So I am out at a social gathering tonight, and order a baked mac & cheese dish to eat. A friend sitting across from me looks at it when it is brought to the table, then she says to me, "That's on your diet?" 

"If you burn enough calories," I reply, "you can eat whatever you want. Just ask Michael Phelps."

In other news, I rather abruptly got a new Doctor today on the treadmill. Let's talk about that.

Time and the Rani - Parts 1 & 2

(TARDIS Data Core recap)

"Hey Colin," says the BBC, "would you like to come back and film your regeneration scene?"

"Sure," replies Colin Baker, "Presuming it comes at the very end of a third season with me in the role."

The BBC never called Colin back...

Nine months passed between the end of The Trial of a Time Lord and the beginning of Time and the Rani. Colin Baker was unceremoniously fired, replaced by veteran comedic actor Sylvester McCoy. Rather than the regeneration coming at the climactic end to a story, the new season opens with a rare pre-credits sequence with the TARDIS under attack, and then boarded by the Rani and an inhuman lackey. It genuinely feels like Part One of Time and the Rani is more like Part Three of a six part serial, only the first two parts went missing. It's just boom! bang! the unconscious Doctor in a bad wig regenerates into the new Doctor and is carried off by the bad guys, and then roll opening credits.

And speaking of opening credits, check out this amazing (for 1987) new CGI opening credits sequence:

It's bold and fresh, with fully 3-D flying letters forming the new logo, and with a brand new arrangement of the iconic theme music. It may not look that great to 2018 eyes, but this really is an astounding opening credits sequence for its era. Aesthetically I am not particularly a fan of the new logo, but it is a far sight better than the badly mangled neon tube logo from the previous two seasons. 

The story so far has the Rani doing evil things, such as dressing up like Mel (including a bad wig) and then tricking the confused Doctor into repairing some nefarious device. She continually manipulates the Doctor, to the point where he mutters under his breath, "The more I know me, the less I like me..."

Meanwhile Mel is off being Mel. Unfortunately she doesn't die, but she comes close. Ah, well.

At this point McCoy is still finding his footing in the role, but he is already settling in nicely. His background in physical comedy is highlighted frequently, but you can see his darker edges peeking through. In a sort of odd juxtaposition, it seems like although the budgets for the episodes have been cut severely Sylvester McCoy is countering with a rich and nuanced performance. I am really liking him quite a bit.

And at this point in the evening I am literally falling asleep at the keyboard and have nothing else profound to say. 

STATS:

Doctor(s): Seventh
Companion(s): Mel
Episode(s): Time and the Rani - Parts 1 & 2
Steps Walked: 7,465 today, 2,376,667 total
Distance Walked: 4.23 miles today, 1,229.19 miles total
Push-ups Completed: 5 today, 8 total
Weight: 245.64 lbs (five day moving average), net change -61.66 lbs