Part-time Ghost

I have

- Rented movies with dad and sis (Wreck-It Ralph, Les Misérables, Beasts of the Southern Wild and... something else I can't remember). Also bought I, Claudius, because Derek Jacobi's face it was on sale and I've been meaning to watch it for ages. Also Romans.

- Started and finished reading Carmilla, by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. Otherwise known as one of the earliest vampire novels, major source of inspiration for Stoker's Dracula, and "that one with the lesbians".

( You are mine, you shall be mine, and you and I are one forever )

Overall, it's far from a flawless story, but it's a compelling enough concept as well as interesting as an example of a book that's played a huge role in creating a genre. It's also a short story, just over a hundred pages, so if you're curious and have two or three hours to spare I recommend it.

Also, it being published in 1872, it's available free for download on sites like Project Gutenberg.

(This post is probably riddled with spelling and grammar errors. Because it's twenty minutes to four AM. Yolo, and all that.)

I don't do shit for a week and then suddenly everything gets intense. My apologies to all the new names on my F-List. *Waves*

Mostly I've been doing frantic last-minute studying for my last exam today; I'm not exactly thrilled about my effort, especially since I almost fell asleep on the desk, but at least the course is over now. It's... a bit sad I suppose, because it's really been something I've enjoyed, but at the same time I feel I've never been at my best. So it'll be nice to hopefully move on to a subject I'll be studying for the next three years rather than something I feel is just a pit stop on the academic road.

Actually had a night out yesterday for the first time in... I don't know how long. If you can call an evening with my sis and mum plus her friend and her daughters a "night out". We went to Stadsteatern and watched West Side Story.

( Aka Romeo and Juliet in 50s New York )

After the exam today I had to walk to the underground through the rain, and the rain kept on until evening. So I spent most of that time watching TV and finished reading Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad.

( Now that I'm dead I know everything )

Remember how I said I need a new laptop? Now I also need a new cell phone. Ahahaha. At least it's my mum's old one, so when it didn't last for even a year I can't really fault it (though my old cell phone was going on six years when I inherited hers).

But that means that as far as RL is concerned, I'm currently nearly impossible to contact offline! Which makes arranging/participating in watchalongs that much harder. Shame, seeing as my copy of The Mind of Evil arrived yesterday. The colouring is really well done; better than The Ambassadors of Death, which had pretty large b&w gaps sometimes. It doesn't really add anything to the story itself; if anything, b&w actually makes it more atmospheric (unlike say, Terror of the Autons, which is bright and plasticy and should be viewed in colour). But it's a great story with great visuals and IT IS MINE FOREVERMORE.

This also means I own every Jon Pertwee serial on DVD. Is this a source of pride or deep, eternal shame? We just don't know.

( Also I went to the library and borrowed some books )

So I did go into town on friday to buy music (Sofia Jannok's Áhpi, as planned, and Electra Heart by Marina and the Diamonds because it was on sale), both are excellent, and yesterday I got mail informing me that Amazon has dispatched my Mind of Evil DVD. :)

Technically I should be feeling pretty happy, but I have a whole bunch of belated posts/articles/fics I haven't been able to work on in ages, so. Without further ado, I thought I'd get around to writing that post on The Dark Path, before it's been so long I forget all I wanted to say.

For those who don't know, The Dark Path by David A. McIntee, is a Virgin Missing Adventure first published in 1997 featuring the second Doctor, Jamie and Victoria. It is perhaps most remembered for being the first official (well, more or less) attempt at giving the Master an origin story-- and a name.

( Further non-spoilery opinions under cut )

In conclusion: it's not without faults, but I found it an enjoyable book that's worth checking out.

Also the Doctor calls Koschei a fusspot. It is officially the most accurate description of the Master the Doctor has made in canon (wtf is up with "the very personification of evil", Three?). Going with book canon there's also ample room for Two, Jamie and Zoe meeting Delgado!Master shenanigans-- in fact, it practically demands it, based on Three's reaction to hearing that the Master's turned up in Terror of the Autons. THIS NOVEL IS UNTAPPED FIC GOLD, YOU GUYS.

(Do I covet an AU where Koschei and Victoria travel together and inevitably run into Three who tries to seduce a dematerialisation circuit out of Koschei? Yes. Yes I do.)

I also have a lot more spoilery thoughts about Koschei's character development, especially when compared to the Master's origin story in TV- and audio canon, but that will have to wait for yet another while. :'3

For once I was actually up to a bunch of stuff last week, which is why it's strange that I actually have nothing to write here. The uni flea market went... okay, I guess; didn't get rid of nearly as many books as I would've liked, but did earn 30 bucks. Hardly a waste of time.

