Work Was ...... Okay

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

31st August

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

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

Spoke Too Soon

I guess I did speak too soon when I mentioned that my flat mate Jesse had split up with the sexy boyfriend from across the road. I came home from work today to find that my flatmates were having a dinner party. No invite for me, not that I'd want one, but no access to the kitchen or living room either!
I put some groceries in the kitchen and it wasn't until I was on my knees at the freezer did I notice that it wasn't my flatmate Alex in the kitchen but Jesse's boyfriend Duncan! Brilliant, I wouldn't have minded our first meeting to have been with me on my knees, but did Jesse have to be there too!
I was half undressed and sweaty from 12 hours at work in a poorly air conditioned room and have a face full of zits thanks to being really run down and tired. And, to top it off (and especially nice for those having dinner) I have "the squits" again too! Not the first impression I wanted to make!
Oh well! They'll be gone in a couple of hours hopefully, and, because of my dodgy stomach I don't need the kitchen anyway!

Oh, one last moan! Because there are 6 of them having dinner, from past experience I know that there won't be a plate, dish or utensil to spare when they have finished. If I am lucky they may think to load the dish washer, but I can almost guarantee that if they do load it they won't turn it on! I'll have to remember to check it before I go to bed so that there it's clean and usable for tomorrow when I return from work (unless they use it all again, which is also a possibility!). GRRRR!! I really hate flat sharing!

30th August

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

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

29th August (Deaths)

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

29th August (Births)

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

Hungover

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

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

28th August

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

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

Request For Info - Again

It's that time again, when I beg my readers to give me information on certain LGBT people for my database.
On top of the request I just made for information on the LGBT victims of 9/11, I would like the following:

• Patience Agbadi - UK poet - Born 1965 (but on which date?)
• Aggracyst - US Rapper - Date of birth and real name needed
• Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa - US author and comic book writer - Date of birth needed
• Pav Akhtar - UK politician - Date of birth needed
• Faisal Alam - Pakistani / US Activist - Born 1977 (which date?)
• Leopoldo Alas - Spanish Author - Date of birth needed
• Matt Alber - Singer / Songwriter - Nationality and date of birth needed
• John Alcorn - Canadian singer - Date of birth needed
• Alcuin of York - English monk and poet - Born 735 (but on which date?)
• Nikolai Alekseev - Russian Journalist and activist - Born 1977 (which date?)
• And I need the full names and dates of birth of all of the gay "contestants" on any version of Playing it Straight.

Thanks in anticipation.

9/11 - Prelude

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

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

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

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

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

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

27th August (Deaths)

LGBT people who died today:
1967 – Brian Epstein – UK Artists’ Manager – Born 19th September 1934
1969 – Erika Mann – German Actress / Journalist / Author – Born 9th November 1905
1991 – Gordon Heath – US Singer / Actor / Director – Born 20th September 1918
2006 – Tee Corinne – US Photographer / Author / Activist / Artist – Born 3rd November 1943
2007 – Ivan Bussens – UK Water Polo / Activist / Co-founder of Out for Sports – Born 3rd June 1960
2008 – Del Martin – US Activist – Born 5th May 1921

27th August (Births)

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

Smile

Feeling A Bit ..... Bleugh!!

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

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

My Neighbours - Update

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

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

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

26th August

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

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

Strictly Back

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

At least we still have Darren Bennett to look at (as well as Brendan Cole and Matthew Cutler).

Some of the celebs who I am looking forward to see are:

Lynda Bellingham, who I love. No offence meant Lynda, but I want to see an old bird go through to the final this year for a change (and she is paired with Darren too, so I hope they make it all the way this year).

I've always thought that Natalie Cassidy was a sweet girl, so we shall see if this sweet girl can dance (we know she can aerobicise).

And Craig Kelly, who is best known to me for being in the original UK version of Queer As Folk (and now is in Coronation Street) is my bet for being the first one voted off, sorry Craig.

The one person I am not looking forward to seeing is Phil Tufnell. I don't know why this country loves him so much, I just find him annoying and can imagine that he will try and take over the show with his inane banter.

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

2996

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

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

Please try and help.

