Reporting From Home - Part 1

I arrived home yesterday morning after a long bus journey and then my ferry was delayed. Slept a bit, shouted a bit, went to church and did some shopping today. Now I'm absolutely knackered. I haven't done that much but maybe it's the events of the past few weeks/months catching up on me.

Will keep this brief as family members could sneak up behind me and read this. I'd prefer them not to know. I'm here, I made it, I had my curry chips and that made me happy. Will report back soon when I have the energy and the house is quieter.

Homeward Bound

I have just decided in the past 20 mins to travel back home for the holidays tomorrow, rather than leave it to Saturday or Sunday night. I think the main reason is that right now I feel absolutely knackered and I just want to get on that bus with my iPods and spend the next 12 hours snoozing and listening to music on my way to the ferry depot. It also means that hopefully Saturday (night) should be quite chilled at home as most of the family will be out socialising so I can relax a little bit and watch the Strictly Come Dancing Final. Plus arriving on Saturday morning instead of Sunday/Monday morning makes it less of a flying visit (as I'll be coming back to London on Friday night) so less chance for my mother to make me feel guilty about not visiting enough.

However, I feel so depressed at the thought of returning back to the chaos and disorder that we've built our family and home upon. God give me strength.

The Aftermath

It had been my plan to update the blog much sooner but I was ill for over a week straight after finishing my play. I wasn't sleeping well, having trouble breathing and the thought of eating food made me feel sick. So I've managed to lose another 6lbs in the process of not eating yet still having to zip around London, working, shopping, socialising etc. so now my appitite is returning, I will need to get back into the gym.

Where it not for the 2 hours of sleep I had the Sunday before last, then I woud have wrote about finishing our run of plays and the aftershow party. A party that involved a group of us staying in the theatre until 5:30am, drinking, dancing and singing "All That Jazz". The original plan was to wait until morning time when the trains ran again to get home without taking the night bus but at 5:30 me & two others, finding it impossible to sleep on the sofas while Barry White and Motown were being blasted out, fell into a taxi and paid for the privledge of getting home. Truly a surreal and fun night and it was all tucked away in a wee corner of Central London, hidden from view.

On Friday night we were back at the theatre for it's annual Christmas party. I loved it last year and I loved it this year. I also tried Apple & Mango J2O for the first time and found it delish. I failed miserabley on the party games, but had fun with my play mates and us singing around a piano. Most of us left around 12am this time to get home. I was too tired form a week of averaging 4 hours sleep each night to push myself to party through the night this time.

Now my play is finished (rehearsals have already begun for the next one!), the parties are over (until Friday night) and work is winding down, it's shocking to think that next week will be Christmas Day. I still have presents to buy and need to sort out my tickets home for the holidays. Despite having to return to my MADHOUSE where my family live, I'm looking forward to going home and sleeping. I think I'm delibertly holding back from a really good lie-in so I can take it at my parents house and hopefully avoid the chaos happening below me.

I have more to say but I've off out ice-skating with some of the cast in 10 mins. Half of us don't have tickets for the rink but we're hoping that other people may have pulled out at the last minute freeing up some tickets. If not, we plan to get drunk (for me, on Coca-Cola) around the rink and gossip.

Back later.

A Round-Up Of Events

It's late at night (12:28am). Sister is in the next room sleeping. Her brief visit ends tomorrow. My flat is in a better and tidier state and I'm going to keep it that way.

I have performed my play 3 times now. Nothing big has gone wrong so far. Tomorrow night is the last show and then we have the aftershow party.

I saw the encore of the Take That concert tonight after a nightmare with our ticket. Got a wave from the band, at the very end of the concert, behind the stage as they were leaving.

I gave blood on Thursday and after the actual donation I bleed all over the waiting room floor and my lovely teal material shoes, as my punture wound didn't heal up properly. It eventually healed up after applying a wad of paper towels and alot of pressure to it. Don't be discouraged from donating yourself, it wasn't serious and doesn't happen a lot.

I have lost 1/2 a stone.

I am happy AND sad.

My director wants me to belive that my performance is better than I think it is. This gives me a little bit of hope for myself. I'm going to miss the people I've worked with in this show when it ends.

Me On Stage!

I meant to post photos of me in my last play sooner but have only got around to it now:

And the following is a nice candid, colour photo of me offstage but in costume and make up:

This time next week I will be halfway through my next play and hopefully not having a nervous breakdown. My sister will be visiting me at the same time, not to see me in my play but to go see Take That in concert. She will attend the Friday night show but will leave at the interval to get to the venue on time. I'll join as soon as the second act of my play ends. Somehow, over this weekend I've got to clean and tidy my flat for her stay. What makes it difficult is that I still have loads of bags & boxes sittign around from the move and my bedroom looks like a storeroom, so I have a lot of sorting out to do too. I also need to fix my sofabed, it's not broke, just not assembled properly and sis has to sleep on it (or in the bed in the"storeroom").

