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Monday 31 August 2009

Work Was ...... Okay

I had a fairly good day at work today, for no other reason than I had something to keep me occupied for the whole day, which makes a bloody change. Just thought that I would mention it so that you can see that I am not always doom and gloom. I hope to be similarly occupied tomorrow and then I am off for 4 days!!

31st August

LGBT people born today:
1942 – George & Mike Kuchar – US Directors
1954 – Caroline “Tula” Cossey – UK Model
1969 – Andrew Cunanan – US Serial Killer – Died 23rd July 1997
1977 – Del Marquis – US Musician
1980 – Gage Powers – US Porn / Director / Photographer
1987 – Anye Elite – US Singer / Songwriter / Activist

And those who died:
1941 – Marina Tsvetaena – Russian Poet / Author – Born 8th October 1892 [or 26th September]

Sunday 30 August 2009

Spoke Too Soon


30th August

LGBT people born today:
1907 – Leonor Fini – Argentine Painter – Died 18th January 1996
1960 – Ben Bradshaw – UK Politician
1971 – Jeff Bowen – US Actor / Composer / Lyricist


And those who died:
1963 – Guy Burgess – UK Journalist / Producer / Spy – Born 16th April 1911
1994 – Lindsay Anderson – UK Director – Born 17th April 1923

Saturday 29 August 2009

29th August (Deaths)

LGBT people who died today:
1971 – Nathan Leopold – US Murderer – Born 19th November 1904
1974 – Judith Furse – UK Actress – Born 4th March 1912
1993 – Dorian Corey – US Drag Queen – Born 1937

29th August (Births)

LGBT people born today:
1844 – Edward Carpenter – UK Poet / Philosopher / Activist / Author – Died 28th June 1929
1855 – Jean Lorrain – French Author / Poet – Died 30th June 1906
1880 – Elisabeth Irwin – US Psychologist – Died 16th October 1942
1922 – Richard Blackwell – US Journalist / Fashion Designer / Fashion Critic / Presenter / Artist / Actor – Died 19th October 2008
1929 – Thom Gunn – UK / US Poet – Died 25th April 2004
1933 – Ramses Shaffy – Dutch Singer / Actor
1939 – Joel Schumacher – US Director / Producer
1956 – Mark Morris – US Dancer / Choreographer / Director
1962 – David Charlebois – US Pilot – Died 11th September 2001 [9/11]
1968 – Meshell Ndegoecello – US Singer / Songwriter / Musician

Friday 28 August 2009

Hungover

I went out for a few drinks with Richard last night and am paying for it now. I started in Rupert Street, while I waited for Richard to finish drinking with his workmates near Baker Street. While I was in there I noticed 8 guys who I thought were incredibly sexy. 2 were behind the bar, Vlad being one of them. 2 were together. Another 2 were probably together, but I couldn't tell for sure as they were in a larger group. None of them acknowledged my presence at all. After Richard joined me we went on to the Duke of Wellington where he received a call from Tim, so we both had a little chat with him.
We were going to go to the Yard, for a change, but it was far to quiet so we went to Comptons instead before heading over to Barcode. I can't remember how many drinks I had, and I don't recall the journey home, but I know I had a good night.

I woke up around midday again and felt okay, just with a slight headache. I dozed for about another hour and then got out of bed. About an hour after getting up I was hit by a wave of nausea and dizziness and had to lay down on my bed. My hangover had hit me. Whereas before I'd had a mild headache but otherwise felt okay, now I felt like crap and had to lay down for about an hour because every time I moved I felt nauseous again! Weird.
At this moment I am feeling better, still with a headache, but I've managed to eat some toast and have a cup of tea now so I should be fine.

28th August

LGBT people born today:
1925 – Karl Heinrich Ulrichs – German Activist / Author – Died 14th July 1895
1957 – Phranc – US Singer / Songwriter / Musician
1965 – Keith Boykin – US Author / Presenter
1962 – Manuela Trasobares – Spanish Artist / Singer / Politician
1969 – Josh Kilmer-Purcell – US Actor / Drag Queen [Aquadisiac]
1979 – David Graham – Australian Model / Reality TV [Big Brother]


And those who died:
1988 – Guy Hocquenghem – French Author – Born 3rd December 1946
1989 – Joseph Alsop – US Journalist – Born 11th October 1910
1990 – Rosely Roth – Brazilian Activist – Born 21st August 1959
2005 – Randy Turner – US Singer – Born 25th November 1949

Thursday 27 August 2009

Request For Info - Again

It's that time again, when I beg my readers to give me information on certain LGBT people for my database.
On top of the request I just made for information on the LGBT victims of 9/11, I would like the following:
  • Patience Agbadi - UK poet - Born 1965 (but on which date?)
  • Aggracyst - US Rapper - Date of birth and real name needed
  • Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa - US author and comic book writer - Date of birth needed
  • Pav Akhtar - UK politician - Date of birth needed
  • Faisal Alam - Pakistani / US Activist - Born 1977 (which date?)
  • Leopoldo Alas - Spanish Author - Date of birth needed
  • Matt Alber - Singer / Songwriter - Nationality and date of birth needed
  • John Alcorn - Canadian singer - Date of birth needed
  • Alcuin of York - English monk and poet - Born 735 (but on which date?)
  • Nikolai Alekseev - Russian Journalist and activist - Born 1977 (which date?)
  • And I need the full names and dates of birth of all of the gay "contestants" on any version of Playing it Straight.
Thanks in anticipation.

9/11 - Prelude

With my Project 2996 tributes to Michele Ann Nelson and Michael John Cahill still being edited, as I don't feel that I have done them enough credit, I've decided to take a bit of a break from their research and tried to see if I could find a list of LGBT victims of that terrible day. I managed to find a site (angelfire.com) which had such a list, though I'm not sure how comprehensive the information is.

