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SLIGHTLY SMUG POST ALERT

*siren from starlight express*

So then. It's Valentines.

The odd thing is it doesn't really feel like an unusual day, because Monster makes me feel so loved every day that valentines hasn't been any different love levels wise! But I got a beautiful card in which he declares his love (always useful as then i have proof when he's off LARPing) and a lovely trip to ikea and lakeside followed by steak n parmentier potato's!

I also recieved Eddie the Moose and a large fluffy dark pink cushion.

I'm slightly upset that the AMAZING present I've bought him has not yet arrived from America. Stupid America.

But anyway, I am slightly smug because I have the love of the most amazing man in the world who always gives me the first taste of the coke, and listens to me witter endlessly about twaddle.

I hope your sick buckets are not running over.

Hard Core

I am a hard person. Now i dont mean that I am unempathetic or close minded, I simply mean that I've always had a solid core.
Its difficult to explain...
As a child I would try to be "girly" to do what the other girls did (especially my neighbour Francesca) but I would lose interest pretty quickly, and not even notice I had done so. I danced and sang cos I liked it, had an idea I'd like to be a singer, but not because I wanted to be a beautiful starlett adored by men, because I loved to sing and was good at it. I love jewellery but I feel it should be something you're dedicated to, that you wear everyday but have some other bits for special occaisions.
Oddly I've always believed in true love, the chivalry out of teen books like the kind you get in The Song Of The Lioness quartet or any of Tamora Pierce's books, whose writing shapes me every day.
I've always been dedicated to music, to the belief that music shapes who you are so perhaps that's a key part of my solid centre, if I love a band its because they speak to my essence, the stuff that makes me Emily. Maybe that's why through all the tragedy of the 00's I maintained myself.
So when I say I'm hard I merely mean I have a solid sense of self and I have thoroughly no idea where this came from, I'm just me.
Said childhood friend (francesca) asked after me when she met my sister a few years ago and reportedly said something along the lines of "she's always just been her" we hardly spoke past junior school but I was established even then.
Its odd because I so often feel I am so easily influenced by the stories in the world, working in and being fascinated by theatre means I'm around stereotypes every day although they're stereotypes which always subtly break their moulds.
I always seem to believe my life will follow these story lines, I sub consciously trawl through them all when thinking about what will happen next in my life, ultimately landing on the most dramatic (meaning suitable as play material in this case) of these as the foregone conclusion of my circumstance.
Its been a year since I realised my true love was working beside me every day. He makes the fact I am hard make sense and goes some way to soften the sharp edges.

How's about this then...

I thought those of you who don't work in theatre might be interested in my running list. As sound no. 2 I look after microphones and fix pit band issues, but I also do scene changes...

Jack and the beanstalk  
Pre-show  
Switch on stage and pit rings Power on pit;
u 13a power
u Keys
u Corg
u  TV Monitors
Power on racks and laptop ~open wsm
Battery up mics
Flash out mics with snd no.1
Check beanstalk is connected to battery.
Put smoke machine in oven
Set pyro on oven, keep key.
Position cables for act 1
Handout mics  

Act One
Give pit beginners
u Greg
u Nick
u Chris
u Tash
Strike shadow truck cables after lx out
Page SL rainbow truck  

Scene change 1 (purple marks)  
As cloth flies in clear SL masking
Strike groundrows out of space
USL truck - flap back to its catch ~ SL wing
MSL truck ~ SL wing
DSL truck ~ SL wing
Help pull windmill truck DS past its marks ~ wiggle it so the cloth doesn't catch
Bolt windmill truck with ASM 2
Reset ground rows CS marks ~ give clear to ASM 1
Set SL masking
Shuffle SL trucks for ease of movement.
Tidy ground row cable US of units  

After slosh  
Receive Sean's wig in washing up bowel and hand towel
PFL Mark's Mic      

After Mark's entrance  
Unbolt windmill.  

Scene change 2 (green marks)  
Clear SL masking
Strike ground rows out of space
Move to SR rear of windmill ~ space
USL village ~ marks
MSL village ~ marks
DSL village ~ marks
Ground rows ~ marks
Give clear to ASM 1 for BP/ call in BP
Set USR smoke machine @ join between trucks  

Beanstalk sequence  
Set ladders with Alison in MSR truck.
Stand by on beanstalk line in case it catches
Clear ladders for Alison entrance
*dame enters* Bungee off ladders to truck
Stand by behind beanstalk truck
Prepare to catch Alison if she falls off the ladder.  

