Uninhibited observation

I've recently embarked upon a new journey into the world of words that I like to call 'uninhibited observation'. In a way, all I'm doing is giving a name to the sort of writing I used to do automatically, but since I've hit the dreaded writer's block many times over the last two years, I'm now doing this sort of writing on purpose.

The idea is to pick a subject (or not, but it usually helps) and write on it without wondering if it's any good or if it sounds poetic, just writing, 'uninhibited' by my own judgement and criticism, and hoping that somewhere down the line of words that spew forth, there will be a small piece of slightly-above-average writing that may be salvaged and reused and made into something a little more crafted. I call it 'observation' because for the first one I did I was actually looking at the subject as I wrote. but 'observation' can also mean my thoughts on something that isn't necessarily in front of me at the time of writing.

This is the the first one (exactly as it appears in my notebook), from whence the idea hath sprung:

#

He
deep in thought
Plays his guitar
In the park
Like no one's watching

I, deep in my notebook
keep my distance

He's singing
but I can't make out
the words from here.

He plays with a
reckless abandon
That's somehow calculated

His hands move fast
He fills his space
with sound
and makes it
meaningful.

Competes with traffic
and the wind blowing
the flagpole.
Are they his competition or his
percussion?
His foot taps, his head
nods,
his hands thrust the
neck of the guitar to
the beat.
Rhythm perfect.
He looks around as
he plays
Unphased by the
environment, passers by
city surroundings,
school kids
He's young, maybe
sixteen, but it's
hard to tell from
this distance.
I wonder if his arm
is tired. I wonder
if he sees me here,
across the park,
his solitary audience?
Is he playing his
own material?
I wonder why he is
playing here
I find myself tapping
my foot.
He wears jeans and
a beige shirt
with his brown hair
His appearance
spells musician.
His voice is a
proclamation of the
musical statement
he makes with his
presence in this
park.

#

Wow, it's long! Whaddaya think? It's nothing specky, but there are bits in there that could become something.

I'm very grateful to that young man for inspiring me enough to write a decent spiel and hence get this new idea going. I've written many uninhibited observations since then, and it's only been a few days! (Shock, horror; I've actually written more than once this week!) On the train today I was writing one about honesty and how people need to tell their true stories to feel their lives are validated. My favourite line from it was:

"No strings are attached to the minds and memories of strangers."

It has a ring to it, IMO.

Should really go to bed, seeing how it's 2am and all. I can't help it, I'm a night owl!

"To the intolerably happy couple..."

This is a picture of Liam and I (Henry and Emma). Aren't we cute?!

Big news! It would appear that it's already tomorrow, so I suppose I will have to refer to 'today' as yesterday although I have not slept into tomorrow yet.

Anyway, big news! 'Yesterday' (the 25th, just to clarify) it was my half birthday, and guess what I got? An A for my exam. Honours. And a lovely report from my examiner! What a lovely woman. Perhaps I will publish some of her comments later.

BRECCY classes are going very well. I'm starting to get to know the kids and how their minds work. Geoff is enjoying it, too.

I have a cold (which surfaced right after my exam! Yes!) . It's a bit miserable, but it hasn't stopped me having a full-on week! I've been such a social thing this week! I went to two movies within the space of twenty-four hours (Spiderman 3 and Pirates 3).

I turned up to Spiderman on my own, but ended up sitting with Brigid and her friend Brenda, and Rhys and Rachelle. It was like a mini J&H reunion at the cinema. Catching up with Rhys, Rachelle and Ash tomorrow night.

Ben and I went to Pirates on Thursday. It wasn't as good as the first two. I thought the second one was just gold. Third one didn't do as much for me. It was more Elizabeth focused than Jack focused, and there was too much action and not enough comedy towards the end. It did have an entertaining sort of storyline, though, and I didn't get bored at any point. Quite liked Spiderman, but I knew I would. There's something about comic books on big screen that works for me as an escape. It's like Degrassi. Sort of corny, but really sweet and watchable.

After the movie, Ben and I had a cuppa, then ran into Dave, who told us about a new song he's written called The Traffic Light Effect. After that I ushered for Ross Noble at BREC. I thought he was very average. He's had me in fits on TV and on the radio, but the live show didn't do much for me. I saw Sofie there (coz she was working) and she told me Marty was at Fitzie's, so I headed down there after the show and caught up with him. Dave played a solo set, so I got to hear his traffic light song. It was cool - full of assonance on the "I" sound. His poetry is jaw-droppingly awesome. He wants to read some of my stuff. I wonder if I'll have the courage to share anything.

Speaking of poetry etc, stay tuned for my next post about my newest form of writing, which has actually got me writing again!

End of season

Here we are: the whole motley crew (and cast!), except Keaton, who was absent from the photo shoot! :(

Closing night was brilliant! The afteparty was heaps of fun. I'll post a photo of the ice cream gutter Keaton and I made when I get it processed!

Already people are asking, "what's next, Kate?" It's not something I even think about. I don't plan to do shows, they just seem to happen to me!

