The Two-Second Day

Deb: This last five days our lives have been full. Twelve-hour, jam-packed, eat on your lap while brushing your teeth full. We are working on a live show. We have known about it for eight months. We were booked for it for eight months. We could not get it together. We talked and talked and talked and talked and ignored and talked and snubbed and said, “Yeah, I know we gotta get to that,” and ignored. 

Finally when it would not be ignored any longer and it presented its unfleshed out self to us, we had to jump on it. We waited until the show loomed. Loomed like a huge comedy shadow cast across the audience. But we kept going with “live on the edge, create on the go, fly by the seat of our pants”. It makes it that much more exciting!!!!  Or at least that’s what we plan to say in interviews. In the end, pretending it didn’t exist did not help shape the show, so ... we started. To work on it, that is.

And then the strangest thing happened. Enthusiasm reared its perky head. Momentum rose to the occasion. We brought in our friend Sandy to collaborate and, lo and behold, a show was born. There is nothing like a deadline. And a dame!

And so here we are. Working crazy hours every day as we strive to put this artistic venture together. We have hired the boy to work for us and he has more than stepped up.

PS to that: I have learned so many things about my computer as a result. The boy would push a button and magical short cuts would appear, and I would say, “How did you do that?” He would patiently tell me and I would covet the information with relish. The fact that I have already forgotten most of it is far from the point. I learned it. It is in there. And when I am less busy I know these learned lessons will present themselves.

But the thing that has blown me away is the length of the days. Most of my days are approximately sixteen hours long. These last five days have been two-seconds long. Literally. One steamboat, two steamboat ... bedtime! Now believe me, I know my way around a busy day!  I have had many a crazy split-second timing day that has had me whirling and twirling. But even when I am kookster busy I still run a civilized day. I get up, have breakfast, read the daily news, chat with my husband, the boy, the girl, work out and carry on.

Hmmm. That’s my new motto. Work out and carry on.

But the stunner is the day itself. Gone! Speed of light gone. Like this can’t be a real day gone. This is not the 24-hour day I have grown up with. This is speed-daying.

Where did the seconds, minutes, hours go? They were just here, for heaven’s sake. Someone bloody well snatched three o’clock from me! Two seconds ago it was 10:45. Swear to God. 10:45. Now it’s 6:10!!!

I am finding, as a result, that I no longer trust the minutes- hours- days. They are here one minute and gone the next. Note to self “Time. Unreliable.”

But the upside, and there always is one, WOW, the sleeps!!!  The dream-filled and dreamless sleeps mash up. Wake up to pee. No worry. Back to sleep before I hit my pillow. I am existing in the totality of the sleep experience. It is wonderful. It’s teen sleep! Newborn sleep! The sleep of those who can be hit on the head with an anvil and not wake up sleep. Refreshed and loving the day. Purpose filled. Ready for more. Sound and fury signifying creativity. We are laughing and tossing out ideas to each other and it is a driving vibe! What a way to spend a day. Any day. Purposefully. Days that are bursting with bursting. A day you can bite into and it squirts in your mouth. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Fuck, it’s midnight!  Gotta go.

Barbara: Well, we’ve only had snatches of conversations these last few days, so I KNOW you’re very busy. I also know about the procrastination, and I know of the busy-ness. But … it’s really nice to touch base here on the blog at least and to get the lowdown! It sounds like so much fun (now!). There’s nothing quite like “being in the groove”. I’m sure the show will be killer. And, everybody, if you’re wondering why I’m not talking about seeing it, well, the one night I could see it, Phil and I are now going away! Details to follow……

PS Here is a link to a radio interview that Deb and Colin did about the show (thanks, Margo!).

And here are links to the shows themselves: 

http://riverrun.ca/  Guelph

http://www.capitolcentre.ca/ColinMochrie.aspx     North Bay

http://www.academytheatre.ca/    Lindsay

http://www.oakvillecentre.ca/Colin%20Mochrie.htm     Oakville