Gamer Girl: Mario Kart

Now, growing up I did not a lot play video games.  So sue me!  I read books, played sports, and had make-believe adventures at Hogwarts.  Although for the most part I didn’t get into gaming until college, there were a few games a played a lot during my childhood.  Namely, anything on an N64.

Even today, Mario Kart is one of my favorite games.  What’s not to love?  Wacky courses, bombs and shells to throw, secret passageways to find. And I don’t know about you guys, but in my family, Mario Kart  was announced loudly and violently as we careened down each course (and it went a little like this):

IF YOU THINK YOU ARE GETTING AROUND ME, YOU’VE GOT ANOTHER THINK COMING!

WHO THE HELL PUT THAT BOMB THERE?

FEEL THE FURY OF MY RED SHELLS!

WHOEVER PUT THAT TRICK BOX WITH ALL THE REAL BOXES IS GOING TO PAY!

More than friendship has been lost over a game of Mario Kart. However, that same game provided some of my best and most favorite memories.  Summers spent with my cousins alternating between running around outside and playing the N64 inside.  College, ensconced in someone’s dorm, making friends over a common love of great video games.  So here are some of my opinions about Mario Kart.

 

Although it pains me to say so, the gamecube version (Mario Kart Double Dash) was better than the N64 version.  I know, I know.  Put down your pitchforks.  But Double Dash had better graphics, more characters, and the super fun Battle Mode. The N64 version is still fantastic, but Double Dash wins by a nose.

Of all the characters, I most love to play the baby Mario Bros because then you can get the Chomper!  I love that item. I especially love to wait until I am right behind someone (usually my little sister) and then smashing them with it.  I confess my evil little heart giggles with joy every time I do so.

Most Loved Course: Waluigi’s Stadium

Least Favorite Course: Rainbow Road.  Bonus hatred points: Rainbow Road on Mirror mode. Unhappiness abounds.

By the way–who came up with these birds?  They are kinda trippy:

Favorite Battle Mode: Bob-omb Blast in Pipe Plaza.  I dominate with some bob-ombs.  I’m pretty good with balloons, too, but the shine thief gives me chest pains.  You can have it the whole time and loose it last second!

So what do you all think about Mario Kart? Likes? Dislikes? Childhood memories? I want to hear it all 🙂

 

 

A Case of the Sniffles

I was going to write a post on Mother’s Day, but I got sick.  Like, fevers, coughs, sore throat, and the snot-of-many-colors, sick.  I work at a hospital and about once a year I actually catch something that lays me low, and this weekend was it for me.  So instead of a helpful guide to Mother’s day, you all are getting the cure-all for sore throats.

Ready?

Hear Goes:

Add 2 tablespoons each of Honey and Lemon Juice to a piping hot mug of water.  Stir in a few shakes of cinnamon.  (Pro-Tip: I use Constant Comment Orange Spice Tea instead of plain water. I live on the edge–what can I say?).   Studies have shown that the combination of hot water (or tea) and honey soothes the inflamed throat and will help you get better more quickly than with medication alone.  Science.

Mmmmm.  Now, one of the nurses I work with swears to me that if you add two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to the mix that it will cure all ails.  Honestly, I don’t doubt that–to hear my mother tell it, daily apple cider vinegar is what allowed Methuselah to live to 969 years old.  But let me tell you: it burned with the intensity of 1,000 suns going down.  I was a wimp and left out the vinegar, but who knows?  Maybe if I had manned-up I would have gotten better sooner 🙂

For the over 21 group: add a shot of whiskey to your hot tea. Known colloquially as a “Hot Toddy.”  My grandmother swears by it–I”m sure yours does too.  One of the doctors I work with once told me that years ago–when her young son had pneumonia–he couldn’t sleep for coughing, despite all the medications he had been given.  Out of options, she heated up a shot of Jack Daniels (just like her grandpa used to do) and made him drink it.  He slept the whole night without a single cough.

(The boy said,”Ew mom this smells like beer!” His mom replied,”Sweetheart, would mommy give you beer?” and then made him take the shot.)

