Feature Film

I showed you all the trailer about a week ago...Now, here is the feature.

Penguins and Koalas!!!

About two hours from here there is place called Philip Island. And on the island they have koalas and penguins, Oh my! Annie, a woman I work with was taking some people from out of town and she offered me a seat. Annie is my sole transporter out of the city. So, the first stop was the koala conservation center. We didn't get to hold them there but they are so freaking cute!!!!

Then we went to the Penguin Parade. Every day thousands of little penguins, about a foot tall about 2 pounds, run out to the ocean. Then every night after the sun sets they come back to their little nests. So we got there early, curled up in blankets and ate dragon eyes, this weird chinese fruit, and cashews until they showed up around 8:30. 2,000 of them! It was amazing. They cross in packs of 2-30 at a time. You can get pretty close to them because after they cross the beach they hang around outside of their houses. There is a small stream that they swim up sometimes too. One woman pointed out a swimming penguin to her granddaughter who asked "do penguins do synchronized swimming?" That was just about all the adorableness I could take in a day. Penguins, koalas and baby Australian accents.

Men of Letters

Yesterday I went to the best display of male affection I have ever seen.
Women of Letters is a monthly happening here in Melbourne where a group of women, get up and write a letter with a common theme. 
And, yesterday, they gave the men a go.  10 men writing letters to the women who changed their lives.
There were comedians from television and radio, essayists and musicians all with different takes on the subject.
One wrote a letter to his sister, giving her credit for all the wonderful things that he became interested in and eventually led to his musical fame.
One opened his letter to his speech teacher with "Dear Mrs. Robinson, How is being dead?"
Bob Ellis wrote the most moving and romantic thing I might have ever listened to. He wrote to his wife, they've been together for ages. He wrote of how they took different partners, like people did in those days, how writing to her was "too hard." How they had two beautiful children and dreamed of robust family dinners but then had "8 or was it 10" miscarriages.
There is something so beauitful in his honesty. It obviously wasn't a perfect life. But their perseverance... their ability to keep it together. That they really did grow old together. It was breathtaking.

This was the first of the series that I have seen, but I want to go to them all before I leave. I want to start this in America. It was gorgeous.

Skeletal Activity

Jake is a boy from Byhalia, who lives in Chicago and is coming to see me in Australia.
He made this trailer with some of his friends to preview a short film that will come out in a few days.
I think it's really funny. You should watch it. Now

Cocktails

I got a group of ladies together and we went to a bar in the city called Murmur. It is the cutest place! With the cutest bartender of all time. A little blond thing called Sarah. They kept the bar closed for an extra hour for us. And they had sweets lined up for us.

We learned how to make 3 cocktails: a bourbon sour with burnt orange...a gimlet....and a mint julep.

We also had a gin palette cleanser with mint and apple.

Then, a few people have free tickets to see a band. Mary tracked down a ticket that was taped to a light pole...Anyway, we all got in for free. There is a hardcore band from LA called The Bronx. They have a side project called Mariachi el Bronx. Surprise, surprise...they are a mariachi band.

It was a pretty fun night!

Intimacy

I'm sorry I haven't been writing much, there is just not that much going on here.
It is getting warm. So there has been more general outdoor time, but nothing particularly exciting.

I did see a play this week as part of the Melbourne Arts Festival...Intimacy. It was about a guy who got bored one night and went out to the street and started having conversations with random people on the street. He talked with a guy whose hobby was to ride rollercoasters so he had been to Ohio. And a guy who dressed up as a bird. And a lady who couldn't sleep for weeks at a time. It was really interesting. As there wasn't really much staging and virtually no set design, the entire thing was peeking in on other people's conversations. I wonder how much was written and how much was this real. Because the writing was really interesting and provoking and the actors were really engaging.
Anyway, I did that.

I also saw this outside of the theatre.

It looks a bit different as it is in Melbourne now...and not on top of a building. But it is an installation piece by a kid called Nathan Coley who is from Scotland.
So weird, one of my friends from Scotland has a picture with this same thing in Scotland. And now it's here.

What's goin' on.

This is the month of festivals.
The end of Fringe. Melbourne Arts Festival. Melbourne Music Festival.

I have been trying to get around to a bit of everything. I have been most interested in these lectures that the Melbourne Music Festival.

