Every time I see a Cyberman episode I like them more and more.

As most of my Whovian peeps can attest to, I love the Daleks. They are my absolutely hands down favorite big-baddies of the Whoniverse. Cybermen on the other hand... with the exception of few stellar moments, I just not that in to.

Today I finished watching The Invasion, the third story of Partick Troughton's final session and Terrance Dicks first story as story editor of the series. After the horror that was The Mind Robber, this story was pure Whovian action and adventure. 

My first experience with Doctor Who were the UNIT stories of the Pertwee years, and this story set the foundation for the Earth-based adventures to come. We meet Sgt. Benton and the unflappable-stiff-upper-lip-and-all-that Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart is back. 

Aired in 1968 and set in 1979, the story contains it's fair share of ethnocentrism, sexism, and arrogant classism that is to be expect, and forgiven... but I really have nothing snarky to say! Oh, dear!

On a cool note... 

The first and fourth episodes are very well animated. I wish that some of the other stories I have really enjoyed would be given the same care in reconstruction. 

The Invasion Episode 1 - animated Doctor Who

The Mind Robber

When I heard that the baddie in this story was The Master I got my hopes up... is this going to be a Time Lord  Is this THE MASTER? I was painfully disappointed!

One of the best things about this story was that the episodes were 20 minutes or less in length! The story of the The Mind Robber seemed to built upon what costumes were available at the time... And that goes for Zoe's glittery cat-suit, too.

Tardis-Wiki (http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Doctor_Who_Wiki) reports that even the white robots were leftovers from a television show, Out of the Unknown. It's amazing what you can do with some spray paint.

Five stories in 34 episodes to go in season six. The Seeds of Death and The War Games list the charming Terrance Dicks in the writing credit. 

Doctor Who Marathons 50/35 - The Facebook Posts

I have been asked several times if I have seen every episode of Doctor Who. This being the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, I decided that it was about time that I did.  Technically it isn't possible to watch every episode because of the great purge at the BBC, but reconstructions exist and BBC audios produced from the original soundtracks, and I have faithfully made use of the of the fan-made episodes. 

The 50th anniversary also coincides with my 35th anniversary of being a fan of the show. I started watching Doctor Who in 1978 when we got cable. Between what I watched on the Canadian channel on our cable and the local PBS channels I have lived near, I have seen most of Doctors Three, Four, Five, Six, and Seven. The early doctors have never been a part of my Doctor Who experience until now.

I have been documenting my viewing on Facebook, but realized that Facebook doesn't make is easy to find past postings. So, I have copied the postings I could find and will edit as others are found.  

The postings begin at the bottom with my farewell to Barbara and Ian... 

March 22, 2013

As near as I can figure out, a couple of sociopathic turtle-men land on a planet of muumuu wearing pacifists… but I could be wrong! 

Here’s a funny review of the story… http://stuartreviewsstuff.wordpress.com/tag/the-dominators/

Today’s story… The Dominators.

The anniversaries marathon welcomes Zoe Heriot. She introduced herself as an "astrophysicist, pure mathematics major with honours". Zoe had a photographic memory. But on Space Station W3 she was described by her colleagues as "the librarian". 

Librarians rock!

March 21, 2013

Oh, the wonderful world of Doctor Who inconsistencies... or is it Timey-Wimey continuity?

How could Eleven have a library card with a picture of One using the name John Smith when Two didn't know that that was the name that Jamie gave the Medic while he was passed-out in the sick bay of Space Station W3?

March 20, 2013

Sonic me! 1968 style...

The marathon continues with Fury from the Deep which introduces the sonic screwdriver.

Fury from the Deep - Sonic Screwdriver



Farewell to another companion... 

With the end of Fury of the Deep I say goodbye to Victoria Waterfield. The young Victorian lady was the orphaned daughter of a mad scientist who opened a gateway between Skaro and London 1870. Seriously... where was Torchwood when all that was going on! 

Victoria, one of best screaming companions, used her ability to screech and saved everyone in her final story. For once, all that screaming was put to a good use.

March 18, 2013

Today's episode introduces the unflappable Lethbridge-Stewart who accepts the Doctor and his story about a time and space machine without even a flinch of disbelief.

The Web of Fear - Episode 4.1

March 16, 2013

Another "let's blow up the villains' spaceship" solution - The Ice Warriors. Today's classic story featured the introduction of a big baddie that will be returning this season.

March 10, 2013

Great Beasties! Working my way through the Second Doctor stories... The Grimace has the Blue Box.

March 6, 2013

With the conclusion of The Faceless Ones my anniversaries marathon says goodbye to Polly and Ben, two enjoyable companions. The Faceless Ones is one of the best stories of season four. It's shame that it is not intact.