In this year's edition of "is it a cold or is it hayfever?" I've been kept awake until 4 AM/alternately woken up at least three times per night because I can't breathe through my nose. Did manage to drag myself to our last seminar (and conveniently missed the bit where I was supposed to hold a presentation I hadn't prepared, cough), which was held at the Mediterranean Museum.

Unlike last time we were there, where we got a pretty basic guided tour, this time we talked more about the layout of the actual museum, the preservation of the objects and the relationship between the public and the exhibitions (as opposed to us academics, who get our fingers on everything and prioritised differently :P).

( Thoughts about mummies )

After the tour we got to try a more hands-on approach as a conclusion to this course, which means I have literally got my (gloved) hands on more than 2000 years old pottery. The ten-year-old in my squeed like the girl I was (and, let's be honest, still am). Almost made me seriously reconsider my decision to go into religious studies rather than archaeology. :'3

So now I've got my last exam coming up next week, and after that... well, who knows. It's summer break, or something that constitutes as one, after all. Hopefully I'll get around to writing.

I should also really brush up on my Latin. And Ancient Greek. And, uh, should try to learn French, or perhaps German. And why did I drop Russian now again? Decisions, decisions. Maybe I should make a poll for y'all to decide. :P

I had such trouble sleeping last night, I don't think I turned off the lights until 3 AM. And didn't fall asleep until an hour later. Somehow I've managed to function on only three-four hours of sleep though, including attending a lecture on the Tetrarchy and rule of Constantine before going shopping for a birthday present for mum (ended up buying a white ceramic dove and... a book on ancient Egyptian concept of health, body and spirit. IT WAS ON SALE).

In my defense, my sleeping schedule has been all kinds of fucked up lately, hopefully this is what I need to get it on the right track again. Besides, I'd rather stay up late laughing at From Eroica with Love posts on scans_daily and finishing my first Missing Adventure (The Dark Path, which I'll probably write more about when I'm coherent).

And tomorrow I'm supposed to make the journey to uni with at least twenty books in tow (probably more, I haven't actually counted) for the annual flea market. At least I'll get rid of books I don't want anymore? And hopefully earn a bit on them as well.

Apart from two excellent audios and the first part of The Underwater Menace, nothing else was achieved today. Except violent headaches.

I wonder what it says about me that when I get a phone call for the first time in ages, it's to list all the songs the third Doctor has sung over the course of his seasons. Or what it says about my friends who call to ask such questions, for that matter.

Also, the opening ceremonies for Eurovision begin this evening. I am mentally preparing by living in denial and planning to re-listen to Bang-Bang-A-Boom! sometime before Saturday.

Other than that, life is deceptively easy at the moment, but that's probably because I have reached a point where I'm blissfully ignorant about the amount of work I should be doing, like... actually going to work. I mostly doze in the sun and eat strawberries and honeycomb melon. I'd probably feel dreadfully guilty and unproductive if I hadn't already steeped in fretting for so long I've come out on the other side as completely indifferent.

Mum's birthday is in a bit more than a week, so before I go on any shopping sprees (haha, because that's something I do so often - but I really need new clothes now) I should sort that out. Not that there's a hurry, seeing as she'll be on Cyprus by the time the big day rolls around.

Aaaand the weekly Who round-up:

( Caerdroia, The Next Life, The Game, Catch-1782, Three's a Crowd, Unregenerate!, The Council of Nicaea, Terror Firma )

Also managed to squeeze two special releases in there; Her Final Flight (which was ok, nothing special) and The Veiled Leopard (EVERYTHING I WANT IN AN AUDIO, which is apparently: fancy dress parties, heists and inter-companion friendship/snarking. Eheu).

Finally, this week's episode:

( Nightmare in Silver )

TL; DR not perfect, but then again nothing is. With the exception of some minor things it was perfect, well-paced, and just all around exciting fun.

Also, I've been putting off the Classic Who watch for a while, but today I finally ventured into the Patrick Troughton era (which, together with Tom Baker's two last seasons, is the only one I haven't watched) with Power of the Daleks. Will hopefully get through The Highlanders tomorrow (JAMIE!).

(I've still only watched one season and a half of Blake's 7. And have s. 5 of SJA left. Ahahaha. *Rolls away*)

(When will I run out of title variations for bullet point entries? Not any time soon, as long as there are shitty action movie sequels to rip off).

- It's spring! The wind still carries a chill, but yesterday I went outside with a glass of iced raspberry lemonade and spent two hours in the sun having a chat with stalkerbunny. I'm going to do my best to enjoy this weather as long as I can, before it becomes so hot I'll just hole up in my nice, cool cellar for the rest of summer...

