Cats, kittens, and ailurophiles

I have loved cats my whole life, as far back as I can remember. We had a family pet, an orange tabby named Oscar, when my sister and I were toddlers. Some of my earliest memories revolve around him. We loved him, although he wasn't overly fond of us I'm pretty sure.

When we moved to the house where we spent most of our growing-up years, my parents (who are also fond of cats) decided my sister and I could pick out a kitten each from our preschool teacher's cat's litter. I chose a tuxedo cat, polydactyl (six-toed) male whom I named Sweetfeet. He had little while paws, just like his mother whose name was Sugarfoot. My sister chose a longhaired black female whom she named Blackberry. Blackberry's fur later turned out to be sort of dark gray in places, but the name stuck anyway.

Sweetfeet and Blackberry were our cherished companions from the time we were about 5 years old until we were past 21. They had good, long lives - although when the family moved in their later life, they had a little trouble adjusting. Blackberry's health failed first. Her brother held on for a while longer. I still miss him.

Then our household went quite some time without any pets at all. My sister and I were getting ready to move to Southeast Asia, my brothers were moved out, and my parents' new job duties mean they travel frequently so they didn't think it would be kind to a cat to leave it to the care of housesitters so often. My brother got a kitten at his new apartment. It was fun to play with her when we visited. She's her own delightful brand of kitty crazy.

Once my sister and I were settled in to our own house here in Southeast Asia, getting a cat or two was pretty high up on our to-do list. Thankfully, our housemate and friend was also okay with the idea, especially since cats fulfill the important function of keeping the house free of spiders, bugs, and geckos that are foolish enough to be in range of a pounce. But you don't buy cats here. You go through connections. If a friend or acquaintance has a cat that has kittens, you can get them for free. So my sister and I waited for a while, putting out feelers to friends in the area.

And then one day, during language class, the director of the language school (who is also a friend) came in with one of the custodians, who was holding a little calico kitten. Our language school's ceiling is apparently a popular place for mother cats to have their kittens, and this little one's mother was nowhere to be found. Our director knew we wanted kittens, so he asked if we wanted her, even though she wasn't weaned yet. We couldn't resist. After our director friend went and bought us a kitten-feeding bottle, we took the little sweetie home and named her CJ.

Yes, she is named after Claudia Jean "CJ" Cregg, our favorite character from The West Wing. That was it for a day. CJ started to adjust to being bottle-fed. She was lonely when we weren't around, though, the poor little thing. Then the next day, our director interrupted our class again - this time with a whole dustpan full of tiny kittens! He asked if we wanted another one. We really, really did. This time we chose the little black and white male. At home, we quickly decided he would be Toby, after Toby Ziegler (also from The West Wing). CJ seemed much happier to have a sibling around, and Toby stopped howling when we put him next to her in the box, too.

Round-the-clock feeding of two tiny kittens while still trying to do language school and also find time for sleeping and eating was not easy. I can say I have a newfound respect for new parents, especially since they have to do that for much longer than one has to for fast-growing kittens! But thankfully our little ones were more than halfway through the weaning process. So we only had to give up vast quantities of sleep for about a week and a half.

Now they're already on solid (wet) cat food, mostly litterbox-trained, and growing more and more every day. They're sweet, cuddly, inquisitive, and playful. They're also developing personalities beyond, "I'm hungry! Feed me now!" My sister's CJ is more fearless and independent than my Toby, who complains a lot and sometimes needs more time to figure out new things. But they both bring me joy every day. I've missed having a cat (or two) in the house. Few things are more relaxing and heart-melting than time spend snuggling with a little kitten in your lap, in my opinion.

I look forward to many years of companionship from these two!

We Are Family: Best TV Ensembles

Many of my favorite TV shows happen to have a strong ensemble cast of characters. (Not all of them; The X-Files for example is really all about Mulder and Scully, no matter how much I love Skinner, the Lone Gunmen, and others.) This aspect of these shows often makes me love them more, since I love stories about family, and about diverse groups of people who come together to become a family. With that in mind, here's my list of favorite ensemble shows. It's hard for me to even number it, because I would want to place so many of these at number one. So once again, please consider that the order doesn't necessarily mean I like one better than the others.

