Spider Bite Update

The scar is slowly fading, and my Travel Medical Insurance is SLOWLY paying my medical bills. I’ve had some hassle with RBC Insurance paying my surgeon for his work, and as a result, have maintained contact with him. He sent me a recent article from the Herald Sun newspaper which he thought might be of interest to me. Here is an excerpt.

More spider bites cause hospitalisations
Article from: AAP
SNAKES might be feared for their venomous bite but new statistics show spiders and bees are behind the majority of bite and sting hospitalisations.
Spiders were the worst culprits, accounting for a third of the 11,000 bite and sting hospital admissions between 2002 and 2005, according to a report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
About 60 per cent of these were redbacks, with white-tailed and funnel web spiders only responsible for seven and three per cent, respectively


Like the Aussies say, "Yeah right. Whitetail bites are rare and can be beauts, but look, mate, at least it wasn't a redback but."

Signy Visits Melbourne!

Signy is a friend I met through my excellent friend and music colleague at Belmont, Joyce Kopan. Signy was in Australia on business, and had some time to tour a bit around the country. I was DELIGHTED to be able to hang out with her this evening in the CBD! How good is it to spend time with a Canadian you KNOW in a foreign land?! (Sorry Aussies, but it's true: you're foreign.)

We went to dinner at Degraves Espresso, a great Melbourne laneway café, and had a wonderful time catching up. (Signy had direct orders from Joyce Kopan and Glynis Dawson. Her mission: “bring back all the dirt” on my adventures in Oz, and report back to Joyce and Glynis! She’s got the scoop now. I hope the girls are satisfied!) Blurry photo of Signy and I after a good meal and some vino taken by a kind, random fellow diner.

Today was Gorgeous!

Melbourne had the best Autumn weather today. It was crisp-ish this morning (maybe 8 degrees), but warmed up to about 18 degrees by noon. Samara and I, tired of uni cafeteria fare, walked down to Southbank for a more upscale takeaway lunch of tapas and salad. We chose a sunny spot to sit while we ate, gossiped and people-watched. Samara snapped this pic before we wandered back to school and an afternoon of "facilitating" first and second year actors in their second term assessment projects.

Best Coffee in a One Block Radius…from the VCA.

The clear winner is the little coffee bar in the foyer at ACCA.
(Australian Centre for Contemporary Art)

And yes! The building is a bit bizarre!
* It’s a great deal! ($2.70 )
* Yummy Organic coffee!
* Fast and friendly service!

There’s much more than great coffee here! In addition to international and national art exhibits and shows, the building is also home to Chunky Move Dance Company. Sapidah, Alex and I enjoy some excellent Flat Whites on our morning break.

Note to Self #10

One should ALWAYS check one's bags to ensure one's cellphone charger is packed before returning home!
I have been without a mobile phone since the battery died three days ago. (I left my charger in Lorne!)
What did we do before there were cellphones? There was no useless text shorthand, no inappropriately loud, one-sided conversations on buses and trams,no fluid schedules and meeting times. We made plans, and we stuck to them....that's what! And I'm all for that...but thank goodness my flatmate, Chris will bring my charger back to the city with him on Sunday when he returns from his weekend in Lorne!

The Lorne Pier

The pier is an iconic landmark in Lorne. It was recently rebuilt, and is pretty impressive. It is the starting line for THOUSANDS in the annual Pier to Pub Swim in January. The pier in Spring.

The rest of the year, it's a great place for locals and visitors alike to cast off and have a chat over a few beers or a thermos of tea.

Here's the Man from Snowy River checking his lines.
There's a bloke who works at the Fishermen's Co-op who is a writer. He regularly posts his poetry on the chalkboard outside of the Co-op.. Here's a sample from the week after Mother's Day. It's a bit tricky to read from the photograph, so I've written the first one here.
Out of The Lost Mother's Day

Anakoussos to Beethoven's Fifth (in C Minor)
And oblivious to Poseidon's wretched cry
Drunk on red he stumbles out of Lorne Fishermens Co/op
In search of Mother's Day.
Christos.

