And I'm back!

It's been a while but I have returned to my online winge page. Actually this, I expect, will be a fairly cheerful entry since it's been a pretty cool time just recently. I went on holiday (pictures on bob's bnj site) which was about the most relaxing thing I've ever done. I think not taking a proper holiday for about 5 years prior to this was the real reason I enjoyed it so much. Camping in Dorset. Now that was cool. Met some lovely new people and spent a load of time with some lovely people I've known a long time. Then straight from holiday onto Gordon's stag do which was cool. Quad biking rocks! (Especially when it's very muddy!) Then after getting caked in mud James took us around the pubs and bars of leicester which was fun. No one got too hammered exept maybe young Alex who was still trying to prove his worth as a student! Even Gordon was being careful, despite James' best efforts! Then on to very cool club. I was painfully out of my depth as I've never had a very strong affiliation with the harder side of rock! I lept onto the dancefloor for some Greenday and a bit of Chilli Peppers but apart from that I barely knew a single song. Anyway, Gordon was dancing like a loonatic so I guess that makes it a success! He even wore the dress I bought in Asda that morning after some persuation from a very drunk girl in a chip shop on her hen night. (Again, bob is the man for pictures!)

Then back to the grind, although I don't seem to have worked as much as usual on account of summer being quiet with everyone in Edinborough for the festival. This is also compounded by my new life mantra which is "It doesn't matter what you do for fun, as long as you find time to do it and people to do it with" which translates into "Make sure I see my friends on a reasonably regular basis". So if you've found me socially lacking in recent years then feel free to tell me and I'll make some time...I promise! Life is much better with mates around.

Then finally came Gordon and Lesley's actual wedding. Now that was a good day. I was Gordon's best man if you didn't know. A job I enjoyed very much. You see I run shows for a living and that's all it is. Those two know how they feel about each other and the ceremony itself doesn't change their feeling for each other. It's just a public declaration and celebration (and chance for a party!). So I was just stage managing their wedding. I think it was James who pointed out that it suited me very well because I could be the centre of attention without actually making any commitments to anyone. Very astute Mr. Fearnley.

My speech went to plan. Lesley's Grandfather even suggested I look into being a Toast Master as a proffession. Unfortunately you have to wear a suit all the time and I have a moral code about that. Suits are the devil's work. Of that I'm sure.

Having said that I looked damn good on Saturday!

Then free tickets to "get loaded in the park" on Clapham Common where I had a few too many beers and an industrial quantity of one or two other bits and pieces. My housemate had to peel me of our living room floor at midday today cos people were coming round. Then I staggered to the park and had a few beers round the lake. Perfect. Beer, sun and some good friends. That's all I really want out of life. (In fact, I'm a theatre technician, no need for sunlight! Just beer and mates...and food of course) By the way it turns out I'm not a Happy Mondays fan. They sucked and we left early! Andy and I had a lovely steak in the west end with a glass of wine. See...again...food, conversation, (booze) and all is good!

I'll update soon...promise!

18+ Only!

Gill! Your blog says you're 15! You can't read my blog. It's rude...look:

A penis walks into a bar
Bouncer says, "you can't come in, it's a private function"
Penis says, "It's ok...I'm a member!"

You see. Not suitable for minors!

X

Another suitcase in another hall...

Well it's time I was moving on again. This time I'm hoping to stay a bit longer in one place...at least a year! So a week on friday I move back to sunny Cockfosters where I first lived when I moved to London way back in 1999. I'm gonna live with a couple of old uni mates and the house is just a few doors down from where my girlfriend at uni used to live. All in all it feels like very familiar territory. I'll also be just that bit closer to crazy old Luton without actually ever moving back there! Then there are the hoards of impressionable students...woo!

Short post today. Someone beautiful just came in and I must give them my full attention. Need a strong finish...

...no...too beautiful...have to go...x

Beerless Party...?

It's been a long time since I've been to a party with no alcohol. Even longer since I've been to a party with no alcohol and enjoyed myself. Still not convinced about Barn Dancing as a form of entertainment but it was what my sister wanted and so was the lack of booze. She got what she wanted and most importantly she got her man. My Dad's speach was cool. Easy to forget what my parents went through when my sister was born and how incredible it is that El's alive, let alone married!

A pleasure as always to play with the Taxi Band. The set had some ropey moments but considering the last time we played together was Gill's wedding I don't think we did too bad. Ed can still play the guitar like he's ringing a bell and Jeff has become a monster. He was always damn good but now he's starting to believe it himself and it sounds even better. Andy's sound engineering makes things easier of course. I like a sound man that notices you're singing flat and turns your monitor up to stop you pushing your voice. The only real issue was my ability to pitch the notes at the beginning of songs! I enjoy my job and I'm not too bad at it but I never feel so at home as when I'm on stage. It's an ego thing I think. But then I am brilliant.

My eldest brother and his wife hadn't heard us before and they seemed to like it so that was good. But it was seeing my young nephew Joseph giving it large that made the evening. Almost makes me want kids. Almost. I think I'll just focus on the corruption of my brother's kids! You know, widen their horizons...and turn them into rock stars!

All in all it was a good day. I was so happy for El that I barely managed any self pity. Which was nice.

