the dot connection in new mexico

January was a great month. I have had a 10 day intensive summer film course in Melbourne where roughly 120 of us are learning what happens in the process of making a film, from writing scripts all the way through to seeing the final project on screen. It's a fantastic course and well worth doing. Not only are the lectures given by professionals in the field, they are full of heaps of spot-on content. However, the participants are really what make the course unbeatable. There are folks here from all over Australia, from China, India, Japan, Germany, Italy, France, the USA and the UK. Ages range from 14 years to 60. It's wonderful the cultural and generational richness.

After the 10 day course i've had 12 days to travel the country. I took the Indian-Pacific train cross-continent from Sydney to Perth. Even though it was a long four days (mostly sitting on my ass), it was amazing to see this vast country this way. Along the way there are stops to get out and walk around for an hour or two. After re-entering the train at each of the four stops our noses are met with stronger and stronger smells of sweaty feet and moldy towels. But, you soon get used to it again and nod off to a peaceful sleep or read for hours on end (my $7 blow up pillow was my second best purchase i've made so far). Finally, Perth does come. After spending a few days in Fremantle (a trendy and raw suburb of Perth), camping in the outback and bathing on the lush beaches of Rottnest Island, I flew to the red center.

In the center of the continent (which otherwise is amazingly flat and very hot) tower Ularu and Kata-Tjuta. That they stick up out of the ground thousands of feet above the rest of the red, flat, sparse desert floor make them spectacular. And, hot is much to short of a word to accurately describe the immensity of the scorching temperatures here in January (the middle of Summer)! A sensible person would not be here at this time. Oh yeah, did i mention the flies? They stick to you like a rash, go straight for the eyes, and wait until you are just about to press the shutter button on the camera before drilling straight up the nose or right through your ears. It's -- unbelievable -- they are the most ornery and tenacious beings I've experienced in my life. They call it the Australian wave when everyone's walking around rhythmically waving their hands across their faces in unison--to no avail. (My $6 fly net was the first best purchase). Even so, I think it is one of the most beautiful places on this earth.