1. Started to watch an episode of Water Rats.
I wonder if they're going to deal with Terry (Aaron Jeffrey) and his stalker issue. I hope they will, but I'm expecting they won't.
One thing that makes me think that is Helene Joy, the woman who played the stalker, doesn't return for another episode.
Although, then again, Terry could deal with his feelings about the attack without having to see the stalker.
Actually it would be strange for him to meet up with her. I don't think having a meeting with the stalker is part of the victim healing process.
2. Saw, on IMDb, that Aaron Jeffrey isn't even in this episode. So I doubt they'll be dealing with the stalker issue.
3. Saw that Justin Rosniak, from Neighbours and Packed to the Rafters, is in this episode.
4. Saw that this episode has a Jessica Watson type storyline.
There's a sixteen-year-old boy doing a sea adventure. Rachel (Catherine McClements) thinks it's wrong, and Frank (Colin Friels) thinks it's impressive.
I remember when Jessica Watson went on her adventure, opinions about it were very strong.
5. Went to Jessica Watson's website to see what she's up to.
6. Followed a link to an article about Watson.
She's twenty-two now.
7. Thought it was interesting that Watson says she's not adventurous.
How can someone wanting to sail solo around the world not be adventurous?
The only answer I can think of is that she just wanted to do that one thing, and outside of that, she's not interested in seeking out adventures.
8. Disagreed with Watson's mindset about risk. If I'm understanding her correctly, she believes the adventure wasn't risky because she was very well-prepared. I definitely think that being well-prepared reduces risk. But I think bad things can happen and having all the right supplies and training won't neccessarily stop you from getting killed or injured.
If Watson truly believes that disaster can be avoided, what does she believe about all the people who HAVE died at sea. Were they not prepared enough?
9. Thought about how it's easy for people to believe in their personal philosophies when things turn out positively for them.
If someone believes all risk can be avoided with proper preparation, and they avoid getting seriously injured or killed, they'll probably keep believing in that philosophy.
If someone believes that thinking positively will make them rich, and they win the lottery, they'll probably keep believing in positive thinking.
10. Saw that the young sailor on the show is presumed missing, and it's suspected that canned quinces are to blame. Botulism!
I wonder if they're going to deal with Terry (Aaron Jeffrey) and his stalker issue. I hope they will, but I'm expecting they won't.
One thing that makes me think that is Helene Joy, the woman who played the stalker, doesn't return for another episode.
Although, then again, Terry could deal with his feelings about the attack without having to see the stalker.
Actually it would be strange for him to meet up with her. I don't think having a meeting with the stalker is part of the victim healing process.
2. Saw, on IMDb, that Aaron Jeffrey isn't even in this episode. So I doubt they'll be dealing with the stalker issue.
3. Saw that Justin Rosniak, from Neighbours and Packed to the Rafters, is in this episode.
4. Saw that this episode has a Jessica Watson type storyline.
There's a sixteen-year-old boy doing a sea adventure. Rachel (Catherine McClements) thinks it's wrong, and Frank (Colin Friels) thinks it's impressive.
I remember when Jessica Watson went on her adventure, opinions about it were very strong.
5. Went to Jessica Watson's website to see what she's up to.
6. Followed a link to an article about Watson.
She's twenty-two now.
7. Thought it was interesting that Watson says she's not adventurous.
How can someone wanting to sail solo around the world not be adventurous?
The only answer I can think of is that she just wanted to do that one thing, and outside of that, she's not interested in seeking out adventures.
8. Disagreed with Watson's mindset about risk. If I'm understanding her correctly, she believes the adventure wasn't risky because she was very well-prepared. I definitely think that being well-prepared reduces risk. But I think bad things can happen and having all the right supplies and training won't neccessarily stop you from getting killed or injured.
If Watson truly believes that disaster can be avoided, what does she believe about all the people who HAVE died at sea. Were they not prepared enough?
9. Thought about how it's easy for people to believe in their personal philosophies when things turn out positively for them.
If someone believes all risk can be avoided with proper preparation, and they avoid getting seriously injured or killed, they'll probably keep believing in that philosophy.
If someone believes that thinking positively will make them rich, and they win the lottery, they'll probably keep believing in positive thinking.
10. Saw that the young sailor on the show is presumed missing, and it's suspected that canned quinces are to blame. Botulism!
Did Jessica Watson prepare for life threatening food poisoning? How about other infections? Aneurism? Heart attacks? Appendicitis?
