random exclamations

- How can people have never heard of The Ring Cycle? Who _are_ you? (note: I am not addressing people who have never heard or seen it, but people who don't even know what it is.)

- This Sydney housing situation is becoming REALLY STRESSFUL as several of my potential places are under rennovation and not available at all. I've not yet heard from my first choice though.

- Actually everything about Sydney is becoming really stressful, in that I had my first dream about it where nothing stressful in fact happened, but I haven't been out of the country in a decade, I haven't been on a plane in about six years, and I haven't -- well this is just crazy, alright. Crazy crazy crazy. And unlike a lot of my other crazy, totally dependent on me. Because really, I am going to the other side of the planet to remind myself of exactly how I always feel distant from other people? Yes, yes I think so. Hrrrr.

- Riding today.

- Starting to feel peripherally optimistic about Stone's Alexander, know I will regret this.

- Realizing I will miss Regency House finale tomorrow. Urgh.

- If you couldn't tell, all my disparate preoccupations have just slammed into each other really, really hard, and I'm feeling a bit on edge for it. Or, as Kat likes to say to me (and this makes sense in the mental universe Kat and I share), "you got elephant in my courtesan!" (think old Reeses peanutbutter cup commercial).

- I don't have a headache, but I feel as if I should.

(no subject)

I've managed to get my head back screwed on about Sydney. Simply there are things that must be done, and it would be better to do them now then fret now and really have something to fret about later. With any luck, I should have my housing reservations tonight, and a plane ticket by the end of next week (if not sooner).

I actually got my receipt for the course in the mail today. They sent it on the twelfth, airmail. Australia is really far away. This fascinates me, very intensely, and was one factor in an enormously satisfying conversation with my roommate about how the nature of friendship has changed because of technology. Really, I should post about it all later. I love letters from far away, the envelope paper is always so thin.

The little motto on the UNSW crest is Scientia Manu et Mente, which is really immensely satisfying to me and the letter is postmarked both Australia and Hong Kong. The quality of the light will be different there, which for some reason seems the best fact to hold in my head both in terms of staying calm and being excited. People are also more likely to think me attractive there than here, which right now is just puzzling. And I'll be able to swim every day.

My riding lesson was good today, and I think I made some real progress. The trot situation is still crap, but I got a little further, and we've also come up with a plan, which means using a Western saddle next week, because it will make me feel more secure, and just doing it over and over until the fear leaves my system through pure boredom. Then we'll worry about getting everthing propper. If we can solve this next week, I'll be happy. I'd like to get to Sydney and the stables there with this issue under control.

I'm realizing I'm always going to come off as just a little mad, and that's okay.

Last night's dream about Sydney included me convincing the other people in my studio to put on a showcase in New York like the one I work on for those British kids. I was dressed in a manner that was funny to me (and doesn't bear going into for all of you) and there were hand gestures. Also, all media everywhere in the dream was controlled by Rupter Murdoch, who's face appeared on everything to remind us of this. Finally, there was this little board we had, where people placed bets on what subways systems around the world were going to have crashes. And me and another fellow won when we picked Norway.

better

Sydney housing resolved.

Now I'm trying to decide what I'm going to see at the Opera House, and I'm thinking it's this:
http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/sections/whats_on/boxoffice/event_details.asp?EventID=1319&sm=1&ss=1

Although there's also a rather unaffordable production of Così fan tutte that's sort of appealing too. And a premiere of a new Philip Glass work. I think I know what to tell my mom when she asks me what I want for Christmas this year.