Lurgy

I'm hoping that what I experienced yesterday was some kind of 24 hour gastric 'flu. Sometimes, when you're aching all over from fits of vomiting, it's hard to tell if you're actually feeling any better, but I haven't had any gripes in the last few hours and managed to keep down a dry beigel and a cuppa soup which I had at lunch time, so one assumes I'm on the mend. I'm still feeling clammy and a bit odd, but nothing compared to how I felt this morning when I sat on the tube weeping because I had no idea how I was going to get through the day. 

I got home yesterday at about 8.30pm, and effectively hallucinated and slept for 12 solid hours, my confused, obsessive mind repeatedly dragging me into one particular aspect of the edit; the need to make almost completely arrhythmic "vox pops" fit into strictly defined passages of music. We've spent more time doing this than anything else, and the process continued through the night. 

It was, of course, the worst day for me to be ill. My Dad's in hospital having an operation and obviously if there are complications I'll need to drop everything and jump in a car. 

To make matters more complicated, we've entered the second week of the edit, and have a new editor who needs to learn the piece. Hazel has become Louise, who specialises in post-effects like grading, but Louise isn't terribly happy with the set up in the edit suite.

At lunchtime I learned that our commissioner  at the BBC is wanting to get more involved in the project (a mere six months after it was signed off) and wants versions of the film sent to Manchester so that she can give feedback. This is, of course, her prerogative, but I worry that she's not going to understand the nature of these sorts of projects and will suggest lyric changes and all sorts of things which are impossible to remedy at this stage. I'd say a good 90% of shots are set in stone based on so many factors including convincing lip-synching. Editing these films is a complicated jigsaw: there's often only one solution. I sent an email in an attempt to manage her expectations and I hope she doesn't just think I'm being shirty. 

So, on top of everything, there has been much to juggle today. People to appease and people whose minds need to be put at rest, yet all the time I'm simply wishing I could get home. 

I have one more commitment tonight, which is a rehearsal with the wonderful Fleet Singers. Of course it would have to be tonight that their main conductor, James is away, so I'm rehearsing them on my own. I had hoped that Nathan would be able to come down for some moral support, but he's lost his voice so there's very little point. I genuinely just want to find out that my Dad's okay, make sure that the Fleet singers feel like they've had an inspiring and worthwhile rehearsal and then curl up in a little ball and fall asleep until I can wake up feeling alive!