....just been really busy with dating and training.
Check back in a day or two and there'll be posts galore. I have one bubbling under on female body image.
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Friday, 24 February 2012
Hurts So Good
I had originally done this post last night when I was the full bloom of a damned good workout but due to me a complete imbecile with technology I managed to wipe the post.
Anyway Thursday brought the best nights workout for a long time. I had gotten there early and with no one in the room I normally use, I decided to bomb straight on in and did 20 minutes on the running machine. I then started on a set of 50 press ups, 50 squat thrusts, 50 star jumps and 50 tuck jumps. Part of the way through this my coach walked in with his son, Louis, a normal sparring partner for me.
Almost as soon as I had finished my circuit, I got my sparring gear on and got in with Louis. We did 5 rounds of HARD sparring. I’m talking the opposite of tippy tap stuff. It was good but exhausting. At the end of round three John asked me if I was alright to continue. In all honesty I could quite happily climbed out the ring there and then as I was knackered but I stayed in for 2 more rounds because I wanted to push myself harder. After all, it’s only when we push ourselves out of our comfort zone that we find out what we are truly capable of. I was gassing by the finish but felt good for it.
Straight from that I did 15 minutes of skipping and then it was back in to smash the hell out of the bags. I did 2 rounds of that before Louis had the bright idea of he and I doing a weights circuit. We benched pressed sets of 20 reps of 40kg which was doable but hard. We did some other exercises with the dumbbells, but we didn’t use the 4kg pussy weights, we had 10kg weights in each hand, we were using the big man weights! Anyhow post that Louis decided we should do sit ups with the 10kg weights in each hand, pushing out at the apex of the sit up. Then it was a new one on me. Press ups but with a 30kg weight on my back. The first few were alright but the last few? They were hell! My arms shook as I went up, the sweat was dripping off me onto the floor and I wanted to give up but I decided to push on and do 2 more, then 2 more, then another.
Suffice it to say that today, Friday, I feel sore all over my upper body but you know what? It feels fucking awesome. Short of starting a family, I don’t think anything will come as close to this feeling of being fit of being better than I used to be. I am going to keep doing workouts like this and when the next boxing season starts, in about September I will be a machine! I’ll be fighting sometime before my 34th birthday in January. After that I have to move into the Masters division where it will be that much harder to match me so I want to go get out there and have as many bouts as I can between September - January.
Still, I have had a soppy grin on my face all day today.
Anyway Thursday brought the best nights workout for a long time. I had gotten there early and with no one in the room I normally use, I decided to bomb straight on in and did 20 minutes on the running machine. I then started on a set of 50 press ups, 50 squat thrusts, 50 star jumps and 50 tuck jumps. Part of the way through this my coach walked in with his son, Louis, a normal sparring partner for me.
Almost as soon as I had finished my circuit, I got my sparring gear on and got in with Louis. We did 5 rounds of HARD sparring. I’m talking the opposite of tippy tap stuff. It was good but exhausting. At the end of round three John asked me if I was alright to continue. In all honesty I could quite happily climbed out the ring there and then as I was knackered but I stayed in for 2 more rounds because I wanted to push myself harder. After all, it’s only when we push ourselves out of our comfort zone that we find out what we are truly capable of. I was gassing by the finish but felt good for it.
Straight from that I did 15 minutes of skipping and then it was back in to smash the hell out of the bags. I did 2 rounds of that before Louis had the bright idea of he and I doing a weights circuit. We benched pressed sets of 20 reps of 40kg which was doable but hard. We did some other exercises with the dumbbells, but we didn’t use the 4kg pussy weights, we had 10kg weights in each hand, we were using the big man weights! Anyhow post that Louis decided we should do sit ups with the 10kg weights in each hand, pushing out at the apex of the sit up. Then it was a new one on me. Press ups but with a 30kg weight on my back. The first few were alright but the last few? They were hell! My arms shook as I went up, the sweat was dripping off me onto the floor and I wanted to give up but I decided to push on and do 2 more, then 2 more, then another.
