I woke up today with a cold and a really sore throat. Not fun.
I am trying to fill out a job application (one final try before I fully commit myself to staying in Exeter) but the stupid application just deleted my personal statement. I am not happy about it and I don’t have enough time to redo it before work. Dammit.
Alice.
I went apartment hunting today, which was meant to feel like the beginning of something new but has just left me feeling a bit strange today.
I get that you’re never going to walk into a dream home fresh out of university, but I had sort of hoped I would be able to get something that made me happy.
The one that I’ve settled on is very tiny with very little storage so I am going to have to get rid of a lot of stuff. Goodbye old notebooks full of uninspired prose, goodbye dear lovely record player and record collection, and goodbye prom dress:
I physically won’t have room to be sentimental about this stuff.
The thing that most terrifies me about moving into this flat is not the living on my own, or the rather cramped conditions, or the necessity of getting rid of old junk; it’s the commitment.
By doing this I am committing to stay in Exeter for the foreseeable future, no matter what other jobs come up across the country, no matter how much night shifts bring me down and make me want to cry, no matter how far away it puts me from the people I care about.
It will be fine, because everything almost always is. It’s just made me feel very detached today.
Alice.
Had a great (if slightly surreal) night of wine with a friend yesterday and stayed up until 4am watching Rocky Horror and chatting.
My hair is still damp from swimming and I’m off to work now but am excited to have four flat viewings lined-up for tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully I will have somewhere to live come graduation! Fingers crossed 🙂
Adult life.
It’s coming to get me.
Alice.
Dear person whose name I only know because I’ve stalked the social network profiles of everyone who is listed on your website and decided you were the one most likely to read this,
Hi. I have just finished my degree. It was a difficult degree from a decent university and I managed to get a good grade whilst also networking and participating in extra-curricular activities and social events that are apparently important in terms of making me a more rounded individual and now I would like a job.
I’m not asking for a great job. Just something basic that will stop me being homeless or starving hungry all the time. If you’re feeling generous, maybe this job could even be in a field related to the degree I just spent three years of my life slaving over. No? Oh well, worth a try.
Anyway, I’m sorry to bother you. I understand you’re busy, but you see, I just spent four hours researching this position and filling out your really long-winded application form and, by the looks of it, a monkey could do this job, and surely I’m better than a monkey (although I will you grant I’m not as cute as one) so I thought it was worth taking the time to write you a really uninspiring, unoriginal covering letter because, having just graduated, not a lot of interesting things have happened to me yet.
I’m organised and I’m hard working and I promise I’m not a total twat and I was wondering if you could find it in your heart not to dismiss me outright just because I’m young and inexperienced, because doing so makes gaining experience basically impossible.
I will sign-off by thanking you for your time, despite my suspicions that, having looked at my EO monitoring form, you will have seen that I’m only twenty-two years old and won’t have read this properly. I will also tell you that I look forward to hearing from you, and point out that all of my contact details are listed in the header and that I’d be happy to meet for an interview at your earliest convenience, only to never hear from you again.
Yours sincerely,
Alice.
Today has been a little stressful and I still need a haircut.
Haven’t been awake very long. It’s 4pm. Have to go to work in just under two hours.
Full-time night shifts are going to be bad for me. I can feel it.
Alice.
I have not been swimming in ages because Enron completely took over my life. I’ve also been using the show as an excuse to eat very poorly recently, so now that it’s over it’s time to get back to a healthier lifestyle. God knows I’ve got nothing better to be doing!
I’ve just got back from a great swim and I have about two hours before I need to go to work.
That’s me looking fit. Just in case you didn’t realise.
I am going to pop to the green grocers and pick up some delicious vegetables because I am an adult now and that’s what adults do.
Alice.
I’m trying to cure the post-show blues with wine in the new glass my cast bought for me.
The depressed feeling that sets in when you come to the end of a really good show is nothing new to me, but today has been a very sad day.
Enron went so well last night – better than I could have ever hoped – and we had an amazing audience across the three nights, but now it’s over and I am a little bit sad. A feeling that isn’t being helped by the knowledge that, as of tomorrow, I have no theatrical projects on the go and am starting full-time work in a bar as of tomorrow.
I am going to continue researching and writing job applications so that, hopefully, by the time the lease is up on my house (in about eight weeks) I will be employed in a job that fits my degree subject. Fingers crossed.
Alice.
It is the final performance on Enron tonight. So much hard work has gone into this show and so much laughter has come out. I am so excited for people to see this tonight, but also a little sad that it’s all going to be over.
Alice.
The second night of Enron went so well and I am so proud.
And so tired. Despite not being on stage.
The weird thing about being a director of a show is how tired you feel afterwards. I can’t quite explain it, but sitting with the audience and knowing there is nothing you can do is a draining but wonderful experience.
I laughed at moments that weren’t necessarily funny to anyone who hadn’t seen the show a hundred times, and I felt everso everso proud at how much hard work I saw happen onstage in order to make the end result look effortless.
Tomorrow is the final performance, at which point I will have finished any and all projects associated with my university. It’s scary and exciting and also sad; the cast I’m working with at the moment are the best bunch of people I have ever worked with and I am so proud of them and all of their work.
Alice.
Missed a day yesterday because Enron took over my life.
Now, usually, tech runs of shows are stressful and painful and often leave the cast and crew snapping at each other or at least grumbling quietly. The best tech runs tend to be those in which no one cries. Yesterday I had the best tech run in the world which, given the complexities of the show, was amazing. The cast were great, we had a laugh, and everyone left happy and excited.
The evening show was excellent – great audience, great cast, great tech – and I now cannot wait for the shows on Friday and Saturday!
This morning, I got up to go and take part in a flash mob proposal ceremony.
My beautiful friend Rosie thought she was turning up to a rehearsal but, instead, her cast and a few of her friends surprised her and her lovely boyfriend proposed to her! ^_^
It has been a very exciting week and it’s not even close to being over!
So much happy.
Alice.
The Selfie Revolution 