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Crawling through technology, life and love Contact me: hotmail gmail home 
Listening: 
Playing: Currently resting from games iTuning: Podcasts - Russell Brand, Chris Moyles and Mark Kermode Reading: Veronika Decides To Die - Paulo Coelho Bits and Bobs: Wish List Gerry's Lyrics Pop Quiz Minipops Quiz Sites I like: Marc Almond Top 40 Singles News IMdb The Register Hacks Sainsbury's Recent GBlogs GLBT Arsenal FC Tag Board Some blogs I enjoy: bboyblues2000 bitful blogadoon brainsluice chig groc minkered scally sparky troubled diva Books recently read: Time Out Guide - Amsterdam Lillian's Story - Kate Grenville The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins Schott's Original Miscellany - Ben Schott Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J K Rowling A Gay History Of Britain - Matt Cook Time Out Guide to Madrid Time Out Guide to New York Kingdom Come - J. G. Ballard The Hours - Michael Cunningham Mutants - Aramand Marie Leroi A Young Man's Passage - Julian Clary Growing Pains - Billie Piper The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath Wild Swans - Jung Chang Highbury: The Story of Arsenal N.5 - Jon Spurling Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins - Rupert Everett Affinity - Sarah Waters Lighthousekeeping - Jeanette Winterson Tipping The Velvet - Sarah Waters The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini Of Human Bondage - W Somerset Maugham Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier Lucky Man - Michael J Fox Labyrinth - Kate Mosse Fingersmith - Sarah Waters The Night Watch - Sarah Waters The Pedant's Revolt - Andrea Barham The Republic Of Trees - Sam Taylor Written On tbe Body - Jeanette Winterson Untold Stories - Alan Bennett The Plot Against America - Philip Roth Read All About It - Max Clifford The Folding Star - Alan Hollinghurst Thursbitch - Alan Garner Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim - David Sedaris Staying Alive - Matt Beaumont The Bookseller Of Kabul - Asne Seierstad Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince - J K Rowling A Short History Of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson Count Karlstein - Philip Pullman The Shadow Of The Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood The Spell - Alan Hollinghurst The Double Life Of Daniel Glick - Maurice Caldera The Smoking Diaries - Simon Gray Straight- Boy George Digital Fortress - Dan Brown Deception Point - Dan Brown The Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency - Alexander McCall Smith Angels and Demons - Dan Brown Sydney - Time Out Guide Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood Eleanor Rigby - Douglas Coupland The Scarecrow and His Servant - Philip Pullman Tha Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown The Perks Of Being A Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky Planet Simpson - Chris Turner The Line Of Beauty - Alan Hollinghurst Barcelona - Time Out Guide The Closed Circle - Jonathan Coe The Clerkenwell Tales - Peter Ackroyd Copenhagen - TimeOut Guide The Butterfly Tattoo - Philip Pullman The Broken Bridge - Philip Pullman In Search of the Pleasure Palace - Marc Almond Brick Lane - Monica Ali Vernon God Little - DBC Pierre Last Exit To Brooklyn - Hubert Selby Jr You Shall Know Our Velocity - Dave Eggers Touching The Void - Joe Simpson Life Of Pi - Yann Martel Istanbul - Time Out Guide Millennium People - J G Ballard The Duchess Who Wouldn't Sit Down - Jesse Browner Hey Nostradamus! - Douglas Coupland Eats, Shoots and Leaves - Lynne Truss The Wind-up Bird Chronicle - Haruki Murakami Our Man In Havana - Graham Greene The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon Lyra's Oxford - Philip Pullman Doran - Will Self Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides the book, the film, the t-shirt - matt beaumont High Society - Ben Elton Man And Wife - Tony Parsons I Was A Rat - Philip Pullman Harry Potter: The Order of the Phoenix - J R Rowling Great Apes - Will Self Barrel Fever - David Sedaris Round Ireland With A Fridge - Tony Hawkes Close Range - Annie Proux The Third Way - Anthony Giddens dot.con - John Cassidy The Salmon of Doubt - Douglas Adams One Hit Wonderland - Tony Hawkes The Thief Lord - Cornelia Funke The Corrections - Jonathan Franzen The Cloud Sketcher - Richard Rayner Keane: the Autobiography - Roy Keane A Wasteland of Strangers - Bill Pronzini The English - Jeremy Paxman How to Lose Friends and Alienate People - Toby Young Dead Famous - Ben Elton The Amber Spyglass - Phillip Pullman (again) The Subtle Knife - Phillip Pullman (again) Northern Lights - Phillip Pullman (again) The Bear and The Dragon - Tom Clancy 101 Reykjavik - Hallgrimur Helgason Forward The Foundation - Isaac Asimov Carter Beats The Devil - Glen David Gold The Tin Princess - Philip Pullman Atonement - Ian McEwan The Tiger In The Well - Philip Pullman The Rotters Club - Jonathan Coe Generation X - Douglas Copeland Perfume - Patrick Suskind All Families Are Psychotic - Douglas Coupland The Shadow In The North - Phillip Pullman No Logon - Naomi Klein The Dirt - Motley Crue Miss Wyoming - Douglas Coupland The Amber Spyglass - Phillip Pullman The Subtle Knife - Phillip Pullman Northern Lights - Phillip Pullman The Ruby in the Smoke - Phillip Pullman The Sandman - Miles Gibson Blood and Gold: The Vampire Marius - Anne Rice The Actrocity Exhibition - J G Ballard Shameless - Paul Burston Sing Out! - Boze Hadleigh Brilliant Orange - David Winner New Boy - William Sutcliffe London - Peter Ackroyd Wonder Boys - Michael Chabon One For My Baby - Tony Parsons How To Be Good - Nick Hornby White Teeth - Zadie Smith Lust - Geoff Ryman Tulip Fever - Deborah Moggach Dead Souls - Ian Rankin The House Of Sleep - Jonathan Coe A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius - Dave Eggers What a carve up! - Jonathan Coe The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay - Michael Chabon The Grapes Of Wrath - John Steinbeck Heartwood - James Lee Burke Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson Man and Boy - Tony Parsons The Map Of Love - Ahdaf Soueif e - Matt Beaumont The e Before Christmas - Matt Beaumont  
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Friday, August 30, 2002
Rick Astley's Greatest Hits out this Monday... See the lovely, lovely red-haired Rick dancing. [Link from Guy] The Torture Garden... Last Saturday was amazing. The Torture Garden is a monthly event for people who like to dress up outrageously in rubber, leather, fetish, drag, chains, wigs and whips. Gary, Fran and I got down there about midnight and by a bit of blagging got in on someone's guest list (saved us £45 so I don't feel too guilty). I was wearing my chain-mail shorts, a half-harness and boots. It was a fairly youngish crowd, 50/50 men and women and about 25% gay. It was a good humoured crowd too and people were out to have a good time and a bit of a laugh. There were lots of tits, bums and dicks on show and not much seemed to be taboo in the way of dressing / undressing. Quite a lot of straight couples had the women leading the men around on leashes or chains. Not that is was very hard to lead these straight men (or women) astray by themselves I can tell you. Or rather I can't tell you. Er, OK. 'Nuff said. (A rather belated posting of) Our 10th Anniversary picture... This was the snap that Drew took just before we went out on our tenth anniversary earlier this month. Little did we know what a terrible time we had ahead of us at the restaurant.  Thursday, August 29, 2002
Music for a generation... EMI will probably get evicted from the FTSE 100 on Sept 10th as their share price has been doing so badly recently. The reason? US CD shipments are down 7% in the first six months of 2002 and UK recorded music sales are down 15.4% in the three months to June. Oh, and Aaliyah's family are suing EMI's Virgin America label for negligence over planning the flight where she died last year. So why are record sales down so much lately? Is home copying killing sales? Is internet piracy hitting profits? Or is it just that there is no good music around at the moment? I suspect the latter. [rant on] I can't remember the last time I got excited about buying a CD. Or the last time I queued on Day One to buy an album. Sure there have been some passable stuff over the past few years but nothing AMAZING. Nothing that really gets me all excited. Boys bands, manufactured bands, bland dance music, 80s groups reforming to afford to buy themselves a pension, homogenous sound-alike R&B records and excessive riff samples / cover versions have meant that we are in the poorest quality era of pop music in a generation. The breakup of 5ive... The demise of my beloved Steps (sniff, sniff)... The passing of Boyzone... Let's be honest, who really gives a fuck? Not a semi-quaver of their music will last for posterity. And longevity is as good a measure as any other. I had the late 70s/early 80s as my era of music to grow up to - that rich time of diversity in pop music from soul to disco to punk to electronica. What will people remember of today's tripe. What has 2000/2001/2002 given us? Gareth Gates? Ha! Where's the next big thing? Where's all the excitement gone in music? You tell me. [/rant off] Simon and Sarah's Wedding (in pictures)...    
