A Week of Deduction | Sherlock Blog Event & Giveaway

Are you SHERlocked?  

Then you won't want to miss out on this fabulous blog event and giveaway going on at The Golden Road!

I'm not gonna lie - I really, really, really want to win this giveaway!

Because I want this t-shirt and the Season 1 soundtrack CD...

I can't wait to see what else Rose has in store for us this week!

Allons-y!

p.s.

it's okay to mix fandoms, right?  right.

Doctor Who {Series 5} | Review

Waiting...waiting...waiting...

I love my library, but the painful truth is that it takes FOREVER for requests to come in.  Particularly when you request Doctor Who.  There must be more Whovians around than you'd think, because there are always several holds in ahead of mine.  

Waiting...waiting...waiting...

And then...it's there.  The next series.  At the library, waiting for me to pick it up, bring it home, and watch it...I've usually finished it within two days.   But that means I get to watch it over again before I have to bring it back.  *sheepish grin*  That's the sad, painful truth right there, folks.

I FINALLY got Series 5.  This was a big moment.  My FIRST introduction to the Doctor's 11th regeneration.   I'll admit that I was extremely hesitant to move on to series 5.  Just couldn't imagine anyone coming after Ten, flying through time and space in the TARDIS.  Also I'm completely, hopelessly in love with  David Tennant, for obvious reasons...

I mean, hello people, this guy is adorable...not to mention gorgeous.  And if anyone was born to play the Doctor, it's David.

Ahem, moving on...
So I held off for a while, but curiosity finally won out.

Warning: spoilers ahead!

And...I saw him.

Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor

And I thought, "This guy is absolutely insane!"  That's when I knew that he was the Doctor.  Maybe not my Doctor, but he is absolutely the Doctor.   Absolutely a mad man with a box.  And still absolutely wonderful.
All things considered, I thought Matt Smith did a splendid job as the Doctor.  The main thing I missed (well, aside from DT;), was depth.  Matt's Doctor definitely doesn't have as much depth to his character as either Eccleston's or Tennant's performances.  However, he does have some pretty good dialog and fantastic moments, so I can forgive that.  Besides, not everyone can be David Tennant;)

...~...~...~...~...

Karen Gillan as Amy Pond

Amy Pond - the girl who waited.
I'm still deciding how I feel about Amy.  I envy her hair - always did wish I was ginger - and I love how spunky she is, but...she doesn't seem to appreciate Rory like she should.  I'm not saying she doesn't love him, I'm just saying she doesn't fully realize how amazing he is.  Besides, all is forgiven when you hear Amy's Scottish accent!  I'm lovin' it!!!

Karen is absolutely adorable here with her Amy Pond action figure! :)

...~...~...~...~...

Arthur Darvill as Rory Williams

Because Rory...well, I'm in love with Rory Williams.  He totally did not impress me in the first episode, but any guy who duels a vampire using a broomstick is awesome in my book.  And he protected Amy for 2,000 years, dressed as a centurion, no less!!   *melt*  He will forever love Amy.  It's beautiful.
And I will forever love Rory.

Amy and Rory

...~...~...~...~...

Alex Kingston as River Song

And now we're starting to find out more about the mysterious River Song, who made her first appearance in Silence in the Library-Forest of the Dead with the 10th Doctor.  His first meeting and her last - time travel is such fun;)  Of course, I already know where her story is heading.  It's impossible to be on Pinterest and not see spoilers. ;)

We've got the usual reoccurring monsters/aliens/enemies - the Daleks (will they never be completely destroyed??), Cybermen, Weeping Angels (thank you Moffat for freaking me out every time I even see a picture of an angel now!  I wasn't paranoid enough - I needed that.), and in the series finale the gangs all there with the Sontarans and every other enemy of the Doctor you can think of.

In this series, we've been handed over to Steven Moffat, the evil genius who now produces and writes  Doctor Who.  He certainly enjoys tormenting us poor Whovians...and Sherlockians too, for that matter.  But he's brilliant.  Love his complex plots.  Instead of turning into vegetables watching TV, you're forced to think.  Love it!!  However, it does seem as if there is more what I would consider to be adult themes in this series.  Nothing absolutely inappropriate, but a few things that I wouldn't be comfortable having young kids watch...but then, I don't think I'd be comfortable having young kids watch any of the new Doctor Who, no matter which series.  

The Ninth, Eleventh and Tenth regenerations of the Doctor.

On the whole, I enjoyed Series 5 very, very much.  Aside from feeling slightly disoriented with the new face of the Doctor, his new sonic screwdriver, and the new interior for the TARDIS, it was very good.  Well written, good characters and good plots.  I'm definitely looking forward to watching Series 6!

Happy Trails, y'all!

I ♥ Thursday | no. 6

What I'm lovin' this week...

This granny square cardigan...

{picture credit}
I can so see myself making and wearing this...but in a more muted color palette. :)

This TV series...