The first one was this guy who was the magazine editor and founder of the first music magazine for melbourne. He interviewed Blondie and INXS. He had a really interesting story and talked about how Melbourne came to be the major music city in Australia. He also told how live music became so popular here in pubs.

Then, I saw a neurologist give a speech about how music and marketing work together. This was amazing! I love science and sound together.

In other news, it's getting pretty warm here. It's like 70-80 degrees here everyday. I actually got a little sun burnt yesterday. Though, this weekend it is meant to be like a high of 53 here this weekend.

Well, Now that that's done...

The show was...well, the show was whatever it was. But, it's done now.

I got some press. I got some friends along. I had some people whose work I am very impressed by come along.

And. Now. It's all over.

I'm pretty glad. That was a bit stressful. Amazing. But, stressful.


On average I had about 38 people in per night. Which was amazing. And, I am told quite good for a fringe show.

I made some money.

I got some new followers on twitter.

Now...Ya, now I have no idea. I am longing for home. And longing for Asia. And can not eat enough sushi and coffee to ever get my fill of Melbourne. So, where do I go now?

Well. As soon as I know, you'll know. 

Some many Peeps!

Guys, I'm overwhelmed. Opening night was good. There were some hicups, but it went ok. I was happy.  I had 25 people come on Wed.

Tonight--56! It was amazing. The show was great. There were no problems. The Grace Daring People are the best of all time.

Last night, people I knew from Ediburgh were at the show. Tonight, people I met in Bratislava. I can't even wrap my head around it all the way. But, it was great.

Yes.

WOOT!!  2 more days!

More Media

Hello, Hello, Hello everyone...I got another interview.  I met Sarah at the first interview and was nice enough to post this one on the front of her website for the show's opening.

Hidden Documentary

Opening Night

It's opening night. I'm a little nervous. But, very, very excited as well. So far, I've sold about 20 tickets. Which is great. And hopefully, more at the door. Trial show went well. My dress still fits me. That's encouraging. And, soon, this madness will be over and good God, now I can't believe that I have made something that people are coming to watch. Overwhelmed.

Oh, and in case you missed my interview, here is the link. I come in pretty late, but the whole thing is very interesting I think.

Listen to me Here!

Radio....I Be on the Radio

OK, ya, this is a big deal.

I landed a radio interview for my show.  A big one.

Jon Faine has interview Richard Dawkins, Henry Rollins and Geena Davis.

The closest thing I think I have to compare it to would be NPR "Fresh Air."

I'm freaking out a little.

So, yes...this is the link for the show http://www.abc.net.au/melbourne/conversations/?section=about

And, if you want to listen in, it is from 11-12 here which would be 9:00 PM EST.

But, it's also available on podcast.

No Lights. No Lyrca.

This has to be the weirdest thing I have ever done. Seriously.

My Camerican (Canadian/American) friend Rachel invited me along to a dance party..."Lycra something" is what she said. I wore leggings, chucks and a v-neck. But, the title if the night is "No Lights. No Lycra."

It was like a youth group dance meets hipster-hippie revival. I mean, I'm pretty sure most of the hipsters went and got a beer after the dancing. But, there was no beer there. Well, it was in a church. And, ya, the lights were off.

Seriously, walking in there felt like a commune gathering. You can see arms and legs shooting in all directions, all free spirited like. You can see everyone is wearing frames and skinny jeans. But, they played when the saints go marching in.

I'm doing a poor job of expressing this, but maybe that's because I have no idea what happened.

But, I found an article about it.

So read this, and understand.

Melbourne

Well, I'm back. I arrived safe and sound. I even got delivered to my door. Amazing.

My schedule is a wee bit off...I went to bed at 7 last night. Woke up at 4 am. It's 5:30 now and I don't feel like I am going to pass out yet, so that's a good sign.

I miss America. I can't believe I am saying it, but I'm homesick.

My trip home was just so fun. Damn all of you, making me have fun.

But, my show goes on in like 2 weeks so I will remain busy until then it opens and then sort out off of my feelings about America.

In the mean time, I miss you all. I miss corn. I miss summer. I miss fairs. I miss tacos.


I. Miss. America.

Me, Holding a picture of ME!

