Resuming Normal Transmission

Hey Kids! Let’s play "What happened to May/June!"

• Last Days of Chez Comedy Fest – I laughed, dribbled and cried from hilarity during Spymonkey’s ‘Cooped’
• Played ineffectual scrabble with the lovely folks from Scrabble Unscripted alongside The Bedroom Philosopher. We had not one but two temper tantrums, dashing the board to the ground in a fit of pique. Great fun.

• Played in the last night of Late Nite Impro – as usual, a month later, I can’t remember anything about it. Did I play the nonplussed Samurai against Simon ‘Thank God You’re Here’ Dowling? Who knows….
• Mum launched her band’s CD. The Swamp Album.
• Started shaping the new format ‘Tangents’ with a group from Impro Melbourne.
• Keith Johnstone came through Melbourne in a chipper mood and a bag full of advice. I directed Maestro with him and had a ball. Later I drove him home (from St.Kilda to Eltham – that’s a lot of terrifying small talk) and we talked about impro, his distaste of the guru status, movies, comics and art. I asked him why he still travels the world teaching, he said ”because I enjoy it…and so many people fuck it up”. Later we stopped and picked up some supplies (now I know how Jeff Griggs must have felt). It was quite a surreal moment to be standing in Safeway with a living theatre legend and finding him Soy Cheese.
• Deborah from The Spontaneity Shop swung by and we caught up over dinner then she sat in on a Tangents workshop and blessed us with her wisdom.
• My Birthday came and went. Hello i-river!

• Renovations trundled on – Walls came down, new walls went up, sinks went in ahhh finally – we had a kitchen again.
• Corporate gig for Optus in Brisbane
• Painted walls (groan)
• Deakin students heading towards end of semester and all is fine. Some great performances and films and a bunch of not-so-great ones (but you’ll never which ones know if you’re a student reading this – Maw hahahahahahaha)
• Caught a cold and thought I’d keep it around for month.
• Corporate gig for AXA in Melb
• I brought a Roustabout shirt from Route 66 – I was chatting to the guy behind the counter (called Guy BTW) and he asked how I came to shop there. I said I had been coveting their range of shirts for some time now but on this day had followed a link from the Man’s Ruin website. He chuckled and asked which performer I liked, he was an affable chap so I told him (also with a chuckle). He then said she was his girlfriend. Convo over, shirt paid for and a swift exit was called for.
  
  

• Started a new Quiz show on ABC 774 with Derek Guille – called “Who Gives a Quiz?” It’s a format that a group of us from Impro Melbourne have been working on – it’s on tonight (and every second Monday). Loads of expert fun and Derek is a great player and host.
• Last day of Uni – awwwwwwwwwww. Now - the marking of assignments – bugger.
• Dad asked if I want to sit for a portrait and so have been doing that over a couple of weekends – I haven’t done one since I was a callow youth of 15 so it was interesting to be back in the chair again. He put on his latest find - Jack Nitzsche and we talk and he paints.
• Taught a one off three hour impro workshop out at Deakin which nearly killed me…but was great fun.
• Went to a Mid-Winter Festival at my son’s school. All the kids had collected wood for a bonfire on the oval and when it was lit – Boom – a hundred or so instant pyromaniacs were born.
• Celebrated Gulliver Thompson’s first birthday – it was a pleasure to meet him at last.
• Took down a heavy wooden Ikea Bunk bed, put up a comparatively lightweight Ikea Loft bed and swore a lot.
• Claire had a ba-beeeeee. Welcome Lily – you’ve got a great family.
• Anne had a birthday and I nearly killed her with kindness – she looked quite worn out by the end of the day. Maw hahahahahahahah.

There – that’ll do.