Suffice it to say that today, Friday, I feel sore all over my upper body but you know what? It feels fucking awesome. Short of starting a family, I don’t think anything will come as close to this feeling of being fit of being better than I used to be. I am going to keep doing workouts like this and when the next boxing season starts, in about September I will be a machine! I’ll be fighting sometime before my 34th birthday in January. After that I have to move into the Masters division where it will be that much harder to match me so I want to go get out there and have as many bouts as I can between September - January.
Still, I have had a soppy grin on my face all day today.
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
Replacing Family.
As I may or may not have mentioned before, I’m not that close to my family. There are different reasons for that, and I’ll go deeper into those another time but for now it’s enough to say that I don’t really give a flying fuck if they love me or not. At the end of the day, if they choose not be in contact or be distant then fuck them, that’s their choice.
So what to do next?
It kinda occurred to me that I have, in effect, created a pseudo family. I have formed close friendships with a few different people now, from fellow boxers (damn it feels good to be able to call myself a boxer!) as well buddies from my prison days. There’s friends I’ve had since my mid teens as well.
So in effect, the neglect from my blood family matters not a jot because despite their rejection, I have got something better. Admittedly some of my friends are ‘away’ for a VERY long time but that’s neither here nor there!
So what to do next?
It kinda occurred to me that I have, in effect, created a pseudo family. I have formed close friendships with a few different people now, from fellow boxers (damn it feels good to be able to call myself a boxer!) as well buddies from my prison days. There’s friends I’ve had since my mid teens as well.
So in effect, the neglect from my blood family matters not a jot because despite their rejection, I have got something better. Admittedly some of my friends are ‘away’ for a VERY long time but that’s neither here nor there!
Sunday, 19 February 2012
Sad Thoughts
As those who know me well are aware, I am a Jew, and a Jew by choice rather than birth. I am a part of the Liberal Jewish movement, and have been so for the best part of 2 years or so now.
I quite like the small community I am part of. Having been to some of the bigger London synagogues, on can get lost in the large congregations. Being part of a much smaller place makes for a more familial atmosphere or so I thought. See, two things have happened recently that have not had me questioning my faith so much as they have left me angry as hell, not that us Jews believe in hell but you’ll allow me some poetic licence!
Firstly, there’s a bats hit insane woman at the place I go to. She sings along very loudly and always slightly out of tune. She also takes everything so very, very seriously. If you can imagine a Jewish version of the street corner preachers, you’d be more or less there. Just recently she has me in her sights for some reason. Before me it was the kids that she took against and I don’t understand that at all. Surely kids are the future of our faith, and to have kids having fun is kind of the hole point of them. Anyhow, at the moment she is gunning for me. I usually avoid her like the plague but the last 2 Shabbat services she has decided to have little digs at me. She’s asked me why I go to that synagogue when I can go to another one, as she doesn’t think I should even be a Jew as I was not born one. I treated that with the contempt it deserved and walked off. Then just yesterday she pulled me up again as I washed up my plate after the Kiddush. She decided to harangue me into going to a different shul. I just walked off again, before she could build up a head of steam, or I would have said something unfortunate. I can handle her, she’s annoying and offensive but I can ignore the bollocks she spouts.
The other thing though is much more upsetting. Hanah was a wonderful old lady who was a very lively part of our community. Her laugh was both infectious and fantastically dirty. Her potato salad is the stuff of legend. Hanah was in her 80’s I think and came to this country on the Kindertransport. She was obviously frail and would occasionally miss services due to ill health. I liked Hanah a lot and a few days back I was immensely saddened to hear that she had passed away after a short illness. However that sadness has turned into anger, a deep and burning anger because the rabbi at another synagogue, the place where Hanah’s funeral service was to be held has refused permission because she came from the Liberal movement. I have since spoken with that rabbi and I’ve told him of my contempt for his decision.
However right now I am still upset, more at losing Hanah then the stupid decision but even so it’s still playing on my mind a bit.
I quite like the small community I am part of. Having been to some of the bigger London synagogues, on can get lost in the large congregations. Being part of a much smaller place makes for a more familial atmosphere or so I thought. See, two things have happened recently that have not had me questioning my faith so much as they have left me angry as hell, not that us Jews believe in hell but you’ll allow me some poetic licence!