25th August (Deaths)

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

25th August (Births)

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

24th August

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

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

Project 2996: Rediscovered

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

Project 2996 is a memorial project to remember all those who lost their lives as victims of the 9/11 attacks in the USA. What the site does is ask for volunteers, normally people who have their own website or blog, to write a tribute to one victim. I was honoured to be given the name Michael John Cahill and, through internet research, found him to be a loving and generous father, husband and son.

This time around I have asked for a different name to be given to me, so that I can discover a new "friend." I think it is an important project, as 9/11 is something that can NEVER be, and should never be, forgotten. It is an example of how evil mankind can be, and also of how good we can be.

9/11 is the best and worst of us and we should always remember it so we never stoop to such evil actions again and so we can strive to achieve heroic actions like hundreds of people did on that day.

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

23rd August

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

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

Some (Dis)Enchanted Evening

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

22nd August

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

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

Aussiebum

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

New Friends

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

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

21st August

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

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

Eye Eye

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

Headache

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

20th August

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

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

No Sex in My City

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

19th August

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

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

Stop Moaning & Do Something

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

Dating

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

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

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

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

Retail Therapy

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

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

18th August

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

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

Catching Up

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

Joy

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

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

17th August (Deaths)

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

17th August (Births)

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

Mamma Mia

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

Another Set Over And Done

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

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

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

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

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

16th August

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

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

15th August

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

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

14th August

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

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

Strange Day

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

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

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

Idiot

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

13th August

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

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

A Nothing Day

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

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

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

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

New Friends

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

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

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

12th August (Deaths)

LGBT people who died today:

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

12th August (Births)

LGBT people born today:

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

11th August

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

And those who died:
1953 – John Horne Burns – US Author – Born 7th October 1916
1970 – Otto Peltzer – German Runner – Born 8th March 1900

More Good News

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

Debt Free At Last - Well Almost

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

Dreaming Again

When I woke this morning I could still remember the dream I had been having and it was a brilliant and funny one. It would have made a great film, or at least a television special, but it has mostly faded now and I can't remember all the important details.
I do remember that it "starred" Jake Maskell (who played Danny Moon in Eastenders). He was probably in the dream because I had only added him to my LGBT database the day before yesterday, but he fit the character pretty well.
The story was about 2 men, Jake playing one of them, who had absconded with some money (I can't remember where from). They were being chased by 2 police detectives (not particularly good ones) and kept barely managing to stay out of the hands of the cops (at one point swapping their bulky coats with a couple of massive guys who the police attempt to manhandle).
I really wish I could remember all the important details.

10th August

LGBT people born today:
1881 – Witter Bynner – US Poet / Author – Died 1st June 1968
1900 – Rene Crevel – French Author – Died 18th June 1935
1938 – Tom Paton – UK Artists’ Manager [Bay City Rollers] – Died 8th April 2009
1953 – Mark Doty – US Poet
1963 – Andrew Sullivan – UK Author / Columnist / Blogger
1971 – Tom Bouden – Belgian Cartoonist
1973 – Allenina – Chinese Model / Actress / Dancer
1973 – Lisa Raymond – US Tennis
???? – Luke Garrett – US Porn

And those who died:
1933 – Gene Malin – US Drag Queen [Jean Malin] / Actor / Presenter / Musician – Born 30th June 1908
1948 – Montague Summers – UK Author / Clergyman – Born 10th April 1880
1958 – Oliver Baldwin – UK Politician – Born 1st March 1899
1987 – Casey Donovan – US Porn – Born 2nd November 1943

Bloody Blogger

Is anyone else having problems with Blogger lately? I mean more than usual. Over the last month, at least once a week my blog (or any other on Blogger) takes ages to load and, when it does, I am able to read it but not post anything on it. It is really annoying. It always seems to last all day too. It is getting to be incredibly annoying. This was happening all day yesterday, which was frustrated me because I was really bored and wanted to post some items (which I have now forgotten in my frustration!).