11. Wanted to say that I'm not against what Watson did. I think it was brave and brilliant. I just disagree with her idea that planning can subtract all risk.
12. Thought that maybe I misunderstood Watson, and what she meant was that planning can subtract MOST risk.
I think there's a big difference.
13. Found out why Helen (Toni Scanlan) gives Taylor (Raelee Hill) such a difficult time. She's not just Taylor's boss; she's also her estranged aunt.
I was NOT expecting that! It was a great twist.
14. Thought about twists.
I think the best ones are the ones that come as a complete surprise, but then you can look back, and some strange behaviors start to make more sense.
15. Thought that the strange behavior shouldn't be too strange, because then we might start looking for an explanation. We might end up making a correct guess, and then the twist isn't so exciting. It's predictable.
16. Remembered that I did wonder about Helen's behavior, and I did make guesses. But I guessed wrong.
I thought Helen was upset about Fiona (Sophie Heathcote) leaving the force.
Maybe the trick is to either have behavior that's strange but not too strange; or have behavior that could be explained by other things.
If Fiona hadn't left in the previous episode, I might have sought answers elsewhere. I might have started to wonder if perhaps Helen and Taylor knew each other.
Well...no. Probably not. I would have still probably missed it.
17. Decided to watch the first scene between Helen and Taylor again. Will I see things I didn't see before?
Another thing I'm wondering is if Taylor didn't know, at first, that Helen is her aunt. She last saw her when she was twelve.
18. Decided twelve is probably old enough for remembering.
19. Started watching the scene.
It's cleverly done. There are these subtle facial expressions that could mean nothing, but now I see them as meaning something. Well, and now knowing what I know, I think they DO mean something, but back then I hardly took notice.
When Helen sees Taylor, she has a subtle look of surprise. Then Taylor has this kind of proud-nervous look—the kind someone gets when they receive a compliment.
20. Thought that a smarter person might have wondered about Taylor calling Helen by her first name. I just thought it was a nervous mistake.
Also, Taylor immediately tells Helen that she's been trying to get into the water police for years. I just took it as nervous babbling, but now I see it as a...Well, it's still nervous babbling. But it's not just the nervous babbling of a person talking to her boss for the first time. It's also the nervous babbling of a young woman seeing her estranged aunt after a long period of time.
21. Started watching the movie A Few Best Men.
22. Saw that Xavier Samuels plays a British person in the movie.
23. Wondered if the actors played his English friends (or brothers?) are Australian as well.
24. Looked at IMDb, and saw they're British. Or at least Kevin Bishop is. There's no birthplace given for Kris Marshall, but he was in Love Actually. So he's probably British as well.
25. Consulted Lord Wiki. He confirms that Kris Marshall is British.
26. Introduced to another character. Luke. He's British too but played by an Australian (Tim Draxl).
27. Felt it would be easier to have Australian playing Australians, English playing English, Americans playing Americans, Scottish playing Scottish, etc.
So why do movies and TV shows have actors play different nationalities?
It makes sense when the budget is low and you have to work with a small pool of actors.
But if that's not the case?
The only explanation I can think of is that the actors LIKE to change accents. I guess pretending to be something you're not is one of the joys of acting.
I guess from an actor's standpoint, I get it. Outside of that, it doesn't make a lot of sense.
In the movie, they have two British actors playing the British characters, and then two Australian actors playing British characters. How hard would it have been to find two more British actors?
I'm also thinking of Fear the Walking Dead...though there are a zillion other similar examples.
On that show, within the main family, the daughter is played by an Australian and the son is played by a British guy. Would it have been that hard to find two American actors to play the part of American teenagers?
28. Laughed at a dumb thing in the movie.
Sometimes really dumb things can be funny.
29. Thought of describing the funny thing but then remembered that second-hand comedy rarely works well.
So I'll just say it involves an escalator. That way if you ever watch the movie, you'll know what I'm talking about.
30. Thought it was strange that Mia (Laura Brent) introduces her mother (Olivia Newton-John) by saying, This is my adorable mum, Barbara. I don't think I've heard someone say anything like that before.
31. Felt awkward watching the movie, because the comedy is making me cringe more often than laugh.
I hate when that happens.
In a way, it feels very similar to the feeling I get when I'm with someone who makes a joke and I don't find it at all amusing. They're laughing at their own joke. I'm not. I feel like a bitch.
Sometimes I'll try to fake a laugh, but that doesn't help. I'm not a good actress.
32. Started to think that mismatched humor is one of the worst things that happen between two people.
I think the awfulness of it is really underrated.