Interval change (blue marks)
Move smoke machine to USR position and bolt
Fold beanstalk
Shuffle space
u pivot windmill truck DS
u giants kitchen out
u windmill truck to back of space
u set cloud land
u plug up castle truck USL hot power
u set ground rows  

Act 2 Beginners  
Give pit beginners
u Greg
u nick
u Chris
u tash
u Ali H
Dress ground row cables DS of units    

Scene change 3 (orange marks)  
Start SR side
Page cloth over cloud trucks
RUN
unbolt 2x cloud trucks CS
Flip up offstage treads SR cloud truck
Strike ground rows ~fold back into space blocking fire exits
Unplug castle truck and strike ~ space
Rostra ~ space
Cloud trucks ~ space
MSR portal flat (from next to SR props trolley) slide on from on stage, orange bungee
MSL portal flat (from back of DSL village truck) slide on from offstage behind cloth, orange bungee
Plug up oven truck (13a and pyro) from USR portal
Give pyromkey to dsm
Strike DSL rainbow truck as cloth flies  

After fight scene  
Strike saucepan to USL fire exit
Unplug oven and set back
Set dungeon truck  

Scene change 4 (yellow marks)  
Strike flour truck as cloth flies
MSL portal flat ~ SL wing (in front of dollys)
MSR portal flat ~ SR wing (next to props trolley)
Gauge whether ASM's need help with trucks.
Counting house truck from SL wing ~ SR marks (bolt)
3x SR flats in front of truck (coins - bags - bag)
Candleabras from SL (in front of tool box) ~ MSR or MSL marks
Plug up candleabras from USL and USR portals
Page dungeon truck off DSL
Set up shadow LX DSL, next to haze machine DSL portal, (plug up so that cables run smoothly)
Shuffle space to make room for giants door.  

Scene change 5 (green marks)  
GIVE GIANT CLEAR OVER MAIN CHANNEL  
Strike bookflat as cloth flies ~ SL wing
Unbolt counting house truck Strike 3x flats onto counting house truck
Strike counting house truck ~ SL wing *BEWARE GIANT + CHICKEN*
USL village truck ~ marks
MSL village truck ~ marks
DSL village truck ~ marks
*BEWARE GIANT EXITING SR*
Set Ground rows
Set cables US of shadow truck
On "scene change complete" assume the position SR of shadow truck.
Strike shadow box SL FAST on LX out.
RUN US and cross behind USL village truck to SR Standby on beanstalk line
USR SMQ 10 pull on line until beanstalk is SR ~ drop with sound effect.
Return to SL set ground row cables US of units  

Scene change 6 (grey marks)  
Clear SL masking
Strike ground rows out of space
USL village truck ~ SL wing
MSL village truck ~ SL wing
DSL village truck ~ SL wing
Hold rainbow flat while ASM's release she-ra sticks ~ lay off to wall.
Help set up US cloud rostra
Shuffle space to access large she-ra truck ~ set on marks USC
set ground rows Call in BP ~ page past castle truck Plug up castle truck
Set SL kids ~ send on as cloth flies    

Stand-by to page show cloth if needed.  

End of act 2  
Power off racks, laptop.
Power off pit
u keys
u corg
u check acoustic 2's unplugged.
u switch off 13a power
Collect in mics.
Turn off trips for pit and stage
Put smoke machine on charge in SM office
Charge beanstalk battery from USR portal hot power using charger.

Well there you go. Panto on paper. And barely mentioning gangnam style.

I will possibly one day be a terrible parent.

All I want to do when someone I love is stumbling with something is do it for them / instruct them how to do it.
I dunno why, I hope it comes from a good place.
But god does it not help when teaching your work colleague who is also your boyfriend your stage plot.
It was easier last year for he was not my boyfriend.
It's weird, I almost get anxiety over seeing someone struggle.
Must be my daddy issues.

Lah.

Hey world!

So here I am yet again with a brand new device that might mean I blog more.

