The Wildcat's Den

Okay, enough of that rant on the top of my page.  It's time for some joy! I've just found a bunch of random things that have brought a smile to my face and I wish to share them with you. There's nothing really specific and no set theme.  Just something to enjoy on this chilly Saturday -

( Follow the Cut to Lots of Good Things )

I know my updating has been sparse of late. I blame it on the fact that I can't post from work (a combination of being too busy and I would feel bad about doing that stuff while I'm on the clock). But I have a few things to write about and here they are in no particular order -

- Radio Free Skaro (though Traveling the Vortex scooped them on this) announced that The Caves of Androzani Special Edition will be released in North America on February 14!!  As a HUGE 5th Doctor fan, this is very exciting news to me.  I've been chomping at the bit for this one and Resurrection of the Daleks to be released over here, as those Revisitation sets have already been available in the UK for quite some time.

- I recently started back in to The Wheel of Time series that I gave up on back in high school.  I read the first seven of those books and enjoyed them quite a bit back then, but I had no idea where he was going with this and it just seemed to go on and on and on with no resolution in sight.  So, I resolved to set them aside and  and come back to them when the series was finished (or at least close to being done).  Well, since Robert Jordan passed away in 2007 and Brandon Sanderson took over to round out the series, i figured it was time to get back into it.  Though I'm going to audiobook route on this go-round.  Thanks to an hour-long commute to work (which I don't compain about since I actually don't mind the drive so much), it's a good way to go.  Plus, the library has all of them on audiobook and I've pretty much stopped buying all my books because Ican get them for free at work, so I can burn them onto my iPod and listen to them that way.  I think it's great!

- Work is... work.  I shouldn't say it that way - it's one of the best jobs I've ever had!  Probably another reason I haven't been posting on LJ - I don't have anything that's annoying me (wow - that's pretty sad when the only things worth blogging about are things that piss me off.  I ought to blog about good things too!)  I work in a freaking library, for goodness sake!  I get to see all the new books coming in and preview them (briefly) as I'm checking them in!  The other day I had a morning shift at one library and an evening shift at another one, so I just hung around reading at yet another library in the branch during the interim hours before I had to go back to work again.  You know you have a great job when you like spending your off-time there hanging out.  Plus, I get to know where everything is and I know the staff and they know me.  Of course, it'll be great when I'm working full-time at one branch (preferably as a librarian rather than a clerk), but I'll take what I can get for now.  The Salt Lake City system has a few job openings for library assistant (which has the duties of a librarian and a clerk rolled into one - pretty decent entry-level job that isn't a substitute), so I've applied there.  Even though I love working at Salt Lake County, I'll happily go work for the City if they'll take me (a great job, plus higher pay and benefits.  Sure, why not?)

- I am thisclose to being done with school.  And, boy howdy, do they make you earn it!  I have to put together a portfolio website (which is much better than writing a thesis that no one will ever read other than me and my professors) and I have to outline theories of library services.  Which is pretty stupid because library services is all about practicality.  I have a patron with a question, I help them with their question, we find what the patron is looking for and all is well.  I'm not going to sit back and contemplate the theory behind the service I'm rendering while I'm rendering it.  Maybe other, more intellectually snobby people do but that's a pain in the butt as far as I'm concerned.  And I highly doubt the public gives a flying ant fart about the theory of library services.  Sheesh... this is why I've had it with academia.  Anyway...

- My fantasy football team hasn't done so great this year, but I should be improving now that I have much of my fall semester behind me and I can turn my attention to more fun things.  I'm just in a league with my family and some friends - it's not like any of us has money in this thing.  I mean, I follow the NFL fairly well (better than most people I know), but I sometimes don't know which players I should put in.  My brother finally had to tell me I had one of the best running backs in the NFL on my bench and I could have been winning more if I'd put him in my starting lineup.  Well, of course I would figure it out the week the Bills have a bye.  Oh well - I don't think I have to play my obnoxious little cousin again.  He gloats so bad when he wins - it's miserable (and he's only thirteen - but he's been insufferable since he could talk.  He cheers for the Patriots, if that gives you any idea how big of a turd he can be).

All in all - I've been doing quite well.  Can't complain too much.  I feel like my life is coming together and I really don't have anything to be worried about.  I mean, I love what I'm doing, I don't have to deal with anybody I don't want to and I pretty much keep to myself and I'm happy about it.

(and hopefully I'll post again soon.  I have been check my flist on a regular basis - I just don't post stuff here very much.  And that's kind of sad).

