Back To The Grind

My first day back at work was as uneventful as ever. My "manager" is still there, but still not permanent as of yet. I was bored for most of the day, no changes there either then. I spent most of the day looking for jobs to do, ending up checking on things that didn't need checking, but could possibly save me time down the line (should I ever be busy enough to need time saving!).

Bored! Bored! Bored!

But at least my eyes held up nicely!

30th September [Death]

LGBT people who died today:
1955 – James Dean – US Actor – Born 8th February 1931
1987 – Geoffrey Burridge – UK Actor – Born 1949
1989 – Virgil Thomson – US Composer – Born 25th November 1896
1990 – Patrick White – Australian Author – Born 28th May 1912
1997 – Ernst van Heerden – South African Poet – Born 20th March 1916

30th September [Births]

LGBT people born today:
1924 – Truman Capote – US Actor / Author – Died 25th August 1984
1935 – Johnny Mathis – US Singer
1960 – Nicola Griffith – UK Author / Editor
1971 – Miguel Leon – Venezuelan Porn
1971 – Jeff Whitty – US Playwright / Librettist
1977 – Maia Brewton – US Actress
1986 – James Barnett – US Activist / Entrepreneur

Eye Check-Up

I went for my 1-week check up at Optimax this morning and was told that my eyes are healing well and on schedule. I can stop administering one lot of the eye drops that I have and the other I will just use until the bottles are empty. Apparently the trouble I am having with my night vision (having a halo effect around lights at night), should ease after about a month, so I will have to wait and see. My eyes still feel tired all the time, but that is just down to the eyes not being fully healed yet I guess.

I really am not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow, especially after 12 days off AND having my eye procedure done. I will find out if my "boss" is still there, and, if he is, how he will act when I am back (after his homophobic comment on my last day). He went for an interview for the position he was temporarily covering in the last week that I was there, so it should either be him or someone new doing his job. I can't wait until my first day off again on Sunday and I'm not even there yet!

29th September

LGBT people born today:
1955 – Ann Bancroft – US Polar Explorer / Author / Teacher
1956 – Carol Blazejowski – US Basketball
1958 – Jahna Steele – US Entertainer – Died 24th January 2008
1964 – Jeanna Fine – US Porn / Dancer
1964 – Trojan Rock – UK Porn / Producer
1965 – Boris Izaguirre – Venezuelan / Spanish Screenwriter / Author / Journalist
1967 – Brett Anderson – UK Singer / Songwriter / Musician
1969 – Kelly Robbins – US Golf
???? – Kalman Faludi – Hungarian Porn

And those who died:
1967 – Carson McCullers – US Author / Playwright – Born 19th February 1917
1973 – WH Auden – UK / USA Poet – Born 21st February 1907
1987 – Elizabeth Eden – US Transsexual – Born 19th August 1946

Mystery Object?

Yesterday evening I went into the bathroom that I share with my 5 flatmates to find this mystery object sitting in the sink:

Initially I thought that it was very inappropriate to leave such a device laying around after using it, not to mention unhygienic! Then I realised exactly what it was (instead of what my obviously filthy mind THOUGHT it was!).

Can you guess? Or is it too obvious?

28th September

LGBT people born today:
1914 – Denham Fouts – US Prostitute / Muse – Died 1948 / 1949
1952 – Kurt van Eegham – Belgian Singer / Presenter
1953 – Keith McDermott – US Actor / Author
1970 / 1977 – Chad Adams – US? Porn

And those who died:
1986 – Sir Robert Helpmann – Australian Dancer / Choreographer / Actor - Born 9th April 1909
2004 – FannyAnn Eddy – Sierra Leone Activist / Hate Crime Victim – Born 14th June 1974

What I Need

Bored (Aren't I Always?)

