Kisses & Chaos,
Alli Woods Frederick
WHAT AN INCREDIBLE WEEK. It was amazing. The best weekend ever just kept on rollin’ and snowballed into a great week. The funny thing is I’m not sure anyone else would think it was so incredible…but for me it was revelatory, freeing and filled with happiness. It was filled with quiet and perfect moments. At the end of it all, it’s the little things that create the most joy…so let’s celebrate them.
** Small, beautiful, powerful moments. ** Realizing just how many life goals I’ve accomplished this year and smiling about it. ** Still being able to surprise myself…and others. ** Wine and fires. ** Fancy waving. ** Feeding cows candy. ** Fuzzy pajamas. ** Autumn picnics. ** John Deere green. ** Gettin’ shit done, yo. ** Finding needles in haystacks…and beanies in pastures. ** Champagne and biscuits. ** Not only making deadlines but rockin ‘em. ** Beautiful photos taken by My Honey…he has a great eye. ** Rushmore, Bruce Lee and dramatic movie scores. ** Feeling completely safe and free. ** Early morning drives through the mountains with camera in hand while listening to the perfect song. ** Laughing with My Honey till I cry. ** Gentle and loving guidance – Thank you, Karina Ladet. ** Lavender scented everything. ** My camera, which still, after all these years, needs a name. ** Anticipating the 50th Anniversary Special of Doctor Who. ** Discovering I make some badass and crazy delicious salsa…and horchata. Who knew? Not me. ** Happy cashiers. ** Edison bulbs. ** Catching up with family. ** Recognizing patterns. ** Did I mention feeling free? ** Feathers, owls and cranes. ** My Mischa. ** My family. ** Doors opening to new opportunities. ** Possibilities and their endlessness. ** Cozy yarn and knitting needles. ** Handmade gifts from the heart. ** Rainy winter weather…just not on Sunday. ** Discovering. Learning. Exploring. Growing. ** Dropping F-bombs because sometimes it just feels f*cking good. ** A nice soak in a hot bath. ** Doing nice things for the people you care about because it feels good to make ‘em smile. ** Diet Coke and Pumpkin Spice coffee creamer…but not at the same time. ** Hugs, smiles and laughter…always. **
I AM A WHOVIAN, TRIED AND TRUE. The blood in my veins is TARDIS blue. (I feel the beginning of an epic poem coming on, my ode to geekdom…oh yes, this shall be done.)
IN PREPARATION for the sure-to-be mind-blowing Doctor Who 50th anniversary episode “The Day of The Doctor” (which airs Saturday, November 23) I’ve been Who-ing it up with a marathon of epic proportions.
THERE ARE SO MANY MOMENTS, amazing and fantastic moments, being told throughout time and space that I thought I’d put together a little list for you. What follows is a list of wibbly wobbly, timey wimey bits of brilliance. It’s my…
1) The Doctor Rescues Rose
As The Daleks prepare to destroy Earth…again…The Doctor gives an impassioned speech about saving Rose that brings a smile to my face and makes me go all soft and gooey inside. What can I say, I’m a romantic…a romantic who drops F bombs and wears big, burly biker boots, but a romantic nonetheless.
2) Rose Meets Captain Jack
Oh, that charming pansexual Captain Jack. Dancing in the air on a spaceship in front of Big Ben during the London blitz to Glenn Miller’s Moonlight Serenade (one of my favorite songs since childhood…weird kid, me), Rose is swept off her feet…and can you blame her? I don’t think anyone, with or without a pulse, could resist his quick wit and easy charm. No way, no day.
3) Rose Absorbs the Time Vortex
Would a Rose by any other name kick as much Dalek ass? She would if she absorbed the time vortex. The Uber-Rose saves the Earth and The Doctor, destroys the Dalek empire, and restores Captain Jack’s life. Not bad for a chav from London.
4) Don’t Blink
Okay…so the entire episode “Blink” is, I feel 100% safe in saying, one of everyone’s favorites. But there are two moments that I particularly enjoy. This line:
“Because life is short and you are hot.”
and the scene where Sally and The Doctor have their weird conversation via DVD.
