Mark & Me

It's a little late and I wasn't going to blog tonight BUT I just got sent a pic I had to share. It was taken on my birthday a few weeks ago at the Thai restaurant where I had dinner with the theatrefolk. This is Mark and I. Mark is wearing his white Al Pacino "Scarface" suit and he didn't even spill his Thai food on it - or my red wine - which is a miracle. (I'm going to treasure this picture!) Good friends and fried ice cream. It just don't get better than that.



While I'm posting the blog I wasn't going to write - I watched Kate Winslet in The Reader last night and thought she - and the film - were brilliant. I cried. ALOT.

Which I continued doing when I awoke this morning to hear that Michael Jackson was dead. I stared at the coverage for over two hours without moving - then dragged myself away, telling myself nothing was going to change if I stopped watching, and there was nothing to see.

Anyway, it's all been said, ad nauseum, and will be for days and weeks to come. But he really was a great, great star.

Well, I'll be...

I just realised something - yeah, I'm a bit slow regarding CERTAIN things - remember that Wiki assignment I spent about fifty hours on back in - er - April (that I got a high distinction for, hooray!)? I have just realised that all the things I learned and did to create that Wiki are the same things you need to do to create a website.

So I've been busy!

And I've created my own website. It's still a work in progress... but it's there! I've linked to it in my "Links" list on the side of this page.

Holidays are SO cool. I would only notice a thing like this on holiday! I'm guessing I'll be up all night trying to finish it - but it shouldn't take too long. I already did all my trial and erroring while I was working on the Wiki. When I'm finished I'm going to send the link to my agent, and then all good things are going to happen!

Ah-ha!

More Sunshine

It's another naked day for the ponies! Rugs off.. yee-hah!

Had another burst of productivity this morning collecting and printing online reading comprehension resources for the young student I'm tutoring in English. Then I went to the courthouse to have some documents certified and posted them off. I then felt totally justified in blowing off the rest of the day.

Judith and her son Al came into town for coffee and we lapped up some sunshine and chatted. Al created the collaborative storywriting website I was enjoying so much before uni got so hectic. So, now that I'm on holidays I need to get back onto Storytimed and do some more writing because it's FREEING and it's FUN!!! (If that sounded a bit like a promotion that's cause it was - check out the site! Amy, this means you!!!)

I'm now staring down the barrel of another quiet evening - it's funny, the last few weeks of semester were so frantic, and now I don't quite know what to do with myself... but I guess it's important to enjoy the sensation while it lasts. Come semester two I'll be longing for even a moment's boredom.

So here's the plan... gonna get in my pjs, cook dinner 'cause I forgot lunch and now I'm famished, do some writing on Storytimed ('cause it's FREEING and it's FUN)and then watch a movie. And try not to eat my way through it. I gotta tell you - bootcamp ain't exactly going to plan so far. Let's just say that willpower and I are going through a separation right now.

Increased Productivity

OK. I'm back in business. This is probably because the sun was shining today. Hopefully it will keep on shining for a few days - I seem to shut down without it!

I've been putting off some official-type stuff - namely applying for accreditation with the Institute of Teachers because it's CONFUSING - but I finally did it today, and made copies of all my supporting documentation which I'll have certified by a JP tomorrow and send it all off. There. One more thing of the GAZILLION things I've had to work out how to do to get through this course. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I think we deserve to be granted our Diplomas simply by demonstrating that we can navigate the course - and associated - requirements.

Sakie got a thorough soaking during the rain yesterday so I took her rugs off this morning to let her enjoy the sun while her rugs dried. This afternoon when I went out to put them back on Cindy and I went exploring and found some trail riding spots - so... it's back on! We're all gonna start trailriding again! YAY! Blazie is sound asleep right now 'cause he was running around trying to keep up with Cindy's somewhat leaner kelpies. Pretty futile - but pretty cute!

Gonna go - I'm having steak for dinner and it's calling out to me right now!

South African Wine

I've just had the best afternoon at my friend Paul's house. He cooked a very tasty, spicy Mexican meal - made me think I should exert myself in the kitchen... which I don't 'cause it's just me and the dog at home... and opened a very delicious bottle of chocolate/coffee red wine from South Africa. High drinkability factor. So we ate and drank and chatted for five and a half hours while it poured rain outside and I rued the fact that I had hung a load of towels on the clothesline - but not enough to go and do anything about it.

Paul showed me his pictures of Capetown where he spends all of his holiday time each year (it is so beautiful there!) and I felt really inspired because for years I've wanted to go back to New York and do some more study and it has dawned on me recently that once I start teaching and earning a decent living I can do just that - spend all my holiday time in New York. And that is truly something to look forward to!

I felt like I was back in Newtown this afternoon, with nothing better to do than shoot the breeze. Good feeling. Bugger the towels.

