Monday, January 31, 2011

An inmate is in charge of the asylum at Ten (yes, another Outrageous Fortune rant)

I think the head of programming at Network Ten is a psychopath (either that, or the minion in charge of placement of my favourite program is!).

After 4 series of stuffing us around (See here for the backstory), (Series 1 was stuffed around by another Network), we are in the home stretch of the final series.

We thought the Network couldn't stuff us around any more.

We were wrong.

They lulled us into a false sense of complacency by putting it on regularly on a Monday evening for several weeks in a row. Then they took it off the air - rumours were that they were keeping it for the ratings period, and so we wouldn't see it during the December/Janury holidays.

Then they put a double episode on Christmas night.

The week between Christmas and New Year, they scheduled it every single night - and showed it.

The week after New Year, they scheduled it every single night - and didn't show it.

The next week they didn't schedule it. Last week they scheduled it for two nights - and showed it once.

There are people who look forward to this bit of sunshine in their viewing calendar, and who valiantly stay up until the 10.30 timeslot they believe it warrants only to find they were just jerking us around - again.

And last Friday, after again believing it might be possible they again kyboshed our wishes - and I realised.

There is someone in Ten who is messing with our minds.

Allegedly it is on again on Friday - but that is no guarantee.

My life is work and volunteering and being a mum and more work and occasional online relaxtion options - obviously not much blogging in front of the computers these days - and I really like my fix of Outrageous when I am promised such treats.

I think it cruel that they keep toying with me.

I even rang them and spoke to Jess about the situation. Before she hung up on me, she told me the reason they put it on so late was due to the content (it is up there - but then, they have kid killing on all the cop shows at 8.30 and I find that far more revolting) and the few who watch are staunch supporters (we have to be) but too few to be any influence (possibly because of the way they are treated).

I am nearing the end of my tether with them - if they don't show it this Friday, I am going to bite the bullet and do something that I have never yet done.

I am going to buy the series before it is finished showing on the local station from overseas. I am going to make their asterix * that little bit smaller and I am going to increase the NZ GDP.

So there.



(* - international symbol of negligible ratings)

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

High and dry

It appears that the weather gods (or even the big G himself) has shaken a fair bit of our Sunshine state hard. (Its okay - I talk to God pretty regular these days, and I think s/he chuckles at my little jokes).

Each day, you think "oh no" and feel for those bearing the latest - and then find that the latest is not yet the worst. I hope to goodness it now is...

All of this water has not affected us directly - indirectly, yes, but we are safe, we have shelter, we have food.

The main impact on our lives really is that currently I am seriously over-employed. Normally, I work 20 hours a week at one of my workplaces. I agreed to work the first week back (last week) as skeleton crew so that the other two administration ladies could take pre-booked family holidays.

We-ell - their holidays have extended to waiting for floodwaters to recede and roads to be driveable - and I have discovered what they do all day!!

Therefore, V has had to be not only househusband, but househusband tethered to the home all day every day, kid-wrangling and keeping the washing at bay.

'Salina has gone back to Granite Glen for a few days - her posterior was requested atop a saddle, although reports are that her horse's posterior got a little too close to the waterline today!

There is no bread on any of the supermarket shelves - nor is there milk, hardly any meat and sparse produce. Facebook is doing a roaring trade in photos and swapping bakery tips.

My thoughts and prayers are going out the those to the South, to the North and to the West of us - some are still surrounded by water very slowly receding, some are in shock at their lives being turned upside-down - and some are watching the wall of water coming closer to their record books.

Our receptionist is discovering just how hospitable a small inland town called Goomeri is. She (and her husband, teenage daughters and excess teenagers they were carting) has gotten to know it very well over the last 5 days.

Can you believe parts of WA is suffering bushfires and drought? If only we could pipe some over... NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania are meant to be inheriting some of this rain system over the next week - I hope to goodness that it becomes far more civilised as it moves South.

Right now, I am signing off. I am switching off the 24 hour news we are getting on the television and putting on the Outrageous Fortune episode we taped last night - futile plea to Network Ten to consider the fans of great television and not give us feast/famine of such programming so late at night.

It is my hubby's birthday (mmmmmwwwwwwwaaaaahhhhh), and while I could not get buns for his requested birthday dinner he did get ice-cream - so I am going to share some.