February 28, 2013

Underwater Menace... Atlantians, Fish-people, and mad scientists with big hair and Russian accents... who could ask for anything more!

February 26, 2013

Finished with story #31 - The Highlanders. I've never noticed the first time I saw this story that the Doctor let Polly keep Jamie, like a stray dog that followed her home.

February 23, 2013

Farewell Doctor #1 - William Hartnell. I have finished The Tenth Planet... a story that did not live up its potential and reconfirmed my opinion that Hartnell was a grumpy old coot!

February 21, 2013
Doctor Who - The War Machines story #27. Season three's unsatisfactory ending... Dodo was not smashed by one of WOTAN machines... she was hypnotized and sent to country to recover in the second episode. A rather pleasant story overall.

Last night I bid farewell to first Doctor companion Steven Taylor. Seriously not the brightest of companions... I think that the Doctor's suggestion that Steven stay behind as a mediator between the savages and the Elders was just a clever way to get rid of him. Even Steven was shocked by the suggestion!

Three stories to go before I have to say good-bye to the first Doctor.

February 18, 2013

I may now have the answer to to what is the worse episode of Doctor Who... Daleks in Manhattan... Nope! Waters of Mars... Nope! Anything with Colin Baker... Nope! 

I'm pretty certain it is The Gunfighters! And, I still have 2 episodes to go until the horror that is The Gunfighters is over.

February 10, 2013

The Doctor Who marathons continue... done with story #22 and the Doctor and Steven have picked up a new companion, Dodo Chaplet. Seven Hartnell stories to go.

February 5, 2013

I'm halfway through The Myth Makers, a reconstructed story. With this story I bid farewell to the Doctor's little orphan-genius, Vicki, who trades travelling in the TARDIS for Ancient Greece. 

Next up... The Daleks' Master Plan... this one is going to take some Audible and reconstructions to get through all 12 episodes! 

Sorry guys, but Terry Nation wrote the best Dalek stories... hands down!

February 3, 2013

My Doctor Who anniversaries marathon has brought me to Galaxy 4, a story that is only available as a fan reconstruction by Loose Cannon Productions. While I feel that all the missing episodes of Doctor Who should be considered for reconstructions, some are more worthy than others! 

FYI - I loved The Time Meddler! I have a soft spot for stories where the Doctor crosses paths with other Time Lords.

February 1, 2013

My merry little marathon to watch all of Doctor Who has made it through story #16. And, with that milestone I bid a fond fair-well to Ian and Barbara.

Meatless Mondays

Happy New Year!

I thought that I would be begin the new year by explaining how I did with the vegging, brag about my progress, announce that I have found a passable meatball recipe, and am at my goal weight... scratch that last one it is probably never going to happen!

So, veg brag first. I went vegetarian October, November, and most of December. I completed this with a few fish dinners and a tuna sandwich in Gettysburg, but no beef, pork, or chicken until holiday break and the omnivores were home for the holidays. It was great! I want to go back for another run at it through the winter.

I'm through with the holidays now and am going to make another goal for vegetarian eating this winter. I would like to be veg through the semester and see if it helps me keep up with the busy schedule I'm going to have.

I have found a passable meatball recipe, and trust me... I tried a lot! Some I like the flavor but they don't hold up to sauce while others are, in a word, nasty. I found this recipe, Emeril's Mock Meatballs in Marinara at Planet Green (http://planetgreen.com/food-health/emeril-mock-meatballs-marinara.html). Yes, BAM Emeril! This is part of his Emeril Green series. These have become a weekly favorite in our house. I'll even wipe up a batch for lunches during the week when I'm shy on a protein. For lunch, I'll put two or three in a bento with some rice and Bulldog Tonkatsu Sauce.

So, to kick off the new year I could not think of a better dish to serve the omnivores. I can't vouch for the sauce included with Emeril's recipe, I usually use Newman's and tonight it was Sockeroo.

Today's Brew: Paramount Kona Blend

Happy Holidays

This is the coolest card I've seen in ages!

I belong to a card sending swap on Ravelry (www.ravelry.com) and received this card from one of the swapers.

Happy Holidays!

Veggies and Musings II

My schedule and a new course that I didn't do enough prep for this summer caught up with me last week and I got so busy I had to let the week go. Then I got sick! How does that happen? Here I am eating all this healthy goodness and blaaaaaargh! Sick. Diagnosed Wednesday as a multidimensional sinus infection... in other words it had spread to my right ear, throat, and was heading for the chest. Yippee.

