Damn you Jennifer!  I've been glued to YouTube (is that their new slogan?) for most of the last two days watching seasons one and two (2005-6) of the current incarnation of Doctor Who.

I never got into it all that much when I was younger.  Tom Baker was the Doctor when I was a kid.  And until Peter Davidson appeared and put me off the whole thing (with his nauseatingly sensitive portrayal (though I was quite keen on the sprig of, what was it, celery?)), Baker was the only Doctor I ever saw.  The PBS station in Dallas never aired those older incarnations of the Doctor.  I watched the show for it's kitsch appeal, the goofy surrealism, and, of course, because Tom Baker was allowed to chew the scenery like Captain Kirk on an IMAX.

But this new BBC production is a different animal.  It's still geared towards kids.  People die, but there's no blood or gore.  For instance, if the Cyber Men decided to turn a human into a robot, the view through a frosted window will show plenty of sparks flying from the rotating blades, but never the sickening splash of blood on glass that you would have gotten in the X-Files.  It's sweet and wholesome, and heaven help me, I love it.  It has all the good parts of Chris Carter and Joss Whedon without the problematic neurosis.  Nice special effects, tight writing, and just a smart production.

There are two Doctors so far.  Christopher Eccleston comes off like he's wandered in from a Guy Ritchy set.  Gaunt, hair cut down to the nub, and he wears  a lapeled leather jacket trimmed to the waist.  He's a hyper-active pub boy, now a bit long of tooth.  David Tennant, the next version of the Doctor, is boyish with a tousle of hair.  He wears a jacket and tie and, when reading is required, he pulls out a pair of black horn-rimmed glasses.  The side-kick who  is carried over through both seasons and both Doctors was played by Billie Piper.  She's always fun to watch.  But for the new season, they've brought in a new girl.

Check it out.  Glue yourself to a YouTube terminal at home or work.  The new Doctor Who.  It's stylish, quirky, and smart.  You'll be thanking me.  Just as I'm thanking Jennifer.

Thank you Jennifer!

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I got very little accomplished today.  And I had such plans.

My neighbor, Marlyss, has an art show coming up.  End of February, I think.  I like the concept, as she explained it to me.  But I still haven't seen the images.  It's a multi-media thing.  She asked me for a sound file she could have going.  She didn't want much.  Just some white noise.  I told her that might be a bit too ugly.  She might chase away the audience.  But she only smiled.  Great!  I smiled back.  Ugly art.  I love ugly art!

I gave her a few options.  White noise is pretty raw.  It's not so much ugly or off-putting as it is painful.  I decided that what she needed was something that, well, “seemed” painful, but was in fact just mildly irritating.  I tracked down a wonderful low hum recorded at a Canadian hydroelectric plant.  I merged the two tracks.  The low Canadian rumblings helped to fill out the white noise.  The marriage created an ugly sound that can be tolerated.  I can't wait to see (and hear) her show.

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Tonight I entered into my first ever conference call.

I was on line with something like 16 other people.  Very weird.  This was for the 48 Hour Film Project, of which I'm the local producer here in San Antonio.  The voices on the line were the four people who run the organization, as well as all the new local producers — such as me.

They all sounded like great people.  And I wish I could make it to the yearly meeting / screening this March in Albuquerque.  But I'm working on Robin's film.  Besides, I'm at a loss how to pay my bills and the rent for February.  I'm just about tapped out.  A drive to New Mexico sounds fun, but it ain't gonna happen.