1. It’s impossible to surprise him.

2. He already knows the parental meeting is going to be a nightmare. Don’t be surprised if he tries to avoid the situation. It may be for the best.

3. He’ll know if you’re feeling sad and he’ll know the best way to cheer you up. Think big!

4. He’ll know if you’re looking at other guys; avoid at all costs, unless you accompany the glances with a compliment on his looks, prowess or intelligence.

5. Avoid wearing aluminium foil over your head. It’s the most obvious sign of a guilty conscience, not to mention it looks stupid and only works on alien telepathy.

6. He may sometimes forget you’re not also telepathic, so keep the communication to speech as much as you can. It’ll prevent you falling behind on the goings on of his life.

7. Expect to be paying more for your mobile phone bill than he will. After all, all he has to do is ring ring and he’s on the line.

8. Don’t forget to keep things verbal in public. Thinking at him all the time should only be for when you’re alone. Things could get … ahem … embarrassing otherwise.

9. Be careful what you think about his friends; they may be stupid, they may be gross, but he doesn’t need to know you think that.

10. Enjoy your time together. He’s the only boyfriend you’ll ever have who will know you inside and out.

I’ve looked at Australia, the UK and Canada for TV shows for young adults that were above average in the 90s. When it comes to the United States I am bombarded with memories of hours and hours of TV viewing, and the list of shows is a little overwhelming.

Let me rattle a quick list off the top of my head, some of which I’m proud to admit to watching… others, not so much: Blossom, Full House, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sweet Valley High, California Dreams, Saved by the Bell, Felicity, Party of Five, Brotherly Love, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and Family Matters. See what I mean? If there’s anything on that list that you have never heard of, YouTube it, and see what you come up with… maybe even enjoy a few.

So which show did I leave off that list? What possibly could be left? Boy Meets World was a series that ran from 1993 all the way through to the year 2000. This equates to 158 Episodes. WOWZA! Here’s a bit of the pilot

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2bwACI2wa0

Thanks to the lovely people at IMDb we have a synopsis of the 8 seasons of this off-kilter program. “Adolescent Cory Matthews and his best friend Shawn, and Cory’s girlfriend Topanga attempt to survive the trials of high school, along with the help of the George Feeny, the high-school principal and Cory’s next-door neighbor.” Cast and crew were pretty stable over the life of the program.

There was even a brief appearance by Marcia Cross, and a couple of episodes with one Brittney Murphy in them, right off the back of the movie success of Clueless. Ben Savage in the leading role of Cory Matthews, made a plotline that was pretty cookie cutter for the era, stand out in the crowd. Cory’s on air relationship with Topanga Lawrence (Danielle Fishel) grew and morphed into something that few sitcoms were game enough to venture into… a marriage.

We first meet Cory and his mates when they’re in 6th grade, and we move right through school with the group, and the last parts of the last season, if my memory serves me right, are spent in university. Few programs ever got this far, and I’m a little surprised this one did as well as it did. There was little respect for adults and though there was always a moral to the episode, it was a tad on the insipid side. However the program was FUNNY. American sitcoms are dime a dozen, but this one was a head above the rest. Let me know what you think.

If you live on the South Side of Brisbane or don’t mind a commute to Logan, the Logan North Library is once again celebrating Science Fiction and Fantasy over the month of August.

Let you geek flag fly whilst making a Star Wars Badge, or finger puppet. Whack the crap out of a mate in the light Sabre challenge, attend a sci fi & fantasy trivia night; decorate cupcakes to look like zombies or some other gruesome being and take in the skill involved with the game of Triad.

The event culminates into a brilliant closing day, which includes a book sale, sausage sizzle, and Writers panel. This year the panel is epic in proportion and some of Queensland’s best authors in sci fi/ Fantasy are reporting for duty.

Rowena Cory Daniels, A.A. Bell, Trent Jamieson, Kylie Chan, Louise Cussack, Kevin Webb and our very own Marianne de Pierres, discuss what goes on behind the scenes when writers write – the music they play, the way they research, the pictures and stories they collect – all the things that contribute towards the final book and help to shape the book trailer and cover/s.

This event as a whole is small but very well thought out. I’ve been along to this for the last 3 years, and I can tell you it is getting better every year.

Some events require bookings so check with the program for more details http://libevents.logan.qld.gov.au/eventcalendar.asp?ln=2

We’d love to hear from you if you’ve had a great time at any of the events this year.