Being on either side of the equation is horrible. I also hate that feeling when I'm telling a funny story or I make a little joke. The listener looks bored, gives me a blank look, or they do the awful fake laugh thing.
33. Thought that one of the best things between people is shared laughter. It's a major bonding moment.
34. Hoped that there'd be more moments in the movie that make me laugh.
I did laugh at the escalator; although after the scene ended, I started to wonder if it was even supposed to be a joke.
35. Felt that the drug dealer in the movie looks a bit like Richard Davies.
I also think that Kris Marshall looks a bit like Richard Davies.
Two Richard Davies look-a-likes in one movie. That's quite interesting.
36. Wondered if Richard Davies IS in the movie, and my eyes are just missing him in the credits.
37. Wondered if people who liked The Hangover would like this A Few Best Men. I've never seen the movie, but from what I know of it, I think it's similar to what I'm watching now.
There's also Bridesmaids, which I think has been compared to The Hangover. I haven't seen that either.
I wonder if I'm not the type of person to like that kind of movie. Or would I like that kind of movie, and A Few Best Men is not as good as others in its genre.
38. Looked at Rotten Tomatoes. A Few Best Men got a score of 16%! Yikes. That IS very bad.
In comparison, The Hangover got a 79%. The second sequel, though, got a 19%.
39. Found something in the movie that I like...besides the escalator scene. At the wedding reception, the wedding singer sings the theme song from The Love Boat.
40. Stopped watching the movie for today.
I'll watch the rest tomorrow, probably.
41. Started to proofread, and realized I never saw Justin Rosniak in the episode of Water Rats.
Maybe I was looking at the cast of the wrong episode? Or maybe I just didn't recognize him.
42. Realized that Rosiniak might have played the teen who was trying to beat the sailing record. I watched some of the episode outside, and sometimes it's hard for me to see.
43. Re-watched the teen sailor scene on Water Rats.
It doesn't look like Rosiniak to me.
I think it might be, though.
44. Thought more about shared laughter. It's a great thing, but it can also be a painful thing. For example, if two people are laughing AT you, in a mean way, that doesn't feel so good. Also, even if you aren't the target of the laughter, simply being excluded from the laughing group can be painful.
45. Found the teen sailor's name. It's Kingsley, and that's who Rosiniak played in the episode.
It's him. He just looks different...younger.
I wish I could remember what he looked like as a child, on Home and Away. My brain is not able to bring up the image.
46. Remembered there's a such thing as Google Images.
14. Thought about twists.
I think the best ones are the ones that come as a complete surprise, but then you can look back, and some strange behaviors start to make more sense.
15. Thought that the strange behavior shouldn't be too strange, because then we might start looking for an explanation. We might end up making a correct guess, and then the twist isn't so exciting. It's predictable.
16. Remembered that I did wonder about Helen's behavior, and I did make guesses. But I guessed wrong.
I thought Helen was upset about Fiona (Sophie Heathcote) leaving the force.
Maybe the trick is to either have behavior that's strange but not too strange; or have behavior that could be explained by other things.
If Fiona hadn't left in the previous episode, I might have sought answers elsewhere. I might have started to wonder if perhaps Helen and Taylor knew each other.
Well...no. Probably not. I would have still probably missed it.
17. Decided to watch the first scene between Helen and Taylor again. Will I see things I didn't see before?
Another thing I'm wondering is if Taylor didn't know, at first, that Helen is her aunt. She last saw her when she was twelve.
18. Decided twelve is probably old enough for remembering.
19. Started watching the scene.
It's cleverly done. There are these subtle facial expressions that could mean nothing, but now I see them as meaning something. Well, and now knowing what I know, I think they DO mean something, but back then I hardly took notice.
When Helen sees Taylor, she has a subtle look of surprise. Then Taylor has this kind of proud-nervous look—the kind someone gets when they receive a compliment.
20. Thought that a smarter person might have wondered about Taylor calling Helen by her first name. I just thought it was a nervous mistake.
Also, Taylor immediately tells Helen that she's been trying to get into the water police for years. I just took it as nervous babbling, but now I see it as a...Well, it's still nervous babbling. But it's not just the nervous babbling of a person talking to her boss for the first time. It's also the nervous babbling of a young woman seeing her estranged aunt after a long period of time.
21. Started watching the movie A Few Best Men.
22. Saw that Xavier Samuels plays a British person in the movie.
23. Wondered if the actors played his English friends (or brothers?) are Australian as well.
24. Looked at IMDb, and saw they're British. Or at least Kevin Bishop is. There's no birthplace given for Kris Marshall, but he was in Love Actually. So he's probably British as well.