Remember those pictures from so long ago...ballet Jolene. They are in the magazine. One of them is in the magazine...So, if you are in Australia, go buy Post Modern Ink. And if you aren't, wait till I come home cause I am brining a copy with me.

 

LAKSA

Oh my god.

I miss Mexican food (like really cheesy, bad Mexican) so much. I miss Taco Bell, too, but we won't talk about that.  I've had some mexican food here.  Look, it's better than what I had in the UK, where they don't even sell Black Beans. But, it's not the same!!

So, every time I crave mexican, I make up for it by eating copious amounts of sushi. Or, you know, other things that aren't so abundant in Ohio. I've been loading up on Vietnamese and Malaysian and Indonesian. I can never order something that I am use to having at home because, well, we don't have these things. 

Everyone kept talking about Laksa. My friend Rachel ordered one the other night when we were out and it is my new obsession. Coconut curry soup!!!  Filled with vegetables and tofu--I order it vegetarian because the idea of fish cakes is still weird to me. It tastes like sweet heaven and I want to live in a land of LAKSA.

The thing that I find myself missing are foods and smells. Things that you don't realize you miss. You know you will miss your friends and family. But, I miss the smell of the farm. For real. And the wonder bread factory. And snow.

And what's weird, is that one day I will miss the smells and tastes of Melbourne. And it's not like home, where I will always come back to it. Leaving to come back to Ohio is making me realize that one day, I will leave this place for good.

And then, I will miss Laksa.

The Best Little Whore House

Madame Brussles.

Apparently, this place got it's name from, you guessed it, a madame. She ran brothels. She took care of her ladies.

Looks nothing like a brothel. It looks like a 50's patio. And I'm told in the summer, they have a pool.

Right now, they offer you hot water bottles and blankets.

They serve punch in glass pitchers. And when I walked in they were playing the soundtrack to Dirty Dancing. And all the boys that worked there were wearing white pants, sailors caps and polo shirts.

I felt pretty fancy so I ordered and Old Fashioned.

Old Fashioned is a really gross drink.

And the show goes on...

You all know I am working on a show, right? For Melbourne Fringe festival.  Which is quickly approaching. And, sort of scaring the hell out of me. I have two weeks until I leave and 9 weeks until festival and, whoa, is there a lot of work left to do. But, it's getting there. And thank God, most of it's over. Like there are posters now, and working out the tech  and some rewrites. But press things are done. Photos are done. The mass of re-writes are done, though I will continue to change this bitch until I am on stage. 

Anyway, writing all that is just making me nervous. The whole reason why I am on here is to share some images that my flatmate took for me. He is a really ace photographer. Matt Solomon. <Just for reference, that's the link to his page there, just click on his name.  Oh, and there are some boobs on there, so just be aware of that. So, he took these for me. Which was really nice of him. 

 

Anyone For Tennis?

So, like 90% of my friends here are comedians. I laugh a lot. They are all very clever.

As comedy if performed in front of an audience, there is not great oppurtunity for my far away American friends to see all of my new Australian friends and what they do.

But, one comedic duo just released what I think is maybe the best youtube video of all time...

Doody and Jase make up Anyone For Tennis? Besides being funny, they are heaps nice! 
They have made several other video clips that are smart and creative, but I've never seen anything like this on the interwebs before.

Trams

I live on a tram line-- the 86 tram. It can get a little loud at night but I have learned how to sleep through it. And, I love walking less than a block when I need to catch the tram. I might have taken less great Australian road trips since I've been here, but I can definitely manage this city with out a car. Between 8am-7pm, a tram comes every 8 minutes or so. It takes less than 10 minutes to get to the city and from there, I can go anywhere by train.

The trams here lack the certain, adorableness factor that the buses in Edinburgh had. Last week while riding the tram, I witnessed 2 physical assaults. Then again, the trams here are taking a few more people around. And while public transportation in America that isn't in New York or Chicago frightens me, here, even when people are a little crazy on the tram, I still feel pretty safe.

During comedy festival, there was a show here called Stories from the 86 Tram. This guy, called the Bedroom Philosopher did 12 different characters from the tram line that lives on my street. This one is about the suburb just north of me:  Northcote--So Hungover.

