Keating!

If you can beg borrow or steal tickets to Keating! on at the Octagon as part of the Perth International Arts Festival - go and see it.

Clever, outrageously pro-Keating, hilarious, naughty - the singing is fantastic, the music varied, the atmosphere great. I loved it. Here’s what they say:

Share in the heady rise, tempestuous reign and tragic fall of the Placido Domingo of Australian politics. GASP! as Hawke ignores the Kirribilli agreement! THRILL! as Prime Minister Keating sticks it to the drones opposite! CHEER! as he wins the sweetest victory of all! HISS! as the evil Howard betrays his colleagues in his thirst for power! SCOFF! at the blatant historical revisionism!

I’m not sure what Alexander Downer thought, but I thought it was great.

The musical took us from Paul Keating’s first leadership challenge of Bob Hawke through to his last election and included songs capturing things like his Redfern Speech of 1983, the Mabo decision, the 1983 Election featuring Kerry O’Brien… not to mention a tender love duet between Cheryl Kernot and Gareth Evans. Sigh.

Would you have loved Keating if you were a staunch Liberal voter? I was sitting next to one and he said yes.

The shame of it is that it will never travel overseas - maybe they could do a musical about someone more universally known like… Clinton! They’d have some material to work with there!

Purge

I’m purging.  All the old files that have clogged up my website as it has twisted and turned throughout its development.  I figure that seeing as I’ve taken the little robot.txt file out so this site becomes more public I’d better up the privacy a bit.  So all the old stuff is going.  Oh I’ve got it all on one of those little sticks but not online.  It means saying goodbye to a lot of old blog - three years in fact.

So if you’re looking for something… email me at cellobella at gmail dot com and I’ll put it at the top of the list.

And just like cleaning out the linen cupboard (still to be done) I feel lighter now.

Bibliotravel

I loved this site! (And thanks to Meish for the link)

It’s something I do anyway - seek out books that talk about places when I visit them. Usually I find them after I’ve been there which is irritating. Sometimes I plan trips around places I’ve read about - Jane Austen got me to Bath for example. I read Pompeii by Robert Harris in Pompeii, Leon Uris’s Agony and Ecstasy in Florence (about Michelangelo), Miss Garnet’s Angel by Salley Vickers took me to Venice and on it goes.

Bibliotravel is undersubscribed at the moment and needs your input. So if you’ve read a great novel set in a certain place - sign up (it’s free) and add to it… so that I can come along next time I travel and read your recommendations…

Yes, once again, it’s all about me!

Tap dance

Today we fixed the garden tap.  This has been a source of much guilt and gnashing of teeth by me and finally it is done.

It’s been leaking for a while.  At first just a slow drip and I figured that I’d get it fixed next time we called a plumber in.  But we never called a plumber and the slow drip turned into a fast drip.  I put the end of the hose in the pool - at least the water was going somewhere but then the tap itself began to drip and I had to act. 

How simple it is to change a tap when you have the right tools.  At first we were a little nervous because the riser holding the tap wasn’t connected to anything so we figured that we’d attach it to the wall, securing it with a little bit of 4×2 we found in the woodpile.  We didn’t have the right spanners (or whatever they were) but I rang SuperDad and he thought he’d have some so we jumped in the car (with our bit of wood) and headed for his place to collect them and then to a hardware shop to buy a new tap.

SuperDad met us before we had got 50 metres from the house - Plumbers to the rescue? - enquired Groover…

So then we hemmed and hawed a bit more about how much of a wooden backing we needed and what sort of bolts would be required and whether or not another drill bit was necessary before I was sent to purchase what we needed.

The result a swish and shiny new tap that doesn’t leak and some very satisfied DIYers who have proven once again that jobs around the house a much more fun if you do them together.  Yes it’s twee but it’s true.

Bad Mother again

So like the girls and I were talking like and they reckon their mums are too over-protective yeah like…but they think like you’re too under-protective and like yeah…

So says my girl and maybe I am too under-protective. I’ve been out so much lately I’ve barely seen them and working later in the afternoon because I stay home to get them to school. I am a bad mother I guess. But my girl knows how much she is loved and I do my best. I just wish it could be more.

