Laura loves...

...Wigan Market. And so do I!

Tracy Tiger Lunch Lounge

Something bad has happened. The Tiger Lounge has become a classy lunchtime venue. And reasonably priced too. The impact that a few tablecloths can have is amazing. Slow-ish service, but for a fiver, no grumbles.

Pizza party

Miriam invited Liz and I round to hers and Thom’s (and Ed’s) for one the best dinners I’ve had in ages. Skater Paul made the table up to six. Ed made courgette fritters from a Nigel Slater recipe that we astonishingly tasty. I felt I’d eaten mine rather too quickly as I lustily watched everybody else savouring theirs. The main course, the main joy of the meal, was pizza.

After part-baking the handmade base, Ed brought it over to the table, and – by committee – the six of us decided on our toppings. Five more minutes in the oven, one slice of heavenly pizza each, repeat until fade. Delicious, and easily the most sociable and collaborative meal making process I’ve been through for ages. And the most enjoyable.

At one point in the evening, smoking outside with Liz, we shared a smile and a little reminiscence. It was where we’d had our first kiss.

Jamelia

I love Jamelia. This documentary is stunning.

Afterwards Liz and I went to the Railway for a couple of glasses of Sauvignion Blanc and a chat. She's really nervous about what's happening on 14th August, and I am too, in all honesty. I wish there was something more I could do to make it easier, but there isn't. There may be trouble ahead...

My favourite window

The best window in the building that faces Liz's office is this one. The one with the flowers.

Vegetables rock

After the excesses of Saturday, it felt good to get my teeth into some allotmenteering today. Durex and I weeded all around the cauliflour and the spuds, and cleared out the nets to keep the birds off. Liz came down to the allotment, looking wonderful in a green dress. I was so glad to see her, especially as my battered soul and body was hungry for hugging.

And hungry in the conventional sense too, it turned out. We made ratatouille using marrows and courguettes from the allotment, and sat and ate it in the sunshine of the garden. Liz showed me her herbs, and the lawn she's proudly nurtured around the back of 46. We played watering can baseball with coal for balls. I was dressed like a raver.

I hate coldsores. Kissing Liz is a joy, and to not be able to do so for a while is going to be very difficult.

NTS9

Just after 3

Liz went to a wedding today, but I managed to kiss her at the bus stop by leaving work at the same time as she did. Joy!

I went with kate to the Castlefield Gallery. I was particualrly impressed by Sigga Bjorg Sigurdardottir, whose creepy drawings mixed hairy beasts with knitwear. Unearthly stuff, magical!

Woody is doing it with Clare

Wow!

I hadn't played chess for ages...

...not since Uni, at least. I think it might have been against my old housemate Ben. But I played tonight, and I won.

I met Liz after work and went for a sly couple of pints at Dukes 92, then we ate chips over ale together in the back of the Vic. I went round to Thom and Miriam and Ed's house for a few beers, a nibble of bruschetta, a little pot and a consequently very intense game of chess.

Never the master tactician, I didn't set out with any particular strategy, other than to try to keep hold of my big hitter pieces. I tickled Thom into leaving his Queen open, then rattled around the back corners of the board clearing out his rooks. Blitzkrieg!

Choho stroll

We drove to Chorlton on Saturday night, and left the car on Beech Road. We went to Dulcimer and to Uluru, which was absolutely brilliant. I haven't laughed so hard in ages. Liz is reet funny. On then, to yakisoba for takeaway udon, and back to 46 to eat it.

This morning was wonderful. We went to Burton Road and picked up a coffee, and then I took Liz down the Mersey to Chorlton Water Park. The weather was clear and bright, although a little damp underfoot for the flip-flops Liz had chosen. We sat on the benches near to where I'd done some work with SACV back in April, and chatted and smooched and smiled. Liz was amazed by the Water Park, its proximity to her house, and its beautiful simplicity. I saw a side of her - laughing at dogs with people's faces, gleefully peering into a weedy pond - that I hadn't seen before, and that I really liked.

Sainsbury's, scrambled eggs with salmon and good coffee, Rock Radio, and most of all Liz - life is good!

"I made you some bread"

I was really excited about seeing Liz after Spain, so I made her some bread. As I was heading back from Reserve in West Didsbury I ran into Emma from Solomon's. She was just starting at The Drawing Room - both about to start her shift, and newly employed there. I hadn't seen her since the big car accident in Withington, and it was nice to say hello.

"Why have you got such a big smile on your face Dave?" she asked.
"I'm meeting a girl."
"Are you falling in love?"
"...I think so, yes."

Drinking and stripping games

A perfect combination. Note that it's only the BEST games of this genre. The others don't make the cut.

Second-hand self-help books

Are they second-hand because they've worked, and the original owner doesn't need them any more? Or have they been given away because they're useless. I love finding writing inside books, self-help books especially. This was from some shockingly mysoginistic guide to picking up chicks. I wonder if it worked.

