When I take my son to school, I drive back to the house along the lake. Today, this short journey was illuminated by an amazing sight. The sun was bright and the sky so clear that as I looked out over the lake I could not see the horizon, only a brilliant white light. It was like staring at joy. This past winter an ice storm turned all of the trees to glistening sculptures as the morning light shone through them. I wished I'd had a camera.  I wanted to call my sister--she's much better with a camera than I am--so she could capture this moment. But of course, by the time I got home, I'd forgotten and moved back to the "real world" with all of the chaos and adventure of getting to work on time. So today, once again, no camera, but I decided I'd capture the moment in words so that my mind's eye would remember how beautiful this morning was.

I haven't posted in a while--since I accidentally found out about the ending of Series 2.  Seriously, couldn't they have sent her to a nunnery?? Left her in the Holy Land doing good works?? Have her lost at sea?? What is it with these writers that their imaginations are so limited. Any of those story lines would have left the door open. It's almost as if they wanted to punish her. They ended up punishing the rest of us. They have lost many fans.

I tried to post this on David Tennant-love--not sure if it will be accepted so I thought I'd post it here.

On to the discussion of David. I must echo the comments of "Chicklet". David is an amazing actor. I read an interview he gave for a Scottish theatre periodical--forgive me I've lost the name of it amongst my files. Anyway, he describes his approach to acting in a way that resonates with "Chicklet's" comments and my own experience of his performances. He looks upon each part, each scene as new--requiring a fresh response. This is exactly the impression I had when watching his performances as the Doctor, Peter Carlisle and Casanova (and of course, Barty Crouch, Jr.,) to name a few. I've since had the privilege of seeing him in Learners, Recovery and a bit of the Quartermass Experiment. He may be one of the best actors in the field today. I find that I can watch his performances over and over again because each time I see him, the performance is fresh. He is in a word, fantastic. At the same time, he also seems to be a very decent person. Every time he is on a talk show or radio program, he appears friendly, honest and FUN.  He seems to enjoy his life, his job, his audience/fans. I love to see that joy. I also see him as a courageous person. He has faced an terrible loss. I know what that's like. Both of my parents are now gone. I only had 34 years with my mom and years later, I still miss her. I miss my Dad too. I had a few more years with him.  You want to have someone in your life who is proud of you, who loves you, no matter what. I am struck by the scene in Doomsday where the Doctor stands on one side of the wall and Rose on the other--they can feel each other but they can't touch or talk to each other. I say in response to all the nabobs of negativity on IMDB, I love the character of Rose. She adores the Doctor, so much that she would give up everything for him--her family, her friends, her life. The Doctor recognizes the sacrifice and in his own way, he loves her too. Of course she is clingy and jealous--he is her whole life. At the end of the day, she adores him she would die for him and I guess I understand that emotion and for that, forgive her for her "moods."  If I were in Rose's position, 19 years old, taken up by THE most amazing man in the universe, facing death around every corner, seeing amazing and wonderful sights, I think I'd act the same way too.


Somewhere on the Internet is THAT PHOTO. Everyone knows the one to which I refer: David in the "altogether." Of course, he is gorgeous. At the same time, I see him portraying another perspective as well. In everything we do, in our most essential and real selves, we bare our souls; we are naked before the world. It's not just a photo of a very attractive man; it is an existential statement about what it means to "put ourselves out there," to be truly ourselves.  To do that, in our lives, our work, is to be truly courageous.  What an wonderful person. I'm so glad I know of him. 

Wow, I watched a great program on PBS last night. It was a tribute to Paul Simon and his music. They had the most amazing artists each doing their rendition of Paul's songs. Then Art Garfunkel came out and sang Bridge Over Troubled Waters--Classy Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel blending so well, each trying to sing with and for the other rather than themselves.. Art, saving it up for the final bars so he could really make the song work. Then James Taylor, Lyell Lovett, Stevie Wonder, Marc Anthony, Ladysmith Black Mambazo (sp?); Buckwheat Zydeco, and so many others, I didn't get a chance to write the names down. I assume the CD and DVD will be made available soon. It was fantastic.  My only regret--I missed the first 15 or 20 minutes, so I don't know if they performed "You can call me Al" Still one of my favorite songs of all time. It just makes me want to dance :)

What a wonderful program and a wonderful way to spend Wednesday!

What's the best birthday present you ever received?

The best birthday present I ever received--actually it was a combo birthday/Christmas present from a friend I talk to all the time but don't see often enough. We went to see Mandy Patinkin in concert. He has an amazing voice and a wonderful presence. Everything about the night was perfect. I really enjoyed myself and I was very grateful to my friend. I think material gifts are great but this present of an event was a once in a lifetime thing--it was truly great. This same friend gave me another wonderful gift--a dictionary. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. A huge volume and fascinating. I love words. I don't really have a favorite one, though, as another Writer's block question suggested. I'll have to think on that some more.