That "He's Hot When He's Clever" Face

Yesterday was the big day.

Doctor Who Day.

I spent the whole day yesterday thinking about little else. I just counted down the hours, watching the DW marathon on BBC America, checked out Doctor Who posts on tumblr, and tried to color for my art project that's due Tuesday(finishing that is so not gonna happen). I found myself talking to myself and moving around my house frantically and energetically("red pencil, yes, yes, there...yes, good, good color, red") and found I'd almost turned into the Doctor by about seven o'clock. I had friends come around to watch the show. They're not particularly familiar with the show, but I'm determined to turn them into die-hard Whovians.

So, the episode! If I was on Tumblr I'd post that gif meme of David Tennant on Buzzcocks with the words "MOFFAT!" on the bottom. Also I'd describe it as a 'mind-fuck', if I wasn't so resolutely set against using the word mind-fuck. So instead I'm just going to say it was absolutely amazing, incredible, wonderful, brilliant, genius, and so on, so classic Doctor Who. A few thoughts. One, I always loved River! More so than Amy in fact; I have mixed opinions on Amy. River fits pretty well into the typical role of 'fiesty companion' in Doctor Who, which admittedly after Donna and Amy isn't so new after all, but the fact that she's also smart and almost equals the Doctor in many ways I really like. So, River, a new favorite character. I'm very fond of that scene with the Doctor and River. "And River Song, you've got that face on again". "What face?". "That 'he's hot when he's clever' face". "This is my normal face". "Yes, it is". Not only is it accurate and makes me smile, it's a line I never would have imagined coming from doctors one through ten and makes me like Eleven more than I did last series. Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty much infatuated with the Doctor in every form and with every writer and actor, but I was never really completely in love with Eleven. I found him so childlike and eccentric that we couldn't really break for Emotional Bits. Perhaps after Nine&Ten, that break was needed. David Tennant kind of changed Doctor Who forever, not only with his acting, but with the whole Ten&Rose romance bit, so maybe it was good that Moffat kinda reeled us back in so it was just pure adventure? I couldn't say. I'm afraid I'm stll hung up on David's departure, sorry. I've got to say I'm warming up to Eleven now. I'm hoping we'll get some Emotional Stuff with River later in the series, and maybe Matt'll add some unexpected layer to his take on the Doctor's character with that. I'm hoping, anyway. I found the episode to be particularly mind-bending, entracing, scary, and energetic, and generally a very good way to begin the series. Got a little distracted from the end of the story, what with having friends round, but I'll be able to catch up on the episode some time soon I suppose. Awesome.

Now, only 151 hours to go until the next episode. It's gonna be one of those weeks that never ends, I think.

April vacation has been expectedly wonderful. So much sleep, reading, late nights, British TV Shows, and new music-finding. What else could I possibly need? It's a shame the weather refuses to warm up until Tuesday(accomponied by rain and thunder) but it could be worse. Last year it was warmer--I was reading stuff from my old blog earlier today, and I was talking about going to the House of the Seven Gables and Mark Twain's house in Connecticut.I suppose I wasn't so sleep-deprived last year, which is why this week was less eventful than that one.

Oh yes, happy Easter, I almost forgot! How could I forget easter? I suppose too much fun stuff has been happening to concentrate on it. I got the usual selection of chocolate, though this year I'm determined to eat it a whole lot slower. I love Easter, though not much goes on, so today was fun.

Wednesday I went downtown with some friends again. Always a fun experience! The usual dancing to folk/blues/jazz in the town's hippie gift store, laughing at money-grabbing Easter gifts in CVS, and talking about the usual(school, religion, people) in Bertuccis. Chocolate cake this time, too. Fun times, of course. There was a brief moment of panic when I had to go to my piano lesson immediately after, and I didn't know where in the town my mom had parked, so I ended up being driven around the town until I found my mom in her car, and she seemed confused. I had to run across the road and go to my lesson.

I have a piano recital in a few weeks and I've yet to force my brain into thinking about seriously preparing for that. I'm doing a version of Rimsky Korsakov's 'Song of India' which is a beautiful piece. I can play it decently well already so I supose it's not too much of a problem, yet.

