I Ain't Afraid of No Daleks

So, I'm taking a break in my chores, to sit and chill to some of the music I used to tune into on the radio as teen: Heart, Queen, the Doobie Brothers...."I want to hear some funky dixie land, pretty mama come and take me by the hand..."

And, I'm thinking, 'gee, I've only done one David Tennant teaser all day--he's getting off too easy.'

"You know, the fan girls just love it when I shake my hair like this, and I do love to oblige them."

Well, I thought it was an earth tremor or aftershock (from the Canadian quake on Wednesday) last night--but no news about it.

Kind of disconcerting sitting there keyboarding at half-past ten in the evening, and suddenly feeling your chair shaking slightly, and watching your monitor and desk vibrating back and forth.

This morning, at half-past seven, the miniature model horses on my book shelf in the bedroom, suddenly fell over for no apparent reason--I was lying in bed, and the cats were all sound asleep...no one moving about the other apartments, that I could hear, and no traffic going by....very strange!

Perhaps this building really is structually unsound...but how can I possibly tell, I'm no engineer--all I know is that there's a zagged gap in the brick wall adjoining my balcony, and that walls are no longer plumb, and the edges of the living room all slope rather steeply downward, to the south....is my building in danger of collapse, or is it just settling? It's not the oldest home I've ever lived in, but it's not very well cared for, that's for sure.

Here we see actor David Tennant's reaction after the director instructed him that there was to be no sex, snogging or alcohol on set for the duration of filming.

Another hot day in northeastern New York.

I'd love to go to the public library's book sale, but only have 10 dollars left until Friday (my pay check was 41 dollars this week, due to being out sick four days with stomach flu, last week), so no go there--but, got that desk I so desperately needed, so no complaints from me. My eyesight's become so rubbish, that I'm making tons of typos when I write these days--I always seem to get halfway through typing, before I remember to enlarge the screen, stupid me.

Today is cleaning day. Going to grab a turkey-bacon sandwich for lunch, then start doing the apartment from top to bottom. In this heat, I reckon it'll be a four-shower day, ha-ha.

Cheers, all. Nancy G.

JOIN OUR FIGHT FOR SINGLE PAYER HEALTHCARE June 19, 2008, Americans across the nation will demonstrate in favor of guaranteed healthcare and in protest of AHIP — America’s Health Insurance Plans — the insurance industry lobbyists who profit from pain. Download and share our PDF flyers with friends and plan to join us!

Go here:

http://www.guaranteedhealthcare.org/

IF YOU'RE AMERICAN;

Please consider writing your local news outlet or even MP---pressure from the outside can help even more than pressure from the inside.

NOTE: SPECIAL INTERESTS FROM THE PHRAMACUEDAL INDUSTRY HAVE PURCHASED AMERICA'S POLITICIANS--INCLUDING THE SO-CALLED "GOD FEARING" GEORGE BUSH.

THESE POLITICIANS--MAINLY REPUBLICANS, BUT ALSO SOME DEMOCRATS, HAVE MADE IT ILLEGAL FOR SICK AMERICANS TO GET AFFORDABLE MEDICINE FROM CANADA--TO THE POINT, WHERE THEY'VE THREATENED THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT!

Today, once again I'll sometimes be putting youtube videos about my country's health care crisis on my blog.

I don't have a video, but here's my story:

I am a victim of this crisis. I grossly suffered for months, with a dental abscess. It eventually spread to my face. For over 2 months--while I was working 39 1/2 hours a week, 6 to 7 days a week, often both day and night shifts, so that I could meet my rent, and buy at least a little food. This eventually put me in hospital...where I was told that if I kept on working like I was, in the shape that I was in (in just those few months, my diabetes and blood pressure had gone through the roof), that I might very well die. The doctor told me that I either HAD to stop working for a while, or at least work less hours, if I didn't want to wind up in hospital all the time, or eventually die.

