General chat for Oct – with Bobi

Thanks to Bobi for a new general chat post. I read today there are only 12 Mondays until Christmas so a trying not to freak out – Juz

It’s October, one month closer to Christmas, and it feels like everything is winding down or coming to an end (Here’s looking at you, MasterChef).
I know they’re not. I know that we are waiting for Love Island, something to do with Dirty Dancing and Survivor US but it all feels a bit lightweight and second choice.

To cope with withdrawal symptoms, I have been immersing myself in real reality tv, but being proper real TV (PRTV), it is mostly on SBS and ABC, and is designed to reduce me to a sobbing, blubbery mess.
Just a side note, I am a pre-inclined that way. Remember the Telstra ad telling us to “Call home”? (Slight whimper).

The original and the best reality show is 7 Up (and is being repeated on SBS). There is something about growing up with these people, and eternally waiting to catch up every seven years. They are my age and all their experiences are mine. One of them has died (Spoiler Alert) and one of them is very sick. It’s like losing a friend. I am very sad. I am not sure that this is for everyone. It doesn’t lend itself to binge watching.

So, of course, I move straight to Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds to cheer myself up. I was warned that there would be happy tears. Correcto! They were mostly happy tears, but were mixed with a huge amount of indignation. Did you know that 40% of the elderly in nursing homes don’t get visitors? How can that be? I didn’t want to watch this one but so many people insisted I should give it a go, and I am really glad I did. If the Government had a humane bone in its body, it would put a bucket load of money into making sure that this experiment happens everywhere.

But my favourite was Storm in a Teacup. It’s about the partnership between Leon Pericles and his wife/business manager. She has dementia and he’s not coping. He’s from your neck of the woods, Daisy, and there is some vague similarity between your artwork and his.

The show started happily enough because she’s a happy soul, and I thought all would be good but, by the end, I ran out of tissues and the couch was wet. I was a drippy mess. It was a lovely show. I highly recommend it, if only to see the flying of the kite he designed. He is an amazing talent.

And out of left field, Season 2 of Disenchanted has returned to Netflix. It’s not as good as Season 1 but I needed an antidote to all the political news. Have I mentioned previously that the world is going to hell in a hand basket?

– Bobi



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100 Comments

  1. There’s not much TV that I’m enjoying, as we slowly approach the ratings lull period. I am liking “The Masked Singer” more than I thought I would. Trying to figure out who these famous people, just from the sound of their singing voices, is very difficult. And I love how the panel keep guessing huge A-listers, who have too much dignity to appear on an Australian singing competition, and who channel 10 couldn’t afford, on the best day of their life, regardless.

    “The Bachelorette”, I feel, could go either way. I don’t suspect Angie is going to take it the slightest bit seriously — now, the audience knows this franchise is too ridiculous for words, but if the *cast* start acting like that as well? Could be amusing, could be a trainwreck. Even the ads make the whole thing seem so heavily produced and managed and contrived (forcing self-confessed bogan Angie into glamour and sophistication). It all feels quite fake, to me, and that’s just the ads.

    But she’s a Sunshine Coast girl, so at the very least, I’ll be watching her first episode, and the hometown visits, and such.

    But what I’m really looking forward to is the new Australian Amazing Race. Beau Ryan as host, well, that could go either way, but any new series of the Amazing Race is a good day in my book. The three past Australian seasons were all pretty watchable (even the Aus vs NZ edition) The second season was my favourite.

