Believe it you bastards
Saturday, 18 July 2009
Friday, 17 July 2009
Setting out
We went on a school trip to the Isle of Wight in 1991. Things I remember about the trip:
Carrisbrooke Castle
My first castle and one of the best, huge, magical. The brutality of the oil-pouring stories stayed with me.
Blackgang Chine
Massive plastic dinosaurs; a hedge maze; smugglers; cliffs.
Living in a hotel
Well, more like a hostel, but it was amazing then. It was the most luxurious holidaying my eleven-year-old eyes had ever seen.
My room-mates
Shaun Ansell
Michael Mullaney
David Colletta
I’m friends with Michael and Shaun on Facebook, but not David. Michael is involved in politics now, Lib Dem, I think, and Shaun looks like he’s in Oasis. I wonder what David is up to…
And Kerry Lister
…didn’t come on the trip, and spent the money on clothes instead.
The family near me on the train are hilarious. The dad looks like Morrissey, all horn-rimmed glasses and 50s high shaved quaff hairdo. They’re proper northern, and the kids are just old enough to be witty. They watch Question Time in their house. Marvellous.
Things to think about on my holiday
Work – how to get out of the shit and into something better. Do I need to do volunteering? What kind of work?
Hobbies – do I want a new interest? Yes? What kind of things?
Friends – WHO needs more effort?
My relationship with booze – and smoking and all that jazz.
Travelling / Driving – doing it or not?
Just about to leave Southampton
Ferry sees off. It’s 4pm and I’m taken back to looking over the side of the boat, holding my glasses so they don’t fall off, and in. 1991. I bet the Portsmouth skyline was different back then. Is this where Jupiter Point is? 1996? My memory plays tricks. The sea. Boats. It’s exciting. Not sure why.
After noodles and bacon for tea, we went to watch cabaret at the chalet site. Lots of singing along to silly songs, like Caister and Yarmouth