I suppose one could say that the Eisteddfod is next. At least I wont be too nervous this year. I'm so comfortable with performing now that nerves don't phase me any more. I just hope I get enough practice with my students so they feel confident.

And if we're going to really go into detail on "what's next", there's Starz camp and Star Power, BUZ, BRECCY and Dardanup as always, Elenora next week, the Perth speech and drama festival in July, plans for Rhys' and my new improv group, possibly a backstage role in Dimboola, Shore Lines committee meetings, and that's just the career side of things! Somehow a social life and family fits into all that, along with staying healthy (hopefully joining a netball team soon!), continuing to read widely and write lots, seeing a bit of theatre and live music here and there and oh, sleeping, if I have time!

My exam went reasonably well today. Maybe not a High Distinction this time because the impromptu reading was a bit dodgy, but let's not be pessimistic. Now I can just relax and wait for the result. My examiner was a very warm and intelligent woman. We had some good discussions on the texts I presented.

I should probably write some more about the show. Perhaps I will do so later.

I know it seems trivial, but I have to mention my delight at a new feature that's popped up on my blog editing page! It has 'autosave'! So I don't have to panic about losing my post if my computer freezes (as it often does)!

Oh, and check out my Sudoku widget. What a novelty! (In other words, timewaster!)

I also need to remember to post about the guitarist I saw today.

Quote of the day:

"You don't want to be so open minded that your brain falls out."

So there.

How I feel about writing:

...I go,
in pilgrimage;
to wash my heart
in the clouded well
of language.

-From "Self portrait in Richmond studio, 25 October 1994" by Peter Bakowski (My second favourite poet.)

What's for BRECCY? 2

Lesson two was marvellous! I love these kids! They responed very well to the activities and they're already making new friends and starting to get to know each other. They all have definite strengths. It's going to be fantastic working to refine these little performers.

Here's to the night...

I had the most special, beautiful night! Around seventeen people came to see ME tonight, which by my calculations, is around fifteen percent of the one-hundred-and-ten-ish audience!

They cheered for me, and Sam yelled out my name during the bows! It felt wonderful. And as if that wasn't enough, they all gave me huge hugs and huge compliments afterwards! I even got a special note instead of a boquet, which I will treasure forever! It's better than flowers because it won't wilt.

Ursula, Therese, Anneliese, Sam, Andrew, Leigh and I went to Henry's afterwards, which was just so lovely. I felt, and will always feel, so humbled to have friends who are so supportive, so beautiful and so close.

I have a very busy week ahead, but that's not unusual! Matinee tomorrow. It feels different perfoming in the daytime. Elle's coming tomorrow. I'm thrilled that she and Therese would come all the way from Margaret River to see me!

I'll definitely miss this one when it's over. We're bonding more and more with each show, as is to be expected. I'll have to get them all something amazing on Saturday night.

Until next time...

Collaboration!

Preview night is over! It went very well and we had a great response!

I drove Rhys home after the show and we talked about our forthcoming ventures into the world of improvisation/theatresports. I'm really glad I mentioned the idea to him because he's become very passionate about it and I really believe that together we can get the local improv ball rolling. The best part is that our partnership is based on respect and admiration for each other's different abilities and a shared vision for enriching life through teaching and sharing drama. We set some ground rules for our collaboration, swapped numbers, shook hands and smiled. He's so dedicated. I trust him fully that he won't make a halfassed effort at this. It's great to have someone to talk to around my own age who's as passionate for this craft as I am. His image might be that of a larakin but he's actually a very serious man. That's what makes him such a good actor: his persona has variety and layers. And he wants to learn. I'm very much looking forward to working with him as we basically take a leap in the dark and embark on this exciting adventure. I'll keep you 'posted' on our progress.

I'm spending all day tomorrow on my program, until I hit the stage again for opening night!

THIRTY - The Cinematic Orchestra

Yay, I hit the big 30! This is my 30th post!

Whoever you are, you HAVE TO download this song! To Build A Home by the Cinematic Orchestra feat. Patrick Watson. (It's the radio edit, so it's nowhere near as good as the full version but it rocks my socks!!!!!) Ooooh I love it to shreds!!! Patrick Watson's voice... I just adore it to the core. If I could sit on a cloud and be serenaded all day, he'd be one of my headline entertainers. Him and Paul Dempsey... yeah. **Kate floats away**... seriously, though, check out the song and if you ever get the chance to hear the non-radio edit, it's an experience.

Thanks to Zan on the "j"s this morning for the intro to TCO. And thanks to Step class for getting me up early for a good workout!

What's for BRECCY?

BRECCY Theatre is underway. I'm proud to be part of BREC's youth vision and I hope my relationship with them can grow into the future. Geoff and I have a class of 23 with a waiting list of 10+ at this stage. I've had people ask me if there's anything for 11-12 year olds, so there's an opening there as well. When I get my diploma I'll branch off into my 'private practise', but for now BRECCY will be my forum for refining my teaching skills. I hope we can build a strong group of young performers. The kids we met today were very confident, energetic and creative. Areas to work on are positivity, accepting offers and listening without comment. I'm looking forward to the challenge of helping these kids to grow and learn new skills.