What a difference a day makes! It resets the clock, changes the date, even changes the tasks required of a person. Days certainly are significant units of time. I don't think anyone could argue about that.
From the theoretical sell-out of Thursday night to the... well, the not that of Friday.
But I'll get to that later. Friday began with a trip to see the Collings and Herrin podcast being recorded. I've listened to the podcast since day one (to clarify: not Edinburgh Day one, or my first day here, or the first day of the universe - just since the podcast started).
I feel an odd loyalty to Collings (Andrew Collins) and Herrin (Richard Herring), so it's only right that I see them in action. Even if the 'action' is just them sitting down, making up puerile nonsense and arguing with each other. This was my first chance to see it live, and was lots of fun.
Afterwards, I went shopping for frivolous treats. How frivolous? Well, I bout six DVDs of the 1960s Spider-Man cartoon. They were only £3 each. So I felt justified. I also bought a Fall album, the new Arcade Fire album, and A Serious Man on DVD. And some comics.
You don't need to know all that, but I thought that kind of precise detail might help you visualise my predicament. The Devil is in the details. And God. They're both in the details. They seem to be behaving amicably enough, but their mutual disdain is bubbling beneath the surface.
After that, I went and sat in St Andrew Square. It was alternately sunny and freezing, and there was a sweet little dog that I thought about stealing. Small as it was, it probably wouldn't have fit in my bag.
We did our usual flyering outside the our venue, and waited for the crowds to pour in. And they did. All five of them.
That's right: five.
One of whom was Jon's friend. Three of whom seemed to be hanging around for a later show.
I have no idea why there was such a disparity between Thursday and Friday's attendances. I suppose there's no explaining these things. Maybe there was some kind of Friday 13th curse. Yes. That explains it.
In the end, it turned out to be really fun. No-one really did proper material, and it was just like a fun chat between friends. I spend my whole set telling one joke:
One summer, I worked in the grounds of a convent. I subtly convinced Sister Mary Patrick to keep the sun out of my eyes. She was nun the visor.
Jon had requested the joke, using the punchline. So we basically workshopped the joke. The nun would need to be oblivious and German, we decided.
Instead of a set, Jon invited people (including the audience) to share their memories of him. It was really enjoyable.
It's funny: Thursday was full, but a bit underwhelming. Friday had a minuscule audience, but left me feeling really upbeat afterwards. Alex suggested that that kind of gig is the real "spirit of the Fringe". I think that's right. There may not have been many people there - but I think those of us who were there really had a memorable time.
It's odd to think we've done a full week of gigs. What a difference a week makes! Probably the equivalent of seven day-differences.
I don't think anyone could argue about that.
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