"And that's the way it is...."

[tabaqui]

Oh, Mr. Cronkite. The first non-family voice of my childhood, who calmly told me the news of the day, explained the horrors and the wonders of the world, and assured me by his measured and gentle tones, that all would be well, in the end. You, sir, were one of a kind, and you shall be missed. Rest in peace.
*sniffle*

Seems silly, but his news broadcasts really *were* a huge part of my childhood. The news was *always* on during dinner, and it was always Walter Cronkite, and he reminded me of a my dad a bit, and it just makes me...nostalgic, i guess, for those days.


Anyway. In other news - Cat is currently in Kansas City at the Tattoo Rendezvous, dispensing art and chatting up people. So if you're in the area, drop by! That leaves me and the Monstrous 'home alone' as it were, but we're just hanging out, watching tv and eating mac'n'cheese. :)
*miss you, mignon*

I'm working on my spnsummergen fic, and enjoying where it's taking me. Two more weeks until it's due! Two more weeks to Writercon!!

And in television news, i just this week watched the newest mini-season of Torchwood.


I freakin' loved it. OMFG. I loved Gwen coming in and giving her picture of Tosh and Owen a little kiss and 'good morning', i loved Ianto fretting about being a couple, i loved Jack kind of being all avoidy over it.

And then the young doctor seemed so promising. And then he freaking *shot Jack*, and then and then and then...... Gods. It was so damn *miserable*. And so ugly. And we really got to see that Jack is *not* all sweetness and light, that he makes damn hard choices and he suffers for them. That he really is not quite *human*, because he's going to live forever, and he can't die. It was terrifying, horrifying, heartbreaking. And i loved every damn minute of it.


And that's the way it is in *my* world tonight. I'll probably toddle off to bed soon...in my woolly socks, as it's suddenly gotten *very* chilly here, for June in Misery.
*hugs you all*


*sorry if i disappeared for a moment - i thought i'd flubbed the cut tag. :)*

Comments

[shakatany.livejournal.com]

TW: CoE was an incredible mini-series. I caught it on the internet as I wasn't going to wait for next week when the first ep will probably be opposite "MoonShot" with James Marsters. My thoughts on TW: CoE are here (http://shakatany.livejournal.com/264921.html)

Shakatany

[tabaqui]

Ooh, Moonshot. I need to find that, too....

I really, really, really loved Torchwood. It was amazing.

[shakatany.livejournal.com]

"MoonShot" on The History Channel.

I'll miss "Uncle" Walter too. His was the voice of authority and "just the facts" that's often missing in the news these days. I remember him when Kennedy was assassinated when I was a little girl and it seemed to me that whenever we watched the TV during those awful days he was there 24/7 (I'm sure he was off some of the time but it didn't seem so).

Shakatany

[tabaqui]

Yes, he was definitely the voice of the times. I think he really set a standard that's sadly lacking, these days.

OT

[shakatany.livejournal.com]

In case Cat is interested in the history of tattooing I just came across this: Oetzi Iceman's Tattoos Came from Fireplace (http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/07/17/iceman-tattoos.html)

Shakatany

Re: OT

[tabaqui]

Cool link, thanks!

[katbcoll.livejournal.com]

*quickly scrolls past spoilers* I will watch Torchwood next week. I had to respond to something you said.

Seems silly, but his news broadcasts really *were* a huge part of my childhood. The news was *always* on during dinner, and it was always Walter Cronkite, and he reminded me of a my dad a bit, and it just makes me...nostalgic, i guess, for those days.
It's not silly! I absolutely get where you're coming from. I almost started crying because when my dad was in town (he travelled a LOT) and before my parents split, he and I would watch the news together. He was not only a part of my childhood, but he was a tie to my father.

[tabaqui]

You will love it, i predict!
:)

And dude, i *did* cry. He's just...another person from those old days, another voice i won't hear again.

Wow, that's maudlin. But for some reason it's just really *mattering* more than most.

[katbcoll.livejournal.com]

*hugs you*
But for some reason it's just really *mattering* more than most.
Agreed.

I believe your prediction! *G*

[bendtothesun.livejournal.com]

*sniffle* Cronkite will certainly be missed.

TW:CoE is still such a mixed bag for me because as amazing as it was, and it really really was it was one of the best pieces of television on the air in quite awhile, it still hurt. And I'm still not really over it. :( I dunno, I'll probably do a reflection post on it when it's less raw.

And dude, yeah on the chilly. It was in the 50s all day today and chilly. I want some summer!

[tabaqui]

Oh, yes - raw is the word. They really *went* there - really did things no other series would dare to do, and said things about the characters no other series would dare say. I can't imagine *more* Torchwood after this, to be honest. I'd be very surprised if there *were* more. The people, to me, are more important than the content. We shall see.

I am *loving* this summer. We have really only had about one and half weeks of real, nasty, 'summer' weather, and i could do chilly until September! And then go to cold. :)

[bendtothesun.livejournal.com]

They did and while I appreciate what they did and why they did it (okay I still have some issues with RTD and his methodology but that's another issue entirely) but at the same time it's not my show anymore. And I would probably give that up to watch more of my show. Also RTD is apparently staying on to do the 4th season so it's a bit bwuh?

