To Read Makes Our Speaking English Good

There's banjo music coming through my window. Our reclusive hippie neighbors suddenly packed up and left last week and the house next door has been taken by a couple of exuberant young guys who favor fashion statements along the lines of courderoy blazers over vintage metal band t-shirts and generous goatees. Apparently, they also enjoy playing bluegrass music on the porch on Friday nights. Hey, that's cool with me--Naughtworth Manor's watchword is nothing if not "bohemian" and they're actually rather nimble with a banjo. Free concert and possibly free beer if I decide to amble over and say hi. Neither is a bad thing in my book :).

In other news, this video is very odd and not a little disturbing.  It's not that Rudy's in drag; it's that Trump is spritzing him with perfume and motorboating his fake boobs:

 

My roommate, describing her attempt to explain the vampire metaphor to her freshman "Writing in College" students:

"I had trouble getting the point across. I had to restrain myself from blurting out 'Euphemism: It's like porn, for deep people.'"

I kind of almost fell out of my chair from laughing.

After a few hours of cleaning (yes, poor Naughtworth Manor has been woefully neglected lately) I realized that half the piles of Important Stuff to Save on the couch were cards and letters that won't fit in my overflowing Spuffy letterbox. So I took a practical crafting break to decorate a new (bigger) letterbox. Ever since the Manor's DVD collection grew to include all three seasons of Doctor Who, I've been reaching for random episodes to play while I'm crafting. It's almost Pavlovian now: Crafting Time = Doctor Who Time. But what episodes do I put on? Something fun, like "The Christmas Invasion?" No, I put in "Army of Ghosts" and "Doomsday," the latter of which I've never been able to watch without crying. A lot. And I did. A lot.  

My favorite non-emo moment in "Doomsday" is this Dale/Cyberman exchange:

Cyber Leader: Daleks, be warned. You have declared war upon the Cybermen.
Dalek Leader: This is not war - this is pest control!
Cyber Leader: We have five million Cybermen. How many are you?
Dalek Leader: Four.
Cyber Leader: You would destroy the Cybermen with four Daleks?
Dalek Leader: We would destroy the Cybermen with one Dalek! You superior in only one respect.
Cyber Leader: What is that?
Dalek Leader: You are better at dying.

That's almost as good as when the Dalek in "Bad Wolf" screams "DO NOT BLASPHEME!"

Also, Genesis of the Daleks finally arrived on Friday. I'm using Netflix to become exposed to vintage Doctor Who; at the very least, I'd like to make it through at least one storyline from each of the previous eight Doctors. Some things I learned from the first episode of GofD:
1. Tom Baker has fascinating hair. Fascinating and distracting. 
2. No matter how many dry ice machines and potted plants you bring in, everything about the planet screams "BBC soundstage!"  
3. Young Sarah Jane is adorable!
4. Slashiness is not just for Nine and Ten. Doctor the Fourth definitely thanked Harry Sullivan for saving him from a land mine with a 1000-watt smile and a lingering sideways glance. 
5. Now I know who this Davros guy is.

flinkkamingo3 made the icon 

What happens when you marathon anything fandom a scant five weeks before Christmas? All of your manic crafting glee ends up fixated on one subject and, in the case of Naughtworth Manor, you end up with a very merry Doctor Who themed holiday.

Dear Universe,

Please, please, please, please, please...DO NOT MAKE THE RAIN TURN TO ICE AND/OR SNOW! At least not until I'm safely perched on the end of M's couch, wrapped in a blanket, sipping a Sonic Screwdriver, and watching Captain Jack kick ass and take names in Torchwood: Season One.

Seriously--if you get me to the 'Burg safely this evening, I'll make it a point to do the following in February:

1. Be nice to stupid people (even the one's working in so-called "Customer Service")
2. Ooh and ahh over babies/kittens/puppies/other things that people who aren't me find cute
3. Stop obsessing over elaborate plans for the destruction of Mike Huckabee and start campaigning for someone I actually want to see in the White House

Here's a visual illustration of my point.

If we make it out of town in time, I spend the weekend watching this:


If we don't make it out of town, I spend the weekend watching this*:


I think we can agree that option one is vastly superior to option two.

Most sincerely,
Abby

*Bob Marlin, the surprisingly non-Rastafarian fish mounted on our living room wall. I really am quite fond of Bob, but I'd still rather watch Captain Jack get his time travel on.

(Thanks to blacknight71 for the icon)