Coming Home

Hello. I will be back in America in a little over a month. I leave here on Sunday the 15th and arrive in New York the morning of the 16th...early. I am coming home on the 19th I think...Mindy's hen doo is the 21st. The wedding is the 28th. I leave on the 7th from Columbus.

Things I look forward to seeing, besides all of you....
1. corn
2. beer, like proper beer (do you know that it's like impossible to get a decent IPA here?)
3. taco bell
4. proper mexican food
5. my summer clothes...sandals and dresses
6. cheap pop, i don't even like pop, I just think it's crazy that it's $3 a can here
7. people who call it pop
8. driving
9. 24 hour things
10. corn


Things I will hate about home before I get off the plane...
1. boys who don't wear skinny jeans
2. bad music, they really do play less of it here
3. avocados
4. lack of public transport
5. american accents
6. that my apartment in melbourne doesn't live there

My flatmate is a photographer. And he has directed a few video clips. And he was hired on to direct for Big Scary, this amazing band from Melbourne. And he asked me to choreograph. So, today we went to a huge mansion in the suburbs...like properly huge....and we had a few kids and the band. I choreographed a little waltz. It was heaps fun. I'll let you know when the video is done and there should be a link so you can watch it.

American Splendor

Ok, I got a little behind and now you are getting two in one day...

It was the fourth of July on Sunday. And while you were all asleep in your little beds on Saturday night, festivities were underway here.

I really do love the fourth of July though. And something about it being 60 degrees here and not having corn fields...or corn for that matter, all around me, was sad.

But, we must celebrate in any way we can.

I met Rachel on the tram, this whole thing was her idea. Cupcakes, watermelon, root beer floats and hot dogs. What is more American than that? OK, what in Melbourne is more American than that?

I couldn't get fireworks. But I did play some Springsteen. It was my second fouth of July in Australia. The last one I spent at Planet Hollywood. I think this round wins.

Community Cup

There are tons of good, local radio stations here that do amazing work. They play great music and have interesting stories and they are just awesome. So, two of these, PBS and RRR get together once a year and play footy. They don't play against each other. They play with each other against local rock stars. They call this event...Community Cup. All the money they raise(they ask for a $5 donation when you enter) goes to a charity.

OK, this place was the convergence of hippies and hipsters everywhere. The three words that best describe it are: beer, streakers and hilarity.

The game was less than enthralling...I don't think many of these guys are going to the gym regularly, if ever. But, what it lacked in skill it made up for in...nakedness? Three streakers? I don't know, maybe more. No one even cared. No one stopped them at least. One girl just rolled around in the mud in the middle of the field.

You Know What This Is Becoming?

It's becoming a food blog because that it all my adventures seem to revolve around. 

I met this nice American here on the 86 tram a while ago. Her name is Rachel. We went to a place called Min Lokal on Saturday. They bake everything in clay pots. I got ricotta baked eggs...Everything with ricotta lately. Look I don't know what they did, but it had pesto and eggs and bacon and ,ya, ricotta. Fresh orange juice. God, it was good. And, only $16. Which, by Australia standards is like super decent for brunch.

Ok, so then we also hit up Hello, Sailor.  This is a market at The Grace Darling Hotel once a month, I think. It's just a bunch of booths where people seel vintage clothes and what not. But, more importantly, The Grace, is where my Fringe Festival show will be held. They just started a band room there and it is gorgeous and perfect. This is not a picture of the band room...but, it is a picture of one room of the bar.

 

Neon Skipper

This little lady was the first neon sign in Australia. It's not so far from where I live. When she's all lit up at night, it looks like she is skipping rope.

Craft Savy Criminals

Today, I went to North Cote.  Don't understand it, but they say North Kit here.  So I saw this girl Claire Hollingsworth at a comedy night about 2 weeks ago. What a peanut!  So adorable. 

She is a music teacher and writes some songs with the kids in her class. This one is about Germain the frog. I think they use to tern "clucky" here. Like a hen, who wants baby chicks. I want these children.

New Blog

OK, OK, OK...I know, there's facebook, this blog, I'm even on twitter just now...but in none of those forums do I get to write about my deep passion for Ohio. I've started an ohio blog. It's only about Ohio things. Right now, it's about liscence plates and Ohio themed items to purchase, but I do hope to make it more interesting.

So, you know, check it out, if you want...here.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

As my love for coffee grows, I find myself using many a cup. 

