AI…

I do sometimes wonder if AI is writing the books I read. Just a feeling. 

Celebrating…

Congratulations to all my American friends celebrating today. 🇺🇸

Celebrating the day we British call…  Thursday. 😂

Cascais…

Had a nice day out in Cascais yesterday with Graham and Darce. A lovely seaside town just up the coast from Lisbon. 

We watched a beach volleyball match in the sun while sipped mulled wine from an adjacent Christmas market. The way you do. 

Sporting CP 1 - 5 Arsenal…

Straight out of the traps, Arsenal were in for the kill last night in Lisbon. Sporting CP’s first loss of the season was an almighty thumping.   

Afterwards Man of the Match Bukayo Saka said "this is where we belong". And he was right. Arsenal were back to winning ways in the Champions League with this resounding victory at Estadio Jose Alvalade stadium.  

Mikel Arteta's side were comfortable throughout, in what could have been a tricky away fixture, as Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Gabriel, Saka and Leandro Trossard all scored. 

The Gunners registered as many goals at Sporting as they had managed in their previous eight Champions League away matches combined, in a result that lifts them to seventh in the table.  

Before kick off many of the @gaygooners met-up in town before watching the game together behind the ridiculous netting.   

During the game, the flares, smoke and fireworks were part funny, part astonishing. How they got them in the stadium goodness only knows. With all that green smoke I thought it was some stunt to promote the film Wicked 🧙🍿 😂  

It didn’t seem to rattle our players though. A very satisfying win.   

Onwards and up with my friends.  

@Arsenal 

@gaygooners 

#SCPARS 

#awaydays

Laurie Anderson: Ark: United States V @ Aviva Studios...

Yesterday afternoon Paul and I braved the flooding of Storm Bert to go up to glitzy Manchester (4 hours up and 6 hours return thank you very much Avanti West Coast) to see one of our heroes Laurie Anderson perform her latest work Ark: United States V.

 

United States I - IV is seminal and so we had high expectations of part V. And we weren't disappointed. The three hour running time of the multimedia extravaganza simply flew by.

 

The main theme of the gig was an ark. The end of the world. Biblical floods, rain clouds, iClouds, mushrooms clouds, and revengeful weather. All rather ironic seeing how the weather was to fuck up our journey home later.

 

What I didn't expect though was what an emotional impact one particular piece would have on me.

 

At the end of the first act the music swelled and swelled as the Manchester Sacred Harp choir took to the stage joining in the chorus of that last piece. The effect was magnificent. It was intoxicating. The wall of sound almost overloaded my senses. I was ecstatic.

 

And then the following words appeared on the screen...

 

When my father died we put him in the ground.

When my father died it was like a whole library burned down.

 

I became utterly overwhelmed. I was overcome with emotion and I couldn't stop crying. Paul gave me a massive hug. I was in floods of tears. I couldn't walk I was in so much distress. I had to be helped out of the auditorium in case I was to fall.

 

My own Dad died exactly four years ago. And the words had blindsided me. The grief came flooding back. I’m actually a bit shell-shocked even now the following day. Even when I got home at well past 2 am I couldn’t sleep.

 

Funny how art can get you like that.

 

I love Laurie Anderson and I think I always will. A day of floods. A day of walking and falling at the same time.

Gaygooners Xmas Party 2024…

After the commanding win at the Emirates the fun and games continued at the first of the annual @gaygooners Christmas parties. 

Drinks, pizza, cake, a fabulous raffle, some dodgy dancing and of course a few dodgy photos. 

Thank you are organising Ian and the other GG offices and volunteers. Great fun. 

Merry Xmas Everyone 🎄🤶🧑‍🎄🎅🎁☃️

Arsenal 3 - 0 Notts Forest…

It was a joyous to catch up with so many people yesterday at the @gaygooners meet-up and ticket hand-out. I’d not been to a home game in 7 weeks!   

And the joy continued at the Emirates.

Through the wind and the rain of Storm Bert our boys thundered back to winning ways.

Arsenal dominated from the outset and Bukayo Saka gave us the lead after 15 minutes, exchanging passes with Martin Odegaard before beating two defenders and slamming a strike into the top corner.  

Thomas Partey, who came on as a half-time substitute, doubled our lead when he curled in from 20 yards, before youngster Ethan Nwaneri added a third late on to secure the win.

The crowd erupted after each goal. 

The title race is back on.

Onwards and up with my friends.

@Arsenal

@gaygooners

#ARSNFO

But…

Everything before the "but" is baloney.

Arsenal Football Club Economic and Social Impact Report 2022-23...

Long read: but hopefully worth it! 😂

 

So I was lucky enough to be invited (as a stand-in) to the Arsenal breakfast event Tuesday morning at the Emirates Stadium where Arsenal were publishing and promoting their Arsenal Football Club Economic and Social Impact Report 2022-23. All the Arsenal big-wigs were there as was the mainstream press.

