A spot of mentoring this evening. I thought I’d be free to do more but as ever my work has awoken. I’ve had to cancel the mentoring quickly. The thing with mentoring is that you have to build a relationship. The thing with acting is that everything happens at last minute. Thankfully the guys at Scene and Heard build their whole model on an understanding of that. I wish that was across the board. “Please come tonight anyway,” I was told. I wish It was able to build a consistent relationship but not this time. Things come up at short notice.
Even the invigilating is getting harder now, as the person programming used to do it a month in advance and now they do it three months in advance. Too long. For most self employed with a priority, three months away is nothing but a strange theoretical place. I’m missing loads of shifts in June because she asked me how I would be fixed for June in February. Now I can tell her my June dates, but… she’s programming us like this is our priority. Like we are Exam Invigilators who also do other things… I’ll hold onto it for as long as I can, despite inconveniences and working with potatoes. But I’ll have to be the last minute guy, or say “I’m free for all of this!” only to have to revise to “I’m not free for any of this!”
So I worked with a young man today and we developed a piece of theatre about a statue that does yoga in the desert meeting a cat. It was delightful. Then I walked another young lad home with an old friend of mine – they always send two volunteers to walk the children home. Very good to catch up with my old friend… we’ve covered ground together, she and I. Life shifts and we shift with it, I guess. But there’s an old comfortable place in my heart for her friendship, and I’m glad we still have room for each other.
I’m home now and going to be kind to myself with camomile and early bed. Rainy days right now, but I still believe in summer…
…
AlBarclay 