::My posting on LiveJournal has been slim of late - and I realize that I never posted my review of last week's Doctor Who here.  But I posted it at my other blog and I don't feel like reposting it here.  So, have a handy link and enjoy (fair warning - SPOILERS for "The Almost People")

::I've moved up to Salt Lake now (we'll... in the Salt Lake area, anyway) and hopefully will be started my practicum tomorrow *fingers crossed*  I wish it would have started sooner because I've spent the past few days moping around the house because I don't have anything else to do and I don't have a job.
   :::Oh, here's a great story - one of the jobs that I applied for was to be a substitute for the Salt Lake County Library system.  On the application, I put my address as where I'm living (which is not quite in Salt Lake, but it's close enough as far as I'm concerned).  I got an email from the County yesterday morning saying (quote) "It appears, with your past work experience, that you are qualified for the position, but because of the volume of applications, we are not considering anyone who lives and works in a distant location." (emphasis mine).
      Well, I came uncorked at that because 1) I've been driving 70 miles round trip every day for the past ten months ON DIRT ROADS to work at the high school.  To me, twenty minutes on the freeway is like running to the corner market for bread and milk. 2) I fully intend to move into Salt Lake City proper when I get an actual job - I just have to live where I do because I don't have the money to get a place in SLC yet.  PLUS - I'm doing a practicum in West Jordan, which means I'll be driving into the Salt Lake Valley nearly every day anyway.  I called the County up and told them as much (I was a lot nicer than if I'd picked up the phone the minute I got the email) and they said they'd consider my application.  Sooo... yeah... *more crossing fingers*

::I finally got out of the house today, though.  I went to the Jordan River Temple, which was nice.  I hadn't been to the temple for a long time and I hadn't realized how much I missed it (also how much better I feel after being there).  It was a good feeling, that's all.

::What else? My cousin is getting baptized on Saturday and my aunts are giving my sister a baby shower afterward, so that's going to be fun (I threw a shower for my sister a few weeks ago).  And my other cousin had her baby last night, which is great.  Yup... it's great.

That's it for today.  I'm working on a baby quilt for my sister, so I want to get that finished before the baby's born.  I'm about halfway done.

I had to work today and most of my family had to go into town for a funeral, so I was most or less on my own for my birthday (however, since today was also my dad's birthday and my mom's is next Sunday, we're going to do something to celebrate later).  I got tons of birthday wishes via Facebook and Twitter (Thanks y'all!) and one of my dearest friends left me the sweetest voicemail.  Plus, I stretched out my birthday gift opening so I basically opened presents all day.  I wound up with Incarceron and Sapphique by Catherine Fisher (I've heard nothing but good things about those and I'm eager to read them) plus the "Trial of a Time Lord" DVD boxed set (*gleeful cackle*) (Don't ask me why I'm gleefully cackling over "Trial" - I haven't even seen it yet).  And my boss left me a gourmet frozen pizza from Schwan's with a really nice note wishing me happy birthday.  All in all, a pretty good birthday.

Then, my cousin calls and says she's making a nice dinner and chocolate cake for my birthday (WHEE!). So I go over and visit while she's making dinner when her eight-year-old daughter comes up the stairs with the distinct look that she is Up To Something.  The eight-year-old tells me she has a birthday present for me, but I have to guess a riddle in order to get it.  Something to do with where birds build their nests (she's eight - it's cute).  Evidently, I guessed correctly because she leaves for a minute and comes back with this:



(And suddenly, the fact that she had been staring at my TARDIS t-shirt at intermittent intervals makes so much more sense!)

I don't care who you are - that is so stinking adorable.

Here is my reaction post to "The Curse of the Black Spot." SPOILERS AHOY! (and it actually makes sense to say that in this case!)

First - a nice little song (which should always be played and sang to at the highest volume possible)




( Spoilers, Matey! )

Just rewatched "The Impossible Astronaut" - now that my brain has had time to process everything, I've come up with a list of things I want answered in this season.  This isn't a demand or anything - just a way for me to keep track and refer back to later.  Spoilers intended and implied:

( Remember that one thing that one time? )

Guess what day it is???

premieres in NINE HOURS (for me, anyway)

Pardon me whilst I spam the everliving crap out of my excitement!



























The UK premiere is in about an hour, so I'm going to have stay off the internet after that to avoid spoilers. I've done a good job staying unspoiled so far and it would suck to screw it up now.  However, I will be back afterward with a suitable Review/SQUEE Post.

But for now - we DANCE!

I've just been made aware (thanks to the Whoniversaries feature at Doctor Who LJ comm) that today is Peter Davison's birthday!

I can't let this go unnoticed, can I?



Awesome Fivey fan vid #1 -



Awesome Fivey fan vid #2 -



Video from Gallifrey 22. Just because.



Many happy returns, Peter - and thanks for being such a fantastic Doctor!  And just plain awesome in general :)

Um... put under a cut because I don't know who is avoiding spoilers and who isn't.  But they've released the title of the Neil Gaiman episode from the upcoming season of "Doctor Who." (But yay for getting some use out of my River Song icon!)

( Read more... )

After the less-than-stellar day at work I had, this makes it all worth it:

"Doctor Who" Series 6 premiere will air on BBC America on April 23 at 9:00 Eastern Time (7:00 Mountain Time).

I haven't heard from any official sources if that's the same day it airs on BBC One in the UK, but from what I've gathered, it's pretty traditional that the new series of Doctor Who premieres over Easter weekend - so does this mean that we in the US get a same-day release with our friends across the pond?  (I'm only speculating this because I would think this kind of news would have blown up the blogosphere and I haven't seen that happen... yet).

But - yay!  We have a date!!!