"There are moments, Jeeves, when one asks oneself, 'Do trousers matter?' "

"The mood will pass, sir."

—P.G. Wodehouse, from The Code of the Woosters

Classic Doctor Who

Occasionally I try to watch old Doctor Who, like sixties William Hartnell Doctor Who. I've yet to finish a story line. (They tended to be in twenty-minute episodes, multiple episodes adding up to a single story line.) They're...slow. And, well, very not-profound. Basically they're not made to a modern sensibility.

But I want to watch classic Doctor Who, especially when the current season has ended, to keep me busy until the next season. Buff up on my history. But how do I know which ones are worth watching?

I have discovered what sounds like sage advice! Here it is. I'm going to take the seasons and episodes this fellow recommends and watch them in chronological order. Maybe dipping into other seasons just to get a feel for what all the other doctors are like. I would also recommend watching the very first twenty-minute episode of Doctor Who, "An Unearthly Child," maybe the second episode, too, just for seeing how it all began.

Here are the episodes I'll probably look for first:

The Dalek Invasion of Earth/World's End (1964)
The Tenth Planet (1966) (some episodes missing, but I'm curious about the first regeneration)
The Tomb of the Cybermen (1967)
Doctor Who and the Silurians (1970)
Inferno (1970)
Robot (1974-1975)
The Ark in Space (1975)
The Sontaran Experiment (1975)

Christmas Genre

I've almost got my library card number at the public library here in Moscow memorized. I'm about to finish a book (The Code of the Woosters—so good) so I'm seeing if I can get any Christmas-themed genre novels to arrive before the Christmas season is over. One mystery, one romance, one chicklit. Here's hoping they come in soon. I'll let you know if they're any good.

Imagine how some unfortunate master criminal would feel, on coming down to do a murder at the old Grange, if he found that not only was Sherlock Holmes putting in the week there, but Hercule Poirot, as well.

—P.G. Wodehouse, from The Code of the Woosters

Who are you, Jujubes and Aspirins?

It's time to rethink this blog. You may have noticed I didn't post for a couple months. I was writing posts in my head, but always felt too busy to actually sit down and type them up. Plus, I wasn't sure what I was really achieving with this blog. Who's my intended audience? My friends, Katie, Rhiannon? Anyone who likes books? Do I have this blog so that if some future employer in publishing asks if I have a blog, I have something clever and literate to show them?

I don't know. But I'm not ready to let Jujubes and Aspirins completely die out. It is time to re-envision. Sort of like Rhiannon did. What do you think?

Love is more pleasant than marriage for the same reason that novels are more amusing than history.

—Nicolas Chamfort

Do you think that revolutions are made with rose water?

—Nicolas Chamfort