General chat – August

Here’s good news for Star Trek fans (myself included): Patrick Stewart is returning to the franchise.
SMH story here.
I really hope it’s more than a cameo.
Mr Juz and I have been trying to watch the new season of Orange is the New Black but Mr 6 has been sick so we only catch 5 mins here and there.
Thanks to anyone who has been clicking on any ads. I know they are annoying but they help pay for the web hosting, so ta.
What are you guys watching?



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91 Comments

  1. I’ll try to watch a bit of everything The Block, Russell Coight, some Survivor, the usual slew of Sunday crime and murder shows later on. Then the Survivor encore tomorrow.

    I watch Landline every Sunday. It’s an escape from rtv.

    Saw a promo of a “new” dating show called Take Me Out on the horizon. It’s a cut and paste of If You Are The One. Joel Creasey hosting .

      • I watched the recorded Swans beat Collingwood (which we went to live!) instead of the Block. The promos alone were enough to turn me off the same old same old.

    • Thanks, Dave. Very naughty of me not to have scanned the tv guide. Great.Crime shows. I have been enjoying Crimes that Shocked the World, and Countdown to Murder.

  2. My taste is very similar to yours BDD, except I do love Ambulance. I think it might be one of my very favourites.
    I tell you what I am not going to watch: any of the Channel 10 Pilot week shows. I loathe Kyle Sandiland (What are people thinking … Seriously.) and I am not much fussed with any of the others. I am thinking that SBS on Demand is looking like a good bet.

      • I saw a bit of Ambulance last night for the first time. The ambos made the elderly gent with the bleeding arm a cuppa and tucked him into bed. It was lovely

        • Thanks, Dave. Very naughty of me not to have scanned the tv guide. Great.Crime shows. I have been enjoying Crimes that Shocked the World, and Countdown to Murder.

        • About as much gore as I can handle is in Nurse Jackie. In that, it’s usually a pencil in a rectum, or cat scratched scrotum. At least it’s teaching me the correct terminology.

        • We love Ambulance, too, but I am starting to find it too realistic. After several medical emergencies in real life this year, the plight of the lady with lung cancer last night made me teary.

  3. Been clicking Juz. The Ghan.
    Anyone else having trouble posting? Not trouble exactly, but all of a sudden I keep having to re insert my name and email.

    • It seems to only be on one of my iPads. My newer iPad is kept up to date with software etc and so odd things happen. Or It may get have something to do with location services being turned off. I don’t really know. I am guessing. Correlation is not causality.

    • Thought it was just me, Daisy. Annoying, but I have been fiddling with my browser settings a bit so I thought I had caused it. Been happening for about a week. Only noticed it on my laptop but rarely use the PC for this site.

        • I am fairly certain that the problem is at my end. I have found that Facebook (and a couple of other sites) make me log on now every single time. I have been trying to make my devices safer and I think it is called “unintended consequences”.
          I can live with it.

  4. Through with OitnB. Taystee’s story is so sad. And wow, I hope we finally will see less Piper in the next season. But I guess they will still manage to make her the centre of the universe.

    I also binged on Dark – finally. Was a bit reluctant as I usually do not like German movies/series. Simple reason: Even though it is the original, the dialogues still sound dull and lifeless usually. I don’t now what it is with us Germans, but in movies and series, we sound incredibly monotone. This also happens to me when I hear tourists from Germany here. “Friederike, bitte kletter hier nich hoch!”. Plus Germans love pretentious names in movies and series. 😀
    Anyway, I was positively surprised. The acting was quite good (be aware, there are no sympathetic characters, they are all kind of arseholes), the story is a bit Twin Peaks meets Donnie Darko (whoever came up with “German Stranger Things”, the comparisons end after set in a small town and the disappearance of a young boy). Cinematography is absolutely outstanding, some twists are easy to see, but it still keeps you on the edge of your seat, even though it has a rather slow pacing – but it fits the mood perfectly. Good music and a perfectly haunting intro sequence, which really sets the general mood of the series:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c399HPb01s
    I recommend to watch it in German with English subtitles.

