Today I'm going to look at Lisa's life in this millennium. Thanks to my browser for helping me spell that word...and many other words.
Maybe I'll start with 2001, since it was kind of a big year in history.
I know John Howard was Prime Minister.
In September, Lisa's daughter Jessica would be close to five-and-a-half. I think she'd be starting kindergarten in February. In the meantime, she probably went to preschool.
I'm sitting here trying to find a good preschool for Jessica, but I probably don't need to go that much into detail. I'll just imagine she went to a decent one.
I do wonder, though, for primary school, whether she went to a government or private one.
Well, here's a school. Yarraville West Primary School. I think it's public. I'll imagine Jessica went there. It's about a ten minute walk from their house.
So, Jessica would have started school there in January/February of 2002.
I think the family's music life would still be dominated by The Wiggles and other children's music.
I'm trying to think...
When did Jack and his cousins start liking pop music?
You know one thing I've been neglecting in terms of music is the fact that we're not limited by the year. I mean it's not like because I'm now living in the year 2014, I'm only listening to 2014 music. People can have favorite songs from decades way in the past.
Lord Wiki is informing me that in 2001, a lot of stuff premiered on Aussie television—Weakest Link, Big Brother, The Secret Life of Us, etc.
I imagine Lisa might catch an episode here and there of things, but she wouldn't be watching anything religiously.
I'm reading Lord Wiki's entry on 2002, and there's no mention of the Bali bombing. Didn't that happen that year?
Yes...just asked and Lord Wiki confirmed. I suppose he doesn't mention it in his entry on Australia because it didn't happen in Australia. But it did happen to Australians. They were the main victims.
I'm sure Lisa would have watched that on the news.
It makes me think about Bali, not just as a terrorist site, but as a travel destination.
I've kind of neglected the whole travel thing for Lisa.
Have they ever been to Bali?
Maybe they were thinking of going, but after the bombing they changed their mind. Or at least postponed it for a few years.
How about...they went to the Gold Coast the months before Jessica started kindergarten. They loved the beaches and amusement parks. And maybe this trip partly inspired young Jessica's desire to one day visit Disney World.
I am still thinking about other traveling, though...
Where did Lisa go as a child? Where did she and Dale go on their honeymoon?
Should I try to answer these questions now, or come back to it later?
Or if something jumps out at me, during some point in my life, I'll jot it down in my notes.
I'm going to move forward to 2003. Jessica would be seven/eight that year. Maybe at this point, Lisa would have more time to listen to her own music.
I'm looking at ARIA charts for 2003.
I love the song "Black Betty" by Spiderbait, but I get the feeling Lisa did not. The song annoyed her.
She did like Missy Higgins' "Scar". Jessica did too. She'd sing it...without fully understanding the lyrics.
Jessica and Lisa also liked this song.
In 2003, Australia had a lot of people protesting against the war. I don't picture Lisa protesting. I don't imagine her being very political. But if asked, she'd probably say she was against it. She's never going to be a fan of war.
I feel like I'm totally neglecting stuff.
But I have to remember that I can go back later and fill in stuff about Lisa's life...the more personal things. These posts are more about the cultural aspects.
I think what I'm going to do now is just zoom through 2004-2009, first with Lord Wiki's history entries and then look at the ARIA charts.
Various important things happened in 2004, such as the child in Redfern dying while being chased by the police. But I don't think that would play a big part in Lisa's life. She'd probably read about it and feel sad, but that's about it.
2005 seems to be the year that Australians get caught overseas with drugs.
Well...no. I take that back. It's the year that Schapelle Corby got caught, and the year that Van Tuong Nguyen was executed (for a past offense)
In 2006, Facebook was opened up to the general population. Would Lisa get it right away, or would it take her awhile? Would she use it frequently?
I'll say she got it a few months after it opened up to the public. And for awhile she was a bit obsessed. Maybe that's how she'd spend her day while Jessica was at school.
Steve Irwin died in 2006. I imagine the Merrick family liked him. They'd be sad.
A few months after his death, Belinda Emmett died of breast cancer. Lisa watched her on Home and Away, so she was probably sad. And maybe the breast cancer thing scared her. Perhaps she started worrying about her own health.