AND straight after that, still on Wednesday, I went to a James Blunt concert with my mom. This probably gives you the wrong impression of my mother...she actually has a pretty cool music taste, she likes Muse, Gaga, Elvis Costello, Kasabian, bands like that. This concert was her idea, not mine by the way. I'm not entirely sure why she wanted to go. She said she liked his first album but it could just be an Ironic Thing, I don't know. I wanted to go, though, because this was April Vacation and I haven't been to a show since Weezer in December and for me May 10th is too long a time to wait to go to another. I'm spoiled, yeah. We were stuck at the back of the venue, and Christina Perri opened. Turns out this was her first ever show, and she came across as being rather overexcited in a very teenager-ish way. I...wasn't keen on the music. She played a few 'emotional' piano ballads in the same vein as Jar of Hearts, and a couple more up-beat things which were slightly more interesting. Not a whole lot to be said there. James Blunt played a hugely long set--annoying, since I only know about five songs and of those only really wanted to hear one--but I suppose he was...okay. Oh, he's so posh! And he tries not to be! He wanted to be so rock n roll so he started talking about stage diving and asking people to take their clothes off. The music was alright apart from a few cringe-worthy pieces, he did stage dive in the end, he doesn't look like how I expected him to exactly, and he closed with 1973 which is my favorite of his songs. The crowd was an interesting mix, everything from thirteen year olds in Uggs to groups of middle aged women. You've got to love the one guy trying to fist-pump energetically at a James Blunt concert.

So overall, that was a fun night, if completely exchausting. It was at my favorite venue I've ever been to, and it's just really really fun being back there, cause I haven't been there since Halloween(seeing Florence). I'm saying Manchester Orchestra with Cage the Elephant and O'Brother there in a couple weeks, Arctic Monkeys with the Vaccines the weekend after, The Script in early June, and Tim Minchin after that. Oh it's exciting.

Thursday not a lot happened. I went to a music shop to look for sheet music. I'm determined to find sheet music for Star Wars and Sweeney Todd so I can play them on piano. Sweeney Todd is problematic to find. Star Wars less so of course, but my favorite piece Star Wars is Victory Celebration, from the last scene in Return of the Jedi. It's not very popular and it's also less obvious how to arrange it for piano so it's kind of hard to find anywhere. But, I absolutely adore the piece and seeing as I'm awful at arranging pieces from ear, I need the sheet music.

Not a lot happened on Friday, fairly ordinary day. Nice weather, listening to music, at cetera.

School tomorrow, not looking forward(particularly to the irritating morning announcements which read off everyone who has a birthday that day. ho hum). Tomorrow is health(so so), science(test result back, oh dear), world civ(doing the project that my group have finished I think, usually good), and english(a new book, I suspect, probs Tale of Two Cities or Romeo and Juliet). After that it's homeworkhomeworkhomework and presents.

Good thing I've less than two months left to go, now. Summer's coming. I'm still so tired, I need a break.

Gonna go and watch Mr. Nobody online, night.

about a year ago, I typed 'Babyshambles' into youtube's searchbar

...Sad as it is, I haven't been quite the same since.

I can't help, somehow, to look back at what is ordinarily my most dreaded time of the year(February) with an unusual fondness, when it comes to last year's. the darkness, the snow, looking after my neighbor's cats while they were on vacation. and of course, Arena documentaries, red new romance jackets, 'blood art', flights of lyrical fancy, and stories of drug-induced escapades through the decaying streets of England.(not sure what I'm talking about). point is, that was last year's February vacation. and today starts this year's February vacation. at last. and I'm getting really unnecessarily nostalgic for no reason whatsoever.

from one musician of questionable sanity to another, my current week-long obsession is TOM MILSOM. See the last post. Over the course of the last few stress-filled days, my head decided it be necessary that I watch every single hexachordal video...over...and over...and over again. my conclusion? the guy needs to make more videos. loads more. through two years of watching Alex&Charlie and the occasional Tom video, I don't know why it took me so long to realize how absolutely brilliant he is. I do that a lot. But Tom, just WOW. I wish i was him, or knew him, or something. honestly, he's so cool and I love everything about him(creepy? yessum.). everything from 'woah, he can play like twenty different instruments' to 'he uses words in clever ways' to 'jesus christ, I love his blue hair'. also, he introduced me to Tom Bacon, Max Tundra, and 20th century classical. he will be the sound of the next nine days. it's an obsession.

