New Addiction

While at work on Friday I discovered something that has quickly become a new addiction. I have been checking and updating it at every opportunity.
WikiAnswers is a site linked to Wikipedia on which anyone can pose a question and equally anyone can answer it. So, I set myself up as a member and have been answering questions since Friday. I have only made 44 contributions so far, but the addictive thing about the site is reading what some of the questions are. Some are written in very bad English and I can only assume that either the posers of the questions are foreign (and thus speak vastly better English than I speak any other language), or are using a translator that doesn't quite do it. Then again, some of the questions, especially the ones about relationships, are just plain funny.

Here are some examples of the questions on there right now:
Who sings only got four mints to save the world?
What was Adolf Hitlers childhood like during both the wars?
Whats good with lesbians?

To the really obscure:
What items did Lincoln have with him when he got shot?
Is there a list of clothing in alphabetical order?

I've put the individual links in so you can check that I am not making these up. If you check it out enjoy and pass on the fun, and the knowledge.

Glorious Sunshine

I had a nice relaxing day today out in the sunshine. I decided to go for a walk at about 11:00 not knowing where I was going I grabbed a small bag, filled it with my sunscreen, my digital camera (like I was going to use that piece of s**t), a book and pad and pen (in case my long missing writing inspiration hit me while I was out) and set off. I got a tube to Tottenham Court Road, bought some lunch and ate it in Soho Square, which was surprisingly quiet for such a sunny day. I wandered around to Orbital Comics and Forbidden Planet and managed to avoid major temptation, only buying 2 reference comics (as I stated I would continue to do when I gave up buying comics a couple of months ago). I had a second short stay in Soho Square before walking back towards home and sitting at Lakeside Terrace watching the fish and ducks for an hour before returning home. It was wonderfully relaxing, but would have been so much better in company. Shame. Let's hope it results in at least a small amount of colour on my arms and legs.

Oh Well!!

In the end I stayed at home, had some dinner and watched Dr Who - "Last of the Time Lords" on BBC iPlayer (not that impressed with John Simm's Master upon second viewing, but looks forward to seeing Alexandra Moen again in the not too distant future / past?). And that Tom Ellis is certainly a handsome brute though isn't he?
Oh well, time for bed.

What To Do?

I was lucky enough to have the night supervisor come in to work really early this evening and so I got away at 18:20 (that is a whole 40 minutes early, which is a big deal to me).
Unfortunately, it being a beautiful evening and me having two days off now, I want to go into Soho for the night. No one will be out, at least no one I know, and Saturdays are the worst nights to go out on your own (at least for me). I really do not know what to do. Strangely, as well as wanting to go out, I am feeling really quite tired, though I know this will probably disappear if I do go out (even more so if I have a Red Bull or two).
Maybe I'll save myself and enjoy the sunshine tomorrow, and maybe have a few drinks then? Oh, I don't know.
What I would really like is to spend the night relaxing in front of the telly with someone hunky and sweet, watching really some good films and chatting lazily. I wish I wasn't such an old romantic sometimes.

Tedium Unbound

I am sorry for not posting anything here for a couple of days, but I have really not had anything to report or talk about. I have been working and, as usual, absolutely nothing of note has happened.

As I type, I have 4 hours left of this shift and then I have the luxury of 2 days off. It has been a long day! The two guards I'm working "with" do not help, considering they feel that the rota we work too is open to their own personal interpretations, i.e. turning up for their duties when they feel like it, and thinking that I am being a bit harsh when I pull them up on it. I think I know why at least one of them is so against me being in a position of authority (I believe he feels his manhood is threatened, but believe me his manhood is one of the last things I would be interested in!).

Today, however, I have managed at last to find another job to apply for. This time as a Medical Bookings Administrator. I actually applied for 2 positions with the same title with 2 separate employment agencies, but I imagine that it is for the same job, as they both appeared listed on the same day, under the same description and for the same money. Hopefully, if one of the agencies doesn't think I'm appropriate for the job then the other will.
Apart from sounding like a busy job that I could do well and enjoy (assuming the people are nice too), it is based in the West End (i.e. close to Soho), is better money than I am on now, and for less hours. I hope that I get at least an interview, I'm a bit out of practice.
Wish me luck.

Flesh

Facial Dandruff

I don't know what the actual technical term is but I have the equivalent of facial dandruff! Where I got burned on my forehead and nose watching the rugby at the weekend the skin is really dry, despite putting aftersun and other skin creams on about 20 times a day, and has started to peel away. Every five minutes at work today I would have to rub my hands over my face to get rid of the worst of the peeling and then brush the flakes of skin off of my jacket (sorry I hope you weren't eating, especially is Parmesan was involved!).
I also have dry skin patches under my hair and it forms patterns which make my head look like a hairy, cracked egg.
It doesn't feel very attractive, so I'm certain it doesn't look nice either, typical when there were lots of sexy workmen about today.
Only four more work days to go before I can have another day off though. Roll on Sunday!

More Union Cup 09 Photos

Steve from BigBlueBalloon.net kindly pointed me in the direction of some more great photos from this year's Union Cup rugby, courtesy of shotbygrant at Flickr, so I thought I'd also share some of these with you:Here's "my" sexy Cardiff Lions man;The victorious Cardiff Lions X's team;Wayne of the Kings Cross Steelers getting ready for action;"My" Cardiff man again on his way to score a try I believe. In the background seated on the far right in a grey top is Gareth;




A member of the KXS's X's team with Geraint and I in the background;

Union Cup 09

I must say a big THANK YOU to the photographer(s) at BigBlueBalloon.net who provided the photos below (via Facebook). There are way too many photos for me to post anywhere near all of them, so go and check out their site (click on their name above) for a look at some real rugby players, some of whom just happen to be poofs. Here is one of many great action shots from the set of pictures showing KXS against the Emerald Warriors, quite a confusing match to watch with both teams in very similar kits.

Here are the Kings Cross Steelers 15's celebrating with their cup after a hard fought final match.

A mixture of players with the sexy guy from Cardiff Lions in the centre (light grey t-shirt, almost smiling for a change), shame he was straight (what a waste, as is often said of gay guys), but he played really well.

Here are the team from Manchester's Village Spartans.

Some more victory photos from the KXS XV's team (with very sexy player in the middle, and the one laying down ain't bad either).

Ditto (Sexy guy on left, front row).

Cardiff Lions celebrating their 10's team win (sexy guy is on the bottom row, left). Here he is again, showing off his legs.One of the great looking players from KXS 10's.

A shot of the spectators on the Saturday (the XV's final I think). Oh, and look who is centre frame in the green checked shirt next to the wheelchair; it's me! Geraint is behind me in the (very bright) pink top.

Here I am again in the background, and I think that is Geraint again to the left.

You can also just see me in the background of this picture with a cream hooded top in. This was the first day when I got burned. Brilliant photos BigBlueBalloon.net, Thanks again.

It's Me!!!!

I am often moaned at for not having any decent photos of me on the blog, or any social networking site (okay so it is mainly Ray that was nagging me for photos!). So I thought that as I have the camera now (and close shots seem to be the only thing it is good for) I should get some. It is very difficult taking pictures of yourself, and I personally hate those pictures where you can see the camera as someone takes a picture of themselves in the mirror (it's nothing personal just a little foible I have).

So, to show off my sunburned head, which is really dry now and pealing as is my nose (though they don't show up as bad as they are in the photos), I thought I would try it out and I wasn't too disappointed with the result. I hate having my picture taken as I never like the result. I have learned though that instead of having a serious face on when a picture is taken I should always smile, it seems to come out better for me.

Anyone want to come over and rub some cream on my forehead?

Can't Put It Off Any Longer

I've been trying not to give in to sensible thoughts and go to bed early tonight, as I will be back at work tomorrow morning, but I just didn't want to go to bed as I knew that the sooner I go to sleep, the sooner I will be waking up and have to go to work. Silly, I know. But I can't put it off any longer. So goodnight and let's just hope that tomorrow (and the following 5 days) go past very quickly!