I've also got to spend this weekend attending rehearsals on Saturday and Sunday, meeting up with a friend who I haven't seen in a year, finding a salon to get my hair dyed professionally, shopping in Primark for simple back shoes to wear with my costume on stage and a yoga class or two before my membership ends. I might just not sleep this weekend so I can fit this all in.

At the moment, the Christmas break is looking very appealling. Sure, it means having to share a house with my loud and unpredicatable siblings and father, and my on-the-edge, stressed out mother but hopefully I'll get the change to sleep, read, meet up with friends and sleep a lot more.

The Christmas Listy Blog

My mother's doing her annual Christmas Shopping Trip Away this wekend and has asked for my Christmas present list so she can get all her children's presents in one day. I always find it hard doing this because as I don't live at home I find myself wishing the gas/electicity bill was paid for me or I had a month off paying my credit card repayments/countil tax. Nice practical things that can't really be wrapped up and put under the Christmas tree.

I do need some running trainers, sport bras, winter coat etc. but those things I need to be there in person when she buys them so I can make sure they fit properly. Also, Christmas present or not, I NEED these things so is there any point in putting it down on a big list of present ideas for my mum to pick and choose from (to still keep an element of surprise) and her possibly NOT picking them at all? I can also rule out anything very expensive like a laptop or digital camera because we just don't have the fund for that and gone are the days when Santa would bring us bikes or games consoles.

Also, as I have to fly/bus it back to London, I can't have anything too big and heavy as it will be a pain in the ass to transport.

So that only leaves the usual books, cds and toiletries. I'm having a look through my Amazon wishlist to fnd some items that I didn't rush out to buy the second thei were officially released, and that I wouldn't mind unwrapping on Christmas. I've got one book and 2 cds. just need to think of a couple more things so my mum can have more of a choice and I end up semi-surprised.
Anyone, any suggestions of what I need in my life are welcome.

(PS: Yes, this is a very spoilt entry and I know many go without in this unfair world so I should be grateful for an apple and and orange in my Xmas stocking... but this is my blog and... so there!)

The Listy Blog

I've been in low spirits recently and have been finding it hard to write anything of worth, both on and offline. I have decided to fill some time and space by stealing a list blog from BlueMaskLover and complete some random Top Ten lists. If you're scratching your head at the Top Ten subjects chosen then blame her.

Things people do that are guaranteed to really, really fuck me off:

1. Play music out loud through their rubbish mobile phones in a public place
2. Then complain/hurl some abuse back/have an "attitude" when asked to turn it down/off
3. Bringing cuntish, cocky, rude children into the world who then verbally abuse, sneer at me and proposition me sexually when they're only 9 years old
4. Stupid men who call us sluts because we won't stop to talk to strange men (them) when it's midnight and they're hanging around street corners. Grow a brain and think about what you just said you morons!
5. People who can't/won't use grammar properly because "it's the internet, no one bothers with it on the internet". And messageboards that censor "shit" and change it to "ish" instead. WTF?
6. Mess up the transport system taking away precious minutes of my life.
7. Relocate their helpdesks to India making it IMPOSSIBLE to understand what I'm being told and my problem still nowhere near solved after spending all afternoon on the phone to them
8. Push their way onto the tube when I'm still trying to get off it.
9. Walk slow in front of me.
10. Claim to be "protecting" Michael Jackson from all his fans when they're the ones he needs protecting from.

Foods I want to be buried in:

1. Chicken Katsu curry
2. Thai Red Penang curry
3. Curry Chips
4. Pizza
5. Galaxy chocolate
6. Kinder eggs
7. Cream of Corn soup
8. Nachos
9. Sushi
10. Coca Cola

Ideal jobs:

1. Singer/Songwriter, recording and touring artist
2. Actor
3. Writer
4. Musican
5. Yoga/Dance/Singing Teacher
6. English (as a Foreign Language) teacher
7. Blood Donation Centre person
8. Personal Trainer
9. Life Coach
10. Events Organiser

Songs that are guaranteed to make me cry like a bitch:

1. 1000 Oceans - Tori Amos
2. Playboy Mommy - Tori Amos
3. Cooling - Tori Amos
4. Will You Be There - Michael Jackson
5. Wherever U Go, Whatever U Do - Prince

Celebrities who deserve to die:

1. Akon
2. 50 Cent
3. Maria Friedman
4. Paul McCartney
5. Kerry Katona
6. Jodie Marsh
7. Lorraine Kelly
8. Kelly Holmes
9. Lulu
10. McFly
11. Westlife
12. Paris Hilton
13. Colin & Edith