Firstly, there’s a bats hit insane woman at the place I go to. She sings along very loudly and always slightly out of tune. She also takes everything so very, very seriously. If you can imagine a Jewish version of the street corner preachers, you’d be more or less there. Just recently she has me in her sights for some reason. Before me it was the kids that she took against and I don’t understand that at all. Surely kids are the future of our faith, and to have kids having fun is kind of the hole point of them. Anyhow, at the moment she is gunning for me. I usually avoid her like the plague but the last 2 Shabbat services she has decided to have little digs at me. She’s asked me why I go to that synagogue when I can go to another one, as she doesn’t think I should even be a Jew as I was not born one. I treated that with the contempt it deserved and walked off. Then just yesterday she pulled me up again as I washed up my plate after the Kiddush. She decided to harangue me into going to a different shul. I just walked off again, before she could build up a head of steam, or I would have said something unfortunate. I can handle her, she’s annoying and offensive but I can ignore the bollocks she spouts.
The other thing though is much more upsetting. Hanah was a wonderful old lady who was a very lively part of our community. Her laugh was both infectious and fantastically dirty. Her potato salad is the stuff of legend. Hanah was in her 80’s I think and came to this country on the Kindertransport. She was obviously frail and would occasionally miss services due to ill health. I liked Hanah a lot and a few days back I was immensely saddened to hear that she had passed away after a short illness. However that sadness has turned into anger, a deep and burning anger because the rabbi at another synagogue, the place where Hanah’s funeral service was to be held has refused permission because she came from the Liberal movement. I have since spoken with that rabbi and I’ve told him of my contempt for his decision.
However right now I am still upset, more at losing Hanah then the stupid decision but even so it’s still playing on my mind a bit.
Thursday, 16 February 2012
For No Other Reason ....
than this song makes me really, REALLY happy. When I was a whippersnapper, I used to sing along and dance to this.
Tuesday, 14 February 2012
Poor America.
Well I just watched, via the medium of SKY+, a show that has left me almost speechless. Panorama is a marvellous investigative show here and whilst I don’t watch every edition, I do try to see it whenever I can though but the one I just saw has, like I said, left me stunned.
The focus was on the growing amount of poor and destitute people in America. Now I know that there’s at least one American that reads this so I would just like to apologise in advance for what I suspect will turn into a rant or attack on the U.S.A! I still, for the life of me, cannot get my head around the lack of a welfare state in what is the richest country on the planet. The first duty of a society is to look after all of it’s citizens and that includes the poorest among them. By no means do I promote the idea of a system that allows people to be feckless or work-shy but to have a country that allows 1% of it’s population to garner most of the wealth and leaving the rest to flail around seems just plain wrong. Having been on unemployment benefit myself, I know for a fact that no-one wants to be on the dole forever but it can be habit forming in that one can get into a rut. However to have healthy economy it is inherent that we have a system that caters for people when they are out of work and helps them back into employment. To just cast people adrift is a crime and one that affects not just the person concerned but their family and the wider community.
I’ll provide a link to the show at the end of this but there was one bit that simultaneously brought tears my eyes as well as made me damned angry. A group what I think were elementary school kids in a deprived area were talking about their homelife. Some didn’t eat every day, some lived in areas were there were murders and others were clearly experiencing developmental problems, borne out of the poverty they were in. one girl, and I promise this is true, you can see it for yourself in the show, said she and her mum had to eat rats some days. That’s people, eating vermin in a supposedly civilised country. I like America but, what the hell is going on? That’s something that would wind me up had it been a street urchin in a Delhi slum but to see a kid in Detroit (I think) say that boils my blood. I know there’s the issue of personal reasonability and people should take charge o their own lives BUT there has to be a helping hand for the most vulnerable in society.
