A week's worth of glee and growls

[pensnest]

I seem to have been running, jumping, standing still, for several days now. Also experiencing the disconcerting swoop from normal life to intense fannishness and back again rather more often than is usual. Still, I should catch up.

Well. Last Thursday I had my hair cut - something short instead of the bob that inevitably goes frizzy-clown after a while. With a pink patch! It is a magnificent gleam of magenta amidst the purple, just what I wanted. So, pride.

Got back home rather later than expected, to find the lovely ephemera waiting for me. After a reasonably swift lunch, we proceeded in good order to nopseud's house, and thence to Birmingham for, yay, the Backstreet Boys' concert. My first arena concert ever. Good thing I am only thirteen in my head sometimes, otherwise I might think I'd missed out in my staid and well-behaved youth.

I can't recall much in the way of specifics, though there was a highly excitable trumpeterofdoom before we took our seats, and then when the lights went down and then up, everyone from front to back of the floor of the arena rose to their feet in a kind of half-finished Mexican wave. I retain a strong memory of having a huge grin on my face throughout, of being unable most of the time to look away from the Real Live Boys to peer at the screens, because Real Live Boys are magnetic and screens, however clear and large, are not. Howie's salsa moves and gyrations as he sang - I can't be the only person who liked his solo number! Nick looking enormously enthusiastic at his illuminated drum kit, and startlingly beautiful as he sang his solo number. AJ's Drive By Love making me want to dance and have moar, plz. Brian's little intro before he sang his solo, which made me grin bigger yet. Finding out I actually knew rather a lot of the words to rather a lot of the songs. Sore palms, sore feet. Good stuff.

On Friday we got going in a rather leisurely way, except for nopseud who had to conduct business with conservatory salesfolk, poor thing. But we headed off to Derbyshire and found Ebenezer Chapel without serious difficulty. We were shown round the place, which has, oh, joy, a pulpit above the main sitting room, the better to command rapt attention at story readings. Yea, verily, there shall be fic. The place is a bit tatty, but it has all that we want and it's remarkably good value, so it is now booked. I should probably post that to sparklyukfans at some point.

We then proceeded to discover an excellent example of The English Pub, whither we shall be conducting a forced march of Camp Sparklers next year. They have interesting beer and the best Ploughman's I have had in years. Then went off to explore bits of Derbyshire, which is a splendidly bumpy county and quite beautiful. In fact, I'm not sure that there *is* anywhere more beautiful than England in May (even the dull place where I live is lovely when the horse chestnuts are laden with candles), and we were also lucky enough to have a gloriously sunny day. It won't be so lushly green in March, but there's a proper river, and serious hillage in the vicinity. We went to a stone circle and had fairly close encounters with curious lambs, and there was much squeeing and cooing.

Saturday was naturally also squee-filled, though it quietened down a bit once trumpeterofdoom had begun her epic journey homeward. Later, I discovered that Jean-Claude Van Damme was not in fact the neanderthoid mountain of muscle I had always assumed, but was actually very cute. With a fine bottom. Also, that "Tremors II" is a really good film the moment you realise that the sidekick is pretty much Nick Carter, and start watching it as TrickyNick.

Well, even sparkly weekends of joy must end, so I returned to my Nest and was plunged into the more everyday business of the theatre group. Designed (oddly, in Photoshop) a layout for our company website, which met with approval at the meeting on Monday night, though I have no idea when it will appear on the web. Complained firmly about the usurpation of my rehearsal the previous week. Acquired lots of tasks, but managed to do several of them before going to bed, a good choice.

My Tuesday rehearsal went rather well. What with sneaking off for two main rehearsals in a row, I had to call an extra, but attendance was pretty good, and they got through both my medleys in quite satisfactory style for this stage in the proceedings. Wednesday was full of theatre business, as I had to collect posters from the printer, then head to the theatre for a meeting about scenery and set changes, then go to the local department store and sit in the Menswear department for a couple of hours doing my best to hand out flyers for the show to indifferent customers. Why the woman in charge of the Menswear department feels it is useful for us to do this, I cannot guess, and I can't say that I managed to come up with a fabulously eye-catching display, or round up a small choir in full costume to lure an audience, but the various shifts of personnel did manage to get rid of a fair few flyers, so perhaps we've gained something. Hmm. It gets very tedious, sitting in a department store smiling at random strangers. I filled the time by imagining poses for a Lance Bass calendar. There should definitely be one of these in my Christmas pillowcase this year.