Fingers crossed eh?

Panto is hard. I'd heard that Jack was the hardest set shifting wise, but that's been compounded by the addition of the ground rows on lil trucks. These bastards have too be struck and reset in every scene change, which is utterly ruining my back. Add to this a high speed BIG change whereby have to strike a difficult truck so the kids don't run straight into it and then avoid hitting the 12ft giant (if I knocked him over the guy inside would probably break both his legs). It hard hard work.

But hey!it's Pete's birthday tomorrow and I'm sooooooo looking forward to seeing his face when he opens his present!

Here's Buttercup, planking.

Holey Lah

Well quite a lot has happened since I posted last.. I've changed jobs houses and men (an improvement on all fronts) and on monday I had my long awaited kidney surgery.
Which is the purpose of this post. So I can post pictures without people seeing if they dont want to!
Without any further ado....

EmLah xxx

Oh and I really like the new blogger app. So maybe ill use it more!

its new phone time!

I am returned to my blog.

Yes it is a tech week

Yes im not programming

I finally got my new phone yesterday after long months of dealing with a constantly dying one. Some may call me silly for going with another motorola after the issues i had with the Dext. But the hardware issues were outweighed by the brilliant MOTOBLUR (predictive text capitalises it!) Software. Which meant when i logged into my account on my new phone ALL my contacts and accounts were waiting for me. Fucking fabulous!

This tech is awful the jumped up lecturer is a douche and the student ld is a disgrace to her teachers. The casts accents are so awful theyve given me a headache and the studio is BOILING!

Peace out lovers x

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I miss my Dad.

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PAD

An advert from grandads coronation issue of the sunday graphic!

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The Return of The 'Add Picture' Button.

somehow (fuck knows how) the picture button has returned to my blogger poster thingy on the website. so now i guess i can start working on PAD stuff, or i could just leave it on Flickr as i have commented on each one? i don't knoooow.

AW!

i wrote a MASSIVE post yesterday on my blogging app, and it ISN'T HERE!! how very tedious.

Once more into a tech dear friends

Well, another week another show. Its good so far, cant ask for anything more than the first half done in the first tech session!
The show is View from the Bridge and, judging by the run i saw last week its going to be very frickin good.
I downside is we've got a work experience boy here, and he is a serious techie boy.
What i mean by techie boy is a kid who ALWAYS knows better than you, as far as he's concerned. Who already knows everything and more about technical theatre. Anjd i'm reasonably certain the young ones refuse to listen/accept your opinions if only because you are female.
Now im not saying this kid is for sure a techie boy, he may well be nervous and just trying to show he knows stuff about our industry.
I had a run in with one at uni, the thing with techie boys is they NEVER have any creative instinct, but are certain that they do. This run in ended with Brychan nearly knocking him out when he said "see ya later Bitch" to me, as i'd joked that as the LD/tech director for the show we were working on...he was my bitch. In standard techie boy form, he refused to admit someone might know more than him or be in a higher position.
I think its the arrogance and know its the smug expressions that truly get my back up with these people (as im sure techie girls exist too). I mean this kid commented so disparagingly on the Strand 530 console (having never even used one) that i immediately pointed out all its good points and how without it we'd still be using switches and the desk his stage school have wouldnt even exist, and how i obviously disliked their desk. (Which i don't i think the EOS series is awesome.)
These boys may well grow up, keep their knowledge but stop being such smug little twunts. I do very very much hope this is the case.

Anyways, peace n love n all that.

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PAD

This ladies and gents, is a Fresnel Patt 743. Or otherwise known... flappy barndoored-heavy-wanker.
Nice light quality tho.

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PAD

The wonderous Strand LBX. Yes, that is a golf ball. No, its not a control for a Lego motorised toy.

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Yoga

So, me, doing Yoga?!

Mad right? The skinny girl who hardly ever exercises out of choice mostly because my job is pretty damn physical! But i figure that i can't rely on work for exercise, Show call is not condusive to fitness, too much sims on the sofa.
So, this week while i've had the mornings free with Attempts work in the afternoon/evening i've been playing with Yoga. I found this great DVD; Yoga for Dummies, which is so very very like a spoof video that i enjoy watching it and I've so far done half an hour of Yoga the last 3 days. AND myself and chiropractor sarah are going to a class at LA fitness on sunday.
So far (gosh every paragraph begins with So doesn't it?) I am enjoying it, i've been a little less stiff each afternoon, and i've done a few more of the 'Daily Dozen' ending today with the full dozen performed before 11am! Woo!