  2. Well we have had the biggest week with formal (very happy with our daughter looking both beautiful AND age appropriate) and going to Melbourne for footy grand final. I make the age appropriate barb because I saw an acquaintance’s daughter with a red strapless dress and train that honestly would be appropriate for a bitchy girl to wear on the Bachelor. Being a cow from hell I am TOTALLY convinced that she modelled herself on that – even the poses made me sick. You all know them – the pouty lips while sipping champagne (kid is actually not 18 till July NEXT YEAR), bum out and boobs forward with more pouty lips. It was REALLY really stomach-turning.
    Happily our daughter and her friends didn’t revolt me in this way – they looked beautiful and happy and not like they were dressed from Junior House of Slut.
    Anyway – rant over. And they had some underage drinkers too, so I’m a total hypocrite.
    Anyway, our second team made the grand final and two of us went. Kind of a treat for our daughter as she plays for junior Giants and is pretty invested in them as they come to lots of club events. And it was incredible! Yes, we lost but going in not expecting to win kind of shields you from bitterness. (Would have liked them to actually play a bit, but you can’t have everything) I’ve never been to a game at the MCG and to go to a grandfinal was simply mind blowing. We drove (for reasons of econmy!) and the drive between Sydney and Melbourne was really good – super easy – set cruise control and sit on 110. Oh, unless you are a P Plate driver, but still. . .

    I am thrilled survivor is back, don’t hate Masked Singer but can’t really summon energy to watch it too religiously either.

    I am interested about Amazing Race – now that I am a fully fledged Survivor fan it seems possible that I might enjoy this too. So definitely giving it a go.

    Other than that I am thrilled that the Good Place is back.

    • It’s lovely that you have enjoyed the fun and dramas of teenage dress-ups, Brussel. I never had trouble there with daughter either. She was more of a piano playing, book reading, study girl. But I know what you mean about how girls dress for school balls etc nowadays.
      As for Amazing Race (TAR), you will probably love it. I never miss it if I can help it. They choose such interesting couples. I reckon we would be great on it because Woolif is so good at organizing travel and I would be good at crying, “I’m not going to sleep there”. 😂😂😂 But sadly, we are too old, demented and weak now. Which might be a good hook.

    • You sound like you were describing DS’s Year 10 (!) Formal last year. Some of the girls make me really sad when they dress like that, because it makes me wonder what sort of parenting they have had. DD’s Formal isn’t until Nov, but at this stage she is planning to re-wear a bridesmaid dress – she is very pragmatic, and said why not, I know it looks good, and saves me all that shopping time.
      Love that you also have footy girls, Brussel. Eldest DD didn’t make finals in women’s league afl, but younger DD was in premiership team for first grade soccer – very exciting. GWS is sort of a second team for me too, so I was in front of the TV at 2.30 Sat. They say you need to lose one to win one, so I think it won’t be long. I will just remember the fantastic game the week before, and consider that the GF.

      Another plus one for The Amazing Race. I keep coming across older US ones at weird times, and not being able to keep up with the programming to see the whole series.

    • Yeah, the cheating scandal turned me right off him.

      OTOH, I still own “Gods of Football”, a nude calendar (raising money for breast-cancer research, so, a good cause) he did when he was barely 21 or so. Oh, to be that confident, heh.

      But the opening scene of any season of “The Amazing Race” — where the host drops his hand, shouts, “go!” and all hell breaks loose — is some of the best television you’re ever likely to see.

      • Oh yeah, Windsong. The couples who never learn to drive an automatic. The couples who can’t swim. That man/woman terrified of heights, bungy jumping from a tower, and best of all those bickering couples having a melt down. And that excited, nail-biting rush to the end. Where do they get to wee?

        • One of the winners did an interview, once, and he said the race is like warfare. There’s short, sharp bursts of intense action … followed by long lull-periods where nothing happens (and those are the bits that don’t show up on TV).

          Another team once interviewed and said, you have to treat your camera-crew (each team has a camera person, and a sound person, that follows them around) like children, you know. They need to eat, drink and stop to use the bathroom, just like everyone else.

  3. Huda from MasterChef has launched her pop up ice cream business. SA peeps can see her at the Central Market this week

  4. Thanks, Bobi.

    I watched all of Old People’s Home For 4 Year Olds, and did enjoy it. I’m not surprised that a lot of oldies in homes don’t get visitors, although I am a little surprised the number is as high as 40%.

