Live Action Zootopia, Being Ignored, Cold Shoulders, and Misjudging

1. Started to watch an episode of Water Rats.

2. Thought about Zootopia, because on Water Rats, a petite police officer has joined the show. I've only seen her for a few seconds, but her personality also reminds me of Judy Hopps.

3. Saw that the new character is played by an actress Raelee Hill. Then I got very confused, because I saw Hill was on Farscape. She has red hair, so I thought she played the red hair character I remembered. But I didn't remember that character being petite.

I can be very bad at judging height, though. For example, when I would look at David Tennant, I'd see a short guy. But he's not at all short.

Anyway, Hill doesn't appear until season four of Farscape.  I saw that and then couldn't remember which season of Farscape I'm on.  I had to look at episode descriptions to figure it out.

I finally figured out I'm on season three, and the red-headed character I was thinking of is Jool, played by Tammy MacIntosh.

4. Saw that Raelee Hill was in the short film "Breath, I watched recently—the one with Michael Dorman and Morgana Davies.

5. Thought that Taylor (Hill) is very cute.  She really does remind me of Judy Hopps.

Like Hopps, Hill is treated with derision. Well, actually, Jeff (Bensley) is quite friendly and welcoming. Helen (Toni Scanlan), on the other hand, is a total bitch.  First, she's just cold.  Then when Taylor makes the mistake of using her first name, Helen chides her on that.  I can SORT of understand that.  In some careers, ranking titles are important to some.  But then Helen says, And if you joined the water police because you thought it was glamorous... She says something under her breath that I don't understand. Then she says, you'll be assigned to the front counter until such time.

I don't know what Taylor did to deserve Helen's attitude. Helen, though, is not usually such a bitch.  Something's up with her.  It could be the fact that they recently lost an employee. In the previous episode,  Fiona (Sophie Heathcote) ditched the force because she misjudged a Munchausen by Proxy situation. She made one mistake and then wanted to quit. Maybe Helen now sees Fiona as weak, and she's worried that Taylor will be weak too.

6. Saw that pretty much everyone on the team is giving Taylor the cold shoulder.

7. Excited to find Anzac biscuits at World Market. We bought some, of course. We also got some Australian honeycomb and maybe one other Australian thing.

8. Saw Violet Crumble at Central Market. I think I've recently seen it other places as well.

9. Looked at the cool Sydney sticker Tim bought me for my laptop.  It was an early Mother's Day present.

10. Tried to remember if we bought a third Australian thing.

Maybe we didn't. I can't remember anything. But I'll check later.

11. Returned to the Water Rats episode.

12. Felt so bad for Taylor and angry at the water police for treating her that way.

Besides Helen, they're not being outright rude or mean. They're just acting disinterested.

She asks two of the guys to go to the pub with her, and they reject the offer. They're nice about it but give her very little of their time. They act like she's not worth it.

13. Wondered if a collective cold shoulder could count as workplace bullying or a hostile workplace.

It might not as bad as working at a place where people activity tease you or physically intimidate you, but I can imagine it being very lonely and soul-crushing.

14. Saw Rachel (Catherine McClement) make an effort to acknowledge Taylor's presence. It wasn't much, but at least it was something.

15. Looked up being ignored at work, and found a page about it on a bullying website. They say it does count as a type of bullying.

I haven't read it yet, but I'd say one way it would differ from other bullying is it could be done accidentally.

I don't think the water police are malicious.

16. Divided ignoring-situations into three levels.

A) Purposeful with intent to hurt. This would happen when people are angry at someone, or dislike them, and the ignoring actually has the purpose of sending a negative message.

B) Insensitive and/or rude. This is when people don't have anything against the victim. Yet they leave them out in an obvious way. I talked about this in a recent post. Three people are in proximity of each other. Person A explicitly invites Person B to do something, and they both leave Person C behind.

C) Accidental/bad luck.  An unfortunate person gets ignored by multiple decent people who just all happened to make the same mistake.

It could be what happened with the water police. Yes, Helen was a bitch.  But maybe the others are just kind of busy and preoccupied. Maybe they figure they'll give Taylor their attention later, and they think that, for now, someone else is giving her the attention she needs.

17. Imagined there have probably been times where someone tried to have a social moment with me. I might have been cordial but busy and distracted. I might have brushed them off, and went about my way.  If it was just me doing that, it's probably no big deal. They'll go talk to someone else. But what if several people on the same day to it to the same person?

18. Started to read the bullying website.

19. Felt bad, because I can think of times that I've done some of the things mentioned. This would include not just ignoring someone but being extra nice to other people that are around.

I didn't do it as part of a group. It was just me alone, and I didn't do it long term. It was probably and hour or two.

One of the times happened when I was a teenager, and it was deliberate revenge. I wanted to make the person feel bad, and they did.

The other happened recently, and I can't say it was deliberate revenge.  It was more like I was in a group setting, and there was the awkwardness of the fact that I was angry at one person and not the others.  I was cordial to this person and did speak to them when they spoke to me, but I was less friendly towards them than I was with the other people. I was cold.

Even though I feel justified about my anger, I don't feel my behavior was okay.

There has to be a better way. And that better way might be pure fakeness.

Giving someone the cold shoulder really is a type of manipulation.  There's the message there.  Hey. I'm mad at you.  Could you tell?  I hope you're noticing, because I'm really making an effort here to get my point across.  

20. Felt sometimes it's hard for me to tell the difference between when I'm truly actively angry at someone and therefore can't manage to be nice to them and when I'm purposely making an effort to act angry so I can "properly" punish them.

21. Decided it's almost always the latter. Because I can be quite nice to people I dislike.  I'm good at faking it.

22. Changed my mind. Maybe.

I don't know if I'm good at faking it, or if it's that I can like people while at the same time despising them.  I can think awful things about a person. In my mind, I put them on my bad list. Then I see them in a social setting and truly enjoy their company.

I have very mixed feelings about most people.

Maybe that's the same with everyone.

23. Decided I should stop blabbing and go back to reading.

24. Finished reading.

Though I think the ignoring I've done is manipulative and wrong, I don't think it's the same as what they're describing.  I think ignoring as bullying is when a leader gets a whole group to ignore a victim.

That being said, a bullying situation might start off with one individual. Then if the individual has power, he or she can get others to follow their lead.

I really don't have social power.

If I did, hopefully I wouldn't use it for evil.

25. Thought about something else.

Sometimes ignoring is not about rudeness, anger, an unintentional thing,  etc.

Sometimes it's shyness.

I've had times where certain people intimidated me. I want to talk to them but am too shy.  I'll talk to someone I feel comfortable with, in front of them.  But it's kind of my way of talking to the person that intimidates me.  Does that make any sense?  I don't do it a lot.  I can think of one instance in the last five years or so. But I probably did it more often back when I was a chronically shy person.

I'm thinking there are also times where someone has done it to me.  They ignore me and are much nicer to someone else around me.  But it might be more about shyness than disliking me or not caring about me.

So...yeah.  I think that's something we should keep in mind.

26. Started to watch another episode of Water Rats.

27. Saw that this episode was directed by Peter Andrikidis, the same guy who directed Killing Time.

28.  Started to see a pattern on Water Rats.

I don't remember if it also happened on the first season. But in this season, it seems like each episode has an officer that strongly believes in someone's innocence.  They get mad at their colleagues for seeing things differently.  Then at the end of the episode, the person who had the strong opinion realizes they're wrong.

29.  Wasn't sure if the first episode of the second season followed the pattern. I can't remember.

30. Glad to see Terry (Aaron Jeffrey) being nice to Taylor. He invites her to go diving with him, and then attend a party.

It seems he's trying to hit on her so he can eventually sleep with her.  Maybe that's not the best kind of friendliness, but I think it's probably better than being ignored.

31. Disappointed in Dave (Scott Burgess).  In this episode, he's the one who ends up being wrong.
During his misguided crusade, Dave attacks a security guard who very reluctantly shot someone. He's very cruel to someone who's already quite distraught over what he's done.  Dave learns he's wrong and never makes an attempt to apologize to the security guard.

32. Thought more about my bad behavior.

I think I understand it now.

What happens is, I start off anger and my cold shoulder is based on real feelings. I can't be nice, because I aint feeling nice. But then my anger fades, and I'm left torn between an impulse to be nice and a desire to hold on to my anger so I can continue to punish the person.

Eventually I end it, because whether or not the person feels punished or couldn't care less, I imagine I'm hurting them and that makes me feel bad.





200th Episode, Admiring Chutzpah, 2016 Summer Bay, and Defending Manipulative People

1. Started to watch episode the 200th episode of season #28 of Home and Away.

Right now, Hulu is saying that Home and Away will be expiring in two days. In a few hours, it will say one day.

