Misplaced Advice, TV Show Nostalgia, Bad Health, and Fruit-Picking

1. Saw, from Statcounter, that my blog is busier than usual today—mostly because of Shane Bourne.

Is he the one from City Homicide?

2. Googled.

Yes, Shane Bourne is from City Homicide.

I liked him on that show.

3. Started to watch an episode of Neighbours.

4. Glad to see Susan (Jackie Woodburne) learn that she's wrong about Brad (Kip Gamblin) and admit that she may have given Terese (Rebekah Elmaloglou) the wrong advice.

On a previous episode, Terese tried to talk to Susan about her marriage worries. Susan told Terese she has a wonderful husband and should have faith in him and her marriage. She actually called her friend paranoid. But it turns out, that Brad DOES have feelings for another woman.

Really. Don't tell someone not to worry and don't tell them they're paranoid, unless you have facts to support your beliefs.

5. Saw that now Susan is the one having doubts about her marriage.

Karma!

I can't deny a part of me feels some sort of satisfaction seeing that.

I'm wondering, though, if the advice she gave to Terese was really about Susan talking to herself—giving her own self the advice.

I've seen this happen in my own life. Someone is dismissive and makes me feel ridiculous for having a problem or wanting something. Then I later learn they have the same issues.

Another thing I've encountered is where someone tells me about something bothering them. I give them sympathy. Then I talk about a similar thing happening in my life, and they're very dismissive.

Fictional example:  A person complains in an email that they were stood up by a friend. I write some supportive stuff to show I've read and listened. Then I say that this once happened to me and talk about how it was upsetting. The email-pal writes back, Oh, she probably just had something important come up and forgot to call. I'd cut her some slack.  

So basically, it's not okay for it to happen to my email-pal, but it's okay if it happens to me.

6. Started watching an episode of Water Rats.

7. Thought I might have seen a Farscape actor in the credits for this episode. It's something like Lani Tupu.  Is he from Farscape?

8. Saw that Lani Tupu is NOT from Farscape.

Why does his name sound familar to me?

9. Saw that I'm not insane.

The actor on Farscape is named Lani John Tupu. He played Pilot and Captain Crais.

10. Wished that Lani John Tupu would be on this episode of Water Rats, instead of Lani unJohn Tupu. Now I'm feeling homesick for Farscape.

11. Saw that one of the actresses on Water Rats had a very untimely death.

Sophie Heathcote died when she was only thirty-three. She had skin cancer, pancreatic cancer, and died of an aneurysm .

I wonder if the aneurysm was caused by the cancer.

Was it a coincidence?

Bad health luck?

12. Wondered if the cancer could have spread to her brain, and maybe that caused an aneurysm.

This study says that pancreatic cancer doesn't often go to the brain, but I know skin cancer does.

12. Saw that skin cancer sometimes spreads to the pancreas.

I'm just trying to understand if Heathcote had three random things that went horribly wrong. Or were they all connected?

13. Saw on this website that tumors can increase the chance of aneurysms. Does metastatic brain cancer cause tumors?

14. Saw that metastatic brain cancer does cause tumors.

15. Hoped that, although Heathcote's life was short, that it was a mostly-happy and fulfilling one.  I hope she didn't have too much pain and sadness.

16. Tried to tell Tim about the kidney transplant story on Packed to the Rafters, but I started getting all emotional about it.

Do you ever have it where you can't tell a story properly, because it puts you on the verge of crying?

And then I had some more strong emotions, because I started missing the Rafters. I miss that show.

I think I'm having TV show homesickness today—first Farscape, and now Packed to the Rafters.

And the other day I started singing some song. I didn't know what it was and then I realized it was the Wonderland theme song.

Well, I didn't actually sing it, because I don't remember any of the words. I didn't hum or whistle, though. I guess I'd say I mumbled the song?

17. Started to listen to the Wonderland theme song.

I think it might be my favorite Australian TV show theme song.

18. Saw the Wonderland characters in the video and wanted to hug them.

19. Watched the Wonderland men sing the theme song.

I love it.

20. Started to watch another episode of Water Rats.

I don't love it yet.

But maybe someday I will.

21. Enjoyed reading about A Welsh's Girl in Australia's olive-picking adventure.

I don't think I've ever gone on a fruit picking excursion of any kind.

I'd like to one day.

I think there's something magical about taking fruit off of a vine, bush, tree, etc. I've done it a few times.  I think once or twice we picked grapes. Maybe when I was young?  The lake house has figs. I sometimes pick those.  Although this year, I didn't see any ripe ones. I don't know what's up with that.

22. Remembered finding grapes at the lake house, but I'm not sure if we determined if they were really grapes, and if we had enough faith to eat them.  And now I'm not sure where they were or if they're still there.



How would our world change if we knew for sure there was life after death, and it was easy for our dearly-departed to talk to us via the Internet?   

The Dead are Online, a novel by Dina Roberts