Five Years of Board Games

Blew my nose two dozen times as I convinced myself that I was ok. In reality I pushed myself a little too hard at work as the requests came in thick and fast, all I could do was rise to the occasion. Now I have a nice long weekend ahead of me and I cannot wait to be a potato. I did have just enough energy to attend our board game night, which was celebrating it's five year anniversary. Nuts to think that almost half a decade ago I walked by a poster that said 'free board game night' on my nearby high street. The rest is history. We have friends we meet up with for dinners and have expanded our love of being politely competitive. During our last game I felt like death warmed up so we called it a night. All I have to do now is sleep.

Prep Be Gone

There was a near imperceptible shift as my cold migrated from my throat to my nose. But still I felt the tiredness behind my eyes, which only grew as more and more email piled into my inbox. I started thinking about bed. The warmth of the duvet. The sweet embrace of the dreaming. The lack of responsibility gifted for 7-8 hours. Just nothing. Just peace.

But late-ish arrivals of scripts meant I was at the office a little later printing for the read-through tomorrow. We were busy bees today so we could afford some respite, but we'll see if that actually translates or not. One more day of prep, let's see it through. 

Cast Composure

I kept my composure as I wrestled with tech in front of cast members so they could join a Zoom call. That was my early morning tasks anyway, after that I was once again dealing with lots of little bits plus hopping onto a hour long workplace training call, awkwardly timed to being just three days before we start shooting. A bunch of my colleagues think they're getting colds now that the temperature has changed, so I made a big pot of my supercharged lemon and ginger tea. Between that and a whole bunch of ginger shots I think I'm going to be ok...

Putting off the Admin

My workload cooled off at bang on 3pm, which left me not really knowing what to do with myself... Minus all the admin stuff I've been putting on the back burner that is. It was gratifying to finally take my foot off the accelerator though, unless this is the eye of the hurricane that is. At least the thought of watching Bake Off carried my through til the evening and the episode didn't disappoint. Halfway through the series now though and the weather outside has taken another decisive step towards Winter. It's funny how we can mark the seasons to the TV shows we enjoy.

Couriers and Commiserations

Some days I look forward to the curve balls, but some days they leave bruises. Most mornings now start with about two hours of catching up with everything and dealing with little requests from everyone. I don't mind any of that stuff (it's nice to do favours for the crew and help them out) but sometimes it pulls me away from the other bits I need to do. What really scuppered me was all the couriers I booked last week suddenly decided to go a bit wrong. Each one in a different way that needed constant attention and stress. Even when I got home I was getting messages about how late one of them was running. It was all outside the sphere of my control but I still felt like I could have done more. Thankfully my team were equally battered by different elements, so we commiserated together. Tomorrow can only be better.

Tailed by a Cat

Cooked a breakfast that kept me going all the way til dinner for Rebecca and her family. We walked it off during a Sunday stroll across to Wapping Wharf for a coffee and some book shopping. There was just the right amount of chill the air, you could feel it on your nose and the tips of your ears. All signs lead to jumper season, and boy, I am so ready for that.

Rebecca and I had to take a nap before we were ready for a board game evening with some friends up the road from us. Container is a very cute bidding and commerce game which I wished I was better at, but we had a real hoot playing. On the way back we heard the distressed call if a cat stuck in a park. We helped it out but then it wouldn't stop following us back home. We didn't want to pull him away from his home base so we tried to speed walk around corners onto adjoining streets to see if we could loose him. You always hear of lost cats, well this one was near impossible to lose! Eventually we slipped away and got back to our own cat who greeted us with hungry meows. 

Final week of prep starts tomorrow. Let's see what they can throw our way this time. 

Living Room Jam Party

 Rebecca and I got the house together for her parents who were staying with us for the weekend. They all went out to enjoy an afternoon tea while I stayed home and recharged with a quiet spell with the cat. While the new Castlevania was high on my priority list, I did find time to make a batch of brownies for a games night we'll be at tomorrow night.

Until then, I had another evening plan to enjoy. Namely a very old colleague and friend of mine was hosting his annual living room jam party. By that I do quite literally mean we crammed about thirty people into a living room to rock out to a live band made up of the host and his friends. It was intimate and radiated good vibes. I'm always really touched by well attended parties for really honestly good people, it refuels my faith in humanity and makese proud to be a part of that circle. 