Last night, or this morning, I was reading through my old profile of Jessica. I had on there that her mother had dealt with breast cancer. This was written before I even knew Lisa's name.
I deleted the information. Wouldn't it be funny if facts about our past and future could be deleted by a writer?
So yeah. Instead of having breast cancer, Lisa worried about having breast cancer. Maybe she worried about cancer in general, not just in herself, but her husband and daughter as well.
I keep thinking about Jessica's age, but how old was Lisa herself in 2006?
Well, that's easy math. She'd be 40. Maybe she'd start getting mammograms.
Also in 2006, Greg Page made announcements about his illness. The Wiggles wouldn't play a big part in the Merrick life now. Jessica's way past that age. But since they had been big fans a few years back, I think they'd take interest in this news.
The Chaser's War on Everything came out that year. I think Lisa and Dale would watch it, probably when Jessica was in bed. By this time, I'm sure they had some type of digital TV recorder.
In 2007, Rudd became Prime Minister. Lisa was still busy on Facebook. I think she also started a blog, but maybe it didn't go far. I think what happened is she wrote a post about her brother dying. It's not something she often talked about. Posting it was too raw of an experience. And after that she kind of dropped the blog.
In 2008, we have Sorry Day. I think Lisa would have been touched by this. Maybe she'd have difficult conversations with her 12-year-old daughter. They watched Rabbit Proof Fence together. I think Jessica became somewhat obsessed and distressed about this aspect of history. And Lisa would do her best to help her through it.
In July the iPhone was first released in Australia.
Would Lisa be a big phone person?
I am so lost when it comes to mobile phone history. My own love affair with the whole smartphone thing just started recently. Now I'm a bit addicted. Before that, though, I had one, but rarely remembered to charge it.
I think I will make Lisa like me in this regard. She'll have a phone back in those days, but it wouldn't be a huge thing for her.
I just saw that Kate Ritchie left Home and Away in 2008. It reminded me that I want Jessica to become a fan of the show as well. Maybe I'll say she started watching it with her mother in 2005. She'd be ten then. I think that's around the age when kids start watching their parent's shows. Though Jack did watch McLeod's Daughters when he was six. For the most part, though, he didn't really start watching non-kid shows until he was...I don't know, actually. Maybe ten or eleven?
Well, I think Modern Family was one of the first shows. We started in the second season, which would be 2010. Jack would have just turned nine.
Maybe I'll say then that Jessica started watching Home and Away in 2004, when she was nine.
I went back to Lord Wiki's entry about 2008 and saw this was the year that Mark Priestly from All Saints died. Did Lisa watch that show? I think maybe she did. With Jessica or without? I'm not sure.
What else would they have watched together?
If Lisa watched Love My Way, I hope she watched it without Jessica. It's so traumatic. Not that life in itself isn't traumatic.
Did they watch McLeod's Daughters?
Oh and then there's American TV shows.
I'm overwhelmed here.
Well, I don't need to know every show they watch.
Maybe I'll just say Lisa liked Lost, Modern Family, All Saints Chaser's War on Everything, and Home and Away. I'll leave it at that for now.
In 2009 we have the bushfires. It happened in Lisa's state, so I think she'd definitely be thinking about it.
It was also the year where that baby's pram was hit by a train and she survived. I wonder how that mother and child are doing now.
Now I'm going to go back to the ARIA site.
In 2006, "I Don't Feel Like Dancing" was a popular song in Australia. I think Lisa would like it. We learned of the song from the Just Dance game, which brings up a whole other topic. Did the Merrick family play video games? And if yes, Playstation? Nintendo? X-Box?
Well, I'll answer that question...one day. Maybe.
In 2008, Gabrielle Cilmi's song was popular. I think both Lisa and Jessica liked it.
In 2009, Jessica was into Lady Gaga, so Lisa heard a lot of her songs as well. They'd like Katie Perry as well.
Well...that's it for now. I'm getting kind of burned out. But I also feel compelled to continue.
A part of me is saying wait and do it later this week. Another part of me is saying, get it done now.
I think I'll listen to the latter, but I'll probably hold off on doing the other Australian characters. Maybe I'll do Kevin (and perhaps others) in a few weeks.
