner Whovian did a happy dance when Kylie was the singing guest. There is still something about this contest that has us tune in each year to watch.

American Idol was rather weak this year to me. If these were the strong singers they were boasting about, it didn't come over on tape. I thought most of them were OK. My favorite went out in a vote that I still don't believe. I liked Carly Smithson's smoky voice and song choices. Ariel was a David Archuleta fan from his audition. She thought he was so cute and had a pop voice. Ariel said last night, before the airing of the show, that if it was a contest for a pop idol based on vocal abilities then Archuleta had it in the bag. If it was a popularity contest then Cook would win. Cook won and Ariel turned to me and said popularity contest. Yeah, but that has always been American Idol. But Ariel and I think that both Carly and David A are going to be OK.

I am grateful for these sorts of shows even though the padding of the shows is hitting the absurd point.

Titles aren't easy to come by

Sometimes the hardest part of writing this blog is coming up with the title of that days musings. I try not to repeat a title or if I do like RTBTCKI, I do an additional title to that piece. On occasion I'll write the entry and then come up with the title. But for the most mornings I need the title as a jumping off point.

I did get the big project done so the rest is gravy at this point. I have an appointment with my oral surgeon today for a follow up on my tooth. So that will be a chunk of my morning. I have my bowling league this evening which should be fun. I don't think I'll be able to keep up my average in that league since I shot so well in the first week.

Once we get back from New Mexico, I plan to get cracking on the costumes for Shoreleave along with some items for the art show. I have a couple of ideas I want to work through. The next show will be DragonCon which I need to have the paperwork in sooner rather than later.

We got copies of Tigerheart. It is a real book and it looks really nice. The cover turned out wonderfully. I recommend it highly and not just because the author is my husband.

I am grateful for titles that just pop into my head without any real effort.

Second Place

We took second. But not because we were bowling badly but the other team just bowled better. We were giving away 20 sticks which is not insurmountable but they were bowling 20 to 60 sticks over their average. I was only bowling 20 over mine. But it was a good end of a good season. We managed to make it through without too many injuries. We have our dinner tonight which is nice.

There are a couple of things I need to do on the computer and then I plan to get back to cleaning. I got quite a bit done yesterday. I think I am going to tackle the big project today. Then whatever I get done is a bonus before I have to pack for our weekend in New Mexico.

My mouth is slowly recovering. As long as I don't smile or blow my nose hard, it doesn't really bother me. I did eat corn on the cob last night and did just fine. Knock on wood that this is the end to that problem.

I am grateful for my daughter's eager and quick mind.

A lot to do in less than a week

In a week is our 7th wedding anniversary. To celebrate, Peter and I are going off for a short trip and Shana has kindly volunteered to take care of the kids while we are gone. It should be fun for everyone. Ariel and Caroline love their big sister.

But before that I need to get parts of the house back into shape. I have been feeling this need to clean that I want to act on. Since once we get back I will be working on the costumes for Shoreleave. I need still to find one fabric that may mean a trip into the city soon.

I found out the hard way that I am having a bad reaction to the antibiotic that I am taking. I had heartburn so bad that my ears hurt. I did everything that I was supposes to be doing including taking the medicine in the prescribed intervals and drinking a lot of water. Each time I took it I felt progressively worse but I thought it might be because it was doing its job. Yesterday I was close to tears because I was feeling so crappy. I reread the pamphlet that they give you with the medicine these days and found out that the symptoms that I have been suffering through are in the decidedly bad category and I should stop the medication right now and consult my doctor.

My mouth hurts but that is to be expected. It is responding to Tylenol for the most part but it is still there as a dull ache. Nothing out of the ordinary considering what I had them do to my mouth.

The biggest pain right now is in my right shoulder which concerns me because tonight is the last night of our bowling league and we are fighting it out for first. I need to bowl very well to incredibly well to help my team come out on top. The lowest we can go is second but we would like first very much. Last year we were second from the bottom and I can say that this year we are a much better team than we were then. Our averages are up and our pin total is way up. But I need this shoulder to be in shape so I can bowl decently.

So I am going to work on picking up what I can and see what I can get back into shape. I think my worktable is going to be first in the line up.

I am grateful for the ability to read and comprehend drug pamphlets.

New Who Review for "The Sontaran Stratagem"

First of a two-parter this week.

