Postponed. Oh no, Christmas is canceled!

I am postponing today's Top Tuesdays until tomorrow because I have something important to talk about that I have been thinking about for a few months now.

Fandoms.

Wikipedia says that a Fandom is....
Fandom (consisting of fan [fanatic] plus the suffix -dom, as in kingdom, freedom, etc.) is a term used to refer to a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of sympathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the object(s) of their fandom and spend a significant portion of their time and energy involved with their interest, often as a part of a social network with particular practices (a fandom).

So basically, a fandom is a community of fanatics.... Some examples of different fandoms would be: Sherlock, Doctor Who, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.... it goes on and on. Anything geeky and popular will probably have a fandom.

Those who know about fandoms and BBC are probably aware of this phrase:

 

I have mostly seen this phrase in correlation to Sherlock... And Doctor Who whenever someone dies. "Right in the feels" pretty much means that something angsty (anxiety, pain, fear) happens (usually a character dies) and because the person behind the screen was so attached to the characters or the storyline that they feel pain at whatever happened.

Now, this post is going to take a random turn... But remember "the feels."

In "A Scandal in Belgravia" (Sherlock season 2, episode 1) Irene Adler says, "Brainy is the new sexy" and I think she's right (despite my dislike of the S word. And of Irene herself). A few years ago you were popular if you loved makeup and Justin Bieber and Twilight and frilly, girly things. And boys and Disney Channel and stuff like that. Now, however, the tables are turning. With shows like Doctor Who and The Big Bang Theory becoming so popular all over the world, the tides are turning towards geekiness. More girls are now becoming obsessed with BBC shows and sci-fi and fantasy are replacing Hannah Montana and Wizards of Waverly Place - the Highschool Musical that every little girl dreamed of. Now girls dream of The Doctor coming to pick them up in the TARDIS.
I look at people's blogs (mostly random people) and I see people's Pinterest's (again, mostly random people) and I feel sad. They obsess over these BBC shows and these BBC guys and really, I see no difference between girls obsessing over Zac Efron and David Tennant. I see true geekery as knowing everything about the shows... For example, knowing how to talk in Klingon, or knowing the history of Gallifry, or knowing how to write in Elvish. Knowing the little things. Simply obsessing over something, doesn't really give much depth.... The depth comes in knowing the little things.
Anyway, that's not my point.
I feel SO sad for the people that only obsess over TV shows, geeky or not. For me, it's great to be known as the "Trekkie" at church. It makes me feel good. It makes me feel unique. For other girls, I think it feels good to be "geeky." They want to fit in (and hey, if hot, time travelling aliens are involved, it's just an added bonus!). It's fun to post funny pictures and "get the reference." (Did you guys get the one in the title??? It's from Sherlock!!)
I know I enjoy looking at funny pictures. But... is that all?
It that all there is to life?
No.
Of course not.
But do all the fangirls know that? I don't know. I don't know what they think.
But it makes me very very sad to see people obsessing over TV shows. Things that don't matter. Life should be spent doing better things. Getting a good education.... Working.... Family.
GOD. Getting to know God.
In youth group we just started a new series where we're talking about being a follower, verses being a fan. A fan sticks around the sidelines while a follower... Actually, we haven't talked about what a follower is yet. I believe that is next week (that or I wasn't paying attention).
Similarly, our pastor is always stressing the point that being in the Word of God is very important. We should spend time daily in the Bible, getting to know God.
I think, how much time do people spend watching Doctor Who?
Then I think, how much time do Christians spend watching TV shows. Time that could better be spent getting to know God better.
I know that I spend waaaay too much time watching TV or surfing the wide web. I don't spend nearly enough time with God.
Some say that their teen years are for partying. They use their teen years as an excuse. I am finding that I am using my teen years as an excuse for watching TV. I keep thinking, "I don't want my kids to grow up watching too much TV - ruining their imaginations. I want them to read books. Maybe I won't even HAVE a TV when I get married and have kids! I want them to be closer to God." Then I think, ashamedly, what about me? I could stop watching TV right now. But I'm a teen, I can goof off if I want. I'm a teenager!
I'm using it as an excuse. I realise that. And I really am trying to change. It's hard, though.
Anyway, these are my own personal convictions I've been going through lately... I don't mean to change any of your minds.

