Stuff

[shapinglight]

I keep starting posts and then deleting them because I decide you can't possibly be interested in the boring tripe I've written. For instance, why would anyone but me be interested in the fact that today I discovered there are no dry cleaners left in the town centre of the place where I live?

Don't all hold your hands up at once.

On the other hand, we have to keep posting, don't we?

So anyway, re: last Saturday's Doctor Who....

Spoilers behind cut.



I have a distinct 'out-of-step' feeling about fandom at the moment. From what I can gather, not only did most people on LJ not like it, but it caused a s**tstorm on Twitter which ended with Stephen Moffatt deleting his account. I, on the other hand, enjoyed it enormously. I thought Ron Weaseley's dad/that bloke from the Fast Show was hilarious as Rory's dad and loved the scene at the end where he's sitting eating his packed lunch with his legs dangling out the TARDIS door. And okay, I admit there was no real reason for Queen Nefertiti and some random big game hunter to be in the episode, but the sarcastic robots were fun, so were the dinosaurs, and within its own daft little world, the plot made sense.

In other words, I don't understand what the fuss is about. Just as I was completely bewildered by all the people saying that season 5 of True Blood was the absolute pits when I thought it was the best one ever.

Still, I'm not claiming to be the sole voice of reason or anything. For one thing, most of my flist seem okay with the Dark Horse Spike comic and I loathe it so much (apart - ironically - from the space bugs) that it's making me angry just thinking about it.

Obviously, it's all different when something you love is threatened.



But what about that dry cleaners thing, huh? Doesn't anyone use dry cleaners any more except me?

I may be back later with a whinge post about fic writing, but I'm going to try and do some first.

Comments

[bogwitch.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, it wasn't the best episode of Doctor Who, but it wasn't that bad. I do think this celebrity Twitter thing is all very well, but this is precisely why I think distance between fans and writers/actors is a good thing in the end.

I have never dry cleaned anything, although I can get it done through work if I so desired.

[shapinglight]

I do think this celebrity Twitter thing is all very well, but this is precisely why I think distance between fans and writers/actors is a good thing in the end.

Yes. Best to retain some mystery.

Lucky you about the dry cleaning at work. S used to get that. But then he went and retired.

[slaymesoftly.livejournal.com]

I thought Dr. Who was fine. Yes, much of it didn't make sense, but really? Since when should it? LOL

Doesn't anyone use dry cleaners any more except me?

Apparently not in your town! lol I think we have several. We did used to have just one, but that was 30 years ago. Now, every new shopping area seems to come with its own dry cleaners/tailor/shoe repair store.

[shapinglight]

Yes, much of it didn't make sense, but really? Since when should it? LOL

It often doesn't make sense. In fact, apart from Queen Nefertiti and the big game hunter, I thought it made more sense than usual.

Maybe all the dry cleaners in UK have moved to America?

[estepheia.livejournal.com]

I missed the s***storm completely.
I wasn't thrilled with the episode, but I enjoyed it - the way I enjoy most epis of that show. Strangely enough, I am reminded of my Buffywatching days, when few episodes were able to meet my high expectations - at least at first viewing. Every time the writers went elsewhere or tried something new I felt like taking the helm and steering them back on track. With DW it's similar - when rewatching all 5 seasons with my daughters I realized that I liked the master-episodes much more the second time around. Once you stop checking whether a new episode "get's it right" you can have more fun.

Having said that, I must admit I thought the epi was a bit too hurried, with too little time for the exposition, and the chemistry between Nefertiti and Riddel would have worked - if it had been given time to develop, say in two epis or three. Oh well, I mustered some goodwill (based on the fact that I like the Lestrade-actor).
It was fun, with a few plot holes - and I thought making tricey's death resonate more than the murder of all the Silurians was poor writing, but hey, it's still a good show, it hasn't been canned...
I miss Russel T. Davis's input - there was also a transgressive subtext, which in Moffat's world seems to translate into juvenile, but still....

[sueworld2003.livejournal.com]

"Having said that, I must admit I thought the epi was a bit too hurried, with too little time for the exposition, and the chemistry between Nefertiti and Riddel would have worked - if it had been given time to develop, say in two epis or three."

Yep, I totally agree there. It was fun story, but rather too fast paced for it's own good imo.

[shapinglight]

I missed the s***storm completely.

I did too. I was away at the Paralympics.

I actually don't think I have any expectations beyond being entertained when I watch Doctor Who. New Who seems like much more of a kids' program to me than it did when I was a kid myself (well, it would, I suppose), though of course there are exceptions, like my favourite ever New Who episode, Midnight, which I thought was superb drama on any level, closely followed by The Doctor's Wife.

Not sure I agree about tricey's death vs the Silurian genocide. The Doctor was angry enough about the latter to kill Solomon, which is not something he ever does as a rule. Tricey's death was just more immediate because we saw it in front of us.

[dalmeny]

My bus stop to work is outside our local dry-cleaners, which is run by a friendly Vietnamese couple. They've won awards.

