Xmas Fun

Things that make Christmas fun when you are far away from family:

1. Friends who invite you to join their family celebrations.

A Christmas Whirlygig at Matt and Jasmina's farm.

2. Egg Nog

I tried making some eggnog from scratch on Xmas Eve. It didn't work out well at all!!

Thank goodness I could rush to the supermarket and buy up all of the cartons of ready made nog as well as some rum and brandy!

3. Watching Cows and Alpacas frolic in the paddocks.

Charlie the Alpaca may have a shocking set of teeth, but he herds the cattle in the paddocks just as well as a farm dog.  The farm animals were happy on Christmas too, and they provided lots of entertainment.

The EggNog was talking when 5 of us joined hands to make a human chain, and Matt grabbed onto the electric fence. Our findings?  The human body DOES conduct electricity!!


5. Christmas Cheer and Yummy Food

 The Tree after all of the presents were opened and we waited for the turkey to be ready. (It's really a bough that had fallen from a tree in the forest behind the farm!)

The bird was roasted in the BBQ, as were the side veggies and potatoes. With the turkey, we had ham, wild rice stuffing, fatoush, coleslaw. Not to mention Xmas pudding and Gingerbread people for dessert! It was a feast!!

I hope everyone was blessed with a wonderful day with family and/or friends!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

It's really odd being in a warm climate during a holiday which,  for me, is synonymous with cold weather, dark afternoons and cozy interiors. It doesn't feel Christmas-y when it's really warm. The decorations look out of place, and the traditional food is cold plates, bbq and beers. It makes me feel a bit displaced.

However, there are the odd little touches that make me feel in the holiday spirit. For example, here are the lights on reception at the cottages.  Christmas-y. Very. It's either a Christmas tree or a Christmas arrow.

Media Hype

The postal strike here in Australia is mostly media fear mongering. Don't worry, if I sent you a Christmas card... it will arrive in January! :)

Xmas Post

Santa's Mailbox is back up on Swanston Street in the city this year. However, Santa's little helpers at Australia Post are NOT very helpful this holiday season. They're on strike! I've sent off my cards, and if you don't receive them until February... I apologize in advance.

Bah humbug, posties!

Speaking in a Spa Voice

Modulate your tone.
Find a tone that is not too low and not too high; somewhere between zen master and perky cheerleader.

Celebrate the world of pampering. 
It's not about the treatment so much as it is about the "experience".

Practice the art of "gracious stalling".
Maintain a constant stream of helpful and purposeful chat whilst making a phone booking (especially when  learning a new computer system!).

Check out the ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS company I am now working for! Endota Spa has two locations in Lorne. How lovely to work in the spa industry for a bit of a sea change!

Breakfast Guest

I have now officially moved to Lorne for 3 months! There's no teaching work during summer holidays, so I may as well work somewhere beautiful!
 I'm blessed to have a lovely new flatmate, Sarah,  who is holding down the Northcote fort in the city this summer. I'll make sure to introduce you the next time we hang out. So far, since she moved in at the beginning of the month, we have only had enough time to have a couple cups of tea together!

This morning, I had company at breakfast at the picnic table outside at Waverley 13 (the same  rickety beach shack I lived in last summer!).

This is Ken, the King Parrot.

Demon Weed

Agapanthus grows rampant in big clumps of massive blooms here. People call it "Demon Weed" because it self seeds like mad.

Adults vs. Teenagers

That old chestnut!?
This spring, I've taught acting to a class of 10 adults: one 3 hour evening class, once a week for the last 10 weeks. It's been an interesting change from teaching teenagers.

The CONS of working with teenagers: their extreme emotional unpredictability; how easily distracted they are by each other; their nebulous sense of self.  
The PROS of working with teenagers: their physical and creative energy, their potential for intense commitment  and their infectious excitement.

The CONS of working with adults:  they are highly conditioned to be socially appropriate; they are easily distracted by life/work concerns; they have a more fully formed sense of self.                              
The PROS of working with adults: their desire to learn and build skills; their well-developed lines of questioning; their more fully formed sense of self.  

My most repeated comments in an adult class? "Be Brave."  "Don't think!"  "Listen to each other."
In a high school drama class? "Attention over here, please." "Go for it!" "Listen to each other."  

Same same but different.

This is my class at Verve Studios. On Thursday night, they had an in-class showing of selected scenes from Neil Labute's play, Reasons to be Pretty. Family and friends attended. As you can see,  they are basking in the after-glow of a successful presentation!

Can it get busier?

I'm a shocker! I've let the blogging slide over these last two weeks....and, tell you what, it continues to be a bit hectic as I boomerang between Melbourne and Lorne for yet another week!
At this point in time, all I can do is provide a sneak peak into blog posts to come in the next week.

• Meet my new Melbourne housemate, Sarah!
• Meet my new Lorne housemate, Jimmy!
• Teaching adults and why teenagers win my vote. 
• Nose to the Grindstone or "How I can manage to work three jobs and stay sane."
• The new wetsuit.
• Beach, beach and more beach. 

I hope you continue to check in on me! Stay tuned!

Just a little half-assed post to keep you looking forward to better posts later this week....