    Many of the residents could be like me. I have no family left, and no husband or children. Of course I have friends, but they are mostly in my age group. So if/when I/we end up in an aged-care home, the last one alive will not likely have many visitors. I don’t know that I’d expect neighbours with whom I’m friendly to visit, but I’d hope to make a friend or two with other residents of the home. But I’m fine on my own, in fact prefer it.

    I do like little kids, so this experiment, yes, could be extended to more homes. Or, more homes could allow pets.

    • I watched some of that. What I took from it was, “Do while you can”, because they were depressed at not being able to do things any more. I felt sad that once the contrived experiment was over, and the cameras stopped rolling, they would be back on their own again. I love kids but I think those oldies would be happy no matter who visited them.

    • Yeah, I’m with you on that one. My grandmother is in a nursing home at the moment, and while she is a bit cantankerous, my aunts and uncles and cousins visit, and my mother is there visiting twice a week.

      And maybe it’s horribly selfish, but the thing that I think about is, who’s gonna be visiting me? I’m an only child. I never wanted kids (and thanks to the chemo, I probably can’t have any, anyway), at this point I don’t even see myself meeting someone, let alone marrying them. So I’m gonna be one of those people who just sits there alone, in a quiet room, waiting. And the thought is so big and so awful that I just have to stop thinking about it.

      • Have you seen Wall-e? I figure we’ll all be like the fat people in space, hooning around on mobility scooters, watching screens whenever we aren’t sleeping… We can still chat online and post stuff like “back in my day, people wore clothes when they went on cooking shows”. Or, the zombie apocalypse/nuclear war will have happened and I’ll be dead anyway because I have no survival skills. Years spent watching The Walking Dead and Survivor have not prepared me at all

      • Honestly Wind, you KNOW you are going to be the fun person who everyone chats with at the nursing home, regaling people with your on again/off again romance with Robbie, a former reality show contestant!
        Seriously, I don’t think that having children guarantees you visitors or love and I don’t want my family to be obliged to visit me because I gave birth to them.

        • Between the two of us, I’d much prefer it if stories about Robbie Skibicki were actually true. Alas. The most passionate love story I can tell you is the straight coworker I feel head-over-heels for when I was 17, and never quite got over.

          Still waiting for that grand love story that apparently everyone deserves. I guess sometimes it makes me quite bitter.

      • Windsong, just check out the FB site; parents of estranged children. OMG. It’s a heart breaker. Then look at us. You can have kids. You can raise them to be close, good kids and you can make it through their 2s, and teens. But they can twist the knife at 40. And the more you love them, the worse the sorrow. Get puppies.

    • I’ve being boring everyone I meet about this show. One of the things that got to me was that this was one of the GOOD aged care facilities – great rooms, programmes, nice area, good staff. And these people were just sitting.

      Then, I have to point out that the ten people in the program were specially chosen and all rated on the depression scale, so they probably weren’t representative of everyone there. Also, most of those people could do stuff, but they had talked themselves out of it because of fear of falling or seeming silly or ill health. My FIL is like that – he has sat like a 95yo for the last 15 years, and is just about to turn 80. I have resolved to try not to let myself opt out of being involved.

      I think this idea could only work with preschoolers. They are beautifully unrespecting of people not participating. I can’t imagine 10yo doing this program, and I imagine that teens are the reason that many of these old people lose their visitors. Our elderly relatives are fit and able in their own home, but it was much easier to spend lots of time with them when the kids were little. It is a major undertaking to get teens/young adults to come along, when they have other things on.

      Anyway, it is not often I can say this, but this show changed my behaviour. I hope it lasts.

  5. “I think those oldies would be happy no matter who visited them”

    Perhaps not the Grim Reaper.

    I watched as much as comfortable, before musing on assisted suicide etc.

  6. Thanks to Mr. Juz for maintaining the tech aspects of TTV.

    Regardless of how pathetic this sounds, I kind of miss the “likes” on comments.

    It’s interesting, Mr. Juz, that Zuckerberg has followed your lead.

