Geek Love

So...

This year, I decided to treat myself to a subscription to Doctor Who Magazine. That seems reasonable, right? I was very excited about the upcoming series, I like the look of the magazine, it's all fun and stuff.

I decided to get a subscription through Whostore (whostore dot co dot uk), because I thought that they would be, like me, enthusiastic about Doctor Who, treat their customers well, etc.

I was so, so wrong.

I have tried to work with them for the past 7 months to get my subscription up and running, to no avail, so I decided to go public. I'm upset, angry, and I don't want anyone else to go through the misery of what I'm going through. Maybe they'll do right by me because I've gone public, but I've tried to work with them, as you'll see below, and see that I have been treated with awful customer service: silence.

( Details inside the cut. )

So, here it is. I hate doing this because I believe that I could work things out with people, but this hasn't worked out. I have no idea what I am doing wrong and it has been very frustrating.

Interestingly, in the same time period, I've had an amazing customer support experience relating to Doctor Who items from ThinkGeek. I ordered my Eleventh Doctor sonic screwdriver from them. I received it and realized that it wasn't working, so I requested a replacement. They sent me a mailing label so that I didn't have to pay for the return. I returned the product and I promptly received my replacement...

...which had a wonky screw and I couldn't open the battery compartment to put in the batteries. I wrote them saying that the new sonic they sent me was also not working. AGAIN, they sent me a mailing label and I sent them the screwdriver back and received a beautiful, working sonic soon afterwards.

I cannot praise ThinkGeek enough for their amazing customer support. I bought my Christmas gifts this past year through them and they have gained not just a loyal customer but an enthusiastic one.

I wish I could say the same about the Whostore.
So very, very disappointing.

( Cut for my emotional feelings, which may be constituted as spoilers, for 'The Big Bang' and 'Time Crash'. )

Sarah Jane Adventures will start soon.
And not long after that finishes will be the Christmas special.
And not long after that will be S6.

I hope I'll be ready.

ETA - Yes, that is me in Doctor Who Confidential episode 13 sporting a bowtie. Because they are cool.

So, I've got this question about "Blink" that I sent out on Twitter but since not everyone I know from here is on Twitter, and y'all are so brilliant, I figured I should ask here as well.

Here's the question:
What is the moral of "Blink"?

( The reason why I am asking. This does not contain spoilers, I think, but it points to somewhere that does. )

You know how people say "X is My Doctor"?*

Well, Steven Moffat is My Writer. My New Who Writer. I recognize that his style and his characterizations don't suit everyone's tastes, but they Totally Do It for me. And I love how he thinks about Doctor Who. He's not perfect, but the more he talks about the show, the more I feel that he's looking inside my mind and expressing, in so much better words that I ever could, everything I love about it.

The interview that Steven, Karen, and Matt did for "The Sound of Young America" just came out and there's so many sweet, quotable things from it... but this one stood out and sang to me.

The interviewer asks about potential romantic relationship between the Doctor and his companion, given how roughly similar in age and very good looking they are.

"I think the Doctor, while he is the most gentlemanly gentleman in the universe and would always respect such things, I think he's a serial faller-in-love-r. I think he just does. I think he loses his heart a lot. And the truth is he lost both his hearts to the big blue box and none of them stand a chance."

Yes.
This.
It's not just the TARDIS, but what she represents: it's his home, his longest companion, and the way that he can see everywhere and anywhere. The TARDIS gives him freedom, purpose and meaning. How can that not be his first and greatest love?

Also, it tickles me pink because I'm very much like how he describes the Doctor. A serial faller-in-love-r. But I always return to the big loves of my life. Like Doctor Who.

(He also makes really great observations about children and what they want. I believe he is spot-on.)

So yeah, listen to the interview, it's pretty good (lots of stuff we've heard before, but it is still quite nice). It's added a few more reasons, this observation being the strongest one, as to why Steven Moffat is My Writer.

*For the curious, My Doctor is the Fifth.

Tonight, I managed to get myself together and to the Apple Soho store in New York City for the "Meet the cast" session, celebrating Doctor Who. Little did I know what a treat I was in for.

( Pictures and details, stuff I livetweeted, etc. There are spoilers here for 'The Eleventh Hour'. )

Addition: the "Meet the Filmmaker" podcast on iTunes will have a download shortly of the event!