I'm trying to decide if I should make this episode of Home and Away my last. I figure the show is going to disappear from Hulu sometime tomorrow.  I might start watching an episode, and then poof...it's gone.

2. Decided to make this my last episode. It seems nice to end with a nice rounded number like 200.

3. Saw that Ash (George Mason) and Phoebe (Isabella Giovinazzo) are an item in this episode.

A few days ago, when I watched the last episode of season #28, I couldn't tell if they were still together romantically.

4. Figured that Ash and Phoebe might have broken up because of Brax (Stephen Peacocke). Maybe Phoebe was angry when she learned that Ash was keeping the secret about Braxton still being alive. She did seem quite tense about it in the last episode.

5. Consulted Lord Wiki about Ash and Phoebe. It wasn't a Brax thing. It was a baby thing. Phoebe got pregnant, and didn't know if the child was Ash's or Kyle's (Nick Westaway). It ended up being Kyle's, and Ash ended the relationship.

The storyline seems VERY similar to the Daniel (Tim Phillips), Amber (Jenna Rosenow), and Josh (Harley Bonner) one on Neighbours.

6. Thought that Hannah (Cassie Howarth) is incredibly annoying.

A few months ago, she cheated on Andy (Tai Hara) and clung to Andy even though her feelings for him had faded. Now I'm seeing her in a very similar situation. But now it's Chris (Johnny Ruffo) worrying that she's going to cheat on Andy. Why? Because Andy kissed Hannah.

Hannah acts like Chris is being unreasonable. I think it IS reasonable to worry when your girlfriend spends a lot of time with her ex, and he kisses her. I'm not saying it's a definite game-ender, and I do appreciate that Hannah was honest with Chris about the kiss. But still. I don't blame him for worrying.

Hannah demands to know what reason Chris has for thinking Hannah would cheat on him. He replies that she's done it before. Hannah acts as if it's so unfair for him to say this. But why? Isn't it feasible that if she cheated once, she'll do it again? Really. Even if someone has never cheated before, there's a chance that it might happen.

7. Saw that Hannah ends the conversation by saying, So that's what you really think of me?  Then she walks away.

I think this is a great example of manipulative behavior. Chris has a reasonable worry and is upset. Hannah twists things around and makes herself the victim.

Yes, Chris probably does see Hannah as someone who might have a higher than average tendency to cheat on boyfriends. But that's not the full picture he has of her, obviously. If he did, why would he be with her in the first place?

The manipulative trick here is to take someone's complaint against you or a worry that they have. You blow it up into a huge attack on your whole character and make them feel bad about it.

8. Thought about the scene between Phoebe and the Greg (Paul Gleeson) the school administrator.

Phoebe wears controversial clothes to her job interview with Greg. Then she ends up insulting Greg's tie and going on a feminist rant.  She later regrets her actions and assumes she didn't get the job.

Later Greg comes to her and gives her the job. He decided he likes how she stood up to him.

I've seen scenes like this before and usually enjoy them. I wonder, though, how often it happens in real life.

Also, I'm wondering if behavior like Greg's is the opposite of narcissism. With narcissism, a person can't handle criticism. So, what is it that makes a person not only able to handle criticism, but they actually gain respect for the person that's criticizing them?

Well, I don't know what it is, but I think it's very admirable.

It doesn't have to be just criticism.  It can be about disagreement as well.  I've encountered people who can't handle disagreement. They attack and/or ostracize those who have an opinion or idea that differs from their own.  I'm happy enough to encounter people who can handle disagreement graciously. I'd be very impressed by someone who actually admires those who disagree or criticize.

9. Wondered if I've ever gained admiration from someone for disagreeing or criticizing me.

I can't think of any specific examples, so probably not.

10. Finished watching my last Hulu episode of Home and Away.

11. Went to the Back to the Bay site to get an idea of what's happening recently on Home and Away.  Who has ended up with who?

12. Saw that there's something going on between Ash and Kat (Pia Miller).

That sounds interesting. I'm thinking, though, that I might like Ash with anyone. I think he's my third favorite person on the show.

13. Realized I'm reading upcoming stuff. It hasn't been aired yet.

I'll go back and see what has already happened.

14. Saw that Chris and Hannah are still together. Kat has a thing for some guy named Dylan. I guess that doesn't work out, and she later has the thing for Ash.

Ricky (Bonnie Sveen) has doubts about her wedding. Is that the one with Nate (Kyle Pryor), or did she get back with Brax?

VJ (Matt Little) has a crush on Billie (Tessa de Josselin). I think I already knew that, mostly because a picture of the two of them was used to promote Home and Away in the distributors catalogue.

15. Saw that Ricky's wedding, or not-wedding, is with Nate and not Brax.

16. Went to Random.org to pick my new show or movie.

It's a movie called All About E.  I'll probably start watching that on Sunday.

17. Saw from IMDb, that All About E is a lesbian romance.

18. Didn't recognize anyone in the cast list. I think everyone is new to me.

19. Looked at the filmography of the director, Louise Wadley.  It's interesting. She made some short films in the 90's.  Then there's a sixteen year gap before All About E.  I wonder what she was doing during those years.

20. Saw that she did DO some producing.

She produced six short films during the gap.

I wonder, though, why she left the creative side, of filmmaking, for awhile.

21. Started to watch an episode of Water Rats.

22. Saw from the credits, that Felix Williamson is in this episode.

I know him from Underbelly, and maybe something else.

Was it Farscape?

23. Checked IMDb.

Yes. Williamson was on Farscape.

24. Saw that I would have also watched Williamson on the second season of Rake.

25. Saw that Williamson is going to be in an upcoming horror movie called Red Billabong.

Tim Pocock from Dance Academy is one of the stars.

26. Finished watching the episode of Water Rats.

27. Started to think more about the Home and Away episode I watched today.

Something annoyed me.

Andy, despite being manipulated by Hannah in the past, took Hannah's side in the drama she was having with Chris.  He offered her comfort and then gave Chris a talking to—encouraged him to get his act together and get back with Hannah.

Chris ended up apologizing to Hannah as if he was the one in the wrong.

Now I don't think Hannah did anything wrong in terms of cheating. Andy kissed her. She didn't return the kiss, and she was honest with Chris. Kudos to her for that. What I didn't like was her attitude toward's Chris's insecurity and her manipulative behavior.

Anyway, it made me think about dealing with manipulative people. It can be very emotionally confusing.  Someone says something to you and you FEEL it is manipulative but you're not 100% sure. Are they using dishonesty or exaggeration as a fighting strategy, or are they actually being honest and real?

It's hard to know.

What can make things even worse is, I think there are manipulator enablers. They push you to give the manipulator the benefit of the doubt.  You've seen the dark side of the person, but they're still believing in the fairy tale. So they try to push you to believe too.  If you try to talk to them about your grievances, they're dismissive; they push you to be sympathetic; and/or they push the blame on you.

28. Decided that it doesn't have to be the actual manipulativeness the enabler is defending.  On Home and Away, Chris doesn't complain about Hannah being manipulative, and Andy doesn't defend Hannah's manipulativeness. I don't even think either of them recognized that she was being manipulative.

I think what the enabler usually defends is the initial behavior that brought about the manipulative behavior.

Here's a fictional example: Shelly is fed up with her husband Michael. He's often eyeing other women, and flirting with them. One night, Shelly and Michael go out to dinner with Shelly's old high school friend.  Michael takes the flirting too far, and Shelly can't take it anymore.  She's quiet and moody when they get home.

Michael asks her what's wrong, and Shelly is honest with him.  Michael blows up at her.  He says things like,  What? Would you rather me be rude to your friends? Should I have just kept my mouth shut the whole time?  I guess I just won't go out with you and your friends anymore since you obviously think I can't be trusted. Maybe I shouldn't ever talk to another women. Maybe I shouldn't even leave the house? Would that make you happy?  I'll just be your little prisoner.  

So, there's Michael's role in the battle.  Shelly might stand her ground, but inside she's starting to doubt herself.  Is she one of those crazy, possessive people she's heard about?  Was the flirting all in her head? Is she a horrible wife? Is she a rabbit boiler?  

Shelly then decides to talk to someone—vent a bit.  She calls her mother and tells her what happened. Her mother replies. Oh honey! Michael loves you! He would never cheat on you.  He's such a nice guy. You're lucky to have him. Please try to remember that.

A week later, Shelly goes out to lunch with her brother. She tries to tell him the story. He comes back with some advice.  He says, I think you should ignore this alleged "flirting" (he uses air quotes to emphasize his lack of belief in Shelly's side of the story) and to be more positive about things. Otherwise you might lose him. 

