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Jun. 7th, 2008 08:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sabremeisterI've had a terrible - what, week? ten days? fortnight? I forget.
I've still not acclimatised to sleeping here - the ticking clock, the noise of traffic, the nice soft pillows. I just can't get to sleep, some nights at all. I usually stay in bed, dozing, until at least noon, and even then I still feel sluggish for a couple of hours. I tried staying up through the night to reset my body clock - didn't work. I just went to bed at midnight and lay there, unable to sleep, until at least 5am. Next day I got a splintering headache, so went to bed early. Didn't get to sleep, by morning I was feeling hungry, got up, had breakfast and a painkiller, and an hour later chundered it all up. Headache didn't even go. Two days later I tried sleeping pills - no effect the first night, so the second night I paid attention to the instructions on th packet. Okay, I got to sleep before 3am, but only at the cost of getting drenched with sweat (on a fairly cold night) beforehand, and having to take my t-shirt off. Still couldn't get up before noon.
Rehearsals - are a shambles, for the most part. Even now, two weeks away from production, we're still not off-book, people are missing rehearsals, and people are sneaking on stage to reset props two minutes before they're needed. Still only three rehearsals a week, too, and the rehearsal schedule says three rehearsals in the next two weeks as well. I'm going to ask for at least one extra rehearsal in the week before production, with any luck that'll help with the big gap between the final scheduled rehearsal and the dress on the day before we open. That's never good, having the dress the day before opening. It's better to have a day's rest between dress and production, and plenty of rehearsals in the weel before, to help build up a rhythym.
We at least have costumes laid out for us now - Sally the wardrobe mistress came down twice last week and found stuff for us. And we have lights, as well. Once the set was up, I arranged to rig up with the two new girls, Jessica and Michelle, last Sunday. Jessica's not been too reliable about rehearsals, and Michelle's hoping to study theatre production at university next year. So, I went over on Sunday and did some preliminary work before they were due to arrive. Michelle turned up early (skiving from work at Morrissons), and Jessica didn't turn up at all, didn't even ring. So Michelle and I spent four hours undoing the insane wiring that had been used for the last play, and setting up a fairly simple rig, after I showed her how to generate a lighting plan. I hadn't expected it to take that long - mainly because I was unaware of the crazy wiring, and had to spend time undoing it first, effectively creating the rig from the scratch, instead of modifying an existing one. Anyway, we have lights.
That was the first time I started cycling again. I'd had lunch at 1pm, and a snack just before I left at 3.30 (rigging was due to start at 5, I caught an earlier train so I could test some new (second hand donated) lights and put up a couple of spars), but it was 9.30 when we finished. Nothing was open by then, so I was really hungry. I was also out of condition, and it took me two hours to get home, pushing the bike about half the way. I'm still a little out of condition, but at least I'm not hungry when I leave the theatre after rehearsals, so I get home in about an hour. That time should improve to nearer 40 minutes by the end of production.
Right then. June 2006. I was still webmaster for SLT - but not for long. I'd been in London for a year, and it was becoming impractical for me to run a website at 200 miles distance with no information coming my way unless I asked for it. I was going to step down at the AGM ealry next month, but it was postponed until September. I had already bought my train tickets to come back for the weekend in June, though (book early enough, you could get a return London-Keighley for about £35 - actually two singles - and so a trip to Skipton Little Theatre, even when 200 miles away, and including joining the last night party, was still cheaper than going to see a show in the West End of London). Anyway. Last night party, last play of the season. Let's see ... Yep, this should give you the relevant details. So - a couple of weeks later, I've got train tickets to Keighley for an AGM that isn't going to happen. I decide to take advantage of my recent conversation in an Italian restaurant. I call the lady in question and arrange what could probably be called a date. It goes reasonably well, I think. Meet outside pub that turns out to be crowded, go to quieter, known pub (the local for the theatre), have a couple of drinks, go for a walk on the canal bank, rather nice really. Go home feeling happy, call her in the morning from Leeds station (if the damn phone can get a signal).
Anyway, that was two years ago, and long-distance relationships are not something I'm particularly good at in the first place (any relationships really, long-distance just makes it worse). Saw her occasionally when I went up for plays, and things seemed a little - cold, strained, maybe. Invited her to join me to see in New Year with Jools Holland a few months back, but she already had plans. Anyway, moved back to Yorkshire the day after the last play ended, just in time to audition for this one. Seeing as how I was now a lot nearer, I thought it might be a good idea to try and renew our acquaintance, at the very least. She was at the audition, but only to say she wasn't auditioning, as she had got a job with the Royal Horticultural Society in Surrey, and it started in three weeks. (I do seem to have a chronic case of bad timing, don't I?) I hid. Just over a week ago, she came to the theatre to watch the rehearsal, and say goodbye - she was moving on Monday. She mentioned that she didn't exactly have anywhere to stay, and I offered to give her my landlady's number in Hayes. She declined, but promised to bear my help in mind if it came to it (I can recognise a polite refusal, not subtle ones). She also mentioned that she was coming to the last night of the play.
So, on the 28th of June, I'm going to meet someone whom I went on a date with, have hardly had any contact with since, and said contact was not of the best quality, but would have preferred to got to have known her better and closer, has now moved to within the vicinity of where I was in pursuit of my chosen career, in pursuit of her own chosen career, and I will probably hide rather than approach her to try and arrive at a more amicable relationship. I'm ... I was going to use the word "screwed" but that's probably the least likely result of the evening's interactions, but you get the idea. If I can get over my perpetual initial nervousness around women, and especially with the aid of advantageous seating at the last-night party, I might be able to repair some of the damage. Or I can make things much worse, knowing my luck. But knowing (or even just having any idea of) what to say, and how to say it, and when to say it, is going to be the real problem, rather than talking to her in the first place.