   
    
Click on the following links to see a full slide show of the photos from our camera (11) or of the photos from Ben's camera (101). Wednesday, August 28, 2002
Simon and Sarah's Wedding... Last Friday Ben drove Sarah Jane, Marky and I out to a small village near Cirencester for Simon and Sarah's wedding. The traffic was very light and we arrived in good time. In cact in such good time that we had a pub lunch and a game of dominoes in the the Bathurst Arms where we were staying. Simon came to pick Ben up early as he was the best man while Sarah Jane, Mark and I relaxed and waited for some of the other guests who were staying at our hotel to arrive. Which they did. In numbers. And promptly stole our allotted cab ride so we had to rush to get ready early so the shuttle taxi could get us to the venue on time. The swines! The place we were all heading for was called Cripps Barn - and it was a barn too. A very nice one though. Apparently it was the site of many raves back in the late 80s/early 90s. We were the first to arrive - even beating the caterers. But as the fatal hour approached and more guest turned up - so did the wasps. I think there must have been at least two nests maybe more in the locale. Poor Sarah Jane must have been wearing something that they liked as she was pestered from the moment we arrived. In fact they seemed to swarm around her. Not being a particular fan of wasps (who is?) Sarah Jane spent most of the day haring across the lawn with arms waving all over the place looking like a very well dressed windmill. To add injury to assault when a wasp flew near Mark he was so startled he managed to chuck an entire glass of champagne over Sarah Jane's dress. She was not having a good day. The weather held up quite well though but it wasn't cloudless by any means. The ceremony itself was sweet and ended with the bride and groom dancing down the aisle to Stevie Wonder's Signed Sealed Delivered I'm Yours which was great fun. Ben's speech (below) was well received and the food was excellent. I sat next to a woman who used to be in Climie Fisher and the DJ used to be the older boy in the Oxo Family. Funny who you meet at weddings. New to my sidebar... I'd like to welcome bitful, chig, Guardian online and terreus to my sidebar as sites I like. Hi guys! Untitled... In Sept 1982 Marc and The Mambas released there first album Untitled. The original art work for the album cover was up for auction on eBay recently. The winner paid $860. Wow!  
