Six Weeks!

Today it occurred to me that in just 6 weeks, I will be winging my way to NYC to celebrate the big 4-0.

SIX WEEKS!

I've not done a scrap of saving.

Whoops.

My flight is paid for, as is my first week's accommodation (with six of my loveliest girlfriends who are travelling from all corners of the globe to celebrate with me), but I've still got to book:

1. A week in the Catskills;
   
   
2. A return flight from NYC to London (where I'll be seeing Take That and the Pet Shop Boys at Wembley, then David Tennant and Catherine Tate in Much Ado About Nothing at the Wyndham... squeeee!);
   
   
3. Accommodation in NYC on my return from London (for the end-of-holiday-my-god-that-US$-is-amazing-at-the-moment shopping); and
   
   
4. Travel insurance.

And that's all to be factored in BEFORE I start on spending money.

Yoiks.

Would requesting an increase on my credit card limit be a bit cheeky? You only turn 40 once after all...

Soul Stories

Back in January, my gorgeous friend K posted this link on my wall on ye olde facebook:

http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html

I've watched it several times since then and it always makes me question my place in the world. Which is a good thing. The day you stop questioning your place in the world is the day you stop becoming an active participant in the world.

The snippet of wisdom I like most from Brene Brown is her observation that "stories are just data with a soul".

It's how I like to think of my work.

I tell stories.

And my stories are data with a soul.

My soul is many things (restless, contented, melancholy, joyful) and it has many stories.

My lovely friend K who originally shared the joy of Brene Brown with me, inspires my soul and inspires me to share my stories.

She's been away for a while, working up in sunny Queensland, but she's coming home soon. Hurrah! We've already scheduled our regular ACO date and I'm looking forward to having her back in my life on a more regular basis.

I also look forward to sharing more of my stories.

With everyone.

Across the Universe

The law of attraction is a remarkable thing... following on from yesterday's post about reconnecting with old friends, today I received a card and letter from a friend in Edinburgh.

A HANDWRITTEN LETTER.

Totes old school and just a wonderfully wonderful reminder of a gorgeous friend.

Lovely L, the wee Scottish lassie whom I met when she worked with me during the 2009 Melbourne Comedy Festival, is one of the sweetest, funniest and smartest people you could ever meet. We share a love of Doctor Who, Gin & Pinks, David Bowie, The Housemartins and fringe chopping. Amongst many other things.

We spent many a tipsy night dancing around Melbourne town before her visa expired and she headed back to the 'burgh.

I miss her.

And I love, love, LOVE that she misses me enough to send me a handwritten letter, enclosed inside a David-Tennant-Doctor-Who birthday card no less. Even though it's not my birthday for another two months. She couldn't wait that long apparently.

Bless. Her. Cotton. Socks.

x

A Friend A Day

Friends.

(The people in your life, not the TV show)

When you stop and think about it, you realise that they're actually amazing creatures, aren't they?

Someone once told me that people come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. I've been thinking about this a lot lately, especially since I've been feeling very disconnected from some of my Sydney based friends in the last month or so. A few in particular (including some so-called Besties), have really upset or hurt me in recent weeks and I've been contemplating whether it is better to let these friendships go or just work harder to keep them. The jury's still out... I'm a little tired of being the instigator of all the communication.

Bridget Jones once said that her Urban Singleton Family (ie her friends) were every bit as important and supportive as her real family. It's a very valid point. On the whole I would tend to agree with her. In fact I'd probably go even further and say that they can be more supportive at times than your real family. But with the highs also come the lows and sometimes your friends can let you down. Fact.

So. Yeah. Friends. (That's me not being able to think of a good segueway)

Working at the Dead Egyptian Thing yesterday, I was pondering this funny thing called friendship when a few things happened:

Firstly, I looked up to see an old flatmate/friend of mine from my early Sydney days standing in the queue for tickets with his wife and two daughters. He'd changed jobs since moving to Melbourne about 10 years ago and I'd changed email and phone numbers, so we had lost touch. There was much joyful exclaiming to be had... it was great to see both him and his wife (who I knew well, since he first started dating her when we were living in a huge old house in Neutral Bay) and we'll be catching up properly very soon.

Secondly, while I was later explaining to my colleague who these people were, I was reminded of some of the more hilarious events that happened when we were house sharing and I resolved to start writing them down. I thought a "Friend A Day" blog might be a good way to do this... changing the names of course. Some pretty funny things happened when we were living in that house.

Thirdly, as I was on the train home from work, I texted our third housemate from the Neutral Bay days to tell her of the catch up and was reminded of some of the stories involving her. She later rang to get more details and as we were speaking I thought how lovely it was to catch up with old friends after feeling somewhat abandoned by others. It was then I decided to make an effort to not only share some of the stories of my friends but to actually get in touch with them - at least one per day. Call, skype, text, email or snail mail - any method was fine. Facebook doesn't count. That's a lazy way to maintain friendships. Today I've already been in touch with two friends and have made a mental list of others I want to reconnect with tomorrow.

So that's my new little project. Expect some funny stories, some sad stories and some totally bizarre stories about my friendships through my life.

