tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74481863782591682592024-02-19T16:33:34.307+00:00Please do not feed the actors.The ongoing chronicle of one actor's burgeoning career, born stateside, lives, um ... kingdomside.Jonathon Marxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13969241233571397246noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448186378259168259.post-51342973261559944632020-03-28T14:15:00.002+00:002020-03-28T14:15:56.655+00:00How to Survive Self-Isolation If You're an Extrovert<h2>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><u>Nine Tips to Help You Stay Sane While Social Distancing</u></b></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">These are strange times indeed. The hot new term this month was "social distancing", and though the thought of self-isolation can be unpleasant for anyone, it's especially difficult for extroverts: those of us who require social interaction as a necessary part of human existence. Let's be clear: when it comes to extroversion and introversion, everyone is a little bit of both and everyone can tap into different modes depending on the situation. But everyone also has a <i>preferred</i> method of operation which comes naturally, and I'm sure you know instinctively which you are. Extroverts, generally speaking, feel more comfortable in the company of others, tend to have large circles of friends or acquaintances, and are usually seen as sociable by others. Social distancing is the antithesis of how an extrovert functions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And now, to top it off, most parts of the world are requiring people to stay at home and severely limit interactions with the outside world. Many introverts are absolutely loving it, but to extroverts, this is dreadful. For extroverts like me who live alone, it's torture. But it must be done. We all must do our part to help humanity get through this unique and difficult phase. After quarantining myself for a week </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">and being generally miserable through it all (sorry, friends), I've come up with a few suggestions that I hope will help others stay</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> positive while persevering through what I like to call a "social caesura" (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesura" target="_blank">look it up</a>). Hopefully we will all come out the other end with our mental faculties still in tact. And if you're an introvert reading this, maybe it will give you ideas to share with your extrovert friends, so please share! They are not happy, trust me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>1. Keep a routine!</b></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Unless you're a key worker, you're probably either working from home or, well, not-working from home. And whichever position you're in, your social plans have probably gone straight out the window. Even for extroverts to whom planning and scheduling comes naturally, all this new free time can be disorienting because we're generally not used to being on our own. The best thing you can do for yourself is to create a new schedule and stick to it. If you work from home, keep your typical work hours: get up at the same time you normally do, go through your morning routine, and sit down with your laptop from 9-5, with a break for lunch. If you're not working, set specific times for meals and whatever else you do to keep yourself busy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Now stick to those times you've set: punch that metaphorical clock when work is over. Once lunchtime is finished, clear up instead of dawdling on your phone. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The same thing goes for spaces: if you have a separate room for work time, make sure it's only used for work during work hours, leave the room when work is finished, and close the door. (If it's just a laptop and a desk, put the laptop away and repurpose the desk.) The bed is only for sleeping when it is sleepytime, so get up when you wake up. The table is only for eating, etc. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When you're perpetually at home it's incredibly easy not to be strict with your schedule. You might think it doesn't matter as much. But it does (to a degree … I mean, be a little flexible and don't stress yourself out). It's also easy to inadvertently let work life bleed into home life</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">, and it's </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">a slippery slope into non-productivity for extroverts, since we generally need to keep busy with <i>something</i>. Keeping your mind busy with time frames is a great way to stay productive and maintain a sense of purpose.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Then, on the weekend, since you're not going out, make other plans instead. Even if your plan is "sit on the sofa for 23 hours", decide that you are okay with that plan and then do it. If you're meeting friends in a virtual setting (see below) arrange a time for it. And remember, while organising your diary</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, don't feel like you have to schedule every minute. Just having a few things to look forward to will help you feel like you're still a part of a social world. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>2. Stay in touch with people (obviously)</b></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You're an extrovert; of course you have a social network. Use it. Just because you're cut off physically from your friends and family doesn't mean they've forgotten about you. They are in the same predicament as you, and they would love to hear from you. Your social media presence is the perfect tool for this. Whether it's Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or whatever new platform the kids are using nowadays, stay in touch. You can even use your phone as, you know, a PHONE, as crazy as that sounds, and call someone. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">There are plenty of apps making headlines which make it easy for you to stay in touch with a video call. The one that I've found works best is <a href="https://zoom.us/signup" target="_blank">Zoom</a> (which I use to host my virtual pub quizzes) or if you're feeling a bit random, try <a href="https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/five-things-you-should-know-before-using-houseparty-032720" target="_blank">Houseparty</a> if you haven't already. It</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">'s easy to forget about your adoring fa</span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">– </b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">sorry, your <i>friends</i> when they are not </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">constantly </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">surrounding you (no offence, friends), so a simple phone or video call will pick your spirits up. And if you know anyone who is living alone, contact them first for added karma points. Human voices will be nectar from the gods.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">That said, don't rely on your social media too much. If you're the kind of person who is a slave to that little red circle with a number in it (you know who you are), be sure to put the phone down every once in a while (see no. 1 above) and get your eyes away from the screen. Remember, social media is a tool, not a replacement.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>3. Get plenty of sunlight</b></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Of all these tips, this one is potentially the most difficult to follow since you're stuck inside all day, but that also makes it potentially the most important one. Getting enough sunlight is a simple trick for your brain to keep on top of your schedule and keep your extroverted brain happy, not to mention your body healthy. At least once a day, preferably in the morning, stare out the window for 10-15 minutes. I'd recommend doing it with your morning hot beverage (I mean, you're not spending that time travelling to work anyway) and simply soak up the sun while planning your day. It's a perfect time to contemplate life, or contemplate your feelings, or contemplate that weird tree over there. It doesn't matter, as long as you let your face absorb the natural daylight. If it's cloudy, stay a few minutes longer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Then, throughout your day, make sure you glance out the window once in a while to remind yourself that it's still daytime and that life still exists out there. If you can, place your work area near a window or facing a window. If you're allowed, go out for a walk or a run or a bike ride during the daytime (while being careful about distance). By doing this, you will naturally stay in tune with your <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circadian_rhythm" target="_blank">circadian rhythm</a>, which regulates your sleep pattern and therefore your mood. You will find that come evening, you will feel more able to relax and your sleep will be more restful. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>4. Start a new activity</b></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It's easy to get wrapped up in the misery of the current situation </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">–</b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"> all you have to do is watch the news for an hour. One interesting way you can change perspective is to view forced isolation as an opportunity that doesn't come around very often. It could be the perfect time to start something new that you've been thinking about forever. Now is your chance. Start that book you've been meaning to read, start learning that new language you've been wanting to look into (there's </span><a href="https://www.duolingo.com/" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;" target="_blank">an app for that</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">), or pick up that new skill. If you're an extrovert like me who has started and abandoned about a thousand things already, go back to them. Dust off your old guitar, arrange all your photos into albums finally, or, you know, write an entry in that blog of yours that's been sitting around untouched for years (ahem). You can even work this into your daily planning, and it will help fill up that empty diary (see no. 1 above). Whatever you choose to do, the point is that it will activate those parts of your brain that are more introverted, meaning it will allow the extroverted parts of your brain (which is most of it, let's be honest) to take a back seat and be relatively okay with the present situation for a while. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>5. Stay active </b></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Most extroverts use physical activity to help them recharge and to increase the release of those sweet, sweet endorphins, but this becomes crazy difficult when you're in isolation. I don't mean you have to start a home gym, but don't let yourself become a vegetable either. At least once a day it's a good idea to rev up your engines for at least half an hour with either an in-home workout routine (they are <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/health/joe-wicks-on-going-viral-with-live-pe-class-a4395931.html" target="_blank">all the rage these days</a>) or, if you can do it safely, go for a walk,</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"> making sure you're careful about social distancing and don't lick any doorknobs on the way. Endorphins are precious these days.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>6. Listen to energising music</b></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I chose that adjective carefully, since everyone listens to different kinds of music. But whatever your tastes are, make sure your music is uplifting in some way. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Music is, of course, a wonderful way to alter mood, and extroverts benefit by having some kind of noise in the environment (until they don't), so why not use it to keep yourself busy and productive. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It can be dancy and poppy, soulful and groovy, or even chilled and relaxing. It's your preference after all. Just be sure that it makes you feel good about yourself, as opposed to provocative or depressing (now is not the time for that). If you use Spotify, try experimenting with new genres, or listen to old albums that you used to adore back in the day. If you're working, I'd suggest putting on something pleasant that doesn't require too much attention, for example <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/5m1RkwKeU7MV0Ni6PH2lPy" target="_blank">an album by musician Bonobo</a>. Then in the evening you can put on a musical or something you can belt away to while you make dinner, if the spirit takes you (apologies to my neighbours). If you find a certain song or playlist that always puts you in a good mood, share it with other extroverts (including me please!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And when you get sick of music, put on a podcast at the end of the day or whenever you're not working. It's a good way to get your eyes away from the screen after work or even PUT DOWN THE SOCIAL MEDIA, since it's hard to pay attention to these things when you have to listen to someone telling a story. And the sound of other humans' voices in the home is an added bonus if you live alone. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>7. Meditate</b></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This isn't for everyone, admittedly, but if the thought of mindfulness or meditation has ever piqued your interest, now is the time to give it a try. Mindfulness, for some, is the perfect way to handle difficult feelings that pop up into your head, including fear, sadness, or anxiety. It's certainly not going to fix your problems right away, but it will help you gain a new perspective on these feelings, and the benefits you could gain are invaluable in other aspects of your life. And really it's only 10 or 15 minutes a day for a bit of mental self-care. There are plenty of free apps available that guide you through the journey of mindfulness; try <a href="https://www.headspace.com/" target="_blank">Headspace</a> or <a href="https://www.calm.com/" target="_blank">Calm</a>, just to name a few.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Even if meditation isn't really your thang, it's a good idea to set aside some time just to be alone with your thoughts. If you are allowed outside, go sit in a park (with proper distancing please!) and simply observe nature, for example. Also, it might be the closest you get to being around people, and it's an especially nice thing to do in the sun if it's out. You can even leave positive messages for yourself on post-its around the house, to remind yourself to take a few deep breaths once in a while. Some people like to schedule time to connect to their spirituality. Whatever works for you to keep your mind in a calm state, set aside time to do it every day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>8. Remember, it's OKAY to feel sad</b></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It's also okay to feel scared or worried. Being cut off from human contact is extremely hard, and those silly introverts will never understand just how difficult it is. It's perfectly understandable and even likely that you will f</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">eel miserable or lonely at times. But remember to be objective: you're probably just feeling that way because it is a natural consequence of the crummy situation. It is not a reflection of yourself. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">You will get through it.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">So go ahead, have a cry. Afterwards, you might be surprised how relieved your feel for embracing those feelings instead of resisting them. There are many, many other people feeling the same way, and </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/opinion/social-distancing-covid.html" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;" target="_blank">you're certainly not alone</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">. Keep this in mind and remember to do the things I've mentioned above; it certainly got me through the first week. Above all, if the feels are ever getting to be too much and you feel like you can't handle it, do not hesitate to get in touch with someone you trust. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>9. At the end of the day, reward yourself</b></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Go ahead, give yourself a pat on the back for making it all the way to the end. You've gotten through another day. Reflect on your accomplishments from the past 24 hours, no matter how trivial. As an extrovert it might help to be reminded of whom you spoke to today or how many people you reached. Regardless of how much you've accomplished, you've also done your part for your community and all of humanity by successfully isolating. Your efforts and sacrifices are literally helping to save lives. This is such a unique shared human experience, and someday <i>it will end</i>. So later, when it's all over and you can hug people again (still don't lick any doorknobs though), you will be able to look back on this time and say "Boy, that was tough, but you know what? I made it through." You're doing great.</span><br />
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<br />Jonathon Marxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13969241233571397246noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448186378259168259.post-30847971612263193572016-04-06T00:29:00.001+01:002016-04-06T00:29:42.748+01:00I shower at night.As in, in the evening, before bed. I like to feel clean when I go to bed, and also I don't like the thought of the crap I put in my hair getting on my pillow and therefore onto my face. Not to mention how sweaty and oily-feeling my face can get throughout the day.<br />
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So tonight, after a long and busy day, I turned on the water and climbed in, and I noticed a spider in the corner, down near the drain. In America we would call it a daddy longlegs. (Though I know that in Britain that term is designated for a certain spindly-legged insect, though I can't remember which one at this moment.) It was one of those spiders with a tiny body and eight thin, angular legs. I thought, Huh, another spider that's lost its way by coming in the house and will end up down the drain before long.<br />
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I watched as it reacted to the first few drops of water. The spray from the shower head didn't directly hit it, and I didn't purposefully throw water on it, but it obviously felt a few droplets from the splattering water as it hit the floor. I watched with casual interest as I put my head under the falling water and more droplets ricocheted in its direction. It tried to climb away but it couldn't quite make it up the slope of the corner, and it started to struggle as more and more water washed its feet closer to the black hole of the drain. Maybe I should just throw some water on it and get rid of it, I thought.<br />
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But then something strange happened. It collapsed. Its whole body limped into a mass of thin angles. It gave up. I felt a sense of pity for this small creature, and part of me thought, Great, now I'm going to think of its helplessness as it tumbles into its abyss.<br />
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And a flash came to me. Hang on a sec. I have complete control of what happens next. I don't have to let this thing suffer. I could save it, I guess, and spiders eat bugs anyway, right? Why not save it. Yeah, but I'm all wet now, and it's a hassle, and I'm tired and it's just a spider anyway. Well hang on. Yes, it's just a spider. But it's still a cog in this grand machine of life. It is just a small creature controlled by its brain, and it made no real transgression by entering the house. And after all, why not? I have complete control.<br />
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So I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. I risked the irritation of my housemates by removing with my wet hand the toilet tissue that had been placed over the window handle. And after fishing through the bin, I found an old cardboard toilet roll thingy and brought it back to the shower. The spider was still motionless. I nudged it gently with the cardboard, but still nothing. I poked it again, and it shot two legs into the air, dangling like antennae. I tried to coax it with a slow, upward motion, and eventually a few more legs shot up and it grabbed the cardboard, grasping for dry air. It clung to the cardboard, so I lifted it up, went to the window, and threw it out.<br />