Shelly tries to get one more person to understand. She tells a friend.  The friend says,  Well, maybe he's a little bored. It happens sometimes. Maybe you should spice things up a bit.  It might be a good idea to get a haircut?  Or maybe just talk to him. Be honest about your feelings. Relationships don't work unless both people are completely honest.  Shelly tells her friend she was honest with Michael. He jumped down her throat.  Oh. no. That doesn't sound like Michael.  Do you think maybe he's depressed? Or he could actually have a brain tumor. I read this story, and....

29. Thought about how there are stories in which the Shelly IS the one in the wrong, and it's good that the Michael has someone to defend him.    

30. Thought that the best thing to do is listen and TRY to give the venting person the benefit of the doubt.  Even if the person he's complaining about seems like a charming angel to us, remember we might not be seeing the whole picture.

On the other hand, I think it's very wise NOT to be too enthusiastic in joining a bandwagon of hate.  If someone decides they despise their roommate, we don't have to passionately hate the roommate too.  We don't have to send the roommate death threats, slash her tires, or spread rumors about her on the Internet. Because we're hearing only one side of the story, and it might be a very untrue side.

31. Decided what I'm generally saying is that we should be open-minded when hearing about other people's relationships.  We shouldn't put too much trust in our own impressions, and we also shouldn't put too much trust in what we're told.

Otherwise we could end up denying support to someone being manipulated (or hurt in others ways). Or we could end up giving support to someone who is manipulative.

32. Started to proofread my post and realized I might have been wrong about Ash and Phoebe.  The pregnancy thing might have happened in 2016.  In the 2015 episode I saw, the tension might have come from the Brax issue.

I'm not sure, really.

33. Decided it doesn't matter.  Summer Bay and I have parted ways.

Au Revoir.








Medical Miracles, Bonds Leading to Betrayal, Moms, and Claire van deer Boom

1. Started to watch the 210th episode of season #28 of Home and Away.

This week I've been watching the show backwards, counting by tens. Why? Because Hulu is losing Home and Away. This is my weird way of having fun with my last days in Summer Bay.  

2. Saw, from the recap at the beginning of the show, that Josh (Jackson Gallagher) has some kind of medical condition.  

3. Saw that Josh is blind, and he also has a speech problem.

Has Summer Bay had another head injury? Or maybe Josh had a stroke?

4. Read an article about Josh.

He was beat up by Evie's (Philippa Northeast) ex-boyfriend, and at one point, was almost taken off life support.

I think it's a bit ridiculous.

They had the same storyline with Leah (Ada Nicodemou) only a few months before. I understand that soap operas repeat storylines, but do they have to do the same one within the same year?

With some storylines, it would be less absurd. For example, it's fine to have multiple break-ups, affairs, babies, etc. But in a small knit community, it seems a bit extreme that two people both get severely injured, both are almost taken off of life support, and both end up surprising everyone by surviving.

5. Saw that Jett (Will McDonald) is back in town.

I'm guessing it was a cameo appearance type thing and not permanent.

6. Checked IMDb. It looks like McDonald returned to the show sporadically throughout 2015 but hasn't returned for 2016.

7. Wondered why Evie is keeping her distance from Josh. It doesn't seem like she wants to; more like they feel it's for the best.

The residents of Summer Bay have a strange way of treating their sick and injured. Oscar (Jake Speer) broke up with Maddie when she had cancer, even though he supposidly loved her. Evie's keeping away from her hospitalized, blind boyfriend.

I don't get it.

8. Learned that Josh doesn't want Evie around.  So, I guess that's why she's keeping her distance.

I can understand that.

9. Wondered about Skye (Mario Kelly), the girl that Jett brought to his house.Though Jett leaves the show, Skye is around for 2016.

Maybe she becomes yet another foster child. 

10. Learned from a conversation between Evie and Andy (Tai Hara), that Evie feels responsible for what happened. I guess because it was her ex-boyfriend?

11.  Wondered if Josh asked Evie to stay away because of some macho I-don't-want-you-to-have-a damaged boyfriend idea. Or is he asking Evie to stay away, because he too blames her for what happened to him.

12. Finished watching the episode.

13. Got an idea about how Evie and Andy end up falling for each other.

They're bonding over the mutual goal of helping Josh.

I can totally imagine and understand things like that happening. It could happen with an illness...or even after death. A brother comforts his brother's wife, and a year later they're getting married.

It could happen with non-medical things as well.  How about a woman helping her brother-in-law plan a surprise party for her sister? They start off doing something nice for the wife/sister, and the next thing they know, they're betraying her.

13. Wondered how often things like that happen in real life.

14. Thought it could also happen with friends and cousins instead of siblings.

15. Started watching an episode of Water Rats.

16. Bewildered by a sample from an Australian novel I started reading (Jilted by Rachel Johns).

A character uses the term "mom" instead of "mum". I've heard and seen Australians using American terms, but I don't think I've ever encountered that particular one.

The book also uses American spelling, which is unfortunately not terribly unusual with Australian books.

At first I wondered if the author was an American who hadn't done a proper amount of research. But there are enough Australianisms to make me think the author IS Australian, or has done a good amount of research. For example: there's reference to someone being in hospital rather than in the hospital;  and TV Weekly and Women's Weekly are mentioned.

17. Remembered that the first word that threw me off wasn't "Mom". It was "breakfast". But I can imagine that sometimes Australians say breakfast instead of brekkie. Maybe I've encountered it before.

18. Looked at Rachael John's bio.

She is Australian, or at least she lives there.

She herself uses the term "mum" in her biography.

19. Wondered if maybe the character in the book is American. Maybe that hasn't been revealed yet, or maybe I wasn't paying well enough attention.

20. Learned that Rachael Johns started writing when she was a teenager. She broke up with her boyfriend and used writing as her therapy.

I did some therapeutic fiction writing when I was a teen...and I've done it as an adult as well.

21. Learned that Johns likes pink.

I do too.

22. Learned that Johns likes Raffaellos. I never heard of those, so I looked it up.  It's a coconut-almond candy made by the Ferrero company.

23. Learned that Johns likes Diet Coke and trolls.

24. Went back to watching Water Rats.

25. Was playing around on IMDb while watching Water Rats and learned that Claire van der Boom is going to be in a movie called Dear Eleanor.

26. Looked around more on IMDb, and saw that Paul Mercurio, a guest star in this episode of Water Rats, was the star of Strictly Ballroom.

27.  Finished watching the episode. It was good.

There was a scene that got me thinking about stuff.

In the scene, Detective Goldie (Catherine McClements) goes a bit nuts with a criminal and talks about how she'd like to blow his brains out. This is because she's mentally disturbed from stuff that happened to her in the first season.

Two of her colleagues, Frank (Colin Friels) and Terry (Aaron Jeffrey) witness the inappropriate behavior and agree together to keep it a secret.

I think it's nice that the guys want to protect their colleague. I think they're understanding of Goldie's emotional issues, and also, it's not like she abused an innocent and/or good man. He had recently strangled a woman and had a knife up against Terry's neck.

The scene did make me a little uncomfortable, though, because I think police officers sometimes stick up for each other when it's NOT appropriate. For example, there's the recent movie I watched, Felony.  The police act as enablers for a fellow officer who drinks and drives and injures a young pedestrian while driving. Yes, it's a movie. But from what I read, it was loosely based on a true story.

Plus, there are all those stories about black men in Australia and the US who get killed by police.I imagine there are cover-ups there.

 28. Thought about the Dumbeldore quote. There are all kinds of courage. It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.

And it also takes a lot of courage to come forward and speak out against a friend.

29. Decided to watch the trailer for Dear Eleanor. I'm not sure if Claire van deer Boom will be in it.  I'm also not sure if I'd even recognize her if I saw her. I might have forgotten what she looks like.

30. Finished watching the trailer.  I don't think I saw Claire van deer Boom, but I might be wrong.

I did see that she probably doesn't have a huge role in the movie. The trailer lists seven main stars of the film, and she's not included.

31. Saw a photo of Claire van der Boom and am thinking maybe I DID see her in the trailer.

I'm used to her having blond hair, and in the photo, she has brown hair like a woman I saw in the trailer.

Anyway...it's the woman at 1:08 and 1:11 that I think might be van der Boom, but I might be totally wrong.

32. Looked on IMDb, and saw that I'm probably wrong.

The woman at 1:08 and 1:11 seems to be someone that the young teens meet during their adventurous road trip.

From IMDb, I can see that van der Boom plays the mother of one of the teens.

Oh well.