Since that somehow didn't accurately express my enthusiasm for this, let me reiterate by saying TOM MILSOM MARRY ME MARRY ME MARRY ME LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE FUCKING LOVE. there.

another thing, is his 8-Bit version of All My Little Words by the Magnetic Fields great or what? A.) This is the only 8-Bit music that I can tolerate so far in my life. up until I saw this video, I wouldn't have known to call it 8-Bit. where does that title come from? the 8 and the Bit, what's that all about? unless it's explained to me by a skinny, neurotic English boy with crooked teeth and it's played on a ukulele, I have no intention of finding out. B.) It's lame to admit this, but I'd never really given the Magnetic Fields much of a go before...shameful, right? I like All My Little Words(but I could never make you stay//not for all the tea in China//not if I could sing like a bird//not for all North Carolina//not for all my little words). hey, if you like this level of tweeness in your lyrics, like I do, then I'd highly recommend them.

And also I got into PJ Harvey far, far too late, meaning about a fortnight ago when the video for The Words That Maketh Murder came out. SO, SO GOOD. Sea of Bees are my latest cutetronica* guilty pleasure, and Emika is fun to listen to. why do I like so much electronic stuff lately? what ever happened to guitars? why is Do It Like A Dude so ridiculously better than Price Tag in every way possible?

After my all-things-Doherty phase, I went through a bit of a dry spell last year regarding listening to music. I just never worked up the motivation to go looking, y'know? it was strange. It was only really revitalized with spring. I don't know why my interest in music is remaining normal, if not more exaggerated than normal, so far this winter. It's amazing and I hope it stays that way.

this week, I worked on a history project that i did far too much work on. I mentioned this before, but I did a project comparing someone from the Muslim empire and from the European renaissance. very, very interesting when it comes down to it. al-Farabi was a wonderful find--at least my teacher seemed impressed, what with the more than 100 books and speaking 70 languages(woah.) and all that. I can't find Nicholas of Cusa's On Learned Ignorance anywhere but I want to read it so badly. I've been barely reading at all lately, it's annoying and sad and horrible. Anyway, I went so vastly over the top with this silly project, that I started doing homework at 3:30 yesterday and ended about eleven hours later. that includes food etc., but STILL. I better be getting an A or I will NOT be pleased. I have not had a life since sunday...

when I saw True Grit which was absolutely astonishingly wonderful. it's interesting how this movie, with scenes such as a man's fingers being cut off with a knife and left in pieces on a wooden table, get the movie a PG-13 rating...while one not-even-that-bad girl-on-girl sex scene--Black Swan, obviously--and it's R. what? people are weird. I envy the leading actress in True Grit, whoever that is, I don't know, I don't know anything about actors. or movies. it was great, though. My mom got me the original True Grit on DVD a few days ago, as well as the soundtrack from the most recent Sherlock Holmes movie(with Robert Downey jr, I guess is the only other way I can specify) which I absolutely adored from the first time I saw it. it's different. reminiscent of that Oliver Twist movie that got bad reviews, I think? but better. it's kasabian stripped of electronics, boosted in gypsy weirdness. I could listen to it all the time.

do I ever talk about anything that doesn't have a melody?

I failed an English essay, probably, because the class is disappointing and so infested with textbook grammar. same with a science test, since studying never fitted into my schedule and I can never keep my eyes open at that time anyway. I take longer than I need to in art. In health, one realizes there is still stigma about suicide and depression--our current topic--and it's horrible. I want more magazines and I need to wear my black 'army' boots more. I would sell my soul to get a place in Camrbride(I don't know why I said most of that).

anyway, a week off, time to sleep. night for now.

*I totally made that up....I'm a word play master, right?