Jane Austen Improv and Praise for Erica
Apr. 6th, 2025 07:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tcpipThere is much I could write about events over the past week. For example, the fact that the Gamers for Isla fundraiser has reached $10K, double my original objective. Or maybe a political post on the announcement and trajectory of the Australian election. Or perhaps even something on the progression of my studies, whether formal (climatology doctorate) or informal (music and poetry). Maybe even a work-related post with some adventures in installing obscure software on a supercomputer. How about a story for World Rat Day and the antics of my animal companions? All these will have to wait, as instead, I'll sing the praises of one Erica H., who celebrated her birthday this week.
Ever preferring a low-key event on such a day, unbeknownst to her I had plotted a slightly larger gathering. I had offered to take her out to the Royal Standard Hotel, a favoured dining establishment of mine from some twenty-five years ago, and then to a quasi-comedy theatre, "Jane Austen Improvised" which contains the words "Jane Austen" and "Improvised", both of which give me some concern. With a bit of plotting in the background I assembled a small group of friends to be already present at the Royal Standard when we arrived, and even more at the theatre itself. I think we made up a third of the audience at least. Erica was absolutely delighted with this surprise (she normally hates surprises), and I have no doubt that was helped by the light-hearted comedy of the performance, which remained thematically appropriate and, unlike many improv shows, managed to create a narrative with a satisfying conclusion. Mention must be made of Angela's wonderful dress-up, which stood out, even if a few of us (including myself) made half an effort in the frocking.
Those who know us, know that Erica and I have a lot of history. We've known each other for close to 35 years and were partners for around 17 and have remained good friends since then. We've shared houses and bought two homes together, travelled throughout her beloved Europe four times, Indonesia once, and goodness knows how many trips to New Zealand. We have shared and cared for a menagerie of cats, guinea pigs, and especially rats. We shared the same normative and political sense, with red blood and our hearts on the left, and very similar aesthetics formed by our gothic and punk youth. Erica is a person who speaks her mind and establishes her opinion; she is certainly one of my closest friends, my fairest critic, and one whom I trust completely. She is a person whom I have a Platonic love, and a curse on American popular psychology that has infected the minds of the many by establishing a binary opposition between Platonic and Romantic love (clearly, they have not read Plato's "Symposium"). Happy birthday, Erica, and thank you for being in my life for so many years.
Ever preferring a low-key event on such a day, unbeknownst to her I had plotted a slightly larger gathering. I had offered to take her out to the Royal Standard Hotel, a favoured dining establishment of mine from some twenty-five years ago, and then to a quasi-comedy theatre, "Jane Austen Improvised" which contains the words "Jane Austen" and "Improvised", both of which give me some concern. With a bit of plotting in the background I assembled a small group of friends to be already present at the Royal Standard when we arrived, and even more at the theatre itself. I think we made up a third of the audience at least. Erica was absolutely delighted with this surprise (she normally hates surprises), and I have no doubt that was helped by the light-hearted comedy of the performance, which remained thematically appropriate and, unlike many improv shows, managed to create a narrative with a satisfying conclusion. Mention must be made of Angela's wonderful dress-up, which stood out, even if a few of us (including myself) made half an effort in the frocking.
Those who know us, know that Erica and I have a lot of history. We've known each other for close to 35 years and were partners for around 17 and have remained good friends since then. We've shared houses and bought two homes together, travelled throughout her beloved Europe four times, Indonesia once, and goodness knows how many trips to New Zealand. We have shared and cared for a menagerie of cats, guinea pigs, and especially rats. We shared the same normative and political sense, with red blood and our hearts on the left, and very similar aesthetics formed by our gothic and punk youth. Erica is a person who speaks her mind and establishes her opinion; she is certainly one of my closest friends, my fairest critic, and one whom I trust completely. She is a person whom I have a Platonic love, and a curse on American popular psychology that has infected the minds of the many by establishing a binary opposition between Platonic and Romantic love (clearly, they have not read Plato's "Symposium"). Happy birthday, Erica, and thank you for being in my life for so many years.