Hears hoping you are all avoiding colds better than I am!

Sensational Salamanca

 

My first solo adventure out of the good ol’ U.S. of A was to study abroad in Salamanca, Spain.  I was so excited and freaked out! I’m not one of those people who just “gets” languages (my little sister is, the jerk!), so my Spanish needed some work.  And let me tell you, there were PLENTY of awkward things that happened because I couldn’t understand what someone was saying, or because I did not used the correct word!

The above picture is Salamanca’s Plaza Mayor lit up at night–absolutely breathtaking. The Plaza Mayor is the center of town activities, and I spent most of my free time sitting around, eating gelato and people watching. The large, open center is often used for festivals and meeting places, but its mostly just used to meet up with friends to gossip over a cup or three of coffee.

“But wait!”  I hear you say.  “I’ve never heard of Salamanca!”

No worries–I had not heard of the town either until I began research into Spanish universities.  La Universidad de Salamanca is the oldest Spanish institution, and the forth oldest in Europe, and I was truly blessed to have been able to live and study there.  Salamanca is in the Castile y Leon region, west of Madrid nearly to the boarder with Portugal.

Life in Salamanca was leisurely, affording me plenty of time to explore the city and travel around Spain.  And yes, there was–just a bit–of partying.  One of my professors at university told me that the life of a student looks like this:  wake at 10pm to eat dinner, 11:30-12:30PM meet with friends to have a pre-party cocktail, 1 AM–5 or 6 AM bounce around several different discotecas and bars, sleep until 9 AM, go to class until 1 PM when it is time for siesta, back to class 3PM-5PM for evening classes, then sleep until 10PM when it is time to begin the process anew.

Statue int he courtyard of the univeristy: Friar Luis de León was a famous theologian and scholar who studied there in the 1540’s. He probably didn’t party all that much either!

On this ornately carved wall of the university, there is a stone  frog that represents good luck. If you can find it, you will pass your exams! It must be true, cause it totally worked for me 🙂

I did not live that life style–I am a boring old person who needs her sleep–but at least 50% of my classmates did.  I enjoyed going out dancing, but after awhile I just wanted to go to sleep.  So if you are looking for a party school, Salamanca might be a good choice for you.  To be fair, I received an exemplary education while I was there–I don’t want it to seem too carefree!

 

One of the draws of Salamanca is its history. Salamanca has been under the control of all the major ruling groups: the Romans, the visigoths, the Moors et cetera so there is a diversity of architecture and art.  Without getting too boring, I will just mention that the bridge in the above pictures is the Puente Romano–one of the surviving Roman Bridges along the Via de la Plata (silver road).  It was built during Roman occupation sometime during the early 1st century.  Its really neat to think about walking on something that has been there for 2,000 years.  In the background is the Catedral de Salamanca, built in the 12th century during the heyday of Catholicism in Spain (read: right after the Spanish Inquisition when Isabelle and Ferdinand made everyone change to christianity).

Side bar: If you think my face looks a bit weird in the picture, you would be right.  There was some weirdo taking pictures of me at the same time my friend was.  Super creepy, dude.

Now, there are TONS of other interesting historical sites–the Convent of St. Esteban (Franciscan cloister), la Casa de los coches (a huge house covered in molded sea shells), the Tower del Clavero, and any of the many museums Salamanca Houses (my favorite is the Art Nuevo and Art Deco museums at the casa lis).  But I don’t want to bore you with all of those.  You will just have to travel to Salamanca yourselves to see them!

 

Exciting Things in 2014

Specifically, I’m excited about a few new shows that will be airing soon.  As we all know, the DC universe has been expanding over the last few years to include live-action television shows that investigate the origin stories of their superheroes.  Beginning with Smallville in 2001, there has been a return to superhero TV shows, rather than solely movie representations.  Anyone else remember the short-lived Birds of Prey (2002-2003)?  Just me?  Oh well.  And now we have the wildly popular Arrow–renewed for a third season, by the way–which has opened the door for interest in more series of the same.