The take away coffee cups here look like this...

BUT, then I found this...

 OK, on the interwebs, you can't really tell the difference.  But, this one is made from silicone, making it reusable.

I has seen some people carrying them around here.  I went searching, for like a whole day and could not find them anywhere.

I went to a little pub that same night and lo and behold...

This is the website of the company...www.hookturnindustries.com.au

Coffee

I don't even think I liked coffee until I got here. I have added caffeine to the list of legally addictive substances that I now enjoy. Melbourne is good for sitting outside smoking clove cigarettes and drinking a latte. Today I tried Cavallero...




Other amazing cafes for coffee include Three Bags Full...




And of course, Proud Mary again.


I think all these places use the same brand, 5 Senses. And while I don't know much about coffee really, everyone I know who does says this stuff is what the whole world should be drinking.

Also, I didn't know things like long black (espresso served with water which you add at your discretion) and a flat white.

I pulled this bit from wikipedia...
"A flat white is similar to a "wet" cappuccino (meaning made with "wet" microfoam, rather than dry foam), and differs from a latte in that it is smaller, and served in a ceramic cup,whereas a traditional latte is larger, sometimes much larger, hence more dilute, and served in a glass, though modern lattes are often served in ceramic cups or bowls.A shorter antipodean drink is the "Piccolo" ,smallCaffè Latte, which is a 90 ml drink made with a single espresso shot and 1:2 milk, with relatively little foam."

The point is: Australia takes it's coffee pretty seriously.

More City Scenes

I took a walk down South Bank the other day and took some more pictures of Melbourne...and here they are...

Hot Chocolate

It's winter here. And while I feel like a real midwest pansy--I'm wearing my winter coat and hat here in, and I'm not kidding, 60 degrees--I am enjoying my usual winter pastimes. Like, hot chocolate. This place Monsieur Truffe on Smith has the best hot chocolate I have ever had. EVER. Seriously. It's insane.
This amazing french man owns it. And every time I go in now he says, "You want a cocoa? You like it dark, no? Easy. Hot cocoa for you." Adorable.
This chocolate...I don't even know...but it's really high in cocoa % and it's amazing.

Fringe

OK, so now that everything is in and official I can tell you all and not worry about it back firing. I am registered for 2010 Melbourne Fringe Festival.

http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/

I will let you know when they post anything. There will be a blurb about the show coming. The show is mostly about mom :)

And ya, I'm heaps excited and nervous. And excited. I have a director. And a place to put it on. And a first draft. And now, I just need lots and lots of work and rehearsal and better drafts. And people to come see it.

Food

Melbourne is full of the most amazing food. There is even some Mexican. Not much, but some. I try to stay as close to my house as possible when I venture out. And with good reason--smith street is glorious with little cafes and bakeries.

My friend took me to this place last week and I got a potato hash which has potato, spinach and a poached egg with anchovy mayo on the side. But, when I went I saw ricotta cheese hotcakes, which were a favorite of mine at North Star in Columbus I decided I must go back. So, Mary and I went for brunch today. Covered in syrup, mascarpone and caramelized pears, it was amazing.

Ages

Sorry it's been so long since I have updated this. In truth, there is very little to tell you, though. I have been working, 3 days a week :) And I have been hanging out with my friends a lot. Eating delicious food and drinking a lot of hot chocolate. I played some board games last Saturday, which was amazing. And I have been going on runs down to the river and back about three times a week. It's about a 3 mile round, I run under this bridge...


In other news, I have been attempting some writing. I put together a zine, which is just a self published magazine, and it's at a little shop here called Sticky. And I am trying to write a show that I want to put on somewhere. I have even been meeting with some other writers who I really admire and they have been looking over it. Which is exciting. So, hopefully there will be some more news on that soon.

Here Momma, There Darlin'....Everywhere HAIR

Is this not the most adorable hair salon you have ever seen? I picked it because it looked like the place in Grease that the girl worked at. And because it was right across from my house. And because it was $25.

Sorry I Didn't Make the Bed

Pictures of my home, and the view from it...

Bank Account, Library Card...Setteling Down

Today, I got a library card and a bank account. I also put a little zine I made into a shop. I'm like a real Australian person now. I have a piece of mail from the Australian government, a tax id number, so I can do all sorts of things now!