And if you're an old friend I haven't been in touch with for a while, you never know - a message from me might be coming your way sooner than you think!

x

39 Steps To 40

As part of my "Road to 40" I thought I'd post a list of significant (to me) events and achievements in my life. Some are small, some are not, but they've all helped shape me into the person I now am. I actually started this on 17 October last year, but life has been a little hectic since then and I haven't disciplined myself enough to complete it until now.

So.


39 Steps to 40.

(or: My Life So Far)


In the years that I have been in existence on this earth I have...

1. Driven solo across the USA... 32 states in total. In a bronze Pontiac Sunbird with a sunroof. Mostly in winter.
   
   
2. Trekked across Africa for three months.
   
   
3. White water rafted the Zambezi (and only capsized once).
   
   
4. Climbed to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
   
   
5. Watched the Trooping of the Colour in London, with my mum, on her first ever day overseas (it was a bit emotional for her, as it was something she'd dreamed of doing since she was a small child).
   
   
6. Completed a drama degree.
   
   
7. Started my own business.
   
   
8. Performed on stage at the Festival Theatre in Adelaide (twice, at the ages of 11 & 12).
   
   
9. Sang karaoke at a bar in New Orleans (The Go-Go's 'Our Lips Are Sealed'. Always a crowd pleaser at 2am).
   
   
10. Been to the top of the Empire State Building on Valentine's Day (but didn't meet Tom Hanks or any cute little kids).
    
    
11. Stayed in a frat house in Atlanta, Georgia with a friend of a friend. One of the most hilarious, yet disgusting, weekends of my life. Think Animal House without the togas.
    
    
12. Hiked down the Grand Canyon (hiking back up was painful).
    
    
13. Jumped out of a plane. Once. Bungee jumped off a bridge. Twice.
    
    
14. Achieved a teenage dream of seeing Michael Ball perform at the Royal Albert Hall (I was a musical theatre junkie - don't judge me!).
    
    
15. Fallen in love. Many times. Some were worthy, others were not.
    
    
16. Had my heart broken. Many times.
    
    
17. Helped nurse my father while he was dying of cancer.
    
    
18. Got my belly button pierced. Took it out in second year at drama school when I discovered that's exactly the point of my splenic chakra (responsible for creativity). Its removal was the catalyst for some major creative developments.
    
    
19. Got a tattoo. Not saying where or what.
    
    
20. Got a second tattoo, ten years later. Again, not saying where or what.
    
    
21. Sent a fan letter to Ricky Schroeder. I was nine. His 'people' sent back a photocopied letter and a signed photo. I was in tween heaven.
    
    
22. Had a one night stand. Actually, I've had several one night stands. Some good, some not.
    
    
23. Had cancer. Mild form, but still scary to be told you've got cancer when your family history is riddled with it.
    
    
24. Kicked cancer's butt. It'll take more than cancer to get me off this earth.
    
    
25. Learned sign language. Two years at junior primary school and again when I was studying my business degree.
    
    
26. Been so intoxicated that I've blacked out and thrown up. Not necessarily in that order.
    
    
27. Thought it would be a good idea to try to sleep in the snow in -13 degree temperatures in Prague after drinking far too many shots of cheap tequila. Thank god for DP or I may not have lived to tell the tale.
    
    
28. Played the slots in Las Vegas.
    
    
29. Been to Disneyland LA, Disney World Florida and Disneyland Paris. I think that's enough.
    
    
30. Tried most illegal substances except heroin. I have issues with needles.
    
    
31. Overcame a teenage eating disorder and an anxiety disorder. Although I still struggle with both at times.
    
    
32. Been selected to play at district level at hockey. I was a cracker right wing. Never could play on the left though... weird.
    
    
33. Been pen-friends with a girl in Sweden since we were about 12. I've visited her a couple of times and we are still great pals to this day.
    
    
34. Kept this blog for nearly six years... even though I don't write that often nowadays it's still an achievement for me to have stuck to something this long.
    
    
35. Lived in three different countries in over 25 different houses. Considering I didn't actually leave my childhood home until I was in my early 20s, that's quite a few changes of address for my driver's licence.
    
    
36. Been a bridesmaid (once) but never a bride. But that's ok, because I don't think I actually want to be. Or if I do I'd like to just elope to Vegas. Or the registry office.
    
    
37. Survived a life-threatening illness (epiglottitis at the age of 2). Mostly I just remember being in an oxygen tent and getting new Fuzzy Felts and my first ever Barbie.
    
    
38. Swum naked in the ocean (Samos, Greek Islands, June 1996)
    
    
39. Sat next to the members of Massive Attack on a flight from London to Copenhagen in 1996 without knowing who the hell they were. We shared an entire packet of Silk Cuts (BA flights back then were still split into smoking and non-smoking sections) and a few bottles of chardy, yet it wasn't until we walked out into the throng of screaming fans at Copenhagen airport that I discovered they weren't just "with a band" as they'd earlier claimed.

So there you go. Some of the highlights (and lowlights) of the first four decades of my life. There's gotta be a novel in there somewhere...

xox