Love the interaction between Donna, Martha and the Doctor. More about that in the spoiler section.

Interesting to see what happens when a companion decides to make a difference and keep an eye on things.

Ah the Sontarans. The Mr. Potato Heads of Doctor Who. I do like what they did with them in this episode and it was nice to see them back in the Whoverse. I think my favorite Old Who episode with them was "The Invasion of Time" which had Tom Baker acting more of a wack job than usual. Close second is their first appearance which was in "Time Warrior" which is the first Sarah Jane episode.

Then there is Rattagan which of course sent me and Peter into fits of giggles since we are both fans of the Great Mouse Detective. He reminded me of Bryce in the pilot of Max Headroom at first. Again more on that in spoilers.

Yeah, I know it is YAEC (Yet Another Evil Corporation) which makes 3 out of 4 episodes of the same ilk. But considering how the world works these days, it makes a certain amount of sense. Global companies have no boarders and therefore what happens in one country can affect the others.

I am grateful to see those potato heads again. *grin*

Well at least Sontarans have a health self esteem. "We will kill the Last of the Time Lords and be glorious in our victory." I also love the various nicknames that they have added to their names to make them individuals. The Sontarans are rather single minded but then they have been cloned that way.

Atmos is an interesting concept and if a kid created it, then he would be a multi-millionaire a couple times over. The actor playing Rattagan does a really great job of created this kid who thinks he is so smart that he is waiting for the rest of the world to catch up with his brain. The sad thing is that I know people like that. Some for real reasons and others for delusional ones. I have a feeling that this kid had a number of atomic wedgies in school.

I loved the Doctor's speech to Donna when he thinks that she is leaving him. I also love that Catherine Tate plays it perfectly straight until Tennant gives her the comic opening. I love the interactions between Donna and Martha. The writers went a different direction than School Reunion. I loved how Catherine Tate played that scene.

Tennant's hair must get its own agent.

The Atmos is an interesting idea of GPS that can control the car. I swear that if it controls the car I am so not installing it. And the phrase "You have reached your final destination" goes down as seriously creepy.

So this one goes in the good pile even though the ending is a little contrived. But then it is a two parter so it did have to end on a cliffhanger even if it is artificial.

In Remembrance of Jim Henson

18 years ago I was finishing up my MFA at the YSD. I had a job lined up at the Williamstown Theater festival which started shortly after I graduated. I was doing my last work study as stage crew for "Pygmalion" at the Rep. It was a Wednesday and we had a matinee for school kids. I can remember standing in the green room and hearing the news. I went up to the deck and had a good cry. Various people who knew how much Jim meant to me came up and checked on me.

During the memorial service they read a letter that Jim wrote before he died to be opened and read after his death. The line I will always remember was

Please watch out for each other. Love and forgive everybody. It's a good life. Enjoy it.

I walked out of that service feeling better about my self and the world. Jim may have passed but I knew that his legacy would live on into the ages. And since then I have been trying to be an ambassador for puppets and puppetry. I have tried to educate people about puppets and what they can do. I have taught adults and children. I have created a bunch of people who know how to operate a basic hand and rod puppet. I am trying to pass on my love of puppetry to another generation who won't know a time when Jim Henson was alive.

I have met a lot of people through my love of all things Henson. I have made some serious friends through my work in puppetry. Puppetry has been my touchstone for as long as I can remember and Jim Henson made it shine for me in ways I never thought about.

We still miss you Jim and we honor your memory with our work.

I am grateful that I have people I can talk to about Jim who get the same far away look in their eyes when talking about him and his work.

I would like to blow my nose

But right now that is a little hard to do because of the sutures. So I am gently sniffing and wiping a lot. The antibiotics seem to be doing their job at killing all the bacteria in my body. They do not discriminate taking out the good bacteria from the bad bacteria which has lead to some interesting GI issues which I will address after I am done with these antibiotics.

Caroline is having her "wellness" visit today. Anyone remember when it was called a check-up?

I am grateful I have such a happy little girl. You should hear her now. She is creating a story involving her unicorns and her horse Butterscotch.

RTBTCKI (My Face is almost Normal Edition)

Yeah a little late in the morning but I took a pain pill because it got rather painful last night after being painful but manageable during the day. And it knocked me out for bit longer than I was expecting so I am only now getting around to my cup of coffee.

