Winter Wrap Up(s)

I find it amusing that as we start approaching the winter season, I have the song "Winter Wrap Up" from My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic pretty much permanently stuck in my head. That song is all about "cleaning up" winter to make way for spring, but dang it if I'm not wandering around the house humming/singing it all the frickin' time lately.

If you're at all curious about the new My Little Pony series, but don't want to go so far as to watch an entire episode to make up your mind, go ahead and check out the clip below, of the aforementioned song. It features pretty much every character Ponyville (full on chorus-style musical number), and it pretty much embodies what is so awesome about this series, I think. I mean, there are plenty of other songs that appeared throughout the series' first season, but "Winter Wrap Up" is the one that all of the bronies keep bringing up. I don't blame them one bit, either. Darn thing is catchy.

Anyhoo, if you find yourself tapping your toes and digging the tune, then I would definitely recommend checking out the show (new episode tomorrow morning!). If you find that it totally isn't your thing, well, now you know you can just move along. (Bonus feature: Totally Tennant-inspired Doctor Who pony at about forty seconds in!)

Anyhoo, all of that just to say, hey, look, winter is coming! (Oh hush Ned, we know already, geez.*)

Despite wandering around the house singing a song about the oncoming spring to my daughter, I am actually starting to get excited about the cooler weather--mostly about the wardrobe shift brought on by its arrival. I try to purge my closet at least twice a year--once after the warm weather wraps up and once after the cold--and my last cold-weather clothing purge was pretty massive. So I've been building up my fall and winter wardrobe bit by bit over the last month or so.  I mean, don't get me wrong, half of the time I will still be wearing my standard novelty tees (just over a long-sleeved tee or under a hoodie). But the other half I get to look and feel a little bit more put together with sweaters and some nicer plain tops.

I am also going to give vests a whirl this year. I've picked up a couple of fleece zip-up vests and a really swanky shawl-collar knit vest that I am in love with. In addition to the sweater I am currently making, I also have some yarn earmarked for a nice vest to make for myself. I also have these waiting in the wings already:

Manos Vest by Cori 2009.

Summer Top by Cori 2009.

Yes, yes, I know that second one is called "summer" top, but I realized last winter that it actually does really well over a long-sleeved tee in the winter time.

I've also got this sweater that I finished up last fall:

Lady Grey by Cori 2010.

Not to mention the fact that I have yet to give my Doctor Who scarf a good breaking in. So yeah, I am, for once in my life, ready for the winter to get here. Then, in a few months when I still can't get "Winter Wrap Up" unstuck from my brain, I'll probably be more than ready to welcome spring, eh?

*I think a random A Song of Ice and Fire reference is totally called for in a post discussing the eminent arrival of winter, don't you?

Let's Talk About The Doctor

He's been on my mind quite a bit lately, you know.

I've recently been working my way through my pile of DVDs to be watched and finally made it to the third season of The Sarah Jane Adventures this weekend. Oh man, I miss Elisabeth Sladen already. I will be very curious to see how the series is wrapped up after her loss. It has already been announced that the series will not continue without her (which would be ridiculous in any case). But I do wonder if they will just leave her final filmed episode as the final episode period or if they will get the rest of the cast together to tell one last story explaining the loss of Sarah Jane. I almost don't know which I would prefer. One thing's for certain, with the crazy time delay between that series airing in the UK and being available over here across the pond on DVD, I won't find out for quite some time. I am not aware of any US stations that broadcast the series at all, but if you are, by all means let me know!

Speaking of the delay, as I mentioned, I watched season three over the weekend. Season three of The Sarah Jane Adventures is a little special because it features David Tennant in his final filmed scenes as the Doctor.

It was...bizarre.

A season and a half in to Matt Smith's reign as the Doctor and seeing David Tennant in the role just felt extremely strange to me. I mean, I absolutely adored Tennant as the Doctor. He was my first, you know, and I will never forget him for bringing this strange and amazing character into my life. But this has only gone on to confirm what I have previously speculated. Matt Smith is very much my Doctor.

I wonder what it will be like to go back and watch older episodes of Doctor Who now, to see the other actors once more in that place? I am sure I will still enjoy the show just as much as I always have. I certainly hope so. I suspect what made Tennant's appearance on The Sarah Jane Adventures so startling and odd to me is that this was new ground to me. The episodes originally aired in the UK before Matt Smith appeared on the scene, but seeing them now after he has had the role for so long...watching a man who is for all intents and purposes dead running around and having new adventures. It just felt, somehow, wrong.

But I can tell you one thing. Saturday night when I fired up my telly to watch the newest episode of the eleventh Doctor's adventures? That, my friends, felt entirely right.

Now if only we Yanks didn't have to wait two whole weeks until the next episode!

There have been a few other pretty spiffy Doctor Who-related items floating around the interwebs of late as well that I thought I would point you towards in case you, like me, are impatient for your next fix.

Reddit user AndorianBlues made this absolutely spectacular infograph detailing the timelines of the relationship between the Doctor and River Song. It is mostly speculation and definitely subject to some argument, but it is still pretty amazing to behold.

io9 also recently shared this lovely timeline from NathanTheNerd showing all of the adventures to date of the new series Doctor and which companions were with him for what. It, too, is pretty darn spiffy.