Things to do before I die:

1. Run a marathon
2. Write & record an album and tour with it
3. Write a musical
4. Become fluent in Portuguese and Spanish
5. Skydive
6. Do the Inca Trail
7. Do the Jungle Marathon/Marathon de Sables
8. See many many countries
9. Swim the the Carribean sea, drive across Panama and swim in the Pacific Ocean, in the same day
10. Make somone happy

I left out Children's cartoons from the 1980s which need reinstated NOW as I agreed with pretty much all that was said. I also have "Thing To Do Before I Die" list stored as a draft on here which I will publish when I've added a few more things to it. For this particular entry I just picked out 10 random/interesting sounding things from the list. I put "Run a marathon" at the top as this one I know I can strike off the list in 4 months and 22 days.

Inspiration.

Just back from seeing a rehearsed reading of my friend's play and I may sound biased but I'm not - it was wonderful. Initally, I was worried about seeing a performace of a play with a strong political theme at the very end of a tiring week and if I'd be able to give it the attention it deserves. However I needn't have worried, the play was extremely well written and I enjoyed every minute of it. There was also a talk with the writter, director and cast afterwards which I also found interesting from a performer's point of view.

Such a simple, entertaining and educational night, good for inspiring the creative juices!

I'd write more but I'm really sleepy. It's been a long week and I need to lie down. More tomorrow.

The Last Eight Weeks

Despite one play being over, my head is still spinning from what I need to do in the short-term, so I've made a list of all I can think of at the moment. Whoever says that I take on too much is LYING!

• Rehearse and perform play, (performance dates 5th-8th December)
• Begin training for the marathon (buy running trainers first)
• Begin collecting sponsorship for marathon
• Go to the reading and audition for new musical play
• See Hairspray, Swimming With Sharks, Rent and maybe Wicked musicals/play
• See my friends rehearsed reading of her play
• Dinner with friend who got married recently
• Attend Take That concerts
• Continue with Bikram yoga classes
• Have 4 piano lessons
• Decorate flat
• Christmas

Pass me the Berocca!

Underwhelming.

I had been waiting for my mum's Sunday night telephone call so I could tell her all about signing up to do the marathon and her reaction disappointed and surprised me.

I should be used to it by now. Any time I call her with news of my lastest show I'm involved in or a course I'm doing, she's always less than impressed. The only time I get an excited response from her is when I've been offered yet another temp job for a reasonable payrate. I used to keep quiet about all my singing/acting projects in the past as I didn't want to be discouraged by her reaction but as I got older and more secure in myself I began to open up and fill her in more on what was happening in my life. I even allowed myself to sound excited when giving her the details.She usually responds by asking a couple of questions about it (ALWAYS "What are they paying you?") but then she quickly moves onto some random thing happening in my brother/sister's lives and never brings up my news again. I give her the details but she never asks how rehearsals are going, do I feel nervous, how the show went etc. Tonight after sounding less than interested in the news that her daughter (the one that was a fat teenager and looked like a zombie!) will run 26 miles for a charity and responding with silence, she quickly moved onto a HILARIOUS story about how her and my elder sister were trying to buy Mamma Mia tickets for Christmas without the other knowing. Fun!

I shouldn't be surprised. She's never been interested in what's going on in my life if it doesn't involve a good job with a good payrate. I stupidly got my hopes up because this was different news as I'm doing something big for myself and for the benefit of others. She didn't even ask what the charity was but there was probably no point in telling her anyway as it doesn't involve me working in a bank and being paid lots, so it would have been uneccessary strain on my vocals cords telling her so.

Some things never change and I should be used to it now.

Final Night

Just leaving in a couple of minutes to make my way to the theatre. Our final show it tonight but we're running it this afternoon as it will be recorded, then spliced with the taping of tonight's show to make a showreel for us all. That will be umm... interesting.

I'm considering get up as early as I'll allow myself and go back to yoga classes. I feel bloated and barrel-like from all the comfort-eating this week and need a little detox. I've got my next play to prepare for so shouldn't let my Healthy Eating & Exercise kick lose steam. I also have a much bigger reason to stay in shape. I got confirmation yesterday that I have received a charity place in the 2008 London Marathon. This is huge. I can probably run half a mile if I push myself hard so I'll need to start a training programme straight away to prepare me for it in April. I also need to somehow raise the minimum sponsorship (£1000) for the charity too. I know someone who run it this year so she's been giving me advice on training and sponsorship and we'll talk more about it at out show's "after party".

Must leave now if I'm going to get to the theatre in time. Post-show musings and more marathon talk to come in due course.

Why I Will Like November

I'm going to be positive and declare November to be a Good Month.