Strike

So there was this office, right, and this new-ish team moved there, right, and then there was a strike, yeah. And some of the old guard were mean to the weakest and the shyest of the new team. The smallest girl.

Bullying isn't right. It's why I'm not in the fricking union.

Trim

Holy fuck!

This marching band synchronised-march and perform an OK Computer medley. Jeepers, that's amazing!



Click. Wow!

What we look like

My old infant school has posted pictures of the teachers made by the pupils under the banner - ‘what we look like’ - Mrs King is my favourite.

I love payday

Things to buy this month:

new TV licence
beard trimmers
work shoes
little trowel
waterproof box
condoms
ticket to Paris

the shit box?

Gay condoms, headless warrior, orchestra in a Monastery... a normal Sunday

I found these in my room. A souvenir from Sophie's birthday 2006. That was a good night.



The recent spate of action figure decapitations claimed another grisly victim. Sickening.



Gorton Philharmonic Orchestra returned to Gorton Monastery today.

The programme was:

Overture Carnival Romain / Berlioz
The Lark Ascending / Vaughan Williams
Soloist: Rolf Wilson
Karelia Suite / Sibelius
Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 / Elgar
The Planets / Holst

NTS8

Homework

Liz is in Spain :-(

She's set me some homework. Some reading.

She wants to go to Paris. With me :-D

*swoon*

Milner-saks

Helen made moussaka, yum!

Pub tour crashing

I met a Liz after work. Red coat, red shoes, and carrying a gift for me - this little British Council calendar.



We sat in the devil's parlour at the Briton's Protection. The room filled up with wrinklies, and then a guided pub tour started around us. We were naughty kids, snogging and sniggering in the corner as the guide rambled on, and I think he was glad to see the back of us. On to Croma, pizza - haddock for sir, chorizo for madam - and then we huddled under the umbrella. It was raining so hard, so agressively, as if the sky was furious. We embraced underneath my umbrella, just outside the Town Hall Tavern, as the water poured down around us. It was a beautiful moment.

Bruce

I met Pippa's boyfriend Bruce for the first time this evening. She made fish pie. He drives a tucktuck. They're a good match.

Gemma's got skills

Gemma is younger than Paul. So last week I bought her rusks.



Today she bought me Werther's Originals. Touche.

"Dress up in you"

Liz came round after the races on Saturday, looking great in a white dress and little grey jacket. As the outfit didn't suit Sunday lounging, she spent the day dressed as me, in my scally tracky bottoms and the Rock Radio t-shirt that I got free from work. We watched Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and the Doctor Who season finale. Delicious slouchy fun.

It reminded me of a Belle & Sebastian song. Here are the lyrics.

Dress Up In You.

I'm the singer, I'm the singer in the band
You're the loser, I won't dismiss you out of hand
Cos you've got a beautiful face
It will take you places

You kept running
You've got money, you've got fame
Every morning I see your picture from the train
Now you?re an actress!
So says your r?sum?
You?re made of card
You couldn?t act your way out of a paper bag

You got lucky, you ain?t talking to me now
Little Miss Plucky
Pluck your eyebrows for the crowd
Get on the airplane
You give me stomach pain
I wish that you were here
We would have had a lot to talk about

We had a deal there
We nearly signed it with our blood?
An understanding
I thought that you would keep your word
I?m disappointed
I?m aggravated
It?s a fault I have, I know
When things don?t go my way I have to

Blow up in the face of my rivals
I swear and I rant, I make quite an arrival
The men are surprised by the language
They act so discreet, they are hypocrites so fuck them too!

I always loved you
You always had a lot of style
I?d hate to see you on the pile
Of ?nearly-made-it? s
You?ve got the essence, dear
If I could have a second skin
I?d probably dress up in you

You?re a star now, I am fixing people?s nails
I?m knitting jumpers, I?m working after hours
I?ve got a boyfriend, I?ve got a feeling that he?s seeing someone else
He always had thing for you as well

Blow in the face of my rivals
I swear and I rant, I make quite an arrival
The men are surprised by the language
They act so discreet, they are hypocrites forget them
So fuck them too!

Reading the lyrics back, they're not that relevant except for "If I could have a second skin, I'd probably dress up in you."

Condom lollies

Thursday photo-essay

Sketches

My tumblr link

Too good to leave on tumblr in a corner. I love tumblr and comics. The passive agressive tone of this questions makes my eyes water.

“ Snack Says: March 3rd, 2007 at 10:59 am I hate to be the bearer of bad news but this list has been published. Leave him be. However, as Star Wars was once a comic, should the Light Saber not be on this list? Just a question

I can't help but feel like a jedi mind trick is being played on me.

Chuu Totoro and Chibi Totoro

Chuu Totoro and Chibi Totoro, originally uploaded by lomoD.xx.