Nerdtopia

Hey there,

So I'm currently SWAMPED by preparation for the 2high festival so I haven't had any time for challenges, and nor will I until after it I suspect. So I thought I would entertain you this week with a blog post I did for the 2high tumblr. The marketing team asked each of the coordinators to write about what inspired us. Most of the other coordinators are really arty and linked amazing images or talked about art that inspires them (except Sam, who wrote an amazing story about a turtle for some reason). I thought long and hard about what to write and ended up with something that kind of represents my philosophy on life. Like, if I ever get famous, I want people to quote me on this. I feel like I will use these words for the rest of my life. I'm serious. I kind of want to edit it a bit and print it out and make posters. That's how happy I am with this philosophy. 

Hi there!

I’m Lizzy, one of the production coordinators on this year’s festival – shiny, no?

I’m currently at a different arts festival, This is Not Art in Newcastle, NSW. I’m having the best time, and it’s making me really excited for our own 2high festival at the end of this month! That’s right, the festival is so soon, which means we here at production central are working hardcore to get all the scheduling, tech requirements, backline etc etc etc ready in time for our artists so that everything looks and sounds and runs like an attractive, noisy clock.

I’m a massive nerd, so in times of stress like this, I like to take strength from my favourite fictional characters. When I need to be courageous, I wear my Gryffindor* shirt and I think, “what would Neville do?” When I need to be strong, I think of Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, because that chick is hardcore, and has dragons.

I love being a nerd; life is so much more interesting when you embrace your inner nerd. Being a nerd is just like being a normal person, except you’re really into stuff. You can be a nerd about anything, about movies or music or dancing or chocolate or tea. You can be a nerd about theatre and socks, if you want, or Star Trek and gumballs. You just have to really love something, and not be ashamed of it. What is the point of being embarrassed about loving something? This is probably the best thing about being a grown up. At school, someone might have punched you, or shouted at you for having a lunchbox with Doctor Who on it, but now that you’re a grown up you’ll probably just find someone with a Dalek keyring and become best friends.

I am a nerd about stories, mostly. I love good stories – books, movies, TV shows, plays, stand-up comedy, memoirs… I’m inspired by people who write and create these stories, and one day I’d like to try it myself. To me it doesn’t really matter if it’s the most expensive episode of Doctor Who or a student play put on for $50 and a box of wine, if it’s a great story, I love it, and if it’s funny, I probably want to marry it. I keep shoeboxes with souvenirs of good stories that I have experienced, some of them from my real life, but most of them from stage or screen. I have kept one box every year since I was 11… which means there are 13 boxes in my room. Every now and again, usually when I should be doing something else, I go through these and think about all the excellent stories in there (and some of the terrible ones… from my teenage diaries, shudder). I am looking forward to adding the souvenirs from TiNA and later, from 2high – I hope I have encouraged you to become nerdy about something, and maybe start your own collection. Maybe you can become nerdy about something you discover at the 2high festival?

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get ready for a Big Top Ball… I have a sparkly sequined hat and socks for my arms. Winning. Tiger blood, etc.

Lizzy

*Did you know that Microsoft Word recognises Gryffindor as an actual word? I would chalk this up as a win to nerdkind

So much nerdiness! So little time!

33 Week Challenge Week 21: Do a handstand!

So I was that gangly child. You know the one? With limbs too long for their body and hair so whispy and blonde sometimes they looked bald? I tried lots of sports at school. I’m Australian, I never even once considered not doing sport – not until I was about 16 anyway. It’s just what you do. Even though I was shit at every sport I ever tried, I still did it. Netball, basketball, tennis, volleyball, teeball… and then there’s all the ones you did for P.E like touch football and hockey and LACROSSE for goodness sake. Shit. At. All. Of. Them. I remember a fateful P.E class where we did gymnastics. The horror! Flipping! Jumping! Tumbling! Other people seemed to be getting it; I was just sort of flopping about like a sea creature on the sand. Except the sand was a big blue mat.

Karate has changed a lot of things for me, as has running. I now know that I can touch my toes (sort of) and kick the air and not hyperventilate if I have to run for the bus. But I still feel like that gangly 11 year old. Especially because there is a mirror in the karate dojo. There it is, my too long, weirdly bendy skinny frame, draped in a white uniform, flailing and making me think words I probably shouldn’t, like retarded and spastic. Does it make it ok if I’m calling myself those names? Probably not. God my inner monologue is so politically incorrect.

Anyway, the whole point of these challenges is to try things that are challenging. So I decided to try and teach myself how to do handstands. That’s right, that gangly little child who couldn’t even do a tumble in year 8 P.E decided to try to stand on her own hands. What now?

It started with a lot of jumping late one night, and also a lot of groaning and holding my knee after landing on it. But then suddenly one of those jumps felt a lot more handstandy. So I kept practicing. I fell over again. I gave up. I went to Newcastle and thought no more about it.

