Mark "De Boss" Dooley here with a reminder that the Whoosier Network will be meeting tomorrow, Friday April 13th (egad!), 6:30 PM at the Dwelling Place, 7440 E. Michigan Road (across the parking lot from Jubilee Bowl), Indianapolis, IN.

The third series of the new Doctor Who kicks off with "Smith and Jones", as we meet young med student Martha Jones (ably portrayed by newcomer Freema Agyeman) whose hectic life of balancing final exams and a dysfunctional family gets totally derailed when she gets gobsmacked by the dangerous world of the Doctor!

We'll also have another thrilling episode of the DW spinoff series "Torchwood", though we do caution that due to the adult nature of the series, parental discretion is advised. And we may also have a couple of special goodies to run, as Stephen, Our Man in Raxacoricofallapatorius has been very, very busy.

Dee and I have just gotten back from our Emmaus walks, a Christian retreat that, for my part, has worked literal miracles for my mental health and future well-being. Dee's finishing hers tonight, and hopefully she'll be a little stronger as she was ill most of yesterday. My brother Tim, his wife Shera (Dee's sponsor, as Tim was mine), and I attended the candlelight service for the walkers. Dee led the way in a wheelchair, due to her illness, but her spirits exploded when she got to our spot in what I like to call "the carwash of love"... hundreds of former walkers gathered to give the new ones love and support for their weekend and their devotion.

Sorry we're late getting this sucker updated, so let's get to the good stuff:

WHO-NET HAS A NEW MEETING PLACE! We're now at an office building that is currently serving as THE DWELLING PLACE, a local church. Our Man in Raxacoricofallapatorius, Stephen, has made arrangements for Who-Net to hang its hat in probably the nicest venue we've had since the downtown library. The building is located at 7440 N. Michigan Rd. in Indianapolis, next to an Edwards Transmission shop and across the parking lot from Jubilee Bowling Alleys.

The main meeting room is very nice, with wide round tables and chairs and an area filled with plenty of comfty chairs and a sofa away from the main video area for our members to have discussions and general talk and not disturb those who want to see the cool stuff.

DeBoss here again, just to remind everyone that Who-Net will be gathering once again this Friday at Zelma's restraunt, 965 N. Shadeland, Indianapolis, where we will have the Who-Net debut of the popular Doctor Who spin-off TORCHWOOD, as well as the recontructed Doctor Who classic THE FACELESS ONES with the late, great Patrick Troughton. What a great way to kick off the Super Bowl weekend! We hope to see you all there!

One picture says it all...

De Boss here, and I hope the arrival of the new year has found you all good and well. Time for some updates:

First off, our first meeting at our new venue at Zelma's went off very well, with the exception of the arrangement of the tables, and with just a couple of seating adjustments, things should be even better next month. I really like Zelma's... it reminds me a lot of one of the little family-owned restraunts my grandparents used to take me to when I was a kid. The meeting room was covered with family pictures, college banners, the good ol' red, white, and blue. And on top of that, the food was great and very affordable. And we were on absolutely no time limit, as Zelma's is open 'round the clock. I want to thank everyone who made this new move such a success, and to the wonderful staff at Zelma's who made us feel welcome.

We've just received word that the Sci-Fi Channel has, indeed, picked up the good Doctor for his third year, and they want it for a summer run! So 2007 is going to be filled with good stuff for the average Who fan (though I have yet to meet an "average" Who fan).

Dee and I are hunkering down tonight with "It's a Wonderful Life", the George C. Scott version of "A Christmas Carol", and our all-time Christmas Eve favorite, Bob Hope in "The Lemon Drop Kid". It rarely gets a run on TV anymore, which I don't understand, because next to "A Christmas Story", it's the funniest Christmas movie ever made. Yeah, even more than "Scrooged", and for one reason... for just a moment, Bob drops that usual character he plays, a grifting, cowardly wisecracker, and shows that tenderness that I always knew he was capable of. I don't need to tell you when it happens, if you have it on tape or DVD, you'll know when. Tears come every time.

Sci-Friday is quick upon us, and while there will be no new Battlestar Galactica until the middle of January (and it will on Sunday nights from now on!), we have the two-hour finale of

DOCTOR WHO: "Army of Ghosts", "Doomsday" 8:00PM EDT
First off, if you haven't seen any of Sci-Fi's promo spots for tomorrow's finale... DON'T!!!! I know that given the nature of the Internet, probably everyone who reads this website already knows the big surprise at the end of "Army"... but I'll still go on the presumption that there are still those who haven't seen the stunning climax of Season 2 and will, like me, jump out of my seat at the end of "Army" and shriek like a giddy little girl who just got the biggest, coolest dolly in the world. The big difference is that you won't have to wait a whole week like I did to see the conclusion. Be sure to have kleenex on hand. It is an indespensible companion to this show.

Well, the sad news we have to end 2006 is that, due to budget cuts and an attempt to bring all Marion County libraries into a singular schedule, the Glendale Library will be closing at 6:00 on Fridays, which has brought to an end the Whoosier Network's time at our longtime gathering place.

But while we're looking for a regular meeting place we can call home, we have great news to kick off 2007: Who-Net WILL be meeting on January 5th at one of its most unusual venues... Zelma's Restraunt at 965 N. Shadeland (on 10th and Shadeland) in their big party room. Come with good appetites and prepare for an exciting night of ALL-NEW DOCTOR WHO, beginning with the new SARAH JANE SMITH ADVENTURES special, starring lovely, immortal Elizabeth Sladen as arguably Doctor Who's most beloved companion, now on her own tracking Earth-bound monsters and villains.

Here's a cool offer from yours truly to help raise some needed funds for Who-Net... a lovely photo-print of the cover from Gallifreyan Gazette #229, featuring the Tenth Doctor and Rose, the TARDIS, members of the Whoom County gang, and Dee and moi making sky tracks over the Christmas landscape. This neat print, one of the most elaborate watercolors I've ever done, is available for $5.00 postpaid, and if you act now, I'll have it out in plenty of time for Christmas. As nice as it looks on the cover of the GG, it's even more impressive in print. Send $5.00 in check or money order to: MARK C. DOO