There was also an interview with an older couple in a free clinic. The husband was told he had to get attention for a hernia and he did go to a hospital but there was told that his treatment would set him back $25000! Tied in with the welfare state is the absolute necessity of an NHS. In fact I would go so far to say the NHS is easily one of England’s greatest achievements. To have a situation where people get more and more ill and die because they can’t afford healthcare is akin to state terrorism against it’s own people. My anger reached it’s zenith when they showed a segment of the debate between the GOP candidates to run for President. They were asked what they would do if faced with a man, in need of healthcare to stop from dying but lacked insurance. None of them said they would find a way to get the state to pay. There were even members of the audience cheering them on for saying they’d allow him to die. I cannot express enough my contempt for people like that, and then Newt Gingrich, saying poor kids should be made to work as de facto child labourers? In the space of a few minutes, they confirmed that should I ever be eligible to vote in the USA, I’d cast my ballot in the Democrat box every time.
Here’s the link to the show. If you have any human decency at all, then it’ll anger and upset you too.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006t14n
The focus was on the growing amount of poor and destitute people in America. Now I know that there’s at least one American that reads this so I would just like to apologise in advance for what I suspect will turn into a rant or attack on the U.S.A! I still, for the life of me, cannot get my head around the lack of a welfare state in what is the richest country on the planet. The first duty of a society is to look after all of it’s citizens and that includes the poorest among them. By no means do I promote the idea of a system that allows people to be feckless or work-shy but to have a country that allows 1% of it’s population to garner most of the wealth and leaving the rest to flail around seems just plain wrong. Having been on unemployment benefit myself, I know for a fact that no-one wants to be on the dole forever but it can be habit forming in that one can get into a rut. However to have healthy economy it is inherent that we have a system that caters for people when they are out of work and helps them back into employment. To just cast people adrift is a crime and one that affects not just the person concerned but their family and the wider community.
I’ll provide a link to the show at the end of this but there was one bit that simultaneously brought tears my eyes as well as made me damned angry. A group what I think were elementary school kids in a deprived area were talking about their homelife. Some didn’t eat every day, some lived in areas were there were murders and others were clearly experiencing developmental problems, borne out of the poverty they were in. one girl, and I promise this is true, you can see it for yourself in the show, said she and her mum had to eat rats some days. That’s people, eating vermin in a supposedly civilised country. I like America but, what the hell is going on? That’s something that would wind me up had it been a street urchin in a Delhi slum but to see a kid in Detroit (I think) say that boils my blood. I know there’s the issue of personal reasonability and people should take charge o their own lives BUT there has to be a helping hand for the most vulnerable in society.
There was also an interview with an older couple in a free clinic. The husband was told he had to get attention for a hernia and he did go to a hospital but there was told that his treatment would set him back $25000! Tied in with the welfare state is the absolute necessity of an NHS. In fact I would go so far to say the NHS is easily one of England’s greatest achievements. To have a situation where people get more and more ill and die because they can’t afford healthcare is akin to state terrorism against it’s own people. My anger reached it’s zenith when they showed a segment of the debate between the GOP candidates to run for President. They were asked what they would do if faced with a man, in need of healthcare to stop from dying but lacked insurance. None of them said they would find a way to get the state to pay. There were even members of the audience cheering them on for saying they’d allow him to die. I cannot express enough my contempt for people like that, and then Newt Gingrich, saying poor kids should be made to work as de facto child labourers? In the space of a few minutes, they confirmed that should I ever be eligible to vote in the USA, I’d cast my ballot in the Democrat box every time.
Here’s the link to the show. If you have any human decency at all, then it’ll anger and upset you too.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006t14n
I'm baaaaaaaack!
Well i'm back from Germany.
I'll do a more detailed post later but for now the highlights are :
Watching Star Wars Episode 1 The Phantom Menace in German.
Almost doing a sex wee when Union Berlin beat Dresden 4-0.
Making friends with a bunch of people.
Being mistaken for a German by tourists.
Wandering round the museums and galleries.
Eating and drinking and making merry in some REALLY weird bars. Fetish!
I'll do a more detailed post later but for now the highlights are :
Watching Star Wars Episode 1 The Phantom Menace in German.
Almost doing a sex wee when Union Berlin beat Dresden 4-0.