9th August (Deaths)

LGBT people who died today:
1967 – Kenneth Halliwell – UK Actor / Playwright / Murderer – Born 23rd June 1926
1967 – Joe Orton – UK Playwright / Actor / Murder Victim – Born 1st January 1933
1967 – Anton Walbrook – Austrian Actor – Born 19th November 1896
1976 – Jose Lezama-Lima – Cuban Author / Poet – Born 19th December 1910

9th August (Births)

LGBT people born today:
1875 – Reynaldo Hahn – Venezuelan / French Composer / Conductor / Musician / Critic – Died 28th January 1947
1878 – Eileen Gray – Irish Designer / Architect – Died 31st October 1976
1914 – Tove Jansson – Finnish Author – Died 27th June 2001
1923 – Mario Cesariny de Vasconcelos – Portuguese Poet – Died 26th November 2006
1926 – Frank M Robinson – US Author
1944 – Angela Mason – UK Activist / Lawyer
1958 – Amanda Bearse – US Actress / Director / Comedian
1959 – Michael Kors – US Fashion Designer
1964 – Derek Laud – UK Reality TV [Big Brother]
1969 – Chris Stone – Costa Rican Porn / Fashion Designer
1973 – Cindy De Koning – Dutch Presenter
1980 – Charlie David – Canadian Actor / Producer / Presenter / Screenwriter / Musician

Easier Night

Last night was easier than the previous two. I was still in a snappy mood. Any time anything doesn't go to MY plan at work I would snap at someone. Don't get me wrong, then need kicking into shape, but I really don't enjoy being the one to do it. I guess it is just a symptom of my depression, which is rearing its ugly head again this week. I am not feeling too bad at the moment, but on my first 2 shifts of this set I was nearing rock-bottom, much as I was about 18 months ago when I quit the job I'd only worked 3-and-a-bit shifts at.

Last night got easier as the air conditioning kicked in. Yes! They finally left it on during a night shift. It didn't affect the control room where I am most of the shift, as we have no air con there, but the night was a cooler one anyway and at least on my breaks I could go elsewhere to cool down. I couldn't before.
The new boss is now off on holiday for 2 weeks, having not sorted anything out. I am still wearing a hybrid of my old uniform and the new one (miss-matching jacket and trousers, not a good look). We have still not seen the assignment instructions, which tell us exactly what is expected of us in each duty we do. And we have no rosters to tell us who is working when (we know the basic shift pattern, but not who is due to work overtime etc.). A shambles.
At the end of the shift I had to be pleasant to the former manager who was in today to cover an extra shift (for stuff being moved into the building). As I think I have said before, he shouldn't be allowed to work here, after being taken off site as manager, but somehow he is. I left as soon as I was able.

I didn't get as much sleep as I had hoped for, as there were roadworks going on outside and the shop opposite is also having a refurb, so lots of banging and sawing.
One more shift and then 4 days off. Hurrah!

Oh, and I applied for, what sounds like, my perfect job today too. It is working for a charity, compiling news stories from the media for a newsletter with stories that "may interest their members." It is similar to some of the work I was doing in the job I was sacked from. So, fingers crossed. It is good money too, which I was amazed at, more than I am on now. Too good to be true? The "glass-half empty" guy that I am doesn't think I'll even hear back (as I haven't with the last 20 jobs I've applied for), but you never know.....

8th August

LGBT people born today:
1922 – Rudi Gernreich – Austrian Fashion Designer / Activist / Dancer – Died 21st April 1985
1951 – Randy Shilts – US Author / Journalist – Died 17th February 1994
1952 – Peter - Japanese Singer / Actor / Dancer
1952 – Robert D Zimmerman – US Author
1960 – Ralf Konig – German Comic Book Artist
1961 – Chris Freeman – US Singer / Musician

And those who died:
1901 – Prince Edmond de Polignac – French Composer – Born 19th April 1834
1957 – Fabian S Woodley – UK Poet – Born 19th July 1888
1973 – Dean Corll – US Serial Killer – Born 24th December 1939
1984 – Richard Deacon – US Actor / Presenter – Born 14th May 1921
1993 – Roy London – US Author / Director – Born 3rd March 1943
1997 – Paul Rudolph – US Architect – Born 23rd October 1918
2003 – Bhupen Khakhar – Indian Painter – Born 10th March 1934

