James Bow's Blog, page 118

Cultural Influences

I'm starting to really appreciate how much of a sponge our children are. It's gotten so that when I hear somebody shout a swear word in the street, I must fight off a deep urge to go over and lecture the offender on the fact that there are kids present. I take some considerable appreciation in the fact that some of the local teenagers (usually girls) subsequently notice Vivian standing there, and nudge their friend about swearing in front of children. And, for the most part, the offender...

The Classic Who Must See List Part VIII: The Intervening Years (1990-2005)

When Doctor Who died, the Doctor didn't.

Plenty of 'cult' television shows have survived long after the production of their final episode has come to an end. Fans keep the spirit of the show alive by meeting in groups, through the mail or, more recently, on the Internet, debating the minutiae of the series, writing fan fiction, following the careers of favourite actors after the show, and so on.

Doctor Who was well placed to survive its cancellation in a similar fashion. It had a large and...

The Classic Who Must See List Part VII: The Sylvester McCoy Years (1986-9)

Well, it's past time to finish this blog series, isn't it? Mind you, this perhaps a metaphor for how the original series developed. In 1985, Doctor Who was still a part of the popular consciousness of Britain. Daleks and TARDIS were household words, and the show was still pulling in ratings of 7 million or more.

But the series had entered rough waters thanks to a changeover of BBC management. The full details can be found in this post about the sixth Doctor (Colin Baker)'s tenure on the...

A Frightening Responsibility

On Thursday, when I came home from grabbing a take-out dinner for everybody, I found that Vivian was in a bit of trouble. Erin and grandma Rosemarie were looking firm and serious because Vivian, at the end of her ballet class, had playfully snatched Nora's favourite blanket from her little sister's grip, and had run out into the parking lot. I had to admit that this was serious stuff.

Erin and Rosemarie were trying to impress on Vivian how serious this was, and why what she had done was...

Patricia Wrightson (1921-2010)

Two older women have had, I think, a significant influence on my own writing. Madeleine L'Engle, the American author of A Wrinkle in Time and numerous other books for children and adults, is well known to Canadian and American readers. The other author, Patricia Wrightson, might be less well known, but she's no less important to me.

No surprise, perhaps, because she's Australian. And while she received critical acclaim and attention in her home country, including television adaptations of her ...

South of Union

I was in Toronto today, doing some writing and research associated with Icarus Down. I came in via GO Transit and stuck around Union Station a while. As a result, I took in some of the changes that have occurred to the area recently.

Twenty-one years ago, my father took me down to Union Station with him while he went to a conference at Royal York Hotel. My goal was to take pictures of trains, which he allowed me to do, on the condition that I do so safely. I probably engaged in a bit of...

Easter Rainbow

Happy Easter to my friends and other readers. We've been enjoying the holiday. The weather here has been fantastic, even if it's been surprisingly warm. Yesterday, the weather was particularly interesting.

Late in the afternoon, the winds picked up dramatically, heralding big changes. There were no thunderstorms, however, as the cold front swept through. We got some light rain around sunset and, afterward, this beautiful rainbow. My mother-in-law Rosemarie spotted it and called us all out to s...

The Best Places to Write in Waterloo Region

Two months ago I wrote a blog post about the best places one could sit and write — whether it was at a table with a laptop or a notebook and pen, whether it had good coffee, or Tim Horton's coffee or whathaveyou. The places that I talked about were mostly in Toronto, because I had the practice of going into the city to make a day of my writing, but since I live in Waterloo Region, and since travelling to Toronto is expensive, it only seems fair that I talk about the best places to write here ...

What to Expect when the Doctor Comes Back (Moffat Who Previewed)

Unlike the previous three articles that debuted under this title, I don't have the benefit of a long lead time, here. The new season of Doctor Who (officially referred to as "season one of Matt Smith's Doctor" or "Season 31") debuts in the United Kingdom this Saturday, and comes to Canada two weeks later on Space, showing Saturdays at 9 p.m. starting April 17 (also showing on BBC America at the same date and time, I believe). I'll be holding off on my reviews until the individual episodes...

Hairy Sex for Life!

Well, that title should get me some hits from some very "interesting" sources.

Anyway, coming back on the subway from our afternoon out doing taxes, Erin and I spotted this advertisement. The ad design itself cannot help but make you wonder about the connections, here. I mean, what's going on? Is this combination hair specialist/sex clinic actually two businesses under one roof? Are both businesses in such a state that they have to share advertising space? Or is something about the treatments ...