FOX has announced production of a show based on the life of Commissioner James Gordon, the police liaison in the Batman myth.  Gotham is scheduled to premier in the 2014-2015  season and begins with the high profile case that put Gordon on the map–the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne.  Are you all excited?  Because I am.  This is all I ever wanted from a Batman TV show–I love backstory and this is an entire series of backstory.  Sign me up!  Appearances will be made by old friends Selina Kyle, the Penguin, and the Riddler.  Also, Alfred is a former MI6 agent (like we all didn’t suspect this before).

Our next option is a spin-off from the popular CW series Arrow.  The Flash will follow, fairly closely, the origin story of Barry Allen (the second flash).  The creators promise to give Barry very human reactions to his sudden gifting of magic and life as a superhero thereafter.  Again, am I excited.  YES!  The Flash is my favorite superhero, and now I get week after week of glorious backstory!  The show will be introduced via back-door pilot at the end of the second season of Arrow.

 

What with all the excitement over superhero movies of late, its only natural that the silver screen would try to match that success.  Hopefully we will be seeing more superhero series like these in the future!

End of and Era (A Love Letter to How I Met Your Mother)

 

When I began watching HIMYM back in 2005, I had no idea how it would impact my life.  I started the sitcom because my older sister–at the time in college in another state–enjoyed it and I wanted to be able to talk to her about it when she called.  Before I knew it, I was hooked.

 

Marshall, Lily, Ted, Robin, and Barney became my friends, and every week I tuned in to see what they were up to.  What makes the show special and endearing to me is that the characters seem so real.  They do things that my friends and I do (telepathic conversations?  Check.  Relentless teasing when a friend does something stupid?  Check).  They have fears and foibles, as well as times when they are adventurous and brave.

 

Over the last few seasons, many fans have grumbled that the quality of the show has gone down.  I’m not denying that earlier seasons in general are better than later, but instead of being disappointed I staunchly reminded myself of the good times.  This last season especially left much to be desired.  The separation of Marshall from the rest of the gang really took away from my enjoyment, as did the return to the Ted-Robin plot (despite Barney and Robin’s upcoming nuptials).

 

But I did not complain!  I made allowances because this was the last season.  The writers were trying to bring everything together.  And surely some of the seemingly pointless plots were going to make sense when the season came to a close–weren’t they?  I had faith because I knew that the writers loved these characters as much as I did.  So despite the aspects of Season 9 that I did not like, I awaited the finale with great anticipation.  But you broke my heart, How I Met Your Mother.

 

Many fans maintain that if you didn’t see Ted and Robin ending up together, then you missed all the signs.  That it was naive to think the series would end any differently.  And I understand that–after all, HIMYM was basically nine seasons of Ted bouncing from Robin to other women and back again.  So why should the finale be any different?

 

If HIMYM had stopped after the first few season, I would have understood the ending.  At the beginning, after Ted and Robin broke up, I could see Robin getting engrossed in her career and leaving relationships behind.  I could see Ted marrying someone else and then (after an appropriate mourning period) getting back together with his first love, after Robin had finally decided a family/relationship was more important than her career.

 

But we had nine seasons of character growth that took us away from that.  I spent many awkward seasons watching Barney mature from alarmingly disgusting playboy into a real human being, all so that he could be worthy of Robin.  I watched Robin deal with her issues of intimacy to grow closer to Barney.  I became invested in their relationship because the writers took so much time to detail their development.  But after nine seasons of development, their relationship was cavalierly thrown away in a matter of moments.  After all that fighting to be together, and its over in a short conversation?  And Robin never even suggests that she work less or have a job closer to home?  After all, what is a few seasons of growth compared to the original vision the writers had?

 

If you wanted this ending, then write your story differently.

 

And what was with Robin just not talking to any of her closest friends for so many years?  Especially Lily.  I can understand not talking to Ted and Barney, but Lily?  And would Lily even accept that passively?  No–she would force Robin to talk.  Do you even know your characters?

