The future's got a million roles for you to choose

I have been debating in my mind whether or not to tell you the following story. I feel I should because a) it is Very Interesting, and thus qualifies as a good blog topic, and b) Ray and I did it together, thus qualifying it as a Jess and Ray's. However, I feel I shouldnt because it's not so much a way to spend a lazy summer day, as it is a important step in my career. I have decided to tell you it mainly because it's all just so exciting and I feel that you, my beloved reader, should get the chance to share in the excitement.

On Wednesday, Ray and I went up to London. Actually, we went up to Staines, which my Vati told us was technically Middlesex, and the local bus stops proclaim to be Surrey. Still, off we went. Our destination? Pinewood Studios, Shepperton. As well as being the studios in which lots of interesting films are filmed (I may have mentioned previously how we love films) it is also home to Brushstrokes school of 'professional make up training in media, fashion and hair'. Brushstrokes is soon to become my home. I am doing their three week intensive hair cutting and styling course, which is a long name for a course, but it leaves no question as to what the course is about. Intensive hair cutting and styling, if anything.

We met a woman called Shelley, who's cousin is a woman called Rebecca, who I work with. It took me a while to warm to Rebecca, in fact on her first day I shouted at her. 'Fucking amateur' I bellowed during main course service. It's an outburst I came to regret almost instantly, as now every time she works, she makes a special effort not to piss me off. My mother once described me as 'emotionally unstable and prone to violence' which I feel is an unfair description, as I am not prone to violence particularly, I just feel that there is no need for gormlessness. My point is, that although it took me a while to warm to Rebecca, I warmed to Shelley instantly. Shelley is a Wonderful Woman. She also has the power to make or break my career, so to not like her would be churlish.

Shelley is one of the lecturers at Brushstrokes, and the reason we met with her was to have a little tour and a chat, and a sort of informal interview. I borrowed another dress from Megan for the occasion - blue, and so nice that I want to buy it. Maybe I will. Shelley, until recently, was the head wig mistress on Phantom of the Opera, making her a very good person to know. Those of you who have read my profile will have learned that I want to be a wig maker. She said that if she was going to employ a wig person, she would always be more likely to hire someone who could cut hair also. Babs doesnt agree, but Babs doesnt work on Phantom of the Opera. Shelley agreed with Gina in that Babs is an excellent wig maker and wig making teacher. I cant wait to meet Babs.

This is my plan. I will do two weeks of the intensive, hopefully staying in Shepperton with a nice family who want to lend me a bedroom. I shall then do two weeks of work experience, fingers crossed for Phantom because good God how cool would that be!? But if not, then something else. With a bit of luck I'll be able to stay with Bendy (my dad's mum) during work experience time, because she lives in Camden which is closer to the West End. The only fly in the ointment of living with Bendy, is that to live with Bendy I must also live with Bill (Bendy's husband). Words cannot describe Bill, and my amateur writer's brain could not begin to do justice to his madness . Bill is an exceptionally nice man, really exceptionally nice, but he is so impossibly intelligent that normal conversation sends him to sleep. After work experience time, hopefully my nice family will lend me their spare room again and I'll do the final week of the intensive.

Here is where the serious work experience comes in. Shelley is going to do her best to hook me up on various shows and films, and I shall experience work until Christmas, when I shall go away on a mad family trip. Megan and I shall sit in matching Stars Hollow jumpers, both with excellent hair (courtesy of my newly learned talent), drinking tea and watching films starring people from Gilmore Girls. Megan is the only person I know, except Ray, who shares my passion for Gilmore Girls. Sadly, however good I become in the world of wigs, I shall never be able to work on a Gilmore Girls movie, because Lauren Graham doesnt want to do it. Hellish Lauren Graham.

In February, I shall go to college with Babs in Eastbourne and learn how to make the wigs, and measure the heads, and all the technical specialist wig information. Shelley thinks I should swing in London at this point (not car keys in a bowl sort of swinging, luckily for us all, but the sort of swinging where you make yourself very available during the evenings, and maybe swing a couple of shows a week) and although I think this is an excellent idea, I feel it shall be very tiring. However, according to Shelley, who might as well be the Oracle I've quoted her so much, once you've been swinging for a year you are likely to get offered a full time position. Which would be excellent.

After our time with Shelley, which we both enjoyed very much, we went for a cup of tea in one of the cafes in the studio. This cafe was great for so many reasons. First of all it was absolutely beautiful, secondly, the biggest cup of tea I've ever been presented with only cost me £1, and to top it all off, the woman serving the tea was the most enthusiastic person I've ever experienced. I think I shall have tea there often.

In other news, at today's wedding the entire wedding party (bride, groom, bridesmaids, ushers) did a dance to Footloose. You can imagine how great that was.