MARCH ROUND UP

I thought February was busy, well it would appear March was super busy! I packed a lot into my month and it was loads of fun.

 

Let's see how I am going with the 42 things first!

 

6. More live music

Yes, knocked this out of the ball park, seeing Tim Rogers, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon and Rufus Wainwright.

 

I've been a huge fan of Tim Rogers for a long time, but never seen him live! So I hit my old stomping ground, The Cambridge, early in the month with my friends A & L to see him. He was touring with his new bad, The Bamboos, a soul/funk outfit. We managed spots up the front, stage right, which is pretty awesome. The band were fantastic, with an excellent brass section, great rhythm team, boogie woogie pianist and soulful backing singers. They played a few songs before Tim came on, which I thought a little odd, but very generous of him. As the night progressed, I realised it was very generous of them! Finally Tim came on, looking tall, and lean in a cream three piece suit. He sounded great, but as the set continued it appeared things were not so great. He kept clutching at his stomach. 

 

 

He was a physical performer, so at first we thought it was part of his 'shtick' but it became obvious something was really wrong, when he dashed off the stage in the middle of a song, albeit an instrumental section. This continued on and off until he left the stage completely and the back up singers took over. Someone said he'd had 'shit food' in Sydney the night before. It all seemed very weird. It was like watching a car crash in very slow motion. By the time he came back after the little break, he was singing from almost fetal position on the floor of the stage. By then it was awful to watch. He left the stage again for a few songs and then I saw him off stage to the right, banging his head against a wall and pumping his fists in the air, he came back for one final song, gave it his all and it was like none of the other had happened. Very strange indeed, I'm not going to cast any aspersions about why he was behaving as he was, maybe he really did have food poisoning! Luckily it was a relatively cheap gig and it is certainly a story! Rock 'n' Roll!!!!!

 

 

Here are the links to my experiences at Bruce Springsteen:

http://www.reviews-vyv.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/see-this-iconic-album-cover-i-stared-at.html

And Paul Simon/Rufus Wainwright:

http://www.reviews-vyv.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/paul-simon-and-rufus-wainwright.html

9. Go on a picnic

L and I had our final picnic for the Lighthouse Cinema. It was a lovely evening, no rain this time until we were safely home. What a great experience though, to have picnic up there, I hope they do it again. I highly recommend the experience.

 

 

13. Write more, post on my blog more regularly

I have been continuing with my writing, can't say I am blogging that regularly, but they are extensive posts when I do! I also had ABC radio host a writing workshop at work of which I participated. Part of their 500 word Online project is to connect Hunter people with each other over a theme each month. I wrote a piece for A Scary Moment, you can read it here:

 

https://open.abc.net.au/projects/a-scary-moment-89yk8go/contributions/in-the-wilds-of-africa-at-night-44nn6ez

 

15. Spend more time outdoors and less indoors

I've been out and about at events and continuing to go for walks. I'm certainly spending less time on the couch, as the piles of books and DVDs in my lounge room are turning into walls and furniture, but winter will be here soon and plenty of time for indoors.

 

 

19. Eat and drink out more

Had some lovely meals over Easter with the family, some lunches out with friends. 

 

26 Go to farmers markets more regularly

Managing once a month, which is regular enough at this point

 

 

33. Go to lots of fun social events

Oh yes!!! One of note was the inaugural Bibliotweeps Book Club. A group of us from twitter met at a local cafe to discuss The Other Hand by Chris Cleave and books in general. Some of us knew each other, some of us didn't. We had a lovely time over coffee and food, discussing our love of books and debating the selected title for that month. Next month Anna Karenina!

 

34. Make sure those that mean the most to me know that they do

I have been very busy this month, spending time with my nearest and dearest. I hope they know what they mean to me. My shoulder is always there for their head to rest.

 

36 Take time to daydream and do nothing more regularly

Despite being super busy, I have had some moments of lovely quiet and contemplation. I do enjoy it, and highly recommend. In the middle of the month I arrived early at the Civic for a play, it was a sunning sunny day, so I sat in Wheeler Place, watched the passing parade and took some photo. It was just the pick me up I needed. 

 

 

41. Have more fun

Yes! This month is a perfect example of having fun!!!

 

42. Surprise myself

I continue to do this in small ways. This month my juggling skills have come into play, not only has it been a busy social month but a busy month at work. I have managed to keep all my balls in the air without dropping any, and mostly with a smile. A fluke, or careful planning, or a combination of both, who can know, but I find it exhilarating and surprising!

 

So what else have I been doing to make me so super busy!?!