A few financial things will be sorted for me (who knew setting up direct debits to take care of a few payments could be so practical!). I'm not going to have any extra money or any less money but now cetain things will be paid automatically leaving me to get on with my life.

Even though I will be busy with rehearsals for my play in December, I will have a little bit more free time now that my last comedy play performance will be this Saturday. This will give me more time to go to the theatre and plan for a couple of singing and piano classes.

This month the new Alicia Keys album will be released. And the Shakira tour DVD. I can't wait for both. I also got great AK concert tickets for her show in February earlier today.

I will renew my Bikram yoga membership for another month and continue to get slim, toned and healthy (despite having a wobbly week at the moment). I want to look and feel good for whatever parties, gatherings etc. come my way over the next couple of months.

This is pretty:

If anything goes wrong, or there are setbacks, I will try to remain positive. It's too dark and cold outside to be negative. Fingers crossed.

Showtime!

I'm almost half way through our 5 night run of our comedy play and I'm happy to report that everything is going well. The show seems to be running smoothly, there has been no big disasters on stage and the audience seem to be having a great time every night. A friend of the director's remarked on how professional it looked and my line I hate the most is getting the biggest laughs. It's been tough trying to stay commited but our hard work is paying off.

I'm now glad I took two days of at the start of the week even if it mean I'll get paid less next week. I have been so drained yesterday and on Monday especially I was extremely knackered and had no idea how I was going to gt through the week. I'm still more tired than usual but I'm compentsating the lack of rest and sleep with eatig everything in sight. My eating habits improved so much over the past month but the past couple of days I've turned into a gluttonous monster. I was happy when invited out by a colleague to her birthday lunch as it meant I could eat an entire pizza by myself. The same colleague bought in a tin of Quality Street which I then topped up with a box of the chocolates and proceeded to pratically inhale the contents. Even as I write my mind is wandering to the theatrepub we are performing in and the potato wedges I will have when I get there later. Yum.

I'm allowing myself to eat what I want this week as it is an exception circumstance and I need my energy so I don't faint on stage or something (excuses!) but next week, I'll get back o the porridge and healthy lunches and yoga classes. Once this play is over, rehearsals for my other play will increase and I'll need to stay healthy and in shape for that.

I Lied

I didn't go to yoga class after all last night. It got to 7:15pm and I realised that I wasn't really in the mood for stretching and sweating uncontrolably. I also realised that I'd miss Secret Diary of a Call Girl so decided to call it a day and head home. I'll definitely go tonight. My studio has just begun doing Friday Night Yoga Class by Candlelight and I'm quite curious to see what that's like. I imagine it to be very relaxing which is exactly what I need in preparation for a busy day tomorrow. Too much to do and not enough time to do it all in. I was looking forward to a rest once I finish my play next Saturday but there's still the matter of my entire flat needing redoecorating and I'll need to get started on that soon if I'm going to be finished in time for my sister's visit in early December. Of course, after next Saturday I'll be commiting more to the rehearsals for the December play so that'll eat up a lot of my time too. It looks as if the rest of 2007 will be divided between rehearsals and decorating. When am I supposed to have some fun and relax?

Waiting For Yoga Class

It's past 6pm but I'm still in work and killing time until my 8pm yoga class. I usually leave earlier on Thursday but I came in late this morning as I needed an extra hour in bed so I'm making it up now. It's been such a draining week, I received some news from home about my brother's friend who died on Monday (after being in a car crash) and was upset by that. I knew him since he was a child and my little brother and all his friends are still 10 years old in my eyes. It wasn't until someone at worked describe it as "losing another wee brother" that I understood why it affected me so much. Tuesday was then emotional but I went to rehearsal which was long and labourious and had me throwing myself on the ground repeatedly as I was trying to get a stunt just right and done in the safest way possible. It's also been bitterly cold this week and stepping outside is quite a shock to the system. It's time to invest in some thermal underwear and a good pair of shoes/boots in preparation for November - February. I also need a good winter coat but I'm trying not to succumb to the usual black/grey coats on sale at the moment. I'm considering a long, yellow coat that I can partially pay for with some gift vouchers. I'm just wondering if I have the guts to wear it. It's certainly different and I was planning to inject a bit of colour into my winter wardrobe this year.

Despite feeling absolutely shattered, I'm still pushing myself to go to my Bikram yoga classes. I always feel good about them and there's something tempting about lying in a hot room when it's horribly cold outside. I went last night with the plan to try the best I could but if it got too much to rest and lie down for the rest of the class. However, upon arriving at the studio we found out that they would be a photographer in class. I thought this would be a good reason for me to work hard in my class, as I didn't want to turn up on any pics collapsing on the floor in a sweaty, red, mess, but I actually found the class easier than I expected it to be and felt much better at the end than I did at the start. I'm going again tonight and hope it will have the same effect.