I had absolutely nothing to spare for a dentist or medicine. I'd just come off a substantial pay cut for three months at work, only to find, once my pay rate had been restored that one of my student lenders--the state of Vermont's student loan corporation, had begun garnishing my wages, to the tune of about 30 dollars---this on top of the state and federal governments cut for taxes and social security--and NY state has some of the highest taxes in the entire country.

The hours I was working, combined with my illness, made getting a second job virtually impossible. Exacerbating this, was the fact that the reason, I worked 39 1/2 hours (part-time) instead of 40 hours (full-time), is because if I was a full-timer, my company would have to give me benefits--including sick pay and health insurance.

(The company recently put in place a (expensive) group health insurance plan for part-time workers working over X-number of hours (I don't qualify), to begin in Jan. of 2009, for most workers.

So, my ONLY income, until very recently, was that weekly pay cheque. If I was out sick--no pay. So I worked and worked, suffering from a deep-seated, constant pain in my face. Imagine having to talk on the phone 9 hours out of your day, with a huge, painful abscess just above your lower jaw.

And all because the wealthiest nation in the world, is too selfish and greedy to provide its own citizens with NHS.

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The neo-conservatives and other republicans, corporate special interest groups in the private insurance and health care industry, hypocritical physicians, those politicians more interested in their social status than actually caring about their fellow Americans---greedy, selfish and ignorant Americans, all of them, are directly and indirectly responsible for the suffering and pre-mature deaths of millions of their fellow citizens.

It amounts to a legalized human rights violation.

While I will be blogging about lighter subjects this weekend, I hope that at least a few of you, will take a moment to watch some of these videos.

These are real people in distress. They ARE suffering, they do die needlessly, before their time. And--most of America doesn't care.

God bless America? Not a chance.

Just finished watching most of Midnight. Interesting idea. At first, I wasn't too keen--thought it started out a bit like moderate-quality fan-fiction, to be quite honest. Was a bit surprised to find RTD wrote this rather mundane-seeming sci-fi/horror episode.

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I understand that there's been a lot of mixed--and rather heated reviews over this one--just hours following broadcast in the UK, so I'm sure some fans will agree, and some will shake their heads and (and probably a few fists) at me, in contradiction to my views.

Now, I really, really hesitate--throughly dislike, criticizing Russel T--and, really I'm not. How can I, who am barely average at writing fiction, justify downing someone else's work--especially a top caliber writer like Mr. Davies. It doesn't set well with me, at all.

And, in all fairness, the episode did redeem itself, and Tennant was right up there, punching the mark, giving a remarkable and truthful portrayal of the situation, from the Doctor's point of view.

And, despite my initial reaction of a so-so script, that realistic setting in the space-truck...very accurate and totally right on. I've spent nearly 3 days on a Greyhound coach cross-country across 11 states, and over 20 years later, 12 hours in coach on a crowded jet...so I get it, you know what I mean? Tho' I'm hardly some gad-about world traveler--my travels have been extremely few and very far between (I'm really a small-town stick-in-the-mud, most times), but, there have been moments...and that element, surely I could well relate to.

Panning another writer's work--most particularly, someone who really is so wonderful, and so great, who's writing abilities and imagination, I could never hope to ever touch, no matter how much I long to. I could never hope to write like Mr. Davies. Heck, I might as wish for a trip to the moon, or to have someone fall in love with me, or to live a life without heavy debt! His writing is just as untouchable for me as those things.

But, on the other hand, I'm do want to give my first impressions, and unfortunately, that was what they were. But, I was wrong. The show redeemed itself and I humbly apologize to Mr. Davies to compare this script to mediocre fan-fic. Sorry.

And of course, the performance, when the Doctor was taken over by the alien--probably one of Tennant's finest moments--among so many other fine performances. Yet, his expression, the sense that he gave, trying not to be murdered...wow. Blew me away. I foresee more BAFTA's in this man's future!

Congrats, Mr. Tennant, on a truly lovely performance.

(NO Fan-girls, DT does NOT, and will NOT, ever read my blog!)

"i can't take my eyes off that display--look, I'm drooling! I do love Tittie Bars....

...especially the caramel-nut flavour."

(I know what you thought I meant--shame on your! )