5 O'clock with the kids from Degrassi

Its 1991 (or maybe 1992, 1990.. whatever).  5 O'clock in the afternoon I was allowed to come inside and watch television.  And every day I would tune to The Afternoon Show on ABC and watch Degrassi. Except on Fridays when I got to watch Press Gang (still one of my fave shows of all time)

Its 2009 now and I am now watching it again on DVD.  Degrassi really was a brilliant cutting edge show.  Thinking about it now it had a huge influence on my life.  It taught me about AIDS, Suicide, Drugs, Sex, Abortion, Teenage Parenting, Drink Driving, Racial hating.  I also aspired to be like the cool student president Stephanie Kaye. In fact for my birthday this year I plan on channelling her by offering boys a kiss or a feel for a gold coin donation or a drink. 

Once, in 1992, at Ruskin Park Primary School in Melbourne I pulled a Stephanie Kaye and got changed into a slutty (well as slutty as I could for a 8 year old) outfit in the bathroom.  It was yellow bike pants that had a ruffle skirt, and a stripy yellow and white matching crop top.  And I loved it, it was a school without a uniform and I was the cool kid, until we moved back to Queensland and I lost all my notoriety.

I felt like I knew Joey, and Wheels.  I felt sorry for Spike when she had her baby.  I was sad when LD got cancer and didn't quite understand when Erica got an abortion. It really helped me through the child – pre-teen transformation stage.  And I feel like an old woman when I say they just don’t make shows like that anymore. 

So I am enjoying my blast from the past and singing along to The Zit Remedy’s one hit single.  Its a guilty pleasure.  I highly recommend it.

Swine Flu Panic

2009 Sure has been a year of doom and gloom news headlines.

The global economic crisis has affected us all and companies around the world have suffered.  But the people who make Dettol must be laughing all the way to the bank with the other big news of 2009 - Swine Flu.

Swine Flu seems to have touched all of our lives, and even I have indulged in a “I think I have a mild case of the Swine Flu” status update on Facebook.

I don’t pretend to understand what causes it, I don’t understand symptoms.  All I understand is that it has brought panic and has us all reaching for the antibacterial hand gel.  All of a sudden it’s an epidemic. 

I found it interesting that the news is reporting every death from Swine Flu like it is a front page story. Its not. People have been dying of terrible diseases since the dawn of time. For Example..

• Total Annual Deaths Worldwide from Regular Flu – 250,000-500,000
• AIDS – Killed 25 Million people since 1981
• Malaria – Kills about 2 Million people every year
• Deaths from Childbirth every year – over 500,000
• Spanish Flu – Killed 50-100 Million people in 2 years
• The Black Death – Killed 75 Million people
• Smallpox – Killed over 300 Million people in the 20th Century Alone

Deaths from Swine Flu – Less than 1,500.

The loss of any human life is a tragedy, especially from a treatable disease, and I am by no means trying to cheapen the loss that the families of the Swine Flu victims must be feeling.   However, as in the case of The Black Death, the strong survived, the weak perished.  Survival of the Fittest. It’s just how life is meant to work. 

So perhaps Swine Flu should get over itself, so we can have some new news on the news.

(stats are from World Health Organisation website and other reputable news websites)

Top 5 Celebrity Crushes

I have never been overly into girly celebrity crushes.  I was never into Jonathan Taylor Thomas or that guy from Dawsons Creek like other girls were.  However, recently I have found myself pouring over magazines and getting a bit hot under the collar watching a few celebrity men. Here are my Top 5 (In no particular order)

1. Robert Pattinson.  Yes, I may be one of millions of girls who also fancy him, but his dirty scruffiness and constant angsty looks make me want to lick him all over.  I am also unashamedly addicted to the off-screen love story between him and Kristen Stewart.  Am torn between loving them together and angry because he should be with me (obviously).  Plus I love listening to his native British voice.

2. Gerard Butler. Everything about him is damned sexy.  The accent, body, eyes, smile.  You know he’d be a bastard and still you want to strip your clothes off and let him have his way with you. 

3. James McAvoy.  Another Scottish lad, so yummy in ‘Wanted’. And seems like he would be a nice boy.  Happily married unfortunately.

4. Russell Brand.  Yes I know this is ridiculous. But I would like to be a notch on this mans belt.  He has charisma. 

5. Rupert Grint. A new and surprising addition to my Top 5 Celebrity Crush list.  After seeing the latest HP film, he’s grown up into a very handsome young man, and I wouldn’t mind introducing him to the ways of the world.

So reviewing my list, I apparently like British men with nice accents (not Russell Brands accent though).  Another reason to move back to the UK perhaps??

I Got Mail

Today in the post I received some actual mail. 

It was lovely, and almost nostalgic of a time when there was no email and everybody wrote letters to each other.

Now, I am a fan of email and Facebook and have cranky withdrawals if I am away from my computer for too long.  But when my computer goes “DING” to announce that I have mail I don’t get nearly as excited as I did today when I saw an envelope addressed to ME with two UK Stamps on it!  Even more exciting was its contents of 2 postcards and a hurriedly scrawled note. 

What I like about mail is that it does take more effort than sending an email.  It involves finding paper, pen and envelope. Try and find the address (usually involves emailing person I am sending a letter to to ask them their address) Then going to the post office to buy a stamp and put in the mail box. 

I enjoy writing letters myself (well sending postcards anyway) and I would like everybody to get into the habit of sending letters again like they did in the times before the internet (not that I can remember such a strange time, but I read a lot about such a time in books).

Or at least, please continue to send me postcards. Because I love them.  Thank You.