Sunday Sun

Despite only getting home and thus to bed at 07:30, I was awake and up again my midday. It was another beautiful sunny day and I thought that I should not waste it. I walked to Soho and purchased a cheap shoulder gym bag thingie and a baseball cap to protect my sore head, before getting a sandwich to eat in Soho Square.
I then walked up and down Compton Street, to see if I could see anyone I knew, or any rugby players, before browsing around a couple of book shops. I then proceeded to Comptons for 1 pint where I saw Terry and a few minutes later he returned with Richard. They were meeting friends at the French House, just around the corner so when I had finished my pint, and saw them outside the pub I went to say goodbye, but ended up joining them for about an hour. They were off to a party so I decided to come home, after briefly toying with the idea of staying out for yet another drink that I didn't really want. I decided that I was incredibly unlikely to see or pull one of the lovely rugby players from the past 2 days so I got a bus home.
I really do not want to go back to work tomorrow. That is the problem with having 12 days off, it reminds you that of what you miss out on when you are working. I will spend my day tomorrow at work looking for a new job. I am renewing my efforts in the hope that this year will be my "new dawn," when everything comes good for me:
No debts, new friends, holiday, new job, and heaven forbid I hope for a boyfriend!!!!

No Scrum For Me Then

When I eventually managed to get into town I headed straight for Comptons, which was where I had learned most of the rugby players would be starting their night out, after I had got some more money out. I immediately bumped into Roger, a friend of Tim's who is renowned for his incredibly bad puns, but it was nice to actually be talking to someone while out for a change.
Tim did call me however to say he would be out for a couple of drinks, which surprised me as he had had a late night the previous night, having gone to the Dr Who series wrap party (lucky beggar). So it wasn't long until Tim shared the pleasure of Roger's "wit".
Tim and I went on to see his friend Niall in the pub where he works for one drink before returning to the gay world at the Duke of Wellington and then Rupert Street. When Tim went home I went on to Barcode, as usual, though I really should have gone home as I was a bit drunk. In there I saw Gareth again and was surprised when he beckoned me over to join him and his friends. I thought that was really nice. He left after a while, but again surprised me with a good night snog, which was very nice. The last time we did that I unfortunately left a mark on his neck causing him to split with his then-boyfriend. Probably why he didn't keep in touch before.
After Barcode I got some food in MacDonalds and got onto a bus, and gave into temptation and headed off to Chariots, thinking that I still had not had a rugby player this weekend and there may be some at the sauna (if I had thought more clearly, it would have made more sense to go to Chariots in Vauxhall, as most of the queens go to that area on a Saturday night!). It was fairly quiet for a Saturday and I did not return home until 07:30, though I wasn't feeling particularly tired or hungover. I did however have to walk carefully as I passed the building where I work (which is on the route home) as my manager was working last night and I didn't want to have to stop and chat. As it was as I entered the road he was leaving, walking away from me, but in the same direction I was going. I slowed down and kept as close to the building on the other side of the road, in the hope that he would not look around and see me. I was lucky. He didn't.

Public Transport Nightmare

On my way back from the Union Cup yesterday I decided to check how much money I had left on my Oyster card, to see if there was enough to get me out and home again. I swiped out of Barbican station alright and went over to the ticket machine. The card would not swipe so I went to the ticket office and the guy there tried it. It wouldn't swipe so he just gave it back to me and went to turn away without saying another word.
After enquiring what I should do he "kindly" decided to help. He asked if I was travelling again today and I said I would be out later. So he gave me a form telling me I should fill it out and bring it back with some form of identification. I popped home, got washed and changed, filled out the form and went back on my way out for the night. I got to the station at about 19:15, the ticket office had closed at 19:00. When he gave me the form he failed to tell me the ticket office was closing soon.
So, I walked to St Paul's tube station, from where I normally get the tube anyway. That ticket office was closed too. The guy on the gate told me that Bank station ticket office was open until 22:00, so I walked there. When I arrived all the ticket offices were closed, having done so at 19:00 like the other 2 stations. The man there was incredibly helpful though and checked that Liverpool Street ticket office would be open before I walked all the way there. Despite having to queue for a couple of minutes the man there kindly sorted out my new Oyster card without any fuss, though I did have to add money to it to be able to complete my night's travelling.

Saturday Rugby

The second day of the Union Cup was much better. Geraint and I got to the playing grounds while the first matches were being played (it wasn't the Steelers so we had planned it that way) and it was already busier than Friday.
There wasn't a cloud in the sky which didn't bode well for my already throbbing head and neck which had suffered from the sun the day before. This time, however, I had brought some sun cream and sprayed that on about every half an hour. My skin suffered, but only in that it became incredibly greasy.

The skill level of the matches seemed higher than the previous day too, I'm not sure if they were all taking it more seriously or if they had more skilled players who could make it on the Saturday and not the Friday, but it was certainly more enjoyable.

There were lots of good looking guys about too. Unlike Pride though, not too many pretty, Muscle Mary types, just good old fashioned, normal looking sexy guys. The hottest for me was one of the Cardiff Lions players, but apparently he is straight, how typical. He looked like a shorter version of Jason Statham, and had a body to match (though slightly more condensed due to the size difference). He was a moody looking guy too, but very sexy. I guess he was just focusing on the game. No one was really there for pulling, just for rugby and socialising.

I was disappointed that I didn't know more people there. In all there were 2 I knew the names of: Wayne, a former barman at Comptons and fireman, who plays for the Steelers 15's, ignored me completely as he tends to do; and Gareth, a good looking Canadian friend of Tim's who I had a late night snog with a few years back. I chatted to Gareth for a bit and then left him with his friends.
We also got chatting to a nice Australian-born guy called James who was only there briefly each day. He was good looking, athletically built and quite softly spoken for an Aussie. His name was all I got though, but hopefully I may see him around.

At the end of play I'm not sure who won the 7's matches as we weren't that interested in them (the Steelers weren't competing in this). The 10's was won by Cardiff Lions and deservedly so, with the Steelers coming second. And finally, the 15's was won by the Steelers themselves in a close fought contest with Manchester's Village Spartans. All in all a good day's rugby and, despite being disappointed that I didn't get any sort of tan on my arms I was happy that my sunburn didn't seem any worse than it had been.
Geraint and I left when the last match was finished. I will have to wait and see if I feel like going to support the Steelers again in the future, it is a possibility and at least I know exactly where to go now.

Burn Baby Burn

The top of my head and the front of my neck, below the Adam's Apple are burned. My face can barely pass for tanned (tanned red) and I really should not be out in the sun again today, but I will go and hopefully find a hat to wear along the way.
I think what may have caused me to burn could be the St John's Wart tablets that I take every day. It does say on the package to "limit exposure to the sun" as it you may become photosensitive and burn easily. Oh well, now I know they weren't fibbing!!
I have just been out to collect my dry cleaning, a reminder that I am unfortunately back to work on Monday for 6 shifts! I don't want to go! Already outside today the sun is very warm and the wind has died down since yesterday, although that could change when we get back to the open fields of the rugby pitches in West Ham! Hopefully I will have a better day today, and hopefully more spectators will turn up and be slightly more approachable than the team groups.

Union Cup First Day

I have just returned from the first day of play at the Union Cup and I was left unimpressed. The rugby itself was okay for amateurs, but the whole event seems so lacklustre. There has been very little press about the event, the Kings Cross Steelers and Union Cup websites haven't been updated since last year, there was no food provided despite the limited information I saw saying there would be a barbecue, and very few spectators turned up today who weren't closely affiliated with clubs. Overall, I could have spent the day doing other things (like sitting at home on the computer knowing me).
I was also incredibly disappointed with my digital camera, which I may as well throw for all the good it did. I couldn't see the viewing screen in the daylight, as it wasn't illuminated enough, so I was basically guessing what I was taking a picture of. Every time I went to take a picture it had turned itself off, so with all the off and on-ing, the batteries were almost gone by the time we left. When I got home I found that EVERY picture I took was out of focus, with one exception. One picture, of some of the rugby action had someone standing in the foreground, he was in focus. Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that anything more than 6 feet away from the lens will be out of focus, which isn't much use at all. I knew I should have saved up for a decent camera. That's £40 down the drain. I don't think I'll even bother taking the camera tomorrow, not much point.
During today though, I did manage to get a bit of colour on my face, that colour being red!!
My whole face looks burned, but only my forehead feels it. It was difficult to judge the weather as the wind was blowing the whole day, therefore I didn't take my sweatshirt off at all. My face however was exposed and it wasn't until I got on the tube to come home that I could feel that it was a bit burned. I have put some aftersun cream on and hopefully that will ease it so that I do not look like a beetroot tomorrow.
I am going to go back to watch the rest of the tournament tomorrow, basically because I have nothing else to do, but this time I'll go prepared with some sandwiches and suncream (knowing my luck though, if I do this it will turn out that they will provide a barbecue tomorrow and it will rain).
Hopefully, tomorrow being a Saturday and not a normal work day, more people will turn up to watch.