33. Saw that Claire van der Boom IS one of the stars of another upcoming movie. It's called Battlecreek. The movie is similar to The Others (which also starred an Australian actress!) in that it features the medical condition where one has to avoid sunlight.

34. Started watching the trailer for Battlecreek.

35. Finished watching the trailer.

It looks pretty good.

From what I saw on IMDb, and in the trailer, it looks like the movie villainizes the mother for being overprotective. But I think it would be hard not to be overprotective if your child's going to get a horrible rash every time they're out in the sun.

I'm just basing my opinion, on the trailer, though. She didn't seem so bad there. The movie might show her going way too far in the overprotectiveness.  




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 

Xenia Goodwin, Cleaver Greene, Safety Video, and episode 220.

1. Dreamed that, I look in the mirror while wearing a fake nose. I decide that I look like Xenia Goodwin. 

I was thinking that dream seemed totally random, but then I remembered that yesterday I mentioned Dance Academy.  

2. Thought of the TV show Rake.

I went on Flickr and saw Tim had left a comment on one of my photos.  He said our cat looks young in a photo. I wrote back, You're right! He does!

I realized what I said was ridiculous. What does that mean, he's right? Tim's not right or wrong. He shared an opinion, and I agreed with him.   

That's why I thought about Rake. There's a s scene where Cleaver Greene (Richard Roxburgh) bitches out a woman because when she listens to someone, she  says something like "right" or "yes", as if she's giving her approval.  

3. Found the scene on YouTube.

The woman uses the word "correct". 

4. Deleted my comment to Tim after hearing Cleaver Greene's rant. He totally shamed me.

5. Remembered that the past few years it's been a verbal fad to say, I know! Right?

That's different, though. That's more like we're saying, I agree! Do you agree with me agreeing? Aren't we like totally together on this?  

My response to Tim wasn't like that. It was egotistical and snobby.  As Cleaver Greene says, Oh well. It's sort of like a school teacher talking to a ten year-old.  You know? You're not actually agreeing. You're approving. It's as if the statement isn't valid until you deem it so.  

6. Hoped that I don't often act like the woman on the show.

7. Watched a beautiful, amazing, and brilliant Qantas safety video, that was featured in an article I read on my phone.

Each piece of safety guidance is given by a different Australian in a different location 

It's not just a safety video but a tourist promotion video as well.  

The video has some interesting visual euphemisms. For example, the crash position is demonstrated with a yoga class getting into position on their yoga balls.  

For the message about leaving belongings behind, in the event of an emergency, a woman is shown leaving her bag behind as she happily slides down a nature-created water slide.

8. Wanted to link to the article, but couldn't find it on my laptop. Maybe it's only available on mobile devices??

9. Tried again, and found the article.

Well, it seemed doubtful that there are articles written that are available on phones but not on laptops.

10.  Saw that I was likely wrong, the other day, when I said that the rhinos coming to live in Australia wouldn't take an airplane.

I just saw an article which talks about lions being airlifted from Latin America back to Africa.

If a plane can take lions, I'm sure one could also take rhinos.

Rhinos are heavy, but it's not like they have to take all of them at the same time.

11. Started to watch the 220th episode of season 28 of Home and Away.

Yesterday I watched the 230th episode.  The reason is I learned that Hulu is losing Home and Away. I lost the motivation to continue watching in a normal manner, since I have little time left. I decided to, instead, do something fun and weird.

I guess it's just a way for me to see more of the season before saying good-bye.

12. Saw that this is around the time that Maddie (Kassandra Clementi) and Oscar (Jake Speer) broke up.

In the episode I watched yesterday, they were over. Maddie was moving on with Matt (Alec Snow)

13. Saw Nate (Kyle Prior) text Ricky (Bonnie Sveen) asking if she's up. She texts back.Duh, single mum.  Come over.

Yes, because mothers with a partner get to sleep in until 9:00 each morning.

I do imagine that being a single parent is often more challenging than being a parent with a partner. But I think some single parents idealize the life of the parent who is not single.

The thing is, though we might not be full-time single, we do experience part-time singleness—some of us more than others. Our partners travel out of town. Sometimes they work out of town. When they're in town, they might work late. They might go out with friends. When they are at home, they might be too tired and distracted to help a lot.

I think with most parenting partners, it's not going to be a 50/50 partnership. One parent is often going to spend more time with the child and do more childcare work.

14. Thought that Raechelle Banno, on the show, has a slight resemblance to Diana Glenn.

15. Felt the two people I will miss most from Home and Away are Maddie and Matt.

16. Saw that Oscar is missing. It all looks a bit ominous. He's gone but his wallet and clothes are on the beach.

BUT I know he'll be found safe and alive, because he was in the future episode I watched yesterday.

17. Finished watching the episode, and am wondering what happened to Oscar.

Tomorrow I plan to watch the 210th episode.

18. Consulted Lord Wiki about what happens to Oscar.

He was swept off to sea, and then found by Billie. She helps him. I think that's one of the ways she redeems herself in the eyes of summer bay.  I don't think the fire-rescue-hero thing worked, because people thought she had started the fire.

19. Decided to check up on Xenia Goodwin, since I dreamed about her last night. I mean to do it this morning, but got sidetracked by a zillion different things.

20. Looked at Goodwin's filmography on IMDb.

I don't think there's anything really new there.

She was on an episode of a TV show called Winter last February.  That's about it.

I was hoping to see something about The Dance Academy movie. Are there still plans for that?

21. Googled and saw that most of the news, about the movie, is from last year. I'm not sure if there's been any recent new developments.

22. Looked at the Dance Academy Twitter page. There's a Tweet from April 25 that says shooting's beginning in five weeks.

So...that's good news.

I wonder how many people from the TV show cast will be in the movie.

23. Went to Xenia Goodwin's Instagram.

I should have just gone there first. Her most recent post is of the Dance Academy film screenplay.

24. Liked Goodwin's photo of her cat and dog. They're very cute.

25. Saw that Goodwin taught a school holiday dance workshop for children.

She posted photos of herself with the kids and wrote a nice message. It's very sweet.

26. Looked at the brochure for the workshop. It looks quite prestigious. If having a Dance Academy star as your teacher isn't exciting enough, another one of the other teachers is a choreographer for Bindi Irwin.

27. Thought that the school sounds very nice. Well, there's the fact that Goodwin wrote the nice message on her Instagram.  But also, with the dress code, they say, The dress code is not strict. Please wear casual dance wear, something that you already have and feel comfortable in eg. Lycra dance tights and top, leotard tights with skirt or shorts over the top, track pants and t-shirt/singlet top.  They do request that you bring the appropriate dance shoes, but that's quite understandable.

28. Saw that Goodwin taught the eight and nine-year-olds.

I wonder if it was her first time teaching.

29. Noticed that the Instagram post is from eighty-two weeks ago. Wow. And here I was thinking the dance class was fairly recent.

30. Saw that that brochure is for June/June 2015. So I guess they had the class the next year.

I wonder if there will be a 2016 session.

31. Watched the recap of season one of Water Rats. I forgot about all the exciting stuff that happened.

32. Thought about how I saw Colin Friels recently in Killing Time. He was a criminal on that show, and on Water Rats, he's a cop. But I think the personality of both characters are kind of similar.

33. Started watching the first episode of season two of Water Rats.

34. Saw, on IMDb, that Marshall Napier is in this episode.

I like him.

35. Saw Aaron Jeffrey.

I totally forgot he was on the show.

Napier and Jeffrey played father and son on McLeod's Daughters.

36. Learned that the third season of the American TV show The Leftovers is going to take place in Australia.

Learning that made be slightly regret that I stopped watching it.

Well, actually.  I barely started. I think we watched only the first episode or two.

37. Wondered if The Leftovers will have many Australian actors.

38. Remembered that Lost, Damon Lindelof's other show, also had a strong Australian connection.  

39. Thought it was sweet that the police officers, on Water Rats, allow the escaped prisoner (John Walton) to watch his daughter at her gymnastics class.  He escaped custody just to go see her.

I also think it was sweet that this prisoner took such a huge risk just so he can see his daughter. He doesn't insist on talking to her or getting up close to her.  He just wants the chance to watch her.

And he gets all emotional while watching her. That's kind of lovely.

40. Wondered about the song playing at the end of the show.

It kind of reminds me of a Rebecca Lavelle kind of thing. I wonder if its her. Or do I just have McLeod's Daughters on my mind because of Napier and Jeffries?

41. Thought that Water Rats is really into using extreme close-ups.

42. Finished watching the episode; then watched the credits to see if they'd give the name of the song in the episode.

They didn't.

They give all this other information.

Apparently it's more important for me to know who provided the food for the actors and crew and who assisted the person providing the food.  But it's not important for me to know who wrote and sang the song on the TV show.