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We don't have to be monsters. Most of us aren't. Kindness costs nothing extra. I could have let that tiny thing plummet down the drain, and the world wouldn't have been any different. But I don't want to be that kind of guy who lets things happen just because deep down I know it won't make a difference. I don't want to be the kind of person who doesn't care about the little things.Jonathon Marxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13969241233571397246noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448186378259168259.post-57572346558127597942013-06-18T12:16:00.000+01:002013-06-18T12:16:04.690+01:00This entry is about what I had for breakfast.<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Going on little sleep, I had one of those mornings today where my stomach took control over my rational brain. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The place where I temp has a convenient cafeteria with a plethora of breakfast substances, all for a small fee. This morning I thought I would treat myself to a bagel, and well, that's exactly what I did. It was probably one of the most unhealthy bagels in all of human history, but boy was it tasty. I tweeted as such, and promptly got a few friends practically begging to know what was on it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I tried, I really did try, to fit it all into one tweet, but 140 characters is simply not enough space to give justice to the description. So I'm writing a blog. I'm writing a blog about what I ate for breakfast. Oh dear, what have I come to? Anyway, don't say I didn't warn you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Like I said, my fatigue-induced brain was being controlled by my stomach, and I had quite the seducing array of topping options. To start I selected the largest, choicest bagel (a sesame seed white one), cut it down the middle, toasted it and buttered both sides. On one half I couldn't decide whether I wanted the raspberry jam or crunchy peanut butter, so naturally I chose both: jam on the left and the pb on the right. Midway through the spreading, I noticed the Nutella. Have you ever mixed peanut butter with Nutella? IT'S AMAZING.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I took two slices of the crispiest bacon I could find and criss-crossed them on the other half. The arrangement provided a nice platform to keep my scrambled eggs in place. I asked if they had any slices of cheese, but unfortunately they said no. To top it off I drizzled a moderate amount of golden syrup, making sure to get a little bit on the bacon as well as the eggs. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm sure a lot of my British friends would certainly grimace at such combinations. I don't know what is wrong with you people, but some of you are so afraid of mixing "sweet" with "savoury" as if it were sacrilege. Seriously, try it! Especially the bacon and syrup – <i>maple </i>syrup if you can get it. It was the most delicious breakfast I've had in a long while, and I will happily endure the odd looks and comments to have it!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In any case, I think perhaps I've had enough calories for one day, don't you think?</span>Jonathon Marxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13969241233571397246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448186378259168259.post-48954173486201316212013-03-01T15:07:00.000+00:002013-03-01T15:07:11.675+00:00How young is too young to talk about gays?<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Those who know me well know that I
occasionally do freelance admin work for a man who runs his own business (a
legal consulting firm) from his house. The setup is nice: I go in whenever my
schedule allows it and organise the crap out of his office, calculate his
expenses, pack away his old files, etc., and then invoice him at the end of the
month. Sometimes, when my weekdays are especially busy with other temp work (an
actor has to eat), the weekends are my only opportunity to stop in. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One particular Saturday, when my work kept
me late into the evening, George and his wife Jessica informed me that they
would be hosting some neighbours for an indoor cookout and also to watch some
big important match or something on telly. I said that it was fine, as I’d be tucked
away in the office upstairs, and maybe I’d join them for a burger once I was
finished. So I got to work, sat at the computer clicking away with my iPhone
plugged in and playing music to keep me focused. Jessica, in her perpetual
franticness, popped her head in the doorway at one point and said, “Would you
like a glass of wine? White or red?” I said I’d have white please.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As the neighbours arrived, so did their
kids, and some time later, the small group of them decided to play hide and
seek. And of course, when you’re playing hide and seek, the entire house is
your playground. When they finally made it up to the office, I pointed out a
few good places to hide and there they sat waiting for their seeker. Meanwhile
my iPhone played on; by then I had moved on to YouTube to play songs I didn’t
have in my library.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Why do you watch the videos?” said one
girl who must have been about six. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Because I like them,” I replied.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“I saw a music video once. They were <i>kissing</i>,” she said, horrified.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“I know. They do that sometimes.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When they were eventually found and dragged
out, one of the boys, probably 8 or so, instead of running back downstairs,
made a beeline for my phone and helped himself to it. “Is this an iPhone?” he
said, and then, without waiting for approval, added, “What games do you have?”
Thankfully it was plugged in and charging; otherwise I would have grabbed it
back from him for fear of him walking off with it. Instead I told him I had
loads of games and allowed him to switch off YouTube and flick through my apps;
after all, people have inspected my phone in such a fashion before, and knew
better than to keep incriminating or embarrassing material on it. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, except for that photo I use for the
background of my home page: a mostly naked male model, well-built and
well-groomed, and in an ever-so-slightly sexual pose. The idea was that I would
see it every time I used my phone and remind myself that I’m actively trying to
eat healthy and get fit (and then put the chocolate back). I hadn’t exactly forgotten
about it, but in that moment it didn’t cross me as something shameful. Most of
my friends wouldn’t bat an eyelid (well, maybe they’d raise an eyebrow), but
then most of my friends are not 8-year-old boys.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He hadn’t even noticed it until he flicked
all the way to the last page, where there were minimal screen obstructions and
you could pretty much see everything. “Who’s that?”<i> </i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span lang="EN-GB">Oops.
</span></i><span lang="EN-GB">Maybe it was that I didn’t want to take the time to
explain my psychological encouragement to get fit, or perhaps it was that large
glass of wine on a near-empty stomach, but what I ended up saying was, “Oh, he’s
… that’s my boyfriend.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By then, his sister, who was maybe 10 or
11, had returned to collect her sibling. It was she who piped up then. “You
have a boyfriend?” she shouted, more astonished and incredulous than curious.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I responded simply with “Yup,” and then she
came over to have a look. They studied the photo for a few seconds when the
girl said, “What’s his name?”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I couldn’t think of a fake name fast enough,
so I just said, “Richard.” I was on the verge of taking it back and saying,
“Okay that’s enough,” when the boy, already bored, started flicking back
through the pages, looking for more games.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The girl looked back at me. “Why do you
have a boyfriend?”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“I just do. Some boys have boyfriends.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Do you love him?”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Of course I do.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“But that’s weird.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“No it’s not. It’s perfectly normal. Why
would it be weird?”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“I dunno.” </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“It would be fine if you had a girlfriend.
You can have a boyfriend or a girlfriend; it doesn’t matter.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I must have started to go over her heard at
that point because she redirected the attention back to her brother. “Isaac has
a girlfriend. Her name’s Katie.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Well that’s perfectly normal, too,” I
said.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Isaac, either not listening or not caring,
said, “This is an iPhone 4.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“No it’s not,” I said. “It’s a 4S.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Nuh-uh, if it was a 4S it would have <i>Siri</i>.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“It does have Siri.”<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“No it doesn’t.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I took the phone from him and showcased
the 4S by holding down the home button and asking, “What time is it?” when Siri
popped up.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Isaac took the phone back, activated Siri
again and said, “Call … my boyfriend!”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The two of them laughed out loud at that
and I thought it was harmless, but after a few minutes, somehow Isaac was able
to find Richard in my address book and then attach the label “my boyfriend” to
him. (Man, kids and technology nowadays!) It actually started to call him when
I finally snatched the phone back and said, “Okay that’s it! Out of the
office!”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“I’m gonna tell everyone that you have a <i>boy</i>friend!” the sister threatened with a
big, fat, mischievous grin on her face.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“I don’t care,” I teased back rather
childishly. “It’s not a secret.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not convinced by my answer, she ran down
the stairs and ducked into a bedroom. I took my empty wine glass into the
kitchen, where Jessica promptly refilled it. I was chatting with some of the
other adults for only a minute or so before the girl ran in and shouted to
everyone, “Jonathon has a <i>boy</i>friend!