Fun Advert

As much as I don't like to advertise on this blog, I have to post this advert which I found courtesy of OutSports.com. Check it out:

Rugby

Just a few good reasons to get into watching rugby:

Another Present From Frank

I think that Frank, aka the Cat in the Flat, really loves me. He must do to keep on leaving me little presents. This time, i.e. this afternoon, he left me a little something he made himself on the end of my bed. Ahhh bless. Now if only I could get the smell out of my room!!

Union Cup Update

Everything is now set for my trip to watch some poofs play rugby! I am meeting Geraint at Farringdon Station at 10:00 tomorrow morning and we are getting the tube direct to West Ham, from where the rugby pitches are a short walk I am assured!
Weather for tomorrow looks a bit wet on and off, but for Saturday it looks like it will be clear skies all day. I am nervous about going, as I have never actually met Geraint before, and it will be the first time I have met someone who reads this blog without actually having known them beforehand.
Also I'm not sure that my interest in rugby will keep me amused the whole day (it is planned to go one from 10:30 to about 17:00, though there is going to be a bar and barbecue there apparently. So, we shall see. I hope to have lots to tell you about it when I return tomorrow night, and lots of pictures too.

Surprise

I got a call this morning from my boss to tell me that my employers, OCS, have indeed lost the contract for our site and will be gone by 31st July 2009. That is indeed good news as they are useless. The bad news is that the company that sacked me from the Goldman Sachs site, ISS, are taking over. So despite the fact that I will be allowed to TUPE over to them, I may not pass their vetting process, so I could end up being sacked by them all over again!
I've been searching for a new job seriously for a few months now, ever since the debacle with my pay began back in February, though my enthusiasm for the hunt has waned considerably in the last month, especially as I have not heard back from any of the 7 jobs that I did apply for.
Lets just hope that something pops up in the next 6 weeks, so I can feel a bit more financially secure. I'll just have to re-double my efforts, starting NOW!!
And, if I get a new job, hopefully with a later start time, I can then consider moving into the spare room at the flat Tim rents. The only thing putting me off moving there is that I will have to get up an hour earlier every day just to get to work in time. I also can't afford the deposit at the moment, though Tim had offered to lend this to me, which was incredibly generous of him.

The surprise news today, OCS losing the contract was expected, was that the money that went into my account yesterday was from OCS. It must have been the 2 days holiday I have been battling for. They said it would be in my next wage packet, but instead they have paid it into my account early. Another mistake by them, but this time I have no complaints. It came in at just the right time.

Another bit of good news today is that I got an email from Francis in Torquay to tell me that he is off for the weekend of Torbay Pride and so will be able to attend any and all events. He has kindly offered to put me up for the weekend, and even said I can bring a friend if I want to, which is great. Now all I have to do is find one! Well, one that wants to leave the safety and security of London that is. As I jokingly said to Fran, unfortunately the tube doesn't reach Torquay yet so I doubt I will find anyone, but I will ask. Tim has yet to reply to my suggestion of going down there. I could always ask Alfredo. Hmmmn, that's an idea.

Semi-Successful Night

I decided to go out last night even though Tim never got back to me, I expect he was filming in Cardiff. Starting off in Rupert Street there was a good quantity of decent looking guys around and so I thought I might make a night of it, as opposed to the 2-3 drinks I had originally intended. A quick visit to Ku Bar and then Comptons before returning to Rupert Street where I got chatting to a guy I have fancied for ages (and I think had a drunken fumble with once a long time ago) and his mate. We all went on to Barcode and had a good laugh, but this gorgeous guy was flirting and sniffing around everyone but me it seemed, despite having a boyfriend. At the end of the night he disappeared somewhere, the toilets probably and so I left.
As I left I was chatted up by a guy who I'd spoken to briefly in the bar and we got a taxi back to my place. He was nice looking with a firm, slightly-hairy body, but not really me, I'd only taken him home because I was pissed off at the other guy disappearing.
During the night the guy snored and managed to collapse my clothes rail, so I was glad when he left at 04:30 (he had to work today). We won't be keeping in touch.
As for the guy I really fancied? I got his full name and he told me he was on Facebook, unfortunately there are about 6 people by that name on Facebook in London all without pictures, so I don't know which he is. I'm probably best off without him if that's the way he acts when his boyfriend is not around anyway.
Roll on tomorrow and I can get an eye-full of all the European rugby totty at the Union Cup.

Music Mix-Up

I've been adding music to both of my "music boxes" over the last week or so since I got my laptop and I thought I would swap things about a bit. I've moved the classical / easy listening box to the top and the more mainstream stuff to the bottom of the blog. Just in case people didn't realise that they were both there. Enjoy.

In The Money

Not Quite. I don't quite know why I checked my account on line today, probably wanted to torture myself some more about how tight things are this month. But I am glad that I did. It turns out that I have had over £150 credited to my account and I know not from where! It could either be a refund from my debt payments that are finished, a refund of payments to the wrong account that I have been waiting months for, or could be a f**k up by work. The last one is highly unlikely as work only mess things up by short paying not overpaying.
I popped to the bank to see if they could tell me where it was from, but no joy. I won't be able to tell until tomorrow. Intriguing. At least it means I won't have to worry about how much I spend at rugby, and I can afford to go out tonight too if I wish. Just waiting on a call back from Tim to see if he is around tonight. I'm glad I bought to digital camera when I did now, because if I hadn't I probably wouldn't have bothered until at least next month.
I'm still a little stunned, not used to having extra money! Stunned, but happy with it!

Wake Up Call

I thought I had a nice surprise this morning when I heard Frank scratching at my door. When I opened it he was incredibly friendly and I knew immediately that that meant he had not been fed yet. He is never affectionate unless he wants something.
I was wrong, partially, though as it wasn't just food he wanted. He also needed me to clean up a pile of diarrhoea he had left in the middle of the living room floor. Nice. Luckily it wasn't loads and I wasn't feeling particularly squeamish.
Since cleaning that up and feeding him I have not seen a single hair of him. Typical man, totally unappreciative!!

Frank

Frank, aka the Cat in the Flat, is my best mate, which says a lot about my friendships, he can't stand me most of the time!! He has a complex personality, being just a dozing cat most of the time, then he has his 30 minute mad dashes around the flat, and very occasionally, normally when he is not feeling well, he will come and sit near you, not on your lap or anything, as that would be far too intimate.
He also doesn't like to be looked at while he is eating (fair enough), or while he is playing with his toys, I think he feels like he may be too old for it but enjoys it anyway, he just doesn't want anyone to know he still does it. He doesn't like to be looked at most of the time either and appears to get really shy, turning his face away, much like Princess Diana used to.
When I tried to take pictures of him, he would have one of two responses: either he would turn away and attempt to leave the room; or he would rush up to rub against the camera. This obviously makes it difficult to get a good picture of him. But this is the best I could come up with today: He is a handsome boy isn't he?

Test Photos

So, the weather held off long enough for me to go on a little walk around the Barbican this afternoon. I tested out my little camera and the best I can say is I got what I paid for. It will do for now though, and should be adequate for the Union Cup on Friday.

I thought I would share some of the pictures, so you could see why I like the Barbican area so much. The buildings are beautiful to some, interesting to most and walking around the whole area is like being in a wondrous maze, you never know what is going to around the corner: We start here, The Shakespeare pub, above which I live. If you see the cylindrical post supporting the corner of the building, well my room is the one on the first floor above that. If you are in the area I am often seen at my bedroom window staring out at the people walking by. If you see me give me a wave, especially if you are a hot guy.