Mouse Philosophy

I have started reading at work again. I used to get through almost a book a day (as there is nothing else to do there), but it eventually used to make me feel even more sleepy than I would have been. I have been so bored lately though that I decided to give reading a go again, with books that I know I love.
I am going through the Tales of the City set again, and last night finished More Tales of the City (the second in the series). In it, and this isn't giving away much of the plot, Michael "Mouse" Tolliver writes a letter to his parents to tell them he is gay. It is in response to a letter from his mother telling him about the anti-gay group Save Our Children she and his father had joined (look it and Anita Bryant up on Wikipedia for more on this).

Here is part of the letter, which sums up how I feel quite aptly. I'm guessing a lot of people feel this way, gay, straight or whatever:
"No, Mama, I wasn't "recruited." No seasoned homosexual ever served as my mentor. But you know what? I wish someone had. I wish someone older than me and wiser than the people in Orlando had taken me aside and said, "You're all right, kid. You can grow up to be a doctor or a teacher just like anyone else. You're not crazy or sick or evil. You can succeed and be happy and find peace with friends - all kinds of friends - who don't give a damn who you go to bed with. Most of all, though, you can love and be loved, without hating yourself for it. But no on ever said that to me, Mama."

I love Armistead Maupin's books and, no matter how many times I read them (this is about the 10th time I've been reading through the series), they always make me cry and laugh, and make me happy and sad, all at the same time.

7th August (part 2)

LGBT people who died today:
1929 – Mary MacLane – Canadian Author – Born 1st May 1881
1956 – John La Touche – US Musician / Author – Born 13th November 1914
1967 – William Spratling – US Artist – Born 22nd September 1900
1993 – Christopher Gillis – Canadian Dancer – Born 26th February 1951 1995 – Brigid Brophy – UK Author – Born 12th June 1929
1995 – Tyra Hunter – US Transsexual refused medical care – Born 1970

7th August (part 1)

LGBT people born today:
1911 – Nicholas Ray – US Director – Died 16th June 1979
1916 – Kermit Love – US Puppeteer / Costume Designer / Actor – Died 21st June 2008
1944 – John Glover – US Actor
1949 – Matthew Parris – UK Journalist / Presenter / Author / Politician
1958 – Mahesh Dattani – Indian Playwright
1958 – Charlie Parsons – UK Producer
1968 – Francesca Gregorini – Italian Singer / Songwriter
1972 – Brad Patton – Australian / Swedish Porn / Figure Skater [as Joel Mangs] 1977 – Samantha Ronson – UK DJ
1979 – Jason Ruta – Canadian Journalist / Presenter
1983 – Christian Chavez – Mexican Singer / Actor

Poxy Weather

As if I wasn't dreading going to work enough as it was! Now it is absolutely tipping down with rain and I will be heading off to work in about 30 minutes. I hope that it eases off (or stops) by then as the one thing worse than going to work in a place you hate, working with people you do not like, in an uncomfortable uniform, with nothing to do and no air con, it's doing it in wet clothing from the start!
I need something good to happen to me soon! Something real good! Because I am feeling really down and approaching rock bottom!

Disgusted

I have just caught the front page story on today's Metro paper.
A bar called Phatz in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England barred a group of UK troops because they were wearing their uniforms. The group of 12 had gone to the bar following the funeral of Rifleman Daniel Hume, aged just 22.
Some of the group were admitted but were told "You can all come in, apart from the squaddies". Is that any way to treat out heroes?
I am a big supporter of our fighting forces, not because of the particular battles they fight, but because they are the ones willing to do so to protect out lives and our freedoms.
It is not just because my brother was in the army from age 16 to age 40.
It is not because of my fondness for men in uniforms.
It is because they are real heroes.
Tom Cruise is a religious fanatic.
Michael Jackson sang and danced.
David Beckham plays a sport.
These guys and girls (and those in the police, fire service, mountain rescue, coast guard and ambulance service and NHS etc), are the true heroes of this world and what do they get? They get turned away from a bar while mourning a friend and colleague, after being a walking target for months on end with insufficient equipment and back-up.
I call for a boycott of this bar, Phatz, and then we will see how the owners deal with the lack of customers! I hope they go bust. In these difficult financial times how can anyone turn away paying customers? But especially ones who are in mourning, who are smart and who have fought for all of us?