- Didn't take the exam on thursday. Need to get over myself and my study-related insecurities. We're doing Imperial Rome now, and after that I'll be done with this course. A bit strange, especially since I've really enjoyed it but will (hopefully) move on to a very different subject in autumn.

- Have spent an unreasonable amount of time considering whether Harvest of Time is worth pre-ordering or not this week. On one hand: I'm sure I've encountered the fic that summary is based on before. On the other: actual quality of writing unknown. Decisions, decisions.

(Speaking of which, the third volume of TARDIS Eruditorum was released last month...)

- You know how it is when your favourite genre of music can most aptly be described as "nordic folk music"? And you spend a year or two hunting down and sampling every last CD you can find, going on pilgrimages to libraries all over the city? But because it's a small industry you fall out of touch with it when no new interesting material is released and then it's three years later and you find youself coveting numerous new releases online?

Story of my life.

Nothing much has really been happening in my life the past couple of weeks. Mum's been abroad, so I've been doing most of the cooking at home; the course on Hellenism and the Roman Republic ended so I'm currently procrastinating really hard; I've seen some friends, watched some TV, mostly done nothing at all.

This is partly because my skin condition is acting up again, and while that doesn't impair my ability to do anything it does make me feel mentally exhausted and self-conscious about going outside. Tried to figure out how to contact a doctor, but I lost a couple of maturity points when I failed to do so (mum has promised to sort things out when she gets back, though).

Possibly as a side effect from lazing about all day, I've been reading a lot more lately, though-- except instead of any course lit or the bazillion books I have lying around, I've been reading Doctor Who novels (the novelisation of Survival and Ten Little Aliens, to be precise). My sincere apologies to my Goodreads friends.

And in the middle of this, Tumblr provided download links to the DWM comics, which means-- I have literally spent all day in front of the laptop screen, guys. It's sad but true.

Now, having experienced virtually every medium Doctor Who has appeared in I think it's interesting to see exactly how diverse and genre-defying the series is, and how differently writers can define what Doctor Who can be-- this is something fairly rare, I think, limited only to a handful of huge fandoms.

But another reason I started thinking about it is because... the comics are the first medium where I've got the impression that something feels off? That there's something a bit un-Doctor Who-ish about them?

( Some thoughts )

I don't know. It's an interesting query - what is Doctor Who - because there's no way you would get a straight answer, ever. Doctor Who needs to reinvent itself, move with the times; can some episodes even be said to be more "Doctor Who" than others? How does the change in writing affect the audience's view of the Doctor and his role in the Whoniverse?

As of the quality of these comics/novels, I might type up a more concise review post if I feel like it (what with the weekly episode and Big Finish round-ups I feel like I have quite a lot going already, even if I don't exactly put much effort into writing those).

P.S I AM SO OVER ALIEN FEMALE REPTILES/AMPHIBIANS/FISH PEOPLE/WHATEV WITH BOOBS. NOTHING ABOUT THAT MAKES ANY SENSE. AT ALL.

P.P.S I typod "with books" at first. I am never over characters, male or female, alien or not, with books. Jsyk.

Promised myself I was going to work two days this week. Checked in as available online sunday evening, then as unavailable all week this morning because I'd spent the better part of an hour growing increasingly sick at the thought of working again. This... is probably a sign I should try to find a new job, especially when I'm not attending the one I have anyway, but that's far easier said than done (though I did apply for a summer job at the Maritime Museum today).

Started talking about the republic of Rome today and... I don't know. It was nice, obviously, but I guess there are only so many hours a month I can stand to be reminded of how badly history has fucked over women. Especially when it's something the rest of society won't let you forget because it's still fucking you over. *Sigh*

Some days, I just get really tired of everything.

Finally finished season 5 of The X-Files, though. It's been a year ad a half since I watched season one and I'm still barely more than halfway through! Should prepare for a re-watch, perhaps, but I have so many other shows to watch and no one I know is interested in an X-Files watchalong (not that watchalongs are required, but I feel so lonely in my squeeing!).

Also The Sarah Jane Adventures boxset I ordered arrived. I... I have a life, I promise. Somewhere.

Pointless entry is pointless, but I felt like killing time summarising the last 24 hours.

P.S. Someone on Tumblr made a post about how the Barbie doll Eleven carries with him in Cold War is actually a representation of Rose because she said she wanted to travel with him forever. I think it's a testament to fandom in general that I can't tell if they're being serious or not. D.S.