A Film Review: The Half Blood Prince (From a Harry Potter Geek’s Perspective)

Yesterday I trekked to my local cinema to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, this time for purely analytical purposes (and not just because I’m a fucking loser Bella).  As a massive fan of the books I have been consistently disappointed in the films due to the amount that they leave out or change. 

Half Blood Prince (HBP) is my favourite book in the series (probably tied with Deathly Hallows) and once again I am dismayed at the amount of highly important details left out of this book.

• Where were the Dursleys?  And why was Harry wondering around Surrey on his own in the middle of the night without any protection after Voldemort’s return has just been witnessed and his Godfather killed? No Dumbledore lecturing Harry on his safety.  Don’t even get me started on him flirting with that waitress.
  
• Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes?  No indication of how they got the money to start this business was given.  But this is hardly the current directors fault when it was completely missed out of Goblet of Fire.
  
• Harry & Ginny’s relationship was all wrong.  Ron & Hermione’s argument was far too condensed.  But lovely scenes between Ron & Hermione.  Their awkwardness of their feelings is progressing nicely in the film and am looking forward to seeing how it goes in DH.
  
• The Burrow on fire.. BLUGH.  Totally unnecessary scene and the money would have been better spent on the MISSING Battle at Hogwarts.
  
• They missed out on an important pensieve memory.  Where was Riddle going to visit the Hezpiah Smith with Hufflepuff’s cup?  This is key for Harry to understand what the missing Horcruxes are!
  
• NO Battle of Hogwarts! No Bill Weasley getting mauled by Fenrir Greyback. No Fleur Delacaur.. how they are going to come around for the wedding in DH is beyond me. 
  
• The final scene. Um Why does Hermione ALWAYS hold the entire conversation and Ron is just sitting their saying NOTHING??  Golden Trio my ass. Think the director must be in love with Emma Watson.
  
• Snape is not in this movie often enough and I did think they made his allegiance a little obvious, however this might just be hindsight from now knowing the completed story.  I hope and pray that they stay true to The Prince’s Tale.  The killing scene, well it just wasn’t quite right.  Dumbledore looked too strong when he was supposed to be weak.  And why wasn’t harry frozen under his invisibility cloak? Also there was no plot development around the “Half Blood Prince” at all. Also was hanging out for “Don’t Call Me Coward!”

However after my whinge of key plot points once again being missed out, I do love this film.  It is by far my favourite film out of the series.  They got the cave scene spot on. The acting has improved leaps and bounds, especially in the trio.  Rupert Grint, he is turned into a very handsome and talented young actor, which looking back to PS/COS is unexpected, but maybe this is my ginger bias. 

And now the Long wait until November 2010 for Deathly Hallows: Part 1.

I Love Happy Endings.

I have been spending many nights in recently, which I am not overly unhappy about (truth be told I’d give my right arm to be out getting absolutely trashed and flirting inappropriately with boys this weekend) as I have managed to be saving my pennies for my perilous road trip in October.

And, with all this time on the cold winter evenings, I have been watching a lot of movies. Movies which I know have happy endings.

Ma doesn’t get it. She is always trying to get us to spend more time together, but when I suggest watching a lovely rom-com she complains that they are all the same and are predictable and suggests a movie which I will cry all the way through and where everybody dies. Blugh.

I like predictable.  When I go and see a movie I like knowing that the two leads will flirt, argue and fall out, only to be reunited at the end of the story in a smouldering embrace. A guaranteed happy ending, and I am guaranteed to come out with a smile on my face.  I like watching movies that I have already scene.  The most watched DVD in my collection is the Hugh Grant romantic comedy boxed set. 

Ma now REFUSES to watch a Hugh Grant film. Never mind the fact that I took her to Bridget Jones Diary and she loved it, and laughed all the way through.  When I offered to take her to Bridget Jones The Edge of Reason she refused because it had Hugh Grant in it and his movies are predictable. 

Well I would like to say “Thank You” to Hugh Grant, Katherine Heigl and all the other stars of chick flicks with providing me with unbelievable love stories and happy endings.   

PS. I say unbelievable because there is NO way Andie McDowall would have fallen in love with a man who wore slippers outside in Four Weddings and a Funeral.

A Venting Blog

It was very nice to recently have another blog requested, and I berated myself at my slackness in posting.  My loyal readership (of about 5) must be dying to know what has been going on in my fascinating life.

Well the truth is, not much at all really, apart from becoming increasingly frustrated with the day to day goings of my existence.  I thought that perhaps I might use this post to just vent it all out so I can write more productive and interesting blogs later this weekend.

So, my frustrations at the moment are as follows:

• School children who are obviously skipping school and are in my workplace being annoying.
  
• 4wds.  Everything about them.  Great fun when you are off road. Dangerous when you are trying to back out of a car space and can’t see past the hideous environmental disaster.  And the fact that their headlights shine right in my eye-line when I am driving.
  
• Allergies. Pollen is the spawn of Satan.  Waking up in the middle of the night with weepy, pussy itchy eyes is never fun and only makes me more homesick for lovely England, where I am not allergic to anything apart from hangovers.
  
• Fashion at the moment.  They have lovely styles but everything is Beige and Pastel.  Gingers can wear neither of these colours.
  
• My Mother washing her dishes nearly clean before putting them in the dishwasher.  Why?? This is a pointless act and a waste of precious water, especially as we are on tank water only. 

There is more frustration brewing however as my Father now reads this apparently I can’t really discuss them fully here. But however at least I feel the plug has been pulled out and perhaps some proper writing can come free now.