Cold, cold and National Lampoon

So the last few days we've finally been battling SERIOUS cold - as in temperatures below minus 30, as in walking even metres outside turns your entire nostril in a frozen goods aisle, as in going into the cold-room at the bottle shop (as Leon and I did the night before their departure) actually feels WARM.

Today's a little milder - hopefully we'll make it up the ski hill again sometime this week. And Ella has been harrassing me to take her ice-skating again, so we'll see how the day eventuates. The only thing that comforts me in times of extreme frozen-ness is knowing that in other parts of Canada it is a lot worse.

In other bright news, I've finally sent out my promo pack to tons of peeps round the country so I guess we'll just see what happens. I honestly feel really cool about it all right now (no pun intended), just satisfied to know that no matter what happens, I've given it a good shot.

Oh and in really cool but kinda strange news, I'm the lead story at the moment on National Lampoon's website - I'm not complaining! Props to the very excellent comedy website IJoke.Tv who I suspect are the folks who put NL onto my stuff.

Quote of the day...
Caleb: "I saw a snake once. It was a Batman snake."

So long, faretheewell, pip pip, cheerio...

The guts ripped out of my innards this morning - otherwise known as Ash and Leon leaving the building - have left me feeling a little nauseous.

The past two and a bit weeks have seen much frolicking in the snow, cooking up of feasts and general basking in each other's Aussie soul-matedness, but rather than divulging details in long-winded rants, instead I'll make like a paparazzo and let the pictures do the talking.

*Note: please don't ask why I'm writing so bizarrely this morning - I have a lot of sleep to be catching up on. Right as soon as I stop writing like a Dubliner.


We 'll miss ya, guys!

Oh and the new column is up

It's a true story. Promise.

Homeschooling, Keith Johnstone and Loose Moose

So in a bit of very-late news (in that the actual event happened a couple of weeks ago), we've decided to pull Ella out of traditional schooling and home-school her. This is for a number of reasons (the main one being that now I don't have to do the early morning school dash or make lunch ;-) ), none of which bears any reflection on the school she was at which was great, but...nah, on second thought I'm not gonna use this as a post to justify our decisions. I know homeschooling causes quite a bit of controversy which I don't particularly wish to enter into, but suffice to say that after a trial run of a couple of weeks, thus far it is working out swimmingly. She's happy. I'm happy. We're all just one big ball of happy bubble gum. And I FINALLY feel like I'm able to have a life while actually being a really wicked mama. In the non-wicked sense.

Rock.

I also want to write a heap more about the training I've been doing with the amazing Loose Moose Theatre in Calgary. So I will. The first couple of weeks I was almost a little overwhelmed with such a different way of approaching improv training - it's far more analytical than what I've been used to in the past, but then last week something just suddenly clicked and I felt like I kinda 'got it' a bit more and could just relax, be present and all that jazz. I am so hooked. If only the weather wasn't such an element (no pun intended) in getting down to Calgary every week, seriously the winter roads here freak the living snowman out of me!

And I had a moment of star-struckedness a couple of weeks ago, having walked into the class and seeing standing right next to me none other than Mr Keith Johnstone himself. Of course I acted all cool (translation = mute) but part of me was going 'Holy crap, Keith Johnstone is in da house!'. For those non improvisers out there, Keith Johnstone is the guy who amongst other incredible feats, invented theatre sports and is one of the most highly revered improv teachers in the entire world. I'm currently - and finally - reading his book "Improv: Improvisation and the Theatre" which is already blowing my mind.

And reaffirming to me the validity of our choice of a non-traditional education for our muppets.

Manamana.

And on a brighter note...

I walked in the door on Tuesday, having left Ash and Leon to majestically hold the kiddly-winkled fort while I set forth on my promotional assault (otherwise known as photocopying bios, columns and the like in readiness to send them out to agents, producers and other random peeps) - only to have Ash say those magical words: "*** from ***** rang and wants you to call her back about a tour."

Woo-bloody-hoo. And no, I'm not being sarcastic.

And so my lovely pals, I am suitably chuffed to report that come mid-Feb, I'll be setting off on a brief but nonetheless exciting Canadian tour (it is my first, after all) for exactly four nights in British Columbia. If anybody hears an echo through the Rockies at this point, fear not - it's just my excitement.

After being introduced to the film Hedwig and the Angry Inch, a very well made little flick that shows - amongst other things - the gritty reality of life on the road, I'm prepared for anything. Who am I kidding? I can't freakin WAIT!

Positive news. Rock.

RIP Heath

I'm quite surprised by how upset I was by this news.

I'm not the most massive Heath Ledger fan in the world (not that I'm the least either, just that I'd hardly consider myself 'dedicated' to his work) yet I've actually felt rather shite-like since hearing of his very premature demise today.

Maybe it's just cos death has been a major theme of the past week. Maybe it's just cos I find myself thinking of his own little pint-sized tike. Or maybe it's just cos I'm an Aussie in a foreign land.

Either way, I'm shocked both by the news itself and my reaction to it.

Cos it is of course...all about me.

Isn't it?

I think the moral of this story - and I'm sure there are many which will come to light in the coming days - is that it's not all about anybody.

(And that fame is fickle. Blah blah blah. Cos we didn't know that already).

Anyhoo, rest in peace buddy. Geez Louise, what a week.