This is how it should be for our amazing troops:

Dreams

I had a dream while I was sleeping today:
I was standing outside of one of the fire escapes at work, the one by our current control room, and I saw a truck pull up at the back of the building (in a car park that doesn't exist in reality). I appear to have been expecting it.
One of my real life colleagues gets out with another guard (unknown to me) and escorts a man along the path to our underground car park entrance. It appears that in the dream I am working in a prison (I don't need a shrink to work that one out!).
All of a sudden, from behind me, one of my other real life colleagues (who is very religious) comes rushing along with a knife in his hand intent on killing the man in custody and spouting phrases from the Bible. I have to talk to him to stop him attacking anyone.

It was very realistic and the first dream in ages that I have remembered. I know where all the elements from the dream came from, all things that happened at work yesterday (including a knifeman on a show on the television in the auditorium).

Hellish Night Shift

I really did not enjoy my night shift last night. It was the worst one for ages. It started off with one of the guards arguing with me because I'd asked him to do a simple job (it turns out that he was stressed as his dad had been taken into hospital and he apologised later). It was a really muggy night and as before we have no air conditioning in the building at night (it is barely on in the areas we work during the day!).
I began to feel worse (my "swine flu" symptoms) and it felt like my shirt was choking me so I kept having to take my tie off and open the top two buttons of my shirt. I've had this sensation before and it is linked to my claustrophobia I think. I hate wearing any top that has a button or detailing around the throat. I am normally fine with shirts and ties (I've been wearing them my whole working life), but tonight, and one day a couple of weeks ago, I really felt like ripping the whole shirt off. It was that bad that I felt I needed to not wear a top at all. I felt I was going a bit psycho. I could have walked out at any moment.
Tonight I will have more of the same, and almost certainly I'll have no distractions to take my mind off of the discomfort. I am not looking forward to it at all. I feel like just quitting so I don't have to wear the poxy uniform again.
Even now, as I sit here in my room with no top on, it feels like something is around my throat. I can't explain the feeling enough to describe the discomfort, but it is like a phobia. If you are really scared of spiders and are stuck in a room with them with no escape, well that is how I feel about this sensation around my throat. It is horrible.
I hope I manage to last the night. I can't afford to go sick or to quit (though I would love to).

6th August - part 2

LGBT people born today (from 1950 onward)
1950 – Carole Pope – Canadian Singer / Songwriter / Musician
1957 – Jim McGreevey – US Politician
1958 – Lorne Saxberg – Canadian Presenter / Journalist – Died 6th May 2006
1963 – Gwendolyn Graham – US Serial Killer
1980 – David Taylor – US Marine / Model / Porn / Actor 1982 – Adrianne Curry – US Model / Reality TV [America's Next Top Model]


And those who died:
1983 – Klaus Nomi – German Singer / Actor – Born 24th January 1944
1996 – Ossie Clark – UK Fashion Designer – Born 9th June 1942
1999 – Louis Dusee – Dutch Singer / Actor / Playwright / Presenter – Born 9th February 1930


I separated this list into two parts so that I could get all the names in the label section at the bottom (it has a limit of 200 characters).

6th August - part 1

LGBT people born today (up to the end of the 1940's)
1857 – Christian Wilhelm Allers – German Painter / Printmaker – Died 19th October 1915
1862 – Goldsworthy Lowes Dickinson – UK Historian / Activist – Died 3rd August 1932
1893 – Guthrie McClintic – US Director / Producer – Died 29th October 1961
1908 – Helen Hull Jacobs – US Tennis – Died 2nd June 1997
1923 – Jess Collins – US Artist – Died 2nd January 2004
1928 – Andy Warhol – US Painter / Printmaker / Photographer / Director – Died 22nd February 1987
1930 – Martin Duberman - US Playwright / Activist / Historian
1932 – Sir Howard Hodgkin – UK Painter / Printmaker
1938 – Paul Bartel – US Actor / Director / Screenwriter – Died 13th May 2000
1946 – Bruce Benderson – US Author
1946 – Ron Davies – UK Politician