He has a picture of him on his phone!”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If I’m completely honest I’m sure I reddened
a little, but no one seemed to have noticed. The woman who was speaking didn’t
even allow the girl to interrupt her speech. A man who must have been her dad turned
to her and said, “Yes, yes, Abby, now go play.” He shooed her away and turned
right back to the conversation, not giving her outburst a second thought.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And that was it. She ran off and went back
to playing with the other children, and I finished my work there for the day
(and had a lovely lamb burger and some grilled Halloumi cheese). Afterwards
part of me wondered if being honest about my sexuality to an 8-year-old was
appropriate, but then I thought, why not? If they are old enough to have
girlfriends, then they are old enough to understand that some people are gay. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’m glad Abby’s father dismissed his
child’s apparent revelation of a scandal as mere silliness. But obviously at
some point Abby learned that if boys love boys (or if girls love girls), then that’s
weird. Or perhaps she had never considered that kind of situation before. But
either way, maybe it’s important to be prepared to have a brief discussion with
children about that when they’re ready.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Parents shy away from discussions like this
because they don’t like to think of their children (or any children) as sexual
beings. But why aren’t they? Humans are sexual beings, and children are humans.
We don’t think it’s weird when hordes of screaming prepubescent girls chase One
Direction down the street (though maybe we should – that’s a bad example), or
when a boy and a girl play at a pretend wedding. So why is there a discrepancy
with gays? We don’t think twice about straight behaviour. I think it comes from
an underlying subconscious prejudice that some of us have that still equates
“straight” with “normal”. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So how young is too young to talk about
homosexuality? The simple answer is that it’s the same age you feel it’s too
young to talk about sexuality in general. Why make it a different topic?
Perhaps the six-year-old girl was horrified by the thought of kissing because
she innocently didn’t understand it. But the fact that she even saw it means
she’s already slowly being introduced to a world with sex in it. Wouldn’t you
rather your child grow into an adult with a healthy attitude towards sex? They
won’t become that by only paying attention to the media.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I get really annoyed at adults who say
things like, “I can’t tell my teenage children about gay people;
they just wouldn’t understand.” Why not? Why is it such a difficult thing to
explain? When adults make homosexuality a taboo subject, children interpret
that to mean it is something shameful. And if they’re being taught those sorts
of things while growing up, it will be harder to convince them otherwise once
they’re adults.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kids are learning machines and they are
naturally inquisitive and they will ask questions. So when they do, let’s just
answer them honestly. It shouldn’t have to be weird at all.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">[some details that are irrelevant to the
story (e.g. people’s names) have been changed to protect you from the wrath of my
invisible pink unicorn]</span></span></div>
Jonathon Marxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13969241233571397246noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448186378259168259.post-56916865498587750712012-05-04T17:27:00.000+01:002012-05-04T17:27:36.536+01:00My inner voter turmoil<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Politics.
What a good way to spoil a party.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yesterday
British people had the opportunity to elect their local government leaders. In <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">London</st1:place></st1:city>, undoubtedly the
most prominent election that took place was the mayoral one: the battle between
“Buffoon” Boris Johnson the incumbent and “Red” Ken Livingstone in an attempt
to reclaim his seat at City Hall. The votes are still being counted as of
today.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44342000/jpg/_44342356_newhamp6_416b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="230" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44342000/jpg/_44342356_newhamp6_416b.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have
friends who shout from both ends of the political spectrum. A quick trawl
through my social networking yesterday and I could easily find both “BACK
BORIS” and “SACK BORIS” as well as “Anyone but BoJo” and “Not Ken again”. My
own political opinions aside, these people are exercising their free speech and
voicing their opinions, which is of course fine. But among those very same
pages are other comments I’ve seen which remind me that I have a growing
problem with another kind of people: those who don’t vote. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A lot of my
friends do, don’t get me wrong. Some of the comments are “Just voted, make sure
you do too!” or even “I just voted, though I’m getting tired of the whole thing.”
But some people simply refuse to vote. I’ve heard many excuses: “My one vote
won’t make a difference.”, “I can’t really stand any of the candidates.”, “I
don’t have time.”, “Oh it only encourages them”, etc. etc. ad nauseam. And then
the BBC came out with a [link] report today saying that <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17920848" target="_blank">only 32% of the population actually voted</a>, which is the lowest figure since 2000.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What? WHAT!? This baffles me. How is that supposed to be an
accurate representation of what people want? From this, the people who get into
government may simply be the candidate who got the most people into the polling
station. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkOsBYqnBki424_AwOYUY6jI30OlhR86NoWCqze7Uhp3bbRsmtEw3LpGG2F0rHLFAyPht-onLl5MRuwKQwpb0JxJgm-MkiRX73qQvFDWSpF_YfcptUcfAP6HtWkrF5UXauslbxRM1XB_CQ/s1600/vote-for-me-94684.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkOsBYqnBki424_AwOYUY6jI30OlhR86NoWCqze7Uhp3bbRsmtEw3LpGG2F0rHLFAyPht-onLl5MRuwKQwpb0JxJgm-MkiRX73qQvFDWSpF_YfcptUcfAP6HtWkrF5UXauslbxRM1XB_CQ/s320/vote-for-me-94684.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, I completely sympathize with people who call themselves apathetic
towards government in general. But that’s no excuse to be lazy. These are the
people who make decisions that directly affect your life. If you are not happy
with the decisions, not voting seems hardly the best way to do something about
it. My point is, <i>if you choose not to vote, you have no right to complain
about what the government does. Or about the people in government</i><u>.</u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You may be asking, Wow, Jon, why do you feel so strongly
about voting? Well let me tell you. In <st1:state w:st="on">Wisconsin</st1:state>,
where I’m originally from, there is a very rare event taking place that stands
to alter the state’s political landscape. Arguably the whole of <st1:country-region w:st="on">America</st1:country-region> is
watching us to see how it’s all going to turn out. In 2010, the citizens of <st1:state w:st="on">Wisconsin</st1:state> elected a new
governor by the name of Scott Walker. In that election, voter turnout <a href="http://gab.wi.gov/node/1411" target="_blank">was approximately 50%</a>.