So, spending more time with God is my first point.
My second point is family.
Tonight I have been watching family videos from a family reunion on my Dad's side in 1998. The whole family was these - every child and every grandchild (except for my Favorite Cousin, who was not yet born). That is no easy task... My dad has quite a few siblings who each have a few children of their own.
Anyway, my dad was videotaping the whole event. He was asking everyone to tell a story that they remembered of Grandma and Grandpa (or Mom and Dad, for his siblings). He was also being teased for always videotaping. He said at one point, "It's all part of the memories!" and I couldn't help but think, "OHH! RIGHT IN THE FEELS!"
You see, my parental Grandpa passed away last July. For the last 10 years or so, he had been suffering from Alzheimer's, a heightened version of dementia (says Wikipedia). All I know, is that Grandpa didn't know anything when he passed away. His soul was gone and all that was left was an empty shell.

 

Near the end, all he would do was sit with his eyes closed. He would have to be fed and bathed and put to bed. Through it all, my Grandpa loved him and took care of him - everyone in the family did, really.
It was a blessing when God finally took him home. The memorial service was a really really good time. Stories were shared and it was a time of rejoicing in my Grandpa's life.
I never really had a close relationship with my Grandpa, because his Alzheimer's was already pretty bad when I was old enough to have any sort of relationship with him (though from what I hear, he was a pretty hard person to get to know). It was really good to hear stories about him. I kind of got to know him through hearing other people talk about him and I am so grateful for that. I really regret not being able to "get to know him" or even just to observe him. He was my Grandpa, after all.
Anyway, on this family video that I'm watching, he's there. He's not just there, he's there. As in, his mind hasn't gone yet. He was interviewed by some of the family. He was talking, telling stories, telling jokes... And all caught on camera! I was really happy to see that as well.
Tonight I was going to watch Star Wars but I popped this in instead since it was sitting there and I had been wanting to see what was on the tape.
I am SO glad I did.
I am enjoying watching this SO much more than watching Star Wars or Doctor Who or any other TV show.
Watching TV isn't bad. Watching movies isn't bad. But too much TV, to the point of not doing other things, is bad.
Someone said (people say it is Einstein, but I don't know) that "I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots."
I think that day has come. We are so caught up in our own little worlds.... We can talk over the internet but it is so impersonal. We watch TV shows and feel like the characters are our friends... Is that right? Shouldn't we be spending more time getting to know our friends, family, relatives, and God? than getting to know TV characters?
I'm not a fangirl. I try to make that known to people. I enjoy TV, and occasionally it becomes more important than other things... But I try really hard not to let it overtake my life. I don't want to be a fangirl. I don't want to spend my whole life talking about TV shows and characters because there is no substance to that sort of life. It is an escape, sure. But for how long? We all have to come back to reality sometime. And when we wake up, we'll find ourselves all alone because we've spent more time watching TV or cat videos than building relationships with people. I don't want that kind of life. There's nothing to that life! It's so dull and surface! There's no depth!
Watching these home videos, where everyone is laughing and talking has really opened my eyes, I think. (And when people weren't laughing or talking they were all sitting in the same room reading. Hee hee. How times have changed... Now we sit in the same room glued to our screens.)
Anyway, this is all my own opinion. It's just stuff I've been thinking about lately.

And seeing my Grandpa smiling and laughing may just be the best thing I will see this month.

Mr. Thick and a whole lot of random.

Today I went to a lovely store called Costco which is right up there with Barnes and Nobles on my list of favorite stores.
I drove to Costco... And all the other stores Mom and I went to today. We were gone shopping all afternoon, thus I didn't have anytime to write until 7:30ish. (I also had saxophone lessons tonight which didn't help). Driving has become easier and I think I know what I'm doing now.

My word count for NaNoWriMo is at approximately 41,075 right now (:P I got 9 more words than you Jess!) and I'm hoping to get at least to 41,100 tonight, which shouldn't be that hard.
I am almost at the climax of my story. I have some denouement planned but I am doubtful that my novel will reach 50,000 words. I'm expecting it to reach 49,000 odd words because I absolutely hate any number with "9" in it because I always think it would be so east just to go to "10." Why can't they go to ten???!*
Anyway, I'm pretty much fishing for words, trying to make the novel longer and longer.
This little snippet is partly for my word count and partly because I couldn't think of anything thicker than the layer of dust on the floor at the moment.... It will (probably, most likely...) be edited out.... But I couldn't help myself.

The museum was astounding, even in the dark. Of course, many of the exhibitions had been removed to storage and a layer of dust thicker than Mr. Thick, Thick, Thickety Thickface from Thick Town, Thickania (and his dad) coated the floor.