After today I have just 2 more days of my 12 days off of work left and, apart from the eye correction procedure (I feel like a fraud if I say eye surgery, even though technically it was), I feel like I have once again wasted my time off.
I did go out at the end of last week, but I was hoping to get out a bit more and see lots of people. I have been to see Tim, which is something that I had wanted to do since he came out of hospital. But, overall, I have done nothing and I am bored.
I am slightly limited by what I can do, because I have to administer eye drops every 2 hours. Yes, I can take the drops with me, but it isn't really ideal, or always hygienic. I suppose I am just making excuses. I could have gone to the rugby yesterday. I could have tried to arrange to meet people for lunch (though this never meets with success with the people I know, it's drinks or nothing!). I'm stuck in a rut I think. I even have a legitimate excuse not to join the gym at the moment, as Optimax tell me to avoid exercise for 3 months.
I guess what I really need, what I have wanted for a long LONG time, is someone to be HERE for me. Someone to hold me. What I need (and needed especially in the 3 hours after my eye procedure) was someone to look after me. Sometimes I just need a hug from a strong man. I can't remember the last time I had that.
All I have to look forward to, on my last 2 days off, is another appointment at Optimax on Tuesday morning. It's times like this that make me want to go cottaging / cruising again, for the thrill of it and for the possibility of human contact, no matter how unemotional it may be. I'm desperately trying to avoid this temptation though.

27th September

LGBT people born today:
1937 – Robert Patrick – US Playwright / Poet / Author / Songwriter
1940 – Rudolph Moshammer – German Fashion Designer / Murder Victim – Died 14th January 2005
1965 – Rhona Cameron – UK Comedian / Presenter
1974 – Carrie Brownstein – US Musician / Actress / Blogger
1975 – Tim Campbell – Australian Actor

And those who died:
1961 – Hilda Doolittle – US Poet / Author – Born 10th September 1886
1992 – Keith Prentice – US Actor – Born 21st February 1940
2001 – Dafydd Jenkins – UK Club Manager / Editor – Born 20th December 1946
2002 – Charles Henri Ford – US Author / Poet / Director / Photographer / Artist / Editor – Born 10th February 1913

Strictly The Right Result

Tonight's Strictly Come Dancing as just finished and, I have to say, it finished with the right result. The contestants' dances were unspectacular overall again, but it is early days. Phil had poor posture; Craig could have danced a bit more; Laila didn't stretch her talent enough, she made it look easy (and thus boring); Zoe's dance was, in my opinion a bit boring too, though the judges loved it; Jo's rumba was just okay (though much better than her effort yesterday); Richard was awful, it looked like he was forcing himself to do something he didn't want to do, he was out of time with the music and many of his moves were horribly telegraphed. He looked like an embarrassing uncle dancing at a wedding; Ricky Whittle was the only breath of fresh air, and that is not just because he is gorgeous, it is because he can actually dance (though Natalie, his pro partner, did look really cheap with her hair done as it was), and the end of the dance was a bit strange, more of a non-ending; Natalie's performance was a bit stilted and her nerves were showing through some of it.

The two main dances done by the professionals though were absolutely amazing. First came a Paso Doble, which is a dance that usually makes me cringe (when the celebrities do it, at least!), but this was amazing. Then came a quickstep which was almost as good as the legendary Jive of 2 years back. At this stage of the competition, the pro dances are the only real reason to watch this show I think. I love their dances.

When the dance of came along, it was between Craig & Flavia and Richard & Lilia. Luckily, and righteously it was Richard & Lilia who had to go.

Next week I think we are back to normal with just one show each week on the Saturday. Let's hope that the standard improves noticeably and the dances are more entertaining, and not for the wrong reasons!

Not Trying Hard Enough

I decided this morning, given that it would be great weather again today, that I would like to go and watch the Kings Cross Steelers play. I was intending to go and watch the first team play at home. Geraint had already told me that he would be going, so I was going to watch it with him. I put a message on Facebook saying I was thinking of going and was contacted by RJ who said he was going to watch the second team, who were playing away. I was then torn between which match to watch. Ronan also send me a message to say he was possibly going to go and was also undecided which to go to.
Before I made a decision I did some more stock taking of my Star Wars figures and got completely carried away. When I finished the box that I was working in it was already 14:30, so I didn't really have enough time to get to either match in time for kick-off (bearing in mind I also had not had any lunch at that point!).
I decided instead to go into Soho and had a good long look around Forbidden Planet and Orbital Comics, picked up some free gay magazines and then had lunch in Soho Square before heading back home. At least I managed to get some sun (and I remembered to put my sunglasses on too!).

