Day Zero Project: 30 Down

I was ticking off some items on my Day Zero list, making change with myself in my "dollar for charity for every item completed" box, and noticed that I'm almost 1/3 of the way through the allotted 1001 days. The good news is that I have completed 30 out of the 101 items, so that means that I am also almost 1/3 of the way through the list.

Right on track, so how about a quick update on what I've completed since my last update in May.

Literary Ambitions  

Read a biography of Joe Papp


If you don't work in the theatre, you may not know who Joe Papp was, but you probably know about Shakespeare in the Park. Or, I'll bet you've heard the names of many of the actors whose careers he launched, like James Earl Jones, Charles Durning, Colleen Dewhurst, and, oh yeah, Meryl Streep. Also, you've certainly heard of Hair and A Chorus Line, which he shepherded into existence. Papp was the founder of the Public Theatre, and really the founder of the American new play movement, as we know it today. When I studied Dramaturgy in New York, everyone from a previous generation spoke of Joe Papp as if he were a man from mythology, so I've had it in my mind that, while he was never someone who necessarily came up in my Theatre History text, I needed to pay my respects by learning about him. The book I read, by Kenneth Turran, was quite a large volume of oral history, comprised of interviews with most of the major players. It was an amazing story of an extraordinary and complicated man, to whom everyone in new plays in America owes a great debt to.

Travel Goals

Go to Fiji or Bali

Perhaps we'll still go to Bali, but I think when I made this goal, I was just thinking exotic island locales. We got that in spades on our cruise, including our three stops in Fiji. Bula!

See whales migrating 

This trip deserves its own post, which I'll deliver soon. We took a whale watching cruise in Jervis Bay, and had such an incredible time, including the moment when, just as the boat was about to head home, three wales came to the surface literally a foot or two from the ship. Priceless.

Things to Buy

Buy 3 board games

We love board games, but none of our games made the move with us to Australia. So, we had to restock. One thing we learned in the process ... you're not allowed buy Scrabble in the U.S. and have it shipped to Australia due to copyright restrictions. So, we bought Scrabble here. Cranium and Balderdash, however, no problem on the international market, apparently. 

Personal Relationships Goals

 Host a game night in Australia

We play board games with our friends pretty frequently, but once we were the proud owner of new games, my objective was to be the host of game night, for a change. So, we gathered our two favorite couples together at our place for dinner and a rousing, hysterical round of Cranium. 

Sydney To-Do

Go to the Powerhouse Museum

Out of all the museums I went to when I was here on my tourist visa, I never made it to the Powerhouse, which is dedicated to technology and science. I had a few hours to kill in town one day, so I treated myself to lunch in nearby Chinatown, and then an afternoon in the museum. I'll suggest that it was worth the $10 admission. My favorite was the design awards (amazing how innovative design is used in everything from surf boards to heart monitors), the section on Australian innovations (spork, anyone?), and the interactive section, which included an "invent your own firework" module. I think the Powerhouse would be particularly groovy for kids, but my grown up self did have a good time, as well. I thought I probably wouldn't go back, but I heard that they have a Harry Potter exhibit coming up, so I may be lured back in like a good Muggle.

Misc.

Eat lobster

When I put "eat lobster" on the list, I was imaging Partner-in-Crime and I all dressed up at a fancy restaurant, having a real splurge. I never would have guessed that my first lobster experience would be standing in my bathing suit using a mallet to pound open lobsters that Ni-Vanuatu had just pulled from the ocean. And, frankly, I would not trade that experience for the nicest restaurant in Australia. 




So, with 30 goals done, I still have 71 to go. No resting on my laurels - so much more to do!