Early Riser (Sort Of)

One of the main reasons that I went out last night was to get some alcohol into my system to help me to sleep last night and make sure that I slept late this morning. I only had two drinks while I was out, because I got bored drinking alone and so I guess I must have sobered up too much for my plan to work. This morning there was a plethora of sirens going past my window at around 09:00 and so I had no choice but to wake up, I thought I may as well get up too. I am intending to have a sleep mid-afternoon so that I don't feel too knackered for my night shift.

I think I need to re-revamp my CV as I am still not getting any replies from the jobs that I am applying for. I know that if could be mainly because I am applying for jobs that I am not in the same field as at the moment, but I really thought my CV would sell the qualities that these jobs needed. Try Try Again I guess.

I am also getting a touch of hypochondria, I have a sore throat and a headache which have been with me a couple of days. My flatmate Jessica had a virus recently that her doctor says may have been Swine Flu. So, I am assuming that I have it too. My quandary is: Do I still go to work, or should I stay home. I would love to stay home, but I don't get paid if I do. I don't feel sick enough, at the moment, to justify losing money. I also think that this Swine Flu panic is all a fuss about nothing. Isn't it just another form of 'flu, which kills tens of thousands every year too?
I'm not going to stay home, I just thought I would share the decision that took me a microsecond to resolve in my head!

5th August

LGBT people born today:
1881 – Joao do Rio – Brazilian Journalist / Author / Playwright – Died 23rd June 1921
1912 – Manoly Lascaris – Greek / Egyptian / Australian Lover of Patrick White – Died 13th November 2003
1949 – Peter McWilliams – US Author – Died 14th June 2000
1950 – Tim Dlugos – US Poet
1959 – Antonio Armani – US Porn 1959 - Pete Burns – UK Singer
1975 – Antony Cotton – UK Actor / Presenter [or 1979]

And those who died:
1973 – Vander Clyde – US Female Impersonator [Barbette] / Circus Performer – Born 19th December 1899
1988 – Colin Higgins – US Screenwriter / Actor / Director / Producer – Born 28th July 1941

I Need.....

Database

Just thought that I would let you know that, due to all my hard work (resulting from 4 days of boredom), my LGBT database has now got in excess of 5000 names on it. I still need a multitude of information on certain individuals (i.e clarification of their DOB's, occupations, nationalities etc), but the fact that I have identified over 5000 LGBT people known for something worldwide is quite astounding to me, and I am adding more names by the day. My next target is 6000 names! I wonder how long it will be before that target is reached.

Drinking Alone... Bad Idea

I realised today that I hadn't been out for a drink in Soho since Tim had his accident and that was at the beginning of July. I also really felt the need to get out, as I hadn't been out since I got back from Torquay almost 2 weeks ago. Therefore I headed into town for a couple of drinks. As usual, when drinking alone, I intended to start off in Rupert Street, the only bar I feel comfortable drinking alone in. I was disappointed to find, however, that it was closed (hopefully just for renovations). I had to start in the Duke of Wellington.
While I was there I noticed a cute blond guy in a suit, though he hardly acknowledged me. I finished my drink and headed off to Comptons. In there I saw a nice looking guy with a rugby-type build in a green t-shirt who I quite liked. He didn't acknowledge me at all. I then saw another nice guy this time with a muscular build and a tight-ish white t-shirt. He didn't acknowledge me either, but met up with the green t-shirt guy. I should remember this golden rule: when there are only 2 guys you fancy in the bar then they are inevitably going to end up together.
I came home after this second drink and now am cooking a pizza and feeling incredibly sorry for myself and rather depressed.

