Miss Spektor.

I'm a little bit in love with the lyrics in Regina Spektor's 'On the Radio', especially this bit:

"This is how it works
You're young until you're not
You love until you don't
You try until you can't
You laugh until you cry
You cry until you laugh
And everyone must breath
Until their dying breath

No, this is how it works
You peer inside yourself
And take the things you like
And try to love the things you took
And then you take that love you made
And stick into some
Someone else's heart
Pumping someone else's blood
Amd walking arm in arm
You hope it don't get harmed
But even if it does
You'll just do it all again"

A thought.

I'm going to miss my best friend so much.

Two In One.

Last night I caught the first half of Ali McGregor's Late-Nite Variety Nite before ducking off to Sarah Millican's Edinburgh Preview.

Ali and Martin White were wonderful as always and were joined by Jamie Kilstein and Kulki the Hula Girl. The first half also featured an Iranian comic who I didn't like very much, she told a story about being held hostage by the teliban but it didn't lead anywhere.

I enjoyed Jamie Kilstein's set; kudos for the way he dealt with a low-life heckler who was sitting front and centre. Mr Kilstein had seen a friend and I arrive and due to the fact that we'd seen him quite a bit recently, he'd written some new jokes. How lovely is that!

Sarah Millican's new show is shaping up to be just as good as her last. I love her naughty but nice humour and the way in which she involves the audience. I'm looking forward to seeing the final cut in Edinburgh.

A thought.

When I say i'm staying out of it, I really should do exactly that.

Luck Of The Irish.

I've just spent the weekend away in Dublin with a lovely group of friends. I had booked the trip mainly to go to the Carlsberg Comedy Festival but also fitted in a spot of sight-seeing.

There was a moment of panic at Stansted on the Saturday morning when we were faced with absolute caos at the check-in desk. If it wasn't for the kindness of strangers Karena and I would have missed our flight.

We arrived late morning and went and had lunch at a church that had been converted to a pub (soup with Irish soda bread!) before touring around Dublin by bus. We were driven past numerous landmarks while a nice old man told us stories about the charming city.

The evening was filled with comedy and featured the likes of Bo Burnham and Tim Minchin. It was the first time that I had seen Bo and I loved his set so much, his material is way beyond his years. Turns out many others enjoyed his set too and he got rave reviews.

Tim Minchin's set was interesting. The audience were quite drunk and liked to heckle which was a bit unfortunate. He sang 3 songs (Prejudice, If I Didn't Have You and Confessions) and did lots of ad lib. My favourite joke was when he opened a young girls purse and pulled out ten euros (long story); a lady called Theresa objected because she thought it was mean. In defense Tim said something along the lines of "it's not mean. If it was a foetus I wouldn't have said anything". Brilliant.

On Sunday we had brunch at a charming cafe in the centre of town, from there we headed back to the Iveagh Gardens for more comedy from Des Bishop and Tim Minchin.

A great set by Mr Minchin, he playing 4 songs (the same as the night before plus 10 Foot Cock And A Few Hundred Virgins). His stand-up was tried and tested material and he let his songs speak for themselves. His performance of Confessions was the best I have seen/heard it. He walked right the way off stage before the 3rd chorus and gagged when he sang about his Great-aunt and lipstick; hilarious!

Des Bishop appeared to be the man everyone was there to see. I enjoyed most of his stand-up, but he did a lot of material that only the locals found funny (which wasn't all bad as he was nice to look at). He dealt with a rude heckler so well, by well I mean he ripped them to shreds.

I arrived home around midnight tired but with lots of lovely new memories.

A thought.

My level of tiredness had reached a new high that all I want to do is cry.

Mr Kilstein.

Last Thursday I went to The Riverside Studios to see Jamie Kilstein's last preview before he headed up to Edinburgh for The Fringe.

The crowd was small and the surroundings intimate and I really, really enjoyed it. His stand-up is thought provoking and intelligent and at the same not confronting. A really great show and i'm sure it's going to go down well at the festival.

A thought.

I really need to think before I speak.

Old Rope.

Yesterday was a bad day. Really bad. Unbelievably bad. Thank goodness for Old Rope, the brilliant line-up and laughs a plenty made all my worries a distant memory.