I'm trying to get in a couple more yoga classes as next week I'll be busy doing my play everynight of the week and won't have time to workout then. I'm sure I will love doing the performances but I'm looking forward to having a rest when it's over and actually find more time in my life. I'll be rehearsing another play hroughout November but the location of the theatre/rehearsal space is much more convienent for me and I'll actually get home at a reasonable hour each night. I plan to get to the theatre a bit more in November as I still haven't seen Rent or Hairspray in the West End yet. I also haven't seen Wicked since July 17th which is absurd and unheard of for me to have such a long gap between viewings. The SHAME!!!!

So Crap I Actually Forgot To Put A Title

To be honest, I'm only updating now because I don't want to leave such long gaps in between each blog. I have nothing interesting to say. Nothing eventful's happened unfortunately nor am I depressed enough to write a "I HATE THE WORLD, YOU SUCK!" blog. My life at the moment is a constant stream of meh-ness.

We're still ploughing on with rehearsals for the comedy play which we will put on in under two weeks. I can't wait for this, I loved the performances but hate rehearsing. Especially when it's dragged on for so long like this one. Never again. Monday's rehearsal dragged on until 11pm meaning I didn't get home until after 12am and this did not please me at all. I skipped the next days rehearsal because I was knackered from getting to bed late and felt all the better for it. Sitting around for 4 hours watching everyone else while I wait to say my 5 or 6 lines is not fun and it really frustrates me as there's plenty of other things I could be doing with my time. I'll enjoy performing the actual play but I can't wait until I have more free evenings and can do stuff again.

One of the first things that needs doing is decorating the flat. I've put it off because apart from last weekend, I've not had a free Saturday for ages and if I'm to make any decorating impact on the flat then I'm going to need at least a full weekend for starters. I'm dreading the actual work itself, laying floorboards, stripping walls, painting etc. but I can't wait to have it finished and then I can go shopping for frilly girlie things. Cushions and candles and stuff. I'm looking forward to spending Winter/Christmas in my new, pretty, smelly (good smells) flat.

This has been a Crap Blog from Mel.

Not Dead... Just Floating.

I'm not dead but at the moment I'm not feeling well. Tiredness, cold, funny going-ons inside and my head feels bunged up which in turn makes me feel disconnected from the real world.
I don't know where the time has gone these past few weeks. We're now rehearsing our comedy play 3 times a week now (as opening night is October 30th) which is the only constant ouside of work. However I still manage to fill up every day/evening with something and I'm not sure what.

I can count for some days, the fundraiser party I helped organise on Sept 26th, the Darren Hayes concert on Oct 3rd, going to see a play and support friends from another theatre company last Saturday etc. I also started back at Bikram yoga last week (to help detox, de-stress, regulate my emotions and get more energy) but I'm having difficulty fitting in regular sessions. I guess in between everything I've been sleeping and when I've not been sleeping, I've been buying shoes. Then I've slept some more. That seems to sum up the past 3 weeks.

Rehearsals start tonight for the December play and as knackered and tired as I am, I'm looking forward to it. I love the company, the people and the theatre and rehearsals space is in a really convienent place that's easy to get home from. Knowing me, I'll be moaning about "bloody rehearsals" in 5-6 weeks times but I always seem to do that. Rehearsals are alright, but it's the performance nights that I LOVE.

Speaking of performing, I need to do a lot of updating about all the Prince concerts and aftershow I attended since I last blogged. I'm thinking of making the whole experience into a report which I might so this weekend (no rehearsal on Saturday - Yay!). Something big happened and as soon as I feel better I need to reconnect with it and the inspiration it gave me. I also need to sing again (as soon as my cold ends). I'm doing two plays at the moment but I need to get a bit of music back in my life. I feel that more today that i have done lately. I'd love to be involved in a music/choir performance near Christmas so I'm on the lookout for something that suits at the moment.

I'm also looking forward to the next month or two as a lot of my favourite artists will be releasing music (Alicia Keys, Britney, India.Arie) and I can't wait to hear it all. I'm enjoying the thought of the rest of this rest going by in a flurry of music and performance and finding the time to have some singing lessons and to finally book a piano lesson... or five!

Tired Prince Craziness

As was the case this time last week, we've got last minute tickets for yet another Prince concert for tonight so I must blog now before I'm overwhelmed by too many "Princeploits".

