Thursday, June 15, 2006

I still wouldn't mind a puppy, though.

Without even the intervention of any puppies my day yesterday really picked up.

I went to meet Janie (www.birdwebsite.net) in the Café Boheme in Soho, to discuss my potentially playing cello with her. She's a singer, and a cellist, and for years worked with just an acoustic guitarist, so that they had three instruments on stage if you include vocals, which I do. She had a record deal on the table, but it fell through at the last minute. She took a break for a bit after that, as I'd imagine she'd've needed to. Now she has decided to get up and running again, but she wants to explore the idea of having more cellos on stage. Of which I will be one! Well, I will play one. Not be dressed as one. Now I have an image of myself dressed in a big foam cello, arms sticking out of the sides, head halfway up the fingerboad, face painted black with strings on it and sporting a somewhat forlorn expression. With a sign around my neck saying 'Play Me'. Or perhaps 'Played'. Arty.

She was lovely, energetic and enthusiastic. Our opinions on music are similar, and I was much relieved when she confessed to me that she never sat herself down to play scales and do boring but ostensibly 'good for you' exercises. She just plays the things she likes, and experiments with everything and just likes to see what happens. Which is kind of what I always did, and do now with my singing. My scales and sight-reading were always my weak points, and the performance and musicality my strengths. I actually failed my grade eight sight-reading, but got full marks for the pieces and so came out with a lovely pretty merit. Anyway, this doesn't sound like the sort of project which will engender lots of "shitsticks is that a key change oh bollocks I think it just went into tenor clef ok so that's a C and if I count up from that then this note must be an A but now I've just spend ten seconds thinking about it can I get away with pretending it was a dramatic pause?" moments. She gave me some CDs which I will listen to and see what I can do with them on my cello, then we will rehearse on Sunday 25th June with a view to doing a gig on the 29th. Which is soon.

It isn't singing, but it's music and it's interesting. I am prepared to deviate for this, because I would love to sing and play my cello, and I think this will be excellent experience. The fact is that singing and playing simultaneously is really hard. I have tried and it takes every ounce of concentration in my meagre brain until I collapse in a twitching heap after about eleven seconds. I told Janie this last night and she laughed, saying that she was exactly the same at first, but after about six months it happens. I want to get to that point, accompany myself on my cello. I need practice, though, and I need inspiration. I think I'll get both of those things by getting involved with this project.

Also: New Zealand. I am going. In August. For two and a bit weeks. I haven't booked my flights yet but I will soon.

You may, as my mother did, be asking: "And how is Miss Perpetually Broke affording all this?"

The answer is: Pretend Money! Hurray for credit cards!

Actually NOT hurray for credit cards. They are the Devil's plastic. However, I am planning on buying the ticket and then THAT IS IT NO MORE. I am so terrified of losing control of money and ending up in a debtor's prison in the late ninteenth century that I will not take any risks.

I am going with my boyfriend. Who is an ex-boyfriend. No, not the one who had no affection for me. Another one. Who is lovely. We sat in a lovely old pub last night and drank beer and made each other laugh, and I thought to myself 'yeah, this is pretty much really nice'. Then I said it out loud, but I sounded way, way cooler.
I don't want to go too much into it, because he reads this sometimes and I don't know what to say, what with having to play hard to get, and be all aloof and smooth and stuff. (Please, less laughter at the back there.)

I am happy. I can't type that without wanting to type 'FOR NOW' in large, ominous letters, because that is the sort of knobbishness I indulge myself in.

Well, whatever. I'm going to New Zealand with him in August, because I want to go to New Zealand again, because I love it, and he needs someone to sit next to him and tell him bad jokes and talk about how much she misses blogging. Rock and roll, my friends.

Thank you for the suggestions yesterday, I took every bit of advice and followed all instructions to the letter. It was an interesting few hours, I can tell you. I'll upload the photos when I get a chance, and also when I stop having the technological aptitude of a mouldy carrot (I have put up a profile photo, though! Which is really pretentious, I don't do that in real life, ever, that thing with my hand under my chin. I was drunk. Forgive me?)

Well, have a fun Thursday, please. If you are watching the football have fun with that, I'll be somewhere else.

10 Comments:

Blogger Huw said...

Biarritz one month, New Zealand the next. You ain't getting a drip of sympathy out of me missy.

1:02 pm

 
Blogger Kelly said...

Oh lucky you. Another trip to look forward to and a BOYFRIEND (I had to read that sentence twice because you threw me with the ex boyfriend thing) and the Janie the Cello lady thing which I am most excited about because I have her CD and I LOVE it and I feel like I know you and you will be playing with her and well it's all just so exciting. So much more so than my life as the highlight of my day is getting to finish work 30 mins early so I can go and watch the football.

Sigh. I need to get out more!

2:44 pm

 
Blogger Curly said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

2:52 pm

 
Blogger Curly said...

Crikey, there are a lot of good things happening in this post. I shan't comment on all of them, instead I'll just give you a

"Well Done"

in the style of a spectacle wearing, grey-haired teacher who is extremely proud of the assignment you've just handed in.



*Damn, I've just slated someone on my own blog for deleting comments.*

2:53 pm

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

as a NZer in london I've gotta say what always drives me nuts is how on eastenders or corrie or the bill whenever a character gets written out he/she's always going to NZ, ie., character limbo (hell?). It's a place where apparently the British go to do penance for something they've done wrong, with the possibility that at some point they can return (eg., Barrymore).

sorry, nothing to do with your post really, but if you can't vent mindlessly what else is the interweb for...?

3:24 pm

 
Blogger Léonie said...

Huw - Yes, but what if I told you I had broken my leg in Biarritz, and then had my nose eaten by a sheep in New Zealand? It's a possibility. Then your refusal of sympathy would seem cold and heartless. You have not thought this through, clearly.

DF - No, I think leaving early is a pretty valid excitement excuse. Janie was so nice, I am very excited about working with her, especially now that she's a little famous. Not that I am that fickle, except that I am a bit and it's exciting. Do you think Heat magazine has a blog?

Curly - Thank you, oh elderly teacher-like one. Also good use of the word 'crikey'. I don't mind the deleted comment. It looks like there was something really naughty there that had to be removed because it was so racy. I quite like it.

Anon - Wow, I have no idea what you're talking about. Do characters always go to New Zealand? I have never noticed that. Characters on Neighbours always go to Queensland, but that's all I know. Peculiar.

3:40 pm

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hot new picture.. very nice. I rather covet your hair, actually. Let me know when you're all done with that, k? :)

4:24 pm

 
Blogger Curly said...

Yeah, sorry - I'd left a really naughty, racy comment about puppies. Things like that are best kept as secrets though.

6:44 pm

 
Blogger Miss Devylish said...

Omg.. that sounds so hard playing and singing at the same time, but what a challenge! And the trip (and boy) sound lovely too! And w/ all the trip'ing you're doing.. where will the time for this puppy come in? Oh I get it.. you'll take him w/ you? Ok.. I'll send one right over then!

2:39 am

 
Blogger Kelly said...

Oh, I am having great day dreams about when you are famous. I will say I knew her before she was famous and they will say "wow, what was she like in person?" and I will say "well I never actually met her but we were FTMOTI." Hmmmm, white coats anyone?

12:51 pm

 

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