So on Thursday it was back to the sparkly! As I remarked to several of the people who accumulated in the O2 (which is, incidentally, a great place, and infinitely cooler than it was last time I visitied, when it was the sad, sad Millennium Dome), I am seen as rather exotic in my normal world (hey, I go to conventions [occasionally] and have PINK in my hair), but as a fan, am rather mundane.

However, it's still fun. bun18 and I met iconis and catviret, found trumpeterofdoom and _ducks as they emerged from the Close Encounter With AJ session, and soon acquired nopseud, ephemera and saffronra as well as occasional other Backstreet fans (trumpeterofdoom apparently knows *all* of them). So... in we went, via a very short but nonetheless red carpet, to the VIP section of 'Indigo' to see AJ do his solo thing.

Oh, I wish I could do unadulterated squee, because really, AJ! Belting out his crazy songs, and chatting to the audience in his very sexy voice, and removing his T-shirt (*how* do his trousers stay up? I suspect rivets. They looked particularly precarious once there was no more shirt!). I can't say I exactly remember the details of the songs from only one hearing, but I'll definitely be acquiring the album. And there were Boys, signposted by a gigantic bodyguard, so nopseud next to me was all, Ooooooh, *BRIAN* is there! She did not notice AJ remove his T-shirt. Priorities, woman! We were awash with squee in the sixth (back) row, right in the centre, but since trumpeterofdoom and ephemera were in the second row, mere yards from where Nick, Howie and Brian were standing, correctly assumed they were pretty much ecstatic. My only complaint about the evening is that the level of amplification was so high that my ears *hurt*. I don't care if that's the "right" level for a gig. It's offensively loud, and really, turning it down a couple of notches would hardly leave the audience straining to hear what was going on. At the Backstreet concert, I could hear the singing - at this one, there were times when I couldn't hear AJ. Kinda missing the point.

So, I revert to middle-aged grumblewoman in the midst of the squee, which is also annoying. I did not wish there to be any blemish on the experience!

Today, it was back to Menswear for another couple of essentially pointless hours, though I did get a brief flirtation with a rather nice chap who took one of my leaflets and asked if he could be seated with ladies, please! And another passing gent said my hair looked good. And there was pleasing scenery in the form of a young staff lad in the 'uniform' of shorts and T-shirt, and an immaculately dressed customer with a shapely bottom. Fandom has taught me to perv, what can I say?

And now Bun is at the pub, working her first full-length shift and not due to finish until about 0130, at which point I go to fetch her. She'll have to get a taxi next week, I'm knackered. Also, I am highly indignant because I have been smitten once again by my period. Really, this is outrageous. Why have not teams of medical researchers been slaving for years to discover a means by which we women can be spared this bloody nuisance? You might think that at my advanced age I would be used to it, but in truth I have spent most of my life having very rare periods - intervals of 18 months not uncommon, a happy side effect of polycystic ovaries, I dare say. And now the wretched things turn up every four weeks, and it is not nice and it is not what I am used to, and I don't like it. Grar.

So. That was my week.

Comments

[ninjetti75.livejournal.com]

Well, YAY for sparkly squee and fellow fen, and Break A Leg with your show...

..and EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, pulpit! I can barely conceive of the mischief our group could get up to with a pulpit. I rather want to see if we can perv hard enough (project Harry + Max on the wall above where the altar used to be, maybe?) to get the place to spontaneously combust. (And the Supernatural/Winchester faction is going to be positively giddy with ridiculousness, not to mention looking for a weapons-filled basement, heh.)

[pensnest]

We were exceeding gleeful when we realised it was there, but had to contain our joy as the lady showing us round would have been very bewildered.

There were no weapons as far as we could see, but there's a well in one of the bedrooms, if that helps?

[ninjetti75.livejournal.com]

Well, Pastor Jim's weapon-filled basement was hidden behind a secret entrance, naturally. I'm sure British pastor-hunters would conceal theirs in similar fashion; we'll just have to find it. Though wells in rooms certainly sounds odd and interesting, too. *g*

[milosflaca.livejournal.com]

wow! it sounds like you had a lot of fun in all the stuff you've been up to!