Some of the people on the bill included Shappi Khorsandi, Lee Mack and Dave Gorman. But it was the headliner, Andrew Maxwell, who I was there to see and he didn't dissapoint. That man is a comedy genius! One of the young guys sitting by me was laughing so much he was hunched over in pain.

A Thought.

Trying not to cry while standing at a rainy bus stop is near impossible.

Setting: A rainy London bus stop; 7am.
Text to Mum: There are some days that I just need my Mummy, yesterday was one of those days. x
Text from Mum: Some days I need my Mone. There are a lot of those days! LOVE YOU TOO xxxx

My Lovely Lucy.

Today I went to Surbiton to visit my friend Lucy and her kitten Lola. I hadn't seen her since the begining of the year and it was so nice to catch up. Lucy gives the best cuddles.

I had a long chat with my Mum this morning. She talked mostly about the plans for her wedding (which have suddenly gone from a small intimate gathering into a full-fledged ceremony with all the bells and whistles). I'm going to send a letter which will be read out at the Registry Office.

A thought.

I was the only person on the upper deck of the bus while making my way to Lucy's house. I was thinking non-stop until we reached Victoria and then the thinking suddenly ceased. I thought it had got very quiet, but the quietness was only caused by lack of thoughts.

K-nackered.

It's been another busy week, the following one should be a little quieter.

On Monday I went to my first Old Rope which was mainly to see the headline act, Jamie Kilstein. It was the second time I had seen him, the first being at Leicester Comedy Festival earlier this year. The crowd were totally digging him and he gave a superb 40 minute set. The other acts of the night included Robin Ince, Milton Jones, Holly Walsh, Alistair Barrie and Dave Gorman.

On Tuesday I made my way to The Invisible Dot to see Tim Key and Tom Basden preview their Edinburgh shows. I would go as far as saying that they were the two best previews i've seen so far, I loved every single second. I have a feeling that there is going to be a bit of a buzz around these two performers during the Fringe (I hope so anyway).

Last night I popped around the corner to Riverside Studios for Ali McGregor's Late Night Variety Act featuring Martin White, Tim Key and Adam Hills. Ali sang some awesome covers of Creep, Can't Get You Out Of My Head and You Shook Me All Night Long and Martin White indulged us with Mystery Fax Machine Girl and Squeeze me. The variety/caberet acts among the comedy were also very good (The Boy With Tape On His Face and Miss Behave being favourites).

A (fangirl) thought.

I've seen all the Cowards in the flesh. This thought always results in a big, goofy grin.

Lovely Texts From Home.

I got a lovely text from my sister Chelsea today.

"Went to Grandma and Grandpa's wedding vow renewals on Sunday, it was gorgeous! Mum and Grandma were crying away and you know when the preist leaves the alter and goes to collect the bread and wine from the back of the church? Grandma and Grandpa helped gather the items and Samantha jumped up, grabbed both their hands and walked them back to the alter. So beautiful, I felt my eyes welling up too. Wish you were there!"

A thought.

I really shouldn't be feeling homesick yet, the last visit home was only two months ago.

Inflate Me.

Last night I went to Regent's Park Open Air Theatre to see Adam Hills. The setting, the crowd and just the down-right brilliance of this man made it a night to remember.

The evening got off to a shakey start as Mr Hills dealt with stage-entering problems, late comers and a present from the audience.

I'd say that a large proportion of the audience were Australians and he played this like a true professional. I gave a little bit of a squeek when he said he was going to finish with his Jimmy Barnes inspired Australian National Anthem.

I laughed until I cried and leared how to sign "fuck you and fuck you all". My favourite joke of the night was to do with the recession. "The recession to me is like a clown molestering my Dad. I know it's going to affect me, but until it happens I just don't know how."

A thought.

I wonder if my friends think i'm an inflatable person?

Circus Karaoke.

Last Wednesday I went to the 100 Club to catch the latest Karoke Circus. It was the first time that I attended this brilliant affair, but certainly not the last. The house band (consisting of Martin White, Danielle Ward, Foz Foster and David Reed) were joined by The Mystery Fax Machine Orchestra and allowed for some big arsed band backed performances.

The stand-outs for me were John Hegley, Kevin Eldon, Gary Richardson, Isy Suttie and Miles Jupp. The funniest coming from 2/3 of The Penny Dreadfuls, Andrew Collings and winner of the evening, Angel.

