Our Doctor Who Journey

Hi! Even though it's been done before and by much more interesting folks than us - Candie and I have decided to undergo a little Doctor Who adventure. We will be watching every single episode of the long-running series at the rate of one episode a day and blogging our thoughts here. Right now we're planning on posting at least once per story and giving a rating as well.

But first a little background:

I've been watching Doctor Who since roughly 1982, which is the same year my lovely wife was born. Living in Denver at the time I had access to two PBS stations, both of which aired the program and were in different parts of the Tom Baker era. Therefore, my earliest memories are of the Daleks gliding along the top of the Kaled trench in Genesis of the Daleks and Romana's glowing spider bite in Full Circle. I also remember the theme tune and the tunnel title sequence with Tom Baker's eerie expression used to freak my 8 year old self out quite a bit when it would come up after 3-2-1 Contact.

The first regeneration that I watched live was Logopolis and it upset me so much I stopped watching the show for a few years. After moving to the Chicago area, I rediscovered it and fell in love all over again! Many years, and many regenerations later, I have had several Doctor Who short stories published by The Doctor Who Project and have won a couple of awards along the way!

Candie came to Doctor Who mostly through me, but wasn't totally new to it, having watched The Waters of Mars with a family member back when it aired on BBC America. I quickly showed her some highlights of the classic series and we watched our way through most of the new. As a lifelong Trekkie, I knew she enjoyed sci-fi. After she attended her first Doctor Who convention with me in 2010, I knew she was hooked!

The first regeneration she witnessed live was Matt Smith into Peter Capaldi. So with her approaching things from the perspective of a relative newbie, and me as a long time fan, this should be fun! Also - despite having seen all of Who, I've never done a complete start to finish, in order watch-through!

By the way, I should put this out theirs: much love and respect to Neil and Sue Perryman from Adventures With the Wife in Space and Steven Schapansky and Erika Ensign from Lazy Doctor Who. We're not trying to compete or imitate. We just want to share our thoughts on the wonderful world of Who.

Please check out their sites and blogs and podcasts and swag at:

www.lazydoctorwho.com

www.wifeinspace.com

KB

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Update

Photo by Dave Mason, ISPhotographic

Hi!

My New Year's Resolution for 2012 is to blog more frequently than once or twice a year!

Some updates:

In June, I left my job for a new position with an upstart internet/phone service provider, who filed for bankruptcy in October and I'm current;y out of work.

In August I proposed to my beautiful fiancee, Candace. We'll be married next summer!

I recently finished a new short story for TDWP called "Second Life," the beginning of which is below as a little teaser:

The planet was oval in shape, like a bean floating upright. Mountains of opalescent pinkish rock twinkled in the distant light of its sun. Perched in a carved out section of opal, rested a series of windowless grey buildings. Once considered lost in time, the mere mention of the planet’s name would strike terror into the hearts of most intelligent life forms:

Shada – the prison planet of the Time Lords.

It was a place that hung in the cobwebs and dust at back of every Time Lords’ mind. From the time they were children they were told of its existence and made to fear it. Be good or you’ll be sent to Shada…

In the dark times, Shada held prisoners of war along with home-grown criminals. But the recent centuries had seen it sink into disrepair. As Lord Presidents came and went, they opted to discontinue its use as they felt it represented a black spot on the reputation of Gallifrey and their noble civilization. So the planet and its facilities lay disused, tucked away inside a containment field, shielding it from detection. The previous Lord President, however, in her penultimate act of power, reopened the facility and had one cell and the security systems remodeled and brought back to proper working order. They only needed containment for one prisoner, and Shada was the only place that prisoner could be contained.

Tomek was a young Celestial Intervention Agency operative, fresh out of the Academy. An Arcalian, by rank and an artist by desire, he sat sketching the prisoner, looking rather nonplussed as he tried unsuccessfully to capture the arc of her back.

“If you keep that up, you’ll waste the rest of your ink supplies.” Barna, his partner in duty, warned nonchalantly. “You won’t be able to get more until you head back to headquarters next week.”

“Look,” Tomek explained, “is it my fault they have her blinking in and out of existence so frequently I can’t get it right?”

“Why do you even want to indulge in such a primitive, pointless activity?” Barna took his seat at the guard console next to Tomek, intentionally bumping the sketch pad as he passed. “A computer can draw a more accurate picture than you ever could.”

“But where’s the fun in that?” Tomek looked his colleague over. “Besides, there’s a reason why Patraxis aren’t known for their artistic abilities.”

Barna turned sharply. “Look, there’s no reason to get all huffy about it. I was only making a joke. I mean, we’re only watching over the most ruthless criminal Gallifrey has ever known while she’s being held in stasis at the point of dematerialization. I mean, you have to find something to laugh about.”

“I don’t know why they don’t execute her already?” Tomek asked, dropping his pen to the desktop. “I lost a lot of friends during her attempted coup. My cousin was on the Chancellory Guard assigned to protect Lord President Quelladvortrelundar and –“

“Former Lord President Quelladvortrelundar,” Barna corrected.

“Right,” he paused, “I’m still not used to saying that.”

