Only the most recent subscriber to this e-zine will not know that I was in Australia for all of March -- in fact I am still there as I write this. You can expect stories from this adventure to roll out over the next several issues and, hopefully, they will be as relevant and entertaining for you as they've been for me.
My family has a history with thoroughbred racing, and especially the BIG races. When my mom died in May last year she had $20 in her purse. I hung onto it until August 2014 when I
bet it on a horse in the Canadian Derby. I made back her money so I took it to Australia and bet it on a horse at the
Adelaide Cup. There was no grey horse (her tradition) but she would have loved the experience and she would not have minded losing the twenty bucks. It was a fun affair and, as far as pomp and circumstance, was as close as I've been to the Kentucky Derby.
Our run of
Spring Alibi at the Adelaide Fringe was wonderful and we were correct to think the Australians would appreciate our brand of
humour. In fact, theirs is even edgier than ours (I'd say)! We had the support of so many people and although it was hard to get the audiences that Spring Alibi and its terrific performers Sue Huff and Andy Northrup deserved, we managed to spread laughter to theatre audiences on the other side of the world. Producing a show at an international event is hard work and it takes a long time, but it is worth it.
Thank you again to all who made this
bucket list item come true for us.
One of the cool things in
Spring Alibi is its multiple references to 8-Track tapes. For
8-Track Tape Day (April 11) celebrate by listening to some
Beatles, as they were the first band to release an album on 8-Track. This system of magnetic tape recording was invented in 1964 by Bill Lear (yes, of Lear Jets) along with Ampex, Ford, Motorola, and RCA Victor records.
Maybe some of you remember the joy of listening to a great album on 8-Track and then in the middle of the song hearing "
hissss - Ka Chunk! - hissss" as it would switch tracks and pick up where it left off.
If you miss that sound, or if you want to hear it for the first time, email me a little story on why
you deserve to own my "portable" 8-Track player and all my tapes plus one carrying case! I am prepared to let them all go for the cost of shipping. I even have a head cleaner plus an 8-Track converter that lets you play cassette tapes!
So be creative and send me your plea by
April 30. You could be enjoying anyone from Al Martino to The Who for your
Victoria Day party :)
For
Record Store Day (April 18) I have a couple hundred albums for sale at $1 each.
If you're a fan of vinyl, get in touch and I'll let you know what I've got. I am keeping 67 albums but the rest are being liberated. I've got
45s too!
If you don't want any of my music, make sure to
visit an independent record store or watch the
film LAST SHOP STANDING directed by Pip Piper, based on a book by Graham Jones.
After the Adelaide Fringe I went on my walk-about, visiting Melbourne, Darwin/Northern Territory, West Australia, and Sydney (where I am right this minute). I'm pretty sure there's a play or two in there somewhere and trust that the stories will roll out in due course, much in the way my adventure on the
Chilkoot Trail in 1997 is still doing. Yes, some day that sucker is going to be a play! I saw an incredible play in Darwin that still has me thinking. On the other hand, Australia just won the world cup of Cricket (against New Zealand) and I have no idea what anyone is talking about!
Years ago one of my board chairs told me
if you can play tennis you can go anywhere in the world and find someone to play with (i.e.,
you'll fit in). "Costco Magazine" (March/April 2015) agrees with that sentiment. Apparently
6.5 million Canadians played tennis over 12 months in 2012-2013. That's an increase in 38%. This is partly because tennis easy to manage and you don't need to assemble a large team to play. It's also (comparatively)
inexpensive,
not time consuming, and you can play at almost
any age. Plus there are thousands of
public courts in Canada and around the world.
Tennis has medical benefits, too. It improves cholesterol levels, muscle tone, bone health, balance, motor skills, and hand-eye coordination says Dr. Neeru Jayanthi from Loyola University.
Turns out I didn't pick up a tennis racquet in Australia although I was prepared to (actually, I haven't picked up a racquet since the 1980s). In my experience,
low maintenance things like enjoying
black coffee and
beer put me in plenty of quality social situations wherever I am in the world. Maybe I'll try tennis for the next adventure! ]
I'll talk to you again when I get back to the Northern Hemisphere. In the meantime, have a great month.
(The photo below has nothing to do with tennis, but I do still really enjoy playing Jacks).
"
"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence."
--
Helen Keller
/lmwe
