Ho! Ho! Ho!

Merry Christmas Everybody

I hope you have a cracking holiday and get all the presents and obviously joy and goodwill and stuff that you want.

After all there's only one more sleep 'til Christmas

Other people's plays

I've been thinking about moving to another local amateur theatre group. Not permanently, but just so I can do a musical. I haven't done one since school and I want to do one mainly to see if I can, to change the way that I approach singing. At the moment I do one-off gigs with my band, with a long gap in between so can be a bit careless with the way that I use my voice and I want to see if I've got the stamina to go a few months of singing regularly. There's one local group that I was thinking about as they do the sorts of musicals that I like (the ones where you get to act alongside the singing). I went to see them do a show last night and was a bit put off. The show wasn't that bad, not great, but not bad but it was the details about the way the company worked written in the programme that was the problem. They only do one musical a year that they cast way in advance and casting is done by invitation not audition. So it could take about three years before I'd get the sort of part I want and I'd have to be in the chorus for ages or something. Boring! Okay, I know the whole "no small parts only small actors" thing and I know my ego is probably the problem but I've done chorus parts and shit parts and not being cast for several years and I don't want to get back to that. I think I was being a bit naive in assuming that they work the same way as our company. We're all about democracy and giving new members a chance in quite big parts. Even the most established actors have to audition. Because it isn't just about knowing that someone could do a part, it's knowing that they can do a part the way that the director has imagined and can do a part so that the chemistry of the actors works together.

So I don't agree with the way that this other company works and am unlikely to get a part with them. Back to the drawing board for me, then.

After all, there's only four more sleeps 'til Christmas

I have not yet had time to catch up on Muppet Christmas Carol as a yearly tradition. This obviously involves singing along (obviously because I am always singing, humming, tapping and doing stuff that makes a tune or a beat. Imagine having to work alongside that every day), saying the lines ("light the lamp, not the rat!") and crying when a puppet rat kisses a puppet purple alien thing. It's a fairly recent tradition, pretty much about 4 years old, but still quite important. Mainly because the Mule is resistant to every Christmas film except recent ones like Muppet Christmas Carol (which involves lots of songs so still not massively favoured) and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. I have to go home to my parents in order to watch The Sound of Music or Meet Me in St Louis (the latter has already been on but it was shown on Monday afternoon! I'm still working, damn you Channel 4).

This year I think the Mule should be made to watch It's a Wonderful Life and I should try to watch Christmas Vacation. I've always resisted it because it falls into a category of films and TV programmes that I find extremely difficult to watch. I like horrors, thrillers and naff teen comedies but I cannot sit down and watch a comedy about a flawed character whose flaws create inescapable situations. I have to hide behind a cushion in some episodes of Frasier or The Office. It took me years and much nagging to watch Planes, Trains and Automobiles and I've still never managed to watch the whole of Clockwise or The Money Pit (the latter being my bete noir for some reason. Something about losing all that money and the house falling down. It really upsets me). So I shall swallow my fear and watch a film about a man whose vanity and pride cause him to injure himself and embarrass his family in ways that I am sure will be both wacky and funny. Come on, Kitten, you can do it!

Tree Tantrum

I was a little fraught after my long weekend and not having had any time to relax before coming back into work yesterday. MuleBoy phoned me up in the afternoon and must have been feeling quite fraught too as we had a tense little phone call about Christmas trees* before hanging up. When I got home I turned from fraught to very, very upset because not only had he bought the tree on his own, he'd also decorated it! Without me! Once I'd calmed down (a process involving leaving the house, sleeping and eating) MuleBoy offered to take everything off so I could do it again. But my thinking is once it's done, you can't go back because it makes it less special. This is one of the fundamental differences between us, as I have a need to make things special whereas the Mule just wants to get on with things. On my Birthday morning, I had to make him watch and go "Ooh" while I opened presents etc. At least it's training for when we have kids (what offspring do kittens and mules have?)

*If you think that's ridiculous, once MuleBoy phoned me up at work to tell me off because a sock that I had left underneath the sofa had jammed up the vaccuum cleaner. Ostensibly it was to find out where the hoover bags were, but it was really to be annoyed about the sock.