Within his first month as governor, Mr Walker passed controversial measures
that subsequently angered enough Wisconsinites that massive protests were held
in the state capital and he is now under threat of being removed from office
via a recall election. You may have heard of this. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The recall
election is set for June 5<sup>th</sup>. In all likelihood I will probably
still be in <st1:city w:st="on">London</st1:city> at that time (What, you think
I’m going to miss the Diamond Jubilee?), but thankfully Wisconsin has a helpful
measure that allows residents to apply for an absentee ballot no matter where
you live (unless they’ve registered to vote in another area). This means I can
vote by mail, and I’ve done this before. However, because I have been living in
London for over 5 years, my residency status is in question, and it may be
possible that due to a technicality I won’t be allowed to submit an absentee
ballot and therefore will not be allowed to vote in this once-in-a-lifetime,
important election. I’m still trying to sort this out.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Also, as I
am an American citizen, and not (yet) a British citizen, I am not allowed to
vote in ANY election here in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">UK</st1:place></st1:country-region>. European citizens who reside
here are, but not me, even though I’ve lived here long enough to be eligible
for citizenship. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So people
who tell me they’re too busy to vote or don’t want to because it’s pointless
really get my goat. If you think your one vote doesn’t matter, then you’re not
looking at the bigger picture and you need to get out of your bubble. I won’t
even start talking about parts of the world where people aren’t allowed to
vote.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In my ideal
world (i.e. if I were president of the universe) I would make it against the
law not to vote. If you don’t, you are not allowed to receive benefits or any
sort of advantage from the government (though you must still pay taxes). You
may choose to abstain from voting for any particular candidate, but you must go
to the polling booth and actively decide that. You cannot simply stay at home.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As easy as
it is to be apathetic towards politics, I’ve learned that it is an unavoidable
part of life. Yes, I know that there are many things wrong with politics today
(as there ever have been), but choosing not to take part in democracy is no way
to change that. No, not everyone has to be an activist or a lobbyist or
whatever. But everyone should do the least they can do and take a few minutes of
their day and tick a few boxes. Come on, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Britain</st1:place></st1:country-region>, 32% is pitiful. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Jonathon Marxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13969241233571397246noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448186378259168259.post-44179947516020568772012-05-03T13:02:00.001+01:002012-05-03T13:02:32.066+01:00Note to self:Write in this blog more.Jonathon Marxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13969241233571397246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448186378259168259.post-72346472489258396902012-02-17T10:17:00.000+00:002012-02-17T10:18:28.645+00:00Tell me a story...<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">To me, not just as an actor, but an all-around theatre person, the most important thing to do while on stage is tell a good story. All other aspects of theatre are still important, but if the story is missing or flawed, those aspects are irrelevant. For example, you can have a wonderful set design or cutting-edge lighting and sound, but without a story to support, you might as well be in a museum. You can have amazing choreography or someone with an exceptional singing voice, but without a story to tell via the dance moves or through the lyrics, all you have is someone showing off their craft. You can have outstanding actors with the ability to evoke any emotion on demand, but without a story to tell, well, they’re just being pretentious. (There’s actually a word for that kind of theatre, but it’s a bit rude so ask me later and I’ll tell you.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">The same applies to other works of art as well, film and TV particularly. If you’re not telling me a good story, I’m changing the channel or walking out of the cinema. (Actually I would never walk out of a cinema. I did walk out of a theatre once during intermission – and I felt so bad! But it had to be done.) At a stretch you could even say the best music or the best paintings, for example, tell stories in a way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Mind you, there’s nothing wrong with going to a museum or watching someone perform their craft on stage … but it’s not theatre. Theatre requires an additional element: the story. This is why I love being an actor. I get to tell a story through performance, through acting it out. It’s also why I love being a writer, though in that case, especially with playwriting, there’s inevitably a point where you have to finish messing with your creation and relinquish your storytelling power to someone else, say, a director or a producer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">I’m mentioning all this because the other day I was looking over my recent (i.e. London) acting history, and I realized that the theatre productions I’m most proud of – the ones where I felt a good story was told – have all been with the same theatre company. <a href="http://www.myriadtheatreproductions.com/" target="_blank">Myriad Productions</a> specializes in adapting classic novels, and they have been perfecting this craft for many years. Since they’re focussed on classics, there’s already a good story there. But the adaptations are done so well, in my opinion, that you can tell the adaptor has fully understood and has digested the novel’s meaning and author’s intentions, and is able to produce that on stage and expertly bring out the dramatic parts of plotlines. They’re also fun to perform, and engaging to watch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">I’ve performed with them twice previously, in </span><i style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">The Hunchback of Notre-Dame</i><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"> and </span><i style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">The Count of Monte Cristo</i><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">, and now my third production with them, </span><i style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Anna Karenina</i><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">, is opening this coming Tuesday (21 February). I am so excited about this show that I have invited just about everyone I know living in </span><st1:city style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">London</st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">. I have invited casting directors and producers and reviewers, and I still have an itching to invite more people. If anyone reading this blog knows of any reviewers or industry people who would be interested in seeing some new talent, get in touch with me via <a href="http://www.jonathonmarx.com/" target="_blank">my website</a> or <a href="http://www.twitter.com/jonathonmarx" target="_blank">my twitter</a> or somesuch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">I’m playing the young, sexy, military man Count Vronsky in this new adaptation of Anna Karenina at the </span><st1:place style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;" w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Barons</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Court</st1:placetype> <st1:placename w:st="on">Theatre</st1:placename></st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">. We run from 21 February until 3 March with performances every night at 7:30pm (except Sunday and Monday). If you are reading this blog, then you should come see me. Full details are on the Myriad Productions <a href="http://www.myriadtheatreproductions.com/" target="_blank">website</a> or the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/events/320478644650037/" target="_blank">Facebook event page</a>. (I’ll update <a href="http://www.jonathonmarx.com/" target="_blank">my website</a> this weekend so it includes the number to call to reserve tickets.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">So come see me on stage. Come watch a well-told story, with superb acting skills on display (I hope). No guarantees, but I may or may not look like this:</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></div>
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</span>Jonathon Marxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13969241233571397246noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448186378259168259.post-14719907322292104772012-02-05T16:35:00.001+00:002012-02-16T15:53:45.866+00:00The snow makes the cold acceptable.Snow snow snow snow snow snow snow snow! Snow snow? SNOW!<br />
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So it snowed in London last night. It started about 11pm, just in time for the Saturday night party-goers to get drenched with the first wave, which is always inevitably slush, before it sufficiently cools the ground and allows it to stick. Overnight it continued to pile up; the official reports say in places there was up to 4 inches of snow.<br />
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That may not seem like a lot to my friends back in wintry Wisconsin (though apparently there's not much snow there at the moment - very unseasonal) but in London, this is a BIG DEAL. Similar to the snow we had a few years ago that ground London to a halt, there are already reports of public transport being unable to cope. Apparently a few trains on the Underground stopped mid-station, and <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-16892940" target="_blank">passengers had to disembark and walk to the next station.</a><br />
