The Doctors

Dr. Pepper

Dr. Pepper has been one of my favorite sodas since I was a small child. Back then, I would go through phases--Dr. Pepper, Coke, Pepsi, Pepsi Light (the only diet soda I've ever drunk). In my adult life, I've been drinking mainly water, but get Coke or Dr. Pepper if I get a soda. Conveniently, most places have one or the other (and some, like Qdoba, have both). But in the past few months I've been on a total Dr. Pepper kick. I crave it, and have been drinking it more and more. I even had Mr. Pibb the other day to have something like Dr. Pepper. I had some at lunch today, and I'm going to try to make that the last for awhile. Wish me luck.

Doctor Who

Doctor Who is my other Doctor fixation of late. I've been a big fan since the early '80's when KTCI showed them in the non-serial format Friday nights. I adored Tom Baker as the fourth Doctor, with his impossibly deep-pocketed coat from which he pulled Jelly Babies and his sonic screwdriver, and his robotic dog K-9 who is one of my favorite dogs ever; I love his little satellite-dish-like ears and cute voice. My mom got hooked on them as well, although her favorite Doctor was the first Doctor, William Hartnell. Last year, after a 16 year absence, the BBC resumed production of the television series.

What it lacks in the wobbly sets, mining pit exteriors, and cheesy aliens that were part of the original series' charms, it more than makes up for in solid production values, great writing, and realistic characters. Christopher Eccleston took on the daunting role of bringing Doctor Who back to television, making him less outwardly quirky and more inwardly complex than previous Doctors. I was quite happy with him, even if he did seem to be a bit more smitten with his companion than the Doctors of yore. It was known going in that he was only there for a year, and since the Doctor is a Time Lord and can regenerate his outward appearance, this was not a problem in the Doctor Who universe but, as a fan, there is always concern about what someone new will do with the role.

David Tennant, who did a far more entertaining and charming Casanova last year (with a script by Doctor Who's driving force, Russell T. Davies) than the Heath Ledger movie in theaters here, became the second Doctor of this new series with his episodes airing in the UK beginning in April. I am amazed that I like him even more than Christopher Eccleston's Doctor. He's smoothed some of the rough edges of Christopher Eccleston's Doctor, but also given him a sharper edge that cuts to great effect. He's also darn cute, and his wardrobe harkens back to the old Doctors more than Christopher Eccleston's did. All and all, I'm hopeless smitten with him. And that I have no plans to cut back on for now.

Thwarted

For the most part, I go through life feeling pretty harmonious with the Universe. There are even times when I feel there are little cues about where I should or shouldn't be. And then there are days like today, when I feel thwarted at every turn and I just don't know what I should do, except maybe try not to cry. Generally, these are the sort of days where you think you should have stayed in bed, but given that the thwarting began at 6:58AM when Coyotes' fan went on waking me up to a thought along the lines of "Oh, you've got to be kidding!" staying in bed was never really an option. It, of course, had to be a day when I was sleeping in a little, setting my clock for 7:36 instead of 7:08.

The rude awakening helped to throw off my morning plans (that and forgetting to prepare certain things the night before). I wound up leaving late and traffic was bad. The parking space I sought initially wasn't possible because one car was too far over into it (despite having tons of room on the other side). My left eye started feeling irritated, vaguely pained this morning and no amount of watering or anything else seems to have helped it. The place I went to lunch had changed their menu, eliminating the one reason I go there (but, kindly, they were able to make it for me, although it wasn't as good as before). My boss set up a meeting and then bailed after 15 minutes because something had come up. The co-worked I continued to meet with called me three or four times before I left work, hindering me from getting what I was doing done and making it so I was 10 minutes late in leaving. I drove over to the place I work out and the parking was blocked off, with the only other way to access it being behind me and the road going that way clogged with traffic. I realized too late what I should have tried instead, but wound up sitting on another traffic-clogged street. When I got in the turn lane, I missed the light because the first guy in the lane was trying to get back into the main stream of traffic (although the two cars in front of me managed to go). I turned in the wrong place to be as close as I could be to the path to where I work out. By the time I get there, I don't have enough time to do any of my work outs, and so talk to the folks behind the desk about the parking situation and drop off stuff before heading out to my dinner plans. Think about stopping off and running an errand but realize, after I've turned into the complex, that it's not worth it and then wind up spending forever trying to get back out. Get to my dinner plans location early and realize I've forgotten that I need to run an errand there. Thankfully, one of my friends is already there and I can vent about the thwartedness of the day, which he has also felt. And one of his eyes was giving him problems, too.

I just feel exhausted. I went to this site earlier today and it was down. One of the countless other little things that piled up to make me despair. *sigh*

Before bed, I guess I should ponder my FreeWill Astrology horoscope for the week ending today:

"Race car drivers say that if you're heading toward a wall," writes philosopher Jonathan Zap, "don't look at it. Instead, look at where you want to go." That's good advice for you in the coming week, Capricorn. It would be crazy for you to concentrate all your attention on what you don't like and don't need and don't agree with. Rather, you should briefly acknowledge the undesirable possibilities, but then turn the full force of your focus to the most interesting and fulfilling option.

I'll admit, I tried to keep my focus there today, but repeated failure does make me wonder if something else isn't going on. Here's to a better tomorrow!

In Dreams

I was reminded today of a dream I had recently, a dream I'd not remembered before. I was looking at myself in a bathroom mirror. My hair was very short and very blond, and for a moment I couldn't tell if it had been cut or was pulled back. The more I looked at it, the more taken I was with it. And the more I felt I looked like Reese Witherspoon.

While I don't believe I would look anything like Reese Witherspoon if I cut my hair, I have this odd desire to just do it. One of the many things I want to do with my hair someday is to have a little boy's cut. (there's also bleaching it out, and dying it some shade of pink. Maybe blue, too, at some other point)

I'm taking it as a sign of restlessness. Of readiness for change. Hopefully, something more interesting will come along and I won't need to resort to chopping off my hair.