  7. Just reminding everyone that there is a football match on this weekend.
    Canberra has turned green. I have hope.
    I won’t share photos of the bread, cake, beer etc but I couldn’t go past the sausages.

    • Oh Lordy – imagine what they’d look like, ahem, coming out the other end. I used to work for the Queanbeyan paper so am well acquainted with Raiders fever

  8. Bobi, I have been to Leon Pericles place and seen his artworks and his whole set-up. I really envy his studio. It’s amazing. So well set up.
    I didn’t know about his wife.His work is very expensive. I love etching and we are both drawers.

    • I love his stuff. I can imagine that it’s expensive.
      Have you had time to watch the show?
      She seems like a lovely lady..

      • I will look for it. My sister and I went on an art trail. You can choose from lots of places in the SW, and he was one of our pics. He does collage on his work, which is something I often do. He must spend ages finding interesting things to stick on because he has some great old bits and bobs. He does etching which I love. Here is is one I did. Sorry I rushed the pic and there is reflection.

  9. My brother did an etching for one of his uni projects.
    It took him six months and he only got six prints. I have one … just in case the house burns down. When I get a moment I will put up an image.

      • I had that happen to me when I tried to post a pic of the Lady Chips. I cropped and cropped but it still wouldn’t. I had wondered if maybe it was the colours; bright purple and lime green.

        • Thanks for the offer, Juz, but I won’t.
          I was hesitant to do it without his permission anyway.
          I know he’s in the business but the etching was from uni and there’s a protocol.

  10. To bring some lightness, I like putting Michael McKintyre videos on (you tube). I enjoy the relatability.
    I tried Lee Mack (who I love on WIL), but he mumbles so you miss the jokes. Plus he shouts which I found a bit much. MM is easier to listen to and v funny.

    • I went and saw him live when he was in Sydney.
      We were in nosebleed seats but the company was jovial.
      You wouldn’t want to be elderly. Seriously scary navigating our way up there.
      Still, he was excellent. It was really noticeable that he was talking directly to the audience, and he was able to change tack according to the response. No wonder he’s the highest paid comedian in the world.

    • Lee Mack was one “The Sketch Show”, years and years ago. I loved him on that. They did a phobias workshop sketch that is still one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen in my life.

      • Lee is the most genius, funniest, quickest comedians I have ever seen. It’s just that his mumbling makes me miss too many of his jokes.

      • That was a good show. We saw Lee’s live show once at the Melbourne Comedy Festival. He is very quick witted. On Would I Lie To You I enjoy his digs at David

      • I am also amazed at him. There are lots of very funny people, but I don’t think I have seen anyone that quick-witted. Combined with David Mitchell’s dry sarcasm, and Rob Brydon, it is a magic combination. Will never forget the episode involving the royal wedding (avoiding spoilers, but go look for it).

  11. Climbed a mountain yesterday! 446 metres tall, Mount Cooroora on the Sunshine Coast (I just Googled and it turns out the Empire State Building, for scale, is slightly shorter). Very tired and sore afterwards, but I felt pretty proud of myself.

    • The narrow white strip, on the left side of the peak? Yeah, that’s the trail. It looked worryingly vertical, and it was.

      • Jeepers – that IS vertical. Good on you. My folks are housesitting at Peregian soon (fingers crossed no bushfire evacuations) but I don’t think they’ll be scaling any goat tracks

        • There’s a few easier climbs, on the coast, if it takes their fancy?

          I honestly didn’t think it would be as high or as difficult as it was. There were quite a few points (notably, the part where the chain and stairs ran out) where I stopped and thought, do I really want to do this? But it’s like, why go all that way if you’re not going to reach the top?

    • The scramble towards the top was a bit hairy. Lower down the mountain, we had chains on posts, and metal stairs anchored to the ground, but towards the top? It was just a scramble up a very, very steep cliff-face. That part wasn’t fun.