    • Given that the whole series is based on a book written by Piper, it’s no surprise that she’s the centre of the universe. Just sayin’. 🤗
      I couldn’t really get into it. I tried a couple of times because it came so highly recommended, but there is just something about it that doesn’t appeal. So disappointing because I am always looking for the next binge.

    • I think we started it. Kids go missing, right? I didn’t get past the first episode or so. It didn’t grab me for some reason. I liked the not brilliant but intriguing (Finnish if I remember) Bordertown. It watchable but a bit Midsommer Murders in that the close family members kept being involved.
      We also recently watched Springtide. I’s rate it a 7 or 8.
      Now, we are watching Nurse Jackie. She’s horrible! As with Breaking Bad, you are sucked into liking the main character, but then if you are like me, you think, “that was a horrible thing to do”. I suppose it’s good characterization to have good and bad aspects.

  5. Tonight I’ll watch 730, Australian Story, HYBPA, and the rest of the night I’ll be channel flipping to find anything reasonably watchable. I can’t stand Scott Cam, and was never able to get interested in Survivor, so will have a rtv break.

    I like Insiders, on ABC at some ungodly hour on Sunday mornings. I’d noticed recently that the woman guest was quite often being interrupted and talked over by the men guests, but not Barry. Yesterday I saw that the woman’s seating position on set had been changed, and that seemed to eliminate the, for me, annoying problem. Or maybe it is just that the woman on yesterday was stronger at holding the floor.

    • By woman guest, do mean when Annabelle Crabb was host in Barry’s absence?
      I did not notice if she was talked over at the time, but if she was it would probably be because she tends to specialise in lightweight entertainment rather than politics. Niki Savva is a heavy weight in anyone’s book and one of the few right-wingers I can bear to listen to. Very measured. Sorry, I am assuming it’s her because she likes to sit on the left. They have lots of women on Insiders. I have jumped to many conclusions.
      I missed last week. I have enrolled my dog in obedience training. We are both viewing this as a clash of wills.

      • I should have said panelist, not guest. I don’t see the show every single week, but recent episodes I was talking about had Barry, two men panelists, and one woman panelist. The woman (I remember faces more easily than I remember names) would be speaking, making a point, and the men would often interrupt or talk over her. This week the woman was sitting to Barry’s right instead of opposite him, and that didn’t happen.

        Good luck with obedience training your doggo. It is a clash of wills. I am top dog in my house, but my old boy still tries occasionally to convince me that he is.

      • My beautiful boy runs this house. I hope to change that. If I have success, I will keep you posted. Otherwise there will be deathly silence.

  6. Ugh, what a weird few weeks. I neverever got myself into a Facebook fight with a friend or a stranger, I did it a couple of times in the last 2 1/2 weeks. First one was one of my oldest friends, we know each other since we were 10. She was actually one of the kindest people I have ever met, I guess that’s why the fight hurt even more. It all started because she put up rightwinger propaganda (again) and this time I did not hold back and called it “crap” in a comment. Oooops. She got very offended and thought I called her a Nazi, so this went back and forth, then some of her friends chimed in and started attacking me as being Antifa and I am not allowed to have an opinion on Germany as I do not live there anymore. Typical rightwinger speech tbh. So yeah, just lost a friend of 25 years…
    Second fight I picked was a stupid anti-vaxxer (what the fuck is wrong with those people who refuse to vaccinate?) who thought ignorance is bliss, wanting to educate me, but could not provide one real proof that vaccines are evil. On top of that, that person also thinks Black Salve, turpentine and their aged urine is medicine. Well…
    I think I am turning old and evil, I never really fight with anyone, but the last weeks I have been pretty fed up with stupidity and ignorance. 🙁 I am also so disappointed in my friend who made a total 180 degree turn. It is hard to see how smart people get eaten up by fear mongering rightwingers. *sigh* I also ask myself if she hasn’t seen what happened with Trump and Brexit, definitely the most prominent examples recently of what happens when you get sucked in by what populists say.