 

The Ernst & Young study details the extent of the club's value (in every sense) to Islington, the capital, and beyond. And it’s big. Huge.

 

Economically, the Gunners contributed over half a billion pounds to the UK economy during the 2022/23 season. £616m to be exact. £425m was contributed in the club’s home borough of Islington alone.

 

In addition to the money generated by the club, more than 4,400 jobs in the UK and 1,600 local jobs were supported in that one season alone.

 

In my eyes the social impact is even bigger though. Everything from education, football groups, supporters groups like ours, mental health work, cooking groups, coaching lessons, food distribution, you name it!

 

Through the work of Arsenal in the Community 14,000 people participated in initiatives, which delivered over 140,000 hours of community-based activity.

 

"Arsenal brings so much to our community beyond the football we play," said managing director, Richard Garlick. "Creating a sense of belonging and driving progress in our communities has been central to who we are since we were established in 1886. We cherish that heritage and the positive impact we continue to make.

 

"We hope the report, along with the stories shared by people in our local community, will bring to life the contribution Arsenal makes to the prosperity of the local communities we serve and the impact we have beyond Islington too."

 

In fact the report mentions the gaygooners 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ quite a lot too. Lyla & Darce were in the video that they showed in the room. Our photos also appear in the report. 

 

Before the event started yesterday there was a bit of mingling so I found myself talking to said Arsenal MD Richard Garlick. I was giving him my take on the team(!), the way Arsenal football club is run(!), and also the relationship the club has with the gaygooners. I think I bent his ear for about half an hour. Haha.

 

Actually, he was quite interesting to talk to - he was saying what his vision for Arsenal as an organisation is and detailed his six pillars the whole of the Arsenal management team have to live by. I joked and said I hope one of those pillars was winning silverware. He said “having a winning mentality is pillar number one!”

 

He must’ve been listening to what I was saying about the GGs though (and remembering Carl J talking to him last week) because when he gave his main speech later on to the room he mentioned a few things that I had told him. Nothing radical, but you know how big we are, our reach, and what we do. And he did say to everybody in the room how proud they are of the gaygooners and the work we do. 👍

 

After the whole thing was over and everybody was leaving, he actually came up and shook my hand and said “really nice to meet you and thanks for the chat”.

 

The reason I'm telling you all this is really is just to say that there are quite a few ways we as GGs get to talk the club - often informally, somethimes formally. They seem to listen. 

As this report shows.

Defeated By Virgin Media…

After hours on the phone I give up. 

But in all that time I had an idea. 

I think I’ll make a fortune. 

@virginmedia 

New Overground Names….

London Overground name changes to start today. 

The official rollout of the London Overground name changes will start today (Wed 20th November), with a few stations being upgraded. The majority will be unveiled next week.

https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2024/november/introduction-of-new-london-overground-line-names-and-colours-will-soon-start

Transport for London (TfL) has been planning the name change for months, and most stations already have the names in place and (usually) covered up in temporary stickers. However, TfL says it won’t have a one-day big reveal with each station pulling off the covers on one day and will have a phased rollout of the name change. 

In total, it’s taking nine days for the makeover to be completed. TfL says that the name change has required them to update around 6,000 station wayfinding signs, Tube maps, station digital screens, onboard train information, Journey Planner and TfL Go. 

Audio and visual announcements on trains and stations will also be updated. 

The new names and colours are: 

• Lioness (running from Watford Junction to Euston) – yellow 
  
• Mildmay (running from Richmond and Clapham Junction to Stratford) – blue 
  
• Windrush (running from Highbury & Islington to New Cross, Clapham Junction, Crystal Palace and West Croydon) – red 
  
• Weaver (running from Liverpool Street to Enfield Town, Cheshunt and Chingford) – maroon 
  
• Suffragette (running from Gospel Oak to Barking Riverside) – green 
  
• Liberty (running from Romford to Upminster) – grey 
  

Although most stations and trains will be updated by the end of the month, the audiovisual passenger information system on the newer Class 710 trains will follow by January 2025. 

Andy Lord, London’s Transport Commissioner, said: “This is an exciting step as millions of customer journeys on the London Overground will be transformed by making it simpler to navigate. Individual line colours and names have helped customers navigate the Tube for more than a hundred years, so we wanted to take a similar approach on the London Overground. These changes will help improve customer confidence when travelling and encourage more to use our services.”

I Was Under The Impression…

British Email translations: 

“I was under the impression”

Translation: I’m furious

“As per my email”

Translation: I’m furious

“With respect”

Translation: I’m furious

“Whilst I appreciate”

Translation: I’m furious

“As I’m sure you’re aware”

Translation: I’m furious

Delay…

Flight back from Edinburgh delayed. The software that ‘weighs’ the plane to allow takeoff is knacked. Indefinite delay. 

So cocktails and visits the cockpit all round! Cheers captain! 👨‍✈️🍸