I think there should be a law requiring TV shows to list the songs they use. Why do we have to depend on fan-based websites and message boards to get that kind of information?

43. Thankful to the Australian Television website. They have a list of songs on the show, and the song I heard is included.

The song is called "Goldie's Theme", and it wasn't sung by Lavelle. The singer is Cathi Ogden.






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 







Endangered Enemies, Five More Days, Four More Days, and Episode 230

1. Had brief dreams about Australia.

One involved Matt from Home and Away. A gun is found in his bag, or in someone else's bag. Someone lies to make excuses for the gun-holder. Then later I see Matt with his bags packed. He's sneaking out of town.

In another, I see a sign for some kind of exhibit or event involving backyards. I sneak a peak at the backyards and see a table with board games. It looks like a sale, and I'm pleased, because there might be Australian things to buy. 

I'm not sure why I guessed there'd be Australian things. I guess maybe we were in Australia. Though I don't remember any hints that we were in Australia before that.

2. Started watching an episode of Home and Away.  

3. Saw that Matt and Oscar can't get out of their burning house, because the window is locked, and it needs a key for it to be opened.

What the hell?

I've never heard of that.

Why would you have windows that locked like that?

4. Realized I'm being stupid.

Windows might be locked as a child safety feature. I guess it's to prevent a child from opening the window and jumping out.  

Still. I never heard of locks. It seems you'd have windows that open or don't open. Or at least that's what we have in our house.  

5. Googled locked windows with keys and ended up with a bunch of websites about computers.  

6. Wondered what's the deal with Billie (Tessa de Josselin) playing hero at the fire. Is it like Karl on Coronation Street. Karl started the fire; then when it got more dangerous than he expected, he rescued people.

Or maybe Billie didn't start the fire and is playing hero because she feels it's worth risking her life to change her reputation in town.  

7. Wondered if it's possible that Billie risked her life simply because she cares and wants to help people.

I have a hard time believing that.

Leah (Ada Nicodemou), Evie (Philippa Northeast), Maddie (Kassandra Clementi), and VJ (Matthew Little) are all caring people, and they specifically care about the people in the burning house. Yet they didn't run in.  

I think Billie's actions is an illustration of the idea that not all acts of courage and fearlessness come from noble and decent people.  

8. Thought that it's very annoying when you're hating on someone, and then they do something like get cancer, have a heart attack, or dangerously play hero in a fire.

Then there's all that pressure to forgive them...or at least pretend you forgive them.  

9. Had to admit that there have been times that I've felt hated, or at least unloved, and I've had dark fantasies of something bad happening to me. The idea being that my haters would feel regret and guilt.

But really. What's the point?  

Well, I guess sometimes there's a point. Maybe sometimes there IS love and appreciation, but it's forgotten or buried. Then something bad happens to someone, and we remember.  

Still, it seems better to be loved and appreciated WITHOUT having something bad happen to us.And it seems better to love and appreciate others before they're sick, dead, or injured....IF we're not angry at or hateful towards the person.

I also think we don't need to force ourselves to love and forgive someone simply because they're showing off their mortality. To keep the peace, it might be wise to fake it a bit. But I don't think we need to feel guilty for what we're truly feeling inside.  

10. Saw Evie worried that she's to blame for the fire—that maybe she left something on.

I can picture myself feeling that way.

11. Wondered if Billie running into the burning house could count as a suicide attempt.

Maybe while some people kill others on their way out; other people save others.That way they either survive and live the rest of their life labeled as a hero; or they die as a hero.  

12. Wondered how many people, that die with the hero label, put their lives on the line simply because they really didn't have much interest in living anymore.  

13. Saw that Home and Away is leaving Hulu in five days.

When that happened with Neighbours, I was upset. I can't say I feel the same about Home and Away.

I do like the show in some ways, but mainly I feel kind of excited that I get to use Random.org to pick something new to watch.  

Also, I already knew that Hulu wasn't receiving new episodes of the show. They only have 2015, and not 2016. So I was prepared for the fact that I'd have to say good-bye to the show eventually.  

14. Hoped that Hulu will get new Australian programming to replace that what they've lost or are losing.

I guess what I do worry about is Hulu reducing Australia programming in general.

And I also worry that one day they're going to get rid of Coronation Street. I was sad about Neighbours. With Coronation Street, I think I'd be devastated.   

15. Started to look through Hulu to see if any other shows are expiring.

Tangle is also expiring in five days.

I'm guessing Hulu ended some contract with the company that distributes both Home and Away and Tangle.

16. Saw that The Secret Life of Us is expiring.

This is so sad.

Though I'm not that sad personally YET, because I've finished both of those series.

I dread finding the expiring series that I haven't finished yet.

17. Saw that Dance Academy is still safe for now.

That's a relief.

I've already seen it, but it's such a good show. It should be available to as many people as possible.

18. Saw that the distribution company for Home and Away...at least when it comes to Hulu is Endemol Shine. And many of their shows are NOT expiring. So the contract didn't end completely.  I guess it's just been reduced?

19. Disappointed to see that Puberty Blues is expiring. That's one I didn't finish watching. I saw only season one and the first episode of season two.

20. Saw that the Australian media-bio miniseries are expiring.

That's not a loss for me personally, because I've already seen all the ones they had.

Still. I was hoping Hulu was planning to add more miniseries. Instead they're losing them.  So, that's kind of a bummer.  

21. Saw that, except for Puberty Blues, all the shows I've begun and not finished are sticking around—City Homicide, Water Rats, Packed to the Rafters, and McLeod's Daughters.

It's like the universe is smiling down at me.  

I hope it keeps up this particular kindness.  I don't want to gloat and then hear next month that all those shows are going away.

22. Went to the website of Endemol Shine International.

They have eighty offices around the world. 

I'm guessing they're a British company. On Hulu, they have both British and Australian shows. I think it's mostly the Australian shows that are leaving, though.  

23. Downloaded Endemol Shine's catalogue.

I think these are the shows that are up for grabs for companies like Netflix and Hulu.

It's kind of making me wish I had my own company. Then I could buy all these shows.

24. Saw that they Endemol Shine has all kinds of Australian goodies available.

25. Saw Home and Away in the catalogue, and if I'm not mistaken, one of the characters they're using to advertise the show is Billie!  I guess she survives the fire.  

I think the guy next to her is VJ, so maybe they end up getting together.

27. Consulted Lord Wiki's cousin about Billie to get spoilers about the show.

I figure I might as well, since I soon won't be watching it anymore.  

So, anyway....

Billie is blamed for starting the fire, but she really didn't. She was framed by Zac's (Charlie Clausen) long lost son.  

28. Felt a lack of incentive to watch the next episode of Home and Away. What's the point?  

Well, I'm sure there is a point. But for me, it feels pointless.

So I have a crazy idea.

I'm going to watch the last episodes available. But since I'm too lazy to calculate how many episodes I have left, with the five remaining days, I'll watch them backwards.  

No, I'm not going to watch the actual episode backwards. I don't think that's even possible on Hulu.  But I'll start with the last episode, and them watch the previous one after that.

29. Looked at the description for episode 230.

Nate (Kyle Pryor) and Ricky (Bonnie Sveen) get engaged. What the hell?! I was NOT expecting 
that.

30. Saw that Hulu now says Home and Away is expiring in four days. When does Hulu end their days?  I guess it's sometime between 10:00 and 2:00 central American time?  It was only about two or three hours or two ago that I saw the five day message.

31. Started watching episode 230.

32. Saw that Kyle (Nick Westaway) and Phoebe (Isabella Giovinazzo) are friends again. They had a friendly conversation.  

They could even be back together romantically, but I'm doubting it.  

33. Saw from a glance at the episode description, on IMDb, that Maddie is with Matt (Alec Snow).  Awesome! I like them together.

34. Learned that Chris (Johnny Ruffo) and Hannah (Cassie Howarth) are together...or were together. They've broken up.  

Actually, I saw that in the little preview at the beginning of the episode, but it didn't register in my head.  Maybe I was in shocked disbelief.

It kind of seems a bit nuts. Hannah had complained that Andy (Tai Hara) was too full on. I don't think he is, but Chris is VERY much full on.  

I like Chris, but he's the kind of person I'd need in very small doses at a time.  

35. Thought I would mention that I've changed my mind about how I'm going to watch the episodes.

Watching the episode prior to this one doesn't excite me, because I've seen the important parts in the preview.  Instead what I'm going to do is keep jumping back ten episodes. That way it will be more interesting and exciting.  

36. Thought maybe I was wrong about Maddie and Matt. They're eyeing each other but not standing together.

Maybe they're in a fight?