 

But I think the aspect of the finale that most upset me was the relationship between Ted and the Mother.  I waited nine seasons to meet Tracy, and she was perfect.  She was funny and sweet and fit Ted.  For the few, brief moments I saw her, I loved her.  And I loved the episode where you see a bit of her past–there is such a parallel between them.  She spent years getting over a lover who died; He spent years getting over a lover who was not right for him.  And then they found each other.

 

So I did not understand why, when she got pregnant, they didn’t get married.  This is Ted we are talking about!  A surprise super romantic wedding at the courthouse is right up his alley!  Where was the spontaneous wedding, a la “Two Minute Date.”   So why the hold up?  After all the big romantic gestures in the Ted Mosby book of love and you can’t even spring for a wedding ring?  Seriously?

 

The finale, despite the occasional sweet moment between Tracy and Ted, made it seem like The Mother was just a stop-gap, a placeholder for Ted until he reached his real goal:  Robin.  I knew The Mother was going to die.  The writers made that very clear in the episodes leading up to the finale.  And it would have been sad if it didn’t seem like a plot device to free Ted up so that he could be with Robin.

 

And by the way, what makes anyone think that Ted and Robin will be happy together after all this?  Robin never wanted children–Ted comes ready made with a family.  Robin threw away one marriage for her career.  Heck, she threw away her relationship with Ted for a possible career.  What makes this different?

 

The only thing that went as I thought it should have was Barney having a daughter.  I have said from the beginning of Barney’s transformation that Barney would have daughters and that it would change him for good.  I thought that Robin would miraculously get pregnant and that it would bring them closer together.  Its weird that his daughter was the product of a nameless woman from Barney’s Perfect Month.  Its actually really gross.  But I’m glad that the end of Barney’s Story is becoming a father.

 

So HIMYM, we have enjoyed a long, and lately tumultuous relationship.  There were good times, and bad.  And in the end, you broke my heart.  Since watching the finale, I have not been able to watch old episodes, to be reminded of the good times.  But with time, maybe I will be able to remember you fondly.

 

Besides, there is always the promise of an alternate ending.

 

Bromance over Romance

A few weeks ago, my sister and I were browsing a bookstore (we do that a lot) and I found a YA novel that seemed really interesting.  It was about two girls who are thrown together on an epic quest to save the world.  They are different, but they come to respect each other, even become friends.  I was totally interested….until I read the last sentence:  And on the way, they might just save each other.

Ugggghhhhh!   I don’t care that the book is about two girls falling in love–I was SO excited about a book where the bonds of friendship save the day, not romantic love.  I love a good romance.  I own every Jane Austen novel.  I cry when I watch “P.S., I Love You.”  I ship Dick Greyson and Barbara Gordon so hard I sprained something.  I get it–romance is great and its something I want in my life.

But guys, romance isn’t everything.

(I’m talking about Friendship.  With a capital F.)

There really aren’t enough books or movies that focus on friendship over romance.  Not that you can’t have healthy doses of both.  But seriously, it seems like friends seem to be these transient side characters who only pop into the story line to encourage the main character to “follow their heart.”  That is not friendship.  It was my best friend who noticed how depressed I was last year and helped snap me out, not my boyfriend.  There is something powerful about true friendship that fiction writers seem to discount and ignore.

I can name dozens of my favorite authors, movies, and TV shows and the majority of them have romance as a major theme.  Again, I’m not saying I don’t like it.  I’m just saying that sometimes establishing the romance takes precedence over perpetuating the friendship. But it can be done, internet.  And I have proof.  Colin and Hassan (An Abundance of Katherines).  Han and Chewie (Star Wars).  Frodo and Samwise (The Lord of the Rings).

So, without further ado, here are some of my favorite but generally under-appreciated friendships in literature, comics, and anime.  Here goes!

Batman and Superman:  And I don’t even mean Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent.  I love the push and pull of the Batman/Superman relationship.  They are very different people who want the same thing but want to solve problems different ways.  Basically, my favorite thing about the animated Justice League is their bickering friendship.  I imagine them having lunch dates and watching the big game on the weekend.

