Thursday May 10th - Saturday May 12th: Ros & Guil Are Dead

       The show opened this week to a sold out house. I think we did okay. Its hard to say at this point how things are going with only three shows. All the stuff that was hilarious in rehearsals that the directors decided about my character is not flying with audiences. I've not changed anything and maybe I just got used to hearing them laugh at it and so not hearing the audience do it is disheartening but we carry on. I don't mean to pass the buck here on this matter but I didn't, and wouldn't, have made this choice for Gertrude but I do see why its entertaining. Perhaps I'm thinking too much of the original from Hamlet and need to think more about the comedic one in Ros and Guil.

        Regardless here are some awesome pictures taken by one of our techs!

      We have 5 more shows to go and then a kick ass closing night party where afterwards it will be a good thing that these people won't have to see me again because I expect I'm going to scare them.


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End of Mid Semester break to Monday May 7th- Rehearsals, Milan's Birthday & Fire Twirling

     Since my trips nothing much has been going on; I've been settling back into my Melbourne home and getting down to work. I owe you a video about ANZAC Day if I got any footage worth showing.
      Rehearsals have been going okay. I have been blended back into the cast well enough after my time away. We finally got to do my stuff last weekend and I feel more confident about it, however I still tend to pause awkwardly in the middle of my speech as I don't trust myself to say it correctly. I continue to get the feeling that only one of the directors actually wanted me on this show but I think I'm getting the other one to warm up. Hopefully. I have lots of opinions of the work and how it's going but I think there is a cultural difference here preventing anything I say from being valid. Also I am adjusting to being a vessel again. It reminds me why I am a deviser and not an actor. At this point we have yet to do a full run through, we open this May 10th. Eek.

       Milan's birthday was a couple of weeks ago, I had a blast. Danced on Chapel Street and drank and pulled pranks and had  a damn good time. Many of the pictures that are now on facebook are ones I don't remember being taken and there are many not on facebook that I hope others have forgotten.

(L to R: Luigi, Rachel, Alan, Kirsten & Allie)

(Birthday girl Milan and Boyfirned Harm)

(Jaydin & E-Jaz)

(Myself & Josh/J-Mac)

(E-Jaz, Alex, Della, ??? :S, Frankie & Tim)

       Last week I went to my second burn with MCJAF and my first after switching to poi. It went better than I had expected but it reminded me that I still have SO MUCH to learn. I can really only do a couple of tricks well enough to be confident enough to do the with fire and not just my poi socks. I have heaps that I need to work on and plenty I need to keep practising to get confident enough to do while on fire. That being said I hit myself several times and didn't die, so my fear about being caught alight has greatly diminished so that is one hurdle overcome. 

(Jeremy doing contact fire juggling)

(Julien & fire staff, which was what I was learning originally)

(Jeremy with his hand on fire, metholated spirits I believe. He could do that for about 3 seconds after which he yelped and shook his hand violently)

(Rhys, my teacher with poi)

(Me with poi)

        Over the next couple weeks I have 2 major essays to write, the show opens and closes, I've got high tea and birthday celebrations to attend, and what promises to be a revealing cast party (or at least it will prove for everyone else, this group has a lot to learn about me), a real Aussie Footy match. I'm going to try to stay sane and not starve and keep trying to get a job and celebrate the semester being over with a weekend away. This will hopefully keep things interesting.


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Mail Time: 3in1

     Today (and all days really... and the fact that I got these a few days ago) I am a spoilt little girl. Gordo sent me a package of 3 little letters from himself, Matt and Rochelle who wrote them all together on a infamous evening and as always, it made my day. How I adore these three and the love they send me. Rochelle and Gordo shared one piece of red card which included affection, the fulfillment of promises and naughty drawings and Matt's postcard was a perfect representation of our adoration and adventures to come.

     Receiving mail is just so fantastic. Truth be told these three we in the first category from the last "Mail Time" post and, Gordo excluded because be was the first to send me anything, there were moments I feared that the crushing feeling of let down expectations was to come. Often you forget to show the people you're closest to the love you assume they know you feel for them and your attention wanders to other things but in reality they need it most. I've concluded the joy of receiving mail from anyone is delivered regardless if you were expecting it or not. Mail is just a wonderful thing. Blue Clues really caught on to something.



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Friday May 4th - Surprise Mail Time!

     Friday night after a long rehearsal (at which I fell ill) I returned home to receive a surprise postcard from Katy. I say surprise because this is the first mail I've received I didn't have prior notice that I was to expect and it certainly was unexpected. 
     
     Honestly there are some people you expect are going to send you stuff, some you really hope will, others that just tell you they have and some that you would never anticipate them to think of you to send  you anything. When the first two categories send you something its essential, heartwarming and wonderful, if don't send you things its crushing. Those in the third are usually one of the first two who just decide to tell you it's coming and you get the anticipation for days, maybe weeks, on end that ends with a burst of relief and joy. But  when the fourth group sends you something its dizzying, you get an amazing feeling thinking that someone who you didn't think would think about you did and it makes you feel fantastic and ever so thankful.

Also - Pixar Monsters! =D

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Videos That Make Me Choke Up These Days

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Mail Time! Canadian Edition!

          Last night when I got home from rehearsal I found I had received my first piece of overseas mail (again, that was not my mother, not that her mail is not valued, because it is SO MUCH, but you understand). This was from Gordo, who I have often described as my spirit guide. He makes me feel perfect just the way I am, like I don't have to change a thing, accepted even when disagreed with or misunderstood. The card is simple and small and perfect for our friendship. It makes me feel like wonderful and thought of and I'm extremely thankful. 

Also, you cannot see it but the envelope is sealed with a wax stamped V (for his last name). I tore open the envelope in a way that I didn't have to break the seal. Its amazing and I want one.

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Brand Names

     Snap! Crackle! Pop! Kellogg's Rice... Bubbles?

      I'm confused about this. Why did someone think that they had to change the names of a product between countries? I mean I understand between languages but North America and Australia can't be so different as to need to change the names of cereals... are they?

Kellogg's Rice Bubbles (Okay, this does make a bit of sense, what the heck is a crispy?)

100's and 1000's (Hundreds and Thousands) aka Sprinkles

Creaming Soda (why is the 'ing' necessary?) 

Where's Wally? Who the hell is Wally? That's not even a shorter wold to Waldo! Who is Waldo in Australia  that its not okay to call him by his full name?

      Also, there are no stick deodorant here. Its all aerosol. Well there is stick but its expensive. Everything is, but that is a different story.

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