In the early 1900’s all four of my grandparents emigrated to the U.S. from Poland.
They say you never forget your first Doctor. Even though I saw a couple of episodes of Doctor Who in the 1970’s and consider Tom Baker to be the ultimate Doctor,
It used to be that when I would google myself, I’d find that I made donations to Kościuszko Foundation (to fund programs which sent dancers to study folk dancing in Poland); Chicago (University) House (to fund restoration of antiquities in Egypt); or my alma mater, Villa Maria Academy (to keep their library stocked with Polish cultural material). The other day, however, when I was googling myself to see what I, and my name-sakes, were up to, (yes, there are several of us), I stumbled on a blog about me, and the Paul McCartney VISA commercial I was in !! Dejah Thoris is a name I have often used as a pseudonym, ever since I first read the 1912 novel, A Princess of Mars… the basis for the 2012 film, John Carter. It was in the 1970’s that I first discovered Barsoom (as the natives call Mars), and was swept away by the high adventure and romance of the world created by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
_ „I love science class!” is what one visitor to Eureka exclaimed upon seeing all the wonders that take place in this cozy Pacific Northwest town. I love Eureka!! I wish I could live there, but alas, it is only a TV show. In fact, it is my favorite TV show. I like it better than Doctor Who, NCIS, Gilmore Girls, and Star Trek: The Next Generation. (Ok, the 1957 Zorro TV series with Guy Williams is still too close to my heart to be topped, but you get the idea.) _"Eureka" (aka "A Town Called Eureka") is what most would call a Sci-Fi show, but really, it is a Science show.... set in a town full of geniuses and scientists, most of whom work for a government funded research facility... Global Dynamics. Even the school kids are geniuses, doing science fair projects dealing with particle theory and quantum physics. That means there is plenty of adventure. Things always go wrong with someone's project or experiment, and disaster looms. It is usually Sheriff Carter, a regular guy, who saves the day, by either using logic, or by being the guy who has to risk his life to fix something. Poland was a pioneer in Democracy, Freedom of the Press, Freedom of Religion, Human Rights, Women’s Rights, Education, and more.
For much of history, Poland dominated its neighbors. There is less sorrow and suffering in its history than that of many nations. This is the history of Poland that you never knew. The funeral parlor was crowded with family and friends who braved the snow storm on New Year’s day to say farewell to my Mother. As my brother, sister-in-law, and I navigated the crowd, in walked a very attractive woman about my age. “You don’t know who I am, do you?” she asked. It was a childhood friend of mine, whom I hadn’t seen since high school. She said that my Mother was someone she admired. Coincidentally, she had spoken of her in a lecture to her Sociology class just weeks before. She was discussing people who influence our lives. The story she told dated back to when we were children. It was before Thanksgiving, my Mother had baked some pies, and placed them on the stairs to cool. My friend and I were running up and down the stairs, and she accidentally stepped in one of the pies. She said there was not even a hint of anger on my Mother's face. That was something my friend always remembered when raising her own children. Whenever mishaps would occur, she would remind herself: It's only a pie. And that is the Moral of the Story... It's only a Pie.
I remember sitting in a friend’s apartment in Los Angeles, watching Zahi Hawass in a galabeya, sort through slides for an upcoming lecture at UCLA. He gets called away to the phone, a female admirer is on the line. Oh, yes, he has many. Zahi is very charismatic. He always says your name, he makes you feel like you are a long-time friend, he sends you greeting cards. But the real appeal of Egypt’s Director of the Supreme Council of Antiquities is his “passion”. His passion for his work…. preserving and restoring the magnificent monuments of Egypt.
One of the reasons that the highly successful TV series, Doctor Who has lasted nearly 50 years is an ingenious plot devise: Regeneration. Not only does it allow for the replacement of the actor, but also injects new life into the show, with a new take on the character.
Each subsequent Doctor is the same, but different, keeping the show familiar and comfortable, yet fresh and exciting as it forges ahead on its long time journey. With an altered personality as well as a revamped look, and wardrobe, the Doctor takes on a variety of new challenges while continuing to grow as a character. Marking time as we wait for the next series featuring the last of the Time Lords, let’s talk about our favorite Doctor Who scenes. Of course, everyone has their favorite episodes, and their favorite Doctor, and their favorite companion, etc., but since this is my blog, I’ll tell you what I like. I would probably put Blink at the top of my list of favorite episodes.
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