Next week is less busy.

Meantime numberoneson has just returned from his first social at high school. A river cruise. He seemed to enjoy it more than he was expecting to. So that’s good, isn’t it?

Book Slam

Tonight went to see Book Slam, part of PIAF and the brainchild of Patrick Neate.

Book Slam heads down under for the first time to humbly hand over the ashes of English literature. We will be joined for the ceremony by: -
- ANTHONY SWOFFORD, author of Jarhead and now Exit A
- Award-winning poet SAMUEL WAGAN WATSON. Renowned for his humour and wry take on contemporary urban life (Brisbane News)
- Plus, singer-songwriter FELICITY GROOM and DJ BEN TAAFFE of the mighty Underground Solution radio show. [all of that from the Book Slam website]

It was packed upstairs at the Leederville Hotel, a seedy, shabby old fashioned hotel, the kind you might find in a country town. The stage was small, the lights too bright for some of the readers, the audience attentive and prepared for something new.

Now the deal with Book Slam is that Patrick Neate and his mate Ben (from everything but the girl - incidentally one of my old faves), decided that book readings in libraries and cafes were BOR-RING so why not have one in a pub. And because most people seem to have the attention span of a gnat - and besides want to talk to their mates as well as be inspired - why not offer literary excellence in bite-sized pieces? Good idea?

The first author was pretty good I thought. Tony writes action thrillers I think with a US Marine flavour - if you get what I mean - I’ve not read any of his books but he read about ten minutes from his latest and that was the feel I got from it. I don’t mind action thrillers with a US flavour. He read it well. I thought - yeah okay.

Then after a break we met Sam Wagen Watson, a poet from Brisbane. He read four of his poems. My favourite I think was White Stucco Dreaming. I thought he was brilliant. Funny, compassionate, great writing. I bought the book as you do.

A couple of phrases from his book “Smoke Encrypted Whispers”. (This is for you travellers out there)

a pre-flight environment stirring
to the waking groans of a cappucino-making slave
and an honour guard assembled for the dearly departing;

I just love that dearly departing phrase…. and this from “white stucco dreaming”

front yards studded with old black tyres
that became mutant swans overnight
attacked with a cane knife and a bad white paint job

He was really good. And afterwards I asked him to sign my copy and he was really sweet about it.

Then came Felicity Groom who was wearing a fabulous red and black frock, strapless, lacy underskirt, fishnet socks to just under her knee and a guitar. She’s a local girl and sings rather depressing songs IMHO. After she started the fifth (which didn’t sound much different to the first four) I’m afraid I left. Hey I have to work tomorrow… er today!

Anyway it was quite a good night - if I’d got there early enough for a booth we might have stayed longer… or if Felicity hadn’t done such a long set… who knows. In the meantime I’m the richer for being exposed to Sam’s poetry.

Oh and I had better review The Trouble With Don which I saw last night at The Blue Room. What can I say? He was funny - I laughed out loud. Unashamedly West Australian references which I thought were hilarious. Especially all the school references. It’s a cheap night out at the theatre and the intimate atmosphere of venue will charm you.

WARNING: Politically Incorrect Joke to follow.

Thank you to The Poshi for this little email gem. :)

“Subiaco Barbie”
This  princess Barbie is sold  only at the the Colonnade. She comes with an assortment of Kate Spade Handbags, a Lexus SUV, a long-haired foreign dog named Honey and a designer kitchen.  Available with or without tummy tuck and face-lift.  Workaholic Ken sold only in conjunction with the augmented version.

“Joondalup Barbie”
The modern day homemaker Barbie  is available with Ford Wind star Minivan and  matching gym outfit. She gets lost easily and has no full-time occupation. Traffic jamming cell phone sold separately.  