    • Next weekend should be good too. There’s a model train show in town, on Saturday, and then on Sunday, the same hiking group is going back to that high-ropes course I did in June, and I’m *super* excited for that.

  12. Dave, since I figure you were watching … what did you think of the grand final?

    I was livid at that final refereeing call. That was shameful.

    • I had no emotional investment in which team won. My friend in Sydney was barracking for the Roosters. Commiserations to you. There are some awful decisions being made in Rugby Union World Cup at the moment, while we’re at it. I nearly died when I found out how much some are paid.

      Of course, I wanted a close game…..but when that happens, in whatever code, there’s always the fear that referees will stuff it up with a stupid decision. Then there’s the problem of having enough time to eat an apple while video decisions are made.

      • It really bothers me because, for all the criticism that’s completely unfair and unwarranted … you get to something like tonight, when they screwed up so badly that it changed the entire outcome of a tight, close game … with 10 minutes to go in a grand final! That’s outrageous, it’s scandalous.

        Refs make bad calls all the time. The vast majority of times, you just run with it, because the game will sort itself out. But *both* of the Rooster tries came from dodgy and bizarre decisions. That’s not incidental, to me. That fails the pub test. That just … stinks, really. And that second howler, when they change their mind 30 seconds after the initial call (and then the opposition almost immediately scores the match-winner)?

        That just left a really poor taste in my mouth. It was like, what was the point, you know? Why’d I sit through the whole game, if that was how it was going to be decided? I’m just annoyed.

        • Windsong, you sound as appalled as I was. About twenty friends were together watching. We had had a great day, lovely barbie, fun watching the game, and then all left in sour moods having argued over what was probably the worst last few minutes of a game ever. It seemed to me that the Roosters were almost as downcast afterwards, because they knew they had won under false pretences.

          They may still have won, if the game had gone to extra time/golden point, but then they would have earned it, fair enough. But it was unlikely as the Raiders were by far the better team on the park throughout the game.

          My final take is: yes, refs make mistakes, they are human, but it is a known fact that even if the call is a mistake, unless it is overturned by a video system, then they have to stand by the mistake, because by making that call they have already influenced the play. I would have liked to see the two refs come together in the moment and agree that the “six again” call had caused the player to not kick but take the tackle and therefore should stand as called.

          I am only a nominal NRL watcher, and I wouldn’t have really fussed which team won. But the whole thing was a debacle, and I find it hard to tolerate unfairness that has such a big impact.

          • No, that’s the frustrating part. How many times throughout the year do we hear a referee justify a bad call by saying, “That’s the way I saw it, and I’m standing by the call”? That happens all the time. Bad calls happen all the time. 99% of the time, they just run with it.

            So why now? Why did this one call — in a really tight, close game, ten minutes before the end of a Grand Final, no less! — get spontaneously over-turned? It seems like they were expecting the players to double-check with the referee every 30 seconds to make sure they haven’t changed their mind about their last call, and frankly, that’s not a reasonable (or remotely realistic) thing to ask the players. Not when there’s 80K people screaming their lungs out, and the players can barely hear themselves, let alone the refs. That’s why we have hand-signals.

            What I think should’ve happened is that they should’ve blown the whistle and stopped play completely. Pulled them back to the last tackle, explained to the Raiders, “the initial decision was wrong, the ball came off a Raider” (which itself could’ve been argued either way), and then they started from that point, knowing that it was the last tackle. Yes, that would’ve been awkward, but it would’ve been a damn-side better than this mess right now.

            Meanwhile, apparently Cummons this morning is saying, “I didn’t call six again.” Dude? 2 million viewers watching the footage saw you make the “six again” hand gesture, so don’t start with that rubbish.

            And I look forward, next year, to every team just turning around and kicking the ball into their trainer, because it’ll get them an instant extra 6 tackles.

            Those decisions just ruined the whole game. It’s such a shame.