C'mon Friday

Only hand a couple of pints last night but the telltale signs of a hangover were present as I clambered out if bed. I styled it out pretty well but I spent most of the day wishing it was home time. The thing that kept us all going was the knowledge that a special baguette was incoming for everyone from lunch, all the way from Cardiff no less. So come lunchtime I left renewed and ready to power through the last couple of hours, which went very quick as the workload picked up again. I have a kind of boneyard of jobs to do, mostly when I get a spare moment now (which is never). I'll get round to it all one day... But it all sounds like a Monday job to me.

Tall, Frosty Pints

Decided to put my watch on because it felt like that kind of day. Production Meetings, Tone Meetings and all the in between stuff - we did it all today. Lot of turbulent, seat of our pants kinda a prep stuff at time, but the movie business is all about what's in front of camera, the rest is auxiliary. While I camped out in the sidelines, my team did some really exceptional work. We got all the busy stuff done and dusted now, roll on the final week of prep.

It was also the kind of day that called for a nice, tall, frosty pint. What started as a work thing capitulated, but from the ashes rose a nice double date opportunity with Rebecca and my colleague (plus their partner). We hit up an old favourite pub, met the new owner and tossed darts til the little voice in our heads said 'but it's a school night'. If it was a Friday we'd be there til the small hours, still it wouldn't have improved our darts skills... 

Massive Mirror

I pride myself in my ability to pull rabbits out of any crack, and I got a chance to flex that muscle this afternoon. I managed source and get delivered a mirror about the size of my height and armspan all within a 90 minute turnaround. We got it all done and the Costume Supervisor was rendered dumbstruck by my efficiency. When I do good I really knock it out the park it seems, but the rest of my day was again spent without catching much of a break. We have the big production meeting tomorrow so it'll be all hands on deck for most of the day, after we crest that hill though everything should get a little easier. Til then I'll just continue to white knuckle it.

Death by A Thousand Favours

Had a taste of 05:30 alarm goodness for the first time in a while because those early recce breakfasts won't collect themselves. All in we actually had an incredibly smooth experience (it's almost like we've done this a few times now), but the meat of my day was packed. Yet, I still wouldn't be able to tell you where all the time went. I would blink and two hours had passed. It's lots of little jobs all adding up into grander ordeals, death by a thousand favours. That and sustainability bits which hoovered up a lot of my mental bandwidth - all for a good cause thankfully but it's put a lot on my plate now.

Society

It wasn't until about 3pm that I came up for air. Before then I was drowning in an ocean of emails, WhatsApps and post it notes reminding me to do things. Everything is really heating up now and the workload is reaching it's zenith prior to the shoot actually starting. But it's also reach that point where we've all planned it for so long that it's honestly just time to go out and shoot the damn thing. 

I'm doing well on my October watchlist too. There's always an 80's SFX video nasty every year and this year's pick was Society which gets appropriately squelchy in the final moments, aka, exactly when Rebecca comes home from yoga. I basically had to pause it to give her a warning that the living room was going to be mighty unpleasant for the next couple of minutes, and boy, I didn't know the full truth of it then but I do now. Probably not in a hurry to recommend it, but that last sequence is something else. 

Glassy Potatoes

Just the other day Rebecca was flaunting about how she never really gets hungover. When I woke up and rolled over to look at her she said in a raspy voice that she didn't feel so good. Thankfully neither of us were actually very bad, a cup of coffee sorted us out so we were ready to do the North Street Shuffle. Every time we go now I bump into someone I know, crazy how for such a big town I'm still never more than a stones throw from a friendly face. 

I accidentally made the best roast of my entire life tonight too. The chicken I brought had more meat than we bargained for and my potatoes were glassy and fluffy. One of those dinners where all the planets aligned and it became the best version of itself. It was so good I almost forgot I had work tomorrow... What can next week bring I wonder? 

Maybe Mixology

Worked a little hard and played equally hard by doing some chores interspersed with some games. The kitchen wall had started to shed some of its paint so Rebecca rolled up her sleeves while chipped in where I could. In the evening I went out to an old colleagues Birthday party which was open to a lot of team from Rivals 2. A lot of them I'd grown friendly with over my extended hiatus but it was still lovely to enjoy eachother's company once more. Especially since I got to play barman at the party and mix a couple of drinks - maybe my true calling is as a mixologist?

The We Hate You Email

My laptop needed a pretty critical update first thing at work. I had to use my iPad to browse wave one of my emails, most of which were 'you did this wrong' ones which I had to scramble to fix. I still feel like I'm running on my hands a bit, I couldn't settle into my usual rhythm, mostly on account of a nasty headache that kept manifesting. I'm going to try take it easy tomorrow and actually stay in bed for a long snooze.