26th September

LGBT people born today:
1907 – Anthony Blunt – UK Spy – Died 26th March 1983
1937 – Joop Admiraal – Dutch Actor – Died 25th March 2006
1942 – Gloria E Anzaldua – US Author / Poet / Activist – Died 15th May 2004
1946 – Andrea Dworkin – US Author / Activist – Died 9th April 2005
1947 – Arnie Zane – US Photographer / Dancer / Choreographer – Died 30th March 1988
1953 – David Clarenbach – US Politician
1958 – Darby Crash – US Singer / Musician – Died 7th December 1980
1962 – Patrick Bristow – US Actor
1966 – Scott Heim – US Author
1967 – Rich Merritt – US Marine / Lawyer / Blogger / Activist
1976 – Orville Lloyd Douglas – Canadian Poet / Author
1976 – Olivia O’Lovely – US Porn

And those who died:
1937 – Bessie Smith – US Singer / Actress – Born 15th April 1894

Strictly Friday

Tonight's Strictly Come Dancing was, overall, pretty uneventful. The show started with the professional dancers performing a lovelly group dance to Three Times a Lady, which made me cry from the off, because I remembered that it was one of my mum's favourite songs.
First up this week was Natalie Cassidy, who I want to do well, so I was a bit upset when I found her dance slightly average.
Zoe Lucker was second and was surprisingly sweet and delicate.
Craig Kelly, who was doing a tango, was about what I expected, i.e. not too good, with poor posture and it was an unusual song for a tango. Bangra, hello?
Richard Dunwoody was the worst of the night I think, so he is my bet for the one to go at the end of tomorrow's show.
Laila Rouass was pretty good, though she did forget her moves at one point (though the judges were confused rather than disappointed by this!).
Phil Tufnell was better than I had hoped he would be, as I don't actually like the guy.
Jo Wood looked lost and she would be my second bet for the celebrity to leave the show this week.
Last up tonight was sexy Ricky Whittle who looked very natural on the dance floor (though he is a bit cocky with it). He, unfortunately, slipped at one point, though this did not detract from the overall beauty of the dance.
I am also getting pretty fed up with Len, as he spends far too much time picking on what Craig has said in his criticisms and not enough time giving his opinions on the actual dancing. Get over it Len!
The other group of celebrities performed a group dance which was actually quite good, no one looked terrible which is great at this stage. But, let's hope that tomorrow's show is a bit more entertaining.

Tim - Update

I finally got around to going to see Tim at home. He has been out of hospital for weeks now (it is hard to believe that it is almost 3 months since his accident!), and today was the first time I've seen him since. I sent him a text at around 11:00 to see if he was up to having a visitor today. He replied at 12:00 to say that he had just got up and yes, I could visit any time I wanted. So, I got ready, printed off a map of how to get to his (despite knowing Tim for about 8 years now, I have never seen where he lives!), and set off.
It was a beautifully warm day today with not a cloud in the sky, which I really wasn't expecting, being the end of September, but by the time I got to Tim's I was sweating. It was nice seeing him, although he has lost a lot of weight. He is, however, talking more like himself now, not so much in almost a child-like voice as he was before. But he does still had his flat head, which he obviously will have until he has the metal plate put in on 1st December.
It was really good to see him, and his home which is nice and a good size place, but I am glad that I didn't move there when I had the chance a while back as I am not too keen on the area, Brixton. It's probably just because I was not familiar with the area, having not been around there since Gay Pride was held in Brockwell Park nearly 20 years ago. I am longing to move still though.

Why Do I Hate This Flat So Much?

I sometimes wonder if I am being too fussy when I moan about this flat that I live in. I moan about the tiny bathroom, and the fact that you can never get enough hot water to have a bath, the tiny kitchen, and the fact that my flat mates congregate there to chat, despite the fact that other people want to use the space, the fact that we have no double glazing, making my room noise polluted and cold in winter, etc etc etc.
Today I was reminded of another factor. I was in my room, about to go and have a shower. I was sat there just in a towel when I heard Kevin, my landlord out on the landing talking to someone. All of a sudden, he knocked on my door, and despite me saying"Just a minute" he walked in with a guy in a suit doing a survey! It f*ck!ng pissed me off. It would have pissed me off even more if the guy had been sexy!
I have no privacy here, Kevin just comes and goes as he wants. And then there is the fact that my door handle broke 3 weeks ago (well a screw came out and disappeared), he keeps saying he will get it fixed, but still hasn't. Luckily I can still lock the door, but when it first happened I was stuck in my room for 10 minutes while I had to use a coat hanger to force the door open.
I need to move. I think I'll start looking at prices this week, so that I know what I need to aim for wages-wise in a new job. (Oh, by-the-way, I applied for another administration job yesterday, so fingers crossed).