    • I dont even properly understand rugby league and I can see why it was so controversial. Poor Canberra

  13. So in pure gossip. . . My brother has just been involved with a big charity event with Colin Fassnidge (they were doing a massive degustation for the CanDo cancer trust in coffs harbour, using TAFE students, local produce, etc). He has nothing but praise for Colin – he came up after the last day filming MKR and was really professional and worked super hard. So there you go. And they made heaps of money for the charity, so good all around. . .

      • Fingers crossed, Daisy. I don’t actually know what that means. Whatever’s best in the long run, I think.
        And yes, interesting goss on Colin. It does put a different light on things.
        I have often suspected that I wouldn’t come over well on telly.

  14. Just an update on the drama that I wish hadn’t become my 2019. Son had his case heard today and will be heading home soon. We still have a way to go. DIL is still being brutally horrible, and playing power games with the children as pawns. How did this angel turn on a dime?
    Tomorrow I have a hernia op. Bring on the general anaesthetic.

    I have been destressing watching Schidt’s Creek. I thought it would be dumb but I am actually enjoying it.

    • As an armchair expert I would say that DIL is really angry. Hopefully that means that she will work through her issues and come out the other side.
      I liked Schitt’s Creek too but I started too late. All those episodes stretching before me. I will die before I’ve caught up.

    • Feeling for you Daisy. I have been sent near the bottom of my resources by DS’s breakup, but there were no children and that might have broken me. I am also bewildered by the change in my precious DIL (not so bad as yours). Also just got news of yet another young couple separated early, apparently due to the girl’s career aspirations (fashion industry).

      I have learnt over the past year or so that grandparenthood seems to be mostly biting your tongue, being loving to all even when they are hurting your loved ones and you, and keeping in good with the in-law child, because they have power over your child and grandchildren. It sounds like you are doing a great job in a very difficult time.

      Best of luck with the op, and speedy recovery.

      • Thanks, Fijane. We even supported her financially since the divorce but the kick to the guts was her hurting the kids. We half raised them, seriously, and then they were used as weapons. You can only imagine how hard that is on top of the situation with their dad. It’s pure spite. Very disappointing.

          • Dr.Phil regularly spits psychological bile at folks who force children to take sides.

          • 👍👍

            If she let them pick a side she would have a problem right now. They have not had a vote. And we know what Phil says about how that will bite you on the bum.

            But in any case. Enough on that. I have been to morose this year.

  15. In TV news, I finally got around to watching the first episode of “Batwoman”.

    I really enjoyed it. It was really, really good. There’s a Bat, back in Gotham, cracking skulls and being a general badass, which is exactly what I wanted, from a Bat-franchise, and exactly what I got. Looking forward to the next episode.

    • How’s Ruby’s acting? She was a bit awkward on OITNB but perhaps if she was unknown to me I would not have noticed.
      I just watched the first four eps of GBBO, so, I’m happy.

      • It was only the pilot, and they were more interested in setting up the world of post-Batman Gotham, but there was still some deep character stuff that she got her teeth into.

        My only issue, with casting Ruby as Batwoman, is that a Bat character has to be tall and intimidating. Batman is terrifying to evildoers, there’s a reason for that. Ruby, bless her socks, but she’s 3 feet tall. And even with that, she really impressed me with the superhero side of her character. She menaces with looks and actions and grunts, but that’s a good thing. The Bat-family has their own way of doing things, and I thought she did that well enough. The character and actress are both still finding their feet, so I feel like, give her another couple of episodes (and get her into the proper Batwoman costume), and she’ll have really settled into it.

  16. A developmental. Son 1 should be leaving KS for Bangkok soon. Then home.

    Am I excited? No. Relieved? Yes. But I don’t know what to expect after that. It will be up to him.

    • Well those two certainly came across as awful people.

      But I feel like I’m naturally cynical, because the whole time I was reading the article? I was thinking, how much of that was production interference, and how much of your experience was because the pair of you were called out on national TV for acting like selfish jerks?

      Then again, Jo quit the show as host because of the production interference, so maybe there is more to that.

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