The main chain in Adelaide was Chehade's, run by a Lebanese businessman, but I'm not sure if they're still running.

[shapinglight]

The main chain in Adelaide was Chehade's, run by a Lebanese businessman, but I'm not sure if they're still running.

Don't suppose they want to open a UK branch, do they?

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

I discovered there are no dry cleaners left in the town centre of the place where I live?


There are four of them in my town, want to ship something.

[shapinglight]

It may come to that.

[kazzy-cee.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed the Dr Who as well. I do feel sometimes that people take it far too seriously. It's a children's show that adults can enjoy. It's not Shakespeare... *exasperated!*

We still have a couple of dry cleaners and they always seem to have suits hanging up. I do live in 'the commuter belt' and you can get to the City from here, so I'm assuming people who still need to wear suits at work need dry cleaners? I have quite a few items that need dry cleaning come to think of it..!

[shapinglight]

I do feel sometimes that people take it far too seriously

They do, but then I'm no one to talk. ;)

Hmm, there are plenty of people who wear suits to work here. Maybe I should stop one in the street and ask them where they take their dry cleaning these days.

[sueworld2003.livejournal.com]

*cough*

*pulls up fandom pants*

Technically It's not a kids show. Hasn't been since the early days the the show It's now meant to be aimed at a family audience. If there is such a thing anymore.

[gillo]

We have two (or possibly three, now I come to think of it) dry-cleaners in Kenilworth, in what passes for a town centre. Laundrettes, now, they are really hard to find these days.

I enjoyed Dr Who, though it was definitely bonkers. As long as it's witty and has good dialogue I can forgive a lot, though - as, I imagine, anyone who watched it through the dark days of Sylvester McCoy and Bertie Basset can.

I'm OK with the comics because all I know about them is what you and a few others in my flist write. Otherwise, as far as I am concerned, they do not exist.

[shapinglight]

Laundrettes, now, they are really hard to find these days.

Whereas I know of at least two here.

As long as it's witty and has good dialogue I can forgive a lot, though - as, I imagine, anyone who watched it through the dark days of Sylvester McCoy and Bertie Basset can.

I liked Sylvester McCoy. He was one of my favourite Doctors. :is uncritical:

[rahirah]

I thought it was mostly harmless fluff, and while there were things about it that annoyed me, the episode as a whole seemed so trifling that it wasn't worth getting upset about. And I loved Rory's dad and the triceratops ride (shades of The Enormous Egg,, one of my favorite books as a kid.)

[shapinglight]

the episode as a whole seemed so trifling that it wasn't worth getting upset about.

I agree. I can't understand why it was the last straw for some people. But then, not my fandom.

[quinara]

All the dry cleaners here are expensive and chainy; there are several, but I'm not sure I'd rate any of them. But my parents' little town has at least one, if not two, and the bloke in the one my mum goes to is really nice! He promised me a good price on getting my leather trousers cleaned, though I haven't got round to taking him up on it. Here everyone wants about fifty quid, which is IIRC more than double what I paid for them (best sale purchase ever).

(See, this is why you post random crap! I have an anecdote for everything...)

[shapinglight]

That's what I need. Your mum's dry cleaner. Can't you persuade him he's needed in the frozen north(west Midlands)?

[yourlibrarian]

In our case, I can't even remember when I last used a dry cleaner's -- not since the early 90s. I'm always surprised there's so many around. Hardly anything we own requires it. In fact, I hardly ever iron anything either though if someone else were to do it for me I'm sure I could find some things they could do!

[shapinglight]

I just did a big pile of ironing. I blame my mum. She even ironed tea towels and I can't shake the habit.

[kseenaa.livejournal.com]

Well, there are no rules about what to post in an LJ, is there? :-) Post whatever! Hell, I'll probably start posting diaper-brands soon... and I bet not many are interested in that! X-D

[shapinglight]

I can only remember Pampers.

Huggies - that was another.

[ningloreth.livejournal.com]

The dry cleaner's in my village closed a couple of years ago. I didn't use it very much, but it was always nice to know that there was one, within walking distance.

I enjoyed Dr Who, too. I liked the robots, loved Rory's dad, liked Nefertiti and Rupert Graves's game hunter... And I thought the dinosaurs were fun, and surprisingly sophisticated, given the budget.

All the wank took me by surprise. I saw Nefertiti order Amy (no mean feat) to take her to Solomon, choose to surrender herself for the sake of the others and, when it came to the crunch, physically overpower Solomon. They saw Solomon's sexual threats and talk of 'breaking' Nefertiti, and seemed to assume that both Steven Moffat and the rest of us (having misogyistic, pea-sized brains) were cheering him on! WTF?

[For me, the interesting thing was that they made Nefertiti a woman of colour, since there's an ongoing debate (on the fringes of Egyptology) as to whether the ancient Egyptians were black, and Moffat's answer was clearly 'yes'. Maybe he thought he was avoiding the s**tstorm...]