I went to see Iron Man with Ariel yesterday. We had a window of opportunity and we took it. I agree with everyone else, it is worth your time to stay through the credits. The tag is so worth it if you are a Marvel Fan. It has the right number of in-jokes for the Marvel fan but was understandable enough for someone who hadn't a clue about Iron Man's history. Robert Downey was hitting on all cylinders in this one. I had forgotten what a great actor he can be when he wants to be. Jeff Bridges really doesn't get enough credit for his role in this film. He did such a good job with it and a lot of it turned on just a slight change of face that spoke volumes. They have already announced Iron Man 2.

I managed to put a small hole in my foot with something sharp that was on the floor. It seemed to be of a ceramic material but we couldn't figure out what it was. So I now have a bit of a limp since it is in the middle of my left heel.

Today I am going to assess what I need to do by the end of this month and the end of next month. There are a couple of things that need to be done in two weeks and then more that needs to be done in four weeks.

I have hip warmers right now. I am sitting on the couch and Millie is on one side pressing his back into my hip and Stalin is on the other doing the same. They are both having little kitty dreams of catching something I think. The muzzles are twitching as are the paws.

Robert Rauschenberg passed away on Monday night. If that name is not familiar to you, the short version is that he reshaped the American Art Scene in his time and did it several times in his life time. He is sited as an influence by many artists when they asked who influenced him. I didn't like everything he did but he sure as heck got me to thinking about art and what is art. He proved to me that no artist needs to just be one thing like a painter to be successful and he would be the first to tell you that everything he did was not perfect. I got the feeling that the process interested him more than the final product. The New York Times listed him as A painter, photographer, printmaker, choreographer, onstage performer, set designer and, in later years, even a composer To my mind people like Julie Taymore would not be doing what they do if it had not been for Mr. Rauschenberg.

I am grateful for Mr. Rauschenberg contributions to both Art and Theater.

If I ever wanted Angelina Jolie like Lips

I know exactly how my face would look. Because of the swelling, I look like I have serious full pouty lips. I have come to the conclusion that they look pretty stupid on me. I might take a picture today to record this but then I may not since I want to forget this whole thing.

My regular dentist finished the root canal and the whole fill rather than a partial fill so that is done. That took a little over an hour. He shot me up with Novocain and sent me off to the oral surgeon. So I was still a bit numb when I went to sleep. It felt like I blinked my eyes and it was done. Except for a couple of odd dreams while I was under. (I think I have the beginning of a short story.) The whole procedure from sitting down in the chair to leaving the office was about half an hour.

I went home and slept for a bit. I woke up rather painfully but my husband had gotten me my antibiotics and pain pills while I was asleep. I didn't feel like myself at all. Peter, brilliant man that he is, figured out that I hadn't had anything to eat since 8pm the previous evening nor had I anything to drink. So he made me a plate of soft scrambled eggs with cheese which I wolfed down very carefully. I felt much better after that.

I did go bowling. My balance was off so my first two games were not my best but my partners picked me up and we won those two games. My third game was much better and then went into the realms of great. My score allowed us to win the third game and secure at least second place. Next week is the battle for first. The top team does not have a lock on it. I think I am going to be practicing this week a little more than usual. This is nice because we were one from the bottom last year and now we are one from the top. And I know part of it is that I am bowling better than I was last season.

This morning I woke up and my lips were swollen but the pain is not too bad so I am treated it with an over the counter not the extreme painkiller. So an icepack seem to help with the swelling and I am drinking very cooled coffee. I plan to take it easy today. I'm thinking mac and cheese for dinner or something else soft.

Thank you to everyone for your kind wished and thoughts. I do appreciate them.

I am grateful that yesterday went well with only one real glitch that got sorted out pretty fast.

Double Dental Surgery Today

I know it is not going to be as bad as it is in my head.

I know that.

I have had this dentist poking around in my mouth for 10 years now and he has always been good about pain management and making sure that I am ready for the procedure. I think part of it is the sounds and smells. I can hear the drill drilling into my tooth. I can feel the vibration in my skull. I can smell the bone being ground down.

And after he is done, I go to the oral surgeon and have him take care of the other part of the problem. Which I am hoping is going to be simple and quick. I am also hoping that in light of my earlier root canal, my insurance will allow him to put me under so I don't know anything until it is done. Which is the hope I am holding onto that is making this day bearable.

I know I can't go around with this nagging pain in my head. It is just not healthy. And have a constant infection can't be good either.