Dick Greyson and Wally West:  For those of you who are not cool enough to have an intimate knowledge of DC characters, these lovely lads are better known as Robin (boy-wonder) and Kid Flash (side kick to–you guessed it–the Flash).  I grew up watching the animated Justice League, Batman Beyond, and Teen Titans.  Between the three, I gained a deep and abiding love for Dick Greyson.  Later, when I got into the actual comics, I discovered my love of Wally West as well.  They are bros, best friends who have each other’s backs through thick and thin.  Don’t believe me?  After  Dick and Barbara (AKA Batgirl AKA Oracle) break up, Wally goes to check on Babs and make sure she is ok, because he knows thats that Dick wants to (but can’t). Thats true friendship.

Anne Shirley and Diana Berry:

For those of you uncouth miscreants who have never read Anne of Green Gables, Anne Shirley (the titular exuberant orphan) and Diana Berry (her elegant best friend) have one of the sweetest and longest lived friendships in literature.  Having read the Anne books as a child, their relationship is the pinnacle of friendship for me to this day.  They got into trouble (remember Anne accidentally getting Diana drunk on red current wine?), became “bosom buddies,” grew up, and even named their children after each other.

Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger:

I grew up with the Harry Potter series–I love the characters like like we were friends (in real life).  Harry, Ron, and Hermione stand out to me as particularly wonderful characters because they were so different and yet they encouraged each other, worked with each other, and (most importantly) they made each other better people because of their friendship.  They fought, they made mistakes, they forgave each other.  And they taught me (and an entire generation) what it truly means to be a friend.

Howl and Calcifer:

If you don’t know about the Wizard Howl and his fire demon Calcifer, then don’t feel bad.  The book  Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (and the similarly titled anime movie by Hayao Miazaki) were wonderful but not exactly common knowledge.  If you have not read the book, then you should, because inside you will find a wonderful friendship.  Howl gave up his heart to save Calcifer’s life, and once they realize the detrimental effect their contract has, Calcifer is willing to face his mortality to save Howl.  And this friendship, supported by a mutual respect and affection, is expressed through a hilarious stream of nagging, fights, and sarcastic comments.

(Howl and Calcifer, when they make their contract)

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson:

No list of literary friendships is complete without a mention of Holmes and Watson.  However, it is difficult to describe their relationship in a way that makes it sound like a healthy friendship.  Holmes is a self-absorbed, high functioning sociopath and Dr. Watson is his put-upon, somewhat bumbling partner-in-sleuthing.  But their friendship is more than it seems.  Watson is quick to comment on his own respect and affection for his friend; however, the same cannot be said for the consulting detective.  Holmes may not express his affection in common place ways, but lets be frank:  Sherlock Holmes would not continually interact with someone whom he did not like and respect.  The closest we readers ever come to hearing declarations of friendship are the times when Holmes refers to Watson as “Invaluable,” or when (in The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans) Holmes says, “I knew you would not shrink at the last” and Watson comments, “…for a moment I saw something in his eyes which was nearer to tenderness than I had ever seen.”  That, dear reader, is a true statement of manly, victorian affection.

And that’s it folks!  There are so many other characters and friendships that I could write about, so here are a few that almost made the list–anyone got any others?

David and Jonathan (from the Bible)

Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn (From The Adventures of Tom Sawyer)

Calvin and Hobbes

Inigo and Fezzik (The Princess Bride)

Prince Humperdinck and Count Rugen (The Princess Bride, again)

Fitzwilliam Darcy and Charles Bingley (Pride and Prejudice)

How much should my gender matter?

I realize this is unusual for a Southern, family oriented Baptist, but I was raised in an extremely politically liberal family.  I honestly didn’t realize it was an unusual world view for many years, simply because it seemed so reasonable and rational that I couldn’t understand why anyone would disagree.  One aspect of my upbringing (in a family with three young daughters) was an emphasis on, well, feminism.  To be frank, I didn’t realize what I was learning “feminism”–my parents were just teaching me that I had as much worth as a man.  I thought that was good parenting.  Come to find out that I was raised to be a liberal feminist.  Who knew.

