Once again my flat is an oasis away from the Fringe for these few days before the whole thing kicks off. I have stayed home, only venturing out as far as the gym and the supermarket and aside from there being a rather surprising density of comedians on the streets have had no real clue that anything Fringy is going on.
The flat is quite luxurious - the fridge has stopped smelling (or I've got used to it) and a man came round with a ladder to change my bulb (so that's the punchline to that joke). Nearly all my flatmates are here now. I'm with Lucy Porter for the third year running (making her possibly the most successful female cohabitee I have ever had - maybe the trick it to only live with any person for one month out of twelve), Danny Robins from TWTTIN and Wendy Wason (who is not here yet). Please go and see all their shows. They're all terrific.
I will miss obnoxious Aussie Sarah Kendall who is not coming up this year because she's not doing a show. We used to have fun being grumpy together and watching Catchphrase and making up rom-coms films which turn very dark in the last scene. But she's got
a TV show now, so that's the last we'll see of her. Some people! I turned down doing Absolutely Scrabulous so that I could come to Edinburgh . Yes that's right. It was my choice. The BBC begged me, but I said "No. Edinburgh comes first. I shan't do it."
They said, "Well can't we do it after Edinburgh."
And I said, "Er... no, because then I will have started work on the next Edinburgh. One doesn't just knock a show together in two months you know? It takes months of working 16 hours a day. Take your TV contracts and shove them up your arse."
If only Kendall had the same kind of commitment to comedy. It's all about the money and the chicks for her. Sad.
I won't miss Justin Edwards, even though he isn't doing a show, mainly because he has chosen to come up in a bit to stay in our flat. I think he's a bit infatuated with me and couldn't keep away. But I am not interested Justin so back off.
But I feel almost preternaturally relaxed at the moment, seemlingly forgetting that I am about to do a run of my show, which still needs working on. I've been a bit distracted by the Guardian Guide to Comedy, which I hopefully finished today (I will let you know when it's going to be in the paper) and also with the discovery that I can download loads of new applications on to my iPod Touch, which wasted a fair proportion of my evening! I have suduko, poker and a calorie counter now and spent a lot of time trying to set up apple's new mobile me service, but I am not sure it is going to be worth it. It's meant to automatically sync your computer and iPod, but I couldn't get the email working and am not sure it's worth £59 a year. I am on a two month trial. I think it is easier just to sync them normally for free.
So far, so good. But tomorrow I have to acknowledge that I am at the Fringe as I have to take 10 minutes off my show, sort out the ending and do my tech (though this should not take up the two hours that they have allotted for me). And I am gigging at the Pleasance Dome in the BBC stand up show. Because tomorrow the whole thing begins for most shows.
And now I've said that I am slightly less relaxed. I hope some people come.
