Its mid May -  and I am still on the road, still away from my family, during a particularly trying time at home.

I have always lived my life with the idea that there was plenty of time to do everything I want.    But now I know that is not the case.

I never thought that my mother wouldn’t be there for my wedding, to be a grandmother to my kids…

But like so many other things in my life, I chose small.  I managed to stay safe and surround myself with things I think I want. So why do I still want those things?

I never really thought I would be 36 years old and still single. But if you know anything about me you know I have a history of avoiding taking the next step.  Personally, professionally,  i just want things to be easy, I don’t know where this work ethic developed.  But it has made me a concilliator and a diplomat.

I can handle hard! - I am smart- scary smart sometimes, and because of it certain things came easy to me early in life,  and because of that I did not have to try as hard as others.  I never was challanged early….

I am looking for that great challenge!

Ok -  I bet you read that and thought I was going to say something about reality TV -  well  you  would be wrong, since I don’t really watch too much reality TV.  Oh I may catch a bit of Extreme Makeover Home Addition, because I enjoy seeing how they make some of those things.  And some of the other renovation shows (going all the way back to “This Old House”)  cause even though I am not a home owner, I like to know how to do things around the house.  And sometimes sitting in a hotel room you have nothing to watch but some of the trainwreck celebreality shows on VH-1, but that is not reality…  my reality is on CBS and its called “The Big Bang Theory“

This week’s episode, entitled “The Nerdvana Annihilation” once again made me laugh at myself and at times scared me a little too much of what I am. This week’s episode brought up the issue of choosing to put away nerdyish things, to become a more mainstream member of society.

It is a delimna I find myself in - There are things going on in my life right now, important things, that I need to face, and I have to put aside some of the things truely make me happy for a time.

So the Geek has been gone - read the blog for the story - I don’t want to get into that now - Lets talk about the Arrival of Spring and what it brings with it, warm weather, baseball, women in central park wearing sun dresses and the new seasons of Doctor Who and Battlestar Galactica!

First up- DOCTOR WHO - SERIES 4 He’s back again, the Last of the Time Lords, and his new season begins with a rip roaring extended adventure. once again on Christmas Day, though this time most of the story takes place above Earth, and not on it, on the Max Capricon Cruise Lines, Space Luxury Liner Titanic visiting Earth to observe primitive culture. What comes about tho - is more Posiden Adventure than Titanic, as the ship is damaged in a meteor shower and is hurtling towards London. The Doctor must lead a motley group of survivors through the ship and restart the ships Nuclear Storm drive before it hits the planet below and the resulting wiping out all life on Earth. What I love most about Doctor Who is its a show that never takes its self too seriously. It knows its fun, and David Tennant as the Doctor is the epitome of fun. Never have I seen an actor just happy to be part of something.

Doctor Who is a show that has had to continually re-invent itself over its 45 years. Sometimes its a action adventure, sometimes its science fiction, sometimes its camp fantasy, but it is always true to its internal nature. It is the story every little boy wants to be - Peter Pan and his adventures in Neverland, with his Wendy in tow. This time the role of companion is filled by cruise ship waitress Astrid Pith, played by the vivacious Kylie Minogue. Her performance will not replace the memory of Rose for those Whoshippers out there, but she does give some great moments. Those of you who are fans of the Britcoms you see on PBS, you will see some familiar faces as well. Douglas Adams’ fans will also see nods to various works by the late brillant writer.

This episode airs tonight on SCIFI, as the Doctor Who Season Premeire, but it actually was a holiday special airring on Christmas Day last year, while the 4th season proper just began on April 5th on the BBC, and will begin next week on SCIFI. When the Doctor says “Allons-y!” you will gladly follow where he leads. One thing we did not get to see in America is DOCTOR WHO:TIME CRASH - A 8 minute special that appeared on the “Children in Need” a full day telethon on the BBC that helps raise money for, well, children in need, sick kids in hopsital. This short is shoehorned in between last years final moments and before the Titanic actually hits the TARDIS - and it does something I never thought I would see in this new series, but something I was very excited to see - I found it on youtube, and put here below for you.

