The Katharine Hepburn Project

Time for another patron-inspired post! …Sort of. The inestimable Mr. Erik Stadnik pledged to me ages ago and gave me three choices for what to write about. One of those was to cover the films of Katharine Hepburn. There’s no way I’m gonna pass up the opportunity to write about a star from my favorite era of filmmaking! So why haven’t I gotten to it yet?

Search me. But because it’s taken me so long (and because the topic is so juicy), I’m gonna do this one differently. Instead of creating a single post about a few of Ms. Hepburn’s films, I’m diving into an altogether bigger project.

I’m in Another Book!

That’s right! When it rains, it pours, apparently, and it’s pouring Doctor Who goodness at the moment. The excitement of seeing my name (and words I wrote!) in print in Companion Piece hasn’t even worn off yet, and here’s another opportunity to experience that thrill.

You and Who: Contact Has Been Made – Volume 2 has just been released. It’s the second volume in a series that looks at Doctor Who story-by-story. I can almost hear you saying “another book about Doctor Who?” Well first of all, I’m not sure there is such a thing as too many books about Doctor Who. There are as many interesting things to be said about the show as there are people to say them. And that is precisely why I’m so thrilled to be a part of this particular book.

Lazy Doctor Who – A New Podcast!

No, those are not my feet and not my socks, but I do have some socks very much like them. This picture does, however, refer to my new podcast, Lazy Doctor Who. “Our” new podcast, I should say. Steven and I have started our own Doctor Who podcast. It was inevitable, really. Two podcasters living together, both loving the same show, it was only a matter of time. Maybe the world doesn’t need another Doctor Who podcast. Maybe Steven and I don’t need to do another podcast, but gosh darn it, it’s fun! And it’s a wonderful way to spend some quality time together.

When we decided to move in together, it was a given we’d embark upon what Paul Cornell calls “the pilgrimage”–watching all 50+ years of Doctor Who from beginning to end. We had to put it off a while because of Steven’s other podcast, The Memory Cheats. The conceit of that lovely little show was that he and his cohost Josh talked about classic Who stories from memory. Rewatching those eps with me would be cheating on The Memory Cheats. Now that he and Josh have completed their run (congrats guys!), Steven is free to watch with me!

When we started talking about the pilgrimage, we were excited. Steven was particularly happy to watch a show at our own pace, without having to blog or podcast about it. When he said that, I silently pined. Watch a tv show (Doctor Who in particular) and not podcast about it? Is that even allowed?

So I started plotting.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Last year on Father’s Day, I wrote a post (and poem!) about how my dad’s writing influenced mine. Well today is my dad’s birthday, and even though I’m 1500 miles away from where he’s celebrating, I’m thinking of him and wishing him the happiest of days today (and every day, really).

Of all the fond reminiscences I have of spending time with my dad, one popped to the forefront of my mind and really cheered me up this morning. When we were kids, my brother, sister, and I got to take turns spending quality time with Dad. Every so often, he would take one of us out for a night of fun—doing whatever we felt like doing—going to a movie or dinner or roller skating or Sesame Street Live (which for years my sister said was THE BEST NIGHT OF HER LIFE).

One of those “Turns” sticks out in my memory.