On the left is the original artwork (Click on the picture for a bigger version). On the right is the actual album cover. I have to say I slightly prefer the original. The notes at the bottom are quite telling too: "WHAT IS THE TITLE?" [Thanks to Bryn for the info] Tuesday, August 27, 2002
The Best Man's Speech ~ 23 August 2002... This was Ben's speech at Simon's wedding last Friday. I first met Simon in about 1987 at “Champagnes”, Horsham's hippest live music venue. He was there to catch a set by a band who at the time were taking the Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire music scenes by storm with their unusual, some might say naïve, mix of white funk and black punk. That band were “Stigmata Club” and if I remember rightly I was the bass player and vocalist, and on this particular night I was wearing DM shoes, cycling shorts, black roll neck, fake national health specs and several gold chains.... in an ironic manner of course, this was the 80’s after all. It is perhaps worth noting that Simon, who after we’d finished playing was introduced to me by a mutual friend, was sporting a very tidy beard, a pale blue golfing jumper, chinos, a pair of grey slip-ons and something I can only describe as a mullet... a look that suggested culture, maturity and a fear of being refused service at the bar. I was determined to see beyond the facial hair and we got chatting. I quickly realised that here was a fella obsessed by style, fashion, music, design and popular culture, but with almost no interest whatsoever in razors. We hit it off immediately and talked about our hopes and dreams for the future. In retrospect, I’m glad the band broke up without a record deal saving me from a life of rock and roll excess … and I’m sure Simon is equally pleased that he changed his mind about joining the navy and seeing the world. Over the next few years I saw a lot more of Simon and got to know more about his past. He told me of the early 80’s when he was a “casual”, a tracksuit wearing tearaway, and how he used to “run with the boys” causing mayhem around the towns and villages of Sussex. In fact, Simon later admitted that it might be more accurate to say that he “Ran behind the boys” and only witnessed the mayhem from a safe distance, before realising that he was mixing with some of the hardest men in Billingshurst ... it was time to move on. He told me of the best job he’d ever had, working in a ladies' shoe shop. Perhaps displaying early signs of fetishism, he explained how he had to fetch the shoes from down a steep staircase in the basement and occasionally on his ascent he would be able to see up the ladies skirts. It was on one such occasion that he made a shock discovery about his boss Mrs Williams, which explained why she also left the loo seat up and why she had to order her shoes from a special shop in London. A few years later Simon moved to Balham, got a proper job, and traded in his beard for an unreliable racing car.... it was time to compete with his father in some tangible way, and how better than strapped into a souped up Mini Cooper... stationary at the side of a race track, punching the steering wheel and screaming “Bugger it...bugger it to hell”, while Mr Jordan senior raced past shouting “You’ll never beat me son! Never!” Every so often over the years Simon and I would meet for lunch or perhaps a few beers in the pub of an evening and he would try to explain to me exactly what it is that he does for a living. It turns out that he helps provide creative solutions incorporating marketing strategies and aesthetic desires in a variety of commercial marketplaces.... or something like that... I suggest if you have a few hours to kill you ask him yourself! Anyone who has ever stayed with Simon of a weekend will know, and others should be warned, that after a night on the town, on awakening and moving around confined spaces, he is likely to involuntarily fill the air with a stench that can be described at the very least as primeval and that windows and doors have to be flung open with much haste and, as the other unfortunate occupants of Simon's space run for sanctuary screaming their complaints, the man himself grins like a proud father who has just witnessed the arrival of his first born. Moving on now to more pleasant pastures, and focusing on what it is that brings all of us here today…… And so it was that a few years back Simon met Sarah Woodhead, a petite and attractive journalist from Manchester making quite a name for herself in the fashion writing business. Before long the couple had fallen in love and decided it was time to move in together and buy their own flat... well technically I think it was Sarah who bought the flat... Simon bought the Scooter. The happy couple spent many a relaxing evening in