So I suck it up and go into to get the problem fixed.

With any luck I look better come out of this than Neil did after his slammed his face into a pipe.

So think good thoughts for me around noon which is the root canal and 2ish which is the Apigo.

I am grateful for a good dentist. They can be hard to find.

Mother's Day 2008

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mothers and Mother-types who read this. I hope you have a very nice day.

This morning I got a new handheld video gaming system from the kids. Earlier this week I got my mulching mower which I love. It moves so smoothly. This afternoon we are going out for a late lunch/early dinner at a local restaurant that we all like. I will at least call my Mommy if not do a video chat with her and my dad.

Tomorrow is the rest of the root canal and then the oral surgery so good thoughts about noon Eastern Time tomorrow would be nice. I can't say that I am looking forward to that but I am looking forward to my jaw not hurting.

But that is tomorrow. Today I get to think about being a Mom. When I was a kid I wanted to be a Mom but then in my 20s I didn't want it and by my mid 30s I figured it wasn't to be. But the fates have a funny way of doing things sometimes. Now in my 40s I am mommy to Caroline and step-mommy to Shana, Gwen!, and Ariel.

Parenting is the toughest job you'll ever love. I don't care what the military says. It is not easy or convenient to be a parent. But, for me, it is so worth it. This morning I got hugs and cuddles from Caroline who whispered in my ear, "I love you Mommy." I get to watch her grow and develop. I try to steer her in the right direction (pens go on paper not anywhere else). And I try to show her by example of how to behave in this world.

She is not the perfect child by any stretch. She has a stubborn streak a mile long. She will avoid things by pretending not to hear what she is being told. But she does do as she is told eventually and she does behave in public.

She is an artist. I know this because she told me that she was an artist and I am a puppeteer. She hasn't quite twigged onto the fact that more than one person can be something. I also love watching her drawing progress. I am not trying to steer her but let her artistic vision develop naturally. She has gone from blobs that need some translation to figures that you know what they are when you first see them. She is now working on landscapes. It is so fun to watch her development.

She is very athletic. She has a lot of energy and loved to run and play to burn it off. She is good with the soccer ball and not bad with a bat. She wants me to play Basketball with her and she is getting closer to being able to get it in the hoop (we have it lowered at the moment).

She is a sponge that absorbs the world around her. Nothing gets past her which makes for some interesting conversations since she'll bring up stuff we talked about a couple of days ago like it was the previous sentence. Can't fault her on that, I did and sometimes still do that so she comes by it honestly.

So I have my first Mother's Day card that she made for me. I'll put it with other treasures she has given me over the years, along with the memories that she provides for me each and every day.

I am grateful I am Caroline's Mommy.

New Who Review for "Planet of the Ood"

But first a short review for "Speed Racer", Wow! If you liked the cartoon, you are going to love the movie. I will say that this film gets the closest for making live action look like the cartoon it was based on including the cuts and wipes. I could animate what they did and have a Speed Racer cartoon. The only thing it was missing was the narrator.

Now onto the Ood with the usual spoilers behind the cuts and in the comments

Overall I think this is one of the better outings this year for the Doctor. Still loving Donna more and more each week.

I didn't recognize Tim McInnerny at all. Peter picked up that Lord Percy Percy was the head of Ood Operations.

It was nice to see the Ood again and learn more about them. I enjoyed them in the first episode I saw them in and was glad to hear they were back.

Next week Sontarians.....ha.

I am grateful that the Ood are now more 3 dimensional than their previous appearance.

Ok this is yet another large evil corporation story with another evil twist. But still the explanation of what they did to the Ood was just heartbreaking. I loved Donna's reaction when the Doctor let her hear the song for the first time.

Again Donna shows her independence and ability to think through a problem for herself rather than just asking the Doctor for an explanation. She shows no fear for the most part. Seriously if I had an entire cargo container of Ood with red eyes coming at me with their translators balls, I'd scream too.

Then there was the scene with "Doctor Donna Friends!" Notice that the Ood put them together as one entity for the rest of the episode. In fact most people are putting them as a couple and they are protesting that they are not a couple.

I went back and watched "The Impossible Planet" and "Satan's Pit" again. It is interesting to watch the Ood knowing how they became as they are. And why the telepathic field effects them so much. I don't know if they (being the writers) had the Ood that sorted out two seasons ago but they have done right by them in this episode.

