Ask Away Friday with Tamara Bowman from Tamara Like Camera

You all might be aware if you're also following me on social media that I'm a huge fan of Doctor Who.  Huge.  Fan.  Doctor Who.  Now that the series is running again, I will actually wait until 2:30 (my time) to watch the live feed from England.  Totally geeky.  Yes.  But I.  LOVE.  DOCTOR WHO.

I'm also a huge fan of #AskAwayFriday - and this week, I managed to convince the lovely Tamara Bowman from Tamara like Camera to join me for a Doctor Who themed #AskAwayFriday question swap!!  If you think I'm a fan of Doctor Who, wait until you meet Tamara.  She has a TARDIS shed.  And I'm not absolutely convinced she didn't marry her husband because of his slight resemblance to David Tennant.  Damn.  I should have asked her that.


In case you haven't been in the loop - #AskAwayFriday was created by the amazing Penny from Real Housewife of Caroline County as a way to connect with other bloggers.  The format is a a great Q & A session between two blogs - 10 questions and 10 answers!  It's a great opportunity to get familiar with other blogs (and bloggers), as well as to promote your own blog.  And the added bonus is you can make new friends!

These ladies are the amazing #AskAwayFriday hosts…

Tamara from Tamara Like Camera,

Tiffany from Mrs. Tee Love Life Laughter,

Christy from Uplifting Families,

Stacey from This Momma’s Ramblings

and

Amber from Bold Fit Mom 

I'm so very excited...because I have a bit of a blogger crush on Tamara and her lovely family.  Tamara is not just an amazing mother, wife and blogger - she's also an amazing photographer!  I discovered her early on in my blogging (a whole nine months ago), and have been following her ever since (possibly in part because she actually has a TARDIS in her back yard).  Her children Scarlet and Des are just adorable.  Tamara and I share a love of iPhones, pretty pictures of our kids, and all things Whovian (although she has more themed socks then I do, I'll bet my t-shirt collection could rival hers). If you haven't followed her yet - get on it!  She's also on Bloglovin, Facebook, Twitter, G+, Pinterest and Instagram!

You can see what I asked Tamara  HERE.  And here are Tamara's Doctor Who themed questions and my answers:

I know you asked me this, but I meant to ask you too! Who is YOUR Doctor, and why? How long did it take you to grow to love him, if you did?

I grew up with Tom Baker, and he’s still my favorite.  He’s just kind of a big, goofy grandfather type figure, and I’ve always loved him.  I’m pretty sure that if I ever met him IRL, I’d have to give him a big hug.  I was soooo happy they included him in the Fiftieth – we watched it at the theatre with the kids and there was a standing ovation.  It was a great scene.

If you were stranded on a desert island, or maybe in charge of helping save the planet from a meteor (nothing alike there, but one or the other), who would you pick out of ANY of the Doctors' companions from the last 50 years to be by your side to help?

I know that some of the newer fans would automatically go to Amy or Martha (personally, I loved Donna although I gather she's not everyone's favorite) - but I'd pick Sarah Jane Smith.  Hands down.  That lady knew her stuff and had her own Sonic Lipstick.  I don’t know if you've caught her spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures – but my kids LOVED it.  I'm pretty know she could handle a charging dinosaur, getting trapped on an uninhabited (or inhabited) planet or deserted island, or saving the planet from a meteor.  And still get us back to Ealing in time for tea.

I know you didn't ask for a second choice.  I'm giving you one anyway.  My second choice would (of course) be K-9.  Yes – he counts as a companion.  He's the best of both worlds - an adoring pet who doesn't shed - and could use his laser to remind the Goblin King to stay in line.

If you could go to any one place and time in AMERICA, when and where would you go in your TARDIS?

Is it cheesy (or maybe a bit stalkerish) to say that I’d love to visit your house tomorrow for tea and crumpets on your lawn outside of your own personal TARDIS?  I think my kids and your kids would really hit it off…and I have a bit of a blogger crush on you.

Tamara's husband Cassidy and son Des outside their TARDIS shed!  (photo courtesy tamaracamerablog.com)

Tamara (as the TARDIS), family and other Doctor Who friends! (image courtesy tamaracamerablog.com)

Say you could go anywhere and anytime in the WORLD with your FAMILY. Where and when would you take them?

Well…after tea at your house…it’s a bit of a toss up.  I’d love to go to Greece in Ancient Times, or to Egypt when Cleopatra was Queen.  But the place I’d love to go the most is the cottage that my grandmother and family used to visit every year.  My great grandfather was an artist – and one time he actually carved and painted a totem pole while they were at the cottage.  Gran said that she and her two sisters helped him to go cut down the tree and it took him several weeks to complete it.  Family history tells me it was stolen by the next season – I’d love to find out that it was me in the TARDIS who took it for my back yard.  Although it would be even better if I could bring it back to my Gran before she died.  She had very fond memories of that cottage, her parents and her sisters, and eventually with her own family as well.