On the other end of the SCIFI universe we finally rejoin the rag tag fugitive fleet of Battlestar Galactica as they begin their 4th and final season and continue their search for Earth. Its been a while since BSG has had a new episode, not quite sure what was going on at the end of season 3 - then take the next 8 minutes to remind yourself “What the frak is going on?”

All caught up? Good. Season 4 began on April 4, and after 2 epsiodes I realized I love this show for the exact opposite reason I love Doctor Who. This is a show that takes itself very seriously, but does so with out being preachy, It just tells a good story, and does it very well on every level, writing, directing, acting, this show has been consistantly one of the most challenging dramas on TV. Morally ambiguous, real people inhabit the Galactica. Even the artifical lifeform Cylons are more real than 85% of the characters on network drama. The talented actors who play the 7 models of Cylon often find themselves having to play multiple versions of themselves - In particular, the number 8’s Sharons and the especially the number 6’s make you believe they are really different people. And we now have met 4 of the final 5 (have we? have we really?) What do they have to do with the Temple of the 5 of ancient Colonial religion? What is going on with Baltar? Has he found his calling, becoming the prophet of the Cylon God? Given healing abilities? I don’t know. But I can’t wait to find out!

Some of you have begun to ask me -  what happened?  Where have you been David, I have missed my weekly Geek love and midlife crisis updates

Well the last few weeks have been quite a handful for me.  My tour life was taking a bit of a toll on my body, as I fought off a cold, so late feb and early march I began to slack off a bit

Then I was hit with a bit of a personal bomb,  My mother was diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer, a non operable 3cm tumor had developd at the tip of her pancreas and had begun to matasize into her liver.

If you happen to see the recent news about Patrick Swayze, then you may know how serious this cancer is.

My attention of late has been, understandbly on my mother, and my family.

I will return to this blog - I want to -  I need to have something regular to focus back on.

Thanks to my friends who have offered their emotional support

This blog was written  on 2/16  it was the last blog I had written for a while.  I have had a lot going on, and you will be able to read about a lot of it soon

but here it -

OK so I missed last week’s blog - I know.

The truth is just I had not a lot to say – which is funny since so much was going on - Super Bowl – Super Tuesday – my Tour – Roger Clemens’ Steroids scandal – my pitiful excuse for a personal life.

Where do I begin?

I heard a story about a man who ran over a child, and is not suing the parents of the kid, for the damage to his car - Can you believe people?

I had an idea I began to outline to start a video blog project with my brother. (I haven’t begun to approach him about it, to discuss politics. I don’t seem to discuss politics with many of my friends or family. I mean I know where they stand on most issues, with my father and brother on the far right end of the political stick and my mother is more right than center, my sister, who now owns property and has kids is probably just right of center, but socially she still leans left (I think of her as Eisenhower style republican) My other sister is more liberal, but to be honest I am not sure just how liberal. You figure a lesbian living in Florida is probably pretty leftist - but I think she may be more Liberatarian.

Then there is me, way out on the far left end of thought. Sometimes I forget how alien I am to the enviroment that spawned me.

I heard it said once, If your a Republican under 30 you don’t have a heart, but if your a Democrat over 30 you don’t have a brain.

Hey Sport fans - I imagine some of you were among the 100,000,000 or so who enjoyed this past weekend’s American Football match between the Giants of New York and Patriots of the Greater New England Area.

For starters, let me say at no time were my alligences ever anywhere but with the G-men. I am more of a Jets fan when it comes to pro football, but of course I was going to route for the Giants during this game. Lucky for me the Giants have Armani Toomer on the team to balance the Michigan factor of Tom Brady on the Pats (plus Toomer was at Michigan the same time I was)

Of course now that the Big Game is over, there are more important things on the horizon to focus on. I am of course refering to this coming tuesday, when our nation’s attention turns to what matters, BOOBS and PASTRIES! and of course there are all those what do you call them, oh yeah Presidentials Primarys.