25th September [Deaths]

LGBT people who died today:
1626 – Theophile de Viau – French Poet / Playwright – Born 1590
1967 – Lota de Macedo Soares – Brazilian Aesthete – Born 1910
1968 – Cornell Woolrich – US Author – Born 4th December 1903
1987 – Gerald Chapman – UK Director – Born 8th November 1949
1987 – Emlyn Williams – UK Actor / Playwright – Born 26th November 1905
1989 – Jack Smith – US Actor / Playwright / Director / Photographer – Born 14th November 1932

25th September [Births]

LGBT people born today:
1914 – Robert Wright – US Librettist – Died 27th July 2005
1937 – Ronald Robertson – US Figure Skater – Died 4th February 2000
1952 – Cherrie Moraga – US Author / Playwright / Poet / Activist
1962 – David Bedella – US Actor
1968 – Mark Slade – US Porn
1974 – Sebastian Cole – Australian Porn
1977 – Oras Tynkkynen – Finnish Politician
1981 – Danny Hunter – US Porn

Halos

I had a check up today at Optimax, which took about 10 minutes and then I was kicked back out into the street again. Basically everything is going according to plan, I have some inflammation in my right eye but other than that it all looks normal for the day after the procedure.
On the way home I purchased some sunglasses in Boots, the kind that are tight around the side of the head too, so as not to let any bright light in. I hate wearing them though, so have to force myself. I can see the irony of having this procedure so that I don't have to wear lenses or glasses and, during the recovery period only I hope, I HAVE to wear sunglasses whenever I go out!
I also brought some swimming goggles which I have to wear in the shower apparently.
Tonight I have noticed that all light sources have their own halo now, which I hope will be a temporary side effect as part of this treatment, which made the cost soar, was to eliminate the possibility of this halo effect! If it doesn't ease off I will be kicking up a stink!
I am also feeling incredibly horny at the moment. I'm not feeling up to going out for the night yet (I still have to apply eye drops every 2 hours), but I could do with some physical company, i.e. some hugs, a few kisses and maybe something a bit more intimate. I guess I'll have to check to see if Mythos Man is back on-line yet. I bet it isn't.

24th September [Deaths]

LGBT people who died today:
1494 – Poliziano – Italian Poet – Born 14th July 1454
1963 – Una Vincenzo – UK Sculptor / Translator – Born 8th March 1887
1981 – Patsy Kelly – US Actress / Singer / Comedian – Born 12th January 1910
1996 – Zeki Muren – Turkish Poet / Singer / Composer / Actor – Born 6th December 1931
2006 – Patrick Quinn – US Actor – Born 12th February 1950

24th September [Births]

LGBT people born today:
1899 – Sir William Dobell – Australian Sculptor / Painter – Died 13th May 1970
1923 – Louis Edmonds – US Actor – Died 3rd March 2001
1940 – Yves Navarre – French Author – Died 24th January 1994
1949 – Pedro Almodovar – Spanish Director / Producer / Screenwriter [or 25th September 1949]
1951 – Mark Leno – US Politician
1954 – Eric Stryker – US Porn – Died 19th February 1988
1961 – John Logan – US Screenwriter / Playwright
1969 – Chad Beguelin – US Playwright
1976 – Michelle Ferris – Australian Cyclist
1979 – Ross Matthews – US Presenter
???? – Jake Gianelli – US Porn / Bodybuilder

I'm Okay

I had my appointment at Optimax today and, despite being incredibly nervous, worried and, at time, unimpressed with the service, I am fine
I arrived at their office at 09:30 and had some more forms to fill in before seeing the surgeon for a final consultation. He was happy to continue (which I had no doubt about considering the amount of money they are getting from me!). I had to wait about an hour and a half before the procedure even began, and lost track of time while I was in there, though it probably wasn't more than half an hour. I was allowed to rest alone in a side room for a while before being taken downstairs for a brief check up before being chucked out the door (at least, that is how I perceive it now!).

I was regretting it slightly once I got home (via taxi) as my eyes were incredibly sore and, at the appointed time, I could barely open them to administer the eye drops that I had been provided with. I finally managed to get an hour of sleep after I'd put the drops in and when I awoke (or was woken by my flatmates should I say) my eyes felt much better.

