The Cardiff and County Comeback

Hi All

So you probably can recall something about me being a zorb football referee and working at some sort of cafe/bakery, right?

Did you forget about the Cardiff and County Club? It was the first proper job I got in Cardiff, and I am very grateful to be working there. For one, I try and take home all the leftover meat, pretending it's for "my dog". I mean, the first time it Was for my dog. But then I realised the chef was throwing away deliciously untouched, excess meat from meals, and I wasn't having any of that. I'm such a scavenger!

Secondly, the job is a piece of cake (most of the time). I think my boss is very generous, giving me all the hours I can work each week, not necessarily because he needs extra waitstaff. It's great to be working in a silver-service dining place as well, because I can now use this on my CV for every other waitressing job that requires "prior experience". Boo Ya!

But thirdly... well just hear this story and rejoice with me. Last week, I sent my boss an email, explaining that I had a friendly duo (trumpet/piano) that might be good to perform at the Club if ever there was need for entertainment. Two days later, he comes to me to discuss the possibility. I have to admit, the email was sent in a timely manner. He explains that the 149th anniversary of the Club is coming up, and all the acts he was interested in booking were unavailable, with the last two being highly improbable maybes. So I explained that my friendly duo would be able to do some jazz, or if he wanted something a bit more dignified, I've got some classical pianist or guitarist friends who'd fit the bill.

We discussed it for a while, with him mmming and ahhhing, and then he said, "I know you sing, Sally, but what type of music?"

And there we have it. The seed that sprung into a wonderful evening with James and me performing musical theatre at the Club. That day, I was scheduled to work the lunch and dinner shifts, but alas, I was given the day off and an after-dinner entertainment slot. It was hardly "work". Or well, we had to prepare heaps but James and I practice each week anyway, so it was good to have some direction.

Our song selection was spot-on. Concentrating on classics, but then branching into musicals from the 60s and 70s (to reflect the age group of the patrons), we hit the nail on the head. I also added in "Back to Before" and didn't mess up as badly as I normally do, so big personal achievement there. The dinner guests LOVED it. They loved that James kept fiddling with the music, they loved that I sang some Carol King (a man noiselessly mouthed the whole thing), they loved that I made silly jokes about Wales. Okay, just one silly joke. Or maybe I loved the joke more than them, I'm not sure....

I should stick to just singing then, hey? haha

Anyway, James and I are now called the "Aussie Eyebrows" and we're famous (among the 20 diners that night)! YAAAAAAA GO US! Plus I was still able to nick some food from the kitchens: a chocolate covered strawberry each for me and James.

Anyway, I got home and did many a victory dance when explaining the evening to Carol. She kept laughing at me, but I didn't care. It was such a high. 

New dream: become a wedding and pub singer.

Other News

I met up with Anita Reynolds, and as always she inspired me to have dreams rather than to have uncertainties. She said, "'I don't know' gets you 'I don't know where'" and helped me to define my dreams. So many times, I've been thwarted by the idea of where I should be, but now I can listen to where I want to be. Firstly, I know that I respect underground theatre so much more than the highly-prescribed musicals that have been playing for ages on the West End in the same manner with different casts who are told to do it exactly as the previous actors and it's all a little bland by the end of the run. That was a run-on sentence for sure, but I assure you it makes sense.

Well, I don't particularly want to be a part of that. Sure, it'd be fun to say that I've been in such and such musical on the West End, but I'd rather create than imitate. 

I also don't want to move to London and waste away my savings. Moving to London doesn't necessarily mean waste my savings, but it sure does cost more than here in Cardiff. TBC.

My agent has left my agency. You may all well be shocked, but I have a feeling she needed to do this, as her acting career is far from over! I still signed a document with them, and they are determined to keep their side of the deal, so I believe I will be picked up by another of their agents. It is an exciting and interesting time for us all, and I hope the change does more good than bad. Think positive, achieve positive results. I made that up just now.

Other Other News

I nearly biked into oncoming traffic today. No kidding! The wind has been so bad the past four days. I've had moments where I give up hope, cycling at half the speed of my walking as the wind pushes me backwards. I've veered off-course as the wind blows into my side (ergo oncoming traffic comment). It's been horrendous.

It was my first weekend of zorb football refereeing, and the balls were being horrible when I was trying to blow them up. Let's ignore all of the sexual innuendos that are going through your head. It was horrible. Some of the balls that I had already blown up were knocking me over as I was trying desperately to get the next ball full. And deflation was just as bad. The zorbs kept blowing off the patio in which I worked, and getting covered in mud. I tired myself out completely trying to do a job of this, plus they're actually quite heavy, so dragging them to and fro the storage cupboard made me cry inside. I emailed my boss, explaining that I'd much prefer taking the dodgeball sessions if possible. Fingers crossed he'll be okay with that.

The parties themselves were quite fun. I was by myself this week (as opposed to last week, where we were in pairs), and the first lot invited me out with them, even sent me photos of them dressing up as oompa loompas. I would've gone had I not been blown around so much by the wind, and if I didn't have another day of zorbing Plus spring forward.

Woe is me.

I went to confession though, so happy is me! Prepare the way of the Lord!

No Photo Purposed

I purposefully didn't put photos in this blog. I figured I put waaaaay too many selfies in the last one, and I'm just a bit embarrassed of my face at the moment. I'm going to go get headshots done by the infamous Jennie Scott this coming week, so if those go well, you'll have some wonderful pictures of my face. I am also working on my personal webpage, which is replete with Sal's headshots galore, so that should be available for your viewing pleasure any time of day, all year long, forever and ever. Because it will be on the internet. DUH!

I just haven't published it because it needs some tweaking and filling out.

Hopefully more than 100 people want to read about my life this week, because I'm that much closer to reaching 9000 views! 4000 of which are my own, surely!

Love you all, whoever you are.

sal