On Moonlight Bay

Yesterday was an entire year and three months since I came to Australia. AN ENTIRE YEAR AND THREE MONTHS!

What do I have to say about my day today 15 months since I left on a plane from -22 degree weather. I did absolutely nothing. NOTHING! I was a bit off with the fairies yesterday. I think I still am.

Lately when I am not vandalising Wikipedia, my new obsession or writing my novel, I often procrastinate, which isn’t a good thing because I have three assignments due in two weeks and they are all worth 50 per cent of my entire mark.

Yesterday rather than work on university work, I watched a musical on television called On Moonlight Bay staring Doris Day and Gordon MacGrae, which was made in 1951. The movie centres on Marjorie "Marjie" Winfield a young girl, in 1917 America. She is tough, strong and independent. She plays baseball and did anything she felt like, but of course that all changes once she meets Bill.

It begins with Marjie and her family moving to a new neighbourhood. When we first see Marjie she is gruff and masculine, which clearly upsets her father because girls shouldn’t be strong, tough, independent and play baseball. It becomes apparent even in the first scenes that her father wants her to marry a good high calibre guy as well as become more feminine

Her road to proper femaleness begins one day when her brother Wesley and his new friend decide to play with a gun, said to be from Jessie James. Marjie was playing baseball with some guys at the time, who obviously at first were reluctant to let her play because of her apparent femininity. However, while playing sees her brother in danger and leaves a base ball. She attempts to stop her brother Wesley and his friend saying you shouldn’t play with guns because they are dangerous. During the struggle Wesley shot down the barn door with the gun, which toppled on William “Bill” Sherman. Bill and am assuming represented the time period took it upon himself to discipline the two boys and Marjie, by taking her over his knee and spanking her, clearly mistaking her for a boy because of her as of yet femininity.

In the next scene Marjie is wearing a very pink party dress and Bill. The mother was wise and kind. She was helping Marjie get ready for her big date. It’s apparent she doesn’t conform to the expected norms of conduct because she opens the door for herself and she walks on the outside of the street. Her mother enforces this by saying “I keep telling her a gentleman always walks on the outside.” Their date revolves around a moonlight boat ride talking about the state of the world. Marjie social awkwardness towards men becomes relevant. When they dance as she keeps stomping on Bills feet.

During the movie Bill a college student at Indiana appears to be a free thinker, which is completely acceptable for him as a man. He announces his belief he doesn’t believe in marriage because it’s slavery for a woman and prison for the man. Saying if a man and a woman love each other they shouldn’t have to rely on social institutions to be committed to each other. It’s interesting to note that this ideal is constantly rejected by the other characters, including Marjie, who does want to marry Bill.

We soon see Marjie rejects her tomboy ways during a kiss when she hides her base ball cap and ball. She falls in love much to her conservative father’s distain, as Bill is not studying to be a lawyer or a doctor, but in English literature, her father rejects the idea that he could be a good husband, because a good thoughtful husband has to be able to support his wife. It becomes even worse when Marjie’s father finds out about Bill’s beliefs about marriage. It is because of this Marjie’s banker conservative strict father keeps pushing on his daughter a good stable, well thought of man named Hubert.

Marjie being so dutifully in love takes dancing lessons so the next time her and Bill meet she can dance wonderfully. Unfortunately a snowballing type fight/accident renders her unable to do so because she sprains her oh so feminine ankle. Unfortunately it is found out that Bill is about to be shipped off to war. However, this still leads to the happy ending where Bill and Marjie finally decide to become married ad her father finally agreeing because he is reminded that he was a young man once too by Marjie’s bratty brother.

I know that university is changing my perception because I could see all the cultural analysis type stuff coming in when I was watching it. Specifically the innocence of the time this movie was being made and emphasis on gender roles. The emphasis of marriage and meeting the right guy is also relevant to day. I could go one about the movie, but I think I’ve said enough. This just proves I think too much. To be honest, I find that I often culturally analyse movies. I actually find it to be rather enjoyable. This annoyed Kate one day after watching Because I Said So, with her and Joan. She said analysing a movie takes the joy out it; movies shouldn’t make you think because it takes away the escapism element. I agree to an extent, but I do like to think about what I watch it makes it more meaningful to me. So I wonder am I meant to be a thinker and writer or a career, work till I die type person.

This goes out to Chris: Sorry I haven’t bee around lately. As you guess I did drop off the face of the earth, Philis made a dent and fell through it a deep dark hole.

Anyways, I know exactly what you’re mean in terms of financial difficulties that is, but I know I am not exactly being proactive about the job situation. Today I had the opportunity to apply Sizzlers, but I was too lazy to ride my bike over there. I should apply online or the next time to apply would be on Tuesday, because that’s what the job add specified.

I’ve also been having some really strange garbled type dreams lately too. Last night or was it the night before I dreamt I made kissy with Officer Octogenarian, not the character the guy I like. It was strange because I was watching my self kiss him and thinking wow it’s really strange to have kissed some one. Then I watch Multimedia Guy II flirt with a rather grotesque girl and thinking who cares I just made kissy with the other guy.

I am also having a lot of end of the world dreams again. I think it’s because I am almost finished here in Rockhampton. It feels like the end. Of course when I start something new I’ll have survivor end of the world dreams about rebuilding as well as alien dreams. Do your dreams about being in Rockhampton represent your connection to home? The first few months I was in Australia I kept dreaming I was back in Canada. I think now it was because I was finally independent on my own and I wasn’t quite ready to let go of home yet. What do you reckon?

Now some very good news!

CHAPTER 50 of Song of the Superheroes is complete! Also because I completely forgot my oh so compulsory entry for Chapter 49…here is the link for it here :P This entire story would be finished five chapters ago if the bloody characters would stop arguing and just get on with it. You’ll see what I mean. I am now formulating Chapter 51 and it should be done next week I hope. Hopefully I didn’t waste my time writing 110 thousand words of nothingness!

P.S. I am a telephone space cadet!