Monday Mutterings

It seems like it’s been too long since I sat at my desk and…wrote. Sadly, I’ve been feeling lazy, uninspired and had a general malaise about putting thoughts down on cyber-paper. I have no idea why, but I’ve often heard that the best way to get over it is to just get yerself a coffee and…write. So. Here I am again, hot java beside me.
• I’ll be honest. I think the Ice Bucket Challenge has now officially outlived its’ purpose. Don’t get me wrong: I think that the idea behind it (creating awareness for ALS – amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is awesome, and I think that the social media marketing behind it has been brilliant. Anytime people can raise over $50 million for a cause like this is great…but what’s going to happen after the northern summer, when pouring ice water over yourself isn’t such a great idea? In three months, will people remember what the cause was for, or will they just go onto YouTube and laugh at people who soaked themselves for a good cause? The challenge, then, for the ALS Foundation leadership is to keep this goodwill going. Good luck with that. I also think that there are heaps of other charities that could benefit from some good marketing schemes, such as the Ice Bucket Challenge – autism, the homeless, domestic abuse, Red Cross, just to name a few. If anyone is looking for me, I’ll be in my study, working on the next international viral video supporting autism…
• It was quite devastating for me when I read about Robin Williams on Twitter. Like most of you, I’d grown up watching him. I first saw him on Mork and Mindy (I didn’t completely understand the humour of that show, but I was eleven or so, and at that point, I had yet to discover The Life of Brian and Flying High, both of which opened my eyes to the potential of the funny bone), and then in the movies. In my humble opinion, the early ‘90s was when he did his best work – Dead Poets Society was a terrific movie, as everyone knows, but then he did Awakenings, Dead Again, and The Fisher King (the last two are vastly underrated movies). He then moved on to make what was my favourite movie for a while – Hook (before I knew what good cinema was – yes, I’m a snob). This movie was followed by Aladdin (which changed the thinking of movie executives of character voiceovers) and Mrs. Doubtfire (which remains very popular, to my eternal bafflement). A great body of work, as all these movies were made within five years. A few years later, he made one of my favourite movies, and the one that lit the fire for my desire to write a screenplay, Good Will Hunting. Oh, he was so good in that movie. Then, the first movie I saw with the better half was What Dreams May Come. I was also very, very fortunate to see him live on stage a few years ago. I still remember him bounding on stage, this little pocket rocket full of energy. I’m quite confident that I’d never laughed so hard, especially when he told a ribald joke that ended the show. But in the end, the black dog had a grip on him, and, as is the case too many times, it was too much for him to bear. As has been mentioned by a few, it’s unbelievable that someone so full of life and laughs could have such a dark side. And in a world that seems to need so many laughs nowadays, to lose an expert proponent of comedy in that way seems deeply unfair.
• I’ve admired Henry Rollins for close to twenty years, which is when the missus introduced me to Hank. I originally thought that Hank was a muscle bound meathead, who sang music at volumes that were far too loud for human consumption. (The last part is possibly true but it still doesn’t stop me from enjoying it – just now it’s played at a lower decibel level). He is muscle bound but he is far, far away from being a meathead. He has an opinion on most things, but the difference about his opinion, and, say, mine, is that it is researched, and therefore well informed, instead of shooting from the hip. Well, usually, anyway, until the other day when he wrote an article for the LA Weekly. In his article, he expressed disbelief that someone (i.e., Robin) could kill themselves, leaving family and children behind to pick up the pieces (I don’t care how well adjusted your kid might be — choosing to kill yourself, rather than to be there for that child, is every shade of awful, traumatic and confusing.”), and regarded anyone that took their own life with disdain. Henry, it must be said, has had some experience with depression, and acknowledged the type of grip that it could have on someone (“…so unique and personal…when you’re in its teeth, you think you invented it”). Henry, fairly, copped an enormous amount of criticism for his comments – generally around his insensitivity – for which he apologized for a few days later. But, in some ways, I think Henry suffered from a case of bad timing. If he had written this a month before Robin Williams had taken his own life, and had spoken only generally about suicide, and the effects on family members, no one would have batted an eyelid. I don’t know anyone who has committed suicide, and I hope none of my readers have either (statistically, this probably isn’t going to be the case). But I would have thought that Henry hit the nail on the head – is life that bad that you have to put yourself out of the misery without consideration of your family? But sadly, and probably the point that Hank missed, or skipped over, the sickness that is depression really can muddle the mind and make one do things that simply don’t make sense.
• I’ve done some hard things in my life, but I think guiding an autistic and intellectually disabled daughter through puberty is going to top them all.
• A number of weeks ago, one of my friends challenged me, through Facebook, to come up with three things that made my day positive. While I love Facebook and Twitter, I’m not usually into doing these sorts of challenges. Number one, because they’re personal, and number two, most people don’t really care all that much. (Be honest now – unless you’re a family member who hears from me once a month – sorry, folks – do you really care about a top three on Facebook?). But it did get me thinking. With all the crap that is going on in the world – Gaza, Ebola outbreak, Ukraine, politics, the economy, the impending ice hockey season where I have to trudge through another likely average season from my team, raising kids, getting a job, keeping your job, dealing with knucklehead co-workers, et cetera, I think that sitting down every day – or even every few days – to work out what is going RIGHT in your life can, and is, a very healthy exercise. It’s working for me.
• If you live in Australia, and haven’t been to Tasmania, please, please, PLEASE make the time to spend at least five days down there. I’ve been to Tassie four times now, and I would move down there if (a) there were a job there for me, (b) a job for the missus and (c) a school for the offspring. Go and check out Cradle Mountain. Or the Cataract Gorge in Launceston. Or check out the awesome honey shop in Chudleigh. Or the Treetop Adventures outside of Launceston (we’ve done it three times). Or walk on Spiky Beach with the rock formations, just outside of Swansea. There’s an awesome winery – Milton’s – just outside of Swansea as well. Or do the Salamanca Market (only on Saturdays though) in Hobart. Or have breakfast at Banjo’s at 7am when there’s a light mist outside in Strahan (you must check out the Strahan Woodworks afterwards, as well). Walk up the Nut in Stanley, and then have lunch at the Stranded Whale Cafe. See if you can pet a Tasmanian Devil at the Trowunna Wildlife Park, about thirty minutes outside Launceston. Lucy managed to do just that a few years back. We still haven’t done Bruny Island – but we will! It’s an amazing place. Just get there. (This blurb not paid for by the Tasmanian Tourism Board – happily blurbed free of charge).

I feel better for having dropped my “mutterings” onto paper, and now feel refreshed about writing again. Time to get back on that…! Thanks for reading!