Not many notable points in the remainder of the week. It turns out that RADA’s production of Company is already sold out and I’ve had to put my name down on the waiting list for us to have a hope of getting tickets. Since when do student shows sell-out a month in advance? Since the Sondheim Society got wind of it I suspect!
Met with Lee S, my new personal trainer, on Wednesday for a discussion and then again on Friday for my first session. As expected my legs are in good condition but my upper body is pretty much all jelly. After the pro-forma medical baseline was complete, the actual workout bit was quite good fun. He’s not a fan of the weights machines and instead had me balancing on air-filled plastic domes and high-kicking in front of the mirrors. He even had me do a bit of sparring with him. I was a bit dubious at first but it was actually quite enjoyable. I came away feeling exercised, but not overstretched and am looking forward to my next session on Tuesday.
This weekend has been busy – and is only the start of a hectic week to come. Friday evening I was in a pub with the folks from work as we said farewell to Mike G, an Associate of our company, a host of many a good summer barbeque and all-round good egg. For once I got there before they served the food, so was able to eat my fill, and had a really nice evening chatting to everyone. Plus I discovered unexpectedly that another of my colleagues is gay (there’s actually quite a number of us when I think about it!)
Saturday morning started slowly as a result of the Friday-night alcohol, but I eventually got my act together enough to head into town for a demonstration against the police’s random stop-and-search power and its use against photographers of all types for no readily apparent reasons. There have been a number of patently stupid cases recently where police have used the antiterrorism law to harass someone taking photographs.
The demo was in Trafalgar Square and there was a reasonable crowd populating the steps in front of the National Gallery and the area in front of them, lots and lots of cameras in evidence but for the most part no police officers. (Some did show up later on – a couple of very young and nervous looking constables who were later joined by a couple of PCSOs, but on the whole quite a reduction in normal police manpower for Trafalgar Square on a Saturday afternoon!)
The demo only lasted an hour or so and I headed back home afterwards to chill some more before the evening.
Saturday evening was the LGMC’s annual party (aka the Christmas Party or the Awards Party.) This year there was a meal beforehand in Chalk Farm. Thanks to various transport tribulations we arrived an hour late – but still in time to eat the entire meal with the group. Well, actually, because we’d arrived late we were at the end of the table but we had a pleasant time chatting to Marc A and one of the new guys, Mark K, and Sacha K when he arrived after us.
After dinner we strolled down to Camden and the Black Cap. The format was the same as in previous years; there was some cabaret (Alisdair L dragged-up as Linda Lovechunks, the Chorus Cleaner and did an amusing recap of the year, and Mikey did himself up as a kind of TinTin-like schoolboy and sang ‘Grandma’ to Anthony F.)
The cabaret was followed by the Annual Awards, recognising the best and the worst of the year gone by. I got nominated for both cutest couple (with Brett) and most nauseating couple (with Mikey.) He (Mikey) was a bit uncomfortable with that I think, but I am quite sanguine about it. There seem to be a few choristers who have decided that Mikey and I are so close that we must be sleeping together and nothing will convince them otherwise. To be honest, so long as Brett knows what is (and is not!) going on, then I’m quite flattered that some people believe I have it in me to attract and keep the attentions of a good-looking, energetic seventeen-year-old!
After the awards the music came on and I spent the rest of the evening drinking and mingling. Quite a few of the new guys were there; Mark K (from dinner), Freddy C, Adam KS and Kevin P were the ones I recognised and Sean H arrived later on. Mark C got really quite pissed (and apparently lost his coat with his flat keys in and ended up sleeping in the hallway outside his flat!) Richard VL was trying to attract the amorous attentions of one of our fellow baritones but wouldn’t tell me who – and by then it was so late in the night that there wasn’t time to keep an eye on him to work out whom.
We left shortly after midnight though as I had to be up the next morning to get ready for a photoshoot with another guy from Out.
Ewen (the guy in question) was quite a nervous subject to begin with and seemed convinced that it was impossible to take a good photograph of him. Once he got relaxed though he was actually quite a good model, keeping himself moving and coming up with plenty of ideas. We worked for about two and a half hours before calling it a day.
Sunday evening was spent processing both the photos from the party and then beginning work on Ewen’s shoot. Facebook was rather intransigent tonight; you just could not get some links to open. The problem seems too specific to be the fault of our internet connection and has been happening a lot recently. I wonder if they are maybe a victim of their own success and having difficulty keeping sufficient computer power online to service all their users during peak times!
I’ve got a busy week ahead of me. There isn’t one night this week when I don’t have something on in the evening.
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