Yoshi

[applause]

Dave: '2012' was itself based on an Australian series called 'The Games'. It was a mockumentary (hate that word) that followed the logistics team organising the Sydney 2000 Olympics. '2012' was meant to be done.m by Working Dog, the team behind 'The Games', but the deal went weird and there was even a legal battle about it, I believe. 'Utopia' is great but 'The Games' is a goddamned classic and I've been meaning to do a Canon submission on it forever. It would be worth looking up - it should be pretty easy to find and I think you'd enjoy it.

Yeah, I don't feel great about this at all. It will make me treasure the current season even more than I would have normally. In the US, UK seasons 4-6 (US seasons 1-3) are available through the PBS app's Passport service. You have to be a member, but at $5/month it's not a terrible deal. I have NEVER been able to find UK season 3, and it haunts me. I've mentioned this before, but for those looking for a bump to get them through, I would recommend the Great Australian Bake-Off, series 2. Avoid series 1: poorly-chosen judges and hosts make it leaden... which doesn't make me feel any better about the upcoming changes to GBBO. Sigh.

So here's a weird: I think I own that slip dress. It's a Betsey Johnson - perhaps the only thing she ever made that wasn't decorated into oblivion - and I bought it in the mid-'90s so the timing lines up. It is a magical garment: I wear it all the time and it's still in near-perfect condition; it fits me no matter which end of the 25-lb-swing I'm on at the moment; and I always, always still get compliments on it. (And yes: truly fantastic on the boobs.) My only regret is that I didn't buy 15 of them so I could have them until I die... though considering this one's at 20 years and going strong, maybe it's not a problem?

If you like 'GBBO', I strongly urge you to Fly To Australia and find season 2 of the 'Great Australian Bake-Off'. Don't bother with season 1: they didn't get the right combination of judges or hosts, and the vibe was just off. But season 2... perfection. <br /><br />Also, for those 'GBBO' fans who haven't seen season 6 (which aired in the UK in 2015 and I think will be the next one to air in the US), you are in for a treat. You can easily tell how much the judges and crew love the contestants, especially the three finalists. There's an interview with Mary Berry after the winner is announced, which made my entire household cry hard tears. This show is a wonder.

Liv sounds so grown in the last couple of episodes! It's making me feel very old.

I lived in Australia for many years, and yes, it is racist as eff. I wouldn't say, though, that it's more racist than the US, because we ourselves are *at least* as racist as eff... but I would say that the racism there is more casual and more unchecked than it is in (many parts of) the US. They also love a C-bomb, which is why I giggled especially hard when whichever-it-was claimed she'd never used that word before. Lies. They come out of the womb using that word. It's a term of endearment in certain circles. One of the many reasons I love that country as much as I do, despite the many things they still need to get right.