    • The trick is being able to respectfully disagree. In life, I have held opinions, and beliefs that I don’t now, so what if I had lost friends fighting for others to agree with me. The trouble is with left and right, there is no middle.
      I know this is upsetting for you Zhee, but people in power make politics. We are their collateral damage.

      • I will not back down regarding my opinion when it comes to left/right. 😉 If I do, I make way for rightwing populists. And we all know how that went down in Germany once…
        I understand that the situation in Germany has gotten more complicated than it was 5 years ago and Merkel’s decisions had a huge impact. But unfortunately the rightwingers are the ones who shout the loudest so a minority gets much more attention. And personally I think we need to give them attention, trying to talk to them and understand their fears. And then act appropriately, but unfortunately politicians in Germany don’t. They just do the same old thing, Merkel is tired. The left party that is also in the government is more concerned in keeping their minister positions instead of acting and trying to prevent another move to the right. Even the opposition does nothing, and they are mainly green/left. That helps the only rightwinger party a lot, which had 13% in September last year and if there would be elections now, nearly 20% would vote for them. This is scary.
        I have to admit I possibly grew up in one of the safest places and times you can imagine, so it is even harder to see how people just let it crumble away because they do not act. Most take it for granted, what my generation’s parents and especially grandparents built. And then they realize something is happening which they do not like (refugees) and suddenly they turn into ignorant assholes…

        Sorry for getting so political, it just bugs me at the moment. 🙁 Especially seeing friends walking over to the darkbrown side…

        • I can see how frustrated you feel, especially as you can see history clearly. I think your comment about “understanding their fears” is one of the keys. When Trump was elected I was totally bewildered by how anyone at all could vote for him, so I tried to hear what people were saying about the reasons. And I came to the conclusion that they have some very valid fears, and felt that there was no other way to be heard about those fears. Pity that they chose such an important decision to make their point. So, I think, the mature attitude (like yours) is to try to address the fear and not the result.

          Also, beware of PMT!! Personally, I don’t write very tactful posts in that week. I still have the same opinion but it doesn’t come out nicely.

    • I am here to sympathise. In the last couple of weeks I have been having the most inane fights with complete strangers online. Like, what is wrong with me? Like, what do I care what these people think? And then I lie in bed stewing. ffs.
      I think I am turning into a crazy, grumpy, old person.
      I am guessing that I have forgotten that the loudest voices are the minority and that’s why they have to shout so loud: to make up for the fact that they are few in number. Or am I just self-opinionated.
      But I am sad for your long friendship. I hope it’s a temporary thing – 25 years is a long time. Maybe she’s feeling under siege (That’s how I would be feeling if I was a Trump supporter) and that can make people double-down.
      Maybe face to face can fix things? Or maybe it’s time to move on. Friendship breakups hurt more than relationship breakups.

    • Believe it or not, I’m with you on just about every single thing you said.

      It’s flat-Earthers I can’t deal with. Like, I just lose my cool around them completely. It’s just so … stupid. But that’s the thing with conspiracy theorists. You can’t talk to them. Rational logic just doesn’t work. Anything that proves their ideas wrong is just part of the conspiracy. And people cling to it, because they need to believe they’re powerful and have this magic knowledge, which makes them better than the rest of us blind sheep. You just can’t break through. It’s a waste of time to try.

      I’m with you on anti-vaxxers, too. I’ve been on the inside of the medical industry for about 8 months, ever since I got sick last year. I’ve noticed these days that I have zero patience for this, “the medical industry is secretly evil!” nonsense. It’s ignorance born of fear and selfishness, and it makes me really angry. I’m alive because of a team of surgeons, doctors and nurses, and it feels so disrespectful to listen to this nonsense. Once I got my diagnosis, I had to go into work to tell them that I’d need time off, and one of my coworkers? I tell him that I have to do all this medical stuff … and he responds with a two-hour lecture on why the medical industry is evil, and I shouldn’t trust them, and what I should do is go and drink some fruit juice or something. I couldn’t believe it, because he’s a smart guy. I lost a little bit of respect for him, that afternoon, I gotta say. And yeah, I don’t have much patience for any of it these days.