This is the view from one of the walkways down to where the Shakespeare is. As you walk down the ramp and look over the right hand wall you can see into Virgin Active gym, which often has some very nice looking guys in. Best time is late afternoon, early evening when the light is dimming so you can see in better. I sound like a right perv don't I! Probably because I am.

There are lots of surprise gardens dotted all around the Barbican, some big like this one, others small.

The juxtaposition of the beautifully coloured trees and the (now) older buildings is amazing, top that off with the massive new structures going up everywhere and it makes for am impressive sight, which my little camera cannot convey.

This is taken from my favourite spot at Lakeside Terrace, just outside Barbican Library. I love sitting here in the sun, with the water flowing and the ducks and coots swimming around. It is truly relaxing. Some cute guys hang around, some even take their tops off, but these are usually the kids.

These sunken walkways are beautiful also, I don't quite know how to get into them, maybe they are open for residents only, or just for staff access?

Some of the towers around here, I think this is Shakespeare Tower (I could be wrong) are so impressive, compared to the other lower homes around. The views must be stunning. But a bit of a bugger if the lifts stop working!!

This is a really impressive structure, like the rest of the Barbican there are so many angles, with strutts going off everywhere and then curves, water and foliage to soften the whole thing.

This is a view of Lakeside Terrace from the other side. It would look more impressive were it in focus.

Here I was trying to show the variation in structures with the church in the foreground right, the Barbican in midground left and new structures in the background. Unfortunately I was too close, and couldn't get a more distant shot, so couldn't quite pull the image off.

Part of an ancient structure (the Barbican itself?) that I am too lazy to research at the moment.

I was trying to show the diversity of wild plants growing on this ancient wall, but again the focus (or lack therof) lets me down.

This is a view of the outside of a sloping walkway between level, just to get an impression of the contrast of straight lines and curves that are everywhere here.

Another surprise garden and pond with a walkway above.

Yet another pond with dark teal coloured water and the only sculptured hedge that I have noticed in the whole area.

This tiny "garden" is constructed in a spiral shape with the grass on a constant slope. This is in "the centre" of the Museum of London.

Here is the view up the slope from home into the centre of the Barbican. This time when you go up the slope, Virgin Active is on the left.

[Apologies if anything on this post doesn't make sense, but when I did a spell check Blogger decided to add visible random coding to each written piece, change the colour of text and to block out certain pictures, so I'm not sure what will actually come out when I post.]

Torbay Pride Theme Song?

I saw a message on Facebook today that had a link to this YouTube video and stated that it may be the theme song of the Torbay Pride weekend coming up in July. I don't know how accurate that is, probably not very, but I thought the video was amusing. And despite my loathing of everything Lily Allen does ("ooh, I've not been in the paper for a couple of days, let's tell everyone that I'm bisexual that should do it"), and the fact that this is probably another one of her stunts to get her noticed, here is the vid:

I Was Right!!!

I don't get to say it often, but I was right about the weather today (and that was without checking out the forecast on line). It was a bit undecided when I woke up at around 09:00 this morning, but over the last 15 minutes it has been tipping it down outside, so I guess I will have to postpone my little trip out to test my new digital camera. There are only so many pictures you can take of a cat who doesn't want to stay in the only room in the flat with decent lighting, i.e. my room!
Hopefully the rain and wind will ease later and I'll get out. I want to take some pictures around the Barbican itself as it is a stunning construction that I want to share with you all. Fingers crossed!

Treats

Sorted

Finally! I have managed to swap the mobile phone memory card for a camera card and all it cost me was an extra £3 with limited hassle in the shop too, not bad. Now though I am all hot and bothered from the stress of to-ing and fro-ing, but am glad that I finally, in 2009, own a digital camera. The digital zoom is pretty crap but all I wanted was a basic camera to see if I would use it, so I will be out and about tomorrow to test it out (you watch it will be raining constantly tomorrow to thwart my efforts). I shall show you all my best efforts tomorrow.

Why Can't Things Be Simple

I thought I would sort out the memory card for the camera immediately, so I did a search for the cheapest memory card and batteries and it came up as Argos again. So, off I toddled back to the same shop, which is about a mile away. I purchased my items at the automated machine with the numbers I'd got off of the website. Collection was very quick and I came straight home to start playing with the camera.
When I checked prices I had searched for SD memory cards, as the pamphlet in the camera package had told me, "any compatible SD memory card" it had said. I failed to check on the size of the one I had purchased and ended up with a microSD card, which is for mobile phone usage only.
I really do not know if I can be bothered to walk back to Argos for a third time today. It is a horrible mix of sunny and incredibly windy out there so you have to wear a coat or jumper for the gusty burst which last a while, but when the wind stops it is really quite warm. I hate indecisive weather. I would rather it pissed down all day! I guess I will, as I have lots of time left before the store closes and they may reject my request to swap as apparently this item is excluded from the "30 day Money Back Guarantee." The way my luck is going today, I will have to keep it AND buy a compatible card too!
What happened to the good old days when you got everything in one package? When you could just buy something, plug it in or turn it on and go? Did I imagine those days?

I'm Digital, Almost

So, I bit the bullet and used the last of this week's budget to buy a digital camera, the cheapest that I could find, just in case I didn't get on with it. I went to Argos and, although the catalogue there didn't have as much information as I thought I saw on line, I picked the camera I thought I'd seen.
Upon getting it home I find that it doesn't have batteries, which I thought had to be included with goods these days, and I only have 2 spare batteries of the type require, the camera requires 3. I also was not aware that you needed a memory card just to take normal shots, I always thought these were for additional memory. So now, to make use of my purchase which I couldn't really afford in the first place, I have to buy a memory card and batteries. That'll be half of next week's budget gone!!
Oh well, at least I have a camera now. I just have to rethink my budget for the weeks up until payday. Looks like it'll be home-made sandwiches at work every week!

I'm Excited Now

I have just found out, by accident, that this July Torbay, my former home, is having it's first ever Gay Pride weekend. Fan-bloody-tastic. What is even better is that I am off work that weekend! Amazing.

I have just emailed Tim to try and pique his interest for a trip, though I think it is highly unlikely that he will A) be interested at all, & B) know if he available at that time this far in advance. But I think it would be great to get a big crowd of people (or even a small crowd of people - i.e. 2) down there for the weekend. It will make a nice change.

I know that I will have a place to stay, as either Francis (who has already offered to put me up for a visit) or Alexis could probably provide a spare bed for me. I should have enough money to fund a weekend away and I really want to visit Torquay again as I haven't been for about 4 years!

I was a bit miffed that no one from Torquay told me about Pride there but am far too excited to be angry about it. I can't wait now. I think that with June's pay I will have to buy myself a good travel bag and then start packing!!

If you are interested in going either check out their home page or their Facebook page (The Official Pride Torbay Group).

Clicker Confusion

While I had no laptop I had no way of monitoring my blog completely. I could post blog entries from work, but was blocked from actually viewing the blog itself. Weird, huh? I didn't really want to view it from a public space, like an internet cafe or library, because when I log in Blogger goes straight to my dashboard (a sort of control page, for those who don't use Blogger), and this shows excerpts from other blogs that I follow, including pictures, some of which are fairly explicit.
Anyway, I digress as usual. When I got my new laptop up and running and finally managed to log on to view the blog I was confused by the amount of clicks on my clicker. I was certain that it should have been quite a few thousands higher, tens of thousands in fact. The other day I was proved correct when I found an old sheet of paper on which I had been recording my blog hits day by day, for curiosity's sake. The last recording I have, which would have been around when my old laptop stopped working was 89377 unique hits, today the clicker is showing 12937. So, figuring that the clicker cannot go above 5 digits (which is pretty pathetic if you ask me) that means that in the 3 months that I was out of the loop over 23000 took place, working out at approximately 7800 a month. And that was without several entries a day as I had been doing beforehand! Now, compared to other blogs that is small fry (then again most blogs do not count "unique hits" as I do, just "hits." Big difference.
Anyway, that figure impressed me and inspired me to try and make the blog a little more interesting (hey, that has always been my aim), so I hope to live up to that over the next few months, to make this blog better by making my life better and vice versa.

