Who's Your Doctor?

Day 145: It's not often that I miss having television, certainly not often enough to justify the expense of a dish and a set capable of receiving a modern signal, but I would really like to be able to watch "Doctor Who" when it airs instead of having to catch up when the latest season is finally released on DVD. I've watched all the episodes which Netflix has to offer, right from the very first season with William Hartnell as the Doctor. My favourite Doctors are Peter Capaldi for the touch of madness he brings to the role, Tom Baker despite the fact that he reveals himself to be a rather egocentric person in his commentaries, and of course David Tennant. I would be hard put to rank them one-two-three. The low end of the scale is much more solid: I did not like Colin Baker. That said, I am a huge "Who" fan and I'm anxious to see the latest incarnation.

Who's Your Doctor?

Day 142: Who's your Doctor? I am nearing the end of all Doctor Who DVDs (current and historic) with the exception of a handful featuring Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy, only available through Amazon. I think I am qualified to say that "my" Doctors are David Tennant, Tom Baker (although it pains me to admit it), Peter Capaldi, Jon Pertwee and William Hartnell, in that order. Oh, and let's don't leave out the War Doctor, John Hurt, who passed away earlier this year. I was not particularly taken with Patrick Troughton's interpretation, nor am I impressed with Colin Baker so far. The remaining Doctors fall somewhere in between, spins which I like in some ways but not in others. Yes, David Tennant would be "my" Doctor, although it can't be denied that Tom Baker defined the role, but Baker's off-screen personality is off-putting, if what can be ascertained from commentaries and interviews is representative.

Of the companions, it is Donna Noble who rises to the top of the list. Her story's bittersweet ending was exceptional in its conception. Otherwise, I prefer the Doctor to remain aloof, and therefore Rose Tyler's involvement with him seemed like a toss-off to capture female viewers. Villains? Why, the Daleks, of course, and the Master, who has undergone almost as many regenerations as the Doctor himself. The introduction of Missy was brilliant, and is played to mad perfection by Michelle Gomez.

Unfortunately, most of the earliest episodes of Doctor Who would be accessible only if we could catch a ride in the TARDIS. They were made in the days before tape, and even those which were recorded later were thrown out by BBC, bag and baggage, rather than being archived. No one knew that Doctor Who would become a world-wide phenomenon, and arguably one of the best science-fiction series ever made.

The Future of NPS

Day 257 (bonus post): According to the folks at LEGO, the LEGO National Parks series wasn't "global" enough to put into production. I understand that logic, but I was unhappy because I really wanted one of those ranger mini-figures. Then I discovered that they were available as a limited edition, made from "repurposed LEGO parts" and not actually a LEGO product. I ordered two, and then set about finding a way to convert one of them into ME. I ordered a head with glasses and an additional Peter Capaldi wig (the only grey hair they had available), and from my small stockpile of spare parts, figured out a way that my avatar could hold her hat in her hand.

Of course I was duty-bound to insert her into my "Doctor Who" set, and within seconds of the time I submitted the photo to Facebook's "National Park Service LEGO Vignettes" page, the administrators contacted me with a resounding "Awesome!" and permission to post it to the page. I captioned it "The future of the National Park Service is in your hands."

Lego My Doctor!

Day 74: I am not one to endorse products ordinarily, but I cannot recall ever having been so favourably impressed with the quality of an item as I am with Legos. I bought the "Doctor Who" set after seeing it at at friend's (still in the box), although I did so with some reservation because it looked rather complicated for someone who had no prior experience with the brand. I grew up with wooden TinkerToys and in those days, Legos were not much more than bricks with bumps. Modern Legos are infinitely more complex, with tiny pieces which take the craft into a realm not too unlike model ship building. I'd fiddled with a handful of pieces from the huge bins maintained by Kevin's two sons, but quickly became frustrated when I couldn't put them together to make anything recognizable. I didn't realize you needed a blueprint. However, when you purchase a kit such as this, Lego comes through with the most thorough and clear assembly instructions I have ever seen, and does so without the need of language. The manual for this kit is a book, literally. The illustrations are large and are from perspectives which utterly annihilate any possibility of confusion. I've been taking my time this morning, but at this point, I have the TARDIS about a third of the way completed, and am finding that I am greatly enjoying the building process. Move over, jigsaw puzzles! I think I've found a new sport.