      As for the politics stuff … during that hateful plebiscite last year, I watched one of my school friends on Facebook say the stupidest, most hateful things. Okay, so you want the right to slap me in the face, but then lecture me on how to be a good friend? Yeah, I’m out. I cut a few people out of my life, during that month, and I don’t much regret it, to be honest. A trend I’ve noticed is that people are just using politics as an excuse. Note how many times you watch someone say, “Oh you only disagree with me because you’re a leftist!” or something. No, I disagree with you because I’m a human being and you’re being an asshole.

      Like at that extremist Blair person. He made a recent status update, proclaiming that he wants to deport or execute everybody who he decides isn’t Australian enough for his liking (and here’s a point of irony. He’s a white guy. He’s a foreign invader, too). That’s not politics, that’s just hate. Pure and simple, that’s just bigotry … but of course, if anyone calls him on it, he can just say, “Oh but it’s just a political opinion and you’re on the opposite side of the political spectrum to me” to justify himself. And I want to shake people by the shoulders and ask them, “how can you be okay with this?” But people are scared at perceived threats and upset at their own crappy lives, and need someone to blame. That’s how extremism works. That is, historically, how it’s always worked.

      And every time I get into a brawl with someone, I tell myself, “Don’t do this again”, until a few weeks later. It’s just, eugh.

      • I only recently met a girl, a woman really, who told me she and her ‘partner’ believed the earth is flat. And some of the other hippies in that circle don’t believe in immunization. No use in arguing, but the immunization one is annoying because it puts their kids and others at risk. We wouldn’t want those horrible diseases breaking out.
        Bobi, as for arguing on line, can you imagine they are probably some really gross person, sitting there in a dressing gown, dribbling cheezles, with grey hairs coming out of their nostrils and ears.

        I hate arguing. And in all my 63 years, I have never, ever seen a single person change their mind because of it. Life and time changes peoples minds. And Dr Phil. 😜

        • Today’s Dr.Phil was a beauty, part 2 tomorrow. Dominatrix mother with 14 yo pothead poly amorous daughter.

          Dr.Phil will need some massive resources to throw at these folk.

        • Thanks Daisy for that image of a troll.
          But there is a small voice in the back of my head wondering if that person is actually me, as I wipe the Cheezel dust off my sticky fingers and on to my pjs.

          • Well, it just keeps it in perspective, Bobi. I remind myself if I saw that person in the street, I wouldn’t care what they thought. They are probably a big loser.

      • Totally with you Windsong and Zhee.
        I used to be so non confrontational as my family were much more conservative than me and I grew up in a National Party stronghold. But I have, just like a good reality show devotee, become much more “true to myself” as I got older.
        Now I actively take on people like anti-vaxxers, flat earthers, those who oppose gay marriage and Trump supporters. I am still rather conservative, so am hardly up there with the much-despised “liberals”, but I can’t bear the ignorance/conspiracy theory rhetoric.

  7. It’s fascinating how quickly people forget about stuff like the Nazis, the effects of polio etc. We’re talking about things that were prevalent less than a century ago and yet so many people seem clueless about not-so-distant history.

    • Top Article Juz.
      I enjoyed that and a timely reminder. When you see a total tool like Zach on Survivor who would rate himself super highly on the looks department but has zero other qualities, it’s nice to remember that there are some good blokes out there!

    • This is linked to a subscribed site. I won’t subscribe to “news” but, having said that, I think that the title probably says it all and no further information is required.
      I wonder if this comes under the heading of “Don’t feed the idiots”.