I have bandage contact lenses in at the moment, which I presume is what is making my vision slightly blurry, but other than that my vision is great, not perfect I don't think, but great. I have to go back tomorrow for a check-up and then again in a week and 3 months.

All through today I have been thinking that things are really bad, lots of "worst" moments:

I thought spending all that money for vanity's sake was the worst.
I thought the waiting was the worst.
I thought the smell of burning from the laser was the worst.
I thought that navigating down a long staircase with plastic cups on my eyes was the worst.
I thought that the hours of discomfort was the worst.
I thought the frustration at not being able to put my eye drops in was the worst.
I thought that coping with this on my own was the worst.

All in all though, it was the discomfort that was the worst. But at the moment I am thinking that it is all probably worth it. We shall see though if I feel the same in the coming days and weeks.

p.s. I have been told not to read, watch television or use the computer today, but I was so bored and needed to vent a bit I had to get on here and let you all know I was fine. I have, if it is any consolation, turned down the contrast on my laptop so the glare is not too bad. I won't be on here too long either.

23rd September

LGBT people born today:
1923 – Anita Cornwell – US Author
1954 – George C Wolfe – US Playwright / Director
1967 – Michael Soldier – US Porn / Actor / Drag Queen / Musician / Singer
1968 – Adam Price – UK Politician / Columnist
1970 – Ani DiFranco – US Singer / Songwriter / Musician
1972 – Sarah Bettens – Belgian Singer / Musician

And those who died:
2004 – Margaret Sloan-Hunter – US Activist / Poet / Journalist – Born 1947

Freaking Out..... a bit

I have been trying to avoid thinking about it all day, but tomorrow morning a complete stranger is going to be slicing and dicing my eyes in the hope that it could possibly (I repeat, possibly) improve my eyesight! All for the price of a holiday in Australia!! Am I f***ing mad?
I haven't even been allowed to talk to the surgeon yet, and already I have handed over £1000 in my desperation to be free of the inconvenience and discomfort of contact lenses and glasses. I really am beginning to think I may have been hasty in my decision, despite the fact that I have been thinking about this for about 4 years!
I just hope that it doesn't end up in the worst possible scenario, because if it does then this could well be my last blog posting (not gonna be able to do it blind now, am I?).

22nd September

LGBT people born today:
1900 – William Spratling – US Artist – Died 7th August 1967
1910 – Gyorgy Faludy – Hungarian Poet / Author / Translator – Died 1st September 2006
1938 – Hilton Brown – US Artist / Activist
1946 – Maurice Richard – Canadian Politician
1953 – Richard Fairbrass – UK Singer / Presenter / Activist
1955 – Lilo Wanders – German Actor
1958 – Tim Miller – US Performance Artist / Author
1969 – Sue Perkins – UK Comedian / Presenter / Actress / Scriptwriter
1972 – Matt Rush – US Porn / Personal Trainer / Actor
1979 – Ron Link – Dutch Actor / Singer 1984 – Ole Henrik Gronn – Norwegian Politician
???? – Sebastian Rivers - Porn

When You Wish.....

I just took a look out of my bedroom window and noticed, in the pitch black sky, that there was one point of light shining quite brightly to the south. I have no idea which star (or planet) it may have been at this time of year, but it was stationary and really quite bright considering there were no other stars showing here in the middle of the city. After a couple of minutes and the light still being there, I decided to be a bit silly and make a wish on it. It couldn't hurt could it? Just as I decided what to wish for (and no, I'm not telling you!) the star disappeared and didn't reappear. How typical is that? It just goes to show that indecision is a wasteful thing sometimes!

My New Number One Man

Almost since I began this blog, back before time began, I have been obsessed with a certain American actor, namely Mr Jake Gyllenhaal. There is something about him in each of his films that I have seen that draws me to him (and it's not his body, as he rarely strips for his films). But, I have not seen anything new about Jake for months, probably going on for a year, and I am beginning to think that he just does not care anymore.

Therefore I have replaced him in my heart with a new man.

An Australian man.

An Aussiebum man.

Toby Barnett is my favourite Aussiebum model, every time I see him I have to pause to take in his aura of overwhelming sex appeal. I love going into Rupert Street lately as they are almost always playing an Aussiebum promotional video and Toby is invariably in there somewhere. It's not a good marketing tool for Rupert Street though as having those videos playing makes the clientele look that much less appealing!