Wine and Work

Bunch of my team got hit with a wave of extra work they were previously promised they wouldn't have to worry about. I was lucky it didn't impact me too bad but I was getting a lot of secondhand stress. I buried my head in a big, long sustainability Zoom call which went well, plus some other bits and pieces. Latterly our Producer brought in some very fancy bottles of wine to say thank you to all the prep crew for undertaking such a rough week. All the departments came into our office, laid down their tool and lifted a very small glass. It felt like Christmas 1914 for a moment.

Rebecca was out tonight so I could watch a weird horror film. One Cut of the Dead was my chosen movie which started off as one of most ropey zombie pieces I'd seen in a long time. By the end of it I felt it I realised that the film was actually perfect for my Mum of all people as it ends up going in a very different direction to what you'd expect. Get through the first 30 minutes, and you'll get it. 

Work Hourglass

The work hourglass has flipped over. I've gone from leisurely and quiet to frantically busy almost overnight it feels like. It's that horrible period of prep where we're trying to squeeze everything in last minute now but we're up against a couple of elements that mean everything is taking slower than it should. I'm keeping my head just above water though and I'm still smiling, mostly because I'm chatting with a lot of regular vendors of mine that have given more a lot of grace and kind words. It's kinda cool to think that I've fostered some good relationships with businesses over the years.

Home Visit Doctor

Got to do something at work that rarely trickles down to me: find a doctor available for a house visit for a few member. It always struck me as an incredibly French thing, having a roaming physician on a bicycle for home calls. Alas, we're in England and finding one was like panning for gold. Just as my two leads fizzled out I found someone who had better reviews, better availability AND was a little cheaper. I was already buzzing off that win, then my third coffee hit me and I was basically flying for the next hour. The work load is picking up a bit now and I'm ready to meet the challenge. 

Good News Bomb

I could barely pack the tiramisu into my car today because it was so big. I went through most of the day just waiting to drop the good news bomb on everyone and when it eventually came time to peel back the tin foil everyone was chuffed as chips for a little pick me up. Beyond that I'm just cranking through my workload and getting things ready for the coming weeks. Things are getting busier slowly but surely, but our team are tried and true so we're already several steps ahead in the planning, now it's coming to the time to see things through.

Tiramisu Boy

Saturday's chores were put off til Sunday, and now here we are. I was on my hands and knees vacuuming the skirting boards of every room in the house in aid of the Sunday Reset, but to be very fair, they did need doing. We tied in the laundry and Rebecca's bake off contribution to a free energy hour courtesy of our provider - oven on full whack and the longer hotter laundry cycle for us. Once the dust settled though I went about making a tiramisu for my colleagues tomorrow. Even when I started the job I shook hands with people who started with 'nice to meet you Theo. I hear you make an amazing tiramisu.' I've made my peace with the fact I'm a personality hire, but I have many other talents besides puddings.

The Village

Had a Saturday all to ourselves which meant I had the time to make every meal for us. Rebecca will tell you the highlight was the omelette, which landed in front of her just as she finished catching up on Traitors. I'm starting to gear up on my horror movie hype train again, I got a big old list I'm going to try and work through but up for today was The Village which surprised me with how much I liked it. It certainly casts a spell on its audience and plays it all with a sincerity that can captivate if you're on board. Thankfully I was and the movie was still good even after 'the twist' was revealed. A good start to the movie marathon and one I'd certainly recommend.

Sense and Sensibility Redux

We all agreed to try and get out the office nice and early today as it might be our last chance to do so. Everyone rushed to get their work done and a few clocked out leaving me and a few others behind. Naturally, I got slammed with a last minute rush from a slew of emails that all needed attention. So I left at a normal time, but still with plenty of headroom to watch the new Sense and Sensibility with Rebecca and her friends (two cinema visits on the trot, what a joy). The film itself was solid, played well, shot well and earned all its moments. But it didn't feel interesting in any way, not that it needs a novelty to excite me, but there's very little in terms of USP here. 

Bad Apples

After work a few of my colleagues met up with Rebecca and me to go to the cinema to watch Bad Apples. It was being filmed in Bristol about two years ago and our screening even started with a pre-recorded message from the director saying how much he enjoyed making his movie in the city. The film itself was a real romp, lots of thrills and shocking moments that left you asking if you should be appalled or left laughing. The real joy though was sticking around til the credits to see a world of familiar names scroll up. Each of us pointed and silently cheered at each name recognized. It's a tight community of filmmakers out here and I'm proud to be a part of it.