See the Fangrrl Squee

Yeah, I know, four whole days (or so) without a single squee. Clearly, I've been busy elsewhere.

I'm about to order the "Series 2" (*ahem* 28!) box set from the UK, as sendit.com are doing a special of approximately $85 (plus shipping) and that's about as good as it's going to get, I think. I want it in time for my Xmas party, as the theme this year is - you guessed it - Doctor Who. I'll be playing a selection of episodes old and new but, honestly, the emphasis will be on the new stuff, as that's what my friends know, thanks to the Sci-Fi channel.

I finished reading The Burning (Eight, solo) by Justin Richards and enjoyed is a fairly standard romp. The antagonist was a bit annoying, because of the whole "I'm in denial about Really Obvious Thing X until the Doctor shouts at me and then I'll still be in denial and he'll shout some more and, oh my goodness, look at that Obvious Thing!". It just didn't ring true. Another annoyance was that the origin of the Icky Creature of Note was left largely unexplained - and I read it a bit too quickly to come up with my own ideas. But I liked how the Doctor was portrayed (he's in the grips of that century-or-so amnesia on Earth) and, grumbles about the antagonist aside, the supporting cast was perfectly sound.

Now I'm trying The Taking of Planet 5 by Simon Boucher-Jones and Mark Clapham (another Eight solo) and it's managed to annoy me halfway through the first chapter. I understand the device of "Dump lots of mysterious, confusing information on the reader, and then make it clearer as the story unfolds", but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Particularly when said information is very confusing and carries the flavor still of various (probable) sources of inspiration. A little too Ray Bradbury and Shirley Jackson, folks. *shrug* we'll see how it goes. It takes a lot for me to give up on a book.

(btw, when did Simon Boucher add the -Jones? I'm assuming marriage was involved.)

Meanwhile, I'm tinkering away with ideas to make Eight's watch. Those of you who have been reading my regular journal might have noticed much muttering about cutting sheet styrene, silk screens and etching metal of late. It's all related to the Mad Pocket Watch Project (MPWP). My hope is that I'll accumulate some empty pocket watch cases, craft watch faces out of sheet plastic - with the help of the silk screen - and have a nice little con-favor to hand out to a select few folks when I'm done. Naturally, anyone dressed as Eight would get one by default - if they don't already have one.

Right now, I'm completely faced by what sort of inks I can use in a silk-screen. More to the point, what sort of ink can be safely cleaned from the screen without, oh, dissolving it. I'm going to rummage around LJ and find a print-making community, as I'm sure one must exist. There's communities for everything around here.

The metal-etching inquiries were borne of a notion that I'd put the seal of Rassilon on the back of the watch case, as a nifty design feature/"signature" on the item, but it's been dismissed as too much trouble. If I do anything like that, I'll screen-print it (leading to yet more agonizing about apt inks, how to prepare the surface of the case, how to keep the case immobile whilst printing, etc, etc). Clearly, my masochistic side is feeling unfulfilled. Further bulletins as events warrant - although they'll probably be at britgeekgrrl with only a finished picture (if one manifests) going up here in a month or so.