Car Windows
We’ve had some wind and rain in Sydney tonight. Thankfully, not enough of either to cause distress, nor to make getting home difficult. Rather, we’ve had just enough of both to freshen up the place a bit. I love Sydney at this time of year, but sometimes the endless sunny days can be a little too much. So when it rains, or when it blows, it almost feels like the place has been given a good sweep with an old fashioned broom. In fact, the weather of the past week has been close to perfect in my view, and just the right weather for a week full of seeing movies and plays and going out for drinks, dinners, and lunches.
It was also windy last Tuesday night when I went to see the movie, “Borat”, featuring Sascha Baron Cohen, at the Academy Twin in Paddington. It wasn’t a film I particularly wanted to see, but it was a Tuesday night, I was a little bored, and I really felt like getting out of the house. I have also been a bit of a fan of Sascha Baron Cohen over the years, starting with his Ali G program, which I thought was funny at first, but which I grew tired of after a couple of reason. What I liked, however, about the television show was the way he took the piss out of people who were otherwise quite pompous. Unlike the television show where most of those who had the piss taken out of them got the joke and often played along, that’s generally not the case in this movie. Unlike Ali G, there’s something more menacing, more vicious, and maybe a little mean-spirited about the humour in Borat. That said, it’s very funny, and there are some truly memorable scenes, such as the “nude wrestling scene” and the “talking in toungues” scene, which had me in stitches. I’m still not sure, however, if my laughter was because of something genuinely funny or if it was that embarrassed kind of laughter that you often just need to express. But anyway, it’s a reasonable movie.
There was also a little bit of “embarrassed humour” associated with “Babes In The Wood”, currently showing at the Sydney Opera House. As a fan of both Max Gillies and Eddie Perfect, I was really very keen to see a show which I hoped offered some biting satire. Unfortunately, it was often too clever by half, and I often found myself confused about what was occuring on stage and why. At interval and at the end, the most common phrase I overheard was “why did they do that”. There were, however, two very memorable moments. One was a song based around the on-stage transformation of a woman in full head to toe Muslim clothing into David Hicks. The other was a send up of Steve Irwin and Germaine Greer called, “Let The Stingray of Love Pierce My Heart”. The show was at its biting and best in the 15 minutes either side of intermission. Beyond that, I found myself often incredibly confused.
It was a good time of the day, however, to see a show. A 5pm Sunday matinee that started and ended in daylight was just too good for words, especially as they’ve now opened a new cafe at the Opera House called Cafe West, allowing you to sit shaded outside the Playhouse/Studio area of the complex. It was also a welcome relief from Opera Bar which is now just too busy for words. On Saturday, when Damien and I caught up for lunch there it was quite busy, though not over the top, but by Sunday afternoon, it was absolutely packed. And you know summer has arrived in Sydney when you see middle-aged couples grooving to jazz at Opera Bar.
In the midst of my other social activities, Mark The Blogger paid an overnight visit on Thursday (warm, a little bit humid), I went to a party on Friday night with Michaela (light gentle rain), and then last night Graeme and I had a beer or two on Oxford Street (can’t remember the weather, but the beer was wet and about the right temperature).
So yes, a perfect week with perfect weather. It’s funny, because I often find summer in Sydney is generally too hot and humid, though I do like the warm weather. Winter is only bearable when the sun is strong enough to moderate the cold. My favourite seasons are autumn and spring, because they combine the wind and the rain and the warmth that I absolutely love.
The wind is still blowing strongly outside right now. Although it’s late I might go for a walk, bexcause if I had to choose my favourite element – wind, earth, fire and water – I think I’d have to choose the wind. I love the rush of air against my body. I could happily sit for hours with a fan blowing directly in my face. I hate car air-conditioning. Instead, I love nothing more than winding down the window with my arm outstretched, flopping in the wind outside the car window. If re-incarnation does exist, I think I’d probably like to come back as a dog, so I could hang my head of car window, with the wind blowing in my face.