Almost anyone who knows names from the tragedy will have heard of Mark Bingham and Father Mychal Judge, both of whom died heroes that day, as did several hundred of others. But I was certain that there would be others who had died who were also gay, lesbian, bisexual or transsexual. Probabilities almost guaranteed it.
The generally quoted figures for the percentage of the population who are LGBT is between 6-10%. If I take the most conservative of these figures and apply it to the 2996 victims, then this works out that there should be around 180 LGBT victims from the combined attacks. I know of 24

Following is a list of those whose names I know, who are known to be LGBT:

  • Mark Bingham
  • Father Mychal Judge
  • Carol Flyzik
  • David Charlebois
  • Graham Berkeley
  • Pamela J Boyce
  • Ronald Gamboa
  • Dan Brandhorst
  • James Joe Ferguson
  • Jeffrey Collman
  • John Keohane
  • Sheila Hein
  • Philip Paul Ognibene
  • Eugene Clark
  • Wesley Mercer
  • Luke A Dudek
  • Michael Lepore
  • Tony Karnes
  • Seamus O'Neal
  • Catherine Smith
  • Patricia McAneney
  • Waleska Martinez
  • Renee Barrett
  • Eddie, a firefighter and partner of Francis S Coppola

I was considering giving this group of people a collective name, like "the Twenty Four," but then realised that I would be excluding all those victims that were not known to be LGBT, those that were "in the closet." So I shan't be giving them a title.

If anyone knows of anyone I have missed, who should be included on this list, then please contact me with the details. I would also appreciate dates of birth, occupations and nationalities if you know them (only one person on this list is not from the US as far as I know). Any help you can provide would be gratefully accepted. I would also like to apologise for not entering all the above names in the Labels section, I truly wanted to but it has a limit of 200 characters and so I would have to leave some names out. Therefore the only names I included were those that I mentioned in the actual text. Each of those on my list, along with all the other victims, should be mentioned, remembered and honoured. As should all those who have died since because of that awful day. I wish I could do that here.

27th August (Deaths)

LGBT people who died today:
1967 – Brian Epstein – UK Artists’ Manager – Born 19th September 1934
1969 – Erika Mann – German Actress / Journalist / Author – Born 9th November 1905
1991 – Gordon Heath – US Singer / Actor / Director – Born 20th September 1918

2006 – Tee Corinne – US Photographer / Author / Activist / Artist – Born 3rd November 1943
2007 – Ivan Bussens – UK Water Polo / Activist / Co-founder of Out for Sports – Born 3rd June 1960
2008 – Del Martin – US Activist – Born 5th May 1921

27th August (Births)

LGBT people born today:
1903 – Xavier Villarrutia – Mexican Poet / Playwright – Died 31st December 1950
1943 – Luis Caballero Holguin – Colombian Painter – Died 19th June 1996
1958 – Tom Lanoye – Belgian Poet / Author / Playwright
1959 – Denice Denton – US University Chancellor – Died 24th June 2006
1959 – Jeanette Winterson – UK Author
1961 – Tom Ford – US Fashion Designer
1965 – D Scott Dibble – US Politician
1970 – Leanna Creel – US Actress / Producer / Director / Screenwriter / Photographer
1992 – Kim Petras – German Singer

Wednesday 26 August 2009

Smile

Feeling A Bit ..... Bleugh!!

Toward the end of my night shift on Tuesday morning I began to feel a bit under the weather. I could feel a sore throat coming on, I had an ulcer in my mouth, a headache and I even began to get stomach cramps (later resulting in the inevitable multiple trips to the loo!).
Today I am still feeling a bit ...... off.
I still have the sore throat and ulcer, but my headache varies in intensity, and I also have a slightly blocked nose. It is nothing debilitating, just annoying for it to develop in time for my days off! And I'm still running on night shift mode, as evidenced by me not waking up until midday today!

This afternoon I received a text to been invite me out for drinks tomorrow night (from Richard, who I haven't seen for weeks). I hope I'm feeling better by then (well, I can't really snog anyone with a sore throat now can I? Chance would be a fine thing!).

My Neighbours - Update

Over the last two weeks or so I had not see my gorgeous Arabesque neighbour from across the road and I was beginning to worry that he had moved out. Yesterday I was pleased to see that he had returned and he seemed to spend most of the day cleaning his flat. Unfortunately though he had a woman in the flat with him. I hoped that she was just a cleaner or a friend helping out, but she is still there today, dressed in a hideous floral dressing gown, with a towel around her head, so I'm guessing girlfriend, possibly moved in. Oh well. Let's just hope that her influence will be to leave the curtains open more often so we get to see his impressive torso.

Also, in the flat next to his is Duncan, the guy who I initially saw cleaning his windows topless and who I then found out was going out with my flatmate Jessica, well they have split (fairly amicably, though she was upset). I have seen him a couple of times and every time I think "he looks nice" before I even realise who he is.

I have also noticed, that there are a few gay people living in this block. I notice them particularly while I am in the kitchen as the window there looks out onto the communal walkways, so I can see people walking up to their flats etc. There are a couple of not-bad-looking guys, but no one spectacular, YET! The teenager who lives directly above us is quite cute, though far too young for me. In about 10 years time he could be a stunner. Not sure if he is gay or not though.

26th August

LGBT people born today:
1884 – Nancy CookUS Suffragette – Died 16th August 1962
1904 – Christopher Isherwood – UK / US Author – Died 4th January 1986
1923 – Mel Roberts – US Photographer / Activist
1945 – Jim Graham – US Politician
1951 – Roger Karoutchi – French Politician
1952 – Michael Jeter – US Actor – Died 30th March 2003
1957 – Floris Michiels van Kessenich – Dutch Activist – Died 15th December 1991
1958 – Randy Stone – US Actor / Casting Director – Died 12th February 2007
1958 – Nichi Vendola – Italian Politician

And those who died:
1933 – Sophia Parnok – Russian Poet – Born 11th August 1885
2005 – Robert Denning – US Interior Designer – Born 13th March 1927

Tuesday 25 August 2009

Strictly Back

The new batch of celebrities has been announced for this years Strictly Come Dancing season and there are some good names in there, I've heard of 14 out of the 16 contestants, so that's not bad. We are a bit lacking in the hunk department again though, as we only have Rav Wildingwho floats my boat, though Ricky Whittle and Joe Calzaghe aren't too bad. I can't see Rav lasting too long in the competition either, he looks like he'll be a bad dancer (but, hopefully he's better at dancing than he was at cooking in Celebrity Masterchef, is there any reality show he hasn't done yet?). I hope I am wrong and he stays in for a while though, as an ex squaddie and copper he has my respect (and if he asks nicely he can have my number!)
At least we still have Darren Bennett to look at (as well as Brendan Cole and Matthew Cutler).