Maybe I'll start with 2001, since it was kind of a big year in history.
I know John Howard was Prime Minister.
In September, Lisa's daughter Jessica would be close to five-and-a-half. I think she'd be starting kindergarten in February. In the meantime, she probably went to preschool.
I'm sitting here trying to find a good preschool for Jessica, but I probably don't need to go that much into detail. I'll just imagine she went to a decent one.
I do wonder, though, for primary school, whether she went to a government or private one.
Well, here's a school. Yarraville West Primary School. I think it's public. I'll imagine Jessica went there. It's about a ten minute walk from their house.
So, Jessica would have started school there in January/February of 2002.
I think the family's music life would still be dominated by The Wiggles and other children's music.
I'm trying to think...
When did Jack and his cousins start liking pop music?
You know one thing I've been neglecting in terms of music is the fact that we're not limited by the year. I mean it's not like because I'm now living in the year 2014, I'm only listening to 2014 music. People can have favorite songs from decades way in the past.
Lord Wiki is informing me that in 2001, a lot of stuff premiered on Aussie television—Weakest Link, Big Brother, The Secret Life of Us, etc.
I imagine Lisa might catch an episode here and there of things, but she wouldn't be watching anything religiously.
I'm reading Lord Wiki's entry on 2002, and there's no mention of the Bali bombing. Didn't that happen that year?
Yes...just asked and Lord Wiki confirmed. I suppose he doesn't mention it in his entry on Australia because it didn't happen in Australia. But it did happen to Australians. They were the main victims.
I'm sure Lisa would have watched that on the news.
It makes me think about Bali, not just as a terrorist site, but as a travel destination.
I've kind of neglected the whole travel thing for Lisa.
Have they ever been to Bali?
Maybe they were thinking of going, but after the bombing they changed their mind. Or at least postponed it for a few years.
How about...they went to the Gold Coast the months before Jessica started kindergarten. They loved the beaches and amusement parks. And maybe this trip partly inspired young Jessica's desire to one day visit Disney World.
I am still thinking about other traveling, though...
Where did Lisa go as a child? Where did she and Dale go on their honeymoon?
Should I try to answer these questions now, or come back to it later?
Or if something jumps out at me, during some point in my life, I'll jot it down in my notes.
I'm going to move forward to 2003. Jessica would be seven/eight that year. Maybe at this point, Lisa would have more time to listen to her own music.
I'm looking at ARIA charts for 2003.
I love the song "Black Betty" by Spiderbait, but I get the feeling Lisa did not. The song annoyed her.
She did like Missy Higgins' "Scar". Jessica did too. She'd sing it...without fully understanding the lyrics.
Jessica and Lisa also liked this song.
In 2003, Australia had a lot of people protesting against the war. I don't picture Lisa protesting. I don't imagine her being very political. But if asked, she'd probably say she was against it. She's never going to be a fan of war.
I feel like I'm totally neglecting stuff.
But I have to remember that I can go back later and fill in stuff about Lisa's life...the more personal things. These posts are more about the cultural aspects.
I think what I'm going to do now is just zoom through 2004-2009, first with Lord Wiki's history entries and then look at the ARIA charts.
Various important things happened in 2004, such as the child in Redfern dying while being chased by the police. But I don't think that would play a big part in Lisa's life. She'd probably read about it and feel sad, but that's about it.
2005 seems to be the year that Australians get caught overseas with drugs.
Well...no. I take that back. It's the year that Schapelle Corby got caught, and the year that Van Tuong Nguyen was executed (for a past offense)
In 2006, Facebook was opened up to the general population. Would Lisa get it right away, or would it take her awhile? Would she use it frequently?
I'll say she got it a few months after it opened up to the public. And for awhile she was a bit obsessed. Maybe that's how she'd spend her day while Jessica was at school.
Steve Irwin died in 2006. I imagine the Merrick family liked him. They'd be sad.
A few months after his death, Belinda Emmett died of breast cancer. Lisa watched her on Home and Away, so she was probably sad. And maybe the breast cancer thing scared her. Perhaps she started worrying about her own health.
Last night, or this morning, I was reading through my old profile of Jessica. I had on there that her mother had dealt with breast cancer. This was written before I even knew Lisa's name.
