i saw this picture and it struck a couple of chords ...

first, that our so-called civilisation and quality of life depends so much on people with nothing working like slaves;

and second, that I should never again complain about work.

The photograph is of workers high on a salt plain in Argentina. They are digging out salt and bagging it up.  American companies buy the bags at 70 cents each.

(You might need to double click on the image to see it full size.)

One more full runthrough of the play to come, on Wednesday.
On Thursday night, it's the technical stuff, standing around while sound and light are sorted out.
The first dress rehearsal is on Friday, the second on Sunday - a week today, and the final dress rehearsal is
the following Tuesday.

So five more opportunities to get it completely right before opening night.

You can sense the improvement in every rehearsal now. It's amazing how everyone has got so much better.

I'm at the stage now of trying to think more about my acting when I'm not speaking.
So that's a good sign!

I also need to get into 'this is for real' mode from now on - becoming the character while I'm off stage waiting to come on.

It's going to be good I think.

I'm mad.
Definitely.
Completely.

We're at critical point on the Crucible rehearsals.
And I go and put myself forward for an audition for a part in Fiddler On The Roof.
Not just any part ... the lead role.

Three days before Crucible opening night.

Which means I'll have to prepare when I'm already keyed up about first night.
And I'll have to sing.

Is this a good idea? 

I'll let you know.

I've been away from the office environment for a while, and even when i was at work i had my own space.
After two days in my new part time job, I realise what I have been missing!

It's amazing how everyone complains of being busy - they tell you all about it on regular visits to the kitchen, by the printer, the copier, on their way to go and get coffee for everyone from the shop down the road, when the internet access is slow and they
can't check the bbc news website  ...

No distraction is too slight for them. They make the most of every one.

It feels like the only time they stop talking about work and start doing any is when the boss walks in.

The ones who are like this are the ones who are able to create their own non-essential workload because their
manager can't be bothered managing them, or has been promoted a step too far and simply doesn't know how to manage.

I know I'm exaggerating mercilessly, and I do love my job, by the way!
The people have been friendly and I think I'm going to be happy there.

And I'm sure they're going to generate lots of stuff for me to blog about and write down in my black notebook to save up for
story ideas, plays, and characters!

I should be pressing my pants and ironing my hair.
I go to work in the morning.
That is a strange concept.
Normally I work from my home office (the dining room).
Tomorrow I have to work AND be with people.
Not only that, I have to try to be nice.

This is scary.

Wish me luck.

And have a good Monday yourself.

We're really struggling with Act Two.
It's a pretty long section anyway, and nothing much happens till towards the end when news breaks of arrests, and Elizabeth Proctor is dragged off to the cells to join dozens of other innocent women accused of witchery.

The director is fretty because one or two cast members are still using their books.
The result is that rehearsals are stilted - pauses to look at the script don't help the flow or the quality of the acting.
And so much of Act Two depends on quite subtle acting if the audience's attention is to be held.

The director has decided he is going to cut some dialogue from Act Two to try and make it zip along a bit faster.
Arthur Miller would not be pleased.
This means some of us will have to relearn bits, including cues.

It also means we have an extra night's rehearsal next week - which will add up to four rehearsals in five days.

Less than three weeks to go ...

Another rehearsal tonight, and a full run through of the play on Sunday.

It's getting interesting now!

Wonders will never cease - I got the job!

Sailed through the second interview today and I start on Monday.
It's brilliant news.

Thanks to all of you for being so supportive, and hope it encourages you if you're still hoping for good news.
It does come.
But usually not when you expect it.

Think I'll treat myself to a glass of the Irish tonight.

Cheers.

Bit of a setback - it will be more complicated than I thought.
(See previous post to find out what on earth I am going on about.)

The hospital reckons I must have had a pretty heavy knock on the head sometime and it could be quite
difficult to repair the damage.
The only thing I can think of - apart from repeatedly banging my head on low doors and various collisions in football matches -
is the time as a youngster that I rode my pedal bike into a parked car and flew right over it.  I remember being knocked out for a
short time, and being slumped on the floor outside someone's house for a few minutes. 

I now have to wait for the consultant's opinion on whether they can fix my eyes.

Or whether I might have a career in a circus as The Man With The Crazy Eyes.
Yes folks,  marvel as he impersonates a basket of whelks without any artifical aids!

Today's the day I find out if those clever people at the hospital can fix my eye.
I have prisms in one lens of my glasses because my right eye looks off at a strange angle, with the result
that I get double vision (one image higher than the other) without them on.
This means I can't wear contact lenses for sport, motorbiking, or even acting!

