My aim this time was to put up a theatre review within 24 hours. Depending on how quickly I get this done, I will have hit the mark it being 9:30pm last night that I returned home. It was only an hour or so before that I decided to go, initially not going due to State of Origin then not going as Jeff was in hospital then being too worn out. I went and was glad I did. Thankfully I managed to have a super quiet day at home today to recover. Along with the theatre review there is a miss mash of comments prepared in the gap on the assumption that there would be space to fill. Hoping it is not too long. The finishing touches are being put together at half-time in the Bombers vs West Coast.
Blogging on the family
Since my last post, my daughter Katie has started up a blog featuring first impressions of Italy (http://kissescaloriesandchaos.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/first-impressions.html?spref=fb). Part of my inspiration for blogging came from my sister Linda’s blog sharing her self discovery (only my inadequate ability to navigate cyberspace has prevented me from posting a link). Is blogging hereditary? Is it a bug that spreads? Is it a relaxing form of self expression? Is it a compulsion to document and share? Or (e) all of the above?
How hard it is
In much of what I have been reading recently, it seems that being “present” is a beneficial practice for both you and those involved with you. How hard it is to be “present”. How hard it is to “just be there for someone” – not thinking about me and what I would do; not getting involved in a book on the side or a TV show; not remembering about what it was like yesterday or last year; not thinking about what tomorrow may bring – just being there alert and ready to respond as the situation requires. I have made a conscious effort a fair bit lately and generously give myself 3 out of 10 when in form.
How easy it is
I was chuffed when my exercise/diet regime bore the success that I sought. As reward, i gave myself some leniency for a wee while. When I reassessed my lifestyle it eventuated that exercise and diet worked well together and should form an integral part of my future. How easy it is to make that decision yet maintain the form that I had lapsed into. How easy it is to maintain the status quo while finding excuse after excuse to eat and sit. Maybe signing up for the Bridge 2 Brisbane will generate a specific target date and goal that will make it easy to include more exercise in my daily routine.
How sweet is compromise
Last year I aimed for a dip in our pool at least once a month (min 8 laps = 100m). If it was not for excuses, I nearly achieved that. I upped the ante for 2013, viz. 80 laps on the first day of every month. I made it to May then excuses again reared their ugly head to take out the 1st of June. When a beautiful sunny day appeared mid-June, the target was back on track when I managed 24laps. The plan was to go until it began to hurt sufficiently. I am sure I could have gone further but managed to use the excuse that it would be best to pull out then to maximise benefits to my family and the rest. Compromise is indeed a beautiful thing. I wonder what July will serve up.
It can pay to speak up
Recently I got a ticket for parking too long in Coles while at a Lions game. I felt a bit gipped as I went to some pains to minimise risk. Resigned to paying the $65 fine, I enclosed a note with the cheque and sent it away. Lo and behold, in due time the cheque came back with a note saying the fine was quashed as I given a sufficiently good reason. The twenty minutes of effort was worth it, perhaps I will speak up more often.
Different thought patterns can work together
We have taken up doing the daily papers simple crosswords. Mostly it is a joint effort between Mary-Anne and I, with Mon sometimes contributing on the side. Many times we have found that while either of us can start and be stumped, when we work together we are much more successful. It is refreshing to discover the entirely different options that the same clue can generate. It provides further evidence that two heads working together are better than those heads working singularly.
Once a bridge player always a bridge player
As part of my home distraction plan, I visited my local bridge club. My last game of bridge was beyond my living memory so I was a little apprehensive. I need not have worried. My ability to play remained despite being a little rusty, my enjoyment was also rekindled. It goes to show that bridge has more in common with bikes than their common letters.
Gain from the pain
In a conversation with my podiatrist while suffering some discomfort, she informed me that if she did not cause pain she was not doing her job properly. Ashe seems to need to balance the pain she inflicts with the long term good it will do. So far I am very happy with her work. Current observations of patients undergoing chemo have me wondering about the capacity of medical professionals to judge the extent of distress their patients can bear while maximising the efficacy of the treatment they prescribe. In these cases is it better for them to have extra or reduced capacity to empathise with others?
Free time is essential?
In last weekend’s Australian Magazine an article espoused the need to have a minimum of seven hours “free time” a day to “feel truly contented and rested”. Free time is time for yourself to just be you and doesn’t count sleep. Apparently we used to get that in 1995 but this has slipped to a little over four hours. Despite reservations about the measurement and the target, the prospect of being a better “you” being important fits in with other recent enlightments. How will we be able to legislate to ensure everyone get a minimum personal time? Perhaps there should be a minimum amount of billboard space and TV advertising time reminding us that we can only be a better we if you are a better you.
The subservient can have the most pleasure
I nearly did not get to the theatre this month but circumstance saw me forego the State of Origin to enjoy my daughters company at a play. I have provided a short review below for theatre buffs but thought it worth sharing with a wider audience the reminder that “pain does not equal less pleasure” and “often the dominant figure is not always in control”.
That fulfils my blogging appetite for the present. Cheers.
Pleasure for the pain - a review of "Venus in Fur"
“Venus in Fur” by David Ives is based on the book of the same name (in German) written in 1870 by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch whose name led to the term “masochism”. It is a two handed play starring Todd MacDonald (Thomas) and Libby Munro (Vanda). The story line is simply where a Director (Thomas) auditions women for the lead role in the play “Venus in Fur”. Yes it is a play about itself. After a long and unproductive day of auditions, a late arrival Vanda, coincidently the name of the star in the play, makes her entrance and that’s where the fun begins. Thomas is looking for a dominating feminine woman and Vanda delivers in spades. She is in control from the start. Thenceforth, the audience is left wondering where is the distinction between the play and the auditioning as they shift seamlessly from one to the other. Occasional witty remarks, from Vanda of course, provide a semblance of distinction.
The physical appearances of the actors reflects the real life scenario being played out – Vanda remains calm and collected despite her energetic outbursts while Thomas is reduced to a drivelling wreck with sweat pouring from his brow. Throughout this intense episode of tastefully depicted sensual experience, perfectly placed pinches of humour break the potential heaviness of a dark subject. If my feelings were shared by the audience, they left refreshed and reminded that often all is often not as it seems, with pleasure coming from pain and dominant figures not always in control.
For me it was an excellent piece of theatre showcasing brilliant actors who presented a delicate subject in an engrossing yet entertaining manner. Highly recommended if coarse language does not offend.