Toby has leapt ahead of all competition and is now officially my number one man of the moment.

Optimax

I've not long been back from my consultation at Optimax, to see about getting my eyes lasered so that I don't have to wear lenses or glasses any more (or at least for the foreseeable future). They advertise their prices as starting at £390-ish per eye, but don't advertise the prices of other treatments. Stupidly I anticipated increments of around £250 for each treatment. How wrong was I?
My treatment is going to cost £2570 in total (and that is the discounted price!!!).
I am in shock.
I can't quite believe that I am going through with it, but I am really sick of lenses (£2.5K sick apparently!). With this money I could pay for a decent holiday in Australia, or I could continue paying for contact lenses for nearly the next 11 years!! I really hope that it works out, otherwise I will still be blind (maybe more-so) and even more bitter than I am at the moment. It is a risk that I have to take though.
I have paid a £1000 deposit, and will be paying the rest off with 12 monthly payments of £130. My treatment will be on Wednesday morning and I am not to wear my lenses during the interim time. I will need 2-3 days recovery time afterwards, so I won't be out in Soho during this time, and will need additional aftercare at specific intervals.
Hopefully though, I will be able to get out into Soho early next week before I have to go back to that hellhole called work on the following Wednesday.

21st September (Deaths)

LGBT people who died today:
1327 – Edward II – English Monarch – Born 25th April 1284
1996 – Henri Nouwen – Dutch / Canadian Priest / Author / Theologian – Born 24th January 1932

21st September (Births)

LGBT people born today:
1898 – Pavel Tchelitchew – Russian / US Painter – Died 31st July 1957
1902 – Luis Cernuda – Spanish Poet / Literary Critic – Died 5th November 1963
1926 – Don Dunstan – Australian Politician – Died 6th February 1999
1944 – Fannie Flagg – US Actress / Author
1945 – Kay Ryan – US Poet / Teacher
1967 – Christopher Price – UK Presenter – Died 22nd April 2002
1967 – Alan G Rogers – US Soldier / Activist – Died 27th January 2008
1968 – Jinx Titanic – US Composer / Singer / Songwriter / Author / Actor / Comedian / Presenter
1970 – Melissa Ferrick – US Singer
1977 – Johnny Hazzard – US Porn / Singer
1983 – Scott Evans – US Actor
1984 – Jonny Makeup – US Musician / Presenter / Columnist

Vanity

I have my appointment tomorrow with Optimax, to see whether I can have the laser procedure to correct my vision (and mean that I won't have to wear contact lenses again). It is in the early afternoon and I've been told not to wear lenses for at least 24 hours before the appointment. I hate going out in my glasses so this means that I will be spending the day indoors. Now that is nothing unusual for me, but it is so much more annoying when you HAVE to do it! I guess, if I need to, I feel confident enough in my glasses to go down to the local Tesco, but that is about it. I am going to absolutely hate going all the way to Finchley Road and back tomorrow in my glasses! But, if I can have the procedure done, it will certainly be worth it.

20th September

LGBT people born today:
1869 – Emma Willits – US Physician – Died 9th April 1965
1918 – Gordon Heath – US Singer / Actor / Director – Died 27th August 1991
1918 – George Mosse – German / US Historian / Author – Died 22nd January 1999
1924 – William John Christopher Vassall – UK RAF / Spy – Died 18th November 1996
1925 – James Bernard – UK Composer – Died 12th July 2001
1930 – Richard Montague – US Mathematician – Died 7th March 1971
1948 – Chuck Panozzo – US Musician
1952 – Molly Cutpurse – UK Author
1955 – Jamie Lee Hamilton – Canadian Politician / Activist / Author / Entertainer / Lecturer
1958 – Mike Roberts – US Porn
1961 – Bo Dixon – US Porn 1976 – Lesley Brehm – Dutch Presenter
1977 – Lane Fuller – US Porn

And those who died:
2005 – Tobias Schneebaum – US Artist / Activist – Born 25th March 1922

