April brings the Writer's Victoria Annual #FlashFiction competition.
Each day in April, at around 9 a.m. a tweet is sent out with the word of the day. It looks like this:
You have until midnight to tweet back a 30 word story.
Once a week on a Tuesday Writers Victoria announce the best tweets/stories of the day. At the end of the month, the best story is judged and there's a small prize to be had.
This is an absolute godsend for me. 30 words, sculpting a publishable story, getting it out there, and seeing what the Twitterverse things of it.
On the good side of things, the people who participate in this are lovely people. It's nice when you see the likes ramping up - anything over 15 and I think I've done a good job. Met some good people over Twitter this way. (For the record, I tweet under another name and I only use the app for writing stuff and occasionally checking news - as a friend once said, Twitter is the place where you go to yell at your enemies - I keep my twitter feed very clean, positive and unpolluted).
I also love the short, sharp creative outlet - like my Instagram page. Funny, in that I had a talk with a colleague about this today. I often share my Insta stories with her. She loves that there isn't a duckface in sight.
Anyway, I'm loving this annual challenge. I love what you can get out in 30 words. I love that I can do this and be a part of a writing tribe.
It makes me happy.
Sure, some of these stories are better than others. Then you can go about and amaze yourself.
I wasn't certain about this morning's effort, but it appears to have gone down well.
My boss bought me lunch (on expenses - she was down from Sydney)
I met a colleague who I've been speaking to for 16 months. He lives in Tasmania. He's delightful.
The tram was a minute down the road on the right side (i.e. coming towards the stop) instead of having it fly by as I'm 50 metres from the tram stop.
I walked home from the train tonight.
Gym was good - I got to work out with Angus, who was visiting as his trainer is away. Jay is still recovering from COVID.
My 30 word story garnered 17 likes on Twitter. This is good for me
The 30 word story took 3 minutes to write.
This is the 30 word story. Today's word was 'intermittent'.
"Her sanity was intermittent at best. She searched for it under doona and while tightrope-walking bar balconies. Moods swinging, nothing stayed calm. Searching for an impossible horizon, she screamed, ‘Enough!' "
9. I love April because I love the 30 word story challenge run by the Victorian Writer's Centre.
10. I'm happy I have done this blog post - even if it isn't a real blog post.
It's the 13th film I've seen this year and I'm not feeling overly generous about this Marvel monstrosity.
It's been panned by the critics and audiences alike. I went with my kid brother. He didn't like it either. It's sitting on 16% approval on RottenTomatoes.com. And I get why.
Basically, it stinks.
Though I found a few redeeming features.
The plot, according to RottenTomatoes is as such:
"One of the most compelling and conflicted characters in Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters comes to the big screen as Oscar® winner Jared Leto transforms into the enigmatic antihero Michael Morbius. Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder and determined to save others suffering his same fate, Dr. Morbius attempts a desperate gamble. While at first it seems to be a radical success, a darkness inside him is unleashed. Will good override evil -- or will Morbius succumb to his mysterious new urges?"
Like what the?
It's basically a thriller vampire movie in the Marvel world.
The problem with Morbius is lacks the charm and humour of most Marvel films. Heck, even The Avengers: Infinity Wars had it's lighter moments. Not this. It's a mix of plot holes, CGI and rather gory action. What there is of the story is bloody hard to follow - Like why does the movie start in Costa Rica in a bat cave? And really, what is going on with Michael Morbius, and did they really have to have the whole romance with his colleague who may end up not as dead as she appears to be?
Sorry - this one is a bit of a stinker.
As I always look for the good in movies, I will say I enjoyed the following:
Jared Leto is pretty to look at
The effects are good
I quite liked the addition of Matt Smith as Milo, Morbius's friend and nemesis.
And the end bit, where Michael Keaton turns up as somebody in a jail cell, who ends up being the Vulture - from one of the Spiderman movies (and it looks like this is setting up one of the next Spiderman films, going from the clip during the end credits.)
But this isn't one of Marvel's best. I'm half-interested in seeing Venom now, as those films are allegedly funny.
This isn't. My kid brother didn't like it either, for the same reasons.
Best give this one a miss. It's for the die hard Marvel fans only.
Yesterday it was a visit to the Sistine Chapel. Well it was a visit to a few of the panels of the ceiling, rendered onto canvas, illuminated and brought to Melbourne in an exhibition.
Alice told me to come along. And being a Renaissance junkie, I couldn't say no.
Of course, I've been to the actual Sistine Chapel some 23 years ago. Of my memories of Rome, I remember having raging bronchitis, I was staying in a one star rooming house near the Colusseum, I got hassled by gypsies and I spent my afternoons avoiding the heat listening to a troupe practice Don Giovanni for an opera festival at St Clement's Basilica - which was the highlight of the trip.