I was particulary interested in the "play" part. I used to be a part of a group of actors. I wanted to be one (it was either that or painting XD). I wish you could post pictures and stuff :)

[pensnest]

It is fun, which is why I keep coming back for more! The play stuff is enjoyable but with attendant stress, of course. There is always something. However, at least I'm not the only person running this show, other people have been able to keep rehearsals going while I've been away on squeeful trips.

[rikes]

Are there any pics of your fabulous pink hair?

I'm so glad you had fun at your first arena concert evah! :D

Hee, I would have been distracted by Brian, too. Last week I was going back and forth about going to see AJ in Stockholm or Copenhagen, or Backstreet in Tallinn, and Brian won. :)

AHAHAHAHA, WE'RE GOING TO A CHAPEL. This amuses me to no end. :D The surroundings sound lovely, too.

[pensnest]

Hmm. There will have to be a pic in the nearish future, I think.

The surroundings are very gorgeous, I think we'll be spoilt for choice about places to visit!

[turps33.livejournal.com]

That sounds like a very fun, and tiring week.

Also, let me echo Rikes. We're going to a chapel! AWESOME!

[pensnest]

I'm still weary... but yes, a chapel! Hee.

[turloughishere.livejournal.com]

Your hair sounds fabulous! Perhaps a pic to show us it's full glory?

Boys!! AJ!!!! (I firmly agree with the middleage grumble about the loudness! I really, really, really do not understand the reason for it, sometimes even earplugs don't help!! *grumble*)

A chapel with a pulpit, yay!! We're going to have so much fun with that next year ;-)

Fandom has taught me to perv, what can I say?

*snerk*

[pensnest]

There shall be a picture, I am determined.

Yeah, the noise was just - I wanted to have a straightforwardly good time, y'know? At the BSB concert, it was loud - loud enough to feel the rhythm in my rib cage - but not *painful*. It doesn't seem much to ask, really.

Perhaps we can decorate the pulpit with candle salads.

[manna]

Why have not teams of medical researchers been slaving for years to discover a means by which we women can be spared this bloody nuisance?

Actually, they did, several decades ago. There's no medical reason not to take the contraceptive pill continuously and thus never have a period at all. The whole monthly-pill-break-and-bleeding started with the first pills on the market. It was originally settled on as a combination of marketing, to make the Pill's effects seem more 'natural', and an attempt to persuade the churches, especially the Catholic church, not to oppose the Pill. And it just stayed the same ever since, even though there's no reason for it. There are a few continuous pill formulations on the market now.

Trufax!

[pensnest]

Well, I'm pleased to hear it! Sadly, it seems a bit redundant to take contraceptives at this point in my life. I did not know that bit about trying to appease the Catholic church. (Whose authority figures are, I believe, not burdened with monthly bleeding, as a rule.)

I wonder how many women *do* take the pill continuously.

[ephemera.livejournal.com]

various of my friends take 3 or 4 months at a time, normally to ward off villainous migraines or other associated agonies, but the consensus sees to be that doing it for longer than that leads to break-through bleeding and sudden attacks of the agonies without warning, so it's better to at least schedule them in quarterly when you can plan to lie in a darkened room and whimper quietly for a few days.

(I'm quietly championing the mirena coil - about 15% of women stop having periods during the first four year implant (me included), and some much higher percentage after the second - I very much like this not bleeding thing and would recommend it to anyone.)

[ephemera.livejournal.com]

Sparkly week! woot! It's very strange going home to an ordinary house, with no resident sparkly guests. It's been a totally fabulous ten days for me - in no small part thanks to your good self.

Re the volume thing - I wonder if it was where you were sitting, or just that you have more sensitive ears than me - we were right on the speaker stack, and it was loud, but not tinitus-inducing loud, and I wasn't wearing earplugs (which I do for some gigs, at least for the bands I'm not so interested in)

But - AJ! Boys! *twirls* *grins hugely*

[pensnest]

It was a lovely week, indeed! I'm just sad that I didn't pipe up back in 2005 and say I'd quite like to see Backstreet then. Ah well.

I spose the volume may well be a function of the shape of the place, that kind of thing. I've been annoyed by sound before, though when I go to musicals, it's usually of the "not properly balanced" variety, so that I can't hear the singers - which is pretty dumb, when the songs are part of the story! Tho' I did think the bass+drums drowned out AJ's voice a bit too often - at the BSB concert the Boys were so clear!

Oh well. Next time, I shall remember to bring earplugs, just in case. I'm likely to be deaf in twenty years from now anyway, if my Nana and auntie are anything to go by. :-(