Spare Time

Today, I was caught in the rain which descended on the city mid-afternoon. I’m not disappointed though, since the rain, combined with a low-layer of cloud, really made the city feel good. In fact, I quite like the rain, especially as it falls so infrequently in Sydney these days. And even though it’s the weekend, it wasn’t too much of a dampener, so to speak, as I’d already spent half the day in bed anyway. Despite going to bed before midnight last night, I slept in until lunchtime today, absolutely exhausted as a result of the last couple of weeks, which have been busy both socially and work-wise.

Last night, my friend John and I went to see the play, “A Day in the Death of Joe Egg” at Darlinghurst Theatre. In the black-humour style of “Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?” (both written at a similar time, I suspect) the play concerns the life of an English couple who have a teenage daughter with a severe disability. Partially because of a similar situation in my own family, I was at times quite teary, as the couple dealt with an incredibly difficult situation both with humour and humanity. One of the most memorable moments from the play was where they discuss how they “invented” personalities for their daughter, changing them frequently until finally deciding on one that “suited”. The “drama” in the play comes from the decision by the father to end the child’s life, when her seizures become more serious and seemingly never-ending. Although obviously confronting, it’s not one of those “worthy” plays, as the humanity of all of the characters, including the daughter are maintained, giving this play real life.

And then today, I went to the “Open Day” at the Ian Thorpe Pool, currently under construction on Harris Street, Ultimo. As the Local Member and Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, walked along the line (yes, there’s a State Election next week), I overheard an interesting commentary about the significance of this pool: that unlike the Cook & Phillip Pool, which mostly serves the business community, this pool has a significant local residential population that can use it. I’ll also probably use the pool, due to its proximity to my workplace. Although we spent more time outside waiting in the rain, than we had inside, it was a worthwhile experience.

I hope the rain clears overnight, due to tomorrow’s Sydney Harbour Bridge Celebrations. It’s going to be another day of hard work for me, but that’s okay. And then next weekend, we have the State Election, which will also mean some hard work. And then… I wouldn’t mind a couple of day’s off.