Anyway, I remember going to the Vatican for the day, seeing La Pieta, being floored by the wealth of the place. And then I was in the Sistine Chapel with a couple of hundred other people, and I remember having a look and thinking that this would be an amazing place if you were on your own and there weren't people yelling at you not to take photos. It wasn't the best of experiences.
So I relished the chance to have a look at this amazing little church and to view the paintings close up.
This was a lot more palatable than my Roman experience.
Alice and I first took in the three short documentaries about the painting and scaffolding processes. Fascinating stuff.
And then we got to see a lot of the frescoes up close.
Incredible stuff. The detail, the humour, the outright sticking it to the Pope, the stories. It was surreal to be up close and personal with images you've only seen from 6 storeys away.
Like this:
And this - I love the Sibyl of Cumae, but Michelangelo really doesn't know how to do tits.
And this, the majestic altar piece.
And the bits that get overlooked - this one was my favourite.
Alice, all the mean time, was going through the meaning of each panel. She was quizzing me on my knowledge of the bible and Hebrew (both stood up quite well). It was a lovely, meandering, fascinating afternoon.
As with all exhibitions like there, there were a few too many people there, but still - the chance to see some beauty in a controlled environment.
I'm glad I went along.
After, I bought a fridge magnet to commemorate the afternoon and Alice and I went for a cup of tea, which is another ritual of ours.
Unfortunately, Alice and I went on the last day of the exhibition. If this was not the case, I'd be telling you to buy a ticket and go have a look. It was worth the $30 ticket price.
With all the kerfuffle over Will Smith's (and Chris Rock's) behaviour at the Academy Awards this year, there was part of me who was thinking that maybe I could give this a miss. But despite the actor's entitled and dickhead move (not condoning either man - dick heads both of them) Jonella and I decided to see this. Not surprisingly after all the fuss, the cinema was 3/4 full - and the film has been running for a number of weeks now.
I'm glad we did go along. I can see why Will Smith got the Oscar for this. He's excellent.
Rotten Tomatoes says of the movie:
"Armed with a clear vision and a brazen 78-page plan, Richard Williams is determined to write his daughters, Venus and Serena, into history. Training on Compton, California's neglected tennis courts--rain or shine--the girls are shaped by their father's unyielding commitment and their mother's balanced perspective and keen intuition, defying the seemingly insurmountable odds and prevailing expectations laid before them. Based on the true story that will inspire the world, "King Richard" follows the uplifting journey of a family whose unwavering resolve and unconditional belief ultimately delivers two of the world's greatest sports legends.".
It's an inspirational tale of a man wanting more for his family and being willing to do anything for them. You want to love Richard as much as you want to hate him. He's loud, brash and unconventional as he pushes his girls to be their best. He's the perfect advocate for his girls, but he's also a huge pain in the arse. For anybody who's had a difficult relationship with their father, you'll recognise a lot of his behaviours.
Will Smith is excellent in this as the eponymous King Richard. Very quickly you forget you're watching Will Smith and completely believe you're watching this loving, driven, left-of-centre father get the best out of his daughters.
But there is much more to this film. There's the life in Compton, an impoverished part of Los Angeles. There's the relationships with his wife Brandy (Aunjenue Ellis, deserving of the Oscar nod) and his five daughters. Most of the film focuses on Venus Williams rise from promising Junior to her first match with Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, when Williams nearly beat her as a 14-year-old.
As somebody who doesn't really like tennis, I really liked this film. It was definitely worth the Oscar nods.
It's just a pity it's going to be overshadowed for eternity by the disappointing actions witnessed at this year's Oscars.
I'm going to mix this up a bit and submit this on Saturday. I saw another film tonight and I need to mull it over. I also slipped and fell on a travelator on the way to this film - a combination of Converse runners and a wet floor making me take a tumble on the travelator. Not my finest moment and I twisted my knee. Thankfully it's moving and weight bearing, but it is sore. So I'm sitting here with a bag of peas on it, hoping it fixes quickly.
Anyway, here are this weekend's questions, brought to you by Bev at Sunday Stealing.
1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?
Oh, my eyes are getting a bit baggy. Oh well. That's getting older for you.
2. What shirt are you wearing?
I'm currently wearing a black t-shirt which reads "In my defense I was left unsupervised." It is one of my favourite t-shirts (Along with my Jason Mraz pink t-shirt with the word Geek on it, my over washed black t-shirt which reads "the beatings will continue until morale improves", the one which reads "See You Next Tuesday" and another which says "Hell was boring."
