Martha Walks the Earth and Grows a Spine Apr 25 2018 10th Doctor Jack Harkness Today was kind of a landmark day for this project, just in terms of my workout. I added push-ups back in February and am now consistently doing 100 per day, Eleven days ago I added sit-ups to the routine and have been slowly increasing the reps. Today, for the first time, I completed 100 sit-ups in addition to the push-ups and treadmill time. I'm a beast!! Well, I mean, I'm not, but it sure feels good. My intention is to get to the point where I am doing 100 push-ups and 200 sit-ups every day, plus whatever other workout happens. From now until I finish this ridiculous project obviously that's treadmill time, but I am really looking forward to late July when I can finally break free of the treadmill and start doing inline skating or bike riding or literally anything else besides the treadmill. I also watched the season finale for Series Three this morning. So I guess I should talk about that. Read more ...
The Sound of the Music Apr 24 2018 10th Doctor Jack Harkness Martha Jones There's this radio guy in Seattle named Pat Cashman (who happens to be the reason I met my wife, but that's another story), and he had a running joke of always calling The Sound of Music by the wrong name -- calling it The Sound of the Music. It's been a running joke in our household for nearly twenty years now. For some odd reason I thought about that this morning. So anyway, let's talk about today's Doctor Who episode The Sound of the Drums. Read more ...
Right at the edge of knowledge itself and you're busy blogging! Apr 23 2018 10th Doctor Jack Harkness Martha Jones Here I am in the home stretch of Series Three, it's weird how fast these are going by now. This morning I actually had to cut the treadmill short because of time, I got started a bit late on my workout and had to stop as soon as the episode was over. So, barely over three and a half miles today. That's ok, though. It was a good workout. I feel like at this point I have achieved everything I wanted out out of this project, and now I am just running out the clock to get through the last three months to wrap it up. Speaking of which, this morning's viewing ran off to the very end of time and also brought back an old friend. And an old enemy. So let's talk about that. Read more ...
You told him you were eighteen? You lying cow. Apr 22 2018 10th Doctor Martha Jones Sally Sparrow I gotta tell you, doing four miles on the treadmill is somewhat harder after you've just finished doing a hundred push-ups and fifty eight sit-ups. I'm not bragging or anything, believe me those push-ups are still very hard-won in the morning, but the last two days of stringing all three together has reminded of of way back when, when I was in the Army. There used to be regular scored tests (I assume they still do it, or something similar) where you were rated on the same three exercises I am doing now. Maybe that's why I have gravitated towards this pattern, since it is familiar and something with which I was successful back then. I entered the Army as a drama & band geek with no sports background, and not surprisingly came out the other side in the best health of my life. To tell the truth? I am just starting to feel a bit like I did back then. So that's nice. Oh, and there were Weeping Angels this morning. So let's talk about that. Read more ...
The Journal of Impossible Things Apr 21 2018 10th Doctor Martha Jones Can you believe it? I almost forgot to write a post today! How weird is that? Over fourteen months on this ridiculous project, and this is quite literally the first day I have spaced out and not done it. I was just about to go to bed, when I remembered. So here goes. Read more ...
Fourteen Month Checkin Apr 20 2018 10th Doctor Martha Jones Today marks the fourteen month anniversary of the day I started this ridiculous project. In that time I have walked 1,460.88 miles on the treadmill while taking 2,808,440 steps, watching 733 episodes and 184 stories of Doctor Who, and losing 57.46 pounds in weight. I have also gone from barely being able to do three push-ups to being able to do over 160 at maximum and have actually started doing 100 push-ups per day as just a normal part of my daily workout and am now adding sit-ups to the mix. In terms of weight, I seem to have pretty much stabilized. I am very slightly lighter than I was a month ago today, but well within a kind of statistical noise pattern. I am totally fine with this. My body continues to change in shape as I build muscle mass, and honestly it is kind of weird-but-satisfying. This has never been about a number for me, but more about feeling well. At this point I surely do feel well. As for Doctor Who, this morning I watched my all-time favorite episode of NuWho although it was marred by some technical treadmill issues. So let's talk about that. Read more ...
Events Occur in Real Time Apr 19 2018 10th Doctor Martha Jones I have to say, it's a really odd experience to be walking on a treadmill with its constant countdown and then to be watching a show in which there is also a constant countdown. Today's story is the only "realtime" episode in the series history, and was very clearly inspired by the show 24 which was in its heyday at the time. Flip 24 around to 42, toss the TARDIS onto a spaceship about to fall into a sun, and the script practically writes itself. So let's talk about that. Read more ...
Not Quite as High Quality as the Scorpion King Apr 18 2018 10th Doctor Martha Jones I got to sleep in an extra hour this morning, so that was nice. Then I had to watch The Lazarus Experiment, which wasn't nearly so nice. So let's talk about that. Read more ...
In New York You Can Be a New Man, Just You Wait Apr 17 2018 10th Doctor Martha Jones So, a thing happened this morning. I got an email with a video from none other than Sophie Aldred, a.k.a. Ace, cheering me on in the home stretch of this ridiculous project. When I started well over a year ago I had never actually watched any of the Seventh Doctor stories. For whatever reason I had always kind of mentally filed them away as the sputtering end of a dying show, with low production values and a comedian as the Doctor. I could not have been more wrong. I wound up enjoying that era immensely, and would rank The Curse of Fenric as one of the best Classic Who stories bar none. Sylvester McCoy was impressively nuanced and dark, and as for Ace, well... she absolutely rocked. I will always love Barbara Wright, Goddess the most as a companion, and of course the immortal Sarah Jane Smith was brilliant. I am here to say that Sophie Aldred as Ace stands shoulder to shoulder with both of them, and I would very much love to meet her some day and tell her so face to face. But in the meantime, here is the video that put a smile on my face all day today: Sadly, I also have to talk about the crappy Dalek story I finished watching to day. So let's get it done. Read more ...
We'd Like To Thank You, Herbert Hoover, For Really Showin' Us the Way Apr 16 2018 10th Doctor Martha Jones I am virtually certain there is no other episode of NuWho that I have pre-complained about more than Daleks in Manhattan. That is not to say that it is my least favorite modern story (that's a toss-up between Kill the Moon or Sleep No More), but it's the one that not only features the Daleks but exemplifies my frustration with them. How can I miss you if you won't go away? So let's talk about that. Read more ...