1. Firefly

This is usually the one that occurs to me first, I will admit. Making family out of a highly diverse group of people whom you wouldn't think would ever get along and love each other is kind of a specialty of Joss Whedon's (one of the many things I love about his writing!) - and Firefly is a prime example of this. We have Mal and Zoe, two veterans of the losing side of a war, Wash, who's an expert pilot and describes himself as “the funny one”, Kaylee, the sunny, optimistic ship's mechanic, Book, the shepherd with a mysterious past, Simon and River, siblings on the run from the Alliance, Jayne the mercenary who would say he only cares about his own wellbeing, and Inara, the elegant Companion. Somehow, all these people end up knit together as a family, although Mal would prefer to call it his crew. It makes me love them all even more when behind the scenes footage, photos, Twitter accounts, and interviews from the cast make it clear that they're friends in real life, too. Sigh. I love this show.

2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Another quintessential Whedon ensemble. At the beginning of the show, it's just the Core Four members of the Scooby Gang: Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Giles. By the end of the show, the family has grown and shrunk and grown again, with the Core Four still at the heart of it all. Through all the changes, it's made clear in so many ways that Buffy wouldn't be able to succeed at her calling – and wouldn't want to try – without the love and support of her friends and family. They keep her sane, grounded, and allow her to have fun. They save her life many times. They'll see her through. It's what they're always meant to do. What can't they face if they're together? What's in this place that they can't weather? There's nothing they can't face … except for bunnies. (Okay, done with the OMWF lyrics now. I guess.)

3. The West Wing

I LOVE this cast so much that I cannot even put it into words. I mean, seriously. With the exception of a character who disappears after the first season (to no one's sadness), every single cast member is amazing, even the recurring guest stars like Stockard Channing, Timothy Busfield, NiCole Robinson, Kathryn Joosten, and many others. Note: I count Josh Malina in this because, when his character isn't being written as making a hugely foolish decision, I like Will Bailey a lot. But I will admit I prefer the Sam seasons. (Because of Rob Lowe, and because of Sorkin's writing, and also because of Rob Lowe. Ahem.) This is another ensemble where it's clear that the actors enjoy each other off-screen as well, which makes me happy. For such a large group, their chemistry is nothing short of amazing. Plus, the writers generally do a good job of balancing everyone's screentime from episode to episode. Also, the family element is even made pretty explicit a few times during the show's run. The group is centered around and grounded by Martin Sheen's Bartlet. In the words of John Spencer's Leo, “He [President Bartlet] likes teams. I love him so much.” So much, indeed.

4. Sports Night

Okay, so Dan and Casey may be the central relationship of this show (and I've written about my love for it already), but it's still an ensemble. And everyone gels amazingly, once again. From Isaac, the wise, sarcastic father figure whom everyone else clearly respects and loves, to Dana, the woman who puts all of herself into her show but loves her people even more, to the idealistic young Jeremy, to the sweet Natalie, and all of the secondary characters (and great guest stars, like William H. Macy and Clark Gregg!), this is one fantastic bunch. And as with The West Wing, everyone has perfect comedic timing. That's an essential element in any Sorkin show, for sure.

5. NCIS

It may not be one of my can't-miss favorite shows (or at least not anymore), but I cannot and would not deny that NCIS has a wonderful ensemble cast. In fact, that (and the father/daughter relationships I have already mentioned) is what keeps me coming back. Mark Harmon is a highlight, of course, but it's not just him. Each member of the cast – except a certain former director whom I do not miss at all – adds a great deal to it. All of the characters care about each other and would do just about anything for each other. And once again it's clear that the cast members enjoy spending time together both on and off-screen … which is a good thing, since it's been on TV for approximately a billion years at this point.

6. Bones

Another one that's no longer as much of a favorite as it used to be for me, but I still enjoy it, largely because of the excellence of its ensemble. I remember being initially skeptical of Cam when she came on the scene, but she quickly made herself as crucial a part of the team as Booth, Brennan, Hodgins, Angela, or Zach (oh, Zach. Sigh.). Caroline is great, as well – I like seeing her whenever she shows up. Despite some really stupid plotlines in recent seasons, I still find pleasure in watching this show, mostly because of the interplay between all the characters. I hope those actors that weren't particularly well-known before their roles here will go on to other awesome things after Bones is over.

7. Babylon 5

Okay, I must add a proviso to this show's inclusion on my list, too: I'm really not a fan of Michael O'Hare's Sinclair. Sorry. I'm glad he's not around all that much after season 1. But even with some rough spots like that, this cast was fantastic. I've already posted about G'Kar and Londo, whose friendship is certainly one of the best ever to grace TV screens. But complex, interwoven relationships between the rest of the cast are also developed and explored in throughout the course of the show. All of the main characters and their stories are compelling, and I wish we'd gotten a chance to see more of them. Plus, the fact that a majority of the cast formed an honest-to-goodness band after the show was over speaks to a real friendship between them all!