Making friends with a bunch of people.
Being mistaken for a German by tourists.
Wandering round the museums and galleries.
Eating and drinking and making merry in some REALLY weird bars. Fetish!
Thursday, 9 February 2012
Auf Wiedersehen
Well tomorrow I head to London City Airport.
Why?
Because I am getting a flight that will land me in my favorite place in the world, Berlin! The place IK am staying at has a cyber cae but there's next to chance I'll actually go online, seeing as I'll be too damned busy!
I'll write a post when I get back, letting y'all know what I got upto.
Why?
Because I am getting a flight that will land me in my favorite place in the world, Berlin! The place IK am staying at has a cyber cae but there's next to chance I'll actually go online, seeing as I'll be too damned busy!
I'll write a post when I get back, letting y'all know what I got upto.
Medway Towns Song
Now I have mentioned many times the general crapness of the town I live in.
Listen to this song and a lot will become clear. If you pay attention at the beginning you can even see my apartment!
Listen to this song and a lot will become clear. If you pay attention at the beginning you can even see my apartment!
Puppy Love
The other day, I was leaving the local shopping mall, having negotiated my way through the throngs of utter scum that live in my hometown (I swear, sometimes I feel like going postal!) and saw the most amazing little puppy. I asked the lady owner if I could say hello to said pup. I cannot emphasise enough quite how annoying I is to have random people come u and just get in my dogs face, that can provoke her into fury and controlling an insane Chihuahua is hard!
As I knelt to fuss over the pup, he slobbered over my face and just bout melted my heart. I could see Staffordshire Bull Terrier in him but his owner told me he was a Staffie X but the vet is convinced that one of his parents was a smaller breed. Apparently he was found in a local park by the lady (more on her later) in a public park, along with 3 other puppies, abandoned just before Christmas. I cannot fathom the fuckwittedness that leads someone to so cruelly leave 4 puppies to freeze to death like that. Luckily they were found and all are now rehomed.
Had they not been all taken into good homes then there’s no doubt in my mind I would be a dog up right now. Having met that lovely little chap, I am now convinced that my next dog will be a Bull Terrier breed.
I also got his owners number. ;-)
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
Breeding Stupidity
As I have mentioned the other day, I want to move away form the neighbourhood I live in at the moment, given that it is a rat and chav infested shithole. So, with the possibility of a nice bunce coming my way soon, courtesy of my mum, I may be moving sooner than I had anticipated. Therefore, I have been casting my eye around at places to live, that is when my eye does not rove over the ladies!
I’ve been looking at the small ads in the local papers but I don’t trust the private landlords there. The other day, with time to kill, I decided to check out the letting agents in my preferred option, Rochester. Some of them gave me a few things to think over with regard to rent but 2 of them have given something quite else to stew over. Obviously I have to consider my furry family and I have to ask if the letting agents will allow pets. Most of them are fine, one said a blanket no, which is their right, 2 said only if I paid an extra deposit but the 2 I mentioned? They’ve pissed me off
See, they asked me what pets I had. I told them I had a dog and 2 cats. They both enquired as to the breed o dog and when I told them Milly was a Chihuahua, they were fine. However they both said that they wont allow certain breeds. I asked both letting agents what breeds were verboten and they reeled off a list of Rottweilers, Dobermans, mastiffs or any Bull Terrier breed. The first one told me because all those breeds are dangerous and vicious dogs! The second one was about to tell me something similar but I walked out in a huff.
I am honestly stunned as to peoples ignorance over dogs and certain breeds. The only 2 dogs to ever bite me were a Yorkshire Terrier when I was 14 and on a paper round and my mums Chi, the other day when I was petting it. Each and every Staffie I have met has been wonderfully silly and soppy, the Rotties have been handsome and calm pooches. This feeling of hatred towards certain dogs makes my blood boil. There’s talk of banning certain breeds from being bred, or owned. There’s talk of licensing and forcing the owners to castrate and muzzle their dogs. There’s all sorts o dog specific legalisation being talked about but the only breeds ever mentioned, at least here, are Staffies and the like.