Hard Core

If it's Hard Core to get into our wetsuits INSIDE when it's only 12 degrees out....then we are HARD CORE!

Note to Self #9

It's time to wear your surf booties when you can't feel your feet after 2 hours in the ocean!
(Especially when you've been packing these surf booties along with you "just in case it gets cold".)
And thanks for posting them, Mom. I'll wear them next time.

New Hair

It's not really "new". I've had it for two weeks now...and I think I'm used to it now. It’s surprisingly fast and easy to style! (I don't really know what it looks like curly yet...)
It is “Very Melbourne”, and looks best (I think) with basic black.
It’s a change for sure…the Cruisey, Beachy Canadian Surfer Chick look has definitely shifted! Cast your vote for the description you feel best describes the new look.

Cruisey Uptown Surfer Chick
Funky Arts Chick
Demented Pixie
Carol Brady
Fresh As

(I'm working the demented pixie vibe in this pic....don't let it sway your opinion.)

More VCA Jargon that drives me spare…

Aussie Slang Term: TO BE DRIVEN SPARE: Verb. To be driven crazy by something or someone.

**Ephemeral: Copiously overused in reference to the quality of the theatrical experience.

**Interrogate: Unrelenting spirit of curiosity that exists in the search for understanding in drama. Everything is under scrutiny: your aesthetics, the text, the characters, intentions, objectives, motivations, your directorial vision, your lunch.

**Imaginal: Having to do with the imaginary world an actor must tap into when creating a character. Refers to a skill set: a companion to the sensoral, physical and verbal skill sets. Exciting fact: Everyone has an "imaginal world"! (You could also say everyone has an imagination.)

**Parameters: A specific set of limitations or criteria placed on any process: Improvisational, Rehearsal, Educational. I mean, honestly…you could even place parameters on say, your food choices throughout the day: “Hmm…I feel ephemeral and imaginal today. I think I’ll only eat things that are vegetable and chocolate.” The options are both endless and clearly defined.

Yarra Bridge Art

Here are some more examples of the public art in Melbourne. These are found along one of the footbridges crossing the Yarra River from Southbank to the City.The postmodern worker.

"Typical" Aussie female profile...only she's part cat and part bunny. Yeah. She's a typical Aussie chick, orright.

Umm. A Jack-elope? With a backpack, or a Salvation Army Marching Band drum.... on backwards.

This one is the best, I think. It's cute. And those are either flowers on the girl's skirt...or they're her ovaries...or her kidneys. ....or flowers.

A Weekend in the City...What to do on Friday Night?

Friday Night:
Who? Nadia, Samara and I joined a who's who of Dance in Melbourne
Where? acmi (Australian Centre for the Moving Image)
What? Three films (Dance "Docos") featured in the ReelDance Festival.
Food? A glass of wine at Chocolate Buddha in Federation Square after class.
After the films, we walked up to Pellegrini's for pasta. (Iconic Melbourne/Italian food experience)

What else? Wandered over to hear some great music from Nadia's friend Alana in Bennets Lane, the oldest Jazz club in Melbourne.Don't ask me why Prince gets face time at the Jazz Club...
Here's a shot of the gig roster at the Jazz Club. This is from a night at Bennets Lane a few weeks ago. Nadia's boyfriend, Benny plays the banjo for Zoe and the Buttercups. (Great "Jazzabilly" Sound!)

Cold Snap

A cold snap in Melbourne means the temperature fell to 7 degrees overnight! The sun still shines, but mostly, a cold day in Melbourne feels like a balmy, early spring day in Calgary.

"Cold Weather" Vocabulary:

RUG UP: Verb. To "rug up" is to dress in cosy layers of clothing that keep one warm on a "freezing cold" day.
These layers may consist of: boots, a down parka or vest, or a short jacket with a fur-trimmed hood; a sweater-coat, full length pea coat or duffle coat, a scarf and a hat...maybe even gloves or arm-warmers.

Jumper: noun. a sweater

Cardie: noun. a cardigan

Beanie: noun. a toque

The produce reflects the season at the St. Kilda Organic Farmer's Market