Some of the celebs who I am looking forward to see are:
Lynda Bellingham, who I love. No offence meant Lynda, but I want to see an old bird go through to the final this year for a change (and she is paired with Darren too, so I hope they make it all the way this year).
I've always thought that Natalie Cassidy was a sweet girl, so we shall see if this sweet girl can dance (we know she can aerobicise).
And Craig Kelly, who is best known to me for being in the original UK version of Queer As Folk (and now is in Coronation Street) is my bet for being the first one voted off, sorry Craig.
The one person I am not looking forward to seeing is Phil Tufnell. I don't know why this country loves him so much, I just find him annoying and can imagine that he will try and take over the show with his inane banter.

Overall I'm not that excited about the whole selection of celebrities, but I love the show so hopefully that will take over and I'll enjoy it as much as ever.

2996

I have now got my assigned name for Project 2996, the memorial project for victims of 9/11. Her name is Michele Ann Nelson and I am trying my best to find information about her so that I can write a fitting tribute to her life, which as far as I can tell so far was all about giving. I am also posting my tribute to Michael John Cahill as I did back in 2006, I will attempt to find out more about him than I knew before too.

I have noticed, however, that take-up for writing tributes is pretty slow. The site is still stating that there are over 2000 names yet to be assigned and so I would like to ask anyone reading this to search their hearts and, if you think you can do it, and you think that your blog / website etc is appropriate (I think you know what I mean), then please contact Project 2996 and ask for a name (or two) to write a tribute to someone killed on that awful day. If you do not have your own site then the organisers have made provisions for people to publish tributes on Wordpress, so there really is no excuse.
Please try and help.

25th August (Deaths)

LGBT people who died today:
1984 – Truman Capote – US Author / Actor – Born 30th September 1924
1999 – David March – UK Actor – Born 18th February 1925
2004 – Karen Dior – US Porn / Director / Singer – Born 14th February 1967
2006 – John Blankenstein – Dutch Football Referee – Born 12th February 1949

25th August (Births)

LGBT people born today:
1916 – Van Johnson – US Actor / Dancer – Died 12th December 2008
1918 – Leonard Bernstein – US Conductor / Composer / Author / Pianist – Died 14th October 1990
1929 – Dominique Fernandez – French Author
1937 – Dirk Dirksen – US Music Promoter – Died 20th November 2006
1939 – Chris Dickerson – US Bodybuilder / Singer
1951 – Rob Halford – UK Singer / Songwriter
1957 – Christer Bjorkman – Swedish Singer
1965 – Adriano Marquez - Porn / Model [or 1st January 1965] 1974 – Eric Millegan – US Actor

Monday 24 August 2009

24th August

LGBT people born today:
1929 – Betty Dodson – US Author / Artist
1935 – Andrew Kopkind – US Journalist / Presenter – Died 23rd October 1994
1949 – Junior Vasquez – US Record Producer / DJ
1957 – Stephen Fry – UK Actor / Comedian / Presenter / Author
1964 – Julie Cypher – US Director / Activist
1965 – Gro Skartveit – Norwegian Politician
1966 – Nick Denton – UK Journalist
1979 – Katja Nyberg – Swedish / Norwegian Handball
???? – Christian Taylor – US Porn

And those who died:
1987 – Bayard Rustin – US Activist – Born 17th March 1912
1988 – Leonard Frey – US Actor – Born 4th September 1938
1994 – Peggy Fears – US Actress – Born 1st June 1903
1995 – Killer Karl Krupp – Dutch / US Wrestler – Born 13th May 1934
2008 – Tad Mosel – US Playwright / Screenwriter – Born 1st May 1922

Sunday 23 August 2009

Project 2996: Rediscovered

I was bored again last night so I was going through Wikipedia by pressing the "random page" option. I was then reminded of 9/11 on one page and instantly thought of Project 2996 that I had contributed to back in 2006. I was glad to find that the project is still going strong.

Project 2996 is a memorial project to remember all those who lost their lives as victims of the 9/11 attacks in the USA. What the site does is ask for volunteers, normally people who have their own website or blog, to write a tribute to one victim. I was honoured to be given the name Michael John Cahill and, through internet research, found him to be a loving and generous father, husband and son.
This time around I have asked for a different name to be given to me, so that I can discover a new "friend." I think it is an important project, as 9/11 is something that can NEVER be, and should never be, forgotten. It is an example of how evil mankind can be, and also of how good we can be.
9/11 is the best and worst of us and we should always remember it so we never stoop to such evil actions again and so we can strive to achieve heroic actions like hundreds of people did on that day.

If you are reading this and have your own blog / website, I urge you to consider your feelings and try and contribute to this worthy project. It makes me sad whenever I think of the loss the world endured on that day, but the grief and the purged tears make me stronger each time. The least you can do is check out the site, and read the previous years' comments and tributes.

23rd August

LGBT people born today:
1900 – Newton Arvin – US Author – Died 21st March 1963
1912 – Keith Vaughan – UK Painter – Died 4th November 1977
1931 – Coccinelle – French Actress / Entertainer – Died 9th October 2006
1933 – Peter Wyngarde – UK / French Actor
1954 – Charles Busch – US Actor / Author
1954 – Terry Wolverton – US Author / Poet / Editor
1958 – Neil Bartlett – UK Actor / Director / Playwright
1960 – Rod Phillips – US Porn – Died 24th May 1993
1981 – Carmen Luvana – US Porn

And those who died:
1988 – Laud Humphreys – US Sociologist / Author – Born 16th October 1930

Saturday 22 August 2009

Some (Dis)Enchanted Evening

I was so disenchanted with the thought of working nights again last night that, once I had got there and was talking to the day supervisor, I just could not concentrate on anything he was saying. He was showing me how to use a new piece of tech we have and none of it sunk in at all. It took me a couple of hours to get back into the swing of things, even then I just wanted to get out of the place.
Having an irritating contact lens did not help the situation either. All I kept thinking was, my bed is just 10 minutes walk away. I could be sleeping now. Or watching Sex and the City. Or a million other things. But, instead, I am here doing absolutely nothing.
By the time I eventually came home I was feeling more alert and awake than when I went in, but I still managed to get straight to sleep once my head hit that pillow.