Stoke Newington, sipping fine wines and listening to the sound of Yardie bullets ricocheting around the streets below. But after a few years they grew tired of the excitement of North London, having to duck under yellow Police incident tape and scrape sawdust off your shoes on the way home from work had lost it’s buzz. Sarah's career was going well and Simon was a partner in his own business called “Jump”. He’d got the idea for the name from an ex-colleague, who one morning after checking his e-mails had inexplicably leapt out of the window behind him. Being only two floors up everyone agreed it couldn't have been an attempt to voluntarily shuffle off this mortal coil, more likely a knee-jerk reaction to one of Simon's trouser shouts. The colleague was uninjured but the company was born. A little while back Simon and Sarah moved to a lovely house in East Dullish. Perhaps, now they have a bit more space and a garden, it won’t be long before we hear the pitter-patter of tiny feet.... when Sarah finally gets that dog she has yearned for, for so long. BUT SERIOUSLY..... I would like to ask every person here to join with me in a toast, wishing Simon and Sarah every happiness for their future. I hope all your dreams come true. “To Simon and Sarah” Monday, August 26, 2002
Skinupndown... Go look! bobupndown has a new haircut. Nice one, shel! Go give him a hug too. He's been injured, poor lamb. Sunday, August 25, 2002
Insomnia... I crawled home at 7:30am this morning. Happy but tired. Torture Garden was great fun last night. I shall relate more details as I remeber them but one thing: I got a chance to chat with the founder, David, about Future Sex. Saturday, August 24, 2002
Torture Garden... Back from deepest, darkest Oxfordshire I'm off to the Torture Garden tongiht - dusting off the harness and rubber shorts. Should be fun. Friday, August 23, 2002
The Bride and Groom!... We are just setting off for today's wedding. Hopefully the weather will hold up as the reception is in a barn. Back tomorrow kids. Thursday, August 22, 2002
The weekend starts here... I'm starting the upcoming Bank Holiday weekend rather early. Sarah and I are meeting for a liquid lunch in Old Compton Street in an hour and I don't expect we'll get much work done We're back on Saturday afternoon and I'm thinking of going to The Torture Garden on Saturday night. Has anyone been there recently? It used to be a lot of fun years ago. And then there's Sunday and Monday to plan too. So much time to fill and so much to fill it with. What plans are you got for the coming weekend? Wednesday, August 21, 2002
Monoculture E-Card... Wanna hear Soft Cell's new single Monoculture? Well those lovely people at Cooking Vinyl records have produced a fantastic Monoculture E-Card to delight us one and all. Nice one boys and girls. Dubai...  Next month I'm off to Dubai for a week. It's the annual company Oil Spill Drill - where we rehearse what we would do as a company if there was a real oil spill from one of our ships. At every level we practice what would in real live be a major damage limitation exercise - the logistics, communications, documentation and public relations. Oh yes, and the wild life. Not that I'll be wiping pretend crude oil off pretend sea gulls, you understand. I'll just be oogling the riggers, engineers and rescue men as they romp around in the surf. And why are we going for a week when the the drill itself actually only goes on for just 24 hours? Well, we get a few days each side to Fireman Sands... I was late getting into work today. But I had a good excuse. My tube train caught fire and we were all turfed off and the station was closed. "Will Inspector Sands please come to the operations room?" - he might have done better going to the platform to put out our fire. Tuesday, August 20, 2002
Going For A Song... Shazam, the music identification service, has finally gone live. You just dial 2580 from your mobile and point it at a source of loud(ish) music. Perhaps my prediction four months ago of the end of Pop Quizzes was a little premature though. I just tried it out and while it got the first first track I fed it, the Pet Shop Boys' Left To My Own Devices, it struggled with Marc Almond's Saint Judy. And then I sang down the phone a medley from my early days in burlesque - and I'm sure it blew a raspberry at me before hanging up in disgust. Hah! It was a testosterone fuelled weekend (Part III)... On Sunday afternoon having spent two very boozy nights out and not getting in until 4am each time what did I decide to do? Stay in? Get some rest? Me?! I went out for a drink. To the Man Bar. 