All Creatures Great and Small based on the books by James Herriot.
For years I've enjoyed reading about James Herriot's adventures as a vet in the Yorkshire Dales of England, and to see some of my favorite stories come to life has been absolutely delightful!  I love the cast (Peter Davison as Tristan is especially good;) and the scenery is magnificent.

James Herriot, Siegfried Farnon, Tristan Farnon, Mrs. Hall, and Helen Herriot...plus Siegfried's dogs;)

Disclaimer: There is definitely adult content in this series and also some language which I could do without, so I can't 100% recommend this series to my readers.  If you've read the books then you already know what to expect.

Happy Trails, y'all!

Wallpaper Wednesday | I am SHERlocked

Greetings and a very happy Wednesday to you all!

I'm still working on the next volume of the My Doctor series, so I will share those next week.   

Today on Wallpaper Wednesday, I'm excited to share with you a few wallpapers which Ashley and Gabrielle requested...

S H E R L O C K

Okay, so this next one...well, I LOVE it.

- all pictures link to their full size images and are also available on the For You page -

.....

I'll probably create a few wallpapers featuring John Watson and a few other characters at some point, but I thought this should do it for now.  Too much Sherlock Holmes/Benedict Cumberbatch isn't possible. *grin*

.....

Happy Trails, y'all!

Wallpaper Wednesday | Doctor Who {vol. 1}

As my friend Kellie predicted, vast quantities of Doctor Who wallpaper are about to descend in force...she knows me well, Kellie does. ;)

We'll start off with the Doctor's ninth regeneration, portrayed by Christopher Eccleston.

I love my first Doctor.  

He was absolutely fantastic and he introduced me to this wonderful series.

He reminds me of Fred Astaire, in that he's not exactly good looking (not exactly ugly, either), but he's charming.   So charming.  And you just can't help but love him.  I was quite distressed when Nine regenerated...until I saw Ten.

David Tennant

cute

funny

makes the BEST facial expressions EVER

passionate

has great hair...great hair
amazing eyebrows
beautiful smile

and wears Converse sneakers.

He is absolutely adorable in every way.

And David Tennant has a simply heavenly Scottish accent in real life.

*double swoon*

I could listen to him talk all day...and I may or may not have watched his video diaries multiple times just so I could listen to him talk.  Ahem, yes...moving on.

"Fingers on lips!!!"

And where would The Doctor be without Rose Tyler?

Rose is my favorite companion.  She's a wonderful heroine - compassionate, strong, loyal, the defender of the Earth.

Ah, Ten and Rose...

I love them together.  And I sob just thinking about their goodbye at the end of Season 2.
These characters have an amazing grip on me emotionally.  I've never, ever been this attached to fictional characters before...and since I fall in love with fictional characters all the time, that's saying something.

Rose: I... I love you.
The Doctor: Quite right too.  And I suppose... if it's my last chance to say it... Rose Tyler... *fades out*

It's just too wonderfully, beautifully tragic...and here I am sobbing again.

*me sobbing*

*sniff*

I'm looking forward to their reunion at the end of Season 4...that is, if I survive waiting for the second half to come in at the library...which is doubtful, very doubtful.
But here's a Journey's End wallpaper anyway...:)

And this post wouldn't be complete without the TARDIS...

- all pictures link to their full sized images and are also available on the For You page -
.....

Next time on Wallpaper Wednesday get ready for Doctor Who {vol. 2}
which will include...
Martha Jones
Donna Noble
and maybe a few more of Ten;)

Any other character suggestions from my fellow Whovians?
 .....

Happy Trails!

Trust me, I'm the Doctor

Hold on to your hats, folks.  I'm about to reveal the extent of my nerdy-ness in two words...Doctor Who.

I fell head over heels in love with this British sci-fi TV series...and I'm only two seasons in!

It. Is. Awesome. Period.

I just love pretty much everything about it - flying through time and space in the TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension in Space), the sonic screwdriver, awesome British accents, The Doctor himself...*swoon*

In particular, the 10th Doctor.  He had me as soon as he put on his pair of 3-D glasses...

*grin*

"Isn't anyone going to ask me what's with the glasses??"

 

...actually, before that when he had the sword fight with the Sycorax while in his PJs.  Not everyone can pull that off...and he wasn't even wearing wellies!!  (sorry, that was an inside joke with me, myself and I)
So, I guess he had me from the beginning;)  

He also has excellent taste in clothes...

I think David Tennant will always be my favorite Doctor.  This may or may not have something to do with the fact that David Tennant has a lovely Scottish accent in real life;)

What?!  What?!  What?!

Ooh, and did I mention that the TARDIS looks like a 1960s London police call box??

Well, it does.  It's bigger on the inside.  Very cool.

Anyway, don't be alarmed if from now on I suddenly yell "allons-y!" and randomly say "this could really be more sonic".  And I may possibly mumble something about edible ball-bearings.