“Girawheen  Barbie”
This recently paroled Barbie comes with a 9mm handgun, a Ray Lewis knife,a Chevy with dark tinted   windows, and a Meth Lab Kit. This model is only available after dark and must be paid for in cash (preferably small, untraceable bills) …unless you are a cop, then we don’t know what you are talking about.

“Claremont  Barbie”
This  yuppie Barbie comes with your choice of BMW convertible or Hummer H2..  Included are her own cappucino cup, credit card and country club  membership. Also available for this set are Shallow Ken and Private School Skipper. You won’t be able to afford any of them.   

“Armadale Barbie”
This pale model comes dressed in her own Wrangler jeans two sizes too small, a NASCAR t-shirt and tweety bird tattoo on her shoulder. She has a six-pack of Carlton Midstrengh and a Jimmy Barnes CD set. She can spit over 5 feet and kick mullet-haired Ken’s butt when  she is drunk. Purchase her pickup truck separately and get a confederate  flag bumper sticker absolutely free.  

“East Perth Barbie”
This  collagen injected, rhino plastic Barbie wears a leopard print outfit and drinks cosmopolitans while entertaining friends. Percocet prescription  available as well as warehouse conversion condo.

“Mandurah Barbie”
This tobacco-chewing, brassy-haired Barbie has a pair of her own high-heeled sandals with one broken heel from the time she chased beer-gutted Ken out of Butler Barbie’s house. Her ensemble includes low-rise acid-washed jeans, fake fingernails, and a see-through halter-top. Also available with a mobile home.  

“Fremantle Barbie”
This doll is made of actual tofu. She has long straight brown hair, arch-less feet, hairy armpits, no makeup and Birkenstocks with white socks. She prefers that you call her Willow. She does not want or need a Ken doll, but if you purchase two Point Breeze Barbies and the optional Subaru wagon, you get a rainbow flag bumper sticker for free.  

“Scarborough   Barbie”
This  Barbie now comes with a stroller and infant doll. Optional accessories include a GED and bus pass.  Gangsta Ken and his 1979 Caddy were  available, but are now very difficult to find since the addition of the infant.

“Margaret River Barbie”
She’s perfect in every way. We don’t know where Ken is because he’s always out surfing.

“Highgate Barbie/Ken”
This versatile doll can be easily converted from Barbie to Ken by simply adding or subtracting the multiple snap-on body parts.
 

Book Magazine Book - it’s arrived!

My Book Magazine Book has arrived! It was a little… er… smaller than I thought it would be and so is a little more of a challenge! The photo doesn’t really tell you how small - 6cm x 4cm! Let me know if you’d like me to send it to you once I’m done.

Of course the good thing is that small could also mean less work and it’s a whole heap cheaper to post! :)

If I were a rich man….

I probably wouldn’t still be singing for my supper at the age of 70… so perhaps the years haven’t been so financially kind to him as they might… still if that’s the case it is our gain for I think Topol has probably grown into the role he has made famous.

I took my MIL to see Fiddler on the Roof tonight at the Burswood. I love musicals. I love the hammy acting, the contrived plots, the singing and the dancing. And I loved Fiddler. It’s a pretty depressing story mind, but there is a certain joy contained within the sorry state of the protagonists.

I can’t imagine it without Topol though.

The only niggling thing for me was the Australian accents, shown up by Topol’s lovely Jewish sounding lilt. In particular the Rabbi - he had so few words - couldn’t he have done the accent?

Apart from that I was willing to take myself to pre-revolutionary Russia and Teyve’s world.

Wild Cursive

I took A to see Wild Cursive last night - the world-renowned dance company Cloudgate from Taiwan.

I have to admit to not enjoying it.  There, I’ve said it.  I know, I know it is high art and very good but it was too avant garde for me.  Give me a pretty costume or at the very least music.

The theme I understand was supposedly the way Chinese Calligraphy moves but to be honest I didn’t really see that.  I thought at one point they were going through the Earth, Wind, Fire and Water elements (those were the noises I heard in what passed for a soundtrack), ending with the sea, but apparently (according to the program) not.

Technically the dancers are very skilled but I’m afraid the performance left me cold and watching the time.

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