'Nuff said. It was a testosterone fuelled weekend (Part II)... My friend Simon is getting married this Friday to the lovely Sarah. The service takes place in Cripps Barn in the Cotswolds and Marky and I will be there to wish them well. As is tradition, Simon decided to have a Stag Night and his was last Saturday. There we're just twelve of us invited (although I think a few more than that turned up or joined as the evening wore on). We started in the Barley Mow in Curtain Street at about 5pm and I eventually fell into bed some time after 4am the following morning - much the worse for wear. We were a modern sensitive crowd of Stag Nighters – none of the shaving foam, inflatable dolls and handcuffs you might expect from a group men out for a good time. But that was what made the evening so much fun really. It was an evening of male bonding. Not of showing off and acting stupid. After the first pub we went to a place called Time For Tea directly opposite the Spiral in Shoreditch High Street. Time For Tea is basically a cinema owned by a couple who have converted their downstairs into a screening room complete with a 35mm projector, large screen and proper seating. She is a stunningly beautiful ingénue. He is an ex-TA, ex-bricky, ex-actor and now a budding art director / production designer – and so gay with his Village People handle-bar moustache and tight T-shirts! “Haven’t we met before?” he asked. “The 70’s?” I replied archly. Upstairs they have a 1940’s style home that is open to their guests with a roof area and a fridge stuffed full of beer. Simon had hired Get Carter (the 1971 original with Michael Caine not the crappy remake with Sly Stallone the year before last) from the bfi and the plan was to watch it before heading off to eat and drink some more. As it turned out there was a slight technical hitch with the sound (it was too low) but that didn’t stop us filling in with our own comments (the way you do!) We gave up eventually but to keep us happy the guy showed us some 1950 strip tease films instead which were hilarious. We cut our losses soon after that and left for food - promising to come back later as he said he'd soon get the sound fixed. Next stop was The Social in Islington (big brown leather sofas and posh clientele) where we had an amazing spread of food laid on for us and an open bar. Before long we were downing shots of tequila and the conversation was getting a bit more fruity. Funny how straight men start ‘asking questions’ when they get pissed and there’s a gay guy around that they don’t feel threatened by. “Do you always tell people you’re gay?” “Do you think I’m handsome?” “Would you fancy me?” Hardly original but quite sweet really and I held my end my quite well (missus!) Having got completely bladdered by midnight we all headed back to the Time For Tea cinema to watch the end of Get Carter. And sure enough Michael Caine voice was now in fine fettle. More drunken revelry ensured and four hours later I was finally in bed. A great night out. Thanks Simon! Monday, August 19, 2002
It was a testosterone fuelled weekend (Part I)...  Mark was away sailing and so I was off the leash. On Friday Ian and I went to Darren's birthday bash at a bar/club by Tower Bridge. It was also the launch of a Tamla Motown compilation that night so the drinks were free (for a while). All my lovelies were there including Jim, Patrick and Jason. It was nice to meet Rob (who I'd heard so much about last weekend in Brighton) and Tony again too. By midnight we all decided to head over to the Royal Vauxhall Tavern as there was similar music being played there and we wanted to continue the fun. By 3am things were getting a bit jiggy and so it was definitely time to go home so Darren, Jim, Patrick and I all got a cab back to Islington. And Patrick related an interesting fact. The picture for the album cover for The Streets LP Original Pirate Material was actually taken from his kitchen window (just down by City Road) and they were back again last week making a video to use in their upcoming tour. Well I was impressed! He should have asked for freebies to the show.Sunday, August 18, 2002
Friday, August 16, 2002
Royal Festival Hall... I got their latest blurb from the post today. Upcoming events of note:- - Kirsty MacColl: A Celebration on Monday 23rd September - St Etienne playing Thursday 10th October - Sparks playing Saturday 19th October SAT... Braai, bobotie, gumboot dancing, springbok kebabs, milktarts, boerewors..? It's all Double-Dutch to me. Well, Derivative Dutch I suppose. And this weekend is all comes to London. On Sunday I might pop down and relive a few memories from last year. Thursday, August 15, 2002
