The play's the thing
I can understand why people go sky diving. The hours of training, practising your technique, planning for the big jump, but no matter how prepared you are, there is still that nervous feeling when you're in the plane, about to jump out. Wondering if it will be alright, whether you'll make it to the ground in one piece, tingling with nerves. Then the thrill of adrenaline as you launch yourself out into the sky, the spectacular awe and wonder of the event, and the feeling of relief and accomplishment when you reach the ground. And the energy and excitement to do it all over again.
This is exactly how I feel on opening night. Theatre is my extreme sport. The wings are my aeroplane and the stage is my sky. Nothing beats the feeling when all the nervous tension in your heart converts into a heady exhilarating rush as you step out that door.
Curtain in t minus seven hours and counting...
It's just wrong.
I oppose the death penalty.
Did you see the punctuation at the end of that sentence?
I oppose the death penalty. Full stop. No amendments, no clauses, no exceptions.
Killing people is wrong. Be it genocide, homicide or state sanctioned murder. I don't care if 12 people have come to a unanimous decision that it's an
ok thing to do. I don't care if a person is guilty of a hideous crime beyond reasonable doubt, I don't care if they've confessed, I don't care who they are. There is no justification to end a living human being's existence by execution.
There is a difference between opposing the death penalty and opposing the crimes that have been committed. A point that has been sadly missed by
Australian politicians. In saying I oppose the death penalty, I'm not suggesting we throw open the jails and let everyone on death row walk free. I'm not condoning crime or proclaiming
anyone's innocence. I'm saying that killing is still killing and murder is still murder and the phrase "Two wrongs don't make a right" just doesn't seem to have enough weight here.
What I should do now is present series of stunning arguments using flawless logic and documented facts to support my position - but
i'm too furiously angry to about it to type straight. Besides
these people seem to be doing a rather good job of it, so why compete?
Also, I can't help but wonder if the same people who are saying it is "
un-Australian" to oppose the execution of the Bali bombers will then be rallying in support for
the Bali Nine if they ever face the firing squad.
I would fully support a government policy that actively encouraged neighbouring nations to abolish the death penalty. I'm just a slight bit
saddened that playing the political game has stopped the Australian Opposition from taking a stronger stance on this issue.
And how appropriate - today is the 5
th World Day Against the Death Penalty.
So when am I getting my flying car?
The future is a wonderful place.
We have personal communicators that we flip open and speak into, allowing us to converse with others wherever they might be.
We have video phones so we can see and speak to people on the other side of the world - for free.
And now, I've just ordered dinner from my local Indian restaurant on the
internet, so it'll be ready for me to pick up on my way home.
*giggle*
As the old saying goes...
...be careful what you wish for. Four months ago I was bemoaning my quiet little York life, and then along came the crazy summer of fun. I feel as if I haven't had a chance to draw breath! Where to begin?
A lot of wonderful people have come to visit, allowing me to hone my York tour guide skills and bemoan the English version of summer. I've become an expert on Roman and Viking history, as well as where to find the best coffee in town. It's been so great that almost all of my family and friends have had a chance visit since I've been here. My mum and my nanna were here in June, and we proved that three generations of woman can all agree on where to have a cup of tea. Hot on their heels were my urban family (wollongong) who got to meet their counterparts in my urban family (york). The universe didn't end, and we all got along fine (or was that just the tequila shots?).
My cultural horizons are constantly expanding, often in directions that I would never have expected. I've attended a few folk festival weekends with Dr. TBF, and although I am yet to be convinced that morris dancing is cool, I have been totally converted to
ceilidhs (Kay-lees) the UK version of bush dances. Especially when fronted by bands such as the
Glory Strokes, a zombie folk rock group. I never imagined that I would be "Stripping the Willow" to the riffs of "Smells like teen spirit", but it happened.
London has been calling, I've spent a few weekends there with friends and loved ones - sheltering from summer rain storms in a wine bar in Soho, marvelling at the Dali exhibition at the Tate Modern and being awe struck by the manuscripts at the British Library. I've also taken advantage of my geographical proximity to the continent, adding a few more stamps to my passport. I did the full tourist sweep of Prague with ms m.s. - castles, concerts, cathedrals - as well as catching up with one of my melbourne mates of old, in a bar that looked like it was built by the Firefly crew on some outer rim world. The chaos of Prague was contrasted by the serenity of Stockholm where Swedish precision and love of design coalesces into the best coffee this side of the Alps. With an airport that delivers your luggage in record time and a modern art museum stuffed full of Warhol, Duchamp, Miro and Picasso, I know I'll be back.
It's also been a summer of music, I went to "Bestival" a festival on the Isle of Wight, which with 30,000 people in attendance was classed as a "medium" sized event. I mean it's no Glastonbury, but trying to find your tent after a whirlwind evening of burlesque cabaret, the chemical brothers, kate bush impersonators and czech gypsy hip-hop, was still a challenge. My top festival acts included
Tunng - beautiful harmonic, thoughtful electronic, comforting whilst unnerving, the perfect soundtrack for watching rain drops race across on the window - and
Alice Russell - a funked up soul diva with the voice of a diabolic angel seducing the crowd to drown in her lush vocals.
And if that wasn't enough.. I'm in a play! Whilst googling amateur theatre groups I stumbled across the
York Settlement Players, and emailed their contact to ask if they had any events coming up. To my delighted surprise, i was informed that the auditions for their next production were coming up... and to cut a loooong story short - I got a part! The show is called "Dinner" - a modern one act black comedy surrounding a
dinner party - witty and dark, dripping with acid humour - kind of like Oscar Wilde meets Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf. I am having a great time at rehearsals; it's funny, theatre people are the same everywhere, and I've really felt at home since day one with the cast, they're a talented and friendly bunch of people.
And it's only 16 DAYS TILL WE OPEN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
