Stopping for a moment. My car is still parked outside Imperial. Had some corrections which meant the exam overran, so I had to sling myself over on the tube to The Globe, consuming a ham and greve baguette and a large latte with an extra shot as we moved. I’ll go back and get him before bed as I’m back at Imperial at 8:45 tomorrow and driving there makes so much more sense than any other way. I can park outside. It’s a hard wired routine now, the commute to that strange day job. I reckon I can go from bed to exam room set up in just over half an hour if I’ve done my prep before sleep. Fifteen minutes drive to park outside, walk up to ACEX 3 get the trolley. 5 minutes walk to the room. Ten minutes set up. “Hold the room a moment I’m just gonna check the toilets.” That was roughly what I did this morning. Brian had cooked surprise breakfast for Maddy and myself. I noticed it sitting cold and sad upon the table as I left and momentarily regretted that extra fifteen minutes in bed. Still the loo check can usually take in a visit to the campus branch of Pret a Manger which seems to be taking over the world right now. The higher quantities needed of any ingredient the more the quality inevitably suffers, I find myself thinking. Pret for breakfast, pret for lunch. I’ll only have emergency coffees there though as it is made out of ground up arses. If they did decent coffee I’d get the membership but they don’t so it would be a sentence. I went to Blank Street for my evening post work pre work pick me up instead. They still use beans. Beans taste better then arses.
Only a few more of these multi-job days and even though I won’t be able to stop, there will be a shift of focus. A change is as good as a rest. I’ll start the business of “How shall we best serve this scene?” and bunny will fall by the wayside. I’ll miss the bankside team though. They are a positive and fun bunch, hard working and full of personality. I’m getting on first name terms with lots of them now. Never been one to behave like I’m different or special. Probably a trick missed with the arsehole brigade who run the world, but I am happy in my niche. Visible friendly odd. “Unthreatening Alien” said Jethro once and it resonated. But I am always open to working the big jobs, and thriving when I am.
The client tonight was a theatrical fellow. Big on his musicals. Twin sister was in the original Starlight Express. Works for a bank. “You’re doing what my parents wanted me to do,” I told him. “You’re doing what I wanted my children to do,” he responded. It’s pleasant to remember when your balls are stapled to the train that this job is aspirational to some. Oh the glamour. “Why yes. Every night, sir, I work at The Globe as an actor, why yes indeed.” SMALL PRINT: (dressed as a bunny rabbit just for corporate parties not allowed to be thought of as a real actor in this frame technically not even supposed to be visible on the ground beyond the cast iron gate in any form of costume)
I liked the client. The ease of privilege. Some people get engaged in the arts. He goes to the theatre all the time, drags his kids, sends them to acting classes. He’s the guy who I see in the interval buying a bottle of champagne at the theatre bar. Without the likes of him we would all be paid even less.
Now I’m waiting for Mel who is reading tarot in the balcony room. Frankly though I just want to go to bed.
—
Evening went swimmingly. I’m home with happy cats. Didn’t see Mel, I hadn’t been able to brief her beforehand about the client so she kept working thinking someone would break her. I needed to get home so called it before she realised.zzz
AlBarclay 