Monoculture... The new Soft Cell single 'Monoculture' has entered the German alternative chart, as voted for by DJ's, at number four and the video for the single is on rotation on the German music channel 'Viva'. However, if you're not in Germany, don't despair as the Monoculture video can now be viewed in the Bar area of the Theatre of Marc Almond web site, along with exclusive photos from the video shoot. [Thanks Michelle] Case rests, M'lud... Q: Do you recall the time that you examined the body? A: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m. Q: And Mr. Dennington was dead at the time? A: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy. Q: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse? A: No. Q: Did you check for blood pressure? A: No. Q: Did you check for breathing? A: No. Q: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy? A: No. Q: How can you be so sure, Doctor? A: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar. Q: But could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless? A: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practising law somewhere. Rock Star Complains of Lesbian Bias in Microsoft Word... There was a funny little article in the Registry the other week. A geologist had complained that when he was writing about dykes - the long mass of igneous rock that cuts across the structure of adjacent rock - the Word grammar checker would change his "the dykes which cut the granite are 2m wide" to "the dykes who cut the granite are 2m wide." And I thought the only gay stonecutter was Grandpa Simpson. Lisa: You're a member of the Stonecutters, Grandpa? Abe: Oh, sure. Let's see... (pulls out wallet, starts going through it) I'm an elk, a Mason, a communist. I'm the president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance for some reason...ah, here it is. The Stonecutters. Wednesday, August 14, 2002
Happy Birthday to Loo...  Britain's first public toilet opened exactly 150 years ago in London. The public convenience was opened on 14 August 1852 opposite the Royal Courts of Justice in Fleet Street. Flushed with it's success others soon followed.
And you can find lots of other wonderful facts about our public loos at the British Toilet Association (BTA) web site:- - You can become a BTA member for just £25 + VAT - Support their Save Our Toilets campaign - Sponsor the organisation itself - Swap anecdotes about toilets with like minded loo enthusiasts (Jesus, I can't believe I'm writing this - Ed) - Have you been to a really excellent loo lately? Sadly you'll be just too late to vote for it as the Loo Of The Year 2002 though. - Buy the Good Loo Guide - Read about the Toilet Management Manual - produced to help those at the "service delivery end of the spectrum" - Obtain a "motivating/inspirational" video of the best loos in Britain - Take a "toilet focussed" training BICSc course Lilly Law... I have mentioned Colin Richardson before in these pages. He is a former editor of Gay Times and now works for Mark's group in Camden Primary Care Trust as a writer. He has written a fascinating article in today's Guardian which I would recommend you read. The article concerns itself with upcoming changes to UK Criminal Law and how these changes will affect gay men in particular. (This comes at a time as changes to UK Employment Law are also being considered which I believe will have an equally dramatic impact). The Home Office has issued a summary report for changing the Criminal Law called Setting The Boundaries. This will probably form the basis of the new legislation. Again it makes for fascinating reading. Here is my 2p worth on the proposals: I support strongly Recommendation 26 which states that those recognised as giving help, advice, treatment and support to children and young people in matters of sexual health should not be regarded as aiding and abetting a criminal offence, nor should the children and young people who seek help and advice about sexual health matters, including contraception. I support strongly Recommendation 44 that the criminal law should not treat people differently on the basis of their sexual orientation. I support strongly Recommendations 45- 47 regarding the repeal of current offences of buggery and gross indecency. I also think that the conviction and sentence of anyone convicted under these provisions should be reviewed. Gay men have been unfairly penalised for years by the law on gross indecency. Want to Know How Big He Is?... Comdomi have launched a site that helps you judge how big a man's dick is. It's called Size Him Up (safe for office viewing). Supposedly it's not just the simple big hands + big feet + big nose = big dick mantra but a scientifically based study. Anyone care to verify the data? Four Rules for the Gay Man... 1. It is important to find a man that cooks and cleans. 2. It is important to find a man that makes good money. 3. It is important to find a man that likes to have great sex. 4. It is very, very, very important that these three men never meet. [Thanks Rog!] Tuesday, August 13, 2002
