So much sunshine.

Hey everyone!

A few highlights from the last week:

Rehearsals for Wounds to the Face continue to go well, but I will be beyond happy when I don't have to work with this director anymore. He's probably the least-respectful director I've ever worked with - talks over his actors every time they're onstage, doesn't let them make their own decisions, doesn't let his designers do their jobs...the rest of the cast/production team doesn't really know that what he's doing is wrong, I think, but I still hate it, they deserve so much more than that. The cast is doing such a good job, working so hard, and I'm actually enjoying watching the show more and more instead of getting sick of it.

Saturday Lauren and I explored Freo for awhile and found the COOLEST thrift store in the whole wide world - I don't need more clothing, but it was so cool. I tried on like twenty dresses. Then we returned home for a fondue party at our friend Emily's place - delicious, many chocolate-covered strawberries were consumed. Everyone was so, so tired afterwards though, there must have been something in the cheese...so Lauren and I went home and made a love nest, I can't remember if I've told you guys about this yet - we push the two couches together in our common room and it makes a nice little box of cushiony fun, then we put blankets and pillows in it and do homework or watch a movie or read or whatever. Lauren usually naps. It's the best thing ever - I think Jess started the trend, and I hear that now people do it all over the village. We usually love nest at least once a week. It's so cuddly.

The weather is BEAUTIFUL now, it's been at least 75 degrees every single day, and has started to get even hotter than that this weekend (today it's supposed to be 92, eek), so we spend a lot of our free time playing volleyball and jumping in the pool. SO Australia. I feel like a bum sometimes, but then I remind myself that I am here to experience the culture and meet people and enjoy Australia, and as long as I can get everything else done, I can play as much volleyball as I want. So I do. One night I played with a bunch of French guys - they were really, really intense and I thrown off-guard. Needless to say I was the worst one there, but they let me play anyway, and I learned a lot. I won't be surprised or offended if I don't get another invitation, however. My game has definitely improved since I got to Australia - so that's something (:

Tuesday was set building day at the theater, and out of the whole cast only four of us showed up...Serge was in a terrible mood, so that was a ton of fun. I shouldn't complain this much; here I have a great opportunity to stage manage a show, coming from very little stage management experience, I'm lucky that they let me do it. But me being lucky has little to do with how grateful Serge should be towards his cast and designers. I will be so happy to return to BC theater, that's all.

Tuesday afternoon I did another photo shoot with Lauren - actually I'm not sure if I told you guys about the first one; she's doing a project for her photo class on the human body and movement, so she's had Octave and I come in and do Kendo (that's Octave's specialty) and ballet/dance stuff. I love this...not only does she take wonderful pictures (it's amazing what a good camera can do), but it's made me realize that I miss dance SO MUCH. And it's really cool to have a big open floor to see what I am still capable of doing...which is a lot of stuff, surprisingly, but the days after each shoot I was so, so sore.

Wednesday I worked at the hospital again, went to the market to get some produce, played some more volleyball...no big deal. Thursday was another open mic night - Keith played at Moondyne's, this time in the sports bar, which was a HUGE venue, he played a few new ones and he and I sang a few together...we do a cover of Oh My Sweet Carolina by Ryan Adams now, and it went over really well this week - HOORAY. I had a sudden "wow I'm gonna miss this a lot" moment at Moondyne's that night...thinking about how sad it will be when I'm home and it's Thursday night and I'm not at some random bar in Fremantle with a group of Australians and other Americans watching Keith play, maybe getting to sing with him...now is not really the time to think about it (there is never a time to think about it while I'm down here), but the time is going so, so fast now. We've got four weeks of classes left, and then another 3-4 weeks in Australia. I had a conversation with a few girls last night about how everything down here is pretty much "everyday life" now - we're totally settled in, it's almost not a big deal that we're in Australia anymore, this is just what we do. There are always more adventures to be had, and I try to have at least one a day, but I feel like I've been doing this for years. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. It feels like home, that's for sure. Not like my home in Uncasville or in Boston, but a home.

More rehearsal yesterday, more time by the pool, more volleyball last night, and a bunch of the girls went out to a Thai restaurant called Roxby - deeeeeeelicious. I haven't had Thai food in forever; it's just as good down here as I remember it in Boston. We got ice cream afterwards too, then went home and made a love nest. Today we're off to a free music festival called One Movement in Perth - I don't know most of the bands playing, but MATT NATHANSON is going to be there. WHOA. So really I just want to see him (and I'm totally going to try to meet him afterwards and ever so coolly get his autograph), but we'll hang out for awhile after him and see some of the other bands probably.

Oh the only other semi-exciting thing to happen this week - I got bit/stung by an ant like six times. The poor guy was stuck inside my shirt and I was lying on my stomach and he was freaking out trying not to get crushed probably...anyway he survived, I've got six huge welts on my stomach now that itch like crazy...go figure, I live in Australia, home to sharks, jellyfish, snakes, spiders...a ton of animals that will bite you if you mess with them, and I get bit by an ant. Seriously. What is my problem.

That's all for now - down under and OUT.