Say it With Leather.


I’ve been married for three years today; what are you going to do about it, eh?

We’ve marked the anniversary by staying in the same hotel we visited for our second one that’s practically in the same postcode to where we live, which made me feel very suspicious when I arrived alone this afternoon. It felt like I was here for some kind of extra-marital liaison, particularly as I turned up in a taxi with my luggage in a plastic bag - classy - and had to give my wife’s name instead of my own, as the room was booked by her, which somehow compounded the sense of subterfuge; I may as well have said it was reserved under John Smith.

As I got here a couple of hours earlier, I took the opportunity to quickly run my show as it stands, as I haven’t had time to do it for the last few days and I didn’t want Sunday’s gig in Cambridge to be too much of a shock. It went well, but was a little rushed, which gave me a slight feeling of panic, when I haven’t got long left to finish it. I know I’m close to being ready, but it can still feel overwhelming if I let it. All I need is a little gentle encouragement that I’m in the right ballpark, which is hard to get when I either do a run by myself or in front of an audience with nothing in-between.

I’ve resigned myself to not worrying about it too much tonight, as today should really be a day off. At least I’ve got a string of previews ahead in which to hone things; next time, I’m definitely finding a proper director, as it’s very hard to do it without an outside eye.

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