June 17. Day 169. Morning melodies

White privilege. The term is heavily laden with negative overtones. But the truth is being born into a middle class Western family does come with a great big barrel of advantage. Of course when that's your reality, that's just life. That's normal. It is what it is. Unless you stop to think about it. Today I did pause. It was 10am and I was in bed. Not "still" in bed but "back" in bed after a "big" morning even by my standards. ABC Radio Brisbane breakfast was holding an outside broadcast at Sandgate Town Hall. I went along because Friday is my studio day with presenter Spencer Howson and because I enjoy this sort of thing immensely. I presented my reviews in front of the audience, witnessed some exceptional local talent perform live, took far more photos than was strictly necessary and also meet some really lovely people. One woman told me that one my recommendation she's bought tickets to Queensland Ballet's Gershwin. I gave another my email because she said she always listened to my theatre reviews and would love the check out some of the productions but wasn't sure about public transport access. Many others commented on how nice it was to put a face to the voice. That's cool. Really cool. That part of the morning done, I battled some horrendous Sandgate Road traffic to Queensland Theatre Company where members of the Dead Puppets Society are working towards the World Premier of The Wide Earth. This show will tell the story of Charles Darwin's voyage with some really, really special puppets. There was only a handful of media in the workshop getting up close and personal with these amazing puppets and the creative team bringing them to life. When you work in arts media, these types of opportunities are a bit par for the course so it is really easy to forget that this is far from everyone's reality
It is a privilege to see just about every live show going around. It is a privilege to be able to tell people what you think about what you've seen. The fact that some then hand over their hard earned $$$ is a real privilege. And to go back stage and meet a most lifelike puppet dog, well that made my day. It's no wonder I needed a little lie down after all that.

Today's steps: 19 426