37. Wondered why Nate and Kat (Pia Miller) broke up.

38. Saw Maddie and Matt kissing.

I think they were either in a fight or in that beginning stage where each person is too scared to take the first step.

39. Glad to see that most of Summer Bay, or ALL of Summer Bay, hates Charlotte (Erika Heynatz)

40. Saw that Phoebe knows the secret about Brax (Stephen Peacocke) being alive.

I got the idea earlier that other people know as well, but this is the first time I've seen someone mention it directly.

41. Wondered if everyone except Ricky knows that the father of her child is still alive.

Maybe the whole town is keeping it a secret from her.

42. Saw Andy kissing Evie.

That shocked me a bit.

43. Realized that Andy is the brother of Evie's boyfriend Josh (Jackson Gallagher). Yikes.

Does Josh know that Andy and Evie have these feelings for each other? Are Josh and Evie still officially together?  

Maybe they broke up.

44. Wondered if any of the couples from July 2015 were still together in December 2015.

Then I remembered Zac and Leah (Ada Nicodemou). This episode has their wedding.  I think everyone else has shuffled to a new partner. It's like a mad Australian-soap opera version of square-dancing.

45. Saw that there's a new actress on the show.  

46. Looked at the episode on IMDb.  

The actress is Raechelle Banno. She plays Olivia Richards, and continues on the show into 2016.

47. Understood from spoilers I've read, and obvious foreshadowing, that they're leading up to Charlotte's murder.

I think I saw in recent news that Charlotte's murder is finally going to be revealed.

I'll have to look that up soon.

48. Wondered if real life ever has someone being murdered with multiple people threatening to kill them a few hours before the murder.

49. Thought about what I wrote recently about secrets on soap operas. I think more often the viewer is kept in the loop. We know the big secret that someone is keeping.  But the Charlotte death is one of the exceptions. The show turned it into a mystery.

50. Wondered about Denny's (Jessica Grace Smith) death. It was revealed in this episode, or the last, that Charlotte was the one that killed her. Did the viewers know that? Or was it a mystery as well?  

51. Finished watching the episode.

I'm planning to watch episode #220 tomorrow. That should give me some clues to how and why things happened.

52. Found the article that says Charlotte's killer will be revealed soon.  

I saw the headline on my phone yesterday but didn't read it.

Now I've gone ahead and read it.

53. Tried to figure out if I prefer storylines about secrets to be mysteries, or do I prefer to know the secret.

I think I prefer the secret. With a mystery, all I'm really feeling is curiosity. I want a simple answer to the question, and I think often I'm left feeling unsatisfied.

When I know the secret, it creates so much tension. I'm so on edge.The show becomes very compelling to me—compelling to the point that sometimes it's almost unbearable. Then I get so much satisfaction when the secret is finally revealed.  

54. Thought maybe secrets are good when it comes as a complete surprise. We're not trying to solve a mystery, because we didn't even know there was one. Once a show starts dropping hints; then it begins to feel manipulative...or at least contrived.  

For example, in the Home and Away episode I just watched, both Ash (George Mason) and Zac reassured someone that Charlotte won't be a problem anymore. The idea we're supposed to get is that one of them killed her.  Okay?  But if one of them killed her, why is the second person so sure that Charlotte won't be a problem anymore? Ash and Zac aren't saying these things, because it's a realistic thing to say in the situation. They're saying it so the show will have multiple very-likely suspects for the murder.

55. Guessed that the killer will be someone who did NOT make any comments that made them look guilty.  

56. Learned about Southern Cassowaries, for our biology lesson today.

They're dangerous animals but very beautiful and interesting.  

57. Realized, while proofreading, that I never verified that Endemol Shine is a British company.

I consulted Lord Wiki, and it turns out they're not a British company. It's Dutch. Their headquarters is Amsterdam.

58. Guessed that Matt is the killer of Charlotte.

Maybe that's why I dreamed about him last night.  



Read my online novel The Dead are Online

    




Fakers, Rhinos, Thunderdome, and Justine Clarke

1. Dreamed that, I meet my favorite Disney blogger. We hang out together, and there seems to be a plan for him to join me on my blogging activities. He's going to watch my shows with me. I'm a little nervous about that. I'm not sure how I'm going to blog if we're watching the shows on my computer. I decide I'll just watch with him, and blog later.  I'm also stressed, because we plan to watch too many things, and I feel time is limited. I decide to cut Packed to the Rafters from the lineup.  

Last night I read the blogs I have bookmarked. It's been a few weeks since I've done that. So, that's probably why I dreamed about the Disney blogger. The Packed to the Rafters thing was more random. I don't think I've thought of that show in the past few weeks.

It's funny how some things in dreams seem to come directly from what's recently happened to us or what's been on our mind lately. Then other stuff seems to come from left field...or even beyond that.  

2. Started watching an episode of Home and Away. 

3. Saw Billie (Tessa de Josselin) being a manipulative brat again.

People in town are rightfully angry at her for faking a sexual assault and trying to ruin a man's career. 
She reacts to it with self-pity. She acts like SHE'S the victim of it all.

I've seen similar things when reading about people who faked cancer. They don't seem very regretful of their actions. They seem to see more fault in the people who are angry at them. They seem to think they deserve love and sympathy rather than disgust and anger.

4. Wondered about the rhinos that are coming to Australia. 

I've read a few articles about it, but they didn't answer my question.

What I'm wondering is, if the goal is to have rhinos roaming free in Australia.  

I know, at first they're going to be put on reserves. But how about the future?   

5. Started to look at the Australian Rhino project website

On their vision and mission page, they say they plan to eventually return the rhinos and their progeny back to South Africa. That's nice. But why not keep a few?  

They say, We believe passionately that rhinos must be available to the world in the wild, not only in captivity.

So why not have the rhinos be wild in Africa AND Australia?

6. Wondered if rhinos could effect the ecology of Australia in a negative way.

I think they're vegetarian, so they probably won't gobble up any kangaroos or koalas. They might compete for vegetation, though. They might mess with farmer's crops. Maybe?

7. Googled and saw that rhinos eat grass and other vegetation. I think that's pretty much what kangaroos eat, so there could be some competition.

8. Saw that the Rhino project has a lot of scientific advisors.  I think, between them, they can figure out what's best for the rhinos, and what's best for Australia.

9. Saw that eighty rhinos are headed to Australia.

I wonder how they're getting there.

10. Realized that's probably a stupid question.

I can't really imagine a bunch of rhinos on a Qantas flight. I'm going to assume they're coming by ship.

11. Started to read a news release on the website.

Eighty rhinos are coming in the next four years. Each rhino-relocation costs $70,000.

12. Learned that rhinos are going to start off at the animal park in Dubbo; then move to one in Adelaide. After that, things are not very clear.  Ray Dearlove, the founder of the project says,  Considerable space is required in order to keep the animals relatively ‘wild’ and, while discussions are under way, it is not yet finalised where the remainder will be homed. “We have a number of opportunities in WA, in the Northern Territory and New South Wales and potentially one in Queensland.

It sounds like they're going to be at least sort of free.


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 

 

13. Started to watch the rest of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.

14. Saw Adam Willits in the movie.  Maybe. I'm not completely sure it's him.



I think he might be the kid on the right.

15. Decided to get another screenshot of Justine Clarke.



16. Watched a dramatic quicksand scene.

It reminded me of McLeod's Daughters.

I didn't see quicksand on the show, but there was a tense scene where Tess (Bridie Carter) got herself in a dangerous predicament involving some kind of farming substance in a silo.I think it was a grain of some sort.

I don't remember why she went in there.

17. Checked YouTube. Someone has uploaded the scene.

And actually, Nick (Myles Pollard) says to Tess that it's like quicksand.

18. Confused a bit by Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.

I'm not really understanding what's happening.

But I guess it's still sort of interesting to me.

19.  Thought the movie might be one of those in which the costumes, action, scenery, and music are more important than plot and theme.

Though the other day, I felt I was understanding things more. That part of the film made more sense to me.

20.  Tried to understand the movie and had a moment of insight.

Well, maybe it's insight. Or it could be a mistake.

From what I'm understanding, Aunty (Tina Turner) is the villain. I'm thinking maybe she's sort of like the Governor on The Walking Dead.  Both characters have control of a community during the apocalypse. One's a nuclear apocalypse and the other is a zombie one.

The other difference is, I think the Governor had more charm. He was manipulative. Aunty seems to be more overt in her aggression.