I turned 26 a couple of hours ago. Feeling a little on the old side these days. I've been sat here for an hour now and I'm not sure if my knees have seized up! My housemates are helping me celebrate my birthday tonight and I can assure you it will be a more traditional, alcohol fueled affair. I imagine I'll get pissed and text most of you with "Woo!" at some point so that's something to look forward to. Night. X

ding dong

It's 4am. My little sister will be married in just over 12 hours. How weird is that? I should go to bed really but I've just got in from work and only now is it sinking in that she's getting hitched...later today! Life's a funny thing. I'm now the only single one out of my siblings yet I've discussed marraige (not always very seriously) with four seperate women. A little too ironic, don't you think? It's like rain....

Anyway, there's nothing like a good wedding to make you feel single. Sometimes painfully single. I'll let you know how the "you'll be next" tally builds up. Relatives have a habit of stamping on raw nerves. Especially when they're trying to be sympathetic! Don't get me wrong, I couldn't be more happy for El. It's just a strange feeling. I'm still not sure whether I'm relieved not to be tied down or depressed to be on my own. It's a well known fact that you get more interest from other women when you're with someone than when you're not. I've had a certain amount of fun in the last few months that a man in a relationship can't, or at least, shouldn't have. Deep down I wonder if I'm more suited to the single life. I do get bored easily. A new 'special friend' every week? Could work. Send photos and a CV to...

Sorry to anyone who checks my page for jokes. Try telling that down the pub! Someone told me the other day that I should get a girlfriend because I suited having a girlfriend. I wondered if she was saying that I need someone beautiful next to me to balance me out for the sake of onlookers. Or whether she just thought I was the kind of guy that liked having domestics in Tescos. Or (more likely) feels safer when she knows someone, at some point, is gonna make me leave her house. At the very least it would stop me inflicting my winging on the unsuspecting surfing community.

Thank you to anyone still reading this far down. I shall go to bed now and when I wake it'll be party time. Hey ho. Si...X

Spoke too soon

I spoke to soon. There's a bit of perspective for you. I spend Wednesday going on about it being a weird week then Thursday morning makes me look like a bit of a winger.

Now London being London most of us got back on the tubes today although i caught myself stopping to take a deep breath before going down the steps. My usual route to work is a crime scene; every bus that goes past you get a mental image of the one in Tavistock; the previous thursday I was in that tunnel, at that time. We're all talking about 'going on as normal' but it's hard.

There was no comedy show on thursday night of course. Not least because I couldn't get there! We did a show tonight but no late show. It was good. Stand-up is a funny thing. Clearly most of the audience bought their tickets before thursday and it was more of the "Fuck 'em" attitude that made people refuse to cancel. There was tumbleweed when the compere welcomed the audience to Londons only licensed bomb sheltered. However his next sentence, "The French are even worse losers than we thought" was met with the biggest (most relieved) laugh of the night. From then on it was a normal night. I did take the executive decision not to end the show with the usual 'Jam' track " Going Underground", but I'm not really sure why now.

Then the conversation always turns to this: these people (that wasn't the word we used) attacked a city of 10,000,000 people at rush hour and killed 50. Now that's 50 too many but nothing like Madrid or New York, or even Bali. Was it a cock-up? Is it a new disruption tactic? (Surely they've seen that our own tube drivers do that to us at least twice a year. I already have a standard route for when the Picadilly line is buggered) The bombers don't seem to have given their lives for this one. So what's really worrying is that the evidence suggests that this might just be stage one. The Police said there was no warning. What if this was the warning?

That said, for once in my life I agree with Tony. We won't be cowed. No one with that kind of calling card deserves any political recognition and I won't change my way of life
because of them.

Tommorrow night I'm going on a friend's stag party. We're gonna drink a lot and then go to a lap dance club. It's gonna be fun. I'll let you know how it went! (Mmmm...ideas!)

Where the streets have no names...

Well it's been an eventful week and a bit. Good, bad and downright weird! Here we go...

In 2003 I did the lighting for a Badly Drawn Boy concert that he himself described as the gig of his life. It was just him and his guitar and he performed for 2 hours longer than we expected. He told personal stories about the songs he sang and twice he was in full faced tears. That was a good gig. I was there when Counting Crows played their first big UK gig. 70,000 went mental to the opening riff of 'Round Here'. That too was a good gig.

However, last Wednesday, I saw a rock show that blew my socks off. U2 live at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff. Now those boys know how to put on a show! There is something about hearing songs like 'With or Without You' and 'Still Haven't Found' sung by the bloke who wrote them when he's only about 100 yards away from me. A semi-spiritual experience indeed.

At the other end of the showbiz spectrum, yesterday I was in Ipswich producing a show. In Ipswich maps are useless for one simple reason...the streets have no names. At least very few discernable signs to let you know which street you're on. The gig itself went well but sometimes you wonder when the bigger and better stuff is gonna happen...not a bad show, just not a mighty rock extravaganza!

Then there was the party. A pretty impressive Luton turnout. Especially considering six guys who live about a mile away couldn't be arsed to come. On a similar note special mention goes out to the mighty Jeff 'Globe Trotter' Pullinger who came from Scotland for the day! There was a certain amount of craziness and a fair bit of drinking and my shorts only came off once in public! In a nutshell a good time was had by all. Especially me. (Some people did turn out to be evil...no names.)