Uh-oh, I've been outed

I've just realised that my naivety concerning the glamourous world of blogging has led to my being found out! I posted a comment on a friend's blog and it linked back to here. So now there is a comment on his site about my blog here which means that people reading his will read mine and all that confidential stuff I was planning to say has gone out the window. So I should possibly not put my ideas about world domination on the blog (although to be honest I'd gone off the idea as it just seemed like a whole heap of work). But mainly, now I am concerned and have been chastised in case people I've written about will read this and cry because I've been a bit mean. I'm mainly concerned about my sister who is a sensitive flower and might balk at having been referred to as insane. Big Sis, you are insane occasionally but also very nice and pretty and stuff so occasional insanity isn't too much of a cross to bear. Although smelling of poo as you do is a huge cross to bear, for you and everyone surrounding you. He he he. Poo is a funny word.

On a nicer note, I have been doing birthday things which have all kicked ass in many ways. I've seen plays and King Kong, wandered around London at 4 in the morning, caught up with some old friends, got ridiculously undrunk despite practically bathing in wine yesterday and all in all had an amazing time, although getting up at 6.15 this morning was rather tricky. I pressed that snooze button about a billion times and got up at 6.45 instead so I am sans make-up (imagine how pretty I look today), didn't make any lunch and had to pick up breakfast on the way in. Can't complain, though, it was all worth it. Thanks MuleBoy

Ouch!

I woke up at four this morning, which hasn't been an unusual occurrence in the last couple of weeks unfortunately. Instead of just fretting while I try and get to sleep again while fretting more because I'm not asleep as I normally do, I decided to completely crick my neck so that I currently have a muscle strain from left arm to left shoulder blade to neck. I'm not sure how I did it but I had a bit of a discussion with the insomniac MuleBoy during which I blamed the fact that the new pillows he bought recently are completely flat and provide no support. He then revenged himself for the ire and lack of cuddles (I kept screaming when he came near, which must have been fun for our neighbours) by falling asleep immediately. As he hadn't managed to get to sleep beforehand, it was definitely done just to piss me off. Well, I showed him. After an hour of lying in pain, I managed to doze for ten minutes! Hah!

We had another rehearsal last night at which Penfold completely dominated the end part by choreographing fights for us. Damn him for being talented.

Going well?

Last night the MuleBoy (stubborn as...) and I had our first stand-up-and-walk-about rehearsal of a play we're directing together. I think this is going to be quite a test of the relationship, especially as I can occasionally forget to let go of being in charge.

Mantra for the day: I must not be an unbearable, bossy, control-freak.

Last night was good, however, and I started to get excited for the first time about this directing malarkey. I think that one of the actors is going to drive me mad though. We started off the rehearsals with the note that we were just going to block entrances and exits and some movements, and we didn't expect any acting. Then this guy, I'll call him Penfold, kept adding little bits of direction to the other actors throughout. I know it's our first time but if we want that sort of support we'll ask for it. He may have to be sat upon forcefully if this continues.

Yesterday, I complained to my sister that I hadn't done any Christmas cards yet (I know, I know - every year I leave it until the last minute!) and she offered to include me and the Mule in her cards. I thought that sounded kind of insane, she has a compulsion to be nice and helpful to everyone and occasionally takes it too far. I had to explain to her that sometimes I just want to complain and don't necessarily need her to provide a solution. I think I offended her but given as my first response was to call her insane, I think she got off lightly.

First ever blog ever

Hello, the world. I feel slightly silly about this as the only people likely to read this are people that I know already and I may not even tell them, so this could end up being one of those unread blogs that you hear about. I kind of just want to talk about stuff. Maybe some stuff should be more private than potentially extremely public but what can you do. It's kind of a whim. If nothing else, I can perhaps improve overall the quality of spelling on the internet (oh Jesus Christ, yes, that's what I want to be known for; the blogger with the ability to spell! It's like an incredibly dull superpower) Anywho, if you read this, please let me know. Be nice, I cry easily.