I think I will go and purchase a digital camera tomorrow, initially so that I can take some pictures to share with you from the upcoming Union Cup, and later in the year from London & Brighton Pride and any other event I find myself at. If I get on with taking pictures then I may have found myself a new hobby (photography is something that I have thought about before but never followed up on - sound familiar).

IDAHo

IDAHo

International Day Against Homophobia

Celebrating the day, on 17th May 1990, when the World Health Organisation finally took homosexuality off their list of mental illnesses.

This means that for almost 18 years "the World" classed me as sick because I am attracted to men!

Any straight people out there? Try to imagine the damage that can be done to a child's psyche over that length of time by enforcing these views upon them:
You are wrong because of how you feel.
You are wrong because you LOVE the wrong person.
You are just wrong (which has been said to me on several occasions).
No wonder so many teenagers commit or attempt to commit suicide. I know, I tried.

Everyone needs to be aware of the impact of their words and actions, especially on children. Whether they be gay, lesbian, bi, trans, curious or straight, bring them up to accept people for who they are and not who they are attracted to. Bring them up to be interested in other people's relationships but not to judge people solely by this. Bring them up to have respect.

A big deal is made whenever two guys or two girls walk down the street holding hands. And, god forbid they kiss in public. Snide looks and heckling often ensue. Yet straight people are "allowed" to do it all the time, without fear of reprisals. The imbalance of acceptance is still tilted too far to one side and we all need to address this. There is still a lot of work that needs to be done, to eradicate homophobia from our civilization and that is why days like today, the International Day Against HOmophobia, need to be in place to help facilitate that change.

Eurovision Update

Okay, so I've just finished watching this year's Eurovision Song Contest and I was surprisingly impressed with almost everything. Almost. As usual the presenting left a bit to be desired, but the set / stadium was absolutely amazing. Graham Norton, who was commentating in place of a retired Terry Wogan, noted that apparently 30% of the whole world's LCD display screens were being used tonight on the set there! It was beautiful with the backdrop, the floating screens and even the floor and sides of the stage showing flowing images. Wow!
Starting a show with performers from Cirque du Soleil is a great way of getting my attention. This was followed up with last year's winner performing his song, not a bad looking guy. Then we went into the performances:
Notably Croatia were on fifth and their singer, Igor, was very handsome, as Alexis had pointed out to me in a text.
Sakis was performing 8th for Greece and did a great job, even showing a bit of chest and his abs. I learned from Graham that he used to be a gymnast, which explains the great physique.
Norway, with my favourite song, performed 20th and yes I was singing along.
The Ukraine were up next with their tacky male dancers in skimpy gladiator costumes.
The United Kingdom performed 23rd and Jade Ewen's performance changed my mind about our song. It was a brilliant performance.
After all the performances we briefly got a glimpse at the green room presenter, Dimitri, who was quite nice, before the voting started. Spain's presenter was very cute. Our presenter was the gorgeous Duncan James of Blue. Peter from Slovakia was also quite nice, as was the presenter from Norway, though we didn't get his name.
We got 12 points from Greece, our only top score, but managed to hold onto 5th place, which is a very respectable position. No one was going to catch Norway who were in the lead from the start and ended up getting a record score of 387 points, which beat Lordi from Finland who held the previous highest score of 292.
Overall a bloody amazing show, which was well worth watching despite the stick I got from various friends tonight. I was let down by the fact that, other than Graham Norton mentioning heavy handedness by Russian police, no one vocally supported the Gay Pride which was again suppressed in Moscow. Disappointing.

Decision Made

I have utterly failed to find someone to go Eurovision drinking with me, so I have decided that I will stay home and watch it in the living room, knowing that Kevin and Penny are almost certain to be out, as they have asked me to feed Frank tonight. This way at least I will save money (for spending next during and after the Union Cup), I get to eat all the snacks that I can muster and I don't have to worry about what I am wearing. Sounds fab.
Oooh. I've just remembered that I have lots of cans of cider and a bottle and a half of Southern Comfort that I have yet to drink. Tonight is sounding better and better all the time.

Eurovision 2009 preview

I still haven't decided where to watch Eurovision tonight. I think the best venue is going to be at home, at least then I will be able to hear all the songs properly (and make notes on the cute guys), but that does seem a little sad. It is a shame that none of my friends here in London are fans of Eurovision. I should have made plans to go down to watch it in Torquay as I can almost guarantee that Alexis will be watching it!
I have just listened to the aforementioned Alexander Rybak's song Fairytale and, despite fancying the pants off of Sakis Rouvas and liking his song, I think that Alexander's song, smile, and sexy dancers all look like a winning formula to me. I think I will have to check out some of the other songs now. YouTube here I come:

If

For some unknown reason I just had "The Lobster Quadrille" by Lewis Carol going through my head, but I couldn't remember all the words. After a frantic search I found a book that I haven't used for age in which I used to record all the poems and song lyrics that I really liked, before I had a computer. My Quadrille quandary sorted I looked through the book and found this one:

If

by Spike Milligan

If I were a Prince

I'd say

Give my socks a rinse!

If I were a queen

I'd say

Where have you been?

If I were a King

I'd say

Kiss my ring!

If I were a Caesar

I'd say

Arrest that geezer!

But as Captain of a whaler

I say

Hello Sailor!

Wallpaper

I thought that as I have a new laptop I would have a new wallpaper for it too. I decided to choose a picture, thus a guy, from my new and ever increasing stash of stored pictures that I am preparing to use here on the blog.

I came across this guy, if only that statement where true, and I was transfixed. He is so amazingly gorgeous, while still remaining masculine. What is more it takes me back over a decade when I was still slim, almost had a six-pack myself and wore dungarees in the same way when I went out clubbing (though I did wear underwear with mine).

So, I thought I would share him, briefly, with you all just to find out if anyone knows who he is (and what his telephone number, marital status and side of the bed preference is). Enjoy.

Changed My Mind

It is my intention to say yes to more things from now on (sensible things that is), hence going to the pictures on a work night last Saturday.
It was in that vein that I accepted an invitation to meet up today with a guy I barely talked to last night while Tim and I were in G.A.Y. bar for 1 drink. Initially I thought that the guy was giving me evils, and was in the process of telling Tim this, when the guy beckoned me over to him and we chatted for a minute or so and ended up having a little snog. I misheard his name (so I found out this afternoon when he sent me a text) and even last night when I saw him I wasn't spectacularly attracted to him, so in the cold light of day today I chickened out and sent him a text back saying I was unexpectedly busy today and could we make it another day.
I really wasn't, and rarely am, in the mood for prearranged sex meet-ups, hence the reason why I don't use Gaydar or its ilk for anything other than voyeurism.

But, to carry on with my new "Say Yes" philosophy, when I received an email today from someone I didn't know (but who reads this blog), inviting me to go to the Union Cup rugby with him next week I immediately accepted.
It will be the first time that I will have ever met someone who reads the blog (who I didn't already know) and so his perspective on me will be interesting to say the least (not to mention scary). Though he can't think I'm that bad a person to have invited me in the first place!!!

Now all I need is someone to watch Eurovision with and I'm all set!

What You've Been Waiting For?

Unexpected Night Out

I got a call from Tim at about 18:45 to ask if I fancied a night out, so I accepted, having nothing else to do. I met him in the Duke of Wellington and we met a few friends of his along the way, also going to Comptons, the Yard and G.A.Y bar.
In G.A.Y bar, in the smoking area obviously considering I was with Tim, I got cruised by a guy and ended up chatting to him and quickly arranging for a shag tomorrow as he lives not far from me in Old Street area. I wasn't particularly attracted to him, but he wasn't unattractive so I accepted. I'm trying to say "Yes" to more things nowadays to make my life more interesting.
Tim went home after G.A.Y bar and despite my best intentions I went on to Barcode. Nothing much was going on there and I thought I had run out of money so I left at around 00:20. Luckily I found a £5 note outside as I was leaving. It must have been fate.
I walked back via Shaftsbury Avenue and as I passed the Walkabout's smoking area I saw a gorgeous looking guy. I couldn't help but let out a wolf whistle. The guy looked up, obviously knowing it was for him. When he saw it was from me he wasn't pissed off so I went and talked to him. He told me that his twin brother was gay and would have loved to go home with me but he was straight. I don't know how true this was but it made me feel good in my drunken state so it doesn't really matter. I carried on my way home and, while on the bus home, I got several affirming smiles from another guy to suggest that I was still attractive, thus affirming my lagging self-esteem.
I just do not know if I can be bothered with this "shag" tomorrow (today now), especially as I wasn't looking for it with this guy at all!! We shall see. I will probably wait until he chases it up tomorrow!! If he does!
G'night!