Needless to say, I haven't done a whole lot of thinking about food. Well that isn't really true. I spent a few hours one day laying on the couch looking at vegan recipes for Thanksgiving. But cooking has been a chore, best left undiscussed. I have stuck to my vegetarian diet, but it has consisted of a lot frozen veggies, Boca Burgers, and eggs.

While surfing around the net and reading vegan/vegetarian blogs I ran across a posting about how many cookbooks vegetarians own. In my case, I've been collecting cookbooks longer than I've been vegging. My omnivorous collection is pretty big on its own, but I have enjoyed picking up the odd vegan/vegetarian cookbook.

So today I offer a mini review of my collection presented in no particular order.

Veganomicon - Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero

This is my go to book. I must admit it has become my vegan Joy of Cooking. This is the book that I can look in the refrigerator, see what I have and find an idea of what I can make. When following the recipes, I have never had a recipe not turn out. Besides, this is just a fun read.

Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World - Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero

Love, love, love this book! I've made fourteen of the cupcake recipes and my current favorite is the gingerbread. Yum.

Vegan with a Vengence - Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero

I got a gift certificate for B&N and bought this book. Honestly, I haven't done much with it. I did try the tempeh sausage crumbles and really enjoy that as a topping for eggs and rice.

Soy of Cooking - Marie Oser

I picked this book up at Powell's Books in Portland, Oregon a couple of years ago. I been tempted a by a couple of recipes, but really haven't tried any seriously. I guess I was a bit turned off by finding Gimme Lean products included. Although, flipping through it right now, it fell open to Tofu in Burgundy Sauce. That looks interesting.

The Everyday Vegan - Dreena Burton

I got this with a couple of other books from Half.com. The recipe for "Neat" Balls is tagged and I was thinking about another meatlessball recipe this weekend. I really like the introduction to the book, like Vegonomicon, it is very informative.

The New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook - Louise Hagler & Dorothy Bates

I bought this from Half.com with The Everyday Vegan. I was looking for information on making soymilk before I bought my soymilk maker. Really made it look like a lot of work. I do like the instruction for making tempeh, tofu, and using dried beans.

The Vegetarian Epicure - Anna Thomas

I got this from the library at the high school where I used to teach. I admit, I haven't done a thing with it.

Other books - not strictly vegetarian I find helpful and actually use!

The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook - Beth Hensperger & Julie Kaufmann

Great recipes and helpful hints for using the rice cooker for more than rice. Love the instructions for cooking beans.

Dim Sum: The Art of Chinese Tea Lunch - Ellen Leong Blonder

Where to begin. I love this book. The recipes are easy to follow and prepare in an American kitchen and I am a sucker for dumplings! Many vegetarian recipes are included.

Sushi: Taste and Technique- Kimiko Barber & Hiroki Takemura

Dedicated mostly to seafood, there are some vegetarian recipes offered. Overall a great book for the techniques that are explained with easy to follow instructions and a lot of pictures. My kids bought me this for my birthday.

Japanese Cooking at Home- Hideo Dekura

My favorite Japanese cookbook. The first one I bought for myself. I have made many recipes from this book including: O-nigiri, Yaki-meshi, Yaki-soba, Tamago-yaki, and Agedashi-dofu.

Today's brew: Eight O'clock 100% Colombian

Bunnies like eggs...

Breakfast is my least favorite meals. I would much rather dig into the refrigerator for some leftovers, down enough coffee to kill the hunger, or wait for brunch.

The little diner by my house called the Wooden Spoon has an omelet on its menu called a Bunny Omelet, a blend of veggie and cheese. On of the better vegetarian options in the county. I always order this when I eat there and make several; versions of it myself. This summer when I was living up north on my own for a few weeks this was one of my favorite meals and I wasn't too concerned what time of day it was!

Today's brunch was another version.

I used left over broccoli, carrot and cauliflower mix, a couple of mushrooms, and a small onion which I sauteed in a nonstick pan with some Earth Balance and cooking spray. When the onions were soft and the carrots cooked a bit I stirred in a couple of eggs and and some Swiss cheese. My free form omelet: all the flavor and none of the fold.

A word on eggs - This summer we saw the danger of commercially produced eggs. This wasn't the first time that the egg industry was scrutinized for unhealthy practices. Even the expensive all-natural, free range, vegetarian fed designer eggs may not be all that they are cracked up to be... egg humor! I buy eggs from a small goat farm up the road from my house. They sell their eggs on the honor system in a small fridge near their main gate. I have been buying eggs from them for almost three years now and love the quality of the eggs I'm buying. There is nothing like a farm fresh egg.

Today's brew: Eight O'clock Dark Italian Roast - the one in the purple bag!