what good is sitting alone in your room?

My stomach staged a twelve-hour rebellion last week, but I recovered surprisingly spritely the next day, despite missing the delights of a long-overdue West Wing Fiesta. The next night I met with The Mistress for a short evening at Hairy Canary where we gossipped about our battles with cigarettes and boys.

Saturday was spent with Mr Stephen. We went to see Brokeback Mountain, and both really connected with its underplayed portrait of a crippling lack of self-acceptance. I am getting sick of people saying "Yeh, it was okay, I guess." What they mean by this is: "I am so accustomed to my diet of music-videos and The Simpsons that I wasn't sure what to do with 2 ½ hours of character-based understatement." Don't get me wrong. I'm not proclaiming it the film of the decade. And I'm actually really interested to hear negative opinions. But "Yeh, it was okay, I guess" isn't an opinion. *film-snob munkey*

In the face of the mostly banal and/or downright inaccurate things that have been said about this movie, Mme Moodles sent me an essay from the New York Review Of Books. If - and ONLY IF - you have seen the film, I strongly urge you to read this wonderfully insightful article. Don't read it if you haven't seen Brokeback Mountain, because it gives away everything.

After the movie we had a cocktail at the Carlton Yacht Club (someone should really inform them that there is no water, let alone yachts, in Carlton) and dinner at Vegie Bar on Brunswick St. Further beverages were consumed at the Bar With No Name, before we wandered to The Peel for a spot of people-watching and mocking the trashy pop videos playing on the big screen. *music-snob munkey*

It was an afternoon of munkey-Snazzles time on Sunday, as we further indulged our obsession with God-like power by playing Sims2. The munkey-Sim managed to successfully propose to his cute pirate-Sim crush, and get him into bed for a "Woo-Hoo", which was extremely (depressingly, when you think about it) exciting to the real-life munkey behind the controls. Unfortunately the pirate-boy we created for Snazzie's Sim seems a little mentally-ill - dreaming about babies and rings one moment, and deciding to wander home mid-make-out session the next. I tell you, lovers and dreamers, it really is quite frightening how emotionally engaging a computer game can be.

Earlier this week, we had a trip to Capers Cabaret in Hawthorn to see one of their Showcase nights of new talent. Our friend Ms Carla was to be the closing act, of three short one-woman shows. The first two performers both had great voices - particularly the second - but their between-song "banter" was... I think the kindest word is "misjudged". You know that awful cringing feeling when someone is standing before a crowd telling horrendously unfunny "Boom-boom!" jokes, and the audience titters politely? When you feel embarassed for the entire human race? That's the one. It's kind of sad to see a brilliant singing performance marred.

Fortunately (and I'm not just saying this because she's our friend) Ms Carla was a shining light and a breath of fresh air. Her singing and song-choices were wonderful. But what really set her apart from the other performers that evening, was her material between the tunes. In fact, the word "material" doesn't even apply - she was simply being herself. She didn't try to be funny, she just is funny. She didn't tell structured jokes with a punchline surrounded by flashing light-bulbs. She was just natural - openly a little nervous, but witty, affectionate with her audience and accompanists, and utterly compelling to watch and listen to. I hope the other young-ladies watched and learned.

As another week staggers inexorably towards its oh-so-welcome end, I am looking forward to the future with a sense of nervous energy - terror mixed with optimism and just a pinch of confidence. Stay tuned, dear readers, because I suspect either a Happy-Happy-Joy-Joy Post™ or a For-The-Love-Of-God-It's-All-Gone-Horribly-Wrong Post™ will be coming your way in the not-too-distant future. *melodrama munkey* Watch this space!