Grossed Out

****DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE EASILY GROSSED OUT****

Today, the first of my 12 days off, I got up at about 09:30 drenched in sweat. I had finally managed to sweat out most of the virus (or whatever) I had caught. It must have been a 48-hour virus with a slow watch!! I got up and dithered around doing various jobs before eventually heading to the shower.
After showering I had to blow my nose as I was blocked up, a side effect of being dehydrated I think.

**Here is the gross bit so don't say I didn't warn you**

When I blew my nose a large amount emerged onto my tissue, which is usually quite satisfying in a curiously sick way. But, when I looked (to check for blood etc) I was immediately shocked by what it looked like.
It was a semi-solid pale green mass, curled up with a string of red running along its "spine" making it look like a sort of alien prawn covered in slime. I immediately thought that I had ejected an alien parasite, but then realised that I wasn't reading a comic or watching television and so rationalised what I saw:
Congealed snot, with some blood and some not-so-congealed snot covering it. The image I first saw though is going to stay with me for a while!! I wanted to show someone, but the only flatmate that I knew was in was Jesse and I'm sure she wouldn't have appreciated it!
I really wish I had taken a photo of it though. I keep forgetting that I can take pictures with my phone now!!

**Gross out bit ended**

I still feel a bit rough, but hopefully by tomorrow I'll be feeling much better. It's not like I would be doing much today anyway as the weather is not really good (overcast, windy and some rain too).

Eurovision or Euro Violence?

I posted recently that Eurovision is imminent once again and that I was looking forward to seeing Sakis Rouvas perform for Greece. I almost completely missed the fact that this year the show, one of the campest shows on Earth, will take place in Moscow, Russia, which is notorious for its violent refusal to allow any form of Gay Pride celebration to take place. The authorities go so far as to all but ignore any assaults of Pride participants, as celebrities such as Richard Fairbrass and Peter Tatchell have found out to their cost.

The Mayor of Moscow, Sergei Tsoi, has been quoted as saying:

“Moscow has never had gay parades and it never will…Not only do they destroy morals within our society, but they consciously provoke disorder which threatens the lives of Muscovites and visitors.”

With the majority of Europe and parts of the rest of the world looking in on Moscow on Saturday, and with another unauthorised Gay Pride celebration organised to take place the same day in Moscow, it could an interesting competition. Not just the one inside the studio, between the singers, but also between whether the world will be watching the singers themselves or the violent atrocities almost certain to take place in the streets.

I have heard rumours that some of the contestants will be vocalising their support for the gay community, but lets see if they are actually "allowed" to do so.

I, for one, will certainly be watching, though as to the venue I have yet to decide.

Not.....Feeling...Well....Must...Rest

I was feeling a bit like I had a cold coming on when I went to bed last night and then, when I woke, it was a lot worse. I had a headache all day yesterday and today, this morning I had aches all over and about 30 minutes before leaving work tonight I began to shiver uncontrollably. I guess that I shouldn't go into work tomorrow, but I know I will!
I had some good new today though. My employers have finally given in, almost, and agreed to pay me 2 days holiday that they had previously cheated me out of. I "should" get the money with my next wage slip, so that means August if their previous record is anything to go by!
Gonna go and get something to eat now and then retire to my bed. Nitey Nitey!!

Star Trek Hotties

I just thought that I would share some pictures of the hottest stars of the new Star Trek film with you:
Chris Pine, who plays James Tiberius Kirk;

Chris Hemsworth, who plays his father George Kirk;

and Eric Bana, who plays the (incredibly sexy) bad guy Nero (not to be confused with the fluffy white pet of Baron Silas Greenback in Dangermouse!!);

Surprise Evening Out

I was back at work today for my first of four shifts and was unimpressed by the lack of information about the works that were to be carried out today, we normally get a full briefing of what is to be allowed and what not. As there was no instruction then I allowed everything. "F**k 'Em!" I thought.

Also one of my team was really getting on my nerves as he can speak fairly good English, despite coming from Nigeria, but he fails to speak in understandable concise terms. This means that instead of telling me that some contractors were trying to force one of the fire exit doors open, he kept talking for about 5 minutes with me still not understanding what he was going on about.

This is a guy that I have had to argue to keep employed on my site and my team. I'm beginning to wish that I hadn't bothered.

Anyway, the evening out part:

I got a phone call from Tim to ask if I wanted to go to the cinema tonight to see Star Trek. Initially my impulse was to decline immediately, but then I got thinking:

I want to change my life for the better. One of the reasons I want to change to a normal, 9-5ish job was so that I would not always have to wait for a day off to do something. So after doing the maths, I worked out that I could just about get home, washed, changed and in town in time for the film. So I accepted.

As it was I made really good time and was in Ku Bar, where I'd agreed to meet Tim about 15 minutes before he was. We got into our seats just as the last trailer was showing. The film itself, Star Trek, was amazing. When it had finished and the credits were rolling, I turned to Tim and all I could say was "WOW."

I don't want to go into details, because you should really see the film for yourself, but:

The acting was amazing. Each of the main characters played the established role they were assigned brilliantly, while bringing their own unique touches to the character.

The special effects were amazing and more believable than any other sci-fi franchise (sorry Tim), as established by the previous Star Trek films and television series'. Though the camera work did leave a little to be desired with it being very difficult to see what was happening in some scenes where the camera was moving so much.

Without wanting to reveal or spoil anything, the story itself is both traditional and new, will appeal to both established fans and new ones, and the action simply does not stop.

I must also add, for regular blog readers that Chris Pine is one sexy actor, and that is without one single gratuitous flesh shot of him. He is gorgeous and has a sex appeal that is far more than William Shatner could have ever hoped to bring to the role.

Eric Bana is amazingly sexy considering he is the bad guy, but then bald, unshaven and hunky does do it for me quite often.

And most surprisingly of all for me, was that I was so impressed with Chris Hemsworth's portrayal of James T Kirk's father at the beginning of the film. He was such a good likeness for Chris Pine that I would imagine that was a key factor in him being picked for the role, his first big role in the USA (having hailed from Australia's Home and Away). I must send him my apologies for ever doubting that he could pull it off. Well done Chris and Chris.

I wish I could give more of a review, but I am still processing the film myself, so, a final line to sum up the film:

GO SEE IT YOURSELF!

I Love Aussiebum

I was just browsing through a new blog that I have found, Seduced By The New, which has a fantastic mix of pictures for all tastes, and I found this ad for AussieBum. I don't think I've mentioned before, but I love AussieBum, well more accurately I love the models they use!

I just love the cheeky peek we get as the guy crouches slightly towards the end.

Just A Quicky

I got paid today and although it is my lowest monthly wage for years (except for when I was unemployed) I still managed to afford (just) a laptop AT LAST! So, I will endeavour to keep in touch more with everyone and to update the blog more often, i.e. every day at least once. I am still in the process of getting the laptop set up properly, so I may not post again today, and the next four days I am working, so will probably only post short items, but then I am off for 12 days so WATCH OUT!

C U Soon!

No More Nights (at least for a while)

I just wanted to share some good news that I have just worked out. I have booked of 4 of my night shifts this month, meaning that after my next set of day shifts I will have 12 days off in a row. This also means that when I have finished this night shift that I am on, which is approximately 2 hours from now, I will not have to do another night shift for 28 days! How fantastic is that. It means that, nights out and trips to Chariots permitting, my sleep cycle will be a normal one for almost a month. If only that was the case all the time!