1. Well obviously you’re not going to have a morbid fear of spiders if  Peter Parker is your beau. Just be aware spiders probably will like him an awful lot, so be prepared for Eensy Weensy to make an appearance.

2. You’ll probably be constantly dusting to keep his web count low enough so your place won’t be mistaken for a haunted house.

3. That work uniform is a bitch to get in and out of. You might also want to let him get undressed on his own of an evening; it doesn’t matter how much baby powder or body oil you put on, body suits that tight are gonna pull a few hairs.

4. He probably won’t drive anywhere since he’s got the swinging from building to building thing down pat. Just make sure you’re wearing long pants if you’re going to go along for the swing, last thing you need is to flash anyone silly enough to look up.

5. Bad guys will probably have a knack of dropping in right before your assignments are due and taking you hostage without computer access to hand them in. Time management is key; get those assignments in as early as possible.

6. Speaking of the bad guys, they have a knack of causing trouble when you’re out on a date too. Be prepared to have to watch most of the movies by yourself and catch them on DVD later; because if it’s not you being taken by the bad guys, it’ll be some other chick. Doggy bags are a good option too. Who likes sitting in the restaurant by themselves anyway?

7. He doesn’t want every Tom, Dick and Harry knowing who he is when he’s on the job or he’d never get any peace. So you had better be okay with him having his mask tucked into his back pocket. It’s scratchy on the outside and a pain to pull up for a kiss. So hold off on smooches while he’s working.

8. Speaking of secrets; when it comes to his friends, they will all be the undercover professionals like your guy Peter. It’ll be all about keeping Mum. Look on the bright side, things could be worse, He could be like Superman, and wear his undies on the outside, or have the Hendra virus thing looming over his head like batman. You may not act like a fan girl around these people. You’ll make your guy feel bad.

9. When visiting his family, remember his aunt has no clue about his Spidey nature. She finds Spiderman to be a tad freakish, so avoid all talk of the crime fighting hero or his 8 legged buddies.

10. Lastly, might be an idea to avoid clubs. Have you ever seen a spider dance…? Just Sayin’.

I believe Round the Twist started the golden age of TV for kids and young adults. It took the strange, ridiculous and the roll-on-the-floor funny stories penned by the genius author, Paul Jennings, and brought them to life in the most wonderful way. You may all have been read, or picked up a copy of Paul’s books at some stage in your life. You may not even have known you were reading his work, but his quirky work is unmistakable

Some of the short stories that stick in my mind are the ones I was read in grade 3, the year after the TV series was released (Now you maths whizzes can figure out how old I am later). Having moved schools from a very back water country town, to an even more back water country town that just had better TV reception, I was shocked to hear stories of stomach-churning grossness and ‘far out there’ tales of tattoos on children – and gas, lots and lots of gas.

To see these books come to life on the TV screen was more than anyone could have expected. It became the much talked about cult classic of the playground. “Did you see what Bronson did?” ”Linda is way hot.” “Did you have nightmares?”

So without further ado I’ll give you the youtube clip of Episode 1 from back in 1989, Skeleton on the Dunny,

where we are first introduced to the Twist family. The family consisted of Tony (dad), Pete and Linda, (twins) and Bronson (younger brother). They move into a lighthouse and right from the world go, the fun never stopped. The first season was released in 1989. The second season was released in 1994. The third season was released in 2000 and the final season in 2001. I can only confess to watching the first 2 series, even if it was through my fingers, or from behind the lounge chair. I can bet you a fair sum of money that anyone over the age of 15 knows the lyrics to that theme song, and since the program has gone through many, MANY replays, that age could go even lower.

I really hope there can be a second golden age for young adult audiences. What was your favourite Paul Jennings story, and was it converted into an episode of Round the Twist?

Marianne here:

As I was posting Bel’s blog today, I had a sudden desire to hear the music. Round the Twist was on of my favourite TV shows of all time. Here’s a fan video for you to sing to, with lyrics underneath.

Have you ever, ever felt like this,
When strange things happen,
Are you going round the twist?

Have you ever, ever felt like this,
When strange things happen,
Are you going round the twist?

Well have you heard the word about the bird and the spider?
It wiggled and wiggled and jiggled inside her.

Have you ever, ever felt like this,
When strange things happen,
Are you going round the twist?

Have you ever, ever felt like this,
When strange things happen,
Are you going? Are you going round the twist?