ThatGirlWhoWracts on temping

'So you're an actor! Why are you here?'

'Resting' - can't you tell?

There is nothing remotely restful about the world of temping. Not if you want to make any money anyway. And I don't mean so you're rolling around in wads of cash either. I phone my agencies most days when I'm 'resting' and harrass them for work. Mostly, I get it. But it's a full time occupation nonetheless.

I hear a lot about these temps who show up late, talk on their phones and don't do anything. How do they get work? I have always been a bit of a goody two shoes: undeniably worried about doing a good job at any given activity. Unassahamedly proud when, in the stationary stock room, I've managed to catagorise all the paperclips by size.

There are various sub-catagories of temping that no one knows about:
1) I've been booked for the next week and I'm safe. Watch out Marks and Spencer, I'm coming to get your 5-thong multi-pack.
2) I haven't been booked in for work, so I need to be on call, up and ready to go bright and early. I gave up 'waking to sound of my phone' long ago, discovering that it only ever resulted in me turning up late, forgetting my phone, wallet or both, or running the risk that my first words of the day would be 'furmf ugh mugf' on answering the call.
3) I have been booked in for part of the week but it's not enough to pay my rent and I'm supposed to go out for drinks one evening. I've taken to remembering to take lunch and 'boredom snacks' and even dinner too if I'm due to meet friends after work. Call me Ebanezer and put me in a Dicken's novel.

Couple that with writing (currently a show, occasionally moderately entertaining blog, lyrics for several songs and a new play), fitting in the ever-illusive audition and trying to set up my 'real' part time work, temping is far from restful.

So, 'Yes, I'm an actor... On the stage mostly... I don't know, have you been to Coventry?.. No, I don't know what I'm doing next.... Is that a full fat or skim half-caff latte?