A Plan

Sometimes you need a plan and I love the quote from Die Hard 4.0 when, John McLaine is asked whether he had a semblance of a plan, he replies, "Find Lucy. Kill everyone else!"
Notice the simplicity of the plan and the whole plan contained in five words. I can see the drawbacks if you applied that plan generally but I do like its brevity.
When I make a plan it tends to go on for pages and by the time I get to the end of the plan I have certainly forgotten how the plan starts and indeed what the plan is for.
Nowadays I rely upon "to do"lists as if I plan I become rigid ( I am a belt and braces man at heart) and inflexible. If I have spent the time drawing up a plan then the plan will come to fruition at the allotted time or there will be tantrums. The Best Beloved has tried to make me more flexible but the result is I usually end up floppy and indecisive. That last bit doesn't sound good but is accurate I believe.
I am not very good thinking quickly on my feet. I prefer to muse on a problem for a while before coming to a conclusion - the trouble is, once I have made my mind up, I am as stubborn as can be (see Wrong Way Corrigan in previous posting). I invariably regret snap decisions made on the hoof. Yesterday I was expecting to read a short scene with David P at the Havant Arts Centre 30th birthday bash but the ambience wasn't right and we ended up doing theatre games. I am not sure these were the right thing in the circumstances either but on the spur of the moment could not come up with anything better. The Bench needs a street theatre arm or training in order to do these sort of events justice. Our sedate theatrical approach is not conducive to the mobile disinterested crowd situation.

This has been a weekend of celebrations. Friday was Yorkshire Day (official) so I was nearly a month out with my celebration (see previous posting). It was also the 30th birthday of our Firstborn. We spent the day helping Kat move into her new flat and then had an evening meal with the Firstborn at the Sussex Brewery. I wasn't great company as I was very tired after my day as a removal man. although I left most of the lifting to ToyBoy and Natty Chap. Saturday saw the 30th birthday celebrations of the Havant arts Centre as above and I think I can claim to have directed the first ever theatrical production at the Havant Arts Centre back in 1978 (see Bench Hamlet 2008 in links to the right). Today (Sunday) Firstborn is holding a joint Birthday garden party in South Street, Havant, with Vicky Wakelin (whose birthday is August 8th). The weather could be better but the spirits are cheerful. Tomorrow sees the 6th wedding anniversary of the Firstborn and Natty Chap to round off this weekend of familial fun.

I have a couple of meetings this week otherwise my attention is on writing ghostly tales for the Ghost Walk I am doing as part of the Literary Festival at the end of September and planning a Storytelling session I am doing at the Arts Centre as part of the same event. People keep asking for decisions on the two activities and until I have committed them to paper they simply don't exist for me except in the most abstract sense.

Other than that it is hoping we can push on with the foundations for the extension, weather permitting, and that England can restore some cricketing pride by beating the South Africans just once, and that Pompey buy Shaun Wright-Phillips in time for the Community Shield next Sunday.

I am still working on my holiday films and I am obliged to Ian Wegg for his idea of putting "Les Madamoiselles des ecluses de Nivernais" on the cardiac rehab website but I think if I ever finish editing it will appear here or on my Facebook page. I also have a plan for another Debbie Hobbs' cardiac rehab film for her website, www.cardiacrehabphaseiv.com.

You see I have plans: "Find Lucy. Kill everyone else."