June 28. Day 179. I spy

Never say never again. Last year, with much fanfare and tears, we said goodbye to Fame. Now it's like Drama Teen has never left, perhaps because that's kind of what happened. First he moved directly from "regular" Fame to a special graduate and teacher group. Now this week he's in a Fame holiday show as the only adult cast member. I'm not sure how many times I have seen Snow White since Oliver first saw a Fame show at aged three. But I do know this is the second time he's performed in the production. The joy never fades. If you are on to a good thing, stick to it.

June 27. Day 178. Bend over backwards

In my kitchen there's a small plaque that says "doing housework is like stringing beads without a knot in the end". Never were truer words written. But while I would never do the beading, there's an inevitability about the housework thing. If you don't want to live in squalor, cleaning is an unavoidable fact of life. That doesn't necessarily mean I need to do all of it. This is where the domestic goddess who clean my house come in. Alana and her sister Caityn arrive once a week and bend over backwards to ensure my house is shiny and hygienic. They may only be out the gate for 2.7 seconds before the humans and dogs start to undo their good work but at least I know under the mess it is clean. That matters a lot. So I hesitated for not even a second when Alana asked if she could bring her daughters with her today. It's school holidays and that meant either bringing the girls or taking time off. We all have to do what we have to do to make the work/life thing work. The girls were delightful. Their mum said they would happily sit and colour in and so they did right up until the dogs and I waded in and disturbed them. So the girls entertained me while their mum and aunt cleaned. Now that seems like a deal you can't refuse.

June 26. Day 177. Up the creek

 

I'm going to spend much of the next week trying to travel up sh*t creek without a paddle. There will be a lot of sh*t and it will all be coming at me from one direction - the television. Now some people would think the incredibly high doses of lifestyle and reality programming I consume is the definition of trash television. By some people I mean people such as my husband. But this week he takes control of the remote control. No, I did not lose a bet. It started with a chance meeting in an op shop between Charles and ABC producer Amanda Dell. In a conversation about the television segment I am involved in, Charles suggested it would be awesome to let him choose the shows I review. Amanda decided to spring the "good news" on me today live on air. It will be a long week filled with footie shows and BBC historical programs. But even I think it is pretty funny and I'd be laughing really hard if the situation was reversed. It could be worse. It could be be a State of Origin week....

June 25. Day 176. A little bit of theatre

Sunday is the day of rest - if you have no imagination. Personally  I like a bit of theatre in my life. Today I found myself at Gardens Theatre for Mr Stink. Based on the book of David Walliams, this was children's theatre at its best. it managed to combine jokes about bums, poo, farts - and even better farts in the bath - with some pretty worthy themes. This show takes on bullying, homelessness, political expediency and more. That's pretty impressive in an hour. And it does so with a huge amount of humour a high standard of acting and theatrical design. The flyer  said this was theatre for children aged 6 to 12. It's true that the excited laughs, cheers and boos proved it hit the mark. Indeed, I might be a tiny bit older than that but I enjoyed it just the same as did by theatre buddies for today Tiania and Molly neither of whom fall in the target demographic (hear the podcast). Then after the theatre we moved next door to the Botanic Gardens where the weekly markets were underway. Even though I can walk to the markets I have not yet made it there. This is a tremendous oversight. I picked up a few hand-made fashion items and a delicious bowl of noodles. But best yet I was on hand to watch Molly meeting the face painter. It was the second piece of theatre for Miss Molly today which makes it just about perfect for  Sunday.

June 24. Day 175. 21 Candles

If you spend even a second thinking about it, you realise just how anachronistic the 21st birthday is. Do not get me wrong. I fully endorse 21st birthday parties and as a Party Mamma look forward to many a sleepless night planning Drama Teen's birthday bash when the time comes. But what's the great, big key-of-the-door birthday about any more? You can get the car keys at 17. At 18, the doors to the democratic process, the pub, the strip club and the locked cabinet at the supermarket where the smokes are kept (should you be crazy enough to want any) are unlocked. The 21st birthday is a thing of the past. It was, of course, already a thing of the past when I was 21. Its significance is in tradition and that in itself is a fine, fine reason. So it was with great pleasure that tonight I entered the 21st birthday phase of my life for the seocnd time. In round one, the parties belong to you and your friends. Second time around, it is your kids and their friends. It does make me feel old to be at the 21st birthday of someone I have known since he was a toddler. But it is also special to be part of a celebration that marks the ceremonial coming of age of a fine young man. So congratulations Daniel and congratulations to your mum and dad for raising such a gentleman.
(The YouTube videos of the speeches are dreadful because of the light but they are included for the public record)

June 23. Day 174. Pounding the pavement

The global corporate challenge has me pounding the footpath rather a lot these days. It has taught, or reminded me, of many things:
a) I am very unfit
b) Brisbane is every beautiful, especially at night at this time of year
c) I really lack commitment to any cause. Just about everywhere I go there is chalk art on the footpath advising carnivores (such as myself) that eating meat is cruel and a vegan lifestyle is far preferable to all creatures great and small. I imaged there was a large band of vegans with chalk (quite a good name for a rock band). But on tonight's walk I saw the artists in action and they assured me there was just the two of them
d) Ibis and magpies get all the bad press for being avian annoyances but the noisy miners give them a run for their money. They really are little bullies sticking their beaks in just about everywhere. They have little bird syndrome, overcompensating for their lack of size in attitude. Perhaps if I walked faster I might have less size, more attitude.

June 22. Day 173. Life imitating art

Okay, disclosure. Half of these photos were taken yesterday. But yesterday my focus was clearly on the once in a lifetime balloon trip over the Gold Coast hinterland. My brain and my blog has no room to process any more than that. But you know what it's like? You can wait two hours for a bus only to have three come at once or your only six social invitations for the year are all for events on the one night? Life is a bit it never rains but it pours. Today was a bit like that. Balloon ride in the morning. Theatre in the evening. Anyway this is my Project 365 so I will do with it as I please. The rules are one photo a day for a year. Now clearly there is always more than one photo a day and the year was up on December 30, 2012. I'm not much one for following rules. So if as well as today's photos I choose to mix in a gallery from yesterday this is my right. I call it art with nature photos from today strategically selected to mimic theatrical photos from yesterday. Let's call it overachieving rather than cheating. It sounds much nicer.

City of Angels by Beenleigh Theatre Group

The play within a play is a dramatic device used so frequently it has almost become cliched. Shakespeare used it (at least three times in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Love's Labours Lost, and Hamlet) and so have countless others since. A movie within a play is a variation on the theme which runs the risk of being same but different. City of Angels is anything but. in the play we have an author whose novel is being turned into a Hollywood blockbuster with all the trimmings of film noir - guns, dames and hats. His colourful life is reflected in the lighting, the costumes and the characters. The film scenes are all black and white like the films of the period. Clever both artistically and as a visual clue to where we are as the cast slide between play and film. Throw in a revolving set that moves through three different scenes and accommodates oh so many prop changes. It is extremely ambitious. But no amount of clever lighting, costuming or set design is worth a cent if the script, acting, musicians and score aren't up to the task. Fortunately this production excelled in these areas too. It was a rollicking good time from beginning to end. Do you want to see or movie or a play? why don't we have both? 
City of Angels continues at the Beenleigh Theatre Group's Crete Street Theatre until July 8. You can hear our podcast here.