 

DVDs watched

• Lola versus - Starring Greta Gerwig (who is just lovely) as Lola, who has a perfect life and is engaged but her fiance calls the wedding off at the last minute. She goes into a spiral and the film is about her versus her reality. A really lovely take on the romantic comedy.
• Ruby Sparks - I LOVED this film, a successful young writer is stuck, he needs to write a follow up but is struggling. He has a dream about a red headed girl and begins to write about her. By doing so he brings her to life and she appears for real. His family think he is going crazy, until they meet her. This is funny, sad and very clever. Paul Dano is the writer and he captures the pathos so well.
• Wish you were here - Australian film about the aftermath of a family after an Asian holiday goes home and they return with one member of their party missing. Joel Edgerton is particularly good, as the man with all the clues as to what may have happened. the story slowly unravels as you watch stunned. I wasn't sure I would like the film, but was totally mesmerised.
• Darling Companion - To be honest, this is a bit of a sookie film about a dog that changes the life of a family. However is starred Diane Keaton and Kevin Kline, so I watched it. They were excellent, the film so so. I think I'd watch them in anything.
• Mad Dogs - this was an interesting British mini series with John Simm, Philip Glenister and Ben Chaplin. Four mates go to visit an old friend on his island. The friend appears to be doing very well for himself, the other 4 have issues. But things aren't as they seem, and the 4 suddenly find themselves caught in a trap with serious consequences. It did linger, but was a good watch.
• Jayne Mansfield's Car - this was a mess, but it shouldn't have been. Directed by Billy Bob Thornton, about 2 families, one from the US and the other from the UK connecting after the death of their mother. She was married twice and each family represented the marriages. The cast was amazing and it was an interesting story, but the characters never really worked. Shame as it had potential.
• Goodbye First Love - a lovely French film about a young girl. She falls in love with an older boy, 19, but he is a free spirit and moves away to work. She is bereft, and can barely manage, but takes studies in architecture and falls in love with her professor. As she is finally settling with him, her first love returns. Her world falls apart, as she has never gotten over him, what to do?

Television watched

• Final Season of Gossip Girl - I do love my GG, but found the final series a bit disappointing, a bit of a rehash of old storylines, and some annoying turns for some characters. However the fashion, as always, was stunning and NYC perfection as a backdrop. And then there was Chuck, there was always Chuck. Goddamn, I am Chuck Bass, has to be one the all time cool lines! The ending tied things up and of course I sobbed. I will miss their antics, most especially Blair's peonies and fabulous outfits, her Audrey fantasies and her schemes. And of course, the man, Chuck Bass, how he smoldered his way through the entire series, with cravats and purple suits...sigh. For the record I truly thought GG was Deroda, which when you think about it was crazy, as if she would ever do anything against her beloved Blair. The revealed GG makes perfect sense, he was always the Nick Carraway to the groups collective Gatsby.
• Agony of Life - I was not a big fan of Agony Uncles, I thought it came across a bit misogynistic. I only caught a few episodes, so I will revisit. I loved Agony Aunts, some of their stories just killed me, especially one episode with Julia Zemiro, it still haunts me. But Agony of Life, took it up a notch. For those who haven't seen it, it's worth a look. Adam Zwar (Wilfred, Lowdown) interviews Australian actors, singers, presenters, comedians about the stages of life, from birth to death. It is funny, poignant, clever and entertaining. I miss it still and eagerly await the next one, of which I believe is coming soon.
• Please like me - another Australian gem, loosely based around the life of Josh Thomas. I sometimes find Josh a bit affected in his mannerisms, and this does heighten that. But as the series went on they grew on me. I still don't get his 'accent' though!?! The cast were brilliant, with stand out performances from Debra Lawrence as his Mum (wow, that was something else!) and the amazing Judi Farr as Aunty Peg. There were some truly remarkable scenes, in particular the church scene, that stood out for me. And whilst things tied up nicely at the end, I would love to see a second series.

Books read

I'm still not getting a lot of reading done, hard to find the time with everything I am doing, so thank goodness for talking books!

• The Other Hand by Chris Cleaves - I did re-read this for book club. An interesting story with a twist, the promotion says you can't talk about what it is about, so I won't, but the subject matter will make you think.
• The Great Gatsby - I do love this book, and having re-read it recently, I decided to listen to Tim Robbins reading it instead. He was quite excellent, doing great voices for each character, including Daisy!! We were doing this at our work Movie Book Club. I was disappointed when no one really loved it. It's rough when that happens. They did appreciate the writing though. And what fine writing it is!!
• Continuing with Bill Bryson reading his own books, I devoured A Walk in the Woods, about his trek through The Appalachian Trail. This was a great read/listen, entertaining, funny and informational! Then the wonderful Neither Here nor There, about his travels in Europe. This was great as I could picture in my mind some of the places he visited as I had been there recently.

