I have done some pretty unusual things in my lifetime, some of those things were gutsy, many of them were stupid, occasionally they've been reckless and some of them were memorably out of my comfort zone. There are a few things that come to mind when I think of experiences that have been outside of my comfort zone.
The first of those was attending a toga party (being thrown by a family member no less) with Craig, well before we got married. I think that we always thought of ourselves as being a pretty open-minded couple, but not that open! I don't think that a strip of cheesecloth will ever constitute as a proper toga, and I never want to see that many hairy adult bums or bare women's breasts again in my life, I am still trying to get that twister game out of my mind, but I doubt I ever will. Let's just say that it was years before I agreed to attend another toga party after that night!
Another time that I can clearly recall being out of my comfort zone was at a tattoo show and competition. I have no problems with tattoos, I even have one of my own, and Craig was actually invited to attend because his tattoo had been entered into the competition by the tattooist, who clearly felt proud of their work. I just wasn't quite prepared for the amount of flesh that was going to be on display, and again, I am not a prude but you don't see people getting naked in public places very often, so that was weird and a bit confronting.
A tattoo show does tend to generate a certain type of crowd, and by that I mean a heavily tattoo-ed crowd, a rather rowdy crowd from memory and also a heavy drinking crowd. The start was all very civilised, a flash of arm or leg, the odd back job, nothing much. But as the day wore on and the people got drunker, the full body tattoo component of the competition commenced and well...yeah...too much flesh for me I'm afraid. This was the point in my life when I realised that people really got their vaginas and penises tattooed - extensively! Anyway, Craig and I left with a big trophy - yes Craig's tattoo came second, and a lot more educated about the world of the highly tatto-ed.
I have also felt out of my comfort zone hanging off the side of the second highest mountain in the Grampians in a harness, washing an elephant's bum in Thailand, having to do a mock swim rescue retrieval of a body from the bottom of a swimming pool, being in labour and riding on the back of Craig's motorbike, which I flat-out refuse to do anymore. But I do think that these adventures have created some of the best stories for me to tell, and let's be honest, you have to get out of your comfort zone from time to time to really grow don't you? Yes, I have done a lot of things that made me feel like a fish out of water, but I regret none of it....well except that toga party maybe, that I could've lived without.
The first of those was attending a toga party (being thrown by a family member no less) with Craig, well before we got married. I think that we always thought of ourselves as being a pretty open-minded couple, but not that open! I don't think that a strip of cheesecloth will ever constitute as a proper toga, and I never want to see that many hairy adult bums or bare women's breasts again in my life, I am still trying to get that twister game out of my mind, but I doubt I ever will. Let's just say that it was years before I agreed to attend another toga party after that night!
Another time that I can clearly recall being out of my comfort zone was at a tattoo show and competition. I have no problems with tattoos, I even have one of my own, and Craig was actually invited to attend because his tattoo had been entered into the competition by the tattooist, who clearly felt proud of their work. I just wasn't quite prepared for the amount of flesh that was going to be on display, and again, I am not a prude but you don't see people getting naked in public places very often, so that was weird and a bit confronting.
A tattoo show does tend to generate a certain type of crowd, and by that I mean a heavily tattoo-ed crowd, a rather rowdy crowd from memory and also a heavy drinking crowd. The start was all very civilised, a flash of arm or leg, the odd back job, nothing much. But as the day wore on and the people got drunker, the full body tattoo component of the competition commenced and well...yeah...too much flesh for me I'm afraid. This was the point in my life when I realised that people really got their vaginas and penises tattooed - extensively! Anyway, Craig and I left with a big trophy - yes Craig's tattoo came second, and a lot more educated about the world of the highly tatto-ed.
I have also felt out of my comfort zone hanging off the side of the second highest mountain in the Grampians in a harness, washing an elephant's bum in Thailand, having to do a mock swim rescue retrieval of a body from the bottom of a swimming pool, being in labour and riding on the back of Craig's motorbike, which I flat-out refuse to do anymore. But I do think that these adventures have created some of the best stories for me to tell, and let's be honest, you have to get out of your comfort zone from time to time to really grow don't you? Yes, I have done a lot of things that made me feel like a fish out of water, but I regret none of it....well except that toga party maybe, that I could've lived without.
THE STATION AGENT
Release Date: 2003
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 89 mins
A reclusive dwarf (Peter Dinklage) with a love of all things locomotive, inherits an abandoned train depot from his boss. Seeking a life of solitude, he moves into the old building but he quickly finds himself unwillingly enmeshed in the lives of his neighbours. Joe (Bobby Cannavale), a Cuban roadside snack truck vendor is looking for distraction from his father's illness and Olivia (Patricia Clarkson) is an artist trying to cope with the sudden death of her two sons; the three form a reluctant friendship and begin to fill a void in each others lives.
This is quality drama, as funny as it is sad, and deeply touching in an original and refreshing way. This film doesn't feel forced in any way, the conversations and character's behaviours are all extremely believable as they unfurl and reveal other layers of themselves. The acting is superb, Peter Dinklage is fabulous as the ironclad loner, Bobby Cannavale is amusing as the desperate and over talkative vendor and Patricia Clarkson is convincingly confident and yet utterly lost. I really adored Tom McCarthy's The Station Agent, and I highly recommend that you take the time to see it.
FINAL SAY: I'm really just a simple, boring person.
4 Chili Peppers
Release Date: 2003
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 89 mins
A reclusive dwarf (Peter Dinklage) with a love of all things locomotive, inherits an abandoned train depot from his boss. Seeking a life of solitude, he moves into the old building but he quickly finds himself unwillingly enmeshed in the lives of his neighbours. Joe (Bobby Cannavale), a Cuban roadside snack truck vendor is looking for distraction from his father's illness and Olivia (Patricia Clarkson) is an artist trying to cope with the sudden death of her two sons; the three form a reluctant friendship and begin to fill a void in each others lives.
This is quality drama, as funny as it is sad, and deeply touching in an original and refreshing way. This film doesn't feel forced in any way, the conversations and character's behaviours are all extremely believable as they unfurl and reveal other layers of themselves. The acting is superb, Peter Dinklage is fabulous as the ironclad loner, Bobby Cannavale is amusing as the desperate and over talkative vendor and Patricia Clarkson is convincingly confident and yet utterly lost. I really adored Tom McCarthy's The Station Agent, and I highly recommend that you take the time to see it.
FINAL SAY: I'm really just a simple, boring person.
4 Chili Peppers
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