Post Festival Depression

So, festival has been over for almost a week now. And while I was having so much fun in Melbourne before festival, I have learned from my two times staying in a city after festival has ended, there is pretty much nothing quite as depressing as having the most fun you can possibly pack into a month and then doing almost nothing following it. The highlight of the past week tacos. HAHA.

I worked a few days this week, caught up on sleep, had a barbecue--that was good, we did that on the roof-- rock aerobics--it was 80's dress up night-- tacos :)

Last night Sean and I ate at a place that we hoped would be our Melbourne replacement of the Mosque we always went to in Edinburgh. It's an all you can eat lentil/vegetarian bar where you just pay what you want at the end. It's at a convent. There was some random spanish band playing...it was pretty much the most bohemian I have ever done.

Edinburgh Reunion

Sean has been back for about 3 weeks and Jo was just in town for a few days. But, we got together. It was like being home again or something. With people I actually know and love. And have known for a while. It was really refreshing to see them.

A guy who was wondering around comedy festival decided he liked my tattoos...so he got a really cute little swedish girl to take some pictures for me...hopefully they will get published, but until then....

Shows

I've now seen over 25 shows during Melbourne Comedy Festival. Using that pass well. Dave Thorton, Sam Simmons, Dave Quirk, Celia Pacquola, Felicity Ward, Cardinal and Burns....Plus, there is a late night show that has about 5 comedians on every night and I have seen that, almost every night. The thing with Festival is, even though I am a bit showed out, I can't stop...I feel this compulsion while there are shows on to go to them. And while people are out drinking after shows, to do that too. My liver needs a break.

My Hood

It occurred to me that none of you, likely, have seen my neighborhood. So I stole some random pictures from the internet. The first place is where I do rock aerobics.

Bang On!

I met this girl Anna in Edinburgh. The blond one. And she does this amazing thing with hula hoops. Several amazing things in fact. And she has this all female show which I saw last night which was just insane. So fabulous. There were hula hoops, some burlesque, drag queens and the best Michael Jackson references of all time. I have seen so many good shows and made so many friends this time around.
Im pretty confident I could be a comedian at this point.

Bead Store

Yep, this is pretty much the most exciting job interview I have ever been to. I went to a job interview for a bead store today. Restringing beads, selling beads and what have you. They are the first place out of oh about 50 applications/resumes that have even given me an interview. I have a trial tomorrow for 3 hours. I have to take out my nose ring and cover my tattoos, which I am less than pleased about, but also really want a job and love these hours. Mon-Wed 10am-5pm. Pretty ace.

So much Comedy

Yesterday I saw Felicity Ward, a local Melbourne girl, who is just a little peanut. So cute. I saw Jamie Kilstein, a political new yorker who was absolutely amazing and so smart. Then I saw best of the US: John Mulaney-- a write for SNL and from Best Week Ever, Greg Behrendt--He's Just Not That Into You, and Todd Barry-- Flight of the Concords, etc.
So after the Americans, went up to the festival bar, talked to the performers and I say to Todd Barry-- What's your favorite movie. To which he says, "I really like several movies...I like The Diner with Mickey Rourke." I say, "Oh I just saw The Wrestler with him. It was so good. Have you seen it?" "Ya, I was in The Wrestler."


Also, Geoffrey Rush was about a foot from me yesterday as he was walking into a comedy show in the city.

Festivus for the Rest of Us

Melbourne comedy festival has kicked off! The attitude of the city is slightly less exciting than it was in Edinburgh...can I tell you all again how much I still miss Edinburgh. But, it's still good here. There are tons of shows I want to see, things I missed in Edinburgh and shows of people I met in Edinburgh but now get to see here.

I have actually been really busy this week which is great. Marcus's show started on Wed. I am doing sound tech for it. He was on the radio friday morning so I woke up at 5am to go with him and hand out some flyers to the audience. Sold out show Friday night and a show in the dark Saturday for earth hour.

Now it's Sunday and his next show isn't until Tuesday, so I am going to see some shows today.