3. Do you label yourself?
I did label myself as fat, ugly and stupid for many years. If I was to label myself now it is more along the lines of kind, sort of funny and rather odd. I like the last three adjectives, because I am kind, I am sorta funny and I am rather odd, but in a good way.
4. What does your watch look like?
I have an Apple Watch, currently with a Mickey Mouse face. I've also put a leather strap on it as I don't like metal bands and the latex / plastic ones give me a rash.
5. What were you doing at midnight last night?
I was just about to go to bed before doing the Wordle, the Worldle2 and the Worldle. I like all three and I like getting them done before going to sleep.
6. Last furry thing you touched?
My cat, Lucifer. About five minutes ago. Give him a kiss on the head too.
7. Favourite age you have been so far?
I really liked 40. So many possibilities, so little bullshit.
8. What is your current desktop picture?
This. I'm boring.
9. If you had to choose between $1,000,000 or to be able to fly what would it be?
At the moment, I'd like the million dollars. I might be able to afford a house outright with that sort of money.
10. The last song you listened to?
I've been getting excited about the Pixies concert in December, so I've been listening to Surfer Rosa again. The last thing I listened to was Vamos.
11. What time of day were you born?
2.30 in the afternoon.
12. Where did you live in 1987?
I was living at Lincoln College, a residential college attached to the University of Adelaide, in North Adelaide for that year.
13. What do you do when vending machines steal your money?
Normally hit the machine quite violently, then go off in a huff. Or feed the same money in again hoping I'll get two lots of the product required. But you have to hit the machine and yell at it. Because it's what you do.
14. Would you move for the person you loved?
Maybe. To some great city. Yes. For the equivalent of Bumfuck, Nebraska, maybe not. it would depend on a lot of things. And whether my cat could come too.
15. Name three things that you have on you at all times?
My house and car keys.
My phone
My wallet
16. What’s your favourite town/city?
Oh don't do this to me. Here are my favourite cities by continent:
London, Great Britain
Boston, USA
Melbourne, Australia
Wellington, New Zealand
Toledo, Spain
With special mentions to Athens, Greece, Paris, France, Rome, Italy, York in the UK, New York, USA, and of course Adelaide.
17. What was the last thing you paid for with cash?
I think I paid for dinner last week with cash - well, gave my end to a friend who way paying on their credit card.
18. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it?
Strangely enough, I posted three letters for the property association to members the other day. But actually writing a real letter? I can't remember. It's been years.
19. The last time you dressed fancy, what did you wear?
I got dressed up on Wednesday for a friend's book launch. I wore a black dress emblazoned with red cherries, kitten heels, make up, red lippy, tousled up my curls and went for it. It went down well.
20. Does anything hurt on your body right now?'
The area around my gall bladder is aching a bit, but nothing too bad. It's coming out in a few weeks.
We met on a job where we were both working as software testers.
We are born a week apart. Alice is the week older.
We lived a mile away from each other in London but never met
Alice is sure she met up with an ex of mine in a dodgy club down West End Lane
Alice and I bonded over mutual loves of a good cup of tea and The Pixies
When Alice and I get together, we often get up to no good.
We are each other's wing man
Alice lets me embarrass her now teenage son (by relating the fact that I have changed his nappies)
Alice is a good egg
And she is a very bad influence
She calls me up tonight.
"Pand. Pixies? Sydney?"
"No, Alice, I said I'd go in Melbourne."
"But it's at the Forecourt of the Opera House, like the one we missed."
"That was the last time I was in Sydney."
"We went to the Bienniale instead the next morning."
"We did."
"And Pete lost his phone and had to go out to the Sydney version of Woop Woop to get it back."
"And that was the last time I saw what's his face."
"Really."
"Yeah."
"Well he's not around any more and Sydney is a big place."
"True."
"So you're coming?'
"Did you see? Joey Santiago hearted our posts on The Pixies facebook page!" (Joey Santiago is The Pixies' guitarist - swoon)
"I did. So are you going with us to Sydney?"
"I'm going to try to get tickets to Melbourne."
"But you can come to Sydney too. It's me and Pete and Jerry and Mike and maybe Mel... And they're playing Surfer Rosa/Come on Pilgrim..."
"The gang's all here."
"Not the same without you, Pand. Surfer Rosa, Pand..."
What am I supposed to say?
Seeing The Pixies outside on a big stage, versus seeing them in the Forum - which the last time I was there I think I saw Puppetry of the Penis and my mate Odious Odette was with us and it wasn't fun.
And it's a bunta trip.
And it will break my slight fear of going back to Sydney.
It's nine months away.
It gives me something to look forward to.
And...
"Oh, fuck it. Count me in. "
My friend Alice is a very bad influence.
I'll get her back. Billy Bragg is coming next March. I'll let Alice select what night we go on....