22nd August

LGBT people born today:
1894 – Willem Arondeus – Dutch Artist / Author / Nazi Resistance Fighter – Died 1st July 1943
1922 – Andre Emile Baudry – French Activist / Author
1924 – James Kirkwood Jr. – US Author / Playwright – Died 22nd April 1989
1955 – Tom Tunney – US Politician / Businessman
1958 – Antonio Pagan – US Politician – Died 25th January 2009
1967 – ANT – US comedian / Actor

And those who died:
1922 – Michael Collins – Irish Politician / Terrorist – Born 16th October 1890
1994 – Leo Lerman – US Author – Born 23rd May 1914

Friday 21 August 2009

Aussiebum

I can't think what it is about AussieBum that I like so much.

New Friends

So, I met up with Adam last night and I must admit that he looks nothing like his Gaydar profile pictures. In his pictures he looks quite tall and very muscular, but in real life he was slim and shorter than me. It's a good job I wasn't meeting him for sex because I would have been very disappointed.
We went for a couple of drinks in the Pembroke, which used to be the Colherne. I didn't even know that the Colherne had closed. I'd only been there twice, but it was sort of a British gay institution (and no one wants to be in an institution!), so it is a shame that it has gone now. And I had just been reading about it in Babycakes, of the Tales of the City series (Michael Tolliver visits it briefly).
Adam and I chatted about nothing in particular and it was pretty unstimulating, then we got talking about television and films, and Dr Who in particular and the conversation became more animated, though I'm still not sure that I want to hang out with him again, though he said that he did. We'll see.
We parted at just after 21:00 and I then went into Soho and had a couple more drinks in Rupert Street, where there were a few very nice guys and I kept myself amused watching the AussieBum promo videos above the bar (I love their models).
I followed this on by going to Barcode and got chatting with a guy I've met a few times before, who is a member of the Kings Cross Steelers, called RJ. We had a good long chat, joined by a friend of his whose name I can't quite remember (Michael?), and both were throwing compliments at me left, right and centre. I felt very reassured and affirmed, so it was a surprise that after Barcode I found myself in Chariots. I really do not know why I went there, I was too tired and I just wanted to go home, but, stubborn as I am, I'd paid my money so I was going to get my rocks off. After a couple of hours of aimless wandering around, avoiding a particularly annoying little man, I got showered and came home.

I've hardly slept since I got home, as it was already light, the traffic was already active past my window when I got into bed, and I had had a few Red Bull's while I was out. I just hope that I last the night when I get to work later.
It is particularly annoying checking Facebook this afternoon as well, because almost everyone I know seems to be going somewhere for the weekend (V festival, canoeing in Scotland, visiting family in Glasgow, etc etc etc), and I've got - NIGHT SHIFTS AT WORK!!!! Aaaarrrgggghhhhh!

21st August

LGBT people born today:
1923 – Don Slater – US Activist – Died 14th February 1997
1935 – Mart Crowley – US Playwright
1936 – Luisa Isabel de Toledo – Spanish Duchess – Died 7th March 2008
1944 – Kari S Tikka – Finnish Scholar / Murder Victim – Died 25th May 2006
1956 – Anselmo Feleppa – Brazilian Fashion Designer – Died 26th March 1993
1959 – Rosely Roth – Brazilian Activist – Died 28th August 1990
1961 – Mitchell Anderson – US Actor
1962 – Jeff Stryker – US Porn / Actor [or 12th August 1962]
1964 – Eytan Fox – Israeli Director
1965 – Mark Meredith – UK Businessman / Politician
1984 – Robin De Jesus – US Actor

And those who died:
1999 – Paddy Chew – Singaporean Choreographer – Born 29th March 1960
2005 – Martin Dillon – US Singer / Musician – Born 17th June 1957

Thursday 20 August 2009

Eye Eye

I am sitting here in my horrid glasses thinking that, if I am going to do anything today I will first need to put my contact lenses in (because I don't leave the flat without them). I got to thinking that, now I have paid off my debts I could probably afford to get my eyes fixed (with that laser surgery thing) within a couple of months, if I don't go spending silly amounts of money on DVD box sets etc (oops).
I decided to stop just thinking and start doing. I sent a text to Lynn, my sister, asking which company she went with, when she had her eyes done a few years ago. Optimax. So I went on their website, checked my compatibility (which was good), and took the plunge and made an appointment for a consultation. It is over a month away, and I had to pay a £10 deposit (!!!!), but I hope that it will be the start of a new me!
For now though, I still have to put my lenses in.

Headache

I think I must have eaten too much junk food yesterday as I had a splitting headache all evening that was still there when I went to bed. When I woke this morning my headache was still present, though it does seem to be easing a bit now.
I now just have to think of something to keep me occupied all day until my "date" tonight with Adam. Nervous? A bit, but what the hell. I have to do whatever I can to get more friends. I just hope that he meets my stringent criteria, as, if there is even one thing about him that bugs me, then I know I won't keep in touch. (I am trying not to think about what if he doesn't like me!).

20th August

LGBT people born today:
1914 – Colin MacInnes – UK Author – Died 22nd April 1976
1916 – Bernard Archard – UK Actor – Died 1st May 2008
1938 – Anne Cameron – Canadian Author / Poet / Screenwriter
1955 – Katheleen Sullivan – US Businesswoman / Lawyer / Judge
1958 – Patricia Rozema – Canadian Director / Screenwriter
1963 – Enrique Rodriguez – Puerto Rican Porn 1965 – Steve Cassidy – US Porn 1972 – Matt Bixel – US Porn
1974 – Santino RiceUS Reality TV [Project Runway] / Fashion Designer
1980 – Rickey Lime – US Musician
???? – Kurt Young – US? Porn

And those who died:
1996 – Rio Reiser – German Singer / Musician – Born 9th January 1950

Wednesday 19 August 2009

No Sex in My City

I have had a pretty uneventful day today, just for a change, and I am spending the evening watching Sex & the City from my newly bought box set. I love watching the show, but it does depress me sometimes. Not majorly depress, it just gets me down slightly. Here are these four women who are constantly moaning about their relationship and men etc etc., all the while getting f*ck*d regularly by gorgeous guys, with regular party invitations and buoyed by their constant friendships, and here I am with only one 3-month relationship in my entire life and no invitations anywhere. I begin to think how lucky these ungrateful women are.
I would really love to have a guy in my life, and I think I would like it even more if I had a hectic social life (even just A social life would be nice), so lets hope for a miracle, and soon. Otherwise buying this box set could well be the most depressing thing I have ever wasted money on!
I've just finished watching my sixth episode of the night, that's probably enough don't you think?