I'm told it is a straightforward operation to unhook the muscle behind the eye and retie it so it straightens out.

If it's that easy, I wonder why no optician ever told me, before they recommended yet another pair of glasses costing
close to £300?

I hope they can fix me up.
If only because I live in fear that one day, I'll be on stage, snogging the coat stand instead of my leading lady.

Three and a half weeks to opening night and I am 'off the book' - I went right through the play yesterday without using my script.
I needed one prompt only, so that's pretty good going.

Work has now started on costumes.
I'll be looking rugged (??) in a sheepskin and suede gilet type thing and baggy brown trousers.
And nifty suede boots which I wouldn't mind keeping.

I'll probably need the attention of a hairdresser, too.  My hair is too short and, though I'm growing it, it won't be anywhere near long
enough by the time we're on.

Mister Stage-Fright has rejoined rehearsals, and seems to be doing OK, so we hope he's over it.
Even if he does get struck down again, at least we've got an understudy for him now.

I really  need to start squeezing every last bit out of the character now, which you can only really do when you're not reading from a book.

It's going well and we're getting on great as a team.
The signs are good.

A friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine and had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food.
Although she appeared a bit shaken up, she enjoyed the rest of the evening. But her husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital and that she died son after.
It turned out that she had suffered a stroke and that's why she stumbled. Had her friends known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps she would have survived.

A neurologist said that if he can get to a stroke victim within three hours he can totally reverse its effects.  He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours.

So please take time to memorise this.

How to recognise a stroke
Remember the "3" steps, STR .
Doctors say any bystander can diagnose a stroke like this :

S * Ask the person to SMILE .
T *TALK. Ask the person to say a simple sentence coherently (eg  It is a sunny day today).
R * Ask him or her to RAISE both arms .

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these, call an ambulance and describe the symptoms.

If you're still not sure ...
Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue.  If the tongue is 'crooked' - it goes to one side or the other - that is also an indication of a stroke.

Is it possible to teach yourself optimism?

It's curious, but I have always been positive about things, and I haven't a clue where it comes from.
Am I just fortunate in the way my brain was configured at birth?

I know pride comes  before a fall, but my optimism is a real asset, and I am very conscious of it at the moment.
There seems to be so much depression and negative thinking and aggression wherever you go.

And it's often coming from people who do not look as if they have any fears about starvation or poverty or ill health.

My positive outlook has given me a good life and I wish I could help others to think the same way.

So, would you come to my new Optimistic evening class?

Or would you be thinking it would be a waste of time and money...

Six weeks to get fit for skiing.

Trouble is, in my experience, it doesn't seem to matter what you do, you never use the same muscles.

For example, i used to be a good runner - marathons, no problem; I used to play football - up and down the right wing for
90 minutes, no problem; tennis - maybe not so good, but I enjoyed it and was fit enough to run round the court like a looney chasing lost causes.

Then I thought I'd try biking and I was completely knackered after ten minutes!

Maybe the only way to get fit for skiing is to ski down the hill and try not to cross the road at the bottom.

Alternatively, just practice putting all the gear on - all those zips, buckles, straps...it wears me out just thinking about it!

I've got an interview this afternoon, and I am quite nervous.

It was a bit unnerving yesterday.
Half way through rehearsing Act One and having a coffee, director and assistant walk in to announce
that one of the cast has pulled out...he's having a bout of serious stage fright and can't go on.

Now the race is on to find someone to catch up quickly and take over.

We all went very quiet.
Each thinking the same thing...there, but for the grace of God...

I may need a spare pair of brown trousers at this rate.

I found all this out about myself, simply by typing my first name into one of those blog quiz things...

http://www.blogthings.com/whatsyournameshiddenmeaningquiz/

It's amazing what computers can do these days.
So amazing that I think we're all being watched closer than we realised!

(Thanks to cynobitya, who got there before me.)

What would you attempt to do, if you knew you could not fail?

Saw that somewhere, and rather liked it.

It's making me think..which is quite unusual.

Five weeks to opening night..
Sixteen more rehearsals, from Sunday, including eight complete runthroughs of the play.

I am now more or less confident with my lines and my movement on the stage.
Now I have to try and really become the character.
One of the best techniques is acting "as if".... imaging your character in situations, however implausible,
then carrying that with you onto the stage.

Soon,  I will soon be going to the local shop for a few supplies and I am going to walk there in character.

This may lead to me being detained at Her Majesty's pleasure.
Would you bail me out if I ask you nicely?

If our lives can be compared to one day, I suppose my watch would tell me it was just after 1pm.

But I think my watch must be wrong.
It feels more like 10am to me.