We're All Going On A Summer Holiday

Yes, I know Cliff's a c**t but you can't be heading off on your Billies and not sing it. I am heading off to Haven tomorrow. I wish it was Haven as in Serenity, where Shepherd Book lived before the Alliance attacked it, but instead it's the caravan park, so will probably look more like it has been attacked by (Border) Reavers. It's going to be pretty basic - me, Gee, Vee, our dog Roxie Ribbons on her very first holiday with us plus our 2 very best mates - but it's going to be a nice change and I'm looking forward to it.
I'm taking my comedy writing to work on a new set as (cue drum roll) I have been offered another 2 open spots in Edinburgh during the Fringe, with a group called Fresh Faces. I'll be on at the Globe on the 9th and the White Horse on the 17th. I'll post more info on my Facebook page when I get back.
Be good - see you in a week Jx

Im-patients

I was back at the doctor's today - saw a different one and she actually had a look at my foot, thinks it might be my tendon so has referred me for bloods (to rule out anything else) and to physio.
Anyway, while I was waiting, I was ready to slap a couple of women, which isn't like me but read on. Now, our doctors' practice isn't one of those where you are in and out in 5 minutes - all of them like to have a good chat with you. Plus things happen - staff are on holiday, emergencies/ triage - and today was a bad day with both doctors on shift running an hour late on appointments. The reception staff were being really helpful and I usually anticipate a wait anyway, so had a book. However there were 2 women who were making a fuss. The first was an older woman who was telling anyone who would listen (i.e. no-one in particular) in a loud voice that she had been waiting and that it was ridiculous etc, etc, etc. The second was a younger woman who was obviously having other issues as her mobile kept going off and she was on it swearing at someone - she was really agitated. Now, I appreciate that people are in pain/ not feeling well but so am I, which is why I am in the flaming surgery. I really wanted to say something, point out to them that OK, they were having to wait, but they weren't in obvious need or close to death and possibly there was a situation that needed priority over theirs and that even our sometimes crappy NHS is miles better than healthcare in other countries e.g. the US. But I suspected that any comment I made would just wind them up more, so I just read my book and waited. I suspect that as both of them were in and out, it was something really minor that could have been handled by a pharmacist or the practice nurse - another thing that gets my goat!
I think people have forgotten how to wait and to be patient. So many people seem to want it here and want it now like spoilt little kids, when what they need is a punch in the chops.

Happy Birthday Gee!

Today is my other half's 45th birthday. He has had 25 birthdays since we got together, which is kind of sweet. We didn't do much in the way of prezzies as we are away on holiday soon so are keeping money by for spendies but I did make him a chocolate cake and some veggie quesadillas for tea, which were yummy.
We went into town, primarily to get him some new duds for our holiday, as he tends to dress like either the tradesman he is (in steampunk overalls) or like The Dude from "The Big Lebowski"! Under the Tranny-and-Boozanah-like influence of our darling daughter and myself, he managed to pick up a cool tee, a shirt, a top and a hat, so he will look like he is on holiday and not there to mend stuff.
I had some birthday money to spend as well and it went on the new Firefly/ Serenity graphic comic (yes, I am a Browncoat folks and today's pic is the cover)and some perfume from Lush (who were doing one of their specials and gave me 3 bath bombs and a face mask too).
I'm now slightly pickled, having had some Calvados and some wine with my dinner (I don't drink normally but it's a special occasion) and we are going to sit down soon to watch "MicMacs".
On a comedy note, I also managed to nab some tickets for Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow in Glasgow, but sorry, they are all spoken for.
Jx

Stand-Up Comedy Courses Are Not Evil

I read with interest a piece by the American stand-up Doug Stanhope this morning (http://www.dougstanhope.com/journal/2010/7/12/comedy-death-camp.html) where he bemoans the "parasites" who run stand-up comedy courses and basically delude and fleece hopeful comedians, shattering their dreams. Now, I'm sure that there are people out there who will charge you mega-bucks to pass on their "wisdom" to you while stating the bleeding obvious and wanking their own egos. However, having not long completed a 10-week course myself at a local college, I feel I must spring to the defence of my tutor, who is about the furthest from a "parasite" you could find.
Now, I have my own reasons for wanting to do stand-up (being a blousy show-off who thinks she's funny, for starters) and after a long period of illness, I wanted something to inspire me. I found An Introduction To Stand-Up Comedy via LearnDirectScotland at a college near me and was able to use my Individual Learning Account to pay the course fees, which by the way were pretty standard for an evening class.
For the first few weeks we were classroom based, looking at developing a story, mic techniques, etc. then very quickly we were in an actual club, rehearsing our spots in front of real comics who were kind enough to give us feedback. We then had our "graduation gig" in front of invited guests and then a final class meeting. Before the course was over, I had found the confidence to do one gig, then shortly after I was lucky to secure another. I now have an upcoming spot in Edinburgh during the Fringe and another in the pipeline at a well-known venue.
I cannot praise our tutor Charlie Ross (http://www.charlieross.co.uk) highly enough - he is a craftsman, an inspiration and I learned more from him than I ever could have just going onto the circuit cold. I owe him a lot.
I also recommend classes because, if you are extremely lucky as I was, you will meet other people who are passionate about stand-up and who are willing to share info and advice with you. Almost everyone I have met has been generous and enthusuastic. I had always believed the myth that the world of stand-up was one of bitching and backstabbing - maybe I am naive but I've yet to see anything for the most part but cameraderie and genuine warmth.
For info on the course I attended visit http://www.glasgowmet.ac.uk/stand-up-comedy.aspx
Jx

Spring Cleaning - In July

Huh, I hear you say? Well, thanks to our damn 'puter's operating system snuffing it on Sunday, I lost all my pictures, documents (apart from my stand-up folder, which is in Open Office, so that will take some translation) and music. Now, being a bunch of Luddites who think a USB stick is something Ken Dodd uses and that backing up is the same as reversing, computer crashes are a common occurence in our household, so I am well used to losing stuff. Fortunately, most of my photos are on Facebook or Flickr and thanks to my keeping track of my download purchases, I was able to recover most of my sounds and even find a few I thought I had lost in a previous purge!
I still have 198 songs on my iPod Touch and all the pictures there but I'm fully expecting the next time I sync it that I'll lose over 100 songs and all the pics. But then, being philosophical, I wasn't really listening to all of the music I had and I'm always on the lookout for more anyway.
I'm a bit of a hoarder when it comes to pictures though - when I saw an image online I liked, before this particular crash, I would save it. That is how my stalker-self ended up with 272 photos of Christian Kane (who? One of my nerdy geek-girl crushes - that's him in the pic). Hopefully, this means maybe I'll stop doing it, or maybe not.
Anyway, a fresh start - onward and upward.
Jx

43 Not Out!

Well, I've made it to 43. I can't say I've done it in one piece but I'm still here and that's what counts. Apart from an annoyingly painful foot that continues to defy modern medicine, I managed not to end up in hospital like I did last year or 2 years before that (last year being a reaction to medication and before that what ended up with my being gallbladder-less). Life is good and I'm looking forward to my first proper holiday in a couple of years.
So, why the new blog? I've flirted with blogging before but never found a "fit". However, having completed the "Introduction To Stand-Up Comedy" course this spring and summer past and with 3 open spots under my belt and at least one on the horizon, I want to have a space to write. Not gags necessarily, so don't expect a laugh a minute here, but just somewhere I can come to to put down my random musings and ideas - to get me back into the habit of writing.
So, feel free to come on this journey with me, to pop in, comment, agree, disagree, have a virtual cuppa - you'll be most welcome.
Jx