21. Confused about something in the movie.

In the part I watched the other day, Max (Mel Gibson) fights with The Blaster (Paul Larrson). The Blaster wears head gear. Towards the end of the fight, Max makes The Blaster lose his head gear.  He then loses interest in continuing the fight.  I wasn't sure if that was because The Blaster looked mentally handicapped, and Max felt bad about fighting him. Or was The Blaster the person Max had been looking for in the beginning?

Now I can't remember if The Blaster was killed or not. I don't think Max killed him, but maybe someone else did.

Then in the parts that I watch today, the children and Max return to Aunty's community. I didn't understand why.  But maybe they were trying to rescue The Blaster?

I'm really lost.

22. Decided to consult Lord Wiki after I finish watching the movie. Maybe he'll be able to explain things to me.

23. Thought of Doctor Who, because Aunty calls Max "Raggedy Man".

24. Thought the end of the movie was kind of touching.

They show the ruins of Sydney and then this girl does this monologue about working to remember the past.

25. Consulted Lord Wiki.

26. Learned that Max has a last name—Rockantansky.

I guess that's Polish?

27. Saw that IMDb provides the last name as well. I didn't notice before.

28. Learned that the reason Max didn't want to kill The Blaster is he found out he was mentally disabled. So it wasn't a matter of him knowing The Blaster.

29. Looked at Mad Max: Fury Road on IMDb.  I was curious if it was more of a far-in-the-future sequel, or a reboot.

It seems to be more of a reboot. The character Max is still there, but now he's played by Tom Hardy.

30. Started to watch the Tina Turner "We Don't Need Another Hero" video.

Though I don't think I saw the movie when I was young, I do think I saw the video many times. Or at least I heard the song a lot.

31. Thought about how, despite being in the title, the thunderdome wasn't in the movie very much.

There was just one scene.

I'm surprised they didn't have a later scene with it.

32. Wondered about the children singing at the end of the video.

Are they Australian?

Are they the same ones from the movie?

33. Started to read an interesting interview with Justine Clarke about her Mad Max experience.

She talks about how, when she was a child, she saw the experience as being normal. It wasn't until she was older that she realized it was quite unique/special. Most kids don't get to be in a huge movie.

She also says that for the audition, the kids were asked to tell a story. Clarke says they didn't know they were auditioning for Mad Max.

I'm not sure if they didn't know they were auditioning for any film or if they knew they were auditioning for a film but didn't know which film.

34. Read that Mel Gibson didn't talk to the children a lot. He kept to himself...maybe for the purpose of method acting. Well....Clarke says he stayed in character.

35. Learned that Clarke was excited to meet Tina Turner, and that Tina Turner was nice to her.

36. Thought I should mention that Rhys Muldoon is the one asking Clarke the questions.

I like him a lot. I think he's on my list of favorite Australians. Maybe Clarke is too.

Well, there's not an official list anywhere. I just add people in my head for the most part.

37. Thought the end of the article was kind of bittersweet. Muldoon asks Clarke if she'd do it again...meaning a Mad Max movie.  Clark says, I would have been an extra if they'd asked me!

In the beginning of the interview, Muldoon asks Clarke if she's seen the new Mad Max movie, and she says no.  I was kind of imagining that she was over the whole thing, not interested, thought it was beneath her, etc. But maybe it's more that she's sad that she wasn't included in the whole thing.

Now I'm not imagining she officially boycotted the movie or anything like that. But maybe she was reluctant to rush out and see it.

OR I'm reading too much into things. Maybe she's just super busy and had a huge list of other movies she wants to see.

38. Hoped that if there's a sequel to the Max Max reboot, that Justine Clarke is given a part.

39. Went to Random.org to pick my next thing to watch.

It's Water Rats.

I'm on season two of that.

I'm kind of excited.  I think it's been awhile since I've watched a regular series...I mean an Australian one.  I've watched a couple of Australian miniseries but not a regular multiple-season series.

I think the last one I watched was season three of Tangle. But maybe I'm forgetting something.

40. Remembered Home and Away is a regular series.

Oops....forgot about that one.

Well, besides Home and Away, I haven't watched a regular Australian series in awhile.

41. Looked at my to-watch list to see if it would jar my memory. Was there a series I watched after Tangle?

Nothing stood out to me.  Maybe I watched Wicked Science after Tangle. But I'm feeling it was the other way around—Wicked Science and then Tangle.

42. Looked at my blog archives to see if any of my post titles give a hint.

I was reminded that I watched Agony Uncles. I guess that counts as a regular series.





Myles Pollard, Wickedness, Thunderdome, and Locations

1. Started watching an episode of Home and Away.

2. Surprised to see a McLeod's Daughters star on the episode.

I forgot the actor's name.

I'll go look it up.

3. Saw that it's Myles Pollard.

According to IMDb, he was on forty-two episodes of Home and Away; though the first nine were in 2007 as a different character. Back then he was Dane Jordans. In 2015, he played James Edmunds.

4. Saw that Pollard is going to be in the upcoming film Jasper Jones.

I haven't read that book yet which makes me feel kind of bad. I know it's an important piece of Aussie literature.

5. Started to wonder if Charlotte (Erika Heynatz) isn't as horrible a person as I've been imagining.

She threatened one of her students about keeping a secret, and she's plotting something. She SEEMS wicked. She's definitely doing wicked things.  But I have this idea that maybe she's a good person doing wicked things for a good reason.

I'm not saying having good intentions excuses wicked behavior.

What am I saying then?

I don't know.

I guess it's that if you take wicked people, some might be doing bad things for very selfish and immature reasons. Other people might be doing them for more sympathetic or noble reasons.

It's like with thieves.There's a difference between stealing money to buy yourself the hottest new sneakers and stealing money to buy medicine that your grandmother needs.

And then there's murder.There's a difference between murdering someone because you want to steal his cool sunglasses and murdering someone because you come from the future and want to stop an assassination.

6. Finished watching the episode.

I'm thinking that Charlotte's reasoning for her wickedness comes somewhere in between pure selfishness and having a noble cause.

Or maybe my idea was wrong, and she's just a wicked bitch.

She did continue with an affair with a student, though, she knew that was illegal. She then dumped him without any real consideration for his feelings. And she threatened another student in order to keep the affair a secret.

Charlotte is definitely selfish, immoral, and inconsiderate. Is she all bad, though? Does she have a good side?

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 

 

7. Started watching Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.

So far, it has nice music and scenery.

I also like the camels.

I saw a young girl. I'm wondering if she's Justine Clarke.

8. Wondered where the movie was filmed.

I think I heard that part of it was filmed in Broken Hill. Any other places?

9. Looked at IMDb for filming locations.

Some parts were filmed in the Blue Mountains.

10. Surprised to see Broken Hill NOT mentioned.

Maybe the first one was filmed there?  Or maybe it's just the third one that was supposed to be there.  I remember reading that, because of the weather, they had to relocate to Africa.

Anyway, it looks like a lot of the outback stuff was filmed in Cooper Pedy.

Then there's also some stuff in Sydney.

11. Saw that the first Mad Max was also not filmed in Broken Hill.

Did I just dream up the Broken Hill thing?

OR...is this a case of the Mandela Effect?  Maybe in another universe, George Miller filmed his masterpiece in Broken Hill.

In THIS universe (that I'm writing in now) it looks like most of the first Mad Max movie was filmed in Victoria.

12. Saw that maybe IMDb is the one with the problem.

No....

Never mind.

It's me.

This is what I got wrong. I thought Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome was the second Mad Max movie.
It turns out it's the third.

I found this article which talks about the second one. It's called Mad Max 2 The Road Warrior. That's the one that was filmed in Broken Hill and Silverton.

13. Wondered if I should watch the second movie before the third.

But then I decided that maybe Random.org chose for me to watch the third one for a reason.

If I ever get around to watching the second one, it'll be like a prequel to me.

14. Wondered if the film is supposed to take place in Australia.

Or is it more of a generalized and/or mythical setting?

15. Decided to consult Lord Wiki about the first movie—get some background information.

16. Saw Australia mentioned in the plot, so I guess it does take place in Australia.

The story is dystopian; though Lord Wiki doesn't say much about why the world has become the way it is.

17. Thought that in terms of tourism, making the movie in so many locations is probably helpful.

I wonder if there are huge Mad Max fans that have traveled to all the filming locations.

18. Imagined with the release of the new movie, there could be new fans who are now going back to watch the old movies.  They might decide to take a trip to Australia—visit Sydney, Cooper Pedy, Melbourne, the Blue Mountains, Broken Hill, Silverton, etc.

There could also be Australian fans who haven't explored the outback. The movies might inspire them to do so.

19. Figured something nuclear happened to cause the dystopian world.

There's a sign for an atomic cafe and, earlier, someone mentioned fallout.

Isn't fallout usually related to nuclear stuff?