Both my housemates are amazing at things like this. They have both been dancers, and Samara coaches rhythmic gymnastics (and is amazing at it too). So I asked both of their advice, and showed off what I could do so far. Samara taught me where I should be putting my hands, and how I should be stepping into it. The jumps became even more like handstands, but still not quite. Amy suggested I try one against a wall and then suddenly….

I did a fucking handstand.

There is not much more exhilarating than setting out to do something you think is impossible, only to find you are doing it. Or maybe it was just the actual rush of blood to the head, but it felt great. I did handstands for my housemates. I did a handstand for my rather hungover friend Tim. I did a handstand for Boyfriend in Charleville via the magic of skype. I obnoxiously did handstands at my karate class. I did handstands for my parents and siblings. My 14 year old brother and 8 year old sister were so impressed they asked me to teach them. And now I am expecting a call from my mother any day now wondering why I thought that was a good idea and do I want to come meet them at the hospital?

I got mum to take some photos, she said “you look even more disproportionate upside down”. Which is kind of true. Also I don’t care because I can do mother fucking handstands bitches.

the moment I realised my little shrug thing was not going to stay

it looks like I'm leaning on the wall a lot but I swear I'm not really. Also shut up! You don't know me.

the rather graceful return to earth

My dreams of working on Doctor Who as a stunt person grow ever more achievable! 

Newcastle Adventure: Day 6 and 7

Not sure if you can read this, but the Anglican Church's sign reads simply, "O M G" - indeed.

I am home in my own bed now and am much too sleepy to write anything too long or exciting, but I did just want to finish up my Newcastle posts. I’m really grateful to everyone who’s been reading these. According to my stats page (that I watch like a lonely child watches a full playground), these blogs have gotten the sameish number of views my weekly blogs usually get. DON’T WORRY I’m not about to start blogging daily or anything, but it is nice to know you’ve all been following my adventures in the blogosphere.

You should all check out Alex’s blog, given that she was one of the official bloggers of the festival, and also because she is good at things. Her blogs give you a different perspective, and focus less on things like “and then I caught a bus, and then I ate some breakfast” and more on things like… you know… interesting stuff. Plus she asked me to do a guest post. CHUFFED. I manage not to mention breakfast, though on further consideration I do mention chocolate in the first line.

Ok. So yesterday I slept in, which was AMAZING. And then I read a lot of emails and minutes from meetings I have missed while I’ve been away. That was also good, I’ve been easing myself back into reality slowly, so I don’t go into shock tomorrow. [This may still happen]. Then Fin and Alex and I made a waffle plan, which fell through but resulted in me eating French toast and bacon, which I would still consider a win. The coffee shop served our tea on Little Golden Books. Odd/excellent.

The festivals were all pretty much over but there was still “Show us Ya Early Work” hosted by Alex at the Bowls Club. This event basically involved people reading out things they wrote in their youth. Youth being a rather broad term, ranging from Grade 3 to last year. It ended up being a really entertaining time. It made me wish I’d brought a copy of The First Story I Ever Wrote which I do speak about occasionally to people. I wrote it when I was 8, and I always thought it was about a snake that learns how to crow like a rooster. Only upon finding it recently, I discovered my 8 year old self had actually written a story that involved the snake tricking a rooster into teaching it how to crow, eating the rooster and then, being so fat with rooster it couldn’t climb the fence to crow anymore and the other animals laughing at it. I may be related to the Grimm brothers, not sure.

THEN Alex and Fin took me to Dungeons and Dragons! Well, actually it was a game called Paranoia, but it follows the same premise. I’m still not sure quite what happened but I had a great time and would be all for doing something similar soon. Is anyone I know a closet D and Der? Can I come play with you? Cool. Let’s do that.

This morning I checked out at 10 but had all day to kill. So, I know you’ll be surprised to learn I went and ate breakfast. And this time, I got the waffles. Delicious. I loitered in the café for quite a while. I’m reading George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire Series (i.e. Game of Thrones) and I am hooked. Once you get started it’s really quite difficult to put them down. So I did a lot of reading in that café while sipping a hot chocolate.

I went for a wander of Darby Street and bought some things, including a cryptic crossword book and a t-shirt with an Enid Blyton reference on it. Winning. Tiger Blood. Etc.

I walked for ages, through town and out to the beach where I nutted out some cryptic crossword clues and read some more and witnessed a man practicing backflips off a ledge. Then I witnessed that man axe his foot on the aforementioned ledge and hobble off. I walked again, Newcastle has these ocean bath things. The concept is pretty cool. If it weren’t so freaking freezing I would have loved to swim in them. Then I followed the other beach back into town, observing a carnival full of screaming children along the way. Then a bus back to my backpacker’s, where Kerry my personal taxi driver was waiting. A taxi drive, some more cryptic clues, a flight, more reading, a train journey, more clues, and a final taxi ride and I was home.

It’s been one hell of an adventure. I will do it all again next year, without a doubt. Now, to face reality that is going back to work tomorrow. Also it’s just over 3 weeks until the 2high festival, so stress land is upon me. But from now on, I shall have the awesomeness of this week just gone to carry me through. That, and a Famous Five t-shirt.