Roof Top

The rooftop cinema is right downtown(what they call the CBD or Central Business District). It's (surprise, surprise) on the top of a building! Woot. Went there on Sunday night and saw a screening of Rushmore. I think this is the best place I have even watched a movie.

job...ish

I forgot to tell you...I have work...ish. I met a comedian at the Edinburgh festival last year who is back in Australia for Melbourne Comedy Festival and he needed help with his show. So, I am doing his stage managing and flyering and some PR and things like that for him.
I get a festival pass which means that I can go to all of the festival shows for free, which is good as I was planning on spending a lot of money on tickets and some cash at the end of it all.
So, this is good. I am still looking for some solid full time work but this is good for now becuase he has already introduced me to tons of people in entertainment who are on the look out for jobs for me now.
Anyway...this is his show and his website for the festival...http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2010/season/shows/marcus-ryan-home-away

Roller Girls

went to Roller Derby on Saturday. It was a little bit more slow moving that I thought it was going to be, most of the action taking place for just a few seconds. But, the girls were pretty rough. And, I caught a few good spills. Mostly, I want to be a roller derby girl now. They have tattoos and wear fishnets and roller skates all at once. And they get to have cool names.

Bed Sheets and Box Springs

I am almost all moved in. The box spring for the bed I bought wouldn't fit in Mary's car so I am going back with a friend's truck to pick that up tomorrow. But, I have a mattress and a place for clothes and a room of my own! Woot. This is my third day now and I am loving it. I did laundry and have groceries and I plan on baking tomorrow :) The area is so nice I haven't used public transport since I've been here cause I walk every where. And when ever people go out they come to my hood. And the flat mates are super, super nice.
Still looking for jobs. Waiting for a few that had closings this week. I'm going to drop off a few resumes at clothing stores in the area so I can have something until a theatre job comes through.

Miss you all!

Rock Aerobics

Right down the street from where I will be living is a club called Yah Yahs. And at Yah Yahs every Thursday night they host rock aerobics. Its an hour long class full of air guitar and high kicks. The last months theme was 70's...thus the get up. And this months will be the 80's. It's being filmed for a tv show this week so with any luck I'll be a star here soon.

Food

The food here is pretty amazing. There are sushi stands on every corner. Like for real every corner. And its super cheap. One roll here is like the size of 4 at home and it's $2.50 Australian for one roll. There are tons of other Japanese too. I had this amazing sweet potato dumpling the other day. I've had Indonesian. And, Ive had meat pie. There are also lots of good curry houses which I missed so much while I was in Ohio.

Random Things That Happen Away From Home...

This is what I love about not being in Ohio. Because, never in Ohio have I just been walking through the city and happen upon a crowd of like 100 people where in the middle Franz Ferdinand is just hanging out. I come up to Federation Square, the sort of meeting place of Melbourne where Mary, her friend Anna and I are meeting for a wine tasting and Franz Ferdinand are doing a radio interview. Amazing.

HOME!!

I have a place to live. Woot. After many, many rejections someone finally decided to take me. $800 a month in East Melbourne with 4 others who all seem super nice. But, I had already set up a meeting with another place a little bit closer to where I wanted to live. And, that place is only $400 a month. So, without knowing whether or not the second place would take me--and as at least 6 other places(seriously) had rejected me, so it was a strong possibility-- I still turned down the first offer.
But, as you can see from the title of the post, they took me! Hooray! So I'm only paying $400 a month to live in what I reckon is the best part of town. I'm living with 2 boys: one 33(an interior design student) and the other 27 (photographer) above a pub on Smith street. $400! I move in late next week.

Giant Fire Balls

OK, so Melbourne is gorgeous at night. Like, really really stunning. And they do this amazing thing every hour on the hour at night. Along the river they light these huge pillars with giant balls of fire. It's amazing. So, I took a video.

Lambs go Baaar

OK, in Australian, when I heard where we were going I thought Llamas go bar. But, yes, lambs go baaar makes more sense. It's the only place here yet that I have had good beer. Cute, well lit and pretty nice world beer collection.

Don't Kill Live Music

Do to some new laws, I guess a lot of live music venues have been closing in Melbourne. And, to me, this city seems similar to Nashville in the amount of bars that have live music. So, the masses got together and had a rally. Marched from the library to Parliament. There was an ac/dc float leading the way. And, lots of local bands got up and spoke and played on the parliament steps. It was my first protest. I was probably a little too happy to be there.