[shapinglight]

I didn't use it very much, but it was always nice to know that there was one, within walking distance.

Agreed. Not that I have many clothes that need dry cleaning, but there's this one dress. I've been meaning to get it done for ages.

Re: the wank, I didn't realise that was what got people so cross. It does seem a little over the top, but that's fandom for you, I suppose. Sometimes people have a genuine point, but often they go way overboard in their expression of it, and often their expressed opinion (it's sexist/racist etc) is a partial cover for their real objection, which is that they just don't like the direction the show is going.

[hawk-soaring.livejournal.com]

LOL Post!!

I liked the Dr. Who ep. Was it heavy handed with social commentary? No! But that's not what I watch it for. I liked the fact that there were dinosaurs in space. *G*

And dry cleaners? Yes, I use -- no I don't like to. :P But we have one in our tiny little town so I'm set when I need them.

[shapinglight]

I liked the fact that there were dinosaurs in space. *G*

:squee: yes, and really good dinosaurs too.

I live in quite a big town. In fact, it's a city. It has a cathedral and everything. How come you get a dry cleaners and I don't?

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

In other words, I don't understand what the fuss is about. Just as I was completely bewildered by all the people saying that season 5 of True Blood was the absolute pits when I thought it was the best one ever.

Feel exactly the same way. While the Who episode wasn't necessarily the best one ever, it wasn't that bad either. What offended people? Charles Liddell and Nefretti? So? It wasn't any better or worse than anything else I've seen on tv. Alrighty then. Some people really need to get out of the house more, and spend a little less time tweeting, it's making them crazy.

Also, I happened to like S5 of True Blood and it was the best season of that series to date. I don't know what those other people have been smoking. (But I also like Dexter S6 - the fandom hated it.) And...I prefer Moffat's Who to the previous Who's...and my favorite seasons of Buffy were the last three...so I've been going against the tide for a while now.

Understand the dry cleaning thing. I haven't been able to use them - because there's this current trend in clothing design in which you can't dry clean your nice clothes - you have to either hand-wash them or delicately wash them. The reason is the chemicals used in dry cleaning are supposed to be bad for the environment and for humans not to mention clothing. So designers are now using fabrics and designing clothing that either does not require dry cleaning or forbids it.
It's rather annoying - when you don't own your own washer and dryer.
I preferred dry cleaning. Cost about the same and was easier than washing delicates and hang drying in my bedroom, or attempting to hand wash - which is frankly impossible in my apartment - I don't get enough water pressure to get the soap out of the fabric. Stupid environmentally correct fabric and clothing designers. I bet they own their own washers/dryers, have big houses, and plenty of water pressure.

[shapinglight]

What offended people? Charles Liddell and Nefretti?

I don't know for sure, but according to what ningloreth says above, that's certainly part of it. I think some people didn't like the sort of jobs Amy had been doing either.

Also, I happened to like S5 of True Blood and it was the best season of that series to date. I don't know what those other people have been smoking.

I could understand it if you were a big fan of Bill, but even then it pretty obvious to me that Bill will come back from this somehow. Sookie will find a way to save him. Or maybe Eric will. He does seem to be prepared to stick out his neck for Bill even though he doesn't like him very much.

As for the dry cleaning stuff, I didn't know that. My problem is my Indian clothes. A lot of them just have to be dry cleaned because they're covered in embroidery/sequins etc. Very tricky.

[chasingdemons.livejournal.com]

You got a lot of traction out of the dry cleaner issue! Do you feel a responsibility to post?? cuz... that wouldn't be much fun. Even though I admit, I love how much you and Sue post. I suppose it would be easier if there was a lot more energy around here. Wah.

[shapinglight]

You got a lot of traction out of the dry cleaner issue!

Hee! Yes, more than I was expecting, I must admit.

And I do feel a sort of responsibility to post, because LJ is so quiet these days - at least the Buffyverse bit of it is - well, the fandom section in general.

[lyr]

I'm avoiding the Doctor Who part, as I am an episode behind, but re: drycleaners? No, I don't use them. I actually get around this by just never buying anything that's dry clean only. I get the sense that I am not the only person who does this.

[shapinglight]

I'm sure you're not, and for the most part, I try not to buy dry clean only things either. My Indian clothes are a problem, though. They tend not to come with washing instructions, are often covered in embroidery/sequins and the idea of trying to handwash them is pretty scary.

I hope you enjoy the DW ep. It was jolly fun, I thought.

[trepkos.livejournal.com]

I didn't like the Doctor picking up a hunter - I think that was totally OOC. Also, I thought they'd spent all their time, money and thought on the dinosaurs, lovely as they were, and none at all on the plot. If he was going to let the bad guy get blowed-up, why didn't they just tranq. him in the first place?

[shapinglight]

I thought it was a bit OOC the Doctor letting Solomon get blown up at the end there. I think it shows how angry he was about what happened to the Silurians.