8. Star Trek: The Next Generation

This show is probably the show to which I subconsciously compare all other ensemble shows. I mean, I grew up with it. I grew up with Captain Picard, Data, Geordi, Riker, Dr. Crusher, Troi, Worf, and yes, I'll even include Wesley. I loved this show before I was old enough to be able to tell what was bad acting and what was good acting, what was terrible special effects and what was awesome. When I went back and watched much of the first couple of seasons recently, I noticed things like less than stellar (heh, no pun intended) acting, and some awesomely cheesy “special” effects. But I also noticed that after a few eps, the cast really seemed to get into their roles, and their relationships quickly became at least as compelling as the show's plots. And if you're a TNG fan and you haven't seen any clips from the recent 25 year reunion of the entire main cast, you should check it out on Youtube. The real friendships between the actors are just plain awesome to watch. (It was also wonderful to get to see the friendship between Brent Spiner and Jonathan Frakes in person, at Emerald City Comicon last year. Those two guys are crazy, but in a delightful kind of way.)

9. Fringe

Honestly, I was a little bit unsure this show counted as an ensemble, since the core characters are only three in number. But there's also Astrid, and Broyles, and Nina, and the Red 'Verse team (and heck, even Gene the cow) – and together, they make a respectable sized ensemble and an extremely compelling bunch (Gene less so). I adore the interactions between them, and the depth each character has. And although I've already said it before in this list, the Fringe team really are a family. Considering the challenges and traumas various members of the group have endured and inflicted on each other in the past, it's even more amazing how close they are now. On a related note, these themes of forgiveness and redemption are another reason for me to love this show.

Honorable mentions:

-Angel: I wasn't sure whether this should be on my list, since in some ways I preferred the show when it was just Angel, Cordelia, and Doyle (much as I love Wesley, Lorne, Fred, and Gunn). But it certainly deserves an honorable mention. Like other Whedon shows, the team is made up of people who would under normal circumstances have nothing to do with one another, but through their shared goal of helping the helpless (“Our rats are low” *sniff*), they become a united front who care about each other even when that love is tested.

-Dollhouse: Part of the reason I didn't put this on my favorite list is because the central member of the ensemble is not the strongest actor of the group. But Enver Gjokaj, Dichen Lachmann, Reed Diamond, Olivia Williams, Fran Kranz, Amy Acker, Harry Lennix, Miracle Laurie, Tahmoh Penikett, and yes, Eliza Dushku do make a great ensemble. My favorite thing about this show, in fact, is the opportunity it gave many of these actors to shine – sometimes for the first time in a starring role.

-Veronica Mars: This show really is about Veronica and her dad. That said, the rest of the characters make it even more awesome. It wouldn't be the same without Wallace, Logan, Flashback Lilly and the Kane Family (which, btw, if it's not a band name already, it totally should be), and the other recurring guest stars. I should say, in fact, that the friendship between Wallace and Veronica is one of my favorite non-romantic male/female friendships on television.

So, did I leave anything off the list? What do you think?

The joys of Thai food, tropical fruit edition

Another joy of living in Thailand is ready access to wonderful fresh tropical fruit all throughout the year. You have access to the most delicious, flavorful pineapples, bananas, and melons you could possibly desire - and also many other fruits that aren't as familiar but are just as delicious or even more so.

Right as my sister and I arrived this time, we were thrilled to discover that even though it's just getting into hot season, the relentless heat is balanced out by the fact that it's also mango season. If you've never had Asian mangoes - Thai or Philippine, or Indian - you've never had read mangoes. They are really, really, REALLY good. I've been eating them pretty much whenever I get the chance. I've already mentioned my favorite Thai dessert of mangoes with sticky rice and coconut milk: also known as pure delight. They also sell mango yogurt in supermarkets here, and you can tell it's real fresh mango chunks in there, which therefore means it's a favorite.

Another fruit that's been a revelation for me on this trip is passionfruit. I think it's just coming into season right now, too, which explains why I hadn't had the chance to eat it on previous trips. I've had passionfruit-flavored fruit drinks before, but always with other flavors mixed in, so I never knew what it tasted like on its own. It. Is. Heaven. Seriously. Tangy, sweet, a little bit sour - really, I almost want to start using the ridiculously overblown language wine tasters use to describe its flavor. I don't know if you can get it in the States at all. If you can, I bet it's really expensive and not very fresh. But it would still probably be worth a try. I found some passionfruit jam in a supermarket the other day, and let me tell you: passionfruit jam + peanut butter in a sandwich? Joy.