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Sorry, Londoners, but I laugh at you. Yes, I know that you don't have snow plows (which you strangely spell "ploughs" - which I think should be pronounced "ploffs") that clear roads or put down salt or grit for traction, but snow is amazing and wonderfully fun and can be enjoyed with enough care and common sense. If you drive in London, please be careful on the roads. You're not used to it!<br />
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I grew up in a place where winters are known to be cold, and I always used say to people that the cold was unbearable until it started snowing. I love the snow. After completing the finishing touches on my website, my fella and I went outdoors and <u>played in the snow</u> at 1am. It was amazing! The serenity of the late night, and the pristine, untouched snow were all ours. We made snow angels and funny tracks, and even a couple of snowmen on the hood of a neighbor's car (don't ask me whose).<br />
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So I'm glad it snowed. People have been complaining all week about the cold weather (Londoners will complain about <em>any</em> weather, though) and I couldn't really argue with them. But now that it's snowed, they can complain about the snow instead and I will not be fazed; I will remain in my private joy.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.jonathonmarx.com/uploads/IMG_0988.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.jonathonmarx.com/uploads/IMG_0988.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Jonathon Marxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13969241233571397246noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448186378259168259.post-61221189644603532802012-02-01T13:47:00.000+00:002012-02-01T13:47:33.366+00:00Introductory Offer: two blog entries in one!<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Well here we are. My blog, welcome back. Can I just say right now that 2011 pretty much sucked thank you very much. Last year, all in all, more shit things happened than good. I’d really like to avoid any clichés about how the New Year is good for starting new things and resetting yourself and blah blah blah. But they’re all true.<o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">So that’s how I’m viewing the beginning of this year. Never mind that it’s already February; I feel exceptionally ready to take control of my future, many thanks to the three weeks over Christmas I spent in <st1:country-region _moz-userdefined="" w:st="on"><st1:place _moz-userdefined="" w:st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region> with friends and family. Man I needed that. <o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Actors will agree with me that it’s terribly common to hold a day job while building up acting experience and waiting for an acting career to take off. Well I’m so sick of waiting around for my career to take off that I’ve realised how vital it is that I go for it on my own terms. I need to stop <i>waiting</i>. I currently have a stable but temporary day job and I’ve been telling myself I’d be able save up some money so I could eventually have a proper go at acting, but instead, after two months, I’m broke already. I need to prepare myself for that moment when I <i>don’t</i> have a day job and no guaranteed income. Considering I’ve told myself I could live off little and therefore manage to save money – and haven’t – I must admit it’s an indicator that I could be headed down the same path if I’m not careful. I’m also afraid that suddenly six months – half a YEAR – will have gone by where I’m not advancing my acting career. I can’t let that happen.<o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">So I’ve had some luck already. I’m in a new play. That’s good! <a href="http://www.facebook.com/events/320478644650037/" target="_blank">(Click here for details!)</a> It’s handy – and I’m lucky – that it fits in with my day job. I’m very excited about it. But if I just do that play and don’t capitalise on it, I’m back in the same situation I was before. So what I will do is re-kindle all my contacts, milk my networking for all that it’s worth, and get reviewers and casting directors and producers and everyone I know to come see it. But that will take effort, and it won’t happen all by itself. I must go about networking my play to the extreme. Actors cannot wait around for the right casting director or producer to see them. They have to find that person. I have recently realised I have to make my work myself, but now this has to become more than just an occasional <i>job</i>. It has to be my <i>career</i>. And <a href="http://explodingdog.com/title/icantwaitmuchlonger.html" target="_blank">I can't wait much longer.</a><o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><b>When I am not acting, I want to be writing.</b><o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">“There is no such thing as writer’s block. All writers should allow themselves to write crap once in a while.”<o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">That quote is based on a tweet I read recently; I don’t remember who said it and the words are not exactly what I had read, so in a way I guess you could say it is my quote, except that it’s not really and it doesn’t matter anyway. In any case, the point is still valid, as well as pertinent to me. Any writer – whether you are a blogger, author, playwright, musician, etc. – cannot be expected to create a perfect composition every time they sit down at a keyboard. (See what I did there with my words? Pertains to musicians too!) This expectation – which I know is sometimes self-imposed – causes writers to self-edit as they go, which disrupts the internal creative process. Writers, you know what I’m talking about.<o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">This entire double-blog is a perfect example. When I first sat down to write something (a few weeks ago), I wanted to write about how 2011 wasn’t that great, and about how I have new plans for 2012, etc. But I began to do that self-editing thing as I went along: I doubted every other word I typed, went back on ideas and phrases, and struggled over words I couldn’t quite pin down. I think I ended up hitting my backspace key more than all other letters combined. I thought to myself, “Cheese and rice, I’ll never accomplish anything at this pace!” <o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">But then I saw that quote, and, like advice you hear over and over from one friend but never actually take until you hear it from another friend in a different way, it finally sunk in. I decided to write whatever came to my head, and not to judge anything I wrote as I wrote it. I even resisted the urge to correct grammatical errors! (Those who know me understand how difficult this was for me.) After 4 pages and almost 2,000 words I stopped. And the result! … well it was mostly crap. But some of it was interesting crap! Looking over what I wrote, I see I had duologues with myself, provided self-encouragement, tried to be clever at points and then admonished myself for not being clever, and then eventually tried to determine why I haven’t posted in here since May last year.<o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Of course I’ve whittled it down a lot and added things since I finished, and no, I don’t pretend that it’s gold. But the result (like it or not) is a much better version than my rambling original! That’s what my head is usually like, though: a rambling, incoherent mess of ideas strung together with the most tenuous of threads. Getting my thoughts on paper is such a good way of getting them off my mind, which also allows me not only to organize them, but also to continue writing with a clear head.<o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">I don’t proclaim to “suffer” from writer’s block, but this is a method I’m going to continue to use. From here on out I am going to utilise my 69 WPM fingers and write unrestrainedly! I will whip out the writing that unleashes my bottled anger, my hidden fears, and my unbounded joy! Or whatever. I’m not promising anything.<o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">I strongly encourage any other aspiring writers to do the same. I know I’m not a famous author or anything, but I have seen things I’ve written produced, and the best things that you write will be the things that you write without restraint. <o:p _moz-userdefined=""></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">It’s what I’ll be doing from now on. I’ll use it when writing blogs as well as plays I’ve been working on. There are already a number of plays I’m in the process of writing, and I even have fellow actors in mind for specific roles, but the writing is currently stalled because every time I actually sit down at the keyboard, I start to self-edit. It’s time I stop doing that and pick up that writing again.</span>Jonathon Marxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13969241233571397246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448186378259168259.post-87855987535568264712011-05-16T23:28:00.000+01:002011-05-16T23:28:21.941+01:00Trump card<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">I’m pretty sure I’ve said this before, but even if I haven’t, I most definitely will be saying it many times in the future. This is the frustrating fact that everything in life happens at the same time. Hey Life, I have an idea. Instead of handing me twenty things to do at once, why not spread it out a little bit? Give me a few, important, manageable tasks and opportunities now, and then a few more later. You could have given me some back in January when I was pulling my hair out because nothing was happening and I felt like I was going nowhere. What’s that, you say? It’s not how you work? Fine then, I shall be tearing my hair out for different reasons. I shake my fist at you, Life. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Let me attempt to summarise my last two months, not in chronological order but in ... Jonological order, I suppose.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Firstly, I enjoy my current day job as a bartender. I work in an excellent atmosphere, and it’s nice to have a permanent full-time job and be slowly climbing out of debt. I’ve had to learn a whole slew of cocktails, which is cool, and they are also very flexible when it comes to asking for time off or rearranging shifts for auditions and the like. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Secondly, about two weeks ago I started working on the side for an ex-colleague’s husband, who runs his own business from a home office but needs help with the organisation of files and other basic administration. I agreed to help, since it’s something I have plenty of experience in. Also, it’s very nice because he says, basically, “Come in whenever you can.” <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">And thirdly, my last play, <u>The Count of Monte Cristo</u>, ran at the Brockley Jack Studio Theatre and then went on tour, to very positive feedback. The company asked me back for their next adaptation, <u>The Brothers Karamazov</u>, and offered me a role without needing to audition. I of course said yes, since I have worked with this company multiple times before and I regard the scripts very highly and I always have a wonderful time with them. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">So I was on the verge of balancing these three things, keeping myself very busy and believing that I was getting myself back on track financially while still acting when possible. But THEN, oh then, I get a phone call. THAT phone call, the one every actor strives for. Okay, it’s not Steven Spielberg, but it’s from my agent, telling me that an audition (one that I thought went poorly, by the way) has been successful, and they want me for their production. This is a highly professional and experienced company and looks very promising, and could potentially mean international attention. I’ve already signed a lengthy confidentiality agreement with them, so I can’t go into detail, but here’s the crux: it’s happening outside of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">London</st1:place></st1:city>, and I would be required to be gone for about a month. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The bar managers, flexible as they usually are, are not willing to allow me to leave for that long a time, especially in the summer. I was told today that my only option, if I chose to be away for a month, would be to resign and then reapply for the same job upon my return. I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the admin job, and I would have to pull out of <u>Brothers</u> simply because the dates conflict. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">You might think there would be a fair amount of internal debate, but really there wasn’t. There is no way I can pass up this other opportunity. It serves as a trump card to all prior responsibilities. The thing I do feel bad about, however, is disappointing the people who had counted on me, and the only internal debate that happened was how to go about informing the bar managers, the self-employed husband, and the theatre company about my decision. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">It was in this way that after the phone call, I initially resisted just blurting out “Yes!” and accepting everything straight away. In retrospect this sounds mad, but at the time I thought to myself, “But I have everything in order! I’m balancing my life efficiently, and it’s going well! I have all these other commitments!” but I guess when you get that opportunity, you have to jump on it. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Moral of the story: sometimes when you get what you’ve been asking for, you won’t always recognise it. Sometimes you get it but it’s not exactly as you had envisioned; the difference might be in the details which you hadn’t exactly been specific about anyway when you asked for it. But that doesn’t mean it’s not right for you anyway. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">So I can say that at the moment, life is good. As much as I get frustrated at its inconveniences, I have to focus on the fact that my life is currently going in a positive direction. I just need to stay focused and work on my attention span. Because I still get easily distracted, especially when</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br />
</span>Jonathon Marxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13969241233571397246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448186378259168259.post-17467936310131787442011-03-08T14:10:00.000+00:002011-03-08T14:10:51.021+00:00Looking for a job is soul-crushing.<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">When people ask me what I'm doing nowadays, my current standard response is something along the lines of me attempting to balance my acting career with my day job. This is in a sense true – I mean, I'm not lying to myself – but for a while the problem with that statement is that I didn't really have either one of those things: an acting career or a day job. The waitering thing didn’t work out (ask me later) and for a while I had nothing on the cards acting-wise. This is unbelievably stressful and really panicked me for a long time. Thankfully I have been cast in a promising show and can spend my creative energy that way, and ideally looking for a job can take a back seat while I focus on acting for the next couple of weeks.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Except I can’t. Or at least I won’t be able to until I am actually balancing the two. The process of finding a new job is in and of itself a stressful task, never mind the fact that I would prefer to find something that is flexible with my acting aspirations. I spend enough time sending out applications for casting and then more effort going to auditions and doing other things to promote myself. This is the same as a day job, but instead of castings and auditions, it’s cover letters and interviews. I have twice as much work to do. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">I guess in every industry, it’s easier to get work through contacts and networking than sending out your CV/résumé to interesting-looking people and then chasing it up with an email/call. I would just be happier if I could skip all that audition malarkey it would be amazing. Unfortunately, there isn’t really a better way for employers to find who’s out there. I suppose it’s the same with the rest of the world, but it’s seriously getting me down. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">It doesn’t help that whenever I get frustrated, it’s my nature to find the closest distraction. (That reminds me … okay back now.) That’s why I’m writing in this blog … which means that I seem to write in here only when I’m frustrated with something. I should really use it more often, since one of my original goals is to try to get back into writing more. Well, I would feel more comfortable with setting aside time to write if I knew I wasn’t obliged to use said time to find a job! Ah, it’s a vicious cycle. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">What prompted me to write in here was another instance where I have booked myself solid with rehearsals, and then suddenly I get a call from my temp agency, saying they may have a position available, starting very soon, for about a week, i.e. the exact same time I’ve already committed. Thanks a lot, world! Why does it always happen that way?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Right, I need to stop rambling and get back to work on this, and then get back to memorising my lines. My show opens in eight days, and I am getting very excited. I promise that my next entry will be one or more of the following: exciting, positive, whimsical, funny, insightful, light-hearted, disarming, intelligent, informative. All things that could describe me, basically. (hahaha)<o:p></o:p></span></div>Jonathon Marxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13969241233571397246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448186378259168259.post-85094060551550187422011-02-09T16:21:00.001+00:002011-02-09T16:32:13.320+00:00Not out of the woods yetIt always seems that my busy-ness comes in waves. I can have nothing on my plate for weeks at a time when all I do is worry about how I'm going to afford to pay my bills next month, and then suddenly have five things going on at once, and feel stressed about pulling myself in many directions simultaneously. This would be normal for most people, but, with my inability to properly manage my time, I instead go through phases of freak out: when I'm stuck at home, I panic because I'm not working, and when I'm so busy working I panic because I feel I'm not getting enough stuff done at home. ("Work" here applies to both acting jobs and the day job.)<br />
<br />
Currently I am very busy. I don't usually undertake student films anymore, but I agreed to one recently because it's only one day of filming, and it sounds like it would look good on a showreel. Some actors forget that when you do a student film, it is being produced by students, and I completely understand how quickly that can become frustrating. But you have to remember that they are learning too, and will have different levels of experience as well as professionalism. It is probably for course work, so you can't always expect Martin Scorsese. It is, however, good material for showreels, which is what I'm trying to put together at the moment. Not to mention I need some material in some accent other than an Irish one. <br />
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The most obvious thing about student films is that they're unpaid. Well, the nice ones will give you expenses. Every job should "pay" you in some way, whether it be via sandwiches, a pint, or monetarily (the cash credit copy rule). Wait, I'm rambling now. What was my point?<br />
<br />
Oh right. So basically, I had to get a "real" job. I'm already with a temp agency and temping is easy and convenient, but it's inconsistent and so it's not always enough. I had to swallow my pride and admit that my monthly expenditures do not decrease just because my incomings do. It is very hard not to think like I'm giving up or failing, but I have to remember that I've only been seriously pursuing acting in London for less than a year, and some would say (and have said) I have accomplished a lot in that time. I always feel like I should be doing more, though, and of course I would love it if I'm always busy doing acting work. But I also need to remember that a burgeoning actor still needs to survive. I've decided I'm okay with getting a permanent job, as it allows me to be picky in the acting work I apply for (at least that's the way I'm choosing to look at it). And at the risk of becoming a cliche, I've actually become a waiter again. I start this Friday. It's good news and very welcome, but I'm not in a complete financial safety zone yet. Let's hope I can start climbing out of debt soon. <br />