I’m not sure what everyone else has heard/believes, but to me feminism simply means that I have the right to do anything that I choose without being constrained or overlooked simply because of my gender.  If I choose to pursue a specific career (or anything else, for that matter), there shouldn’t be hesitation simply because I am a woman.  Now, If I tell you that I (a 115 lb 5’2 young woman) want to be the heavy-weight boxing champion next year, I understand that there is a logical reason why that dream many never come true (I would have to gain a ton of weight, I’ve never boxed, etc…).  But when I tell people I want to be a military doctor, I shouldn’t have to deal with endless questions along the lines of, “Why?  Don’t you want a family?”

Yes, actually, I do.  And I realize that my chosen career will keep me from spending all my time at home raising my children.  I may need to live near my family to get some help taking care of my kids when I can’t be there.  I may need a babysitter for times when my husband and I are busy.  For all I know, my husband may end up being a stay-at-home-dad.  I’m not saying it won’t be hard to have a family while working in the medical field, but I am saying that my male friends are never asked these questions when they tell people their career plans.  In fact, a good friend of mine wants five kids (FIVE) and no one ever questions whether he will be a good dad.

Even worse is when girls my age (no judgement, but usually in a Church setting) say that they aren’t feminists because either 1) “All that stuff is over now” or 2) “Feminism is ruining marriage.”  First, feminism is still very needed.  If I live in a world where I probably won’t get paid as much as a man in the same position or if a woman is raped and the first question is what she was wearing as though dressing like a tease makes it ok to rape me, then yes, feminism is still needed.  Although we have come a long way, those are not examples of a world that thinks of me as a human being.

Second, I don’t think that feminism is ruining marriages.  I’m not really sure what people mean when they say that; I’m guessing that people think that if women are out working then they would be in a more dominant position in the relationship?  Let me be clear–all that I want from a relationship/marriage is to be considered of equal importance as my husband.  I may make more than my husband; I may make less.  That is unimportant.  I don’t believe that I am more important, or that my opinions should be valued over his.  And I want that same consideration from him.  I would want us to work–as a team–towards the same goals.  Personally, I think that sounds like a strong base for a marriage.  But what do I know.

And for the record, I glossed over some pretty big subjects in this post.  I simplified many aspects of the discussion of Feminism in order to fit it into a single blog post.  The world is not black and white and certainly not easily understood.  But even though it is difficult to talk about the subject, we need to bring it up.  If we aren’t talking about important things, there is now way that we will be able to change anything.

Over-paid or Under-appreciated?

I complain a lot (A LOT) about my little sister’s job.  Its completely understandable.  My little sister is an underclassman in the computer science program—in our college town, most in her department are filtered into an internship program in a local government agency.  She is still very much a novice at her job and is therefore only given the simplest tasks.  She often complains that she spends most of her time at her job surfing the internet rather than doing serious work.

I work in a hospital emergency department.  I’ve been working at this job for three years and I can say without bragging that I am extremely competent at what I do.  I work long, often exhausting days, but my work is very fulfilling.

But here is the trouble:  My little sister who seems to barely work gets paid over TWICE what I do.

If you had asked me a year ago whether I minded not making a lot of money, or whether I would be happy not making scads of money in my future career, I would have said without a doubt that money did not matter to me.  I would have reminded you that I did not grow up in a family that had much money, and that as a Christian I believed that material wealth is not nearly as important as spiritual wealth etc…

But until this year I had never been placed in a position where these beliefs were actually put to the test.  And guys, if the Lord was testing me, I failed hardcore.  And I wish I could tell you that I was writing this blog post from an emotional high ground after having worked through my issues–this is not the case.  I am writing this because I am still practically writhing with jealousy.  And really I just wanted to ask the question:  Is it better to be under-appreciated or overpaid?

I want to get to a place in my life where money isn’t a point of contention, or a reason that I am unhappy in my job.  Because right now I would give anything to be over-paid.  Where is my morality guys?  Being an adult is hard.

If I Could Choose a Superpower

I have always loved comic books and superheroes–those stories are a wonderful venue to discuss interesting moral questions as well as being fabulously entertaining.