Eurovision

I have just remembered that coming up in just under two weeks is this year's Eurovision Song Contest. I quite enjoy watching the contest, unlike a lot of queens who LOVE it, but do not always get to watch it because of my shifts. This year however I am not working and there is an even more special reason for looking forward to the contest:

Sakis Rouvas

This gorgeous Greek singer is representing his country for the second time in the competition, the first time being in 2004 when he came third. He also hosted the competition when it was in Athens in 2006. I have mentioned Sakis before on the occasion of his birthday, but I really should mention him more as he is well worth featuring. Sakis is a mere 6 months older than me, is gorgeous, Greek, has a great body and can sing. Sounds like husband material to me!!I have very few details of the attractiveness of the other contestants and the hosts have yet to be announced, but I have noticed that Norway's entry, Alexander Rybak, may have a couple of muscular, semi-clad dancers performing with him.

Recycling Old Ideas

I am still toying with the idea of producing a website for "everything gay." I think it is just because I am bored here at work, yet again, and need something to occupy my time. I know that I am again compiling information for my "famous gay people" database that I previously used to produce the birthday lists that I would blog last year. I think I will at least be doing that again, once the new laptop is purchased, and up and running.
I may just look into the viability of producing a wiki for LGBT people and issues. The format of the Star Trek wiki Memory Alpha, especially the front page attracts me.
It has:

• Upcoming releases
• Today in Trek history
• Did you know?
• Latest news
• Where to watch

All the above along with the usual wiki format could be adapted for an LGBT wiki. The trouble would be where to draw the line on what to include:
I would want to include all know LGBT people in the media, all gay characters from screen, stage and page, and all gay events and law changes. But should it also include actors who have played LGBT characters? Or "celebrities" with gay relatives, or those who do work for LGBT charities or organisations?
Should I include those who have rumours about their sexuality or who are homophobic?
If it is to include everything linked to the "LGBT world" then the fullest extent of this would be to include virtually everything that is already on Wikipedia!

Maybe I am just trying to focus on an impossible project, which I have a tendency to do, like when I attempted to create an A-Z of everything that had ever appeared in Marvel comics, all on my own! A project that I worked on in various forms for about 20 years and still was far from completing. I only just gave up on it this year when I finally accepted that I would never be able to do it alone and that the Marvel Database Project was doing a much better job than I could ever do alone. Pretty soon afterwards was when I decided to quit collecting comics altogether!

My idea for an LGBT wiki didn't work when I used the blogger format, (Hamster's Heath) and it also seemed to have been supplanted by the Pink Paper when they launched their own wiki for all things gay. Though I was never able to get an ungarbled page when I clicked on it initially and so gave up, and the site is now showing as "awaiting further development." Have they given up?

I think what I probably need is a good job which occupies my mind so that when I am not at work all I want to do is switch off from research, data gathering etc etc and just having a life (which I don't at the moment). No jobs are on the horizon at the moment though so I guess I will have to keep looking and in the mean time spend my free time on the research that keeps me from going (too far) insane!!

Is She Home or Away?

*********SPOILER ALERT********

I just about managed to watch today's episode of Home & Away before I had to come to work tonight and to be honest it made me a little angry. I'm sure that I shouldn't be angry, but I can't help it. Charlie is really annoying me with her inability to handle the fact that she is bisexual. Not that that word "bisexual" has even been mentioned. God forbid that someone suggest to Charlie that she might like guys and gals!

Even after agreeing to be Joey's girlfriend and having her move in.
Even after telling her "baby" sister Ruby and getting her approval.
Even after getting approval from her "landlady" and friend Leah.
After doing all this, which I would consider the hardest part of coming out, the first steps, what does she do? She goes and denies her sexuality to Hugo and promptly snogs him in the dark on the beach!!! If Wikipedia is to be believed too that isn't all they do!! Yes, she has had a difficult time since coming out, what with confrontations with Joey's brother, the subsequent graffiti on her car and the verbal abuse she endured at Summer Bay High from the students, noticeably Trey. But still, I find it difficult to believe, and I feel that it is the fault of the writers (or the constraints put upon them) and not a fault with Esther Anderson who plays Charlie. Obviously Joey is going to find out about Charlie and Hugo and they will split, with Joey being the one to leave the bay.
I find this a real shame as Joey is one of the most believable characters to hit the bay for a while. Most of the characters are young clones of past characters who get involved in cloned situations that have already been played out on the show in years past, that is life, same situations different people. Joey comes across as a strong character without being aggressive, but also manages to show her vulnerable side (like she had a choice after being raped and almost killed!). I am glad that H&A are dealing with gay issues but I don't find Charlie believable as a gay character. Maybe I was "lucky" in knowing 100% from a very early age that I was gay and never having any doubts about it. I accept that people can be confused by their sexuality, but find it difficult to believe that someone is so surprised and sideswiped to find themselves attracted to someone of the same sex, especially at her age she's meant to be in her mid-late 20's. Surely she would have had some idea by this point. It is a real shame that the gay character, as opposed to the "unsure" character, could not be the one to stay out of the pair. It would make a nice change to see a soap that has a gay character that isn't there just for a ratings grab. Unfortunately that is all I see this story arc as being, a ratings grabber. A story arc, by the way, that has been far too short considering the overall content.
I do applaud Seven Network for "allowing" a gay story in H&A, but maybe they should have a bit more guts and go the whole hog and introduce a full-time, long-standing gay character. And I know just the actor who could fill that role too!

Deano get your agent onto it!!

Bored (For A Change)

Tonight is going incredibly slowly. I am really, REALLY bored and cannot think of much to do with my limited resources. I decided to try and come up with a new Top Ten Men list for when I have my new laptop, so that I can share some pictures of gorgeous men with you, but I am having trouble deciding who my top 10 objects of lust are at the moment. I have decided on about half of them, which will obviously have to go at the top of the list, but for the other half there are just too many men to make a decision.
I am not helped in my quest by the fact that the limits on internet access at work stop me from accessing most of the sites I know of that would help me decide (i.e. other blogs). I can't even view my own blog, though I can post entries. Apparently there is too much nudity on here! Not enough if you ask me, especially lately!!
I will make up for lost time once the new laptop is up and running, believe me!

Trophy Wives

I got to sleep immediately when I returned home from work this morning, but unfortunately I woke up again at about 12:30 and only managed to doze until I got up at 14:00. I spent the rest of the afternoon in front of the television pretending that it wasn't a lovely sunny day outside! I saw a trailer for a new show coming to Living called Trophy Wives, which looks interesting. Why? I hear you ask: Lots of images of well build, sexy, handsome men in the changing room of a Canadian (ice) hockey team! It is a concept developed from the UK show Footballer's Wives which was amazingly fun and raunchy while it was running.
Called MVP: The Secret Lives of Hockey Wives in its native Canada and simply MVP in the States, the title had to be changed upon landing in the UK as we do not use the term MVP for our sports stars over here (though plenty of people know the term). It features plenty of totty to keep me interested even if the show has already been cancelled after just one season. Lets just hope that it lives up to expectations and we get to see plenty of action in the locker room AND the bedrooms. The two guys that I have spotted who should be worth watching are: Dillon Casey and Peter Miller: I wonder, with all the close relationships and open hostility a sports team can foster, will there be any guy-on-guy action, or were they saving that for the (now highly unlikely) second series? If it doesn't happen we can always just fantasize! It's a shame that I appear to have missed the first episode, lets hope I can get it (them all) on line once I get my new laptop.

