world nomad

Thursday, November 30, 2006

The Karamozov's

Celebrated director Bill Peters presents a new vision of the classic story of a broken family’s violent retribution. This bracing new play is inspired by the literary establishment that is Dostoevsky’s novel, The Brothers Karamazov, which follows the history of four men and the catalog of indecencies committed by their wealthy, monstrous father. The brothers include a sterile aesthete, a monk, an illegitimate factotum, and Dmitri, an elegant officer, always broke and at odds with his father, yet engaged to a rich and lovely young woman. Family tensions erupt when Dmitri falls in love with one of his father's mistresses, the coquette Grushenka. When the father is killed, it is Dmitri who is put on trial, with the brothers’ honor hanging in the balance.
This production is being performed in two parts.

Part One: Thu, Dec 7, 8 pm; Sat, Dec 9, 2 pm; Sun, Dec 10, 2 pm
Part Two:Fri, Dec 8, 8 pm; Sat, Dec 9, 7 pm; Sun, Dec 10, 7 pm
Admission: $10 General/$8 Students & Seniors
Tickets: 415/338-2467
Tickets for Part One and Part Two are sold seperately.
Purchase tickets for the complete show (Parts One and Two) at the same time and recieve a 50% discount on your ticket for Part Two.

Little Theatre, Creative Arts bldg
SFSU campus, 1600 Holloway @19th Ave, SF

Click for more.

This is the new show that I have been busting my ass over every week night - and some weekends too.... Check it out!

Monday, November 13, 2006

It's raining...

It's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring... I wish I could send some of it across as this recent rain prompted me to check the drought level and Brisbane is upto Level4?? I'll try and do a little rain dance for you... but I don't think it will become effective until February - that's my prediction anyway.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

settling down

Life is settling down after a few months and it feels like I have an established 'life' here which I will be so sad to leave. I feel the weeks coming closer and closer to the end. Last night I was invited to my friend's place from university for a cocktail party. It was amazing and I had so much fun even if I froze my little Australian ass off in the mountain. She lives near San Bruno mountain and I'm not sure of the exact place it is, but it has one of the most spectacular views across to the city and the outer suburbs of San Francisco and Oakland. I tried a Dirty Martini and it was the worst - I just don't like martini's i've decided. Nothing against the maker and shaker but i've decided i'm just not a martini girl. Neil made some delicious quiche and we had tiramasu for desert and more drinks. I am still taken a back by the generosity of people in this town. Just when I think I can't go on someone pops their head around the corner and helps and it just all comes together. But then there is this other side of SF which is far more inhumane on a bigger level... the homelessness. I am getting tired of seeing poverty and people crying out for help but seeing a government turn a blind eye on it all and force a few small agencies take on the work but are far to underfunded and staffed to make a big enough impact. It's quite sad and i've had plenty of conversations about this and basically it all comes down to a few bad choices on behalf of San Francisco and American policy as a whole. But back to my dinner. We played a board game and I was delighted to get a lift all the way home afterwards.

Today was pretty mundane. I cleaned my apartment room and went shopping for groceries which is always a bit of fun in Chinatown. It's always so crazy to see all the dried goods stinking out the front of shops. It's about a quater of the price of the shops and it's all more fun trying to squeeze your way through a thousand chinese people shopping as well.

Okay, Alberto needs the computer so I am signing off and i'll try and update later when I wake up a bit more.

Rob

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Rhiannon

RHIANNON!!! CONTACT ME!!!
xoxo

have you heard of email?

A recount of my tattoo experience last Sunday

It’s cold and chilly afternoon in the streets of Haight Ashbury, holding a steaming hot soy mocha no whipped cream. I have butterflies in my stomach, feeling nervous about Miriam getting a tattoo and the thought of joining her and getting my first. No thought eases me and I approach the intersection before Mom’s Tattoo and Piercing with thoughts of doubt swimming in my mind. We open the door and Miriam approaches the counter and asks to see if there are any flash pictures of the star tattoo she wants for her ankle. I recognize the guy behind the counter up until now he has never been the friendliest person but he makes an attempt to smile anyway. He draws out a white A4 paper with several sizes of stars and Miriam and orders two, one inch and another three quarter inch star for her ankle. Without thinking I blurt out, “Can I please see a flash of an ohm?” He reaches behind the desk and gets a book on Buddhism and Hinduism and opens up to show the picture of an ohm. I take a good five minutes staring at it and then carry the piece of paper nervously into the cubicle while Miriam gets her tattoo.