I'm perfectly alright, but if you're really worried there is one thing you can do...

Note: Please use caution and your own judgement when viewing this series - in several episodes there is some adult content and a few brief incidents of stuff that I firmly believe are immoral and wrong (mainly involving an implied relationship between two men)...which I skip.  I'm telling you all this because I don't want you to think that I'm ok with that kind of stuff, because I'm definitely not.  As it's not part of the main story or series, but seems to be an isolated incident, I'm ok with simply skipping it and enjoying the rest of the series.
Thanks for understanding:)

Also, if you do not enjoy encounters with aliens and strange life forms in general, you will not like this series.
You've been warned.
;)

Dalek: The Doctor will open the Ark!
The Doctor: Ha ha, the Doctor will not.
Dalek: You have no way of resisting!
The Doctor: Mm, you got me there. *holds up sonic screwdriver* Although, there is always this.
Dalek: A sonic probe?
The Doctor: That's screwdriver.
Dalek: It is harmless.
The Doctor: Ohh, yes. Harmless is just the word: that's why I like it! Doesn't kill, doesn't wound, doesn't maim. But I'll tell you what it does do: It is very good at opening doors. *pushes the switch and the doors explode*

Happy Trails, y'all!

Movie Review: BBC Robin Hood

Ok, here it is - my review of Seasons One and Two of the BBC Robin Hood TV series (2006).

I was not expecting to like this series, mainly because I can't imagine anyone but Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland as Robin and Marian. 
And I knew the costumes weren't period correct.
They were more like modern with a splash of medieval...or possibly medieval with a splash of modern.  I'm not sure which.  Either way, my inner costume geek was horrified in the extreme.

But, to my great surprise and utter astonishment, I enjoyed it.
Ok, I'll be honest - I really, really enjoyed it.
As in, I watched season one in just a few days and season two as quickly as I could get it from the library.

Robin was a bit of a rouge, and that's how it should be.  Never at a loss for words or arrows.  I wasn't sure I liked him at first, but I grew to like him as I went through the series.  The same with Marian.  I didn't really like her costumes, although they weren't entirely devoid of inspiring details, but how can you not like a girl who wears dagger hair ornaments...and isn't afraid to use them?!

Maid Marian & Robin Hood

  The Sheriff of Nottingham was cruel, heartless...and actually rather funny, for someone who is cruel and heartless.  Dark humor, to be sure, but he made me laugh a lot.  

As did Robin's Merry Men, Much in particular.

And now we come to my favorite part of the series, and the reason I decided to watch it in the first place - Sir Guy of Gisborne.

be. still. my. beating. heart.

 *swoon*

Yes, he's one of the bad guys, but what a bad guy!!

I must confess that I'm rather partial to bad guys in the first place (not because they're bad - they're just so much more interesting), but when you take someone like Richard Armitage and turn him into a villain...wow.
Awesome stuff.

Especially riding horseback. =)
 True, the all black leather look he sports made me rather expect to see him to hop on a motorcycle and zoom off at any moment...
But I can forgive him that.
  His Sir Guy is so full of passion and you can see that he has a softer side.

 I confess, I was totally rooting for him and Marian, not Marian and Robin.

Which brings me to my rant...

I was so mad at Marian for leading Guy on the way she did, making him believe that she loved him when she really loved Robin, just to get information.  I know, I know, she was only trying to help Robin, but...
Guy was so passionately in love with her, and she trampled all over his heart.  I was pretty much ready to punch her and *spoiler warning* I wasn't entirely sorry when she died.  And no, I did not hate Guy for doing what he did...well, not much.  I don't think he even meant to kill her, although he was passionate enough to be capable of killing her simply so Robin couldn't have her.  No, I think that really and truly was an accident.  The look of surprise, shock and grief on his face spoke volumes.  Oh, and I'll give Marian this - it was a good death.  She knew how to die.  And it added an interesting twist to the usual Robin Hood story. *end spoiler*

I don't want this rant to get out of hand, so I'll end it now, while I'm able;)

The plots were interesting and varied.  The dialog was good, with lots of truly funny lines.  That always wins points with me - real funny, as opposed to dumb funny.

There was hardly any of what I consider to be inappropriate content in the series.  There were a few things, mostly implied rather than shown and some spoken.  Quite a few of the women's costumes weren't all that modest and there were a few shirtless guy moments...no pun intended.  I don't know that I'd want my brother to watch the series, because of the women's costumes.  And, although not nearly as gruesome as I thought it might be, there were a few parts that were too gross for me...but I'm easily grossed out.

In conclusion, I enjoyed Seasons One and Two of Robin Hood very much.  I'm not sorry I watched them.
Yes, the lack of period costumes bugs me, but if I need exquisitely beautiful medieval/fantasy costumes for inspiration, I'll watch Lord of the Rings.  They don't get any better than that.

And there you have my review of Robin Hood.
Happy Trails, y'all!