5) ELO and Dating a Piece of Cement
I can’t even narrow this one down to a single moment. “Love and Monsters,” the whole episode, the whole damn thing is fantastic. It’s brilliant. Hilarious and heartwarming. Not only is it refreshing to have the story told from an entirely new perspective but the characters couldn’t be more precious or charming in their sincerity and sweetness – from dancing to ELO to having a girlfriend that’s a piece of cement, the entire episode makes me warm and fuzzy from beginning to end.
6) Rose & The Doctor Part Ways
Damn those alternate realities and the gaping voids in between. The hole between realities has closed and Rose is trapped forever on the wrong side. If the final conversation between Rose and The Doctor doesn’t rip your heart out then you haven’t one to rip. He burns up a sun to say goodbye. Remember that the next time you forget your anniversary…he burns up a sun and you can’t remember a simple date. Shame on you.
7) The Doctor Donna
After Rose I’ve always thought Donna was the ultimate companion to The Doctor (and no, it isn’t because she’s a fellow ginger). She was his perfect platonic compliment, always ready with a funny quip and a reality check to keep him from turning from Time Lord to monster. Donna proves her merit on more than one occasion but really steps into her own when, during a meta-crisis, she absorbs a little Time Lord intellect and becomes the totally kickass, hilarious and brilliant beyond compare Doctor Donna. It was heartbreaking to see her go…I would have loved to see what The Doctor and Doctor Donna could have accomplished together. As Donna would say, it would have been wizard.
8) Rose & The Doctor Part II
So after the meta-crisis we are left with two Doctors. Count ’em. One. Two. One is pure Time Lord, the other a Time Lord/human hybrid. As though that weren’t awesome enough, Rose is back to help save the day. But once again, the rift between realities is closing and Rose is on the wrong side…or is she. As Rose and The Doctors have a heart to heart to heart-heart on the beach of Bad Wolf Bay, it is revealed that Meta-crisis Doctor can’t regenerate. More human than Time Lord, Meta-crisis Doctor and The Doctor tell Rose they share all the same memories…and all the same feelings. The words Rose has longed to hear for all those years is whispered in her ear by Meta-crisis Doctor and they finally FINALLY kiss and I finally get the happily ever after I so desperately wanted for Rose and The Doctor. I wonder what they named their kids…
9) River Song Meets the Nazis
Any episode with River Song is gold, but the scene where the newly regenerated River Song lands on a sidewalk filled with Nazi officers is, hands down, her crowning moment. This is one of the best scenes in Who history.
10) The Doctor Meets Idris, aka Sexy.
Imagine having a friend who can’t talk. Ever. Imagine you’ve been friends with them for over 900 years. Now imagine they finally have a voice. Imagine all the things they’d want to say…and that you’d want to hear. The Doctor receives such a blessing when his TARDIS is transported into the body of a human…and it’s a beautiful relationship to witness. Two very old and very dear friends speaking for the first time. Two peas in a pod. Best friends forever…almost quite literally.
11) Everyone Flying the TARDIS
How do you not smile from ear to ear when you see everyone from Sarah Jane to Donna triumphantly flying the TARDIS? You don’t. You just don’t…
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE Doctor Who moments? I know I didn’t cover them all…this post isn’t a TARDIS after all…it’s not bigger on the inside and capable of holding the hundreds of amazing moments the series has given us. So share your favorites in the comments.
Now let the countdown to “The Day of The Doctor” begin. Here we go…
EVERY YEAR I MAKE A PILGRIMAGE…of sorts. Destination: MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Purpose: my annual checkup with my oncologist and hero, the amazing Dr. Ross.
THIS HAS BEEN THE NORM ever since I was diagnosed with (and obviously recovered from) melanoma several years ago.
SINCE I NO LONGER LIVE IN HOUSTON and the drive is a long one, I make the most of my annual visits by spending time with my friends there…this year it was with one of my favorite partners in crime, Dan.
THIS YEAR? We hit up the…
(where we witnessed the re-birth and deaths of several winged beauties and I made out with a giant caterpillar.)
(where I was disappointed to find my beloved cuttlefish exhibit had been replaced with horseshoe crabs BUT the new dinosaur exhibit was killer), and
(where we partied with a Disco Buddha) with a two hour delicious intermission taken for…
(olives, cheese, spinach and pine nuts make for one very happy mouth) and book shopping in Rice Village. A clean bill of health from Dr. Ross and a beautiful day spent with a dear friend. It was a good day…a good day.