Now I'm Pissed Off

The good news is that I only wasted an hour at the hospital today. My appointment was at 11:15, I got there 15 minutes early and went in to see the doctor at 11:40!! She hadn't even read my notes and after a brief examination told me to wear my lenses less, get laser eye surgery or convert to hard lenses. No mention of the reason I was actually there. So I had to ask,
"What about the scar on my eye?"
"There is no scar, it is just a build up of blood vessels!"
She begrudgingly put some dye in my eye and had another look, but didn't change her opinion. So, either the scar / dent has completely healed in the 6 weeks since I was last at the hospital, or she is a totally incompetent doctor. I guess I will only know when I get back to the opticians next time.
But at least she did confirm that there are no known long-term health problems associated with corrective lens surgery, so, once I have saved enough, I shall be having that done and hopefully never have to worry about bloody lenses or glasses ever again. All I need is £1000. Is that all?

NTR

Nothing To Report (really)

I've been having trouble again getting onto Blogger, so I haven't had the chance to report all of the things I HAVEN'T been doing.
I am really bored and tomorrow I am back to work. I don't know what is worse (actually I do, work!).
Today I have the pleasure of a hospital appointment again. It is all to see about this scar on my eye that "is almost certainly nothing to worry about," but that my optician wanted me to get checked out anyway. This will be my second appointment at the hospital (after about 5 at the opticians). I am bored with it already. I hope I don't have to hang around too long at the hospital (unless there is someone cute to keep me distracted, but what are the chances of that, eh?).

4th August

LGBT people born today:
1839 – Walter Pater – UK Author / Critic – Died 30th July 1894
1904 – Witold Gombrowicz – Polish Author – Died 24th July 1969
1912 – Virgilio Pinera – Cuban Author / Playwright / Poet – Died 18th October 1979
1933 – Rudi van Dantzig – Dutch Choreographer / Ballet / Author
1958 – Tim Barnett – UK / New Zealand Politician
1970 – John August – US Director / Screenwriter
1978 – JD Samson – US Singer / Musician / Activist

And those who died:
1875 – Hans Christian Anderson – Danish Author / Poet – Born 2nd April 1805
1930 – Siegfried Wagner – German Composer – Born 6th June 1869

More Help Required

I am bored again, so I'm working on my LGBT database. I've come across some more individuals whose information is incomplete or conflicting. Can anyone help with information (and sources) on the following:
Abu-Nuwas - Persian poet - I have conflicting dates for his birth and death ranging from 750/756/758 for his birth, to 810/814 for his death.
Ida Acton - Author and former member of Sister Spit. Can anyone confirm her DOB and her nationality?
Nancy Adair - US photographer and artist and younger sister of Peter. I need her DOB.
Margie Adam - US singer & musician. I need her DOB too, all I have is the year (1947).
Mark Adamo - US composer. Born in 1962, but what day and what month?
and finally (for today), Sam Adams- US politician (Mayor of Portland, Oregon). Again, I have the year of birth (1963) but that is all.

Any help is really appreciated, and a special thanks to Badabing for his help on the last request.

What To Do?

I've once again wasted two days off doing absolutely nothing (well, apart from adding over 250 individuals to my LGBT database yesterday), so I am determined that I should do something today. Though what that something will be I have yet to determine.
When I got up about an hour ago it was bright sunshine outside, now it is overcast making me less inclined to leave the flat for no purpose.
I feel like I should go out for some drinks, but no one will be free tonight, being a Monday, and I have a hospital appointment in the morning too, so I shouldn't be too drunk, should I? It is just another appointment about my eye, nothing important, but will take a couple of hours at least.
So, I still do not know what to do today. All I can think of is to go out and buy myself something, but I should be careful with my money as my last wage from my old company is coming on Monday, and my first from my new company this Friday, so there is a good chance that either (or both) could be wrong. I am actually expecting the wages from my old company to be wrong, I will be surprised if it isn't.
I bet I end up doing nothing again.