There are many other delicious, unusual fruits here, too: starfruit, rambutan, lychee, dragonfruit, etc. But mango and passionfruit are definitely my favorite at this point.

The joys of Thai cuisine

If you've ever eaten at a (good quality) Thai restaurant, you know that Thai food is delicious. I've loved Thai food ever since my mom came back from a trip to Thailand in the late 1990s and started cooking Thai peanut curry for us - which was also about the time that Thai restaurants starting popping up all over the place in the greater Seattle area. Some are better than others, of course.

One dish that hasn't really made it over to the US yet* is one that I was introduced to last year when my sister and I were in Chiang Mai at the end of the summer: khao soi. It is sheer amazingness. If you've ever had pho, it's similar - but it's a hundred times better, IMO. I love pho, but khao soi takes it to a whole new level.

Here's a picture of the khao soi that's served at a restaurant which has quickly become one of my sister's and my favorite places to eat in Chiang Mai ("Just Khao Soy"):

The soup has pieces of chicken and rice noodles in a light curry, with crispy rice noodles on top. Then you can choose what else you want to add to it: coconut milk (YES), pickled onions (surprisingly tasty), chili paste, shallots, fish sauce, sugar, and fresh lime. There's also a few slices of banana to help dull the spiciness, if you need them. You can add as little or as much as you want, to taste. It is absolutely wonderful. The original dish comes from Northern Thailand and Laos. It's is less fancy than this, and is apparently regarded as mere "street food" by many Thai people. But the restaurant version at least is wonderful, and I hope it does become more widely available outside of Southeast Asia!

Another item of Thai cuisine one should not miss when one is in Thailand is their version of limeade. It's like lemonade, except with lime, and a little bit of sugar and a little bit of salt. The balance of flavors is delightful - and something that Thais strive for in their cuisine. I had some with my khao soi at lunch today. Perfect. The only way to have made the meal even better would have been to finish off with mango and sticky rice for dessert. If I'd had any room left, I would have ordered some! But there'll be plenty of time for that while we're here.

*One of my favorite Thai restaurants back home, Bai Tong, does list khai soi on the menu, but I haven't had it so I can't speak to its authenticity or tastiness. I'm sure it's quite good, though, since Bai Tong is excellent!

Goodbye, Leo McGarry.

I've posted a few times about my love for The West Wing, and how much I adore its cast. I've also posted about John Spencer's awesomeness in particular.

Before I even watched the pilot of this show, I knew that John Spencer died before the series finale; I heard about it on TV when it happened and I remembered it for some reason, even though I wasn't watching the show at that time. So that meant I knew Leo was going to die when I started the first season. I wish I hadn't known so much ahead of time, but it can't be helped.

Anyway. All that said, even with that knowledge as a warning, I couldn't help adoring the character of Leo, and being extremely impressed with John Spencer as an actor (and as a person, from what I saw in interviews and clips). Leo was smart, wise, witty, savvy, classy, principled, and above all else, loyal. He was the driving force behind Jed Bartlet's election to the presidency, and his President's best and closest friend. He wasn't perfect - his character would have been far less interesting if he were. But he cared deeply about his President, his daughter, his friends, and the good of the country.

So when I got to season 7, and the episode in which Martin Sheen gives a brief but heartfelt announcement and goodbye to his friend John Spencer, I knew it was going to be rough when we got to Leo's final episode. And it was. Oh, it was. From the moment Annabeth (ably portrayed by Kristin Chenoweth) discovers Leo in his hotel room, to every character's reaction - which had to have included the cast members' genuine grief at the loss of their costar and friend - I was grieving alongside them. Just like when Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith on Doctor Who) died, *I* feel almost like I have lost a dear friend. That is thanks both to the vividness of Leo McGarry as a character, and to the man who portrayed him, who died far too young.

I recognize that the show as a whole has decreased in quality since Aaron Sorkin left. It's only too obvious when I go back and rewatch an episode from the first four seasons. But I'm still enjoying it a great deal, and it's still an exceptional show. The cast as a whole has never ceased giving amazing, compelling performances, and the way the show handled this untimely loss is, I think, a fitting tribute.

In the words of C.J. Cregg to President Bartlet, "I really miss him, sir." And in the words of Joshua Lyman: "Thanks, Boss."