This is Papa Skink. He lives under the steps with his family here at the cottages in Lorne. He comes out with the family to bask in the sunny weather.
While the weather continues to be a bit inconsistent, we have enjoyed some lovely balmy temperatures in the mid to high 20's on the coast... warmer still in the city.
Bring on the Australian summer!

Overheard...

...today while teaching year 9's at a local Catholic girls' school: 
"When I'm a mum and I have girls, I'm going to feed them homemade cakes and then tell them to go play outside and climb trees and roll in mud."

...this afternoon while walking past a bus stop. An elderly Italian or Greek gentleman speaking to a young Muslim woman in hijab: 
"This closes your face. Why you want to close your face? I can't see all of it, but I know you have a beautiful face."

Graffiti in North Fitzroy: 
"the future is bleak
 it is uncertain and beautiful."


...this evening outside my flat:
The sun sets and Cicadas sing in trees.

Jasmina's Birthday

Happy Birthday Jas!

Despite the fact that we checked in 70 school leavers  (ready to party and binge drink) into the cottages and the hostel on Saturday, Matt still managed to make Jas's birthday a pleasant affair. Friends came over in  the evening for a BBQ and some cake.

The Local on Sunday Night

The place to be in Lorne on a Sunday Night is at BabaLu Bar . There's live music, good drinks and good conversation. The locals all rock up after other restaurants close and sit outside on the benches.

Some still life:

BabaLu lighting inside.


Bartender Dylan shakes and pours a superior Appletini!

Note to Self #22

When looking for a new housemate, be prepared for the unusual.
On two separate occasions, two different people who described their part-time job/interest as "Medieval Re-Creationist" or "Medieval Re-Creation" came to look at the room Damian recently vacated.  Wow! Those crazy Medieval Recreationists, always dressing up in Medieval costumes and staging battles in random fields, setting up May Day feasts (with stuck pigs on spits) at community centres and Harvest festivals in parks! Who knew so many of them  -- or at least two  -- want to live in Northcote!
I wonder what the Universe is trying to tell me....

...and Finished

Our INCOMPLETENESS run at La Mama is over now. The last show was on Friday, and Steve P. did an awesome job onstage. So much text and action was crystallized and real! It was such a strong ending to the Explorations season!

Incompleteness Started

The Two Steves opened their show last night to a lovely audience at La Mama. It's so interesting to watch this project move from paper to stage. It has shifted now that Steve P. is in front of an audience of more than 4 people, and it will continue to morph as he works and changes different things from performance to performance.

The set is basically 150 cardboard archive boxes, and Godel's theorem. Steve P. in tech rehearsal.

La Mama is tiny. We can comfortably fit 31 audience members in the space along with set and performers.

The Box Office, Bar and Theatre Door. The Office is upstairs. The Front of House is a little garden courtyard.... with garden ornaments.

Hot Days

The heat has hit Melbourne and Spring definitely feels like Summer! The last few days have been in the 30's. I tell you what, it's been warm enough to invest in a pedestal fan!

You can tell it's still Spring because it does feel cooler in the evening, and Aussies come out of their homes to sit in soft, warm air with beers on front porches.
I walked home from yoga class last night. It wasn't late, just 8 p.m maybe. Three doors down from my apartment block I passed an older Aussie gentleman I often exchange "G'day's" with. He was sitting on a low brick wall in front of his house in his chesty singlet, short shorts, and Blundstones (no lie!). After a nod hello I asked, as one does, "How do you like the warm weather?" "Bloody oath!!" he replies (again, no lie!).
In the house across the street from my apartment live this older Italian Australian couple who are often yelling at each other in Italian. I've named them Nonno and Nonna. We exchanged nods and smiles, and as I pass I ask "How you going?" They both shrug and the Nonna says, "Eees hot."

No matter which way you say it, it's hot... and Summer hasn't even started yet! While it's a pleasant change from the Aussie "winter", it doesn't bode well for bush fire season.

Theatre Vocabulary

Dramaturg/Dramaturge: A position in the theatre responsible for any combination of the following tasks: 

• assisting with the development and editing of new plays 
• keeping a critical eye on the production, working to improve and maintain high quality.
• conducting research into the historical and social conditions, specific locations, time periods, and/or theatrical styles of plays to further assist the playwright, director and/or design team in their production. 
• locating and translating worthy scripts from other languages

I've been lucky enough to have been invited (and paid!) to work with "The Two Steves" on a new Australian theatre piece.  It's a One-Man Show they have been working on for a few years. I've been helping out for the last two months.

It's loosely based on the experience and theories of  Kurt Godel, a mathematical logician and friend of Albert Einstein. Like many people with intense creative ability and great minds, he was ... well .... a bit unusual -- a mathematical wild child! Definitely great material for theatre!

The work is logics, maths and the human experience embodied onstage. Of course it's fascinating!

The Gush: (an utterly sincere and honest one!)

It's been really exciting to work on a project with so much potential. It's so well written and well acted. The Steves are lovely!

We open a short season this Wednesday night as a part of a development program sponsored by  the  LA MAMA Theatre.

Wish us luck!