I watch him mark the spot on her ankle, prepare the needle and I feel okay and not too nervous. Then at that second when I feel okay about the whole process the artist switches on the tattoo gun and the vibrating jackhammer like buzzing starts up. It sends a chill down me and I begin to wonder about the pain involved with the whole process. The tattoo artist wipes the last of the turquoise from the star Miriam and we head over to the counter. I stand at the glass counter pull of piercing jewelry and I think to myself that another piercing might be more enjoyable than the tattoo process. I stare at the symbol I would like tattooed on my back and reach into my handbag to pull out a hundred dollar note and my passport. Shaking with anxiety I place the money on top of my passport and hold the picture in my hand nervously looking at the guy behind the counter. Ever so slowly, with my hands shaking I hand over the money and passport and say, “do it”. I know at this moment if I walk away it will be a long time before I walk in again. I have to wait a few minutes while the tattoo artist sets up and I call my friend and let her know what I’m doing. I’m called into the cubicle where I see all the utensils laid out neatly on a sterilized silver platter and the office like chair with a head rest for me to get comfortable in. He asks me if this is my first tattoo and with anxious eyes I look at him and tell him, “yes”. With a relaxed voice he says, “for a once in a lifetime offer I will do something to help you with your first tattoo, but first let me place it on.” He reaches for a shaver and removes the hair around where the tattoo will be. I breathe very deeply and try to relax some more. He then wipes down the area again and places on the carbon copy of the ohm symbol to the back of my neck. I grab the pretty pink mirror dangling next to his work bench and admire what will become my tattoo. I look again and ask him to place it just slightly to the left some more. The tattoo placement is repositioned and I tell him it’s perfect. He asks me to sit and I obediently do so. I sit in the turned around chair as instructed with my arms resting on the back rest and my head on the stand with my hair pulled across and out of the way. He tells me that he will fill the needle with water and do a test patch on my skin because he doesn’t want me moving and ending up with a funky tattoo because the anxiety is worse than the procedure. I close my eyes and take a deep breath in, clenching Miriam’s hand; I get nervous for the billionth time and wait for the needle to hit my skin. As I feel his hand coming to rest on my back I stay extremely still. The moment I wait for happens and then needle has gone through a test drive on my tattoo. I scrunch up my face and look at him with a, “that’s it? Let’s get the show on the road”. He fills the needle with ink and outlines the tattoo and then 15 minutes later fills the remaining space in. I like the sensation of it vibrating through my body and the ticklish feel around my neck. My knee jerks from the nerves shooting down my leg and I laugh at the trying not to move at all. It’s over and I stand and reach for the dangling mirror again to admire the art in the larger mirror at the back of the store. I notice how red it is but can clearly see the ohm and I love it. People are free to judge this and say what they would like as entitled, but at the end of the day I don’t regret the process one bit.

I think to myself how much I built it up in my head compared to what the actual process was like. For some it might be just a physical marking, but for me it was an intense emotional and spiritual journey which I have no regrets about. I am very happy with the finished product and my experience in the tattoo parlor, and could not have hoped for a better way to mark my journey in San Francisco.

Saturday, October 28, 2006

lazy Saturday morning...

Hey Everyone.

Having a lazy Saturday morning before I go to work... doing some labour work fixing up another hostel around the corner from me. I have to work with all boys - euck this is going to be fun.

What's new. I did an assignment yesterday for my Stage Management class and got an A which I am stoked about. I was really nervous about opening a show and calling cues but it all worked out after I got through some of the rocky bumps. It's really daunting to think that if you miss a cue in a real show and not just an assignment then you could really mess things up for the whole performance. I pulled through like a champ.

Tuesday is Halloween and everyone is getting into it. There are a thousand crazy parties going on around San Francisco and San Francisco does crazy well. Everynight this weekend there is either a masquerade ball, some exotic erotic turn up in nothing party, scary costume party and things I care not to think about. I still don't get Halloween but it seems like fun. I'm off to the 'hippie' area of town called Haight Ashbury tomorrow to find an outfit in a thrift store somewhere. I remember my lame attempts at Halloween costumes at home but they won't fly here. I can't wait until Tuesday night when the BIGGEST parties happen - particulary at Castro (the GLBT district of town) where thousands of people gather in the streets and you see some of the most elaborate drag queens and kings and all the rest. For sure it'll be very wild and funny - I'll take photos.

I've been hitting some hurdles while I am here with bankcards, stolen goods, finances and timetables but things seem to be settling. I am currently in discussions with Jane about skipping Europe and doing some of Asia and then coming home via Thailand. It'll be the end of summer and I think a nice to go... but then I don't think south east Asia ever stops being hot.

I don't know if I have told you more about the exploring of San Francisco. This place is very hilly and I am trying to tell you Laurie that it's way hillier than St Lucia. Let me prove you this with a few examples fwith my handy dandy google skills.

This here is prime example of a hill. See how steep it is! This is Taylor St I believe - which i've walked. Down below is Fisherman's wharf and in the distance is Alcatraz.