19th August

LGBT people born today:
1919 – Malcolm Forbes – US Publisher – Died 24th February 1990
1934 – Renee Richards – US Tennis / Author / Surgeon
1946 – Elizabeth Eden – US model – Died 29th September 1987
1946 – Rob Tielman – Dutch Author
1954 – Roger Kusch – German Politician
1957 – Gerda Verburg – Dutch Politician
1962 – Tammy Bruce – US Author
1983 – Missy Higgins – Australian Singer
???? – Scott McCoy – US Politician

And those who died:
1929 – Sergei Diaghilev – Russian Art Critic – Born 31st March 1872
1936 – Federico Garcia Lorca – Spanish Poet / Musician / Director / Playwright / Murder Victim – Born 5th June 1898

Tuesday 18 August 2009

Stop Moaning & Do Something

After my last posting I decided to stop moaning and try and do something about it, and once more to get myself out on a date, or at least out with someone new.
I sent a message on Gaydar to someone I had chatted with on a couple of occasions and asked if he was free tomorrow or Thursday. He replied that he was free on Thursday and so we have now arranged to meet in Earls Court at 19:00. I've started to get nervous already! How silly is that. I am not expecting anything romantic, just getting to know a new friend. Not so much a blind date as a blind mate? But, I will be out of my element a bit too. I don't know the area well at all, so I won't have familiar sights to reassure me.
I am also always really bad a making conversation with new people though and I feel already like I am going to come across as really boring. But, I guess, he will either like me or he won't. If not, it's not a problem. What have I got to lose?

Dating

Do people date anymore?
I mean, I know straight people do, but what about normal people (ha ha)?

I can't remember the last time I had a date. It was probably about 20 years ago. Now, all anyone ever wants to do is fuck and that just isn't my thing. I have been on a variety of gay "dating" sites for years and have tried to get to meet people just for drinks initially, people who I've been chatting with on line, and all I ever get is "when are we gonna fuck?"
I am a hopeless romantic, I think, who thought by now he would be settled in a long-term relationship and was hoping that he wouldn't have to be worried about that sex stuff any more. Now I feel that if I want to have a relationship I will have to have a lot of sex that I just don't want! Yes, I'll probably get off on the sex, but it really isn't what I am looking for, and, to be honest, I'm not particularly good at it (as opposed to kissing which I am fantastic at, btw).
I just want a nice guy to keep me company on those quiet nights at home, to go shopping with (retail AND grocery), to go to the cinema with, to the pub for a quiet couple of drinks, to go for a walk with, to visit family with. I just want a relationship. Is that unobtainable?

If I can't have that elusive relationship, then I just want a few good friends to spend time with. At the moment, in London, I have one good friend, Tim, and he isn't really up for doing much at the moment (mainly because of the hole in his head!!), and we never really get around to doing much other than going drinking anyway! I've known Tim for about 8 years now and the only time we have ever done something other than drinking is when we went to see Star Trek earlier this year (even then we went to the pub first). This is the reason why I am considering moving back down to Torquay. There I know I have a few friends I can hang out with.

I want a life, which is the main reason I want to change my job from shift work to the "normal" Monday to Friday stuff. If I am working weekDAYS, when most people I know are working too, I will also be off at the same time and so free to accept invitations and meet people at normal times. Over the last 7 years I have had to turn down quite a few invitations and some potential dates because of the shifts that I work. I have lost track of some acquaintances because of the odd hours that I work. I'm sick of it. I need to make a change and I need to get out there and start dating again. You never know, I may meet someone who actually gets me to enjoy the whole sex-thing again. You never know.

Retail Therapy

I had nothing in particular to do again today so I thought I would go into Oxford Street and see if I could get myself some casual shoes. I stopped off first in Burtons and got myself a white zip-up hooded top. I then managed to get some white casual shoes (that I am still not sure about, but which were really cheap) in the Officers Club. I then decided to be really queenie and get myself the complete box set of Sex and the City, which I had seen somewhere was on sale in HMV for £50. I must have missed the sale, but as it was still less than £10 more than I was expecting I bought it anyway as it worked out at £10 per season I thought it was great value still.
All this a takeaway sandwich in Soho Square, a comic and a Star Wars book and I still had only spent about £100, how fantastic was that.
I was, however, extremely hot and bothered by the time I got home as I hadn't expected it to be so hot today. Hot as in weather. And hot as in the amount of stunning guys who were about. I'm not talking model types, though there were a couple of those too. I'm talking, take home to the family and marry types. I must have seen at least three who were, at least visually, perfect matches for my ideal "man til I die." It is just a shame that none of them noticed me.

I got home and watched the first three episodes of the first series of SATC, which was only interrupted by a phone call from one of the other supervisors at work asking me to go in tomorrow for a couple of hours for training on the new system. I declined, I don't know how many more times I am going to have to emphasise that "I DON'T DO OVERTIME!"
I work 48 hours every week, every other week is on day shifts. If they cannot be bothered to train me when I am there during those times then that is not my problem. I ignored the second call that came through and there was no voicemail to bug me after that, which surprised me.
I'm glad I had Carrie and the girls there to help me from getting too stressed about it! Thank god for Carrie eh? She is probably the inspiration, in a round about way, for me starting this blog in the first place, or at least for the literary aspirations that have blossomed since I started the blog. So blame her, not me, her with the big nose and no fashion sense!

18th August

LGBT people born today:
1852 – Guglielmo Pluschow – German Photographer – Died 3rd January 1930
1906 – Marcel Carne – French Director – Died 31st October 1996
1966 – Steve Cannon – US [?] Porn
1970 – Josh Zuckerman – US Singer / Songwriter / Musician

And those who died:
1957 – Jacob Schorer – Dutch Lawyer / Activist – Born 1st March 1866
2007 – Stephen Bicknell – UK Organ Builder / Author – Born 20th December 1957

Monday 17 August 2009

Catching Up

I've just been down to see Mike, who I used to work with at the place I got the sack from almost 2 years ago. Was nice to catch up with him and all the gossip. I only get to catch up every few months when I eventually remember to pay him my lotto money (I'm still in that work syndicate).
I was always a bit wary of popping in there after they had sacked me (I didn't want to get anyone in trouble), but now I am working for the same security company again it shouldn't be a problem at all.
It was such a pleasant evening too, I enjoyed my walk home. It is the sort of weather that makes you feel like getting a pint and sitting outside to enjoy it, unfortunately I didn't feel like doing this on my own, so I came straight home. After a leisurely walk that is!!