Breed specific legislation is not the way forward and people need to let go of their petty hatred towards certain breeds. As a loving owner of the smallest breed you can get, I can assure you all, that whilst I have her under control, Milly is far, FAR more likely to attack than a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. There’s a need for a more concerted effort to change the image and perception of the status dogs
I’ve been looking at the small ads in the local papers but I don’t trust the private landlords there. The other day, with time to kill, I decided to check out the letting agents in my preferred option, Rochester. Some of them gave me a few things to think over with regard to rent but 2 of them have given something quite else to stew over. Obviously I have to consider my furry family and I have to ask if the letting agents will allow pets. Most of them are fine, one said a blanket no, which is their right, 2 said only if I paid an extra deposit but the 2 I mentioned? They’ve pissed me off
See, they asked me what pets I had. I told them I had a dog and 2 cats. They both enquired as to the breed o dog and when I told them Milly was a Chihuahua, they were fine. However they both said that they wont allow certain breeds. I asked both letting agents what breeds were verboten and they reeled off a list of Rottweilers, Dobermans, mastiffs or any Bull Terrier breed. The first one told me because all those breeds are dangerous and vicious dogs! The second one was about to tell me something similar but I walked out in a huff.
I am honestly stunned as to peoples ignorance over dogs and certain breeds. The only 2 dogs to ever bite me were a Yorkshire Terrier when I was 14 and on a paper round and my mums Chi, the other day when I was petting it. Each and every Staffie I have met has been wonderfully silly and soppy, the Rotties have been handsome and calm pooches. This feeling of hatred towards certain dogs makes my blood boil. There’s talk of banning certain breeds from being bred, or owned. There’s talk of licensing and forcing the owners to castrate and muzzle their dogs. There’s all sorts o dog specific legalisation being talked about but the only breeds ever mentioned, at least here, are Staffies and the like.
Breed specific legislation is not the way forward and people need to let go of their petty hatred towards certain breeds. As a loving owner of the smallest breed you can get, I can assure you all, that whilst I have her under control, Milly is far, FAR more likely to attack than a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. There’s a need for a more concerted effort to change the image and perception of the status dogs
Saturday, 4 February 2012
Les Miserables
Wow, what a day that was!
I went to the shul just like a good Jewish boy. I dashed off after the Kiddush to attend the casting call that I mentioned in my previous post. Now, I knew I would make it in tome for the start but I was also aware that I wouldn’t be the only person going along and there may be a queue when I get there but it wouldn’t be that bad.
I misunderestimated the size of the line and was taken aback at the 500 or so people lining up when I got there. However, I had fuck all else to do that day and stood in line. After a few minutes the length of the queue had increased to the point where it was spiralling round buildings. I got into conversation with 2 young sorts which was a pleasant way to spend the first chunk of time. What can I say,? I’m a sucker for a pretty lady!
However there was a pall cast upon proceedings when the queuing system totally broke down and hundreds of people stated pushing in and we were crushed forward. Tempers frayed and I am happy to report I did manage to successfully trip up a queue jumper. One of the damsels I was with left but her friend stayed and she asked if we could hold hands to avoid being separated. I was more than happy to acquiesce to this request! The atmosphere changed again to one of jollity, the blitz spirit in effect again I think. Jokes were made at the expense of some of the crowd, songs were sung and some tried to start a Mexican wave. The queue, if it could still be called that, moved very slowly with maybe 400 yards being covered in about 4 hours.
Sian was the young lady I was arm in arm with, and it was high time I introduced her to you. She’s 18, short and has the most wonderful dark brown eyes. Anyhow, Sian and I just made it onto the steps that lead up to the building where the auditions were being held when the police and production staff dropped a bombshell on the 2 thousand or so people behind us. No one else was going to be seen and Sian and I had just made it on time. I took this as a sign of good luck and asked Sian what she was up to after we had made it through. She had nothing planned so I took the plunge and asked her if she wanted to go get a hot chocolate after and to my eternal delight she said yes.