Newcastle Adventure: Day 4 and 5

Newcastle Adventure: Day 4 and 5

RIGHT. Two whole days have flown by again and I haven’t written at length about things that will make you jealous! This must be rectified! ASAP!

Well, Saturday began with breakfast, as all good Saturdays should. Sian and I are good at breakfast; we intend to make a habit of it in Brisbane. Then we headed off to a panel called “Writing Revenge” which was about writers writing to get back at others, and …

Oh my god can I just interrupt to say that the pub downstairs is currently getting Rickrolled? This is the best.

… sorry, return to normal programming. Yeah, writing for revenge was really interesting. There was an author there who had written fiction that included characters based on his real life in not very good lights. And there was someone there who works as an editor on sport biographies who spoke about having to remove really petty, damning stuff by sports stars wanting to settle the score. Loved it.

Then it was on to cupcakes, at a cupcake store Samara would flippin love, and then a catch up with my mentor by the ocean. Kalyan is pretty amazing. She gave me heaps of advice about writing – how to not hate it, how to gain inspiration, places I should sit when I’m writing and things to try. Some of the stuff that really stuck with me includes: “write for yourself, if other people like it – great”, “stories come from people” and “write with rhythm”. We’re going to keep in contact via the internets.

Then I thought I had to volunteer but I didn’t so I went to “NYWF saves Australian TV in an hour”, a panel that had Alex on it, as well as Dom Knight from the Chaser and Lawrence Leung and an awesome guy called Mark Sutton who also hosted the cryptic crossword thing. I don’t know that they necessarily saved Aussie TV, but it was entertaining and an interesting insight into the many different ways someone can go about writing for TV. The place was packed, it was probably the most popular thing I’ve been to here.

Then Alex was on another panel, “Comedy writing: tough crowd” about writing comedy collaboratively. I found this to be one of the most inspiring events I’ve been to here. I really want to take a lot of the stuff I learned at that panel and apply it to making something awesome on my return home. Lots of stuff they said clarified for me why BUGfarce worked so well last year, and also how I could have done it even better. So stay tuned, who knows what might come out of what I learnt there.

Then it was home again home again jiggity jig to get ready for the ball! I decided to walk home, which was a mistake, it’s much further than I thought. But I did get to see the reason why all the streets were suddenly closed: there was a float parade. I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen one before. The floats were a bit odd, and one of them was actually just a ute with an umbrella on it, but still, floats!

I’m pretty proud of my costume, slap-dash as it was, and the hat totally made it!

The ball was a lot of fun. I drank too much and danced a lot – I taught Celeste how to do that foot dance thing we used to do at school? Does anyone remember what I’m talking about? Because I didn’t even realise I remembered until I was slapping my feet against hers. That sounds… stranger than I meant it to.

Also a list was compiled of words that need to be used more regularly in daily life:

The band, Shanghai, was pretty great, and so was the first DJ. For my rant about the second DJ please refer to my tweets at about 2am this morning QLD time.

Oh yes, that’s right. When I got in, drunk and freezing, I remembered to change my phone to an hour later, making it suddenly 2am instead of 1am. I then stayed up for an hour, I’m not sure why or what I was doing (mostly just tweeting about the DJ, I suppose) but there you go.

I got up much earlier than I would have liked thanks to agreeing to volunteer and the wonders of daylight savings. My vollie shift was long, and covered in rain, but good. It was much the same as the other night – go to a venue, dump equipment, realise we’re missing something, go get it, come back, set up, go somewhere else, repeat. My Midnight Beast hoodie bore the brunt of the downpour but by the time I finished I was exhausted and shivering, and still hungover so I had a little lie down back at my room. I’m not really sure why I was surprised that this resulted in me sleeping through the spelling bee, but I was quite surprised indeed! I’m quite upset I missed it, because I’m sure I could have done a great job, maybe even been a finalist, but sometimes the best word of all to spell is nap.

I went and met people that I know and ate a lemon tart in a house looking over the ocean, while watching Australia’s Next Top Model. Then we headed to the Writer Wants a Wife finale. Brilliant stuff. Alex asked me to guest blog about it, so I will link to that when she uploads it. Linkety Link

There was a bit of a sad parting of the ways after that, as some people are leaving in the morning. I shall be quite sad to return to reality myself, really. This has been the best time I’ve had in ages. Equal parts exciting, fun, new, inspiring, challenging, silly and awesome. This has been the year of trying new things, and short of completing the challenge “go skydiving” this is probably going to be the biggest new thing I try all year. I made the decision to come here because I wrote a vaguely emotional tweet about needing to escape my own life, which Alex, someone I’d never met, responded with “www.thisisnotart.org - do it” or something similar. A spontaneous, crazy decision that has turned out better than I could possibly have hoped. I’m definitely coming back next year, without a doubt. Coming with?