“Do you think the new one will do any better?”

“I don’t think she did that poor of a job,” Tomek scratched at his temple, “Though I don’t understand why she stepped down like she did during the trial.”

“Some of the guys in the quarters said it was because she didn’t like the Inquisitor.” Barna laughed, “Fancied she could have done better herself, like she used to do.”

“Well, I don’t know about that.”

“What I do know,” Barna said as he rose from his seat and stretched, “is that if it wasn’t for that little protégée of hers getting herself into trouble, she would…” His voice trailed off, distracted as he glanced into the cell before him.

“Oh, leave her out of it too.”

“Tomek…”

“Look, I happen to think what she did was well-intentioned and rather sweet.”

“Tomek,” Barna attempted once again to get his daydreaming partner’s attention.

“Plus,” he continued, “There’s just something about her I find really attractive.”

Barna grabbed Tomek’s chair and swiveled it swiftly in his direction. “You can wax lyrical about your crush on Graekatziasa’asterus all you like later – look!” Barna pointed emphatically at the empty cell that stood before them. “Did you press something? Anything?”

“No! Why would I?” Tomek checked the control console. “I show the stasis field still holding steady – only central control at headquarters can order it broken, and there’s been no order sent!”

“Where did she go, then?”

“It doesn’t matter – sound the alarm.”

Barna slammed his palm down on the scanner and the communications channel opened. “We have an emergency situation, I repeat, an emergency situation! This is Shada Station 1, Barnasevemtalis reporting: the prisoner has vanished, I repeat, the prisoner has vanished!”

A rush of cold air filled the chamber and a figure materialized behind them. Tomek and Barna turned and came face to face with the woman who was formerly frozen behind the energy barrier they had been guarding for the past seventeen hours.

The story will be published online in early 2012 @ The Doctor Who Project website. There are plenty of throwbacks to my old stories at lots of loose ends wrapped up at long last!

Next up - more Zen Bradley: reworking the old story into something new and starting again! She will be completed!

Later!

A Moment to Pause, Reflect and Say Thanks

Thanks to everyone who left messages regarding my grandmother's passing on February 9th. My family and I really appreciate this outpouring of support. Dee Dee was a wonderful woman - I wish all of you could have had the chance to have met her, she was a tough little lady and she always looked absolutely stunning.
Her funeral will be March 4th at Arlington National Cemetery where she'll finally be reunited with my grandfather, who passed away May 16, 1976. Here is the Obituary as it was printed in The Capital:

Dorothy Borcz

Dorothy Sternheim Borcz, "Dee", 85, a resident of Crofton and previously of Anne Arundel County for 60 years, died February 9 at Anne Arundel Medical Center.

She was born Feb. 22, 1925, in New York, N.Y. Dee spent 40 years working in retail and 17 years working in real estate.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Henry J. Borcz, whom she

married Jan. 10, 1945 and who died May 16, 1976.

She is survived by three children, Bruce J. Borcz and wife Sharon of Millersville, Keith R. Borcz and wife Joyce of Illinois, and Toni M. Borcz of Crofton; four grandchildren, Alexander, Adam and Kyle Borcz, and Sarah Borcz Renje; and great-grandson, Ian Borcz.

Visitation will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, February 16 at John M. Taylor Funeral Home, Inc., 147 Duke of Gloucester St., Annapolis. Funeral services and interment will be private at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the SPCA of Anne Arundel County, 1815 Bay Ridge Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21403.

Love you, Dee Dee - the world is a little less fabulous without you in it.

Civility and Meghan McCain

It didn't take long, but people are already attacking Meghan McCain for an unfortunate event that occurred during her speech tonight at Indiana State University.

Someone wrote the following on a website which shall remain nameless:

"Meghan McCain just yelled at a handicapped man for making noise at her speech.

I go to Indiana State University and she is here speaking for our Speaker Series. There was a handicapped man there who took a sharp breath in and made a noise when she was being introduced and she blew it off. He did it once more 15 minutes later when she said something funny and she said something along these lines of "seriously, whoever is making that noise get your ass out, I won't hesitate to have you removed." So the family of the man wheeled him on and she kept going. I'm sorry but as a political figure first off you don't yell at someone to get out you ask someone to politely escort them out. Second, there was an interpreter there so there were obviously people with disabilities. I don't know what hurts your credibility more, the likes and ums of your preppy "progressive republican" speech or your lashing out at a handicapped man for making noise during your speech.

Edit: Okay so I just heard from people who stayed that someone asked her about it and she said that she thought he was making cat calls at her, and that she has 2 stalkers she is taking to court already. Apparently she thought this may be another stalker. All I can say is those were nowhere near the sound of a whistle and I'm pretty sure she is just trying to cover her ass."

Others commented that he was right up front in the third row so she could see him, and others called her some pretty nasty names. Look, whether you agree with her politics or not, when someone makes an honest mistake, and was sincere to the point of near tears in her apology, doesn't that mean anything? People need to gain some serious perspective.

And here's mine, because - I was actually there.