He comes the Flood... This weekend Drew and Steven are going away for a couple of weeks on their first summer holiday together. How romantic. And where are they going? First Prague and then Vienna. Oh dear. Take your wellies, boys. Kiki & Herb... We went to go and see Kiki & Herb last night at the Soho Theatre in Dean Street. It was great fun - full of energy and very funny. Kiki (Justin Bond) has a voice like gravel (chain-smoking since the tender age of two?) and Herb (Kenny Mellman) can play a mean piano for 90 minutes non-stop. Many of their favourite artists were in the show (Bob Merrill, Radiohead, Pink Floyd, Kate Bush and Bonnie Tyler) and many of their favourite themes too (people die, nostalgia, politics and childhood). Well worth the mere £7-50 door charge. The only disappointing thing was that it was in a theatre and not a more apt red velvet bedecked night club. Monday, August 12, 2002
Download the Internet... Does it take you ages to access the pages you want on the Internet? Is the world wide web a world wide wait? Do you find hear the call that "the Internet is down" more often than not? Well, thanks to some bright sparks in New Zealand that can all be a thing of the past. Why not download the entire Internet to your hard disk? (You might need a floppy or two standing by too) Would Like To Meet (again)... Richard Smith, the gay guy who was in last week's BBC program Would Like To Meet, has written an update on the BBC web site. Bless. Sunday, August 11, 2002
Friday, August 09, 2002
Brighton & Hove Pride...  Tomorrow is Brighton & Hove Pride. The march kicks off at 11am and the fun and games run until 8pm in Preston Park. Most of London is planning on going as far as I can tell.
The only slight hitch is the weather. It has been raining all week and apparently the recent floods has made the park a water-logged mud bath. I think we'll maybe take a rain-check tomorrow morning and decide then. If we do end up going there are some great deals available for getting there by train. The normal day return for the trip London-Brighton from Victoria Station is £15 and from Kings Cross Station (which takes a little longer) is £10. But there is a special deal tomorrow - if four of you go together is is just £20 all in (yes, just £5 a head). Bargain. Weather permitting, I think we'll be getting the 10:04 (arrives 11:45) from Kings Cross Thameslink if anyone wants to join us. UPDATE: Found a much better train - leaves Kings Cross Thameslink 10:09 and arrives Brighton 11:23. We need to get the cheap tickets from Kings Cross Travel Centre though not the Thameslink one. Loyalty... I am a man of many faults. Though I'd like to think I see most of them myself, I readily accept that there are many others that I don't see that could only too easily be pointed out by even the most casual observer. One fault I know I have is that I hate to be let down by someone. But really hate it. The dreadful feeling of disappointment when someone or something that I expected or trusted just isn't there for me. It is really quite gutting. I'm big on loyalty, you see. It means a lot to me. For me disloyalty can be forgiven but never forgotten. But what do I mean by 'loyalty'? That surely is the crux of it. Well, for me loyalty is a matter of respect. It's something that needs to be earned (and sometimes hard won) but can be all to easily spent. Loyalty requires an ability to know when someone needs your unconditional support - being there for them when that time arises. Knowing when to say, "that was good" when you perhaps would give a more qualified answer to another person who had done something similar. That's not to say that loyalty prevents you from being honest, of course. Loyalty, like trust, shouldn't be blind. You would expect a true friend to be honest. But a true friend would also know when to bite there lip and say the right thing. Loyalty means that you stand by someone even if you believe they have done something wrong. So for me loyalty is right up there with the biggies like 'devotion', 'trust' and 'love'. So where does my problem lie? Why is this 'loyalty thing' a fault you may ask? Well, life is full of people who you think you can trust but who let you down. It's full of missed appointments, missed opportunities, people not wanting to listen when they know you need to talk, friends talking about you behind your back, not being supportive when you have done something wrong, criticizing you or being rude about you. Why beat yourself up about it? Why take it so personally? Well, if I judge (I hate that word, but frankly I judge people a lot) that someone is 'a friend' I expect certain things of them. And one of those things is loyalty. And when that loyalty is demonstrably not there I lose a little bit of faith in them and in the adu |