Strictly Lucky

I watched the second of this weekend's Strictly Come Dancing episodes earlier this evening and was relieved at the happy ending it provided.
The same celebrities as yesterday were dancing their Latin dances today. Jade really looked like she enjoyed her Cha-Cha-Cha.
Ali looked incredibly nervous again before and after her Rumba, but had an amazing dress on and performed brilliantly again.
Lynda was wearing a red dress with a fish-scale pattern on it (I'm saying nothing about old trouts!), she looked happier performing this type of dance, rather than the Tango she did yesterday.
Rav looked so sexy again, but once more was a bit clumpy, when he was allowed to dance by the poor choreography.
Chris was really good again today, I think he could be going all the way, and giving Ali a run for her money. Ola's dress was so sexy too, what there was of it.
Joe's dance was more of a walk, but still really really awkward.
Martina's dance passed me by and left as much impact as her personality, i.e. none.
And poor Ricky was mouthing his counting all the way through the dance "one, two, cha-cha-cha," not good.

We were also treated to a dance by last year's champions Tom Chambers and Camilla Dallerup, which, despite a mistake on the lift towards the end, was still great and very entertaining.
Catherine Jenkins sang, with Vincent and Flavia dancing beautifully in accompaniment. Flavia's dress was incredible too, the costume department are outdoing themselves this year already.

At the end of the show the two celebrities in the dance off were Martina and Rav (for some reason the public saved Joe, despite him being so obviously the worst dancer, I think Christina may have another John Sergeant on her hands!). I was so hoping that Rav would not leave this early in the show, as he is the sexiest thing on there, and luckily he was saved by Bruno and Len's voting.

Strictly Back

I hadn't realised that Strictly Come Dancing was on last night, fancy starting the new season on a different day of the week. Luckily I have BBC iPlayer to help me catch up. I watched it this afternoon and here is my brief overview of what I saw, with more to come I'm sure after tonight's performances:

The show was kicked of with a medley dance, by the professionals of all the dances that will be performed by the contestants during the series. It was an amazing dance, but still not as good as the famously great Jive from two years ago.

The first of the celebs to dance was the incredibly sexy Rav Wilding. He is such a gorgeous guy, with a great body, beautiful smile and down-to-earth attitude. I have a (not so) soft spot for him because of his background in the Armed Forces and Police, two groups which need all of our support. He has not been too successful in his reality television performances to date (Celebrity Mastermind and Celebrity Masterchef), so I hope he does better here. He was, however, very flat footed when he was dancing, though it is still early days.

Ricky Groves, from Eastenders, was surprisingly good, I thought. Though the judges did not tend to agree with me. And Erin Boag was looking just beautiful. I'm not normally one to notice, and I havn't paid attention to her before, but she is a stunning woman, with a sexy voice too.

Chris Hollins was someone who I expected to be awful (along with Ricky Groves), but was surprised by how good he was, though initially he did remind me of John Sergeant.

Jade Johnson was very elegant.

Martina Hingis was elegant, apart from one fairly major mistake at the end, but her for some reason I don't like her.

Lynda Bellingham is a very funny woman and I want her to do well, especially as she is paired with the gorgeous and sexy Darren Bennett who I love. Unfortunately for a lot of her dance she looked like a rabbit in the headlights of an oncoming car! She was incredibly emotional once the dance was over, relief that she had got through it I guess.

Ali Bastion is one of the celebs that I had not heard of, though I have probably seen her in The Bill at some point. She looked absolutely petrified before taking the stage, but was amazing once she was dancing. The most natural dancer of the celebrities so far. I hated the song that she had to perform to though, very jumbled.

The last of the celebs to perform in this show was boxer Joe Calzaghe. I like Joe, he is pretty down to earth, one of the UK's best sportsmen (results-wise, as he is undefeated in his field), and he is a good looking guy too. Unfortunately, his dance was cringe-worthy to watch: bad posture, bum sticking out, looked petrified, and like he was trying to remember the steps and not just dance all the time. Hopefully he will relax or I can see him going out in the first round tonight (which will be a first for him!).

I was pretty unimpressed with the group mambo performed by the other celebs. I don't know if it was particularly good or bad because the camera work was terrible so I never got to see anyone dance for more than a second, so I couldn't tell.

I shall be watching the show tonight to see what happens.

My name is Alex and I am a Strictly Come Dancing addict!