However, I am not here to talk about that.  I am here to tell you all that I hate traffic!   (Not where you thought I was going with this, was it?)

If I could have any superpower in the entire world, it would be to make good traffic choices.  For instance, yesterday when I was driving home after visiting family, I was cruising down the interstate and almost took a different exit to get back into the city.  However, at the last minute I decided to go a little further down the interstate and drop by Target to pick up somethings for dinner.  It was the worst mistake of my life.

Long story short, three hours and two car accidents later, I realized that I have abysmal traffic intuition.  If I switch lanes to get around another car, the lane I joined will suddenly be moving a glacial speed, and I will find myself worse off than before.    And if there are multiple ways to drive somewhere, I will inevitably choose the one that will have delays.

So if I ever get drenched in radioactive slime, bitten by a radioactive spider, or my spaceship is bombarded by cosmic rays, then I want it on the record that I want psychic traffic powers.

Who’s Who

In less than 24 hours, the actor who will be taking the place of Matt Smith as the Doctor in the British television show Doctor Who will be announced.  I’m dually excited and furious.  Not again!  It seems like I just got over the loss of David Tennant (oh, no, that loss still hurts), and now I am being forced to let go of another beloved Doctor!  But at the same time, it gives the writers the opportunity to introduce me to another fantastic character that I will soon become attached to as well.  So many emotions!

I came into Doctor Who a bit later than most, watching my first episode around 2007 (the golden years of Tennant) and it satisfied a longing that I didn’t even know I had–who knew what was missing from my life was a bizarre alien traipsing around the universe in a blue police box?  I certainly didn’t.  But because I was a teenager and apt to fall desperately in love with unattainable, handsome, intelligent male characters, I barely made it halfway into my first episode before I was a goner for the quirky tenth doctor.  Which meant I was DEVASTATED (all caps to represent my teenage angst) when it was announced sometime later that David, my David, would be leaving me for greener pastures.  Why?  Was it something I did?  Regardless, I did not even bother to look up the actor who was pegged to play number eleven.  I was too heartbroken.  In fact, when the new season came out, I didn’t even watch it.  Episode after episode was released, but I just “couldn’t get around” to watching them.  The emotional scars were too fresh.

Finally, a trusted friend promised me that it would be worth my while to watch the new guy (that interloper!).  And boy am I glad that she did!  Because I love Matt Smith.  He was completely different from David Tennant, but I loved that.  It was as though I got to meet the doctor all over again. (Note:  I know that Christopher Eccleston and eight other fabulous actors came before David and Matt.  I’m just focusing on people I have an unhealthy emotional connection to).  This new doctor will be at a different point in his (or her!) life, and therefore we can explore new emotions and character development.  Yes, there will be a small, nagging voice in my heart that sobs that this new actor (or actress!) is not Matt.  But as I learned with David Tennant, the pain lessens with time.  So in a way, I’m kind of excited about losing Eleven and meeting Twelve.  What new adventures are in store?  I don’t knew, but I’m prepared to be thrilled.

As to who actually takes on the weighty role of Twelve, I don’t have any preferences of actors (or actresses!)  I’ve only been keeping infrequent tabs on what the rumor mill has been churning out.  I’m not even invested in whether or not Twelve is a man or a woman.  I know that many people are riled up because we have never had a female Doctor and they want one.  Me too!  But if I find out that they have picked a male actor, I will be just as happy; so long as this male actor is great.  Furthermore, I would hate to have them pick a female Doctor simply because the fans want it and not because the actress herself was the perfect fit for the show.  If they can’t find a woman who fits the bill, or if there was a male actor who blew his audition out of the water, then God bless.  All I want is to continue watching this funny, touching, thought provoking show in the manner I have become accustomed:  with a hugely talented cast of adorable people capturing my heart through the TV screen.

And to whomever is tapped as the next Doctor tomorrow, I want you to know two things:  First, that I have the utmost confidence in you and second that you have some big shoes to fill.  You may begin winning my love at any time.