Is there a Doctor Who character who you think of in that hubba hubba way? (Someone asked me this once.. and I really had to search for my answer. Was fun!)

Really?  You had to search?  Even after seeing your husband in the David Tennant outfit?

Cassidy and with daughter Scarlet...(image courtesy tamaracamerablog.com)

David Tennant.  Hands down.  Matt Smith is too young – and Tom Baker too old (but they would have been in the running).  In a pinch, I’d go for Paul McGann as well.  I mean...if I wasn't married to the most wonderful man in the world already of course.

There are many types of "villains" in Doctor Who and they are scary for different reasons. Which one has scared you the most, and why?

The episodes I have consistently not let the children watch all involve the Weeping Angels.  Even though the Doctor barely appeared in their first episode (Don't Blink), I think that one is the best and the scariest.  I just love the way they're described: 

"The Lonely Assassins, that's what they used to be called. No one quite knows where they came from, but they're as old as the Universe, or very nearly. And they have survived this long because they have the most perfect defense system ever evolved. They are Quantum Locked. They don't exist when they are being observed. The moment they are seen by any other living creature they freeze into rock. No choice, it's a fact of their biology. In the sight of any living thing, they literally turn into stone. And you can't kill a stone. Of course, a stone can't kill you either, but then you turn your head away. Then you blink. Then, oh yes, it can."

I let the kids watch the Silence in the Library last weekend (against my better judgement).  Long story short - my daughter said "Who turned out the lights" in the course of a normal conversation and it reminded me of Doctor Who and then we just had to watch it.

The Vashta Nerada are also some of the scarier “villains” – and my original judgement proved correct – Puck didn’t sleep much that night.  The thing I like about the new series villans the most is that they take such innocent things like statues and snowmen and shadows and make them into scary things with big teeth.  (As a side note...rewatching River Song's first episode gave me some ideas on where the newest series might be going...)

If money were no object and you were dressing up as a Doctor Who character, what would you do? Photos from the internet or other sources of inspiration are welcome!

Oh…this is a hard one.  The Weeping Angels are amazing.  But then, I’d love to be the TARDIS - and I'd totally rock a fez and bow tie.  

There was totally a pregnant Amy when we went to the fiftieth last year - and with my ginger looks...I could pull it off...

But I suppose, if I had my druthers, I’d go for the Fourth Doctor (or at least his female incarnation).  I’ve been hinting to Hubs for ages that I’d love a Tom Baker scarf as a gift and I'm totally into the hat.  I’m too cheap to buy it for myself.  I really like this one...

How did you discover/find/fall in love with Doctor Who? Everyone's got a story!

I’ve mentioned before that for a brief time as a child, I lived in the U.K.  It was there that I discovered and fell in love with the Doctor.  My mom never really got it – but my father and I used to watch Dr. Who while we were in the UK fairly religiously and we continued when we returned to the States, although we tapered off when Peter Davidson took over, and stopped around Sylvester McCoy.

When the new series came out the year Puck was born, I was in like flint.  I really enjoyed Christopher Eccleston – and was disappointed briefly when he left…but then…well…David Tennant.

I’ve actually watched a lot of the older series (mostly on Netflix) since the new series started.  Hubs is also a big fan of Dr. Who as (like me) he spent part of his childhood in the UK.  Before the Fiftieth last year, we all watched the movie with the 8th Doctor Peter McGann on YouTube (it was a bit of a pain, but I knew that the story line was coming up and I wanted the kids to have background - I would have bought it, but couldn't find anyone who carried it).  This year we watched Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965) and Daleks – Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. (1966) when it was released on iTunes.  It’s pretty cheesy (like the old series) but doesn’t follow the original story line and Peter Cushing isn’t included in the count of “Doctors”.   It was fun to watch it though.

How about an episode that made you cry, or close to it? I don't have many, but boy do I have them!

Well...there are a few for me.

This scene:

And this one:

But this one the most:

Followed by this one:

If I were to throw a Doctor Who themed party, which I have actually done, what dish would you bring? Someone actually brought fish fingers and custard to ours! It wasn't real fish fingers, but cookies meant to look like them!

OK…now I’m changing my answer to the third question.  I’d still go to your house – but I’d go on the day of your Doctor Who party – and I’d wear my Tom Baker outfit!  

I have friends who like Doctor Who, but not to the same extent that I do…so Doctor Who celebrations are always done with just us and the kids.  I actually have a Doctor Who cookbook “Dining with the Doctor” – but I haven’t ventured to do any of the recipes yet.  I've totally considered doing Fish Fingers and Custard (the book has a good recipe with mayonnaise instead of actual custard) - but for your party, I love a good drink – so I’d probably bring Sonic Screwdrivers for all!

And that folks brings my Ask Away Friday to an end for this week.  Hope you all enjoyed - share in the comments if you're a Doctor Who fan - and who your favorite Doctor was!  Or, if you're interested in participating in #AskAwayFriday with me, drop me a line!

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