I deleted the information. Wouldn't it be funny if facts about our past and future could be deleted by a writer?
So yeah. Instead of having breast cancer, Lisa worried about having breast cancer. Maybe she worried about cancer in general, not just in herself, but her husband and daughter as well.
I keep thinking about Jessica's age, but how old was Lisa herself in 2006?
Well, that's easy math. She'd be 40. Maybe she'd start getting mammograms.
Also in 2006, Greg Page made announcements about his illness. The Wiggles wouldn't play a big part in the Merrick life now. Jessica's way past that age. But since they had been big fans a few years back, I think they'd take interest in this news.
The Chaser's War on Everything came out that year. I think Lisa and Dale would watch it, probably when Jessica was in bed. By this time, I'm sure they had some type of digital TV recorder.
In 2007, Rudd became Prime Minister. Lisa was still busy on Facebook. I think she also started a blog, but maybe it didn't go far. I think what happened is she wrote a post about her brother dying. It's not something she often talked about. Posting it was too raw of an experience. And after that she kind of dropped the blog.
In 2008, we have Sorry Day. I think Lisa would have been touched by this. Maybe she'd have difficult conversations with her 12-year-old daughter. They watched Rabbit Proof Fence together. I think Jessica became somewhat obsessed and distressed about this aspect of history. And Lisa would do her best to help her through it.
In July the iPhone was first released in Australia.
Would Lisa be a big phone person?
I am so lost when it comes to mobile phone history. My own love affair with the whole smartphone thing just started recently. Now I'm a bit addicted. Before that, though, I had one, but rarely remembered to charge it.
I think I will make Lisa like me in this regard. She'll have a phone back in those days, but it wouldn't be a huge thing for her.
I just saw that Kate Ritchie left Home and Away in 2008. It reminded me that I want Jessica to become a fan of the show as well. Maybe I'll say she started watching it with her mother in 2005. She'd be ten then. I think that's around the age when kids start watching their parent's shows. Though Jack did watch McLeod's Daughters when he was six. For the most part, though, he didn't really start watching non-kid shows until he was...I don't know, actually. Maybe ten or eleven?
Well, I think Modern Family was one of the first shows. We started in the second season, which would be 2010. Jack would have just turned nine.
Maybe I'll say then that Jessica started watching Home and Away in 2004, when she was nine.
I went back to Lord Wiki's entry about 2008 and saw this was the year that Mark Priestly from All Saints died. Did Lisa watch that show? I think maybe she did. With Jessica or without? I'm not sure.
What else would they have watched together?
If Lisa watched Love My Way, I hope she watched it without Jessica. It's so traumatic. Not that life in itself isn't traumatic.
Did they watch McLeod's Daughters?
Oh and then there's American TV shows.
I'm overwhelmed here.
Well, I don't need to know every show they watch.
Maybe I'll just say Lisa liked Lost, Modern Family, All Saints Chaser's War on Everything, and Home and Away. I'll leave it at that for now.
In 2009 we have the bushfires. It happened in Lisa's state, so I think she'd definitely be thinking about it.
It was also the year where that baby's pram was hit by a train and she survived. I wonder how that mother and child are doing now.
Now I'm going to go back to the ARIA site.
In 2006, "I Don't Feel Like Dancing" was a popular song in Australia. I think Lisa would like it. We learned of the song from the Just Dance game, which brings up a whole other topic. Did the Merrick family play video games? And if yes, Playstation? Nintendo? X-Box?
Well, I'll answer that question...one day. Maybe.
In 2008, Gabrielle Cilmi's song was popular. I think both Lisa and Jessica liked it.
In 2009, Jessica was into Lady Gaga, so Lisa heard a lot of her songs as well. They'd like Katie Perry as well.
Well...that's it for now. I'm getting kind of burned out. But I also feel compelled to continue.
A part of me is saying wait and do it later this week. Another part of me is saying, get it done now.
I think I'll listen to the latter, but I'll probably hold off on doing the other Australian characters. Maybe I'll do Kevin (and perhaps others) in a few weeks.
What would our world be like if we
knew for sure there
was life after death, and
we could easily talk to our
dearly-departed on the Internet?
The Dead are Online a novel by Dina Roberts
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