Lets see if i can keep this up! (Like the blogging)

Nomasdae! (Fuck knows if thats how its spelt!).

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PAD thats blown it!

Here's todays Photo a Day, at some point i'll post a link to all the others i have taken, its always a battery issue at the end of the day that stops me posting these!

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Maybe...

...just maybe, one day when i say i'll keep up with my blog, ill keep up with it.
I mean, i seem to have had a lot more to say when i was 18/19 than i do now at 25.
Or is it merely that i'm now stupidly busy and pretty much live in a theatre?
For example, this week I'm working 1pm til 10pm. My routine the last 2 days has been:
10am(ish) get-up and attempt some Yoga (more on that later)
11am(ish) shower, do random household chores washing up etc.
12pm eat, watch ground force whilst playing Sims.
1240pm leave for work.
11pm get home from work after consuming a fake beer in the bar (More on that later). Play some sims or watch TV.
1230am go to bed.

Sure i could get up earlier and get more in, but i like sleeping til 10 its the only way i really feel like ive had enough sleep. I WISH i was someone who got up at 8am no matter what they were doing, people who get a morning as well as an extra bit of evening.
Anyway, i ramble.
I shall post about Yoga and alcohol free beer later. (No i'm not pregnant, just a bit broken.)
With my current track record, the yoga post will be december and the beer one sometime in 2012

Taroo

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Return of the Em.

Hello Blogging-World! (or probably just Kate actually)

it's been a bloody long time since i've posted on here. could it be due to lack of desk? or merely laziness? or perhaps 'cause i'm always at work?

well anyway, i figure as i'm doing this wonderous Photo A Day journal thingy, that i shall do a monthly blog post with all included.

and you never know... maybe i'll post some more now i've cleared off the desk.

EmLah

8 things

Eight Things I Like:

1. Brychan
2. Theatre
3. Coca Cola
4. Formula One.
5. Cheese
6. Films
7. Taking photos of interesting things
8. Going dancing with friends/socialising with friends

Eight things I did yesterday:

1. put brychan on the train to wales :(
2. bought peaches in tescos
3. Pressed "Go!!!" over 500 times
4. Watched Wagstaffe the Wind-up Boy twice
5. passed a lot of comments on BTG finalists (whilst being sighed at by becks who wanted me to shut-up)
6. Crawled around in the roof at work
7. dropped off Brychans Space Wolf minature at GW and marked terratory by saying "my boyfriend Brych" about 6 times to emo GW girl
8. ate the other half of an AWESOME piece of chocolate cake.

Eight things I wish I could do:

1. Speak and read Mandarin
2. be a LD already!!
3. not have to worry about my bank balance
4. Be spatially aware in relation to my body
5. buy LOTS of lenses/filters/accessories for my EOS
6. Read all the books i want to RIGHT NOW AT THE SAME TIME!!!
7. Give Brychan a degree
8. Remember every second of my life with perfect clarity

Eight things I don't like:

1. People who don't care what effect they have on the world/people around them
2. Welsh women who assume Brychan is too good for me, because i am English
3. Missing a GP
4. Spiders
5. People who judge me on my appearance/class and never bother to find out who i am.
6. People who don't bother to find out why i am how i am, and just assume i'm a weirdo/crazy.
7. Sheep (the human kind)
8. Lewis Hamiltwunt. and associated politics/bandwagoners

Eight things I look forward to:

1. Me and Brychan, having a life together
2. going to Alton Towers!!
3. Being a LD, (therefore knowing everything i possibly can about the medium of light)
4. Reading the new Ian Irvine (once i've re-read all the others)
5. Travelling the world
6. having enough money to not have the fear of not having enough money.
7. Going to Le Mans next year.
8. Having a house of my very own.

Eight TV shows I watch:

1. BBC's F1 Coverage
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. ANTM
4. House
5. Heroes
6. Desperate Housewives
7. Doctor Who
8. Private Practice