Fathers and daughters

One way you can get me to love a show – even one that might not otherwise have a long list of other things that make it stand out – is to have a really good father-daughter relationship at its core. (I'm not saying I'd still watch a show that was actually terrible just for this relationship, but … well, I'm getting ahead of myself now.) Since I love making lists, and since a friend suggested it, here goes with another one! Hope you're not too entirely bored of my lists by now; if you are, feel free to skip it.



1. Giles & Buffy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
This one usually occurs to me very quickly when I think of my favorites, so I'll put it first. It didn't take me long at all when I was first watching Buffy to decide that A) Buffy was awesome, B) Giles was my second favorite character, and C) Giles loved Buffy like she was his daughter, and Buffy loved Giles like he was her father. In fact, Giles is a much better father to Buffy than her mostly-absent biological dad. As the show went on, it became more and more clear: if you messed with Buffy, you brought on the wrath of Giles. If you messed with Giles, you brought on the wrath of Buffy. My love for this relationship is why it was extra-painful in that episode in season 3 (“Helpless”) when Giles goes behind Buffy's back for the sake of fulfilling one of the Watcher Council's stupid pointless rituals for the Slayer. Her betrayal and his guilt – oh, man. It was also very hard for me when Giles left the show for a while in season 6, especially after his heartfelt and emotional (and lovely!) song during “Once More With Feeling.” I remember being much relieved when my friend assured me that he wasn't gone for good! There are about a million more moments I could describe, but suffice it to say Rupert Giles is the man, and I love how much he loves his unofficially adopted daughter.

2. Jack & Sydney Bristow, Alias
This is the other one that usually occurs to me right away in this category. If I really think back to when I first started watching Alias, I can faintly recall that I didn't like Jack Bristow much at all when the audience was first introduced to him – and no wonder: he seemed to have almost no use for his bright, intelligent, and impulsive daughter Sydney. I developed a little more sympathy for him when we learned more about how he'd lost his wife and Sydney's mother in tragic circumstances, but then it also became clear that that was about the time that he started shutting young Sydney out of his life. Not surprisingly, this hurt her a great deal. As the show progressed, however, the audience started to see a great deal of evidence that, in Spy Daddy's own words (from “Salvation”, in season 2), “Despite my limited abilities as a father, I love [Sydney] more than I could ever say.” ::sniff:: Yeah, that sound you just heard? That was the sound of my heart shattering into tiny pieces. One of the ways this love was demonstrated was in his efforts, both behind the scenes and with Sydney's knowledge, of protecting his daughter as best he could even in the midst of her extremely dangerous job. Sydney didn't always appreciate these acts, but she did grow to love her dad more and more over the course of the show. Although the show itself went downhill in quality after season three, I think it did the Bristows justice in how it ended. For that, I am glad.

3. Keith & Veronica Mars, Veronica Mars
No list of awesome TV father-daughter relationships would be complete without the Mars duo. After the murder of Veronica's best friend Lily, the town of Neptune turned on its former sheriff, Keith, and his daughter, due to events surrounding the initial investigation. Keith became a private investigator, and his now ostracized high-school-age daughter followed suit. They made a formidable pair when they worked a case together, and each had their own strengths to bring to bear. When they were at odds, it was painful to watch because of how well the two stars portray it. Thankfully, they were never on the outs with each other for too long. I've already mentioned the scene from “Leave It To Beaver” when they find out for sure that Keith is Veronica's biological dad – guh. Just one of many, many sweet and awesome moments between the two of them. Whenever anything terrible happened to Veronica, she knew she could go to her dad for comfort and wisdom, even when it was at least partially her fault. I said in that aforementioned list of favorite TV eps that Keith Mars is probably my favorite TV dad, and I think I was right to say that. (Only the fact that it's been so many years since I watched VM motivates me having listed him at number three here.)

4. Gibbs & Abby, NCIS
I haven't really been invested in this show for several seasons – I think it's been running out of ideas for a while, but it's on CBS and gets huge ratings, so it will probably never die – but I still make a point to watch when I don't have other plans at airtime. The reason? The quality cast. (Ooh, there's another list idea: favorite TV ensemble casts! ::adds item to list of lists to make::) It really is an excellent ensemble, and a big part of that is Mark Harmon and Pauley Perrette as Gibbs and Abby. Gibbs' wife and daughter were murdered many years in his past. Abby lost her parents, too, I believe, although she had a happy upbringing. Anyway, as far back as I can remember on the show, the love between them is obvious, and (IMO) obviously of a father-daughter type. In fact, the whole team is like a family – another thing that I love – but Gibbs and Abby stand out. They protect each other and care for each other, and it's fun to see the normally stoic and guarded Gibbs let down his guard a little sometimes, because of his Abby. Almost nothing during an episode of NCIS is guaranteed to get an “Awww” out of me more than a sweet moment between Gibbs and Abby.