Now I am sure most of you are familiar with the Mardi Gras celebrations that take place this week in New Orleans, LA and Mobile, MS among other places. But did you know that in polish enclaces across the midwest its Paczki Day? A Paczki is basically a large sticky sweet donut style pastry made to remove all the items from a home that were not allowed during Lent. (Sugar, eggs, lard, anything sweet and yummy)

So somewhere after your 3rd paczki and before you start throwing beeds or flashing remember to head down to your local polling place and cast a ballot in the primary of your political affliation. The Primary process is what helps determine the voice of a political party. So make yours heard - And pass me a lemon Paczki

I am working on the road again (look forward to some Tour-ture blogs) for TheatreworksUSA, but I am mostly local in January

The countdown to midlife crisis is meant to be humorous, but this week I got to spend time with a good friend of mine,  a good friend who happens to be 22 years old.  I hung out with her and one of her friends for a while, listening to them talk about all the things they plan on,  their carreer goals, their life goals, (Start a commune?)  It was the first time in a while where I felt  really old, and  unfulfilled

Somewhere I have a journal with 5 goals I wanted in 5 years that I wrote in 1995.  I need to find that list and see how I did.

It was the New Years’ and I did not make a list of resolutions this year.  I seldom keep them.  The only resolution I am going to make this year is to strive to be happy and  healthy this year.

Ok,  the holidays are behind us -

Work is busy -  feeling good

Sorry for the down turn in the blog, both in content and frequency of posts

This blog hasn’t really gone totally as I planned

What have you enjoyed the most about it?

The Countdown to my  impending midlife Crisis?  The Sincere but  fun letters to all the girls I loved before?

The Geek commentary on life? (which has been sadly missing of late, I know)

Happy New Year folks

So I have had trouble writing this blog -

I was set to write it on Christmas day (yes its late) but I was in such a bad mood that I decided it would be better to just wait it out

So yeah Christmas was a bit of a bust this year for me - the second year in a row.

I don’t mean gifts. At 36 I don’t really expect the excitment of gifts on Christmas Morning. Its just been emotionally empty.

Here is my look back at Geek TV in 2007.

    It was the year of the geek in 2007 on TV.  So many new shows this year
Geeks crossed over into the mainstream this year in a big time.  It was not just the continued castaway adventure/fantasy hit LOST.  New shows, like NBC’s HEROES really came into its own in the second half of its first season. These shows, other hits  like 24 proved to the networks that there is an mainstream audience for well written serialized action/adventure drama.  Then the new TV season began this fall and geeks are everywhere, and Scifi and fantasy moved out front and center.

CHUCK - you can’t take this show seriously, but it is a lot of fun.  What “nerd herd”er hasn’t dreamed of his life becoming a video game adventure, being protected by a sexy CIA agent pretending to be your girlfriend.

BIG BANG THEORY - The breakout character of the year can be found here - and his name is Sheldon. Played by Jim Parsons,  he is the fussy, OCD, nebbish physicist roommate of Leonard (Johnny Galecki), in a year of great sidekicks/second bananas (Morgan on CHUCK, Sock on REAPER, Ando on HEROES) he is the heir apparant to David Hyde Pierce’s Niles Crane.

PUSHING DAISIES - This is show is a modern fable. The bastard child of Amiele and Edward Siccsorshands.  It is visually distinctive, full of quirky characters all defty played by a wonderful cast, Anna Friel is a delight as the recently resurrrected  lonely tourist Charlotte “Chuck:” Charles,  and Kristen Chenowerth gets to showcase all of her talents, as the Pie Hole’s resident singing former jockey, short skirt wearing waitress Olive.

             

Other Highlighs this year
- Doctor Who (Return of the Master!, Kylie Minogue)
- Battlestar Galactica (Who is the final Cylon?)
- Life on Mars (Will Sam find his way home?)

and things I’m looking ahead to 2008

With the WGA strike continuing on into the new year, who knows when we will get to see new episodes,  lucky for us the BBC is still in business

Torchwood - Series 2 of this Doctor Who Spin off, begins on BBC2 on Jan 16 and then airs on BBCAmerica on Jan 26, lets hope we get more eps like Countrycide and Out of Time, and less like End of Days.  Things start with a Bang when James Marsters (Angel, Buffy, Smallville) guest stars. Season 1 comes to DVD on Jan 22.

Ashes to Ashes - Different decade, Different city, the same Gene Hunt.  In this spin off of Life on Mars, sees another modern police officer finding herself in another time (this time its the 1980’s and its London)

Doctor Who - Season 4 - Sontarons, Agatha Christie, Donna, Martha, and the return of Rose.