Results Are In

I made a bit of a spectacle of myself this morning...

I kidnapped young Mark after class last night (which was a great class, by the way. Among other great stuff, Gosh did a monologue from Hamlet and Matt, who is playing my son in "Quandary", did a fabulous monologue from I don't know where. I get very excited and start jumping up and down when the kids do good work. I'm not one for delivering cool critiques!) So Mark and I spent approximately five years at Civic Video choosing dvds - I got Cate Blanchette stuff, Mark got some Al Pacino and some anime. We lay in front of the heater with the dog watching movies till we fell asleep, and then woke up and continued watching. I got a message on facebook that exam results were in, and that's when the spectacle began.

I went to the uni online learning site and downloaded the results - I got 35/40. I started jumping up and down and dancing, then Mark threw fuel on the fire by showing me the daggiest dance steps EVER - like "mow the lawn, mow the lawn, drive the bus, drive the bus, and sprinkler, and sprinkler" - I'm sure you can envisage what these look like. Anyhow, the dog now thinks I'm completely mad. Actually, he already thought that. Then I had to go play songs from "Chicago" (which makes Blazie howl...literally...) and "Cabaret" and sing along. Real loud.

What a relief. I can move on to other stuff. Next on the agenda is my interview with the department of education. But what I'm really excited about is "Quandary". AND I had an idea to turn a screenplay I wrote into a stage play. Ugh! So much to do. I'd better not waste my semester break!

But right now I'm going back to finish watching "Angel Heart". After watching "The Wrestler" the other day I had a hankering to remind myself what Mickey Rourke actually looks like.

Cate

Got up, pulled on my ugg boots, was very glad I went out for milk last night. Made porridge and tea and watched "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". I think I know why I avoided watching this film for so long - whenever I watch Cate Blanchette I feel like such a complete FAILURE - like I'm living half a life. Not even half a life. A tiny percentage of my life. It's not pleasant. On the one hand I sit there going "Wow!" She's so graceful, so elegant, so talented, makes such good choices... and so GOOD. And then there's this bitter aftertaste - what the hell am I doing with my life???

I'm going to see Cate onstage in "A Streetcar Named Desire" in October. Lord knows how I'll feel after that. Probably alot like driving under an oncoming truck on the highway on the way home. (I should probably warn Judith, who's coming with me, that this might be the case).

Anyhow, I have drama workshops at the theatre in a couple of hours so I'd better go get organised.

I'm grateful for Cate Blanchette. She reminds that this is not enough. There's more.

Unproductive and Lovin' It

Mmmmm... Great day.

Got up (when I wanted to)... pulled my ugg boots on... made porridge with honey, bran, sunflower seeds and linseeds... turned on the heater... headed for the couch. Watched "Revolutionary Road" (Kate Winslet was fantastic... can't wait to see the one she won the oscar for!) and "The Wrestler". Had a little cry when Mickey Rourke said "The only place I get hurt - is out there" - I hear ya Mickey!

Washed my hair... went to lunch with friends from uni, ate a club sandwich and had a good coffee. Had friends over for a chat, then all drove out to play with the ponies. Then went to dinner at friend's house (home-made pizza and ice-cream cake). Stopped on the way home for dvds, got "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" but just noticed it's 159 minutes long. GROAN... have mercy! We don't all have ALL DAY! Also got a Minnie Driver film, looks interesting... and Will Smith in "Seven Pounds". I'm getting fussy in my old age - I find the big commercial films really disappointing. The best two films I've seen recently have been foreign, one Spanish ("The Orphanage") and one French ("I've Loved You So Long" - Kristen Scott Thomas - awesome!)

But I just realised I forgot to buy milk. Meaning when I wake up and pull on my ugg boots and move to the couch in the morning there'll be no porridge and no cup of tea... I'm gonna have to go back out (It's 9.30pm). The morning couch thing is VERY important.

End of Semester

What a slack blogger I've been!!! Slack, slack, slack... I know, I know...

Here's a quick fill-in. I finished prac, finished my presentation on "cognitive theories of learning" (do NOT ask me what Amy and I talked about for forty minutes as I DO NOT KNOW), finished my essay, finished my portfolio, did my exam this arvo, and am officially finished for the semester. (Pop! Streamers! Confetti! YAY! Little dance... BIG dance!)

I'm now ON HOLIDAYS for AGES. So... it's BOOT CAMP. No more junk food. No more laziness. I'm getting healthy before the onslaught of semester two.

I've added pics of my favourite thing I've been doing - we started on "Quandary" with a weekend workshop and photo shoot. Here's pics of me sitting between my two theatre children, Ann and Matt, at the reading, and the promo shot. All in a police lineup. Cool, huh?

The coolest bit is... did I do it? Am I a murderer? I get to choose - and no-one else will know except me.

It's a Quandary!!!