*An honorable mention should go here to Gibbs & Ziva. Ziva has her own major issues with her biological dad, but it didn't take long at all after her introduction to the show for her to develop a surrogate father-daughter relationship with Gibbs. They have had their own share of sweet moments, to be sure.

5. Richard & Alexis Castle, Castle
I'm going to be honest here: other than the initial draw of Nathan Fillion, the first half season of Castle was … far from the best thing I've seen on TV. It took a while for the characters and writers to find their footing, I think. By now it's developed into quite a decent show, with another excellent cast, all of whom I enjoy watching every week. Even before they all gelled, though, the relationship between Castle and his daughter was enough to convince me to keep watching. (And it was worth it!) Molly Quinn does a wonderful job as Castle's smart, headstrong, and well-grounded teenage daughter, who loves her dad even when he's being a huge geek, or being way overprotective. Nathan Fillion, in turn, does quite well (of course!) as a single father who, yes, is sometimes less mature than his daughter, but also usually knows when she just needs a listening ear or a few words of counsel – or a corny joke to lighten the mood. It's clear that Castle treasures his daughter and is extremely proud of her.

6. Cal & Emily Lightman, Lie to Me
The relationship between these two was a highlight to be sure, for this sadly short-lived show. It was similar to Castle and Alexis's in many ways (although Cal could be a lot more annoying than Castle usually is!). Both Emily and Alexis sometimes are smarter than their fathers, at least in interpersonal skills. Both of them have to deal with dads who can be quite overprotective, especially when interacting with their boyfriends – although let me tell you, despite not being as tall as Nathan Fillion, Tim Roth as Cal Lightman came across as a great deal more menacing when he wanted to than Castle has so far! Anyway, it was clear that whatever reckless thing Cal might do to put himself at risk for his job at the Lightman Group, he would do whatever it took to keep Emily safe and out of trouble. Emily, in turn, helped keep her father grounded and was not afraid to call him on his nonsense when necessary, too. I hope to see Hayley McFarland in other excellent roles, if she wants. Also, it makes me happy that she and Tim Roth are good friends IRL.

Other honorable mentions:

-Jed & Zoey Bartlet, The West Wing: One of the main reasons I didn't give these two their own number on the list is that I'm not done watching the series yet, so I don't know how it's going to turn out for them. I do love their relationship as shown so far, though. President Bartlet is a great dad.

-Captain & Dana Scully, The X-Files: We don't get a lot of time with Scully and her dad on the show, but from what we do see, we know she loves her dad dearly. And since he appears from beyond the grave to tell her how much he wishes he had more time with her, it's a pretty safe bet that he loved her just as much. I choose to believe that while he might have been strict as a military father, their relationship was warm and caring – which would make it the best father-child relationship on the show, probably. Heh.

-Pete & Rose Tyler, Doctor Who: I couldn't very well leave these two off the list entirely, since “Father's Day” made me cry when I first saw it and continues to make me tear up whenever I rewatch. “Who am I, love?” “My daddy.” My heart breaks all over again, every time.

~

I should also mention that it always makes the joys of watching these fathers & daughters are always highlighted when I get to watch them with my actual dad. He isn't into all of these shows, but I can state with confidence, for instance, that he was not unmoved when we watched "Father's Day" for the first time.

Also, yes, I will be posting a list of favorite father-son relationships at some point soon. That's another pretty much surefire way to get me interested in a show!

In memory of Anne McCaffrey, queen of the dragons and titan of sci-fi

As a teenager, I read every single one of your Dragonriders of Pern books - many of them probably more than ten times. I loved the Acorna series, The Ship Who Sang and much of the Talents series, and just last year I read Decision at Doona for the first time.

I loved the worlds you built, the characters you developed, and your wonderful imagination.

You made my life richer with what you wrote, and your talent will be missed. Even if I were a Harper, I don't know how I could possibly distill your brilliance and your legacy into a song in your memory. So I will just keep reading your books, and pass them along to those who haven't read them.

The dragons are massing in the skies of Pern today.

Get up, take heart--go, make a start,
sing out the truth you came for.
Then when you die, your heart may fly
to halls we have no name for.
--All The Weyrs of Pern