The play is the thing

Many, many years ago I wrote a script for a stage play. It's certainly nothing that I consider "good" or anything, but looking back it was a decent first attempt, I guess. Obviously, it went nowhere. I do a lot of things and then tuck them away, embarrassed and never show anyone. But theatre is something that really interests me. It's always been a secret little fantasy of mine to be involved in the production of a play in some capacity. Not as a "star" or anything - God no. The only "acting" experience I ever had was when I played Little Miss Muffet on stage in elementary school once. And yes, it was a "speaking part" with dialogue I had to memorize & deliver. :) (Yeah. I totally rocked that "tuffet"!) It's on my "bucket list" to get involved in theatre someday in some small way... like working on creating/painting the sets, or maybe as a non-speaking extra in the background. And of course, writing a short play that actually got performed would be a dream come true! (Naturally I'm thinking like on a small, local indie scale -- I don't have unreasonable expectations!)

I think maybe after I wrap up my current little "pet projects", I will turn my attention to this. I've kind of caught the writing "bug" lately, so I want to try my hand at writing another little script or two.

Do you know anyone who might be "bipolar"?

Manic-Depression: I looked it up and according to the US National Institute of Mental Health...

Here are some symptoms of a "manic" episode:
Increased energy, activity, or feelings of restlessness
Feelings of an excessive ‘high,’; an extremely good, euphoric mood
Distractibility, lack of concentration
Having "racing" thoughts and talking very fast
Lack of focus,jumping from one idea to another
Feeling like you need little sleep
Increased sex drive
Going on spending sprees
Exhibiting poor judgment
Unrealistic confidence in one’s own abilities
Irritability
Provocative, intrusive, or aggressive behavior
Drug abuse, especially alcohol or sleeping pills
Denial
Lasting period of unusual behavior

Here are some symptoms of a "depressive" episode:
Extended feelings of sadness, anxiousness, or emptiness
Hopelessness or pessimism
Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed, including sex
Decreased energy, fatigue or feeling “run down”
Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
Restlessness or irritability
Sleeping too much, or insomnia
Change in appetite and / or unintended weight loss or gain
Chronic pain or persistent bodily symptoms not caused by illness or injury
Thoughts of death or suicide / suicide attempts

This charming man, Jason McGuire

"Do you go everywhere 10 times?"

"You're the most drinkin'est gal I know!"

Back in the 80s when my brother & I were teenagers we went through a John Waters phase. We rented & watched all the John Waters movies we could get our hands on back then (although there are still some that I haven't seen.) A particular favourite of ours was "Polyester". Although we only watched it once, there were so many quotes & moments that made their way into our daily little vernacular and running jokes. I just re-watched "Polyester" for a 2nd time, and was reminded of so many golden moments. (And only now was I able to, er... "enjoy" Odorama, since the copy we rented back then didn't have the Odorama card.)



Oh "purr, purr Francine" (Divine, doing the best Elizabeth Taylor-esque performance of her career) and the one & only Edith Massey as Cuddles (the definite show stealer!) And I'd forgotten how skinny & ineffectual that "tough" Bo-Bo was! Here are a few of my favourite quotes from this classic. These are words to live by!

***

"Children would only get in the way of our erotic lifestyle!" (Sandra Sullivan)



"Oh Heintz, she's straight from the gutter!"
"A sporting girl, I would imagine."
"A fille de joie."
"It saddens me that you have to see anything this common, madame."
"Purr Francince! Purr purr Francine!"
(Cuddles Kovinsky & Heintz the chaffeur)



"Don't you know it's bad luck to let retards in your home?" (La Rue)


"At first I thought he was walking his dog. Then I realized it was his date!" (Cuddles Kovinsky)

Plans for the new year

When I make a tally of the events of 2010, overall it was a shitty year. Mostly because of things (health related) that were happening to people I care about, not necessarily anything that happened to me personally. Nevertheless, when I look back on 2010, I feel that it was mostly a productive and satisfying year. I finally got around to "doing" instead of just "thinking about" a lot of creative projects that I wanted to tackle for a long time (eg, video making, the zine, drawing & creative writing, even writing/playing a little bit of music again, etc.) Also, I find I've been devoting a lot more of my time to things that I genuinely enjoy, and saying to hell with what I "should" do or am "supposed to" do. I'm enjoying the virtue of selfishness. All of this (the equation of creativity plus selfishness) I find has put me in a pretty good mental place. I hope to continue the same trend for 2011.

January is a "clean slate" time of year, when the obligations of the holidays are finally over, things settle back into a routine again, and I find I have a lot more ambition and energy. Instead of making "resolutions", I often make "to do lists" for myself, and surprisingly, I usually accomplish most of the list (unlike vague "resolutions" that I never have the willpower to achieve!)

So, what are some of the things on my "to do" list for 2011?

• Devote more time to writing & drawing
• Take at least 1 really good vacation this year (ie, travel)
• Publish at least 1 more issue of W2R zine and try to finish the comic by the end of the year
• Make at least 1 new YouTube video this year (I've been thinking about a few)

And a few other things I won't mention here. The only vague "resolutions" I hope to achieve this year...

• Try to curb the "time wasters" in my life
• Say "yes" when I really mean "no" less often, and vice versa