Now, let me explain to you - briefly - what's going on at work. See, they're cost-cutting, and have fired two California-based contractors. So I'm taking over the work of one of them. So far, so fine. However, the team I'm now working with is primarily based in California.. and they don't seem to think they should be at any disadvantage, despite the documentation team being two people down, and their new documentarian being based somewhere that has an eight-hour time difference from them. It came as quite a surprise to the product manager to discover that no, I wouldn't be going to the release "go/no-go" meeting (9pm my time), given that they expect immediate documentation publication afterwards if it's a "go".
Well, there is someone based in California who can do the actual publication - but I'm supposed to do at least the bulk of the content, and since I was so close to the venue tonight, and it wasn't on too early, I ended up staying inadvisably late - late enough for last-minute edits to start rolling in for tonight's release. Which is why I ended up hurrying, having done as much as I feasibly could and apologetically passed the rest on to my Californian counterpart. Never mind, I made the venue with five minutes to spare..
They've stopped stamping hands, it seems! Proper printed tickets, now. Happily, it was in the main venue, on the ground floor - pretty crowded, but I got an aisle seat with a decent view. After a bit, we were assailed with the sound of Ben Haggerty on the horn, the others banging and rattling a drum and tambourines.. we also had Emily Hennessy and Sheema Mukherjee, but I didn't know the others that were trumpeting their arrival on stage.
They're calling themselves Pandvani 108 for this show. Emily, of course, covered Indian myth, as usual, and Ben did the classical Greek stuff. The third storyteller was Mikael Oberg - I'd never seen him before, but apparently he's Swedish. Appropriately, as he covered Scandic myth. As well as Sheema, on instrumentals we had Jonah Brody, and the music was of an Indian bent.
And what an education the evening was in how different traditions can combine - Emily's material might have been designed to be accompanied by this music, but Ben's and Mikael's slotted right in! Ben, in particular, gave a very original version of the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice. Whatever the provenance, we learned fantastical tales of kings and gods, of lessons learned and not, of heroism and of death. And were swept away on the strains of Sheema's sitar. Terrific evening, and a wonderful detox from the day.
Wouldn't you know it, the London Literary Walks guy subsequently shifted the walk to tomorrow! Seems he now works alternating shifts, so dates can change at short notice. Well, this one worked out great for me. Sadly, I'll be missing North London Friends' trip to the Moors Bar Blues Jam and Drinks - well, you can't have everything. I'd never be up to Crouch End in time after the walk.
On Friday, with nothing much on Meetup, I booked - with my £3.60 club, when they finally put something on - for Banana Crabtree Simon, at the Drayton Arms. A play about dementia, it might be terrible, but I could give it a try. Mind you, most of my recent experiences with them have been terrible, so when Up in the Cheap Seats ultimately advertised a trip to see Bernstein's Mass at the Royal Festival Hall, I booked that instead. Certainly closer than the blasted Drayton Arms..
On Saturday, back with Up in the Cheap Seats, for The Inheritance, at the Young Vic - both parts, so the whole day! With each part running to about 3.5 hours, I hope it's worth it.. Vanessa Redgrave takes part (only in Part II). We've got a table booked in Cubana between the two parts.
On Sunday, I had booked for London's Grime & Punishment Tour, with Walking in London. However, when I checked Crick Crack's Meetup group.. I discovered I'd forgotten about their story of The Liberty Tree - Robin Hood and Other English Radicals, at the British Museum! What's more, it's hosted by Hugh Lupton, and my second-favourite storyteller, Nick Hennessy (yes, Emily's husband). I'd have hated to miss this - thank heaven there were still tickets. Not to mention that I could blithely cancel the walk, as it's Funzing, and it'd already been used to amass a loyalty discount, so I had no penalty at all.
On Monday, back with Let's Do This for Nell & the Hot Mess Muggers, at Wilton's. Now, that should be a good night..
On Tuesday, the London European Club (LEC) advertised a free classical concert in St. John's, Smith Square. Email musikolondon@gmail.com for tickets, subject to availability.
Next Wednesday, Up in the Cheap Seats is off to see Pericles, at the Barbican.
On the 12th, the LEC is going to Voices of America, at Sadler's Wells. Goodee, two nights in a row that I can walk! Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again.
On the 16th, tragically, a Crick Crack event that I found out about too late.. Red Bead Woman, with Martin Shaw at Soho Theatre, is sold out. Never mind, he's not one of my favourites anyway. Instead, back with the Funzing talk groups, London Speaks Sessions and LDN Talks @ Night (until they cancel!), for The Story of Accent and Identity.
On the 17th, (nominally) going with London Science Events for a talk on Gravitational Waves and Beyond, at the Royal Institution. They've given no Meetup details, so I'm not anticipating a social evening.
On the 18th, Funzing again, for The Strangest Feeling: Déjà Vu, at Gabeto, in Camden Market. Presented by Anthony Peake, whom I spent a long time researching to make sure he's not a sceptic, as I have extensive personal experience of precognitive experiences.
On the 19th, back with London Literary Walks - he's only doing them fortnightly now, it seems. Well, he's covered half of London at this rate! And he seems to prefer Thursdays, which are working out better for me so far. This one is called Guitar Bands Are on the Way Out, Mr. Epstein.
On the 20th, I got the very last ticket to The Phlebotomist, downstairs at Hampstead Theatre. I'm going with Up in the Cheap Seats - North London Friends are seeing it in preview, but it was already sold out for that night. For the 20th, one of the group is looking to sell her ticket, if you're interested - I didn't see that until I'd got mine.
On the 21st, I'm back with London Discovery Walks for yet another ghost tour - this one is called Ghosts of the Old City - just like my last walk!
On the 22nd, back with Up in the Cheap Seats, for a film music gala at the Albert Hall.
On the 23rd, a Funzing talk - An Introduction to the Dark Net. At Sink.. For which I earned a loyalty discount, on account of all I booked recently!
On the 24th and 25th, back again with Up in the Cheap Seats: the 24th is for An Ideal Husband - part of the Oscar Wilde Season, at the Vaudeville. Stars father and son, Edward and Freddie Fox. And Susan Hampshire. The 25th is for Mood Music, at the Old Vic, with Ben Chaplin.
On the 26th, the LEC is attending a lecture at the LSE, on Euroscepticism and the Future of European Integration. Then I'm back to the highly non-Eurosceptic Ireland again, for the weekend.
On the 30th, back with Up in the Cheap Seats, for A Gym Thing - got a fright when I saw that, but no, it's a play - in the Pleasaunce.
On the 1st, I am back with North London Friends - to the Theatre Royal, Stratford East for Our Country's Good.
On the 2nd, Up in the Cheap Seats is off to The Writer, at the Almeida.
And on the 3rd, London Literary Walks is doing - ahem - Stalin's Doss House. Meeting at Starbucks, naturally!
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