What the Storm Swell left behind

Kelp and seaweed litter Lorne Beach after a storm.

Boring As

If I'm going to be honest with myself, my last two posts are almost completely lacking in entertainment value. So, to reassure you that I do get out to do more than just hunt down public health announcements and practice my Breaking and Entering skills, have a look!

I went to a concert on Friday night with my friend Nadia. bluejuice is a popular Australian band that has been around for ages. Nadia's boyfriend's brother, James is the drummer, and Nadia also knows Stav, one of the lead singers. Good music; young bogan crowd. Nadia and I were happy in the mosh pit  until we were outnumbered by big inebriated blokes.

Like Cinderella, we set ourselves a curfew of midnight. Nadia was going to Derby Day (the first day of the Spring Racing Carnival) on Saturday, and I was catching an early morning train to escape to Lorne for the long weekend. Even with our early exit, we still got to hear some of the band's iconic songs AND we held our own down the front with the blokes. No shoes were left behind.

Handy Tips

It's got to be getting to be flu season back in Canada...and there's probably a bit of Swine Flu Hysteria as well. The fear of "Swiney" here  in Australia has subsided somewhat since a mass vaccination campaign has begun. Until a mass vaccination campaign stops Swiney from spreading far and wide in BC, here's some handy tips I documented during the height of flu season here in Melbourne.

Security

I locked my keys in the flat earlier this week. Thankfully, I had left the window in the bathroom open. All I had to do was shimmy up the wall, take off the screen and lift myself through the window and into the bathroom. Easy! Too easy, actually.

See? Just enough room between the wall and the removalist's  bin to shimmy up to grab the window sill. As warm weather settles in, it will be necessary for me to get some security braces for the windows.

Congrats!

My parents celebrated 40 years of marriage this week. Congratulations, Mom and Dad! I love you and miss you! Hugs!

Taking a Drink Break

Met a friend for a drink this weekend at Misty Bar in Hosier Lane. This Melbourne laneway is popular with fashion and wedding photographers. These are some of my favourite bits.

Note to Self #21

Papers do not write themselves, as much as you would like them to! I sat down and forced myself to write two papers this weekend... and still managed to get out and enjoy the sunny spring weather for a bit. There is a certain freedom in not worrying about your assessment mark.
2 down. 2 to go.

Who knew...

Today I would be squatting in a closet to make theatre...?
It was a good day.

Go to that Happy Place

Reality Bites. 

"Why?" you ask.

• My housemate has just told me he's moving out next Tuesday and back to Sydney. I need to find someone to replace him ASAP.
• I have two major assignments due tomorrow. One is a group project and my partner hasn't answered my messages about arranging a meeting time. 
• I start teaching an Acting class on Thursday night and I haven't finished prepping for it. 
• I have a wicked head cold. 

Things I am thankful for:

• A great time in Hawaii with good friends. 
• A tan.
• General good health.
• I worked a full day yesterday at one of my favourite schools. 
• I've got good friends here in OZ. 
• I can still feel as if I'm moving on the waves when I close my eyes. (And NO, that isn't the cold medication! If you look back at my earlier posts, you'll remember I've learned not to take cold medication in Australia. It's like crack.)

So, yes... right now, I'm going to summon memories of the beach back in Maui, and that will keep me calm.

Do not attempt this at home

 Fire Dancer at the Luau.

The Luau

Good times were had and much yummy food and sweet cocktails were consumed at the Hyatt Regency Luau.

Our host was a suave Hawaiian with a Don Ho-like presence.

Not a lot of my shots of the hula show turned out all that well, but it was pretty impressive and the performers were all beautiful and fit!

Uncovering the Kahlua Pig...roasting underground for 8 hours!

Never Turn Your Back on the Ocean

Shore breaks on Maui can be mean and deadly. The ones on Kaanapili Beach were pretty tame, but they could sneak up on you and, at the very least, fill your swimmers up with sand if you allowed yourself to be lulled into that happy place by the warm waves.

Standing at a safe distance with a sleepy baby.

Child Care

The five of us adults managed to keep both babies well entertained during our stay at Kaanapili Beach.

Brad, Darcy and Katy at the Luau.

The Dawn, Ryan and Henry  at the Luau.

Darcy and I and a sleeping Katy on the beach.

Official Trip Photographer

Brad's camera at rest.

Check out his blog  and see some of his shots of the trip, then, follow the link on his blog to see some of his stock photos.

For a reasonable price, you too can own a Brad Calkins original... and you'll be subsidizing future trips to Maui!

The Whaler

Our condo tower in the morning. We were in a beautifully renovated suite on the ground floor...right around the corner from the pool!

Tropical Cocktails

Tropical Drinks in order of Tasty Goodness:

1.Sunburns
2.Blended POG and Coconut Rum (POG is Passionfruit and Guava Juice)
3.Mai Tais
4.Maui Cosmopolitans

Shave Ice

To find some relief from the heat during our day trip to Lahaina, we enjoyed a very Maui treat: Shave Ice. It's really basic.... a scoop of ice cream covered with packed shaved ice and drizzled with tropical  syrups. Very cold  and very good!

The Big Daddy is super yum!

I approve!