      • Oh, sorry, it was linked on FB by Scibabe, I could access it without any subscription. And yeah, the article is having a go at mommy bloggers who promote health advise that is utter bs. There is also a former MCA contestant called Kira something mentioned who promotes natural flu shots… While reading the article my eyes rolled backwards into my head thanks to some of the stuff those mommy bloggers promote. Typical white privilege and mostly posing for selfies a la Kartrashian to show others how beautiful and oh-so sexy they are, cute kids snd fancy homes. Guess they really need the attention and compliments from others.^^

    • She was exactly that. Thanks, Dave. That clip brought me to tears again, but you can’t stay sad for long while watching that immense talent.

      So long, Aretha, you were the unrivaled Queen of Soul, and you will be missed.

  8. We are planning and booking our next year’s trip to Europe, Juz, so all our ads on ttv are now holiday apartments. Before that, I was looking at cruises, just for the fun of looking, so I have those ads too.
    If anyone wants good ads, on ttv, that’s all you do.

  9. How are these Hot Seat contestants so dumb? Rubens; Poet, Explorer, Artist or one other thing I can’t recall.
    Are you kidding me? Rubens? Who thinks they are smart enough for a quiz show but hasn’t heard of Rubens. She went with explorer.
    Now we have a contestant who has never heard of John Grisham…because she’s “not a literature person”. I’m not a scientist but I have heard of Stephen Hawkins.

    Australia’s finest minds.

  10. Today I bought the hemp milk that was advertised on ACA (or was it the other one). Mmm. Very nice. It had dates for sweetness. I also bought some seeds to have a go at making it.

    • I watched half of the first episode but had to do other things. I’ll take a look at it again.
      I’m watching Season 3 of “Man in the High Castle”. Another interesting season. I’m enjoying it.

      • I will try it Smythe. You might not like some of the gory scenes of Maniac in later episodes. But it’s an odd mix of light and dark.
        I watched it to the end last night and have to say, it was a really clever, whacky, out of the square series, with great acting from everyone. Sally Field and the main characters were outstanding. I would give it a 9.

        • Thanks Daisy. I will give it a try again and see what I think. I finished “Man in the High Castle” but it didn’t really end because there is supposed to be a fourth season. Some of it was very sad.

          • Some of Maniac was deeply sad too.
            We have also been watching The Truth about Harry Quibert, but then I got annoyed. I had worked out all the possible scenarios and I think I know who the killer was, and who covered it up….but then it stopped, and we have to wait and watch week by week. 😣 But I am sure mytheory is right; like when you work out the answer to a cryptic and the clues all then fit. It’s a good series for murder mystery .

  11. If you want to see our little protest (not many arrived at this time) check out ringtail possom (not me) or friends of gelorup corridor on fb. There’s a video.
    It was really fun; lots of honking horns.

  12. After a long time of being told it was the best romantic movie ever, I finally watched The Notebook today. I have seen a couple of other movies based on Nicholas Sparks’ books, and swore I would never watch another. The Notebook was better than those others, I think mainly because of the quality acting. I still didn’t like the soppy dialogue, but the storyline of the elderly couple was lovely, spoilt a little by an implausible ending.

    So, not in my top Ten of romantic movies, but not as terrible as some others.
    I would love to hear which romantic, or romantic-comedies are everyone’s favourites.

  13. By the way, Juz, I am still having to enter my details manually. Did we work out whether it was the site’s or the user’s problem?

  14. If anyone feels inclined, there are online petitions out there about advertising gambling (or anything) on the Opera House sails. I know many of you live outside NSW, so you might not have heard about this.

    Obviously, if you are happy about it, then ignore my little aversion to this.

    • I am absolutely against and have signed, for all the obvious reasons.
      But also as the owner of a greyhound, what has been done to him and his siblings in the name of gambling is horrific – and he is one of the lucky ones.
      I don’t understand why Alan Jones is given oxygen.
      *** gratuitous photo attached because I can.

      • I’ve signed already. I HATE the abnormal influence that Alan Jones is given by politicians, but NOT by people. Honestly, he is not representational of NSW voters yet the politicians think he has some unique position. I am OUTRAGED.

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