Spot that teenage angst TV show!


Ha, love this theme myself. As a gay boy growing up I had angst galore, so I was lucky to grow up in the 90’s as this was the era of slow paced, grunge or retro style teenage voice-overed TV  shows about kids growing up with issues bigger then themselves. Yes, I watched a LOT of TV! But the nineties also brought us upbeat and sassy sitcoms with a plot. You know, a warning (don’t drink.. ever… at all.. or you’ll die) and a joke to mark the end.
Either way, it was comforting to see that at least writers of TV shows knew a bit about what I was facing every day. Oh, and in case you wonder; I grew up being perfectly happy.

 

See how much you guys watched. In style with my other quizes, I will give you a few images of a TV show house, and with a small hint, ask you to come up with the name of the show.

First one, maybe not quite fitting the theme per se, but the title of this sitcom says it all. It hurts growing up.

Mystery House 1

Mystery House 1

The next house featured in a show with a girl named after the process all teenage girls go through as they grow into womanhood. She shared the house with her dad, and I believe two brothers. Being a girl, growing up in an all men family is tough. A fast talking friend named somewhere between 1 and 10 did help though.

Mystery House 2

Mystery House 2

Next one up is a classic story. Poor kid, growing up in rich household. Where Will Smith moved to Bel Air, the guy in this show moves to another posh greater LA area. It aired for four seasons before it was pulled because of deteriorating ratings.

Mystery House 3

Mystery House 3

I guess a hint could be that the love interest of the main character, his skinny neighbour girl, has the same surname as the love interest of the main character in the show from the next house.

That next house is this.

 

Mystery House 3

Mystery House 4

A typical suburban 1940’s bungalow. The show was set a decade or two after is was built and featured a young David Schwimmer as the older sister’s love interest. Only for an episode or three, so not sure if that counts as a hint…Like I said though, the main character’s love interest shares a surname with the love interest of the show before this one.

Oh, another hint might be that rumour has it that the side kick of the main character was played by the later to become shock rocker  Marilyn Manson… This is so far from the truth it is not even funny anymore.

Mystery House 4

Mystery House 5

The last house was featured in a show that changed teenage drama according to many TV critics. It dealt with issues such as same sex parenting, homophobia, drug abuse and best friends stabbing you in the back. The show was devoid of all the obligatory happy endings which made it a bit more real and would often even leave you feeling a bit unsettled after watching it.

The main character tries to balance her life between the expectations of her parents, her former best friend, and her much cooler new best friend. Her much cooler best friend ends up kissing the boy she herself lusts after all throughout the series. And her geeky neighbour captures a lot of her life on camera. I personally can’t help but think that this inspired the creator of American Beauty to invent the character of Ricky Fitts.

OK, five TV shows dealing with teenagers growing up in various era’s and sometimes all’s well, ends well, and sometimes it doesn’t.

Can a council flat or estate be considered for monumental or grade II status?


In the midst of watching a documentary on the BBC about the Park Hill council estate in Sheffield. This 1950 and 1960’s monstrosity (according to most) is a massive social housing estate that got listed Grade II in 1998. This means it is considered of high architectural importance. Yet, protest groups have started campaigns to convince the council to demolish the site and replace it with new social housing. To be fair, it is not the prettiest building..

Sheffields Park Hill

Sheffield's Park Hill

This made me wonder what makes a building special or important enough to list it as a monument? Is it only aesthetics? or does historical value and impact weigh in equally? My own house for instance is listed as a council monument but, albeit a charming facade, not more special than any other late 19th Century house in Amsterdam. My guess is that a building should be noteworthy for it’s historical and social value too.

English Heritage explains: “The Park Hill Estate is exceptional. As a grade II listed building, it is in the top 7% of the most important buildings in the country, making it as architecturally and historically significant as the Royal Academy of Art or the Harrods building in London.

Its architectural importance was recognised by listing in 1997, when it became one of only nine listed post-war public housing schemes in England. It has iconic status as a landmark for Sheffield, has unusually high design quality and shows Britain’s leading international role in housing design. When it was built (between 1957 and 1961) it was groundbreaking in its concern to recreate the social mix of a traditional streets by using external access decks, or “streets in the sky”. Architects Ivor Smith and Jack Lynn had designed the most ambitious inner-city housing project of its day, and Britain’s first scheme of post-war slum clearance.”

I wonder if the Amsterdam 1970’s project ‘Bijlmermeer’ will be considered once too. I would not want to live there, but I have always had a fascination for it’s gigantic scope and beehive patterned plans. In fact, it is very similar to Park Hill…

Bijlmermeer Amsterdam

Bijlmermeer Amsterdam

Park Hill Sheffield

Park Hill Sheffield

Another airplane hotel


Turns out Sweden is not alone when it comes to Jumbo Jet Hotels. I stumbled upon another one while reading a design magazine not too long ago.

Located in Costa Rica, this hotel/suite features “a kitchenette, flat-screen TVs, a dining room, and a terrace with an ocean view.”

Boeing 727 hotel

Boeing 727 hotel

Check here for details about this unusual Costa Verde lodging address.

Boring House is still for sale…..


The boring house I pimped in a previous post is still for sale for exactly the same price. The current owners must have som time on their hands as most real estate agents these days tend to drop prices faster than Mark Wahlberg used to drop his trousers!

Boring house with massive potential!

Boring house with massive potential!

It’s still a dull and boring house. But the potential is HUGE!

If only I had an extra € 472.500 to spare I’d buy it, flip it and make a profit as soon as this tedious economic crisis has passed.  Because quite frankly, economic crisis? Yawn fest!