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.