I ain't a teenager no more

On June 15, 2009 Jennifer Anne Hardy was declared no longer a teenager! I officially entered the mystical world of young adulthood, but I find that I don't feel older...if anything, I feel younger somehow, like I don't quite fit my age anymore. Then again, that quiz on facebook did tell me that my true age was 6. That feels more right to me. At work the other day someone asked how old I was and I had to think a minute before saying 20. It's just another year, but I guess it's kinda a big deal.

For my birthday I was able to travel to LA to visit my brother and sister in-law, and on my actual birthday I got in to Disneyland for FREE! What are the odds that sort of thing would work out perfectly? I tell you what, wow. In addition to the wonders of Disneyland (where I got to ride all my very favorite rides, even Space Mountain twice thanks to my fabulous family, see Fantasmic, and eat a Mickey pretzel) that weekend we also went to the beach and played in Vegas for a bit. Scott took me out for my first sushi experience when we got home and I'm afraid I've been craving it ever since. The only things missing from my birthday were Mike, Alexis, and Maddux. It's just not right without them, and even though I had a fabulous time, I wish they could've been there. They were there in spirit for sure.

A normal day in the life of Jenny right now consists of KSL internship, then work, then home. Hopefully I squeeze a trip to the gym in there somewhere - Mom and I have decided to go daily, which means we'll probably wind up only going 3 or 4 times a week, at least at first. We'll get better, I'm sure. And a day in my life is not complete without Doctor Who in some fashion or another. I must confess, I am quite addicted. I managed to watch a couple of episodes today as well as numerous fan videos on youtube which I find extremely amusing. Most of them are just slideshows or quickly assembled clips to sappy songs, but there are a rare few that I actually love and are very well done. Some people have way too much time on their hands. Heaven knows that if I had more time I'd for sure be one of the many many nerds posting fanvids all over the place. It's quite a lot of fun for me, getting lost in a show like this. I love getting lost.

I saw Transformers 2 last night...I must say, I did not like it nearly enough as the first. Don't get me wrong, it was awesome - Optimus Prime rules. But it needed more down time, more character development. The action never stopped, which I know is what this movie was gunning for, but I felt there was just too much. It was extreme sensory overload. There's nothing wrong with that - it's just not my cup of tea I suppose. I loved how the first one had a small cast of transformers - I loved each of the Autobots and hated the Decepticons. I know lots of people wanted more robots - I feel this movie had just too many. All this said, it was a very entertaining, though unnecessarily dirty and with poor language, and definitely achieved its purpose of being an action packed exciting adventure.

I discovered after watching Transformers that I have been spoiled by Doctor Who. The beautiful thing about Doctor Who is that it's family friendly, has a strong moral center that I admire greatly, has fabulous writing and story, is full of action, gives the characters room to grow, and gives the actors fabulous roles and situations to bring to life. I know Doctor Who isn't perfect, and I know it's extremely odd, but it is fabulous in so many ways. If I could make films or shows like that, I would be more than content. All the dirty and dumbed-down stories thrown in to so many movies today are often unnecessary. Stuff like that isn't needed to be successful and is most certainly not needed to be meaningful. Regardless, I'll be the first to admit that a movie that's a little shallow on the plot side and just made for good, old-fashioned escapist entertainment is sometimes needed in life. And that's what Transformers and the like are for.

Geekness

So...I've found two new TV shows this summer that I absolutely love. The first is Road to Avonlea, which is basically a spin-off of Anne of Green Gables. It's a bit sappy at times, and not every episode is fabulously written, but it has a magic to it that I loved about Anne of Green Gables. The characters are interesting and lovable. It makes me want to more to Prince Edward Island. Really badly.

But then, thanks to Lucky Mather, I met the Doctor. Doctor who, you may ask? And I would say, exactly.

Doctor Who is my new favorite TV show. I have only seen series 2-4, which star David Tennant as the Doctor. He is fabulous! So talented. The Doctor travels through time and space and does what a doctor is supposed to do - helps people. It is such a fun show, and though there are flaws, I feel it is an entertaining, heartfelt series and the good stuff FAR outweighs the bad. It's produced by BBC and has a great team of writers that I wish I could work with. The Doctor travels in his ship, the TARDIS, usually with a companion. When I first saw Rose I was kinda 'meh' about her, then I grew to love her as a character. She and the Doctor's love story was so sweet. And then she was pulled away from him - saddest episode ever! Then came Martha, who I didn't like because I was mourning the loss of Rose. Then Martha was awesome, but she left. Not quite as sad as Rose leaving, but still. Then Donna came on full time, and I really didn't like her. But by the end of her season, she had the most powerful storyline and character, and now I'm sad she's gone too.

And I don't care what people say about the quality of the show - the writing, the ending of the fourth series, whatever - my personal opinion of these things is that I'd have them no other way. Even the one episode I didn't like, I still wouldn't entirely change. The thing I love most about the characters is not just their quirks and personalities but how they change throughout the series. The Doctor takes normal people, like Rose and Martha and Donna, and helps them become extraordinary and live up to their potential. Oh, how I wish I could travel with the Doctor! The entire cast and crew was and is great. Dedicated and passionate about their work. The only thing I'm sad about is that David Tennant has only a few specials left before the Doctor becomes someone else. Still, it was a fun run, and he was so crazy, so wild, so fun. And so lonely. He has friends - tons of friends, and many companions, but he has to watch them all leave, over and over again. He is never alone, but he always is. My favorite episodes so far are:

The Impossible Planet
The Satan Pit
Army of Ghosts
Doomsday
Human Nature
The Family of Blood
Blink (my very favorite)
Silence in the Library
Forest of the Dead
Midnight
The Stolen Earth
Journey's End

I know...I have lots of favorites... :)

This show brings out the geek in me, and I am proud of my geekiness. In fact, I have my own sonic screwdriver, just like the Doctor's, on the way. I love getting lost in a story, in a show, in a world that I can never live in but am allowed to through these characters. In fact, this is why I want to tell stories. Stories make life better.