Great Night Out

I was due to meet up with Richard last night for drinks, we had arranged to meet at 19:30 and I was running around like a headless chicken to get ready as I hadn't realised the time. While I was getting ready I happened to look out of my window and saw a nice looking guy walk past and he looked up at my window, so I smiled. He quickly looked away so I thought he was obviously straight. A few minutes later he walked back the other way and looked up again, before sitting on a wall outside the YMCA next door. His face was obscured by the wall, I assumed on purpose, and I just thought that he was waiting for someone. And then a couple of minute later he walked back past and looked up again, so I gave him another big smile and he responded, then looked nervous.
I think it may be the same guy who I had the same dance with about 6 months ago, and I was really tempted to run downstairs and chat to him. I chickened out though, justifying my decision with the fact that I was running late.
As it turned out I could have done it, because Richard was half an hour late getting to the Duke of Wellington. So I was kicking myself. Hopefully this guy will stroll past again next week (I am guessing that he was on his way home from work) and I will certainly go and talk to him if I see him again. I need to be more daring with this type of thing if I am ever going to get new friends and that ever elusive partner.

When Richard did turn up he had a work colleague, Grace, in tow. She is a nice enough woman but I really do not like having to feel responsible for "breeders" while I am out on the gay scene. She left after we'd been to Comptons and Ku Bar for one drink in each bar. Richard and I could then relax and so went on to Barcode, where the gorgeous bar manager, whose name I don't know, allowed us to get in for free, which was amazingly nice of him. I'll have to think of a way to thank him!!!
There were a few nice guys around, but none of them where interested in me at all. I began to feel a bit down when Richard suggested that we go on to the 2 Brewers. This is a place I have only ever been to once, almost 20 years ago and I wasn't impressed, but I am really glad that I went. It was a great place, with a fun crowd, great music and a few nice looking guys. I, and I hope Richard too, had a great time singing along to the "golden oldies" that were playing and it didn't matter that I wasn't pulling, which made a fantastic change.
I did, however, get talking to a guy who lives near me in the Barbican. I had "chatted" to Ronan on Facebook, sometime before I was banned from it last year, but we never got further than suggesting a meeting. At the end of the night, Richard went home and I went over to Ronan to suggest sharing a cab back to the Barbican. It turned out that he was with friends and one was driving, so I got a free lift home. Ronan sat in the back with me and we were holding hands for most of the journey. We went back to his place and chatted for a couple of hours and it was really nice, except that I discovered that one of his friends was actually his boyfriend! I felt a bit awkward when I found this out but it seems that they have an open relationship, which is fine, but it felt weird thinking that he was sitting across the room from us. I certainly do not want a threesome as his boyfriend, whose name I have forgotten, is not my type at all. I think it will just be a case of friendship for everyone.
I didn't get home until 07:00 and was still a bit drunk, despite only having a couple of orange juices at Ronan's. I had nothing to eat except crisps so when I woke later in the morning I was a bit hungover and didn't get out of bed until gone 13:00!

I had been considering going to watch the Steelers play today, as both teams were playing at home, but I am couldn't face getting ready and travelling to West Ham this afternoon. I've stayed in and watched last night's Strictly Come Dancing instead (more on than in another posting!).

All in all, last night was a fantastic night and I really had a great time. Cheers Richard.

19th September

LGBT people born today:
1876 – Ethel Mars – US Artist – Died 1956
1910 – Margaret Lindsay – US Actress – Died 9th May 1981
1934 – Brian Epstein – UK Artists’ Manager – Died 27th August 1967
1962 – Gottfried von Bismarck – German Aristocrat – Died 30th June 2007
1963 – Inge Diepman – Dutch Presenter
1974 – Sam Jensen Page – US Journalist / Personal Trainer 1978 – Michael Bihary – Slovakian / Dutch Singer
1980 – Tegan & Sara Quinn – Canadian Singers / Songwriters / Musicians


And those who died:
1990 – Stephen F Kolzak – US Director – Born 19th February 1953
1992 – Frederick Combs – US Actor – Born 11th October 1935

Mythos Man [R.I.P.?]

I'm a bit miffed (to say the least) that one of my favourite blogs has been suspended while it is under investigation for "possible Terms of Service violations." Mythos Man has the best gay porn clips anywhere [see the link on the right hand side, in case it does come back!]. They are sourced from everywhere and he always managed to find at least one video each day (out of about 10 that he posts), that really gets me off. Shame, but I guess the videos may have been copied illegally, so it probably was only a matter of time.
Now, though, I have to search around for decent videos, I'm certainly not paying for them!!

Distractions