Good acting, interesting mystery, and some touchy social issues being touched on.

I liked it a lot.

Coolest Mother's Day Gift Ever!

As in I got the coolest Mother's Day gift or at least it is really cool to me. I have wanted a good mulching mower for a while now. This is the kind of mower that takes the grass and mulches it as the mower passes over it and I received one yesterday for Mother's Day (which is this Sunday). I had a great time mowing the lawn and it cuts so beautifully. Today it is raining so I am glad I got the lawn done yesterday.

Yeah, I know I am a little strange. I can remember my father informing a sales clerk that the cordless DeWalt he was buying was a gift for his daughter. I still have that drill and use it all the time for all kinds of things. Those are solid drills. I love power tools and power gadgets for my lawn and garden. Heck, I love all gadgets. I have always been a gadget head.

Dental surgery is scheduled for Monday. I go in for the rest of the root canal in the morning and then get the Apigo in the afternoon. I'll probably look like I went 10 rounds with a prize fighter or a good Muay Thai artist.

Still mulling over my class with Wendy. It was a lot of information that now I need to sit down and figure out what I can use. Honestly, I can use all of it but now I need to figure out what I am going to try first on my own. But first I have to get a gallon of white latex house paint along with some stretch fabric to experiment with.

Sarah Jane, Doctor Who and BSG are all on tonight. So a good night for TV watching. I'm not betting that they get the ballgame in tonight.

Off to see Speed Racer now. I also need to see Iron Man this weekend sometime.

I am grateful for oral surgeons who assume you are smart and don't sugar coat it for you.

First in the New Line of Puppets and Dolls

I present to you the first in a new line for me.

Meet Jack the Gawblin first of the Gawblins.

More later but First a Photo

This is Toby Froud. He was the baby in the movie Labyrinth. He has taken after both his parents and is quite an artist in his own right.

The puppet is Milo which Toby built.

I am grateful I got to jam with Toby on puppets.

It was nice

I had a good time. It was like going to a convention that you have had fun at before to have more fun with the people that you liked. I had met all but three of the participants before which was nice.

Wendy and Toby (who is now 22 almost 23)kicked it up to the next level. I am learning all kinds of cool things that I can use in both my dolls and puppets.

Well off to catch a train for day two.

Remember you can still ask me a question.

I am grateful that Wendy is teaching this class.

Off to the City Today

I think I have everything I need for the class today. I hope.

I haven't done this here in a while.

So Ask me a question (with the usual rules that apply to this)

I am grateful for chances to expand my artistic skills.

Radio Silence for a bit

I may make an entry next week or I may not. It is one of those weeks that has a lot going on. Monday I have to gather materials for the doll making class that Wendy Froud is teaching. This is the advanced class so I have to bring in a mostly finished product to work with. Tuesday and Wednesday is the class itself. Thursday I go see the Oral Surgeon about what needs to be done to correct the problem in my gums.

Caroline is on the mend. The fever finally broke yesterday. It was a virus that just needed to get out of her system. Thank you all for your good wishes, thoughts, prayers and energy. I do appreciate it.

Peter is getting back to this time zone. He caught up on e-mail and the like yesterday. He has an edit due soon that he is going to finish today. Tomorrow he'll get back to writing.

I am grateful for opportunities to learn.

New Who Review for "The Fires of Pompeii"

But first a Public Service Announcement

And the winner in the Why Caroline is Sick is...

So I am giving her Tylenol and Motrin alternating every two hours until the fever breaks. Which is has not really done yet. But her energy is better so I take that as a positive. Now if I could get her to eat something substantial.

Now back to the review. Of course there will be spoilers below the cut and in the comments.

Short version, not the best episode but better than most. The acting is solid. I am still not sure the name of the villain of the piece even though the Sibiline (sp?) were chanting it. It was a nice twist on a classic ancient monster and the science of the hot springs was something that was done at the time of the Romans.

How many more moral decisions is the Doctor going to have to make? I swear this is shaping up to be the theme this year.

Donna has officially become my favorite companion for all of New Who (Sorry Jack) and is rapidly going up the charts in all of Doctor Who.

And I understand why the cut was made but considering the number and volume of commercials, they could have cut three of the loch ness promos and shown the last scene that was shown in England. Which is why I watch both versions. More about that behind the cut.

