Filling the Artistic Void

Hi All!

Hope you are well! Tis December - there's Christmas deccies around everywhere here (the Regent St ones are really nice - will have to post a photo) - but not at my house! Will have to sort that out, really... well, after I look after Intl xmas cards that is ;-)

There's been *no* time for any shopping recently. Following on from my last entry, I did manage to go to Reading for Steve's bday. We ended up at an 80s club called Reflex, which had rotating rubiks cubes and lit up space invaders suspended from the ceiling! It was quite a late night. The next morning I got up (err or was woken up by Steve's snoring! Haha at least that was the weirdest part about sharing a studio flat with a couple!) at around 11 and had time to walk around the high st for a bit before rushing back to watch Wigan vs QPR at Loftus Rd stadium. I met Pete's dad, who talked to everyone - it's nice to see people from other parts of England who aren't afraid of asserting their personality amongst stand-off-ish Londoners! After the footy and a swift pint I zipped back to the West End, and met up with Claire for dinner! We went to a Soho pizza bar that has jazz 7 nights a week... it ended up being excellent value for money, so will have to keep it in mind for future bookings!

On the Sunday we had a musical rehearsal, the Monday a technical rehearsal, the Tuesday a dress rehearsal, and then the real performances began! I ended up having quite a few people come to see me! Thanks to all who made the effort to support me & Centenary. For all those who are too far away to make it, I *will* get around to posting some pics... promise :-)

The Saturday of performance week is always busy - After the matinee we went to the same restaurant for lunch that I'd been to the night before (err so I should remember the name!) and then performed the evening performance. We packed up the set really quickly (even though it was quite a mammoth construction). I think I made it to the cast party at around midnight... we ate and drank and sang till around 4am... and I slept amazingly well.

But instead of resting since, I've been trying to keep busy - I guess I don't want to feel like my life is empty after the show has finished! So I went out for lunch and to the Dulwich picture gallery with Andrea on the Sunday, went to salsa on the Monday, cooked dinner for a large group of people on Thursday (including Mike & Joanna who I'm delighted to see again after meeting them travelling), went out with Rob from work and met Mrin on Friday, and went to visit Lee in Norwich on the weekend!

Lee's new house is *really* nice. He's got quite a good deal worked out from his work for travel and living expenses. He's living alone in "Keswick Halls", and has a ground floor apartment with views looking out to tons of grass and trees.. including nice plump phesants! I'm not the pheasant plucker... :-)

I ended up at Anne-Marie the nurse's birthday. I had one night to see Norwich, and I think I did OK - we ended up at this "super-club" called Mercy... it was quite huge. We left quite early, but it was a good plan as we had to line up for a taxi, in the rain, for more than 1/2 hr! I was a little hyperactive and went from the front of the taxi queue back to where Lee was asking if we could share a cab with anyone... haha poor Brits aren't used to random people talking to them! The next morning Lee cooked up a big breakfast and we went driving - first to Great Yarmouth to see where Lee is working now, then around to Cromer (which is much more civilised!). After a look in a gallery and a nice cup of tea and cake, it was time to go back to Norwich for the 3hr coach to London.

Then this week I'm at it again - went to salsa, cooked another meal for guests, met up with Claire for coffee... I don't have much on for the next couple of days but on Sat I'm organising a dim sum lunch, in the evening I'm going to watch some jazz with my cousins and on Sunday we're perhaps looking around St Albans.

Arghh! One of these days I'll come home from work and sleep at 7pm!

Take care & catch you online... before xmas?? I'll try and be more proactive in replying to those emails!

Posted by Sam at December 02, 2004 01:48 AM