My response was this -

"Wow that didn't take long, did it? I was there. He was not in the third row. I was in the eighth on the aisle and he was way behind me. The lights on stage were bright and the auditorium was dark. Speaking as someone who has been on stage, there was no way she could possibly see the person.

After her speech she was both handed a note and told by an audience member that the man was handicapped and was completely taken aback and was embarrassed and regretted what happened. She offered to apologize to the person face to face if he was still there. She also apologized to the audience. She didn't think he was making cat calls at her, she thought he was heckling her and given the amount of "civility" I've seen on this forum in the 2 hours since the post went up, can you really blame her for thinking that?

Just saying..."

I spoke to Meghan for about 10 minutes after the event and found her to be very nice and more sincere than anyone gives her credit for. I don't honestly know how people can possibly cope with so much hatred being leveled at them on a constant basis.

EDIT 2/26 - I've now been marginalized on the same website for signing up just to make my post, so I think that's case and point. If the fault lies anywhere, I believe it to be with the ISU faculty who were on hand - they shouldn't have waited until the end to slip her the note.

See: http://www.indianastatesman.com/controversy-at-isu-kicks-off-mccain-s-tour-1.2017749
for a pretty fair article about the occurrence.

Unedited "Grey Gardens" Article

Well, I got the gig! Thanks to Shannon Curfman, I'm writing for Examiner.com! You can visit my page here:

http://www.examiner.com/live-music-58-in-terre-haute/kyle-borcz

Unfortunately, I'm limited for space on that site and need to keep it as close to 400 words as possible. Below is my complete review of the musical "Grey Gardens" which I had to cut nearly in half - Enjoy!

****************************

CTTH's "Grey Gardens" is Spectacular

The Community Theatre of Terre Haute's current production of "Grey Gardens" is absolutely stunning. Based on the lives of Jackie Kennedy Onassis' aunt and cousin, Edith Bouvier Beale and “Little Edie” Beale and the cult 1975 documentary of the same name, "Grey Gardens" tells the story of their fall from high society to living in reclusive squalor.

The lead role in this musical must be a dream come true for every aspiring stage actress, it’s challenging but rewarding if it’s pulled off well. The same actress plays both the mother in middle age in Act One, and the daughter in middle age in Act Two. Ashley Wolfe rises to the occasion admirably. As the mother, she's at times graceful, beautiful and hilarious but also deeply scarred and somewhat sinister. Like a darker version of Auntie Mame. Edith, in 1941, is a woman whose affluent life is filled with cocktail parties and social functions. But it comes with a price - an oppressive, unloving spouse has lead her to give up her dreams of the stage and, subsequently leads her to sabotage her daughter's similar dreams and upcoming marriage to Joe Kennedy, eldest brother of the future President. With her own future in doubt, Edith’s pleas in the song “Will You?” were played very sobering and very real. That coupled with the song “Drift Away” were a chilling portent of things to come.

Wolfe’s voice and acting is terrific and she carries the show well. As Little Edie in the second act, she turns in a great comic performance but still manages to tug at the heartstrings. The sympathy we feel towards the character, however, wouldn't be as strong without Ashley Chase’s beautiful and emotional performance as Little Edie, in the first act. Chase is an exceptional performer who is very natural and realistic on stage, and has a gorgeous singing voice. A highlight for her are the heartbreaking “Daddy’s Girl” and “The Telegram.” A lesser actor may have let this number become maudlin and over the top. But Chase hits all the right notes as she can sense her happiness and her future slipping from her grasp.

Whitney Kos is hilarious as Edith, aged 79, in Act Two, and still has as firm a hold over her daughter as ever. Within her Edith, though, holds a hint of sadness for the audience who knows that the woman, who once was, now has become a recluse; a broken down relic of a person, just like the mansion, piled high with garbage and crawling with cats, rodents and fleas.

Logan Sawtelle makes a fine Joe Kennedy with his charming voice and smile. Mitchell Hurricane Smith plays Edith’s father with just the right amount of comedy, instructing his young granddaughters that the most important thing is to “Marry Well.” Also of note in the first act is Josh Hoffman as Edith’s confidante, George Gould Strong, who also offers some great comic relief. But even he abandons Edith when she goes too far, leaving only the stoic butler, Brooks, played pitch perfect by Steven Fivecoat, to look after her. Rounding out the cast are Mary-Katherine Bedwell and Justine Gibson, as Jackie and Lee Bouvier respectively, who have beautiful singing voices that exceed their youth.

Director Tina Hoopingarner and Costume Designer Peggy Apgar score points for evoking the film perfectly in Act Two, particularly with the Little Edie’s costumes and use of the magnifying glass.

Ultimately, the story comes down to the choice of whether one should live the life that they, themselves, desire, or live the life others feel they should. The choice is a deceptively difficult one to make, especially after one has lived for other people for a long period of time. The central theme certainly hits home for many people, who no doubt will be silently cheering for Little Edie to simply open that garden gate during the song “Another Winter in a Summer Town,” the only time all three leading ladies sing together.

The CTTH’s production runs one more weekend, please visit their website http://www.ctth.org/ for more information. This is a production not to be missed. Beauty, wealth and social stature may fade with age, but this production should live on in people’s memories for years to come.