Category Archives: My Life

A Walk on the Wild Side

[Written on my Palm & posted Sunday 6th]

My two days off have been great. Yesterday we drove to the Outlet Mall (what’s the British equivalent of that?) in Swindon. It’s the first time we have put miles on this new Ka (which I haven’t mentioned yet). Still, we drove in the sunshine and shopped. One call from a client was swiftly dealt with.

In the evening, we made it to Bristol, where we are staying at a Travelodge in Bristol City Centre. After unloading, we took a quick taxi ride to visit some friends we hadn’t seen for a long time until last month. And now it’s been twice in five weeks which is a great feeling. Chinese meal and back to the hotel.

This morning we had a quick walk around Bristol City, as it’s been many years since I was last here and things seem to have changed. The most amusing thing was the ill-fitting suits on a bunch of young men walking towards the Magistrates Court. I know I shouldn’t leap to conclusions (perhaps they were newly qualified solicitors), but I could just imagine their legal representation reminding them to look respectable for the judge.

As this holiday was originally pencilled in for longer and as a trip to Cornwall to see the Eden Project, we decided to opt for Bristol’s local equivalent Wildwalk at the complex known as @Bristol. I suspect this isn’t anywhere near the scale of Eden, but it was an interesting walk through the development of life on Earth. It features a glasshouse full of tropical plants and – to my surprise – living, breathing birds (I thought it was just a tape of their calls). Recommended if you are in Bristol. Right now we are heading south via the lovely A roads, looking for a suitable tourist spot to stop at.

On this day…

2004: A Mighty Wind
2004: Going Outside The Canteen For Lunch Is Gooooood

Nearly There

Looking back at yesterday’s post, I see that everybody has a much more interesting life than I do, or at least it seems that way! As I am not going to fake the blog, you, dear reader, must put up with the dull bits as well as the not-so-dull bits.

Today is my last day at work this week. I am taking two days off to clear my head. There are a lot of things to think about when it comes to work and, more importantly, PY and I want to spend some time together. The downside of this break (originally meant to be a week and reduced to two days) is that I will be here (in the office) for another couple of hours. So, no more time to update. I am going to boil the kettle and get on. Posts beyond this point will be written on my Palm Pilot and updated when they can be.

On this day…

2004: Shrewsbury Town
2003: Another Year, Another Autumn
2002: Ultimate Boy Band CD (1)

Sunday

Why am I always tempted to begin these posts with ‘It’s Sunday’ or something like that? I am sure you can read the date at the top and check the calendar to see what’s going on.

Last night (which was, of course, Saturday) was good, and I met a friend of a friend I had met before but wasn’t very keen on. Well, last night we seemed to get on OK, so I guess all is OK!

On this day…

2004: I Pressed The Button
2003: Silent For A Week

Working Late (again)

Working. I want to work, that’s for sure, but I am not sure what I want to do for a living. My job is OK and pays well, but it’s hardly the most stimulating career, and what’s more, I was in the office until almost 9pm. 9pm on a Friday night. Somehow, I don’t think this is right:

  • I don’t think it’s right for me to work so many extra hours. It’s not the first night this week, by a long shot. I do get paid reasonably well, but I want to work to live, not live to work.
  • I do not think this is right for my relationship. I am so exhausted by the time I get home that all I do is eat and sleep. This is not much of a life, really.
  • I do not think this is right for my health. Lengthy hours mean stress and a desire to get home (and I am sure that leads to mistakes somewhere along the line). I need to eat (decent food) at a decent hour and not (fast food) at some late hour before I fall asleep on the sofa or crawl to bed.
  • I’m not even sure it’s right for the company that employs me. I’m sure that by putting this much pressure on me, they are not getting the best out of me.
  • And above all, it’s not right for my spirit. It depresses me to spend so long working. I know I am lucky to have a reasonably paying career, but if this is all life is, then I am not sure I want it. The career, that is; I do want the life!

But at last, the weekend! Time to re-charge.

On this day…

2005: I Wonder Why?
2004: Shrewsbury Abbey at Flickr

Nike 10K

I want to pass comment on the fact that PY, my significant other/partner/general love of my life, ran the Nike 10K Run London event yesterday in a time which beat his run last year. I was nearly in tears when he crossed the line – isn’t that sad?

The event itself did not seem as well organised as last year. We waited at Wimbledon because there weren’t enough shuttle buses. The transportation problems caused a delay at the start and, I imagine, a good number of competitors missed their allotted start time. The atmosphere was not as good as last year either. In Kew Gardens, with half the number of competitors, last year’s race felt more intimate and fun. This year, Richmond Park felt spread out and didn’t seem to have as many things for non-runners to do amid the throng.

On this day…

2004: Crazy Name, Worthy Cause
2002: Individual Portions
2002: I Have An Unbearable Feeling Of Sadness

Tired

Bet you’re thinking, not another entry about food. My office (more or less) took an American colleague out for dinner again last night and, again, on Old Compton Street. Pizza. Huge pizzas (I haven’t had such a big pizza in London for some time), bigger than any plates the restaurant had available. Many office-type things to speak of, but I will reserve judgement on the evening for another time (how mysterious).

