Wake the fuck up... It's the last Saturday of April 2013

[Cleo]

Spent the night at Christy's mom's place. Work up to two very full bathrooms so hopped in Christy's rental Infiniti (wow this car is nice) and drove to the local LA Fitness and used their very nice shower and bathroom facilities. Probably should have worked out while I was there but I'm still feeling sleep deprived and very disheveled.

Forgot to grab a towel, which is ironic since we watched the Hitchhiker’s Guild To The Galaxy last night, so stopped at a drugstore and now I own a really lousy, expense kid's Kool-Aid towel.

Going to be heading home today. It will be so nice to sleep in our own bed and have three mostly empty bathrooms. Not to mention I'm really, really behind in work now.

Not only does death suck but it is really inconvenient.

[Greenguy]

Morning!

I'm running late because I was outside with The Bitch doing yard work. She's still out there, but my back is truly fucked

So here I sit, nicely medicated trying to concentrate on work.

Gonna have a couple buddies over for the big Jones/Sonnen UFC PPV tonight

Cleo - next time I visit, I'll expect that Kool-Aid towel to be hanging in the spare bathroom

[Cleo]

Originally Posted by Greenguy

Cleo - next time I visit, I'll expect that Kool-Aid towel to be hanging in the spare bathroom

You can even take it home with you.

[javbucks]

I finished a book called Black by Ted Dekker. It was alright, and I didn't find out until the lat page that the book is actually a trilogy series. Meaning I have to buy another book.

[Greenguy]

Originally Posted by javbucks

...and I didn't find out until the lat page that the book is actually a trilogy series. Meaning I have to buy another book.

That happened to me the 1st time I watched Lord Of The Rings! I was like WTF?!

[ecchi]

Originally Posted by javbucks

I finished a book called Black by Ted Dekker. It was alright, and I didn't find out until the lat page that the book is actually a trilogy series. Meaning I have to buy another book.

You think that's bad, think of those old enough to have bought the aforementioned Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy Books as they came out. We were told in advance that it was a trilogy, so we expected to have to buy three books. But then a fourth book came out, then a fifth (which had the tagline "the fifth book in the increasingly incorrectly named Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy Trilogy")....and so on. But the author died a few years ago, so at last we are free from having to buy book ofter book in the "constantly increasingly incorrectly named Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy Trilogy" right? Wrong! The "estate of Douglas Adams" has just commissioned another author to continue the trilogy further.

I swear, if not for Amazon, I'd be bankrupt by now!

[Greenguy]

Originally Posted by ecchi

You think that's bad, think of those old enough to have bought the aforementioned Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy Books as they came out. We were told in advance that it was a trilogy, so we expected to have to buy three books. But then a fourth book came out, then a fifth (which had the tagline "the fifth book in the increasingly incorrectly named Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy Trilogy")....and so on. But the author died a few years ago, so at last we are free from having to buy book ofter book in the "constantly increasingly incorrectly named Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy Trilogy" right? Wrong! The "estate of Douglas Adams" has just commissioned another author to continue the trilogy further.

I swear, if not for Amazon, I'd be bankrupt by now!

Have you read the Dirk Gently books?

[ecchi]

Originally Posted by Greenguy

Have you read the Dirk Gently books?

Only the first one so far. It combines obsessions for me, because my all time favourite TV show is Dr Who, and back in the late 70's one series got hit by a union strike with the result that one six episode story was never completed. It was written by Douglas Adams and later he adapted it into a novel, but for obvious copyright reasons changed the time travelling Doctor into a holistic private investigator, and sort of glossed over the fact that the Professor was a Time Lord and his office was a Tardis.

The fun thing was that I did not know this when I started the book (I was reading it as "another book by the Hitchhiker guy"), but about half way through I realised what he had done!

[Greenguy]

Originally Posted by ecchi

Only the first one so far. It combines obsessions for me, because my all time favourite TV show is Dr Who, and back in the late 70's one series got hit by a union strike with the result that one six episode story was never completed. It was written by Douglas Adams and later he adapted it into a novel, but for obvious copyright reasons changed the time travelling Doctor into a holistic private investigator, and sort of glossed over the fact that the Professor was a Time Lord and his office was a Tardis.