Oh that's right, you're a cold lover. Pft. ;)

[tabaqui]

HA. Cold is best.
:)

And yeah, i'm not sure i'd watch a fourth season, to be honest. I mean - i love Gwen, but she's *not Torchwood*, all by herself. So i dunno. We shall see.

[umbralillium.livejournal.com]

I'm with bendtothesun, in my more logical moments (few and far between as they are), I can appreciate CoE as a damn good, really BRILLIANT, television, but more often than not, my heart is still broken. I kinda want to watch it all over again, but I'm afraid it will make me cry again. Which, while not always a bad thing, is not what I need right now. Maybe in a few weeks when it's not as fresh, you know?

stupid html

[tabaqui]

Yeah, exactly. I did love it, it was wonderful but *omg*. Ianto is *dead*, and Jack's heart is broken, and he killed his *grandchild*, and everyone has been betrayed and it's just....

*sniffle*

Yeah.

[trepkos.livejournal.com]

It's my more logical moments that stopped me fully enjoying TW.

[kitty-poker1.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you enjoyed CoE! Yeah, it was harsh and uncompromising, and yeah, I hated what happened to Ianto, but it was necessary to help drive Jack to a point where he'd make the ultimate sacrifice. It was unmissable TV, beautifully written, directed and acted. Grown-up sci-fi deals well with the Big Themes, and this was no exception. It also worked on the level of a political thriller. Quite amazing, and will stay in the mind for a very long time.

[tabaqui]

Yup, to all those things. Makes me wonder even *more* what horrors my own government gets up to behind our backs. Blech.

Lovely stuff, but also so terrible and heartbreaking. I think i wanna go back and watch season one two, now, to get back some happy.

[trepkos.livejournal.com]

I was disappointed with TW, because it had some really great and realistic moments of drama, but the plot failed to convince me.
The whole TW involvement hinged on Lois Habiba, who in no way would have got near the secret negotiations on her first day in a job.
The rest of the world (represented only by one US general) came to an agreement to hand over 10 % of their children far too easily. The logistics of such an operation would have been impossible.
And finally, I don't understand how a virus gets through bullet-proof glass to kill Ianto. I really believe RTD sacrficed Ianto on the altar of Joss Whedon.
Jack would totally have sacrificed his grandson, whether Ianto had died or not. We've seen him make really tough choices before, not because he doesn't care, but because he cares about everyone - all the mothers and sons, not just his own daughter and grandson.
So while I was whooping with delight at the cabinet discussion about which children to send - that was totally realistic - but I found the whole construction ultimately disappointing because it could have been so much better.
If they'd confined it to British children, and had Jack have to go through Ianto to sacrifice his grandson for example.

[tabaqui]

I think they had to sacrifice some things in order to actually *do* it. They had to get children taken away from their families and out to the 'pick up' place *now*, rather than later, so logistics be damned. And i rather thought that only British children were going at the moment and the rest in turn, kind of thing, not all at once.

I've no idea about the virus, perhaps it had it's habitat somehow tied into the ventilation system?

And i think Lois did her best to get in there, considering that everyone was a 'civil servant', she had enough clearance to use the other woman's password, which was handed over without a fuss, so...i dunno. I don't know enough about the inner workings of the British Civil Service to *know*....

I was shocked that they killed Ianto. I do agree it was probably not *necessary* and they mostly just wanted a reason for Jack to be able to leave the planet without any real ties. And if Ianto had survived that, i doubt Jack would have left.

You bring up valid things, and I agree with most of them but i still really...really loved it. I dunno if i'll watch a fourth season, though. Gwen all by herself is just...not Torchwood. We shall see!

[trepkos.livejournal.com]

If 10 % of British kids had been taken by the aliens before anyone else's, I don't see how the US government would have been able to round up 10 % of theirs, with their population forewarned; same for all the other countries. But it wouldn't be possible to do it all at the same time either - they'd have had to drag kids away in the middle of the night in Australia.
No one gives their password to someone they just met - and I would think it would be an instant dismissal offence for a top civil servant to give it to a new girl.
I'm not just bitching because they killed Ianto - hell, I'm a Blake's Seven fan, and they killed the lot of them at the end, but with that, you could see there was no other possible ending.
I think TRD should stick to personal drama and stay out of sci-fi and anything involving international politics.
I don't think I'll hurry to watch a 4th season either. Jack is Torchwood for me.
I want my gay action hero back!

[tabaqui]

I do, too!! I can't imagine Torchwood with just Gwen, that's just...it won't work. And if they do some kind of 'reset' and get Jack and Ianto - and maybe Tosh and Owen, too? - back, it would be.....

Really weird. I just don't know.
*hands*

[trepkos.livejournal.com]

*hands and feet*!

[tabaqui]

Heeeee!