To be honest, all the concerts are starting to blur now and I'm trying to remember what particular congs he did at which concerts, and when did he say this funny thing, and which show was it that he tripped when walking over to our side of the stage etc. In a nutshell, we went to concerts last Thursday & Sunday, and also went to the Thursday night aftershow party where we got even closer to the front and got to touch one of his backing singer's (Shelby J) hands and sing into her mic.. all while trying not to look up her skirt. Yup, we were THAT close. I had to spend half the aftershow with a very rude woman, who barged her way to the front (and told me to "be happy and enjoy the show" when I shot her dirty looks for pushing on front of other people), pressing her chubby breasts against me and leaning over me to take pics of Prince (even though this is strictly forbidden). However, Prince noticed this and had one of his aides shine a torch in her face until she relented. Her equally rude friend kept sticking his arm in my face so he could click his fingers at Prince. WTF? Why would he notice you doing that and why would be appreciate THIS? After having a bit of an arm wrestle with him when he thumped my head one too many times, he & his obnoxious camerawoman friend left... hopefully sensing how hated they were by everyone in that section of the crowd.

Rooooode!

So far this week I have been incredibly tired and run down. I've also been feeling a bit weird & depressed too but I attribute that to now being in great health at the moment. I'm taking iron tabets again and eating better so I just need to get back in the gym/yoga studio and that should help me heaps! Once Mr Prince leaves town I can focus more on my play, the fundraiser for it and (afford) singing & piano lessons. Yay. The future's not so bleak.

And I promise to be nice to my sore throat/deteriorating voice and not scream (much) at tonight's concert.

The MOTHER of all Princey Weekends

As I've got another night of last-minute extreme Princeness coming up tonight I need to report on the Prince events of the weekend past before it's too late:

Friday night: Our seats were Row D in the "swirly" side of the stage (the stage is in the shape of his symbol with seating all around it) and although we were not facing the performers dead on, there was plenty happening on the Swirl to make us thank Jebbus we were there. I was with Jenny on that side and Ellie, who bought her ticket at the last minute, was directly opposite us on the other side (the Horn) side of the stage. We got there in time to see Mutya perform at support act and that was all right. He outfit did make me feel better about my legs & belly. The show started as most of them do, by showing the UK Hall of Fame footage with various performers, producers etc. gushing about how wonderful he is then Prince came on stage and opened the show with Musicology, which he usually does in the middle of the show. When he got some audience members up on stage to dance we were all entertained by some woman who was OBVIOUSLY drunk. Prince took one look at her and said "The bar's closed!". She was quickly escorted off stage. After that another woman on stage began bellowing into Prince's mic until he swiftly ran over and grabbed it away form her. The rest of the night was great and again did the usual songs (Cream, Kiss, Purple) as well as 7 and a cover of Come Together. I like to think he was covering MJ's version of the song. There was also a small paino set onthe Swirl where I FINALLY heard him sing (a bt of) Diamonds & Pearls and unknown song called 1000 Hugs & Kisses which was beyoooooootiful and I WANT!!!! After the encores, the house light partially came on and we were about to leave when he noticed the stagehands dragging his keyboard back onstage and Princey came out and delighted us for a further 10 mins doing his solo "Synth Set".

Once we were certain that the concert had well and truly ended (when Prince get wheeled out in his little black box), we said goodby to Jenny and me & Ellie made out way back to the flat (after shopping for provisions at 24hr Asda and waiting almost an hour for a taxi!). At the flat I bravely wired my cooker into the mains (I wanted to do it when someone, Ellie, was with me just incase I did it wrong and ended up blowing myself up in the process. I didn't). With pizza & cola-cola, we sat down at 4am and amused/tortured ourselves by watching one Prince's films "Graffiti Bridge". It may have only been 80 mins long but it seem to drag on and on.... Watching it did however, start to make me feel better about myself. I may be in awe at Prince's musical talent, but an actor (and scriptwriter?) he is not, and knowing that he is AMAZING but not amazing at everything make me feel a little bit more hopeful in myself.

After lying around the flat all day Saturday and making sure I rested enough so I could make it through the night, we got the the arena after Mutya left the stage and not long before Prince would begin. As he was a bit late coing on stage there was no UK Hall of Fame video shown tonight, instead the lights were turned off and in the darkness we bagan to make out the band coming on stage and getting into position. Then a loud wrapped voice rang out over the areana "I don't want to hurt you... I only want you to have fun..." the crowd went hysterical as we realised what song was going to open the show, then we were awash with red & yellow lights and the horn section blasting out the opening to 1999. I got goosebumps then and I'm getting goosebumps now as I write this - it was the PERFECT opening atmosphere! During the Musicology section, Will.I.Am. came onstage with the audience members and walked over to our side (were were 5th row at the Horn part of the Symbol) and (with Prince beside him, who tripped up walking over to us) did a wee rap. Then he (Will) went off stage after that section of the concert was done and went back to sitting in the VIP area and playing with him mobile phone. There was a huge encore that night with Prince coming back on stage 3 times and one of the last songs to be played was Controversy, which is now a Mellie Concert Favourite. We ADORE this song being performed ESPECIALLY with the Housequake ("We know 'bout the 'Quake" breakdown) and for him not to performe it one night would be unforgivable.

