I thought I might be driving all day today, slinging heavy bits all over London and Kent, emptying emptying emptying. But the lady who runs the place this particular set is stored charges £650 for weekend access. Absolute madness. I’m going on Monday and I’m steeled to the expectation I’m going to be obstructed by her. She’s onto a winner – a company paying a monthly storage. She probably quoted them an eye watering sum for removals which is why my pitch landed. Now I’ve got to do a good job of it. That’s fine, I’m good at these things. I don’t think she will want to make it easy as she wants it still there next month… But let’s see.
I’ve booked two guys who know each other so it’ll be three lads in a Luton. White van men. Waheyyyyy etc. By the look of it there is lots of weight here. I suspect it came in an artic. She thinks we need two artics to clear it. Nah. I didn’t see any pallets. This is gonna be manual, hence the three lads. Who runs a storage place that isn’t accessible on the weekend? Madness. I honestly think she’s a chancer. Someone’s mum who thinks theatre people are rich. The post code takes me to a load of land with two businesses marked: A pet groomer and a clearance company. Clearance companies. They charge you to take the stuff. They charge you to keep it. Then if it’s good they go quiet and hope you stop paying and then they flog it. Triple profit. Land for profit.
Today has just been booking the van and my two hands to get this stuff out. Siwan will be at Old Street to take the clothes so I’m gonna cut her in as well. There’ll be loads of unexpected costs and I know for certain that the tip is gonna be pricey. But I’m in a happy place that I’ll be able to pay my friends, pay myself and solve a problem without being greedy. You’ll know on Monday night how it falls. It’ll either be triumph or disaster. I’m registered now though as an official government certificated waste disposal thingummy.
Maddy is in Albania so it off just Brian and I at home, plus cats. He’s downloaded The Elder Scrolls Oblivion Remastered, which is the game I was playing when I completely quit games and trained as an actor, but not it’s remastered. I missed at least ten years of games starting with most of that – a true flawed masterpiece, preserved in all its wonky glory. I didn’t have the headspace to do it anymore, I needed to put in the bedrock of an acting career, not gather 30 Nirnroot. The horse of absolute justice, the NPC voice actor who says “hang on wait I can do that better” and repeats himself, people having banal conversations while oblivious to the fact they’re on fire. It is a brilliant mess. There’s so much to love in the ambition of trying to make a whole world that long ago. They pushed the boundaries. And they pushed me out by making it so big I couldn’t comprehend it anymore.
I’ll never catch up on games now, my attention span isn’t there for them. As a teenager I could do whole weekends being a completionist, but the undimmed sun is much more interesting. Now I play for the story. I’m not trying to get every damn chocobo. Still … today I picked up the old Steam Deck and pushed further into Baldurs Gate 3, got as far as my mate John Hopkins who voices the dad of one of the playable characters. He’s been tortured for twenty years non stop when you meet him. It’s always funny meeting friends in these games. I killed Katie in Witcher 2. John isn’t alive anymore either in my play through, but he very eloquently begged for death and I didn’t have to actively stab him like Katie. I tried to take a video so he can see himself in context. My playthrough will be very different from others, I’m sure there are many options for his character, but I’m at war with Shar the dark moon goddess of loss, and aligned with Selune her light moon rival. John was collateral.
It’ll take forever for me to finish this game, but when I get a day like this it is valuable. We ate well, had occasional conversations, and consumed media. It’s just another way of telling stories. I’ve always been a fan.
AlBarclay 