I've still not acclimatised to sleeping here - the ticking clock, the noise of traffic, the nice soft pillows. I just can't get to sleep, some nights at all. I usually stay in bed, dozing, until at least noon, and even then I still feel sluggish for a couple of hours. I tried staying up through the night to reset my body clock - didn't work. I just went to bed at midnight and lay there, unable to sleep, until at least 5am. Next day I got a splintering headache, so went to bed early. Didn't get to sleep, by morning I was feeling hungry, got up, had breakfast and a painkiller, and an hour later chundered it all up. Headache didn't even go. Two days later I tried sleeping pills - no effect the first night, so the second night I paid attention to the instructions on th packet. Okay, I got to sleep before 3am, but only at the cost of getting drenched with sweat (on a fairly cold night) beforehand, and having to take my t-shirt off. Still couldn't get up before noon.
Rehearsals - are a shambles, for the most part. Even now, two weeks away from production, we're still not off-book, people are missing rehearsals, and people are sneaking on stage to reset props two minutes before they're needed. Still only three rehearsals a week, too, and the rehearsal schedule says three rehearsals in the next two weeks as well. I'm going to ask for at least one extra rehearsal in the week before production, with any luck that'll help with the big gap between the final scheduled rehearsal and the dress on the day before we open. That's never good, having the dress the day before opening. It's better to have a day's rest between dress and production, and plenty of rehearsals in the weel before, to help build up a rhythym.
We at least have costumes laid out for us now - Sally the wardrobe mistress came down twice last week and found stuff for us. And we have lights, as well. Once the set was up, I arranged to rig up with the two new girls, Jessica and Michelle, last Sunday. Jessica's not been too reliable about rehearsals, and Michelle's hoping to study theatre production at university next year. So, I went over on Sunday and did some preliminary work before they were due to arrive. Michelle turned up early (skiving from work at Morrissons), and Jessica didn't turn up at all, didn't even ring. So Michelle and I spent four hours undoing the insane wiring that had been used for the last play, and setting up a fairly simple rig, after I showed her how to generate a lighting plan. I hadn't expected it to take that long - mainly because I was unaware of the crazy wiring, and had to spend time undoing it first, effectively creating the rig from the scratch, instead of modifying an existing one. Anyway, we have lights.
That was the first time I started cycling again. I'd had lunch at 1pm, and a snack just before I left at 3.30 (rigging was due to start at 5, I caught an earlier train so I could test some new (second hand donated) lights and put up a couple of spars), but it was 9.30 when we finished. Nothing was open by then, so I was really hungry. I was also out of condition, and it took me two hours to get home, pushing the bike about half the way. I'm still a little out of condition, but at least I'm not hungry when I leave the theatre after rehearsals, so I get home in about an hour. That time should improve to nearer 40 minutes by the end of production.
Right then. June 2006. I was still webmaster for SLT - but not for long. I'd been in London for a year, and it was becoming impractical for me to run a website at 200 miles distance with no information coming my way unless I asked for it. I was going to step down at the AGM ealry next month, but it was postponed until September. I had already bought my train tickets to come back for the weekend in June, though (book early enough, you could get a return London-Keighley for about £35 - actually two singles - and so a trip to Skipton Little Theatre, even when 200 miles away, and including joining the last night party, was still cheaper than going to see a show in the West End of London). Anyway. Last night party, last play of the season. Let's see ... Yep, this should give you the relevant details. So - a couple of weeks later, I've got train tickets to Keighley for an AGM that isn't going to happen. I decide to take advantage of my recent conversation in an Italian restaurant. I call the lady in question and arrange what could probably be called a date. It goes reasonably well, I think. Meet outside pub that turns out to be crowded, go to quieter, known pub (the local for the theatre), have a couple of drinks, go for a walk on the canal bank, rather nice really. Go home feeling happy, call her in the morning from Leeds station (if the damn phone can get a signal).
Anyway, that was two years ago, and long-distance relationships are not something I'm particularly good at in the first place (any relationships really, long-distance just makes it worse). Saw her occasionally when I went up for plays, and things seemed a little - cold, strained, maybe. Invited her to join me to see in New Year with Jools Holland a few months back, but she already had plans. Anyway, moved back to Yorkshire the day after the last play ended, just in time to audition for this one. Seeing as how I was now a lot nearer, I thought it might be a good idea to try and renew our acquaintance, at the very least. She was at the audition, but only to say she wasn't auditioning, as she had got a job with the Royal Horticultural Society in Surrey, and it started in three weeks. (I do seem to have a chronic case of bad timing, don't I?) I hid. Just over a week ago, she came to the theatre to watch the rehearsal, and say goodbye - she was moving on Monday. She mentioned that she didn't exactly have anywhere to stay, and I offered to give her my landlady's number in Hayes. She declined, but promised to bear my help in mind if it came to it (I can recognise a polite refusal, not subtle ones). She also mentioned that she was coming to the last night of the play.
So, on the 28th of June, I'm going to meet someone whom I went on a date with, have hardly had any contact with since, and said contact was not of the best quality, but would have preferred to got to have known her better and closer, has now moved to within the vicinity of where I was in pursuit of my chosen career, in pursuit of her own chosen career, and I will probably hide rather than approach her to try and arrive at a more amicable relationship. I'm ... I was going to use the word "screwed" but that's probably the least likely result of the evening's interactions, but you get the idea. If I can get over my perpetual initial nervousness around women, and especially with the aid of advantageous seating at the last-night party, I might be able to repair some of the damage. Or I can make things much worse, knowing my luck. But knowing (or even just having any idea of) what to say, and how to say it, and when to say it, is going to be the real problem, rather than talking to her in the first place.