Joy

I saw a status update on Facebook earlier from Dean to say that he was going to be on Joy 94.9 (Australia's gay radio station), so I hung around indoors to listen to it. The first hour of the show was not particularly good, though the discussion on piercings was fairly interesting. Then Dean came on and he was great. It was nice hearing his voice through a different medium than the distortion of a mobile phone connection and he sounded so natural, then again nothing much fazes our Deano!!
It was also great to have it on record that he is hoping to bring his show over to the UK. The sooner the better I say!! It would be so good to see him again. And, I've just thought, if I save up enough money, when he travels back to Aus I could go with him for my first foreign holiday in 15 years! It would certainly make the long journey a lot less stressful to travel with a good friend, don't you think? Something to plan for I hope.
Back to the show though, and I was a bit disappointed with the two presenters, as they did not sound very natural. It was mainly because you could easily tell when they were reading from a script (they kept messing it up!).

Right after the show, I guess after he had got out of the studio, Dean called me. He knew I was listening (care of Facebook) and so it was good to speak to him, even though he couldn't talk long because of his phone battery. It was good to hear from him.
I am so proud of my mate Dean Arcuri.

17th August (Deaths)

LGBT people who died today:
1965 – Jack Spicer – US Poet – Born 30th January 1925
1973 – Jean Barraque – French Composer / Author – Born 17th January 1928
1985 – Nicholas Eden – UK Politician – Born 3rd October 1930
1992 – Al Parker – US Porn / Producer / Director – Born 25th June 1952
2007 – Edward Avedisian – Nicaraguan Poet – Born 1936
2007 – Jos Brink – Dutch Actor / Author / Columnist – Born 19th June 1942

17th August (Births)

LGBT people born today:
1885 – Kurt Hiller – German Author / Journalist – Died 1st October 1972
1888 – Monty Woolley – US Actor / Director – Died 6th May 1963
1892 – Antonio Botto – Portuguese Poet – Died 16th March 1959
1907 – Roger Peyrefitte – French Author – Died 5th November 2000
1923 – Larry Rivers – US Artist / Musician / Director / Actor – Died 14th August 2002
1926 – David Watmough – Canadian Playwright / Author
1960 – Lisa Coleman – US Singer / Musician [Wendy & Lisa]
1968 – Jackie Warner – US Reality TV [Work Out] / Personal Trainer / Equestrian
1972 – Ken Ryker – US Porn 1973 – David BromstadUS Reality TV [Design Star] / Presenter

Sunday 16 August 2009

Mamma Mia

I just watched a DVD of the film Mamma Mia and was quite disappointed that I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I was going to. I was unimpressed with the cinematography and lighting, I don't know if they were trying to make it look like it was set on a stage (as it was an adaption of the hit stage musical) but that is what it looked like a lot of the time. Quite a few times I thought the camera angles were off, especially in the cutaway shots, when the camera often seemed to be either missing the action completely or it was obscured by extras!
Initially the songs didn't happen at all naturally, in fact most of them didn't. We don't, in this century, seem to have the knack of musical films as they did back in the good old days (1930's to the 1960's). And they certainly shouldn't have let Pierce Brosnan sing (sorry Pierce), it didn't sound good.
I did shed a little tear at one point during the film, and it wasn't because of Pierce's singing. It was when Meryl Streep was singing "Winner Takes It All." I'm still not sure exactly why then!
Even so, because it was the music of ABBA, it was worth watching, though it really does not compare well to the stage version. ABBA songs in a movie will, however, always be a reminder of Muriel's Wedding and nothing else can ever compare to their use in that film.

Another Set Over And Done

I've just finished this set of shifts and, I hate to admit it, but it wasn't all bad. I have computer access (some of the time) now and we needed some forms sorting out (as we have no set procedures or forms to record things on, so I sorted them out over the last 2 days. It is something that the manager or senior supervisor should have done already but we have seen no such organisation from either of them (one of whom is on holiday and the other has handed his notice in!).
The one who has handed his notice will need replacing so I hope that I have made myself helpful enough to be considered for this position should it be offered. I'm not sure that I want it, it would depend on what his duties actually are, but it would be nice to be considered. I think I scored some more brownie points today when I potentially saved the building from burning down.

[Some soup warmers had been left on in the staff canteen, which is something that doesn't actually show up with lights or anything. I noticed a sound as I walked through today, which must have been the metal expanding in the heat. The bottom of both of these headers, which are large bowls recessed into the counter-top, were going brown where they were being scorched. I managed to find the off switch and turned them off. No one has been working in the kitchen since Friday late afternoon, so they must have been on that whole time! It is a shame too as the canteen is probably going to be up and running fully for the first time tomorrow, with the last of the staff moving in. I hope it doesn't affect things too much.]

Anyway, I reported the matter to the facilities manager (as I hadn't been told who was in charge of catering) and she seemed pleased that a crisis had been averted. She is also the one who I spoke to the other day about changing jobs, and who I gave my C.V. to.

I have also had a couple of guards tell me that I should be the one to manage this site, though, unfortunately, they were not guards whose opinion I value.
We shall see.

I need to stop doing nights as soon as possible, and want to leave security completely. It doesn't seem that a new career is going to be forthcoming very quickly so a change of responsibilities might be just the thing I need. We shall have to wait and see!