Can't Wait Til Payday

I am really looking forward to payday next week as I should be able to afford to buy myself a new laptop and get back to feeling attached to the world again. I really have missed all the usual sites that I would check out. At work I am limited to Wikipedia, my emails and BBC News (among other innocuous sites), I can also post items on this blog though I cannot read the blog itself! While at the library I can access Facebook (though I rarely do there).
I miss looking at the 20-30 blogs that I used to read and "steal" great pictures from. I hope that I can recall the names of them all once I am on-line again. I will also be able to revert to my previous level of posting blogs, and return to sharing with you my taste in men (via groups of pictures "stolen" from various other sites!). I hope to come up with some new ideas too (maybe even a new business idea, as when I get back in the swing of things I hope my creative juices will begin flowing once more (I seem to have stalled over the last 3 months!).
I also plan to go back onto eBay again and sell a lot of my comic book collection. I intend to get rid of virtually all of my DC and Dark Horse comics, and even a lot of the not-so-good Marvel comics too. I really do not see the point of hanging onto comics that I will probably never read again. It should gain me some extra money, lots of extra space and also save me a lot of hassle when I eventually move home again. My aim is to not clutter up my home (and life) with meaningless objects as I have always done. So, I guess, my next target will be my action figure collection. That will be much harder to part with I think as I am very attached to my Star Wars figures. I guess I can make a small start on this part of the clear out by getting rid of the least liked figures in my collection, such as my Star Trek and Heroclix figures first. It will all count.
I hope that I am not counting my chickens before they hatch though. There is no guarantee that I will be paid correctly (with or without the money I am still owed from the holiday time I took in January).
To illustrate this point: I have been waiting for a replacement jacket at work since mine was ripped during a routine patrol back in the middle of January. It finally arrived tonight after having ordered it three times. They sent the wrong size! I almost guessed that it would be as soon as I saw my name on the box. I knew they would get it wrong. Typical. Lets hope that whatever f**k up they make on my wages this time I still have enough to get the laptop. Fingers (and everything else) crossed!!

(Oh, and just in case some of the above doesn't make sense, Blogger seems to be rearranging words again when I change colours and highlight words! Lets hope I re-corrected all it's "corrections!")

Not feeling good

I don't know if I am just tired, if there are otherwise undetected gases floating about this site I'm working on or if I am unwell, but I am feeling incredibly light-headed at the moment. I've not eaten less than I normally would and I don't feel hungry, so it can't be that! I do recall that when I was working last weekend (on day shifts then) I felt a little light-headed for a short time while in the control room, and felt like I was possibly hallucinating slightly. Well, while I was just on my one-and-only patrol of the night just now I felt like I had to be really careful not to collapse. Not a nice feeling at all. It was made worse when I had to look under a toilet door that was locked to make sure that no one was stuck inside as that made me even more dizzy. It is really strange and I will have to keep an eye on this in case it gets any worse. I certainly can't work on a building site (as this site is at the moment) if this does get worse. I'll keep you posted.

Union Cup Rugby

After my fantastic afternoon watching England playing in the recent Six Nations tournament I want to make more of an effort to get into this, the only team sport that I really enjoy watching. There are a few gay rugby teams around now, but the best known and longest-standing gay rugby team IN THE WORLD are the Kings Cross Stealers.
The Stealers are hosting this year's Union Cup which will see gay rugby teams from across Europe compete on the 22nd and 23rd of this month. I am off for those days and am thinking about going to support "our boys." Obviously my intentions are not entirely altruistic, as I want to meet a nice muscular man to "hook my claws into," but I also want to find something to occupy my time. I need a new hobby.
In the last month I have given up comics completely, which was surprisingly easy though I could have a relapse at any time I suppose. And I have a very limited social life, so I need something else to do. Watching rugby seems ideal. It won't take up all my free time, it won't cost the earth to do, and I should meet some nice people (hopefully).
Unfortunately I am such a wuss that I don't think I will be able to face going to the Union Cup all alone in the first instance! So I need some moral support.
Anyone else out there planning to attend and fancies meeting up?
Just a thought!

Back At Work......... And Depressed Again!!

Yes, I am back at work and on nights no less, but it isn't this that has particularly got me into a depressive state this time. It was my time off. Despite some good things happening (well a couple anyway) it was more of the same nothingness and a lot of frustration.
I was really in the mood for going out (i.e. horny) on my first day off, Monday, but Tim had stated recently that he was getting tired of drinking all the time and so I presumed that he would not be in the mood for going out, so I stayed in. The only thing I did all day was have another appointment at Vision Express in the middle of the afternoon, during which I was advised to get a referral from my G.P. to see an ophthalmologist about the dip / dent in my left eye which has 4 of the contact lens specialists at that branch of Vision Express stumped! So I made an appointment for the next day.
Tuesday was more of the same (feeling horny). I spoke to Tim and said that I would be out that evening if he was about and he said that if he was he would meet me. My doctor's appointment wasn't until 19:10 (that was the only appointment I could get) and so I told Tim I would be in town at about 20:00.
The doctor agreed to the referral (why wouldn't he?) and I also told him about the cough I had been dealing with for the last 5-6 weeks and he listened to my chest, could hear nothing and so gave me some non-prescription advice to help deal with it. I got into town on schedule.
Tim turned up at about 20:30 and we had a few drinks. I got talking to this okay looking, but chubby-ish Canadian guy and went to Barcode with him and his German friend when went home. I can't remember why, or what the guy said, but he pissed me off or freaked me out or something so I made my excuses, went to the other side of the bar to finish my drink and then came home. Yes, I came straight home. I didn't go to Chariots for the first time in ages which was a good result in itself. Though this did mean that, as I was still drunk when I got home and hadn't sweated the alcohol out of my system, I forgot me routine and thus woke up the next morning with an intense headache and hangover which lasted most of the day. Though I did manage to get to Barbican library and Lakeside Terrace outside for a little reading and sunbathing. I also learned that I had completed my payments on two more of my debts, meaning that I have an extra £200 a month. I have increased the payments on another loan to utilise this money, so that will get paid off quicker. I feel like I am getting somewhere with my debts at last.
While I had been out with Tim on the Tuesday night we had tenuously arranged to go to the Natural History Museum on Thursday, so when Thursday came I was wondering if we were still going to do that (we hadn't arranged times or anything solid). Tim phoned and asked if I was still planning to go out for drinks that night and I said I probably was and then he said that he had arranged to meet Richard (his now ex) and so would not have time to do what he wanted that day, so could we cancel the Museum trip. I was disappointed, especially as I have been friends with Tim for about 6-7 years now and we have never been anywhere that does not involve alcohol!! How sad is that?
I went to the Shoe Lane library to check my emails and while I was walking home I saw a guy I have fancied for ages standing outside my local Tesco store. This guy, who has a muscular chest and arms (very "my type"), lives in the Barbican estate somewhere and I have seen him several times in Tesco and while out in Soho (usually in Rupert Street), but he always avoids eye contact. As I walked past I managed to catch his eye and we both smiled and said "Hi". It is a small step, but a big leap for me. Hopefully when I see him next time we can expand on this.
I met him and Richard at 19:00 at the Duke of Wellington and another friend Terry joined us. It had been a pleasant day mostly and as Richard had returned to smoking and Tim always has we stood outside so they could both smoke. As the evening went on it turned out that we stood outside for the entire night and I was getting a bit ratty as they had not even considered this to be an imposition on anyone else as, as is the case with most smokers in my experience, they, their right and needs, are all that matter apparently. When Tim noticed that I was getting ratty, which was exacerbated by a touch of rheumatism playing up in my left shoulder and knee, he became really patronising which wound me up even more. When we got to G.A.Y. bar I went to the loo and gave up trying to get back to where they were standing in the smoking area because of the sheer number of people and the wall of smoke which I did not want to expose myself too, especially considering my cough. I waited inside for them to come back and find me.
I was actually pleased when they all pissed off home and I debated whether to stay out or not. Unfortunately, I was in such a foul mood that I really couldn't stay out. I got a bus back home. I was debating whether to go to Chariots or not even after I got home. I fed myself a quick microwave meal and then went back out and headed to Chariots.
I only stayed there about 2 hours with minimal success. And to make my mood worse, just as I was leaving the guy that I fancied most there smiled at me just as I was walking out of the door. How bloody typical.
All in all a disastrous evening. It was made worse by the fact that half of the point of going to Chariots had to be so that I would sleep into the afternoon today (as I was back on night shifts), but I woke at 09:00 and couldn't get back to sleep properly all day (I tried several times). It was also a beautiful day today, but if I had gone out it would have meant putting my lenses in meaning that I would have been wearing them for WAY too long. I also had no where new to go either.
So, I'm depressed again, working nights again and so will have no contact with anyone outside of work or the flat for at least the next four days (probably more) and I feel, once again that I just need to make major changes in my life but just don't know what to do or where to start!
I've checked my email tonight and there are no responses from jobs and no suitable new job vacancies that I can see.

I need cheering up!
MAJORLY!!