3rd August

LGBT people born today:
1887 – Rupert Brooke – UK Poet – Died 23rd April 1915
1903 – Bunny Breckinridge – US Actor – Died 5th November 1996
1916 – Gordon Merrick – US Actor / Author – Died 27th March 1988
1959 – Lee Ryder – US Porn – Died 10th July 1991
1964 – Daniella Somers – Belgian Boxer
1967 – Skin – UK Singer
1970 – Mike Chavez – Mexican Porn [aka Miguel Lopez / Mike Lamas]
1981 – Michelle Courtens – Dutch Singer
1982 – Robert Stadlober – Austrian Actor / Musician

And those who died:
1916 – Roger Casement – Irish Poet / Terrorist – Born 1st September 1864
1932 – Goldsworthy Lowes Dickinson – UK Historian / Activist – Born 6th August 1862
1954 – Colette – French Author – Born 28th January 1873

2nd August

LGBT people born today:

1924 – James Baldwin – US Author / Playwright / Poet / Activist – Died 30th November 1987
1952 – David Borrow – UK Politician
1971 – Talvin DeMachio – US Porn

And those who died:
1972 – Paul Goodman – US Author / Poet / Sociologist / Activist – Born 9th September 1911
1986 – Roy Cohn – US Lawyer / Politician – Born 20th February 1927
1997 – William S Burroughs – US Author – Born 5th February 1914
2008 – Michael Causer – UK Hate Crime Victim – Born 9th October 1989

Get Well Soon

I received a text message earlier from Tim to tell me that he has received a new "Get Well" card. This one was from his Doctor! Not general-practitioner type doctor, but Doctor. Yep, David Tennant himself has sent Tim a card wishing him a speedy recovery!

How cool is that?

And I am ashamed to admit that my first instinctive thought was - "Sell it on eBay!" I know! I am hanging my head in shame as I type!

1st August

LGBT people born today:
1921 – Pat McDonald – Australian Actress – Died 10th March 1990
1930 – Lionel Bart – UK Composer – Died 3rd April 1999
1936 – Yves Saint Laurent – French Fashion Designer – Died 1st June 2008
1962 – Toni Atkins – US Politician
1966 – James St James – US Drag Queen / Author / Actor / Journalist / Producer / Columnist
1968 – Shaun Proulx – Canadian Journalist / Presenter
1971 – Adam Hart – US Porn [or 7th August 1969] 1976 – Nick Capra – US? Porn
1977 – Marcel Schlutt – German Model / Photographer / Porn / Presenter

And those who died:
1971 – Alfred Chester – US Author – Born 7th September 1928
1997 – Sviatoslav Richter – Soviet Pianist – Born 20th March 1915

Missing Out Again?

Today is Brighton Pride's big day in the park. I have decided however to give it a miss this year. The weather outside is decidedly miserable. It isn't raining yet, but looks like it could any moment (and the forecast was for rain mid-afternoon), but there is not a clear patch in the sky, it's just grey! I don't fancy trekking all the way down to Brighton carrying an umbrella (which is an implement that I hate by the way), or trying to find shelter in a crowded tent filled with thumping, unintelligible base! I guess, over the last 4 years that I have been going to Brighton Pride, we have been spoiled having gloriously sunny days, it had to happen sooner or later that we would have a dull day for it, especially considering this is England!!
I am now, however, at a loss for what to do today and bored already. Any ideas?

Request for Information

As you may recall I am compiling a database of LGBT people in the media (for whatever reason). I post lists of those on my database who were born or died each day. I do however have some individuals on the database whose details are incomplete and so therefore I am unable to mention them on the correct day. I would be very grateful if any of you, my gorgeous readers, could fill in the gaps for me.

I need to know the date in August that Manoly Lascaris was born. He was the Greek-Egyptian (and later Australian) lover of Patrick White, the Australian novelist. I know he died on 13th November 2003, but do not have the date in August 1912 that he was born.
I also need the date in August 1978 that New Zealand drag queen Pollyfilla (aka Colin McLean) was born.

On top of these birth dates I need the date that the two following individuals died:
Mary MacLane, the Canadian author, who was born on 1st May 1881 and died in 1929;
And Marc Stevens, the US porn star (also known as Mick Allman, Al Packer, and, most memorably, Marc "10 1/2" Stevens). He was born 9th February 1943 and died in 1989, but when in August?

Any help you can provide would be brilliant, but I would like to request that you site your source for the information for verification and further research purposes.
Also, if I fail to mention a particular person on the day that they either were born or died, please let me know (again siting your source for the information) so that I can add that person to my database and correct their omission.
Thank you in advance for your help.