20. Looked online.

The dictionary says Fallout is, the radioactive particles that are produced by a nuclear explosion and that fall through the atmosphere.

21. Checked to see if Tina Turner is still alive.

I couldn't remember if she is, or not.

She is.

That's good.

22. Learned that Thunderdome is a fighting arena.

23. Thought the fight scene between Max (Mel Gibson) and The Blaster (Paul Larsson) was very exciting.

I'm liking this movie so far.

24. Thought Max was rude.

He's in the desert, not doing very well.

A monkey brings him a canteen of water. Max doesn't say thank you. Nor does he offer any water to the monkey.

25. Thought about how Max is dehydrated, and maybe dehydration is a good excuse for being rude.

26. Saw Justine Clarke.


Or at least I think that's her.

I'm pretty sure it is. It does look like her. I doubt the movie would have Justine Clarke AND another actress who looks like her.

27. Thought the children scenes in the movie are similar to the ones in Hook—especially when the kids are shouting at Max to fly.

28. Stopped watching the movie for today.

I shall watch more in the near future.






Rejection, Love, Sex, and Threats

1. Started to watch an episode of Home and Away, but it was the wrong one. It was the one I watched yesterday.

Now I'm watching the right one.  

2. Annoyed, because Hulu isn't working very well.

I thought it was because I had articles open in a browser window, ready and waiting for our homeschooling sessions. I thought one of them, with its too many ads, was slowing things down. But I closed the article window, and Hulu is still slow.

3. Decided to give up and try again later.  

4. Checked back.

Now it's working better! Thankfully.

5. Disgusted with Billie (Tessa de Josselin). Yeah. What else is new?

When her brother Ash (George Mason) scolds her for framing Nate (Kyle Pryor) for sexual assault, Billie plays victim. Why does she do these horrid things? She's sick of men rejecting her.

I think it's very awful when people equate romantic rejection with victimhood.  

It's like the man who gets rejected by a woman, and then says it's because girls don't like nice guys.  

 6. Thought it was okay to be sad about the rejection. It's okay to feel a sense of loss.

It's not okay to stalk your target, or frame them, attack them, spread rumors about them, etc.

7. Watched Kyle (Nick Westaway) dump Phoebe (Isabella Giovinazzo) because she has feelings for Ash.  

Now they're fighting.

I'm trying to figure out my feelings about all this.

Well, I know my feelings. It's more like I'm trying to get it straight in my head.

First of all, I'm pleased with Phoebe for not lying to Kyle. When he asks if she has feelings for Ash, she says yes.

Second, I think it's the right choice for Kyle to break up with Phoebe. If they were married or in a more permanent partnership, that would be one thing. If they had children, that would be a huge thing. But they're not heavily entangled.  They're not married. They don't have children. They don't share a pet. They don't share a bank account or a home. Breaking up is just a matter of Phoebe packing a few bags and moving back to the caravan park.  

Of course, I'm just talking about the practicalities.There's an emotional cost. But I think the cost of staying together would be worse.

8. Disagreed with Phoebe about trying to stop the break up.

It's very similar to the Hannah (Cassie Howarth) and Andy (Tai Hara) situation. 

Both Hannah and Phoebe insist they still love their boyfriends while also having strong feelings for someone else. Is this true?  Do/did they truly have feelings for two men at once?  Or at they clinging to the old, because they fear change, and they don't want to break someone's heart?

9. Thought it was wrong of Kyle to accuse Phoebe of betraying him.  

I think betrayal has to involve action not just feeling.

That being said, I totally disagree with Phoebe's stance. It's like she insists everything is fine, because nothing yet has happened between her and Ash. And she asks Kyle to trust her.  

10. Thought how with some people it's all about sexual activity. They can have feelings for someone else. They can spend a lot of time with that someone else. But as long as there's no sex or kissing, all is well.  

With other people, it's more about feelings than sex.

11. Wondered if most people can be divided into sex-jealousy people and feeling/time-jealousy people.  

Here's a scenario to maybe test out where we'd fall.

Your partner goes on a two week international trip without you. You had to stay behind for work or something like that.

What would make you more upset?

A) Your partner sends you a ton of photos. In almost every photo, there is a certain other person with your partner. Your partner has found a new friend, and it's of a gender they're usually attracted to.  You learn that your partner is eating almost all their meals with this new friend. They're going on tours together. They're going shopping together. They have all these new private jokes together, and they even have a song together. From what your partner tells you, there's been nothing physical between them. You believe him/her, but there does seem to be some major crushing going on.  

B) Your partner calls you up crying. He/she had a bit too much to drink at a party and ended up having sex with someone. Your partner has no feelings for this person, doesn't want to see them again, and wouldn't even know how to contact them.  

I personally would be much more upset about A, but I'm pretty sure there are people who would be much more bothered by B.  

12. Wondered WHY some people are more concerned with loyalty when it comes to love and affection, and for others it's more about sex.

I think, for some people, sex IS the ultimate symbol of love. But what about the other stuff? Does that count at all?  

13. Realized that many people would probably be jealous of both A and B.

It's probably only rare individuals who are very okay with A or B.

14. Imagined relationships are easier between two people who have the same feelings about A and B.

It's hard if one person, in the relationship, thinks it's fine to have a very close companion of the attracted-to gender, and the other does not. And it would be hard if one person thinks it's okay to sleep around a bit, and the other is dead set against that.  

I think that's the case with Phoebe and Kyle. Phoebe was very angry that Kyle had sex with Billie, even though he and Phoebe were broken up. To Phoebe that was a major betrayal. It didn't seem to matter that Kyle lacked affection for Billie.

When Kyle dumped Phoebe for having feelings for Ash, she acted as if he was being unfair. To her, she had committed no crime. There was no sex, and they stopped themselves before even kissing.

After the breakup, Phoebe immediately has sex with Ash. She then says to him, If you're going to get hung for the crime, you may as well commit it.  

15. Started watching another episode of Home and Away

16. Felt bad for Maddie (Kassandra Clementi).

She was threatened by her biology teacher (Erika Heynatz) 

Why? 

Because Charlotte (AKA Ms. King) knows that Maddie knows that she's having an affair with Matt, her student. 

Charlotte says if anyone finds out, she'll know it came from Maddie, and she implies very bad things will happen to Maddie.

I don't think it's a death threat...more of a bad grade kind of threat.

In the movie I watched yesterday (Wish You Were Here), Dave (Joel Edgerton) was threatened, as well, about keeping something a secret.  

17. Wondered what I'd do in that situation.

I'd like to think I'd ignore the threat and go to the authorities. But I don't know.

I think to be brave enough to do that, you have to have trust in the system. You have to trust that someone will be willing and able to protect you and your loved one. You also have to believe that you're going to be believed.

Maddie is not believed. She tells Matt, and he calls her a drama queen.  

I do think, though, that if Maddie told other people, they would believe her, and I also think she would be well protected.

18.  Saw that Matt did at least bring up the subject with Charlotte—told her what Maddie says.

It turns out Charlotte is a lot like Billie. She denies threatening Maddie and says it was actually the other way around.

19. Thought that although it's illegal and unethical, I could forgive teachers for having an affair with their student—especially when the student is over eighteen. Sometimes people can't help who they fall in love with, and if both parties are into it, I can be sympathetic.

That's not to say I think it's okay or that I think it should be legal.

I would just be understanding about it.

I would NOT be able to forgive a teacher who actually threatens a student.   

Actually, anyone making threats to anyone about keeping a secret is really bad.  

20.  Thought I might be overstating things.

There are exceptions. For example, what if a parent threatens a child with no dessert if he blabs about his sister's upcoming surprise party.  

It might not be the best parenting choice, and it might be slightly mean. But I don't think it's super evil.

21. Thought that Evie (Philippa Northeast) is being a brat.

She's mad at Hannah for not coming to see her. Yet when Hannah kept calling/texting to apologize about slapping her, Evie never answered.

It's like Evie just wants to be mad, and nothing Hannah can do will change that.

22. Decided that I wouldn't be forgiving of Charlotte's affair with Matt.

It's not like they slowly fell in love despite their best intentions.

They met at a bar or restaurant; then had a one night stand.

If you're a teacher in a small town, is it wise to be having sex with someone that looks like they might potentially be a high school student?

Okay, so let's sat Charlotte misjudged Matt's age. Fine. But they weren't deeply into things yet. She could have ended the affair as soon as she learned that Matt was her student.

23. Argued with myself.

What if Charlotte is the type of person to quickly fall in love with someone?

But no.

She dumped Matt in this episode and already has her eyes on Andy.  

I think Charlotte is just a player. I'm pretty sure her feelings for Matt were very superficial.