You see what the BBC and Doctor Who has reduced me to?! Moffat!

Now I bid thee all a fond farewell for this post has been a bunch of babble and I still need to write 20 or 30 more words before I can settle back watch the BBC's production of Little Dorrit which we have borrowed from the library.

(I want to make one!)

*James Fenimore Cooper, the author of The Last of the Mohicans (which I am supposed to be reading right now but Starcross by Philip Reeve keeps getting in the way**) was born on September 15. He died (some sixty or so years later) on September 14. I was so annoyed by that... He could live just ONE more day?? Then it would have been even! I bet I'll die on the eve of my 100th birthday. How the people who know my little pet peeve will laugh.....
**I was hanging out at the quilt store with my mom before saxophone lessons (we were early) and she was looking at the quilt books and I was reading Starcross and one of the worker ladies came up to us and said, "I just want to let you know that the store is closing in 10 minutes." My mom said thank you and then the lady asked me what I was reading and if I was enjoying it. I showed her the cover and said I was enjoying it. Her face lit up (she was an older lady - in her 50's perhaps?) and she said, "Oh I love Philip Reeve! Did you read Larklight? How about his Mortal Engines series? They are so good! I love him!"
As C.S. Lewis says.... "Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one!'"

On the mend!

It was thought that I had strep throat or possibly mono, so I was brought into the doctor's office yesterday to be tested. They did the strep throat test right in the office and it came back negative (yay!) but for the mono test, they had to draw blood.... I'm not terrified with needles or blood, but I don't like them. Especially when I'm the one getting a shot, having blood drawn, or bleeding.
My veins are so deep, they had to poke me 4 times.... It was nasty. And then the test came back negative.... I didn't have to be poked 4 times after all! *Sigh* Oh well, at least I don't have mono!
My sore throat has gone away (although my voice keeps coming and going) and I'm not sneezing anymore. Or blowing my nose. (I believe I went through three tissue boxes!) I'm still coughing, which is horribly annoying....
I also have an ear infection. It is what has been making me have a fever and be sick for the past week.
I'm taking some medicine for it.... But I'm not allowed to eat wheat (bread, crackers, pasta, etc.), dairy (milk, cheese, alfredo sauce, etc.), or sweet things (juice, candy, pudding, yogurt, most fruit, ice crea, practically everything else you can think of). I am, however, allowed to have meat, most vegitables, leafy greens, watermelon, and strawberries!

While being sick, I've been watching Jane Austin movies.
Namely, Pride and Prejudice:

The 6-hour version starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle! I love this version, it's so amazing. Plus it's super long, which is good when you have an afternoon to spare because your sick.

I've also been watching Emma (I'm actually watching it right now for the second time in a week):

The 4-hour version! Also a good one to watch when you have a free afternoon or evening to spare because your sick.
This version of Emma was made in 2009 by the BBC and it is amazing!
See the guy on the right, in the picture (the young guy)? His name is Jonny Lee Miller. He's playing Sherlock Holmes in a new series that the CBS is making. It's called "Elementary."
I am not happy about "Elementary."
I have many reasons for this, the number one being that the CBS is making Watson a girl.
There are other reasons, of course. Like, "Elementary" is set in present day (like BBC's "Sherlock"). "Elementary" is set in New York (instead of London, where the books are set). Watson is a girl. Jonny Lee Miller, although a fantastic actor, doesn't look like Sherlock Holmes (after Jeremy Brett and Benedict Cumberbatch playing Sherlock Holmes, I don't think another actor could ever come close to looking like Holmes). Evidently, the plot line is that Sherlock Holmes is a former Scotland Yard investegator (not a private consulting detective like that books?????) who goes to New York with his friend Joan Watson (who is a girl...). They go to New York because Sherlock Holmes is a recovering drug addict and he has to go to rehab. Watson is a GIRL!
It sounds very far off from Sherlock Holmes, if you ask me. And Watson as a girl?! That can't work. It's impossible. I refuse to believe it.
I don't think I'll be watching "Elementary."
It sounds too far off from Sherlock Holmes and there's already another Sherlock Holmes series which holds my attention. BBC's "Sherlock" may be modern, but they keep it near the stories.

Speaking of "Sherlock." Season two FINALLY aired in the United States! I saw the first episode ("A Scandal in Belgravia" based off of "A Scandal in Bohemia" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) on Sunday night and I eagerly anticipate the second episode!

Now I shall post this so I can give "Emma" my full attention.