Cinema Experiences

• Argo - loved this, it got a late re-screen just after the Oscars, and you can see why it won best film. A great story and cast. It was filmed with love and extreme attention to detail. Despite being a drama with a horrific back drop, there was ample humour, mostly delivered by the brilliant pairing of John Goodman and Alan Arkin. The casting was spot on, the end of the film shows real life still photos of players and scenes against shots from the film. Remarkable imitation, right down to the gritty opening credits, this film would stand up alongside the great films of the 70s. I've enjoyed all of the films Affleck has directed, but this is a masterpiece.
• Oz - this was much better than expected. Franco was so so and it was a little long, but the witches were excellent and the set design magnificent. I loved the little links back to the original Wizard of Oz. Didn't see it in 3D, which was possibly a mistake.
• Amour - this was a bit of a rough film to watch. But that is Michael Haneke. Friends had seen it the night prior and were devastated by it. I was not as much, possibly as I am used to Haneke's detached style of film making and I had steeled myself up for extreme upset...and it just didn't happen. It is about an elderly couple trying to cope with the wife's stroke. It was upsetting for sure and very confronting and I wept on and off throughout. I do keep thinking about the ending and the beginning of the film and wonder if they are linked. It is worth seeing, great performances and outstanding soundtrack, but a hard slog. Oh, and I sooo want their Parisian apartment!!!
• Hyde Park on Hudson - this was ok, I will see Bill Murray and Laura Linney in anything. Bill is continuing with his melancholy period of acting which I love. He was very good as Roosevelt. But Linney was disappointing in yet another 'put upon woman' role. It is a style we are accustomed with, but it is growing weary. The story of how his cousin Daisy was his 'companion' was weak and at times scenes didn't ring true. It wasn't hugely funny, and not that dramatic either. It was a nice film to take your granny to.
• Doctor Who on the Big Screen - what a fabulous evening, the first 2 episodes of Season 6, up there on the big screen with an audience of devotees, most of whom were dressed up in some way! The episodes were The Impossible Astronaut and Day of the Moon, both lending themselves perfectly to the big screen. What I loved the most was seeing the glorious River Song light up the big screen. Everyone looked great, but she shone. Alex Kingston does the finest job with River Song, and seeing her 'enlarged' as we did, made it all the more brilliant! I do love the Day of the Moon episode, where do they get these ideas from?? Makes me really wonder, could such things really happen...
• A Simple Life - this was our final Lighthouse film, a beautiful film from Hong Kong, about a young man caring for his elderly maid/nanny after she suffers her stoke. Like, Amour, rough in parts, but more heart and tenderness here. A simple, quiet film that potters along at a lovely pace, giving you time to know these characters and their lives.

CDS listened to

I have had no time to listen to anything, I have bought HEAPS of discs, but they are sitting unopened in a pile on the stereo...the shame!!!

I did have a quick listen to the new Bonnie Raitt, and I enjoyed hearing her husky rock voice again. As always a solid piece.

And then I listened to a lot of Spingsteen, Paul Simon and Rufus.

Hopefully more next month! 

Plays

• The Complete Works of William Shakespeare was at The Playhouse and a play everyone should try and see at least once. I have seen it before a few years back, but this was better. Every work from Shakespeare with a comic, modern twist, enhancing The Bard's classic language. A side splitting delight, that will leave you smiling.
• Animal Farm, was a young, modern take on the classic tale, with 5 actors acting out each part wonderfully. It is a depressing tale of course, and this came through, but also high energy and poignancy.

Other things in March

The month began with a whirlwind trip to Tweed Heads (via Brisbane airport) to farewell my beloved Great Aunt. At 93, Marie had led an amazing life, and had been well up until her stroke 2 weeks earlier. Whilst life is certainly sadder without her around, it is absolutely richer for the privilege of knowing her.

 

 

March was the start of the F1 season, so a weekend of couch surfing, soaking up Melbourne was very enjoyable. A race I have attended in the flesh many times, you do get to see a lot more via tele. Added bonus my favourite drive Kimi winning.

 

I went to the optometrist and walked out without glasses, not bad for 42! 

And finally had a wonderful time with family over Easter. Good Friday saw me reuniting with some of the family and friends we travelled with at the beginning of our European Vacation last year, including seeing my cousin and her husband for the first time since their amazing Italian wedding. We had a lovely meal of seafood, chocolate and wine and reminisced travel stories afterwards...bliss. Easter Sunday was a family BBQ with my entire immediate family and was joyous and fun. 

 

 

I thought I was exhausted after February, but March was way busier. April is not letting up either. I am not complaining, life is rich and exciting, it's important to grab it and join in! Stay tuned for the entertainment and education of the inaugural Newcastle Writers Festival.