So now I am dog-tired. I have been entertaining or being entertained all week. I have to arrange theatre trips for tonight and other things for the rest of the weekend. It’s very strange, as I haven’t felt this physically exhausted in months. I feel really drained, but I couldn’t sleep any longer than I did. My brain was awake, and I got to the point where lying in bed hurts more than the thought of getting up pains me. Maybe it’s an age thing.

On this day…

2004: Jesus Christ Superstar
2003: Bush House, London

South Bank. Friends from North.

I could have spent much of this week writing about going out to eat and/or entertaining, but decided that would be too dull. On the other hand, on Wednesday night we (American and I) went on the London Eye (always a fantastic treat) and then wandered down the South Bank. It is probably one of my favourite areas of London.

  • Old County Hall. It’s a pleasure dome of treats, but the best bit is the aquarium. We didn’t go in this time, but I love the place and am writing this as a kind of note to myself: go back to the London Aquarium.
  • The London Eye. My thirtieth birthday was spent on The Eye in a hired capsule with a whole bunch of friends – all of whom had almost no notice but arrived for drinks, a ride and pizza. This time we were on The Eye as the light started to fade – which actually made it all the more magical. We even bought the tacky tourist snap that they take on the way down.
  • New Hungerford Bridges(s). I have spent years walking over the old, narrow bridge, avoiding the winter floods and the summer camera-wielding tourists. The new bridges look stunning. They are boulevard-wide and, in fact, very pleasant to walk across, and each bridge offers very different but fabulous views.
  • Royal Festival Hall and National Film Theatre. They may be concrete and they are certainly not photogenic but they are some of my favourite locations. Long may the concrete jungle live.
  • Oxo Tower. A great building with a great restaurant (even if I can never afford to eat there) and, if you don’t want to go on the wheel, the viewing gallery at the top (free and near the restaurant) provides a stunning view of St. Paul’s Cathedral.
  • Tate Modern and Millennium Bridge. After all the fuss at the turn of the century, these are two worthy additions to the London landscape. The interior of the Tate Modern is fantastic (the sheer size of the entrance is great). And the Millennium Bridge is in just the right place and looks gorgeous when lit (although the last few times I haven’t seen the lights on).

On the way back from these sights (we didn’t do New City Hall or Tower Bridge, Hayes Galleria or Butler’s Wharf), we stopped for a pseudo-traditional pub meal of chips and beer. Even though I suspect the pub was full of tourists, it felt like the kind of place I went to regularly, so I guess it had an air of authenticity.

After all this on Wednesday, I was looking forward to last night. Last night was meant to be an evening off from being a tour guide (not that I mind, but the break would be good). I was having dinner with some friends (and some old friends who were coming down from Scotland). My friends in Worcester Park were preparing dinner, and it was to be (in fact, it was indeed) an evening of memories and fun. However, things did try to put a damper on the evening.

  • I was late. I was attending presentations with a client, and they ran over.
  • My friend Jo, who was cooking, had been taken ill and had been in and out of the hospital for two nights (nothing too serious, thankfully). So, she didn’t feel like cooking – her husband decided to, and the food was excellent.
  • We were all so tired (me from working, them from the illness/hospital adventures) that we called a halt to proceedings at 10.30pm.

It’s a shame when things don’t quite go according to plan, especially when you’ve been looking forward to them. I’d hoped to have a long catch-up with the folks from Scotland, but we ended up with the briefest of chats. Ah well, maybe next time …

On this day…

2004: Flick For Canada

Old Compton Street At Night

So, I have just told you how having an American in London with me has made me see London in a new light. Once again, I love it. Last night we went to dinner again (with some other people this time) on Old Compton Street. Sometimes, I have a problem with Old Compton Street, and I am not sure why. As a gay man, I should be able to celebrate the area for the visibility and safety that it brings to London’s gay community. My problem is that I find I am not a scene-loving gay man, and so I am generally made to feel alienated by the people there. I also feel slightly wary of taking straight friends to Old Compton Street in case they feel I am either trying to make some kind of point or that I am, somehow, testing their acceptance of me. All of the above is, of course, personal paranoia and my own insecurities, which a therapist, of some sort, would take lots of money off me to talk about. Instead, I blog it.

Anyway, back to the point. We were on Old Compton Street. It was late-ish (for me, not for Old Compton Street) and the place was alive. It being a Tuesday night I suspect that the worst aspects of the weekend drinking crowd were not to be seen which made it a pleasant, friendly place to be. It was a wonderful feeling to walk out of a restaurant into a heaving mass of happy people. It was cool, but not cold, and (as OCS Queens will) people were sitting at tables outside. Maybe I should be less judgemental about Old Compton Street. The mood was relaxed and fun; people were smiling and chatting and even the music drifting onto the street seemed appropriate and not excessive.

I seem to be painting a picture of a pack of hysterical, laughing people. Of course, it was not like that. It was just that the mood was great, people seemed relaxed and it made me feel positive about life when so much of this city has been making me feel depressed of late. Isn’t life sweet?

On this day…

2003: What Was I Doing One Year Ago?