16th August

LGBT people born today:
1902 – Wallace Thurman – US Author / Playwright – Died 21st or 22nd December 1934
1923 – Pierre Seel – French Author – Died 25th November 2005
1940 – Alix Dobkin – US Singer / Songwriter
1946 – Robert Amsel – US Activist
1946 – David Mixner – US Activist
1958 – Madonna – US Singer / Actress


And those who died:
1959 – Wanda Landowska – Polish / French Harpsichordist – Born 5th July 1879
1962 – Nancy CookUS Suffragette – Born 26th August 1884
1978 – Jean Acker – US Actress – Born 23rd October 1893
1989 – Donald Friend – Australian Artist / Author – Born 6th February 1915
2005 – William Corlett – UK Author – Born 8th October 1938

Saturday 15 August 2009

15th August

LGBT people born today:
1907 – Jack Snow – US Author / Playwright – Died 13th July 1956
1953 – Peter Biemans – Dutch TV Editor
1956 – Laurel Hester – US Police Officer – Died 18th February 2006
1964 – Michael Berresse – US Actor / Dancer / Choreographer / Director
1976 – Sipke Jan Bousema – Dutch Presenter
1981 – Johan van der Veen – Dutch Singer

And those who died:
1984 – Bobbi Campbell – US Activist – Born 28th January 1952
2007 – John Wallowitch – US Singer / Songwriter – Born 11th February 1926

Friday 14 August 2009

14th August

LGBT people born today:
1876 – Sibilla Aleramo – Italian Author – Died 13th January 1960
1906 – Horst P Horst – German / US Photographer – Died 18th November 1999
1940 – Tom Eyen – US Playwright / Lyricist / Screenwriter / Director – Died 26th May 1991
1945 – Brenda Benet – US Actress – Died 7th April 1982
1948 – Carole Migden – US Politician
1964 – Mark Pocan – US Politician
1972 – Jay Manuel – Canadian Model / Make-Up Artist / Photographer
1973 – Drubskin – US Fetish Artist / Comic Book Artist
1975 – Jill Bennett – US Actress
1982 – Benjamin Cohen – UK Journalist

And those who died:
1692 – Nicolas Chorier – French Lawyer / Author / Historian – Born 1st September 1612
1905 – Simeon Solomon – UK Painter – Born 9th October 1840
2002 – Larry Rivers – US Artist / Musician / Director / Actor – Born 17th August 1923

Thursday 13 August 2009

Strange Day

Today was another stressful day at work, quite boring (especially the morning), but not an entirely terrible one.
I had a conversation early on with my old manager, who is now a scheduler. He told me that he had put himself in for overtime at my site at the weekend, again, and asked (told) me to allow him parking for his car. I took this opportunity to give him the chance to start acting like a professional corporate security guard and said I would agree to allow him parking if he agreed to wear uniform. As expected he, in a roundabout way, declined, saying he wears a uniform of his own (normally combat trousers and a shirt with the top two buttons undone!). I told him he would at least be wearing a tie, which he scoffed at. Two other supervisors have let him get away with telling them what he wanted to do, I wasn't about to.
I had a word with my current boss (or deputy boss as the other is on holiday) and informed him about this guy's refusal to wear uniform. Little did I know he would take it so far up the chain of command. He told his boss, who in turn told her boss, who looked into this guy's behaviour on site and noticed that, in addition to his poor appearance, that he also left site early on Sunday (something of which I was unaware). My old manager was then told he was banned from our site and is subject to disciplinary procedures for his leaving site early. Not what I intended, but I have always said that, after he was removed from his managerial position, he should never have had anything more to do with the site. Hopefully it will now stay that way.
Unfortunately he is now seeking allies from my site to be witnesses in his disciplinary (just as he did with his last one!). Can anyone see a pattern here? Apparently he has had disciplinaries at almost all of his jobs, something of which he is seemingly proud of (and incredibly arrogant about, having survived every single one!).

Also today I had a disagreement with a guard who I had told to stay at his position while I found out some information. When I returned he was gone, which was a pity for him as I was about to let him go home a bit early. He caught up with me about 10 minutes later and started telling me angrily how he didn't want to stay late because he hadn't been paid for the last time he had to stay late. When he calmed down I informed him of his missed opportunity and told him that if he had told me about his missing money earlier today I could have sorted something for him, and that he will now have to wait until tomorrow.

Lastly, I managed to have a word with my boss's boss, who I get on with, and who I think has a fairly good opinion of me (emphasis on the "think"). I told her that I wanted to get out of security and was looking for an admin-type position. I asked if she knew of any such position within the company and, if not, if she could keep an eye out for me. She told me to send her a c.v. and a covering letter and she would forward it to recruitment who would keep it on file. I doubt that anything will come of it, but you never know and it certainly cannot hurt.

Idiot

While describing my uneventful day yesterday I forgot to mention that I watched "The Idiot's Lantern" on BBC iPlayer. It is probably the only episode of "new" Doctor Who that I hadn't seen. So, now I am all caught up. It was an okay episode, but I hope that they use the character of Tommy again at some point (either played by the same actor Rory Jennings, or an older actor), maybe his one adventure with the Doctor could have influenced him to join Torchwood or UNIT or something similar?

13th August

LGBT people born today:
1895 – Hannah “Gluck” Gluckenstein – UK Painter – Died 10th January 1978
1908 – Gene Raymond – US Actor / Composer / Director / Producer / Pilot – Died 2nd May 1998
1952 – Herb Ritts – US Photographer – Died 26th December 2002
1957 – David Crane – US Screenwriter / Producer
1958 – Domenico Dolce – Italian Fashion Designer [D&G]
1961 – Sam Champion – US Presenter 1967 – Jin Xing – Chinese Ballerina / Dancer / Actress / Choreographer
1968 – Carlos Morales – Venezuelan Porn / DJ / Dancer 1969 – Rachel Carns – US Musician / Composer / Artist / Singer
1982 – Robert Arnold – New Zealand Singer / Reality TV [New Zealand Idol] / Actor


And those who died:
1962 – Mabel Dodge Luhan – US Columnist / Playwright – Born 26th February 1879

Wednesday 12 August 2009

A Nothing Day

Nothing much accomplished today really. I didn't get up until gone midday, so most of the day was already wasted.

I did popped to the Barbican library and managed to finish reading Maybe the Moon, by Armistead Maupin. It is a good book, and very thought provoking (especially at the end), but not his best. I never felt as invested in the characters as I did with his Tales of the City books, but then again you get to know those characters over a longer period of time (6 books). It is set in the same continuity though, mentioning Ned (Michael Tolliver's former business partner, and Rock Hudson's former lover), just as The Night Listener is also set in the same "universe" with Anna's presence confirming this. I still enjoyed the book though, and will probably read it again.
I think I will start reading Julie Walters' autobiography next as that looks interesting, though I am also half way through Nobody True, by James Herbert, and am re-reading the Tales of the City books at work. Good job I can keep track of which story is which, eh?

I worked on the database today too and have managed to add almost another 300 names over the last 3 days. Not bad.