Despite queueing for the loo and then taking the long way 'round to exit the arena, we got in the queue for the afterparty show and got really close to the front. Somehow I managed to last the 90 mins in the crowd waiting for Prince & his band to come on, despite annoying people trying to push their way to the front, some pretty girl flirting with a security guard when SHE kicked up huge fuss because some guy accidentally pushed her (the whole crowd surged forward at that point), and some scary emactiated Asian woman staring at Ellie with her green Laser Eyes as she was trying to get back to her place in the crowd. Finally at 1am Prince & band came on and performed for another 90 minutes. They did some of his own less-well known songs (he did "The 1 U Wanna C" from his new album which I luuuuve) and some cover versions including Janet's "What Have You Done For Me Lately" and the new Amy Winehouse song. It was unbelievable being less than 6 feet away from him and then it got better when at the very end of the show he walked over to our little section of the crowd and held his guitar out to us. We all surged forward to touch it and then Prince left it go and let it "crowdsurf" for a little bit before a satgaehand pulled it away form us. The crowd began to disperse and we began to have a little dance to the music the DJ was playing wen he can back out of stage. EVERYONE manically ran to the front and we were properly WEDGED in and unable to jump when we were told too. Luckily (or not) he only did one song and left the stage for good and we were able to breathe again. I forgot what it felt like.

The original plan for tonight was to go to the aftershow tonight and queue up for it early so we'd get right to the very front (barriers, not with a couple of people in front of us), however Ticketmaster just released some fantastic seats that we'd be foolish not to snap up. I have no idea what I'm going to do about work tomorrow. God help me!

A Princey Weekend

I'm sitting here overdosing on Prince music and I'm seeing him again tomorrow night/tonight and Saturday night too. I'm going with Jen on Friday which will be a lot of fun as it will be her first Prince concert and it will be fun to see her reaction to the show. Again, I will be saying a decade of the Rosary so that he will perform "Gold". I think I would melt into a puddle of tears if he did that. I also be going to another aftershow party after the Saturday show and hopefully this time I'll have much more energy and be less stressed and be able to enjoy the show and won't miss out by slumping against a pillar at the back for most of the night. Listening to the show with my head in my hands wasn't bad but I imagine it would have been much more fun seeing Mr Nelson funk his way around the stage all night in his orange feather hat.

I'm also pondering whether or not I should get a digital camera this weekend. It would be very useful to have but I'm just too gutless to spend that much amount of money in one go. Plus I'd have to use some of my savings fund and I quite like the thought of having that money and not touching it. But then that isn't very fun is it? Then again, I could also use that money to pay for a month's membership at Bikram yoga which would also be useful, but I'd had nothing to show for spending that money apart from my health and a hot bod. Which do I want more? Hot body or apparatus that takes pics of my current flabby body....

I Am Tired.

The Move is over now and things are beginning to settle down despite there being some hiccups with my heating system which are still ongoing. I'm trying to relaxing now about it as stressing only wears me out. Most of my stuff is still in boxes as I've realised there is a lack of storage space in this new place. I didn't help things by leaving behind my shelves and the bookcase form the old flat but I couldn't take everything with me in the van. I'll survive. It'll just be an excuse for me to go shopping. I'm actually looking forward to decorating and picking colours and then choosing matching cushions, throws, pictures etc. it will help me settle into this new place and warm to it. I found a shop yesterday that I will definitely return to when I have more money, but in the meantime I purchased some candles (lavender candle burning now), jewelry and a froggy money bank. Small touches, but they help make this place more "mine".

I have been completely knackered and run down week from everything that has happened and now I'm looking forward to getting healthy, being more active and getting on with the various rehearsals, auditions and next months fundraising party. Slightly worried about the Fundraiser because there's a very strong possibility that along with some other members of my drama group, I will be throwing myself to the lions onstage in a bit of comedy impro. This should be car crash viewing! However, I'm going to try to be positive, get in great physical & mental shape so I'll feel less self-conscious on stgae and free up space in my brain to let all the funnies pour out. Say a prayer for me.

PS: Due to my annoying phone compnay, my broadband connection has been delayed TWICE now and I won't have it until September 3rd. I'm on dial-up now and I'm not a happy bunny!

Chaos & Disorder

...is how I'd best describe my life at the moment. And it's not coincidence that this blog title also happens to be the title of a Prince song. Last Saturday me & my friends spent a very enjoyable 2 hours in the presence of the man and his guitar. And his cool little headband. If you're in London over the next 5 weeks make sure to get a ticket to his show. This man is so cool, he is the sex and I want to be him. I loved it so much, me & Ellie are now planning to go back several times (next Saturday included) and have even booked ourselves som tickets for an aftershow party too. Hey funky London indeed!