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Meanwhile, I'm filming that student film today. It's set in a church, and the visuals will hopefully look pretty cool. All the students here share roles: today one is AD, tomorrow he will be DoP on someone else's film. Today she is cameraman (camerawoman?) and tomorrow she is director. <br />
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Yesterday I was busy doing a little bit of every facet of my working life: induction for my new waitering job, temping for half a day, costume fitting for this film, rehearsal for the next film, and all within less than 12 hours. Last week I was bored out of my mind at points, with nothing to do. Even though I hate routines, maybe complete aimlessness isn't the best way either. From now on I'll try to find a happy medium. Jonathon Marxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13969241233571397246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448186378259168259.post-14010094791947042402011-01-05T06:49:00.000+00:002011-01-05T06:49:56.750+00:00Things that keep me up at nightIt's 5am here now, and I can't manage to fall back asleep and I don't know why. What to do, what to do? I know, I'll post something in my new blog. That's logical, right?<br />
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The past couple of days I've actually gotten quite a few random sparks of ingenuity (rare I know) and inspiration concerning interesting things to write about. I've forgotten them all now. Sorry. I'll try to be more focused in the future (though to be honest I wouldn't suggest placing your bets - focus is not one of my strong suits). (Side note: I've written this in bed and on my iPhone, and I have a love/hate relationship with Apple's predictive text software, and upon proofreading this blog I found the previous sentence had said, "focus is not one of my string suits." I wish I had a string suit.)<br />
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So, I'm still a novice at this blogging thing, so bear with me, but I think I'll just say what's on my mind. Welcome to the twisted world of Jon Marx's brain. Enter at your own risk, and please leave your shoes at the door. I'll try to keep it lighthearted but please keep in mind I will be brutally honest if I feel the need. I won't hold back or sugar-coat anything. You are forewarned. I will always be tactful and clean however (and grammatically correct), though I'll try not to self-edit as I go, which is a bad habit I think all aspiring writers share.<br />
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So let's see ... what to write about ... what's on my mind ... acting acting acting. Ok wait. I've lied to you. I do in fact know why I can't fall back asleep. It's money. Money is tight at the moment, and I'm not one who lets worry creep into my subconscious much, if ever, but I'm sitting here now, at twenty past five in the morning, actually thinking I might not be able to pay my student loans this month. It's an awful feeling. Since I've quit my job and focused on acting (see above note on focusing) here is my history with money. I've depleted my savings, which I kind of regret. I've received some payment for some work I've done, but I decided to join a temp agency to give me occasional office admin jobs to help cover bills. It still wasn't enough, so I took out an overdraft with my bank (which I'm aware is the potential start of a slippery slope, but I'm careful) which has been spent on a plane ticket back to the US so I could see family for Christmas, some Christmas presents, and normal bills. Now it's a new year, this was the first working day of the UK, and I've got nothing in my sights at the moment yet, which is actually kind of scary. <br />
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It is for this reason, and a few others, that I actually hate money. I hate that it's a necessity. I hate how everybody requires it for everything. I hate the devious methods that people and companies employ to obtain it. I hate how it makes people act. I hate that it makes me write this negative-sounding blog available for the world to see and I hate that I'm awake at night worrying about it. <br />
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I don't dream about being rich and famous. I dream about being financially secure and distinguished in my chosen industry for producing high-quality work. Who in life wouldn't want that? I'm well aware that acting is a business just like any other profession, and my dreams, the way I've just written them there, applies to ANY profession. Why should acting be so different or more difficult? Someone please tell me I'm just needlessly complaining, or that I've gotten something wrong or missed something out. Ok rant over. <br />
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I'd like to think that the fact I treat acting as a business puts me a step above of most "actors" out there who may not realise how much hard work it actually is. Still, I did ask for it. Sometimes I do consider just ditching the whole effort and finding another full-time job. Oh, how much relief that would bring! But then, I'd eventually be unhappy with myself because I'd know I couldn't really live with myself if I were growing older and older not doing what I love. So I'd break myself free and the cycle would start again. <br />
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At the moment I'm still trying to find that happy medium between these two extremes. I realise that I'm not living in a fantasy where I get noticed overnight, so I'm happy with subsidising my income with a bit of "real world" employment (for now). But I'm so ready to land something, and I'm impatient and I know I'm just slightly panicked because I don't have anything on the cards at the moment. But I'm sure it will all work out eventually. I just want to speed things along a little. My current long-term goal is to be financially secure and independent doing <i>just</i> acting. I don't want to <i>have</i> to do anything else, and I believe that this is achievable for me. <br />
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Wow, this has taken me an hour and a half to get out. What can I say, I spend my time pondering the perfect word. Now to try to get some rest. I wonder how much longer I can use jet lag as an excuse...Jonathon Marxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13969241233571397246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448186378259168259.post-31381127385607089772011-01-01T03:25:00.001+00:002011-01-01T03:48:52.933+00:00I'll stop pretending this isn't a New Year's resolution.<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">I don’t typically make New Year’s resolutions. I kind of hate them. I could go on for paragraph after paragraph about how they only set people up for failure, and how a calendar is merely a human construct, but instead I have to stop pretending that I’m not making a New Year’s resolution and admit that I have. (Also, I don’t want to start this blog by being overly negative and turn away potential readers.)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Although I wouldn’t like to admit it, I’ve made a New Year’s resolution. I’m going to start a blog and commit to it at least twice a week. I have a number of goals with it: I will document my efforts at establishing my career as a professional actor in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">London</st1:place></st1:city>. I will use it to organise my thoughts in a coherent manner, and hopefully I won’t be so scatterbrained. I also want to get back into writing, since I like doing it, and seem to find too many excuses or distractions and avoid it. I think if I start a blog then at least I’m writing something and will eventually form a daily habit. And also, to avoid being entirely selfish, hopefully I will have some fun with it, so in case anyone else decides to read it, they can laugh, cry, rage along with me. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">I’d like to avoid falling into that common amateur blogging trap that I always see when I browse random blogs, which is that entry dated 5 years ago saying, “Omg I know I haven’t written in this thing in like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ages</i>, but I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">promise</i> I will get back to posting regular updates starting, like, tomorrow!” … and nothing since. I’d like to follow that up with a sentence on how I’m going to discipline myself to two entries a week, but I don’t think I’ve really thought that bit through. I’ll get back to you. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">I am also very aware of the vast abundance of blogs out there. I sometimes wonder: what’s the point? Why is mine so special? In other words, why should you read it? (besides the fact it makes me feel special)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">First and foremost, I am an actor. I feel comfortable calling myself that because I have done it professionally. There was a long time where I felt bad calling myself an actor because I hadn’t been doing anything about it. So I ended my full-time job about 7 months ago and began to focus purely on acting. Since then, I’ve been in a number of theatre shows on <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">London</st1:place></st1:city>’s fringe, a radio show, some student films, and an upcoming episodic made for the iPhone being called “The World’s first iPhone Series.” (More on that later.) The vast majority of it has been unpaid work, which has made it very difficult. And now that it’s a new year, I feel like I’ve put in my practice. I’ve built up my CV somewhat, and now I’m ready to break out. I feel like I definitely deserve it. And I don’t imagine myself doing anything else with my life. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">So just you wait and see. Something big will happen. I’ve just turned 27 and I feel old. Right now I’m at the point in my life where <u>something has to take off</u> and I am <u>very hungry for it</u>. This is the year I will make it happen. And it’s about time.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">I suppose that’s a New Year’s resolution if I’ve ever <s>heard</s> made one. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><br />
</span></div>Jonathon Marxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13969241233571397246noreply@blogger.com0