I've not heard from any job that I've applied for, not even my "perfect job" that I applied for on Saturday (I guess it is still early) so tomorrow I will have to go back to work, which I am not looking forward to as usual.
I just hope that my old boss isn't working overtime at the weekend as he has been for the last 2 weeks. I will really get frustrated if he is as he STILL refuses to wear uniform, even though he isn't the manager any more, and STILL insists on telling the supervisors what he wants to do (and they have been letting him get away with it!).
I am also taking my free computer back to work, bit by bit because of the weight, as it is no use to me as it isn't compatible with wireless internet and I can't be bothered to mess around with it, especially as I haven't got a clue how to set it right. I don't really need it either, so I have arranged for one of the other guys at work to have it. At least someone will get some use out of it. I just wish I knew how to wipe the memory completely, not just clear the history.

New Friends

I decided that I needed to get out last night despite the fact that I had no one to drink with. I started my night in Rupert Street, or rather outside, which had re-opened after painting its interior black, making it look less than inviting. I preferred the light, friendly look it had before.
I went on to Comptons, but changed my mind once I saw that there was no space to stand outside, and that inside was almost empty. I was also swayed by the fact that there was nobody I found attractive there either (apart from one barman). So I went to the Duke of Wellington instead.
I intended to have just one more drink here before heading home, but got talking to a cute American guy called Chris and stayed out for a few more. Chris was on a 4-day stopover on his way back to the States from Spain and has a boyfriend (which didn't matter to me, as I just wanted someone to chat with).
A very strange guy called Joseph joined us. I had noticed him staring at us but thought nothing more of it. He was very soft spoken, so it was sometimes hard to hear what he was saying. At one point this cute but overly enthusiastic guy (called Ritchie?) came over to chat Joseph up, gave him his number and then went to join his friends in Rupert Street. He said he was 23, which put Joseph off as he is (or said he was) 35. I was pleased when he said this as I then admitted my age, knowing I looked a hell of a lot younger than him (Not nice, I know, but I get my thrills where I can). Chris and I were trying to persuade him to call the guy.
The three of us went on to Barcode where Joseph disappeared intermittently, probably to cruise, and I don't blame him. While there I noticed a nicely built guy dancing around in a grey vest top and I thought he was quite attractive. By the end of the night I got talking to him, well sort of as he was Brazilian and I couldn't understand much of what he was saying. I thought things were going well, so when we left the club and I said goodbye to Chris (he is flying home today) and I got his email address.
I thought I would be going back with this Brazilian. He had other ideas though, so I went and got the bus home feeling really horny!
On the bus I was flirting with this Algerian guy sat behind me and when I got off, near St Paul's, he followed me off. I thought I would make the most of it, so we found a dark, secluded spot and had a quick fumble.

I am still feeling really horny.
I am constantly feeling horny lately, but it isn't actually sex that I want. It is human contact that I want, but I don't get that very often, so I make up for it by having the occasional meaningless fumble with a random stranger.

Back to work tomorrow, so no chance of a fumble there, unless I get my hands on the sexy new maintenance guy! Sounds like a plan.

12th August (Deaths)

LGBT people who died today:

1955 – Thomas Mann – German Author – Born 6th June 1875
1976 – Tom Driberg (Baron Bradwell) – UK Journalist – Born 22nd May 1905
1992 – John Cage – US Composer / Philosopher / Poet / Artist / Printmaker – Born 5th September 1912
1994 – Manfred Salzgeber – German Actor / Producer / Activist – Born 1943
1999 – Martin Wong – US Painter – Born 11th July 1946
2007 – Merv Griffin – US Singer / Actor / Presenter – Born 6th July 1925

12th August (Births)

LGBT people born today:

1866 – Jacinto Benavente – Spanish Author – Died 14th July 1954
1867 – Edith Hamilton – German / US Author – Died 31st May 1963
1880 – Marguerite Radclyffe-Hall – UK Author – Died 7th October 1943
1907 – Gladys Bentley – US Singer – Died 18th January 1960
1928 – Maureen Colquhoon – UK Politician
1947 – John Nathan-Turner – UK Producer – Died 1st May 2002
1962 – Miss Cleo – US Actress / Producer / Psychic / Shaman
1973 – Latasha Byears – US Basketball

Tuesday 11 August 2009

11th August

LGBT people born today:
1885 – Sophia Parnok – Russian Poet – Died 26th August 1933
1893 – Ray Bourbon – UK / USA Drag Queen / Entertainer – Died 19th July 1971
1913 – Sir Angus Wilson – UK Author / Journalist / Playwright – Died 31st May 1991
1945 – Denis Lemon – UK Journalist / Magazine Proprietor – Died 21st July 1994
1949 – Ian Charleson – UK Actor – Died 6th January 1990
1950 – Elmar Kraushaar – German Journalist / Author
1956/8 – Bobby Blake – US Porn [or 17th June 1968]
1967 – Chad S Johnson – US Lawyer / Politician
1969 – Robert van Damme – Czech Porn [or November 1968/1969]
And those who died:
1953 – John Horne Burns – US Author – Born 7th October 1916
1970 – Otto Peltzer – German Runner – Born 8th March 1900

Monday 10 August 2009

More Good News

I got my pay slips today and I am delighted to say that the last pay from my old company and the first from the new both appear to be correct. Shock! Horror!
I was positive that my old company would try and con me out of something, given their horrendous track record! But it was all there and accounted for, so I don't have to go through the stress of chasing them up again.
And, with the new company paying weekly (at the moment), if I do have any problems with the pay they send me (or don't) then I should only have to wait a week and not a month as before. It's all good (for a change!).

Debt Free At Last - Well Almost

I phoned one of the companies that I was paying off debts to today to check how much was left to pay, as I intended to pay it off in full. When I got through I was told that it had cleared in May and they had no record of 2 further payments. The woman at the call centre advised me that they would investigate and if they payments were found they would refund the £90 to me. But other than that my debt was cleared. This was good news (despite the missing money).
So I decided to phone my last remaining creditor and paid off the full amount with them too. So now, apart from my overdraft (which I will go into today once I take out my rent), I am debt free and if feels GREAT!!! For the first time in over 10 years, all my money is now my own. I can start to save up for laser eye surgery now (which shouldn't take long), and I will be able to buy my nephews and nieces decent presents for Christmas this year too!