Wanda, an audience member, gave an alcohol induced (and slightly pornographic) rendition of 'Nothing Compares To You'. But the most awkward sing-a-long has to go to the two brave souls who sang Sunny and Cher's 'I Got You Babe'.

On Friday I went along to the Wellcome Collection's Quacks and Cures. There were so many fantastic exhibitions going on, but I could only muster enough effort to see Ben Goldacre speak on the placebo effect.

I could listen to this man all day, I love his passion and his eccentricity so much."Homeopathy facinates me... not homeopaths though... I just find them really angry".

He entered from the top of the seminar room with his backpack and beer and munched on a snack while being introduced, eating the last mouthful as the talk commenced.

A thought.

Martin White and Ben Goldacre are added to my list of 'These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things' and.... I really shouldn't post a blog when i'm feeling a little bit down.

That Feeling We All Get Sometimes.

I'm just feeling down today. No particular reason, I just am. I got an email from Mum this afternoon that simply said "maybe you can come to the wedding after all!" with a link to this.

I miss her so much. I know that no matter what I do/say, she will always love me unconditionally.

A thought.

Why do I binge eat and what triggers it?

rewodiW sI A ikswezsaloG nafetS.

Tonight I went to the 'Stefan Golaszewski is a Widower' preview at The Invisible Dot HQ. Some of the dialogue in the play was really fabulous but the way it was executed seemed void of emotion.

I didn't like the fact that it was set so far in the future, it didn't add anything to the play except bring up new words/phrases which was just confusing. I also didn't like that they used the actual actors name for the character. Was that meant to be his life? If so, how depressing.

On a happier note, I just finished Bastard Whimsy by H Anthony Hildebrand (1/2 of the Junior Ministers). It's a collection of blogs, poems, monologues and lyrics that he's written intermittently between 2001 and 2008. The satire in his musings is nothing short of genius. This man clearly has a brilliant mind.

Eggs By H Anthony Hildebrand

You can't make and omlette
Without breaking eggs
And you can't break an egg
Without breaking a chicken's heart

And if you break a chicken's heart
A rooster will break your fucking legs

Why would you want to?
Why would you want to?
Why would you want to?
Why would you want to?

See? Pure awesome. "Useful Guide" is another of my favourites.

A thought.

Sometimes people need to keep their thoughts and opinions to themselves. Like the delightful old lady that sat next to me on the bus tonight and told me i'd only get fatter if eat too many sweets (I was eating sweets). I now feel like shit.

Zzzzz. A Tired, Busy Bee.

This week was full of comedy and scepticism and magic and old friends and new friends.... certainly one to remember.

On Tuesday evening I sat through one pretty awful Edinburgh preview and an awesome preview from Gavin Osborn and Isy Suttie, who sang duets as well as individual songs. I couldn't pick a favourite out of the wide selction they played, I love them all equally.

On Wednesday I went to Sceptics in the Pub to see Ben Goldacre and friends speak to the masses. We caught Vaughan's 40 minute set before having heading off to The Canal Cafe to see Chris Cox's preview; Mind Over Patter.

An entertaining preview, even when it was a little shambolic at times. I'm looking forward to seeing the final take at Edinburgh.

Last night I went to the last ever Laughter in Odd Places that was being held at the Museum of London. There were quite a few comedians on the bill, but due to the clashing time slots I only managed to see Terry Saunders, Gavin Osborn and Tim Key.

Terry Saunders and Tim Key performed at the Grassy Knol; a lovely leafy area outside the museum complete with cushions and picnic rugs. It was the first time I had seen Terry Saunders and I just thought he was fantastic. He told a little story about two lines people (wimbledon theme) that fell in love.

Tim Key is just my absolute favourite performer at the moment, he just blows me away with his comedic/poetic talent. I am a bit chuffed that I now own a Museum of London map with his scrawl (even if I was a coward and didn't ask him to sign it myself).

Gavin Osborn performed in the Medieval Room. It was the 3rd time i'd seen him perform this week and he went down really well with the audience. I love his songs/music (which would probably fall under the whimsical genre) and I am so glad he sang the song about the checkout man.

A thought.

I have lovely and intelligent friends and I love with all my heart.