i know i probably should have posted sooner with a re-cap of the standup gig i did last week, but all sorts of things have a way of happening to get in the way. i also found that everytime i sat at the computer and contemplated writing anything, nothing would come out (except grany noises from my mouth, and that's not exactly inspirational). so here i am now, tapping away, and hopefully someone somewhere will get something out of this.
going on stage again was interesting; actually, let me rewind and talk about the preparation. i didn't have much time to think about what i was going to say, so stressed out on monday night trying to work out which bits out of all my standup stuff worked the best, and what i'd do to try and weave it all together. agonising. then i spent a couple of hours the night before collating the bits and re-arranging them into a routine, set it out in bullet point form, printed it off and cut and uhu-ed it into my notebook. so far, so good.
the day of the gig i came home straight after work (instead of loitering in the city library for a couple of hours, something i've taken to doing quite often), had a shower and did three practice runs in front of the mirror. i was nervous, but the material seemed to flow and i remembered the links, so i didn't panic too much - until i got to the venue. i don't think it was my fellow performers (who were all excellent, and very friendly) or the crowd (again, excellent) that affected me - just before going on i had a 'what if i forget my order' thought and then went out and promptly did just that. i managed to cover, but was a little disappointed in myself for fudging it - and as a result i think the general tone of my set was a little more subdued than it usually is. and when you're feeling subdued, the only people you notice are the ones who look bored, and the only thing you remember whan you get off stage are the parts where no one was laughing. having said that, it wasn't my worse gig, and in the grand scheme of things i think i did okay. long story short - i am aware that i am the worse judge of my own performances. i am thankful that i was asked, and happy to have broken the drought!
apart from all that, i am slowly easing into a new work week after coming out of a particularly excellent weekend - full of good food, good company and good music. hope your week started off alright?