[shakatany.livejournal.com]

No one gives their password to someone they just met As I recall someone left their password on a post-it note on the computer Lois was using - don't they always say don't leave your passwords where others can get it?

Some of your arguments are close to mine (http://shakatany.livejournal.com/264921.html)

Shakatany

[trepkos.livejournal.com]

Oh good.
I was feeling rather alone.

[txrabbit.livejournal.com]

So did you go back and read my posts?

I loved it, too. I was horrified by the storyline, but after processing time, I am very pleased with everything.

*smootches*

[tabaqui]

I did!
And yes, i loved, but omg. I doubt very much i'd be able to watch a fourth season. It's all just too broken and ruined, too *much*....

We shall see.

[brunettepet.livejournal.com]

I was surprised how effective the mini-series was.

[tabaqui]

Yes! Very effective at breaking my heart! Heh. They really took some risks and i applaud them for that but man....hard to watch.

[chase820.livejournal.com]

Wow, it's really not a good time to be a celebrity, is it? I'm worried we'll lose Patrick Swayze next. He's not looking well.

[tabaqui]

It is not! And yeah, he's really going downhill fast, isn't he? And it sucks, because he's finally doing something that really allows him to shine. Bah.

[realtsunamigirl.livejournal.com]

Wow. Kronkite down.

*tips her hat respectfully*

Don't feel silly about mourning him. It's hard to lose the voice of one's youth. I felt very similar when Peter Gzowski died, as I know a lot of Canadians did. He was the host of CBC's "Morningside" for over 20 years. Someone once estimated that 1/3 of Canadians tuned into the show regularly; not a third of the radio listening population, a third of the *nation's* population.

Broke my heart when he died.

Sniffle away, dear.

*hands you a tissue and borrows the mink mitt to offer a pet*

[tabaqui]

*sniffles*
Thank you, bay-bee.

It's a lot to do with the man himself, such a wonderful, intelligent man, but also because his news casts were a *family* thing, something we all listened to, something we discussed and he and my dad are just forever sort of intertwined in my head and it makes me miss my dad something fierce and just....

*snuggles under mink mitten*
*sniffles a little more*

[realtsunamigirl.livejournal.com]

Dinnertime conversation is "As It Happens" on the CBC for me.

Morningside and Gzowski was being sick in the wintertime; flat ginger-ale, humidifier buzzing, comfort books, ever-present cold staved off with thick covers. Either that or hiding inside from the scorching Okanagan summers with yet more books. All of it is inextricably linked to my mother. It took me until my late teens before I registered that that voice had a name. Up until that point he was just the soundtrack of love and warmth and safety and *Mom*.

Hey can I borrow some of those tissues?

*joins in sniffles*

[realtsunamigirl.livejournal.com]

Freakin' html codes.

[tabaqui]

Yeah....
*sniffle*

:)

Kinda Gay Awards Results are In

[snowpuppies]

Congratulations! This message is to notify you that you're one of the winners a the 2009 Kinda Gay Awards.

You can find the results here.

Thank you for your participation! We hope to see your work represented next year. :)

Re: Kinda Gay Awards Results are In

[tabaqui]

Hey!
:)

Thanks, bay-bee!
*smooch*

Re: Kinda Gay Awards Results are In

[snowpuppies]

*snogs*

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

Okay, now I feel a lot more interest in COE.

It's driving me nuts because I know what happens sort of, and I can't let Mr. Roxy know or he'd be mighty annoyed, not being a spoiler ho like moi. ;)

[tabaqui]

Heeeeee!
Oh, man. I did love it, and hate it, all at once. Just....wow.
:)

*smooches you*

[essenceofmeanin.livejournal.com]

torchwood. DUDE. did you cry? i cried buckets.

[tabaqui]

I did. I was too stunned to cry for a while, and then i *cried*. I mean. omg. It was epic and horrible and just.....
*hands*

[essenceofmeanin.livejournal.com]

i KNOW. i think i rampaged around for a while going FIX THIS NOW DAMMIT. much like in the week between AHBL 1 and 2. oh, Ianto.....

[http://users.livejournal.com/_beetle_/]

For me, it was Peter Jennings, Ted Koppel, Dan Rather--to a lesser extent Babs Walters (who always gave me the wiggins) and Diane Sawyer.

The Tattoo Rendezvous looks awesome. It's Cat's version of WriterCon :)

FIC SOON!

Dude, I fell out of Torchwood and Doctor Who. I prefer the latter, but wanna get back into both. Though . . . Ten looks too young and doofy--basically all the shit I used to think about Nine when he took over the role from Eight, lol.

Also, it's what the new kid signifies that I'm not too overjoyed about. This incarnation's gonna be the last. Baby Who bites it, ta-ta, last of the Time Lords--unless someone, oh, doofy, young, and Ten-ish were to use a swanky, TARDIS-like device to rescue ancient Gallifrey. . . .

Which would be cheating. And cheating is bad. At least if you get caught.
::broods::

[tabaqui]

I know nothing of Dr. Who. I've never been able to get into it.

Cheating is *bad*, yes. So bad....
*la la*