Next week the Ood are back.

I am grateful to the mysterious folks who make sure I see the whole episode rather than having to wait for the DVDs to come out to see them uncut.

OK here is what they cut. There is a scene that takes place in Rome after the last scene with the Doctor and Donna. The son comes in and his mother fawns over the fact that he has straightened out his life and is now going to become a Doctor. The son corrects his mother and says he is going to become a physician not a Doctor. She chides him for correcting her and tells him to go honor the household gods. Son goes in front of the altar and does a quick thank you. He gets up and the camera turns to show the carving of the household gods which is the Doctor on the left; the TARDIS in the middle; Donna on the right. Didn't add anything but it made a really good punch line to the story.

Interesting use of the Medusa or the idea of people turning to stone in this one. I though that worked really well.

What did you think of the sooth-off about the Doctor and Donna? I was laughing at the "my vision is better than your vision" one-upmanship that was going on. And I think they dropped a couple of clues about the season in there.

And what about Donna? She is asking the questions that I am sure a lot of us have pondered for years like what if you spoke in the language of the place to someone while under the TARDIS translation circuit. Also Donna putting her hands on top of the Doctor's and throwing that switch with him. She has a lot of gumption. I also loved that while being threatened with being sacrificed, she didn't scream but got mad. And how she convinced the Doctor to save the family that they had gotten to know, that was just brilliantly played.

I couldn't tell if they were trying to parallel what the Doctor did to Gallifrey with what he did here. I do think we are going to find out more about that this year.

Tennant and Tate did just wonderfully through out the whole episode. They have a good chemistry between them.

She's got a fever of 103

Caroline has been running a slightly elevated temperature off and on pretty much all week. I had put it down to what seemed like her allergies. It wasn't really enough to worry about until yesterday afternoon. She sat down next to me and put her head in my lap. I could feel the heat radiating off of her before I touched her. I took her temperature and it read 103.7. After some Children's Tylenol it started to go down but has kept hovering above 100.

I gave her another dose 5 hours later along with a children's decongestant since her temperature was climbing again. She took her medicines like a good little girl and went to bed after having some water.

2:45 I am awoken by the bedroom door opening. Caroline came toddling in and asked if she could stay with me because she had bad dreams. She crawled up in the bed and again I could feel the heat off her skin again. We went downstairs and I took her temperature. We were back up to 103.2. So more fever reducer and she wanted water so I got her a glass of water that she drank down. We went back to bed where she had me tell her stories until she fell asleep. I touched her cheek and it was much cooler.

She woke up a few more times because of the cough but then went back to sleep. She declared herself awake at 6:45 and I asked her to close her eyes since I wasn't ready to open mine. We both woke up about 8:00.

She is now on the couch. Her temperature was 101 which is much better than 103 in my book. She asked to be covered in my Buffalo blanket and for some more water. I am letting her play her Dora Video Game for a while. She hasn't asked for breakfast so I know her appetite is off still. I am waiting for the Doctor's office to open so I can make an appointment for them to see her. My bet is virus. Peter's is ear infection.

I am grateful that Caroline is so good about taking medicine even the stuff she doesn't care for the taste of.

Tra La It's May

Yes it is May 1st which means it is my annual listening to Julie Andrews singing 'The Lusty Month of May'. I'll probably listen to the rest of the Camelot soundtrack as well.

Happy (insert your celebration or religious holiday here) to you. There are so many that are attached to May 1st that I am not going to list them out.

Last night our heat went out. That would not be so bad but we had frost on the lawn this morning so the house was cold. Also since that feeds the hot water to the house, we had no hot water this morning. I solved it with the reset button and we have heat now but it did get below 50 in the house this morning. If this keeps happening, I plan a call to our local service center for them to take a look at it.

Ariel is packed up and I have to take her to the airport today for her flight out to see Myra.

Continue to think good thoughts for Peter. Since he talked about it in his blog, I can finally say that he is in LA pitching an animated series to various studios. He went to the Iron Man premiere last night and I am sure has a tale or two to tell from that.

I need to go and see if my glasses need fixed or re-adjusting. They are not sitting well on my face and I think that is putting the correction off a little which may be causing some eye straining.

More cleaning today I think between errands. Or may be I'll collapse all the errands into today and clean tomorrow.

I am grateful that Peter got to go to an LA premiere of a film and the cast party afterwards.