Doctor Who

Day 70: To me, Christmas has always been a time of anticipation. That's half the fun, right? I've never been one for poking into packages or trying to read through the wrapping paper. In fact, I generally avoid handling Christmas gifts lest I guess what's inside them and spoil the surprise. That said, although I do participate in a rather elaborate gift exchange with two friends, living alone places me under the scope of Santa's radar and to offset that, I always buy myself a present for under the tree and then make myself wait until Christmas Day to open it.

Okay, yes, I admit I bought myself a microscope several weeks ago, but I had an immediate need for it, so it couldn't very well go under the tree unopened. However, when Lego released their Doctor Who set, I found myself considering purchasing a toy for myself. I was doing a good job of resisting temptation until I visited an astronomer friend who showed me hers, fresh off the shelf. Sigh. What could I do? I ordered it.

Here you see the unopened package. It will remain unopened until Christmas morning. It's only a few more days. I think I can muster that much resolve. (Be it noted that this will be my first experience with Legos. They've become much more complex than they were when I was a teen.)

Ice Planet

Day 47: "I don't care where we go, just as long as it's warm." Crow took one last look at the frozen Earth as the TARDIS spun into the time stream, ready for any adventure as long as it didn't involve thermal underwear. The Doctor had promised her abundant lichens to study, but something had gone terribly wrong. Instead of landing in an interglacial period, they had come down in a mini-Ice Age. "I suppose I should be grateful for the lack of mosquitoes," she continued. "I didn't really think that through very well. Can we turn up the heat? My toes are still numb."

The only specimen she had been able to retrieve for her collection proved to be identical in all respects to the Cladina mitis of her own time. While it was interesting to note that lichen evolution had apparently reached its acme in this era, and the Cladina was proving to be superbly adapted by surviving without change for thousands of years, the knowledge warmed nothing but the proverbial cockles of her heart. Her hands were blue. Her nose was red. Her hair, already silver, carried a fine sheen of frost. "How about orchids?" she asked. "Mycoheterotrophs? And what are YOU worried about, anyway? The bugs don't like you. It must be that sonic screwdriver, the noise it makes. Gawd, give me Daleks any day over mosquitoes and ticks!"

It could be that the Doctor didn't know what he was letting himself in for when he picked up his latest companion. He'd found her flat-out on the forest floor, magnifying glass in hand and a camera around her neck. He'd asked what she was looking for and she'd replied, "Alien life-forms. They're everywhere." A widely travelled man, he'd taken her figure of speech literally and offered his assistance, something he could hardly withdraw over a minor misunderstanding. When at last she exulted, "Pilophorus! I knew you were around here someplace!" he realized his mistake. Only then did she face him, introducing herself with a grubby handshake. "I'm Crow," she said. "I'm studying lichens."

"I noticed," he replied as casually as he could manage. "And I'm the Doctor. I know a place..."

Zygo Pollen Nebula

Day 29: While examining grains of Zygocactus pollen under the microscope today, I was startled by the sudden rupture of one and subsequent expulsion of thousands of microspores in a nebulous cloud. I was immediately struck by the similarity of the microscopic world to that of the macroscopic universe and couldn't resist converting one to the other digitally. The more I think about this, the more convinced I am that there are substantial relativistic overtones. After all, the TARDIS is bigger on the inside than on the outside.

Closet Whovian

Day 298: A couple of months ago, I caved in to peer pressure and started watching Doctor Who, beginning with the 2005 series. I had some background on the premise and wasn't sure how I was going to take to a show where the main character changed rather frequently, and grilled my friend Kevin as to whether or not subsequent actors were able to successfully portray enough personality traits to make it believable. On his assurance that I would "see" the Doctor in each regeneration and that the one villain I knew something about would recur, I decided to give it a go. I am happy to say the series did not disappoint. I liked Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor and had no trouble adjusting to David Tennant's assumption of the role. Best of all, there were Daleks: "Exterminate! Exterminate!"

Now this is quite a leap for an old Trekkie. Initially, I had a hard time believing that any series could hold a candle to Star Trek, but my other favourite (Farscape) proved to be a strong competitor for my loyalties. I liked the fact that Farscape's story was an on-going one, unlike Trek's stand-alone episodes. Many of the episodes of Doctor Who appear to be isolated stories, but subtle hints dropped here and there begin to stack up to a larger plot. I haven't quite pulled Farscape down from its pre-eminent position nor dropped ST:TNG below second place, but Doctor Who is definitely running a strong third. I will save judgment until I've survived another regeneration. For right now, I'll say that David Tennant's "slightly mad from having seen and done so much" Doctor will be hard to lose.