No great insights into cinema or gay semiotics,

I'm too dazed by the American team's routine!

After nothing but good word and various stints at the film festivals worth their salt, I gave Water Lillies a go at this year's Melbourne Queer Film Festival. It was well cast and with one or two striking scenes focusing mainly on the truly bizarre spectacle that is synchronized swimming. Otherwise and for the most part, it was fairly straight forward, methodical and as such, a wee bit over long. That is how most teen romances feel but I guess I'm one for finding a less long winded way to convey that. The synth soundtrack was dreamy in parts.

The audience was almost entirely lesbians couples that laughed themselves silly over next to nothing. I can only assume this was either a form of provocative flirtation with their partners or a reading of the film's more nuanced gay in-jokes that I'm in the dark about. 

Still undecided if it was comforting or depressing that so many of these movie goers fit the Lesbian style stereotypes to a tee. I suppose it's a proud uniform of sorts. It must make dating easier. I was probably sending out similar vibes by wearing big black Doc Martins. 

Part of me can't believe stuff is real, or at least that it has such hard core levels of competition. It's the camp of figure skating with all the elegance removed.

If there's a decent documentary about it, send a link my way!

As March draws to a close

• Finally settled on the bodycare cocktails to mark my time in Melbourne. Angelica! Danelion! Mistletoe! Avocado! Rose hip! Oh my!
• More film shoots. Such an amazing amalgamation of strange tasks, including: stringing together giant musical notes, chasing a man with a umbrella, coughing up a twig, a butterfly and a car key, in that order. Ah yes, the return to zero budgets and junk food catering... 
  
• Slowly sussing different ways home in the evening. Melbourne is expanding by the day.
• Beautiful houses that make me loath my current lodgings further. Peter Greenaway, home-made comics and the pungent smell of Dove soap. A boy making architecture models in a room full of pantings and fascination.
• The thought of spending time with someone kind and sharing things with the ease and comfort of lovers makes me wobble and dream again.
• Missing people all over the world. The dancer in London and the climber in Baltimore. The snap-happy Croatian with the beautiful mind. The boy with the remarkable mole in Washington, who gave up hope of a reunion months ago. My dear darling petite one, Sophie. Above all, I miss her.
• Thinking too much. Watching beautiful things as a distraction.
  

Seriously?

So apparently people are reading my bloggy outbursts now. I feel I need to raise my game. Yes, we even went down the mad (bad) route of poetry together, didn't we? Dear me.

Here's something different to help us move swiftly on!

Firstly? Old art. This shit is 3 years old now! I really need to get back into some sort of discipln in this department. I have become a champion doodleler but haven't ever really pushed beyond that comfort zone.

Yeah, I really need to get on this.

Secondly? Nobody told me The Seventh Seal was so funny! I was perturbed by its "worthiness" for years and never realised what I was really missing. Lest we forget, it inspired this greatness too. Anyway, Jons is the man. 

Thirdly? I'm looking forward to a quiet day of reading and convalesce tomorrow. I have Mon Oncle and The Fireman's Ball already over due from the school library so they will be watched, even if nothing else gets done. I'm actually quite excited to do some of our course readings. Our C.F.I class,(centre for ideas ...earth shattering, no?) has an eclectic reader and this week's text is all about the basic rhythms of life. It champions the exmaple of an oyster's life cycles to illude to strong cyclical forces in the world arround us, beyond our present comprehnsion. Here's something similar that google coughed up. 

Goddamn it, with stuff like this, I'll end up a well rounded individual one day!

Respecte Le Donne!

Lately:

• The camp, kaleidoscope beauty and ham acting of "The River" at ACMI. My Wednesday nights belong to the Melbourne Cinematheque now. March mini Bergan season, here I come!
• Sleeping everywhere but Le Student 8, if I can help it!
• Tales of mishap on shoots and random anecdotes tinged by violence : "Like the guy in America who wanted to demonstrate break-proof glass in a high-rise - he ran at the window and fell to his death. The glass was fine. It was the frame that didn't hold up."
• Pall Mall Slims & maintaining my weight with beer.
• Getting whiplash at Dan Deacon at the Espy on Saturday. Admiring St. Kilda until natives pointed out the syringes on the beach and the middle aged men cruising the corners for "company."
• Reading this for school and getting to know my classmates through their writing & wise cracks.
• Watermelon for diner.
• Italian Spiderman!