25. Consulted Lord Wiki. He confirms that Kris Marshall is British.
26. Introduced to another character. Luke. He's British too but played by an Australian (Tim Draxl).
27. Felt it would be easier to have Australian playing Australians, English playing English, Americans playing Americans, Scottish playing Scottish, etc.
So why do movies and TV shows have actors play different nationalities?
It makes sense when the budget is low and you have to work with a small pool of actors.
But if that's not the case?
The only explanation I can think of is that the actors LIKE to change accents. I guess pretending to be something you're not is one of the joys of acting.
I guess from an actor's standpoint, I get it. Outside of that, it doesn't make a lot of sense.
In the movie, they have two British actors playing the British characters, and then two Australian actors playing British characters. How hard would it have been to find two more British actors?
I'm also thinking of Fear the Walking Dead...though there are a zillion other similar examples.
On that show, within the main family, the daughter is played by an Australian and the son is played by a British guy. Would it have been that hard to find two American actors to play the part of American teenagers?
28. Laughed at a dumb thing in the movie.
Sometimes really dumb things can be funny.
29. Thought of describing the funny thing but then remembered that second-hand comedy rarely works well.
So I'll just say it involves an escalator. That way if you ever watch the movie, you'll know what I'm talking about.
30. Thought it was strange that Mia (Laura Brent) introduces her mother (Olivia Newton-John) by saying, This is my adorable mum, Barbara. I don't think I've heard someone say anything like that before.
31. Felt awkward watching the movie, because the comedy is making me cringe more often than laugh.
I hate when that happens.
In a way, it feels very similar to the feeling I get when I'm with someone who makes a joke and I don't find it at all amusing. They're laughing at their own joke. I'm not. I feel like a bitch.
Sometimes I'll try to fake a laugh, but that doesn't help. I'm not a good actress.
32. Started to think that mismatched humor is one of the worst things that happen between two people.
I think the awfulness of it is really underrated.
Being on either side of the equation is horrible. I also hate that feeling when I'm telling a funny story or I make a little joke. The listener looks bored, gives me a blank look, or they do the awful fake laugh thing.
33. Thought that one of the best things between people is shared laughter. It's a major bonding moment.
34. Hoped that there'd be more moments in the movie that make me laugh.
I did laugh at the escalator; although after the scene ended, I started to wonder if it was even supposed to be a joke.
35. Felt that the drug dealer in the movie looks a bit like Richard Davies.
I also think that Kris Marshall looks a bit like Richard Davies.
Two Richard Davies look-a-likes in one movie. That's quite interesting.
36. Wondered if Richard Davies IS in the movie, and my eyes are just missing him in the credits.
37. Wondered if people who liked The Hangover would like this A Few Best Men. I've never seen the movie, but from what I know of it, I think it's similar to what I'm watching now.
There's also Bridesmaids, which I think has been compared to The Hangover. I haven't seen that either.
I wonder if I'm not the type of person to like that kind of movie. Or would I like that kind of movie, and A Few Best Men is not as good as others in its genre.
38. Looked at Rotten Tomatoes. A Few Best Men got a score of 16%! Yikes. That IS very bad.
In comparison, The Hangover got a 79%. The second sequel, though, got a 19%.
39. Found something in the movie that I like...besides the escalator scene. At the wedding reception, the wedding singer sings the theme song from The Love Boat.
40. Stopped watching the movie for today.
I'll watch the rest tomorrow, probably.
41. Started to proofread, and realized I never saw Justin Rosniak in the episode of Water Rats.
Maybe I was looking at the cast of the wrong episode? Or maybe I just didn't recognize him.
42. Realized that Rosiniak might have played the teen who was trying to beat the sailing record. I watched some of the episode outside, and sometimes it's hard for me to see.
43. Re-watched the teen sailor scene on Water Rats.
It doesn't look like Rosiniak to me.
I think it might be, though.
44. Thought more about shared laughter. It's a great thing, but it can also be a painful thing. For example, if two people are laughing AT you, in a mean way, that doesn't feel so good. Also, even if you aren't the target of the laughter, simply being excluded from the laughing group can be painful.
45. Found the teen sailor's name. It's Kingsley, and that's who Rosiniak played in the episode.
It's him. He just looks different...younger.
I wish I could remember what he looked like as a child, on Home and Away. My brain is not able to bring up the image.
46. Remembered there's a such thing as Google Images.