If there is one thing that San Franciscans seem to have got done pat is reverse parking on these hills. I don't think this is one driving act I'd ever attempt trying at home. Interesting parking rules they have here too... apparently you can 'bump' the car in front and behind you to park. And i've seen cars hit a few times before a driver squeezes the last of his car to leave only half a metre spare front and back.

And last but certainly not least is the infamous California St which is two blocks up from where I live. Also has my shopping centre Calafoods on it.

This one hurts to walk...

So my calves are now solid and I'm just that bit fitter than I was when I left Brisbane which is awesome. It's all practice for trekking in SE Asia.

I'm off since it's already got to that point of the day where I have to go and be one of the boys and prove my inner masculine by hammering and grunting (although mine will be for pain). But the up side of it all is pay!

Signing off.

P.S. Nana - I've been told you've been following my little adventure since I started. Thank you and I love you. Hope you're keeping well. I should try and update more often...

P.P.S. Aunty Karen - I have a collection of two magnets for you. I'll send them to you once I'm back in Aus... postage will kill me.

P.P.P.S. Shereen - where the ell on earth are you. TALK TO ME!!!

P.P.P.P.S. A reminder I am slowly adding all my photos to my flickr account which can be easily accessed via the link on the right hand side of this page.

xox Rob

Friday, October 27, 2006

Barbie?

I've been checking out tattoos lately and I came across this one - I love it!
slightly ironic

Saturday, October 14, 2006

I'm in love with Amanda Palmer

It's official - I'm in love. I went and saw the Dresden Dolls play last night at Bimbo's in SF and they were amazing... as usual. Kris and I arrived a little early and found a gorrilla with a man playing the accordian on the street, stilt-walkers and other artists entertaining the crowds before the much anticipated main event. The Red Paintings (from Australia and I think even Brisbane?) were the opening act and were really interesting. I know they've played a ton of shows in Brisbane but I'd never seen them before coming here. The lead looked familiar and was a wicked nut job with a the bassist geared up in a kimono. Upstage were human canvas' doning crazy headgear that lit up.

Then... yes... Amanda and Brian came on stage and the crowd went nuts - including me. They did numbers from Yes Virgina, previous records and one or two covers which was really awesome. Amanda looked a little tired but as usual gave it her all and is a spectacle to watch. She has this energy that's incredible and in my mind they are genius. At one point they played 'Good day' and I nearly cried wishing that Rhiannon was here to sing me her version she wrote for my 21st. I turned around and said to Kris that if she played Mandy went to med school next I would go off - and they did which was spectacular! The encore was incredible... Amanda and Brian jammed for a little while with this connection between them which is so intense you wish you had something like it.

I'm posting up some wicked photos on flickr as soon as I can. Some really good ones since I was so close to the stage. my feet ached and I still hurt but it was worth every moment. I just wish crowds in America would learn to express themselves and get their booties moving.

Today I have crashed and feel emotionally, physically drained and ready for an early night with a good movie and a bottle of red. There are heaps of Australian wines (all from South Australia) in San Francisco which is awesome because I do like my Aussie Merlot. They mostly stock cliche wines but I do like Yellow Tail and Rothbury Estate so it's okay.

I've been working hard at uni and am currently the Assistant Stage Manager for 'The Karamazovs' which is a beautiful play. Read the book by Dostoyevsky. So basically i'm at uni from 6-9.30 everyday except Friday's and soon enough we'll move into Friday rehearsals from what I hear. This isn't including my normal 11hours of other classes. I'm flat out and tired at the moment and a little exhausted.

Yesterday my bus pass was stolen which is $45 worth. I'm pissed off and leaving it at that.

What else. Oh yeah, I got something in my eye today and freaked out when it went blood red! I had no idea where to go for help and that didn't help my freaking out. All is well and I didn't have to end up at a doctor's handing over a fortune for medical assistance which is good. The medical system here does suck - it's all true.

I found a wicked store today at 920 Larkin St which sells an eclectic range of magazines, books, and "movies". They had this old 1955 year book which I can only guess was the property of Mary Alice - I nearly bought it for a $1 but I didn't... though it would have turned into some good stimulus for writing a play. It was full of old pictures of an all girls convent school and had the wackiest layout.

Anyways i am going to sign off but email me - let me know what you're up to.

Luv Rob

flibbertigibbet from around the world. all the latest updates from the far right of the U.S to the East of Europe. Translation - check up on the happenings of my little adventure around the world. Now is the time! Take centre. Run. Walk backwards and breathe. Gossip. Laugh. Cry. Scream. Get Angry. Get Motivated. Love. Jump right. Vote. Shower. Kiss.

: Name: Mai; Location: Australia

I am a child of the universe... a Taurus... a person who loves the spontaneity of everything in life! a good glass of wine and a killer sunset... friends and family... a great beat and melody... a little craziness and a lot of laughter... oxygen and water... travel and new experiences... and lacy undergarments...

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