Sunday, September 5, 2004

Under the Spitfire's Wing...

That's where I spent a great deal of my time today and yesterday whilst at Goodwood, trying (and failing) to shelter myself from the sun. I wasn't underneath it while it was flying, obviously- only when it was on the airfield. It was lovely just lying on the grass, keeping cool... But I still have the worst sunburn I've ever had on my face, neck and hands. What makes my neck feel worse is that fact that I have an irritation caused by my blunt razor, too, so even putting soothing cream on hurts... *winces* Never mind. I'm too tired to complain now. It doesn't bother me that much. At least I'm out of the sun now, heh. I'm bloody exhausted, though. Ya! A new running joke with the Intensive Actors is saying "Ya." at every possible opportunity. It's poking fun at the guy who was directing the photoshoot on Friday and he'd say it literally every other word. Even when he wasn't saying anything, he'd still say it. Or at least, he'd be thinking it. You could tell. It's not a nasty thing- it was more the way he'd say it rather than anything else. Funny stuff, heh. Lawrence had me in agony today. It was probably down to the heat, but everything he said or did made me burst into hysterics. My sides hurt so damn much >.> I've not laughed like that in such a long time. What didn't help was that I was trying to eat at the time. he successfully made people laugh water out of their noses and collase on the floor. He's an amazingly funny person and deserves everything that's given to him. Party Hearty My god... the party last night was an amazing experience. Our brief was to hand out as many masks and hats to the guests as possible- the gigantic marquee was decked out like an 18th Century Venetian carnival, with guests arriving in masquerade dress, like that scene in The Labyrinth where Jared takes Sarah into that dream. Not everyone was as extravagantly dressed, but there wasn't a hint of 'common' anywhere. These people had money, and weren't afraid to show it. Didn't give me any though, bastards >.> Still, it started so quickly I hardly knew what was going on- every time I went to give a new arrival a mask, three more would appear behind me trying to pick some up. I had to carry them all around with me so as to save everything on the stall from falling over. But even then I just got stuck in the middle of the room with people trying to take the masks from me. And since my own took away all of my peripheral vision, I had no choice but to suddenly swivel my entire body round just to see what was going on, more often than not bumping into some exceedingly tall gentleman in a suit and tri-corn hat. And there were celebrities. Not many people will know who I'm talking about, but I saw Damon Hill (dressed up fantastically in a green velvet outfit, hee) and Rowan Atkinson (in a suit, no less). The highlight of my evening was when Gareth Evans from How 2 spoke to me ^_______^ I was so happy, heh- he's really really cool. It wasn't much of a conversation, but I was honoured anyway. It's odd that people get like that about celebrities. I guess it's because they've seen them and have either a very good or very one-sided view of what they're like, and knowing that they're that kind of person makes them act in the way they do. Stirling Moss was also there as was Rolf Harris, but I didn't see either of them. We ran out of masks so quickly. They hadn't provided us with enough, and people were asking for ages afterwards. There were two types- black and gold, elegantly shaped, or yellowy-gold, more of a Dame Edna thingy. Of course, pretty much everyone not wearing yellow wanted the black and gold ones, and those went in a flash (which was a shame, because both Holly and I wanted to keep one each for ourselves); and then the yellow ones disappeared as well. people even nicked the ones that were glued to the top of the stall, which had no sticks to hold onto. And even though the hats were 'one size fits all', people would spend ages trying to find one that fit better than the others, even though the differences were probably so minor it's more likely it was purely psychological whether one was bigger or not. But still. After an hour of crowded bustling, jostling and being given evil looks when explaining that there were no masks left, the guests had to make their way to the dining hall. *speechless* Nothing I say will be able to do justice to where the main evening took place. It was truely spectacular. Inside this warehouse/marquee, was a reconstruction of the square in venice, either side of which was an open stairway to plush red dining areas. In the centre was a stage about the same sort of dimensions you'd expect for a meduim-sized theatre, in front of which was a performance space and lots of tables (presumably where the most prestigious of the guests sat- they were in the middle of everything). Next to, opposite and above the stage were even more tables separated by archways. Everything was lit red/yellow/orange, with candles, theatre lights... absolutely breathtaking. Once they'd all sat down we escaped into fresh air for a bit (very cold fresh air- I was wearing my Pierrot costume from Oh What A Lovely War and it gave no protection whatsoever), played around with a swooshy cloak (I now have critically-acclaimed swooshing technique, hehe ^_____^) and was told which area of the dinner I'd be collecting raffle tickets from. The idea was that people bought tickets for this ludicrously expensive raffle and the proceeds went to charity. Except not many people wanted to donate. Our job was apparently to try and cajoule them into giving no less than £20, but it didn't quite work out like that. If they wanted to give money, they would. If they didn't, you said nothing and left them alone. Enough said. Jez had had one person tell him to "F*** off" earlier that evening, and they will always do that because they think they're more important than you because they're rich guests and you're just some git in a costume. Arseholes. They're not all like that, but you have to assume they are and watch incredibly carefully how you step and what you say. That aside, the opera and indoor fireworks started. Yes, indoor fireworks. The place was that bloody huge. They were fantastic to watch, but at that time I was more eager to get home and collapse into bed than watch something explode. The Means to an End, and a New Beginning Today was the last time I'll see John for... I don't know how long. It's a shame that he's moving to France, because it's going to make seeing him that much more awkward. but he'll always do Goodwood, and I will for as long as I'm able. He's such a lovely man and I'm honoured to have met and studied under him. Not just as a student but as a friend, too. I wish him all the best, heh. I start college tomorrow. Things are going to be pretty different to last year, but I'm really looking forward to it. New tutors, new classmates, new approach... looks like fun ^_^ Sleep well, everyone.

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