'Live for tomorrow and do what you have to'

[magictreehouse]

The weekend was a little different from the norm. Although I wasn’t feeling totally 100% on Saturday I was well enough to go to Leeds, so that’s what me and James did. Oh, I got a hair cut first. Thrilling stuff. Anyway, we got to Leeds early enough to have a general shop about. I got a white shirt and some other clothes from BHS of all places. Every time I go in there I’m always pleasantly surprised by what I find, especially because they’re the only place I know that has a wonderful array of stripy socks for men I bought five pairs. Hehe. But God my feet look good! I also headed for the Corn Exchange. After waiting an age for Watchmen to come from Amazon and then cancelling it I figured I’d just buy it instead, however pricey it may be. So I got it from Travelling Man and I have yet to put it down since I bought it. It’s a movie in comic book for and I love everything about it, the characters, the drawing, the script, some of the frames are as well-thought out as a directed film. I guess it’s for this reason that I think that it will make an excellent film. Like Sin City, it’s all already there. Dr Manhattan’s nakedness is an obvious sticking point but as long as they keep the bit in where he makes two of himself in order to ‘please’ his girlfriend I’ll be happy.

 

We then had dinner in the little green area where we always go, even if it’s now far too close to where I work. Still, the Playhouse is just round the corner so we didn’t have far to go when 2 o’clock came. I’d never been to the West Yorkshire Playhouse before I was impressed. The stage we saw The Tempest on was halfway between it being in the round and a traditional stage. Me and James we both really impressed by Northern Broadside’s take on it though. Wherever I’ve read The Tempest I never really think of it as a comedy but that was how it was done and it worked really well. It was just really funny and enjoyable and managed to feel modern without sacrificing anything from the original script. And the music was really good. And I liked what they did with Ariel (split her into three people), there was just loads to like. A disappointing amount of young people there though (cue old fogey - youth of today speech) We think that the girl from Queer As Folk was on stage too although she never got to shout ‘Nafhan!’ so I’m still not sure. 

 

So after a busy day we went home and watched Any Dream Will Do. Honestly, is it just us or do the judges love all the ones who were clearly really awful? Ahem. So on to Sunday then which was the dreaded Christening. James’ parents picked us up at the just plain wrong hour of 8.20am and we set off on a two-hour journey to Driffield. It’s easy to forget how big the county I live in actually is. We got there about 10.20 I think and got to spend some time with James’ Grandma who seemed ok with me being there. I even got a kiss! What I heard about her was true and we were fed to within an inch of our lives! With me being ill I hadn’t got my full appetite back so this had a knock-on effect through the rest of the day.

 

We headed for the church for 12pm and I got to meet more of James’ family including his two cousins, Sally and Jill along with the christened person in question, Holly who seemed quite content to run about the pews meeting and greeting. We did a bit of mingling outside the church, enjoying the ridiculously nice weather, and then went inside. The Christening was just what you’d expect. Me feeling like a hypocrite, getting to read utter bollocks for an hour etc. James is terrible to sit next to in a church though, he kept making me laugh with his ultra sarcasm when reading the script. Naturally, he was pleased that the vicar was a fatty what with his major obsession and all.

 

After the water had been splashed on the child’s head we went and had a proper roast beef lunch. There were quite a few people there actually, about seven tables of six or so. Lunch was tasty and the amount of stuff we got to sample just kept coming. First dinner, then dessert, then coffee, then cake, then champagne. If I was at full eating capacity I would have been in my element, as it was I had to leave stuff, which is completely out of character for me! Me and James mostly got by not really saying a lot and just hanging about which was fine, the whole thing wasn’t too traumatic although not wildly exciting. After dinner we went back to James’ Auntie and Uncle’s farm. Their house is massive! And we sat in their garden for a good while which was especially nice because it looks out on to a huge field. No cows in sight though L

 

We ended up home around eight o’clock which wasn’t too bad and we finished the evening off by watching the last Life On Mars which was really good, especially the Descartes influenced ending – it also made no sense. He died! How can he still live in 1973?! But BBC TV is not really worth having an aneurysm over is it? No matter how good it is.

 

I dunno if it’s because of the lovely weather but I’ve been feeling really good about things this week. I’m even not hating work (Hurrah they say, no more moaning! Well, give a week you sarky bunch). This is mostly because of OfSTED which means I have plenty to do. Weirdly I like gathering documents and the urgency makes it all quite exciting. We’d better pass (and I think we will this time) so it’ll feel really good to have been a big part of it. Also on the subject of work, new guy has started and I’ve been assigned as mentor to him which is a nice responsibility. We went for lunch yesterday. He’s originally from Northern Ireland but he’s moved from Lancaster, where he went to uni. He’s lovely and I feel for him that he doesn’t know anybody at all in Leeds. I was going to say that I could never do that, just move away to a new place, until I realised that I actually had done it :s I will try and befriend him which might be difficult to do without seeming like a scary I’ve-got-no-friends freak. Talking about OfSTED has reminded me, I’m 23 in two weeks, weird! I’d not really thought about it since I’m not really doing anything for it and it’s kinda crept up on me.

 

Even the theatre’s going well. We’re just under a week until we open and things have come together really well. All the lights are fully rigged so I’ve been at my operating desk and I have more sound effects to do too so it keeps me busy. I can watch the whole thing from above too so I won’t really miss out on it all. Neil, who’s one of the main characters in the play, is off work with stress at the moment and so it’s a bit tentative if he’ll be ok to play it or not so that’ll be a spanner in the works. And no, I shan’t be stepping in before you ask. It’ll be ok though. I’m looking forward to it.

 

Oh, I got photos back so I’ll try and put some up at the weekend. Lucy- there’s a good one of you and mister Robin ‘thunder thighs’ Hood. :D