Anyhow, we got into the building after another hour stood on the bloody cold steps. We were given a form to fill out, then we were led over to another building where we were all measured and photographed. In a moment that will stay with me for a long time, the chap doing this told me that I would make a good convict! So Sian and I left the campus in a bit of a tizzy, having been through quite the experience and headed for a coffee shop in town for the aforementioned date over a steaming mug of hot chocolate. We had a nice time, albeit a short one as she had to be home. We did though arrange a second date for Tuesday evening when we will take in a movie and then grab a bite to eat. I care not a jot about the age difference and clearly neither does she, however, if things do progress well then meeting her folks will prove a nerve-wracking event given that I am very nearly 15 years older than her.
So, all in all, a most interesting day but queue jumping is so damned un-English.
I went to the shul just like a good Jewish boy. I dashed off after the Kiddush to attend the casting call that I mentioned in my previous post. Now, I knew I would make it in tome for the start but I was also aware that I wouldn’t be the only person going along and there may be a queue when I get there but it wouldn’t be that bad.
I misunderestimated the size of the line and was taken aback at the 500 or so people lining up when I got there. However, I had fuck all else to do that day and stood in line. After a few minutes the length of the queue had increased to the point where it was spiralling round buildings. I got into conversation with 2 young sorts which was a pleasant way to spend the first chunk of time. What can I say,? I’m a sucker for a pretty lady!
However there was a pall cast upon proceedings when the queuing system totally broke down and hundreds of people stated pushing in and we were crushed forward. Tempers frayed and I am happy to report I did manage to successfully trip up a queue jumper. One of the damsels I was with left but her friend stayed and she asked if we could hold hands to avoid being separated. I was more than happy to acquiesce to this request! The atmosphere changed again to one of jollity, the blitz spirit in effect again I think. Jokes were made at the expense of some of the crowd, songs were sung and some tried to start a Mexican wave. The queue, if it could still be called that, moved very slowly with maybe 400 yards being covered in about 4 hours.
Sian was the young lady I was arm in arm with, and it was high time I introduced her to you. She’s 18, short and has the most wonderful dark brown eyes. Anyhow, Sian and I just made it onto the steps that lead up to the building where the auditions were being held when the police and production staff dropped a bombshell on the 2 thousand or so people behind us. No one else was going to be seen and Sian and I had just made it on time. I took this as a sign of good luck and asked Sian what she was up to after we had made it through. She had nothing planned so I took the plunge and asked her if she wanted to go get a hot chocolate after and to my eternal delight she said yes.
Anyhow, we got into the building after another hour stood on the bloody cold steps. We were given a form to fill out, then we were led over to another building where we were all measured and photographed. In a moment that will stay with me for a long time, the chap doing this told me that I would make a good convict! So Sian and I left the campus in a bit of a tizzy, having been through quite the experience and headed for a coffee shop in town for the aforementioned date over a steaming mug of hot chocolate. We had a nice time, albeit a short one as she had to be home. We did though arrange a second date for Tuesday evening when we will take in a movie and then grab a bite to eat. I care not a jot about the age difference and clearly neither does she, however, if things do progress well then meeting her folks will prove a nerve-wracking event given that I am very nearly 15 years older than her.
So, all in all, a most interesting day but queue jumping is so damned un-English.
Friday, 3 February 2012
Lights, Camera, Action!
Tomorrow, after the service at the synagogue, I am heading to the University campus near the Medway Tunnel.
Why?
Because there's an open casting call for extras to appear in movie being shot at the Historic Dockyard. This could be the start of a glittering career! Or it could just be a waste of time!
Why?
Because there's an open casting call for extras to appear in movie being shot at the Historic Dockyard. This could be the start of a glittering career! Or it could just be a waste of time!
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
If there's one thing...
...guaranteed to make you feel old, it's finding grey pubic hairs. Time to shave one's man garden.
My mood was not enhanced by a clipboard wielding simpleton asking me if I had children aged 13-19. I walked away swearing quite loudly.
My mood was not enhanced by a clipboard wielding simpleton asking me if I had children aged 13-19. I walked away swearing quite loudly.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)