The fun thing was that I did not know this when I started the book (I was reading it as "another book by the Hitchhiker guy"), but about half way through I realised what he had done!

I had NO idea!! I too read it because it was "another book by the Hitchhiker guy". And, at 1st, I fucking HATED it! If I remember correctly, the 1st 7 chapters had NOTHING to do with each other. And the guy with the rain. UGH! But then when it all started to blend together, I found it to be BETTER than Hitchhiker.

And, as far as Dr Who, I have a very strange fear of it based on watching 1 (and only 1) episode when I was very young & being scared shitless by the events. Time traveling phone booth, if I remember correctly?

[ecchi]

Originally Posted by Greenguy

Time traveling phone booth, if I remember correctly?

Close, it is a police call box (Bill And Ted used a 'phone booth - I'm told it was a sort of tribute).

As to being scared off after one episode: Back in the late 1960's there was a Scottish guy who had the same problem. But after a year or two he tried again and stuck with it. He is now the producer and head writer of the show. Stephen Spielberg offered him two million to leave the show and write for him, but he turned it down. He says that the only reason he became a TV writer in the first place was because he hoped to write for Doctor Who, and now he "runs the candy store" he is not giving it up for Spielberg.

So just think, if you had not given up watching after one episode, Spielberg might have been chasing you with a cheque for two million!

[JustRobert]

I did not know there was a book based on Dr Who so I may need to read this one.

Weeping Angels from Dr Who kinda freaks me out now

[ecchi]

Originally Posted by JustRobert

I did not know there was a book based on Dr Who so I may need to read this one.

It is not so much "based on Dr Who" it is more a case of "reusing an unused Dr Who plot". However there are a hell of a lot of Dr Who books about, at a guess I'd say well over a hundred. Remember, they have been publishing Dr Who books since the 1960's

[Greenguy]

Originally Posted by JustRobert

I did not know there was a book based on Dr Who so I may need to read this one.

There's actually 2 books & both are great!
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul

And, I see there's a movie out now!
Dirk Gently
Looks like I'll be putting a DVD in my cart today when I order some TP for my bunghole

***

ecchi - If I were to start getting into Dr Who, where should I start?

[Cleo]

I love SciFi but just don't get British SciFi. I've tried to watch Dr. Who but it seems more like Harry Potty fantasy than SciFi so just can't get into it. I also tried reading The Hitchhiker’s Guide when I was young but just couldn't get into it although I did find the movie somewhat entertaining.

[JustRobert]

Thanks for the info ecchi & Greenie.

Greenie, I would start with the newer versions of Dr Who that started in 2005. Netflix has streaming Dr Who episodes. They have two options available:
Dr Who 2005 to 2011
Classic Dr Who from 1963 to 1989

[javbucks]

I'm reading 1984 by George Orwell now.

[ecchi]

Originally Posted by Greenguy

There's actually 2 books & both are great!
And, I see there's a movie out now!
ecchi - If I were to start getting into Dr Who, where should I start?

Only two books? I thought it was three! Oh well, I guess there won't be any more now.

There are actually two Dirk Gently movies (made for TV I think), but I have seen neither, I was too disappointed with the Hitchiker's movie to risk the Dirk Gently ones.

As to Dr Who: If you are into modern sci-fi, best start with the series starring Christopher Ecclestone. Not the best actor to play the part, but they kind of re-invented the character with his taking over of the role, and sort of re-introduced the show again, so it is a great starting point. Then work forward.

I personally prefer the earlier ones, but you really have to enjoy 60's sci-fi for that as it is very "of it's time" (and many of the special effects are crap, good for the 1960's, but don't stand up by today's standards). In the mid eighties it tried to "get with the times" but ended up becoming a bit pretentious and was not as good.

Avoid starting with the American TV movie as that is not very good, to put it mildly.

Or if you are into radio drama, there is a radio series. The radio series jumps about a bit continuity wise, so may be confusing, but it does give a good overall view of what the show was like in the 70's and 80's.

Oh, and if you fancy a (slightly) higher budget version there were a couple of theatrically released films made in the 1960's that are available on DVD (at least in the UK, not sure about USA).