A little era is coming to an end soon as I have to move out of my flat next week, most likely next Sunday when we crawl back home after the Prince aftershow. Maybe the lack of sleep will make things easier. I have reluctantly began packing up all my stuff and am still facing the daunting task of wading through all the crap I have accumulated over the year and being ruthless with what I decide to keep and throw out. Why was I born a hoarder?

I'm trying to be philosophical about it all. Yes, it's an opportunity the clear out all the rubbish cluttering up my mind and my life and start afresh. With my birthday tomorrow, I'm looking at it all as a new era now. I've been reading in various horoscopes about this time in my (Leos) life being the end of a troubling 2 year priod and that pesky Saturn will be leaving my sign (on September 2nd) and it's departure should bring better times. While I always think horoscopes are a bit of fun and take them with a pinch of salt, I will admit that the past 2 years HAVE been difficult and a lot of worries and frustration have arose in that time. Even if this Saturn stuff is complete bollocks, it's encouraging to see something else out there pointing in the same direction of where I am right now and where I hope to be in life. Maybe everything's meant to be this way for a reason... Please God (or whomever), don't let me still be in the exact same place as I am now in 12 months time!

Right, enough of this wishy-washy life-changing guff. Wish me a Happy Birthday and send me money!!! ;-)

Catch-Up

It says a lot about me that I set myself a deadline to complete some work by lunchtime and instead of completing it, I've lost interested and am now blogging instead. I'm astounded that it's now July. It seems like only 5 days ago I wrote the previous entry and everything still stands. Still busy, which is always a good thing.

Nothing huge to report at the moment. The days pass and llife keeps on chugging away. To recap: Fi, Ellie and I went to see Aerosmith on the 24th and despite standing for hours, having 7 foot loons push in front of us and getting very very dirty, a good time was had by all. We discovered a new(ish) rock band called The Answer and I had the pleasurable experience of using an anti-bacterial handwash cream in place of a wash-hand basin in the portable loos.

On Friday, I took to the stage at a fundraiser for one of my plays and due to the music being played at the wrong time, me & my fellow dancers all started to dance at the wrong time whcih completely threw us and a once polished, sexy routine becames an amusing, confused shambles. My concentration on stage was hindered by constantly glancing down to make sure I hadn't popped out for my corset. I didn't at any time but for the main performances I shall be bringing out the toupee tape/pasties/sticky plasters etc. in force for peace of mind.

Me and Ellie spent a very rainly Saturday at the edge of Trafalgar Square watching the Pride celebrations. We braved the elements for performances from Darren Hayes (LOVING his new single) and Kerry Ellis (playing Elphaba in Wicked). Straight after this we went our seperate ways towards our home to dry out, and for me to indulge myself in the Doctor Who finale.
I could go on and on about what I've filled my days with but I'll save that for another blog entry. In case you're curious, the work I had do to by lunchtime, I completed near 6pm. Who wouldn't want to hire me?! ;-)

Time Waits For No-one

When did I get so busy all of a sudden? I've been considering paying for a month's membership of Bikram yoga to help me get in shape for a play I will be in mid-July (just dancing a bit in it, nothing big) and while counting up my free evenings I realise that I seem to have an endless list of auditions, rehearsals, concerts/shows and people to reacquaint with. And it all seems to be taking place now!

This week consists/has consisted of attending a Simon Amstell show with Citz which was very fun. We had dinner first at Brazilian restaurant and even though they didn't have our first meal choices we found some tasty food to enjoy. It also made me appreciate the fact that the smoking ban will come into effect in 10 days now. I'm sure food will taste a LOT better from then without the headache-inducing smoke wafting over every bite. Yum! Last night I attened another audition and even though there's no script for the show (it will be developed with the professional actors & non-professional actors) it sounds like an interesting project, involving movement and taking advantage of the performance space for setting the scenes. I should hear shortly if I get a callback for Saturday. If I do get a part in the show then that's July & August booked up for me which is daunting but exciting at the same time. Tonight I have a rehearsals for the show I was talking about at the start of this entry. As I said before, it's nothing big, but a group of us will be opening the show with a dance routine (asthe play is set in/around a strip club) so I need o make at least one rehearsal and understand what the hell I'm doing there. My hooker boots & hotpants are in my bag and I'm ready to go.

The rest of the week involves meeting up with friends and plotting world domination.

The following weeks includes rehearsal, a casting, meeting a friend and going to the theatre. Sometimes I wonder if I've taken on too much, but then the when the alternative is arriving home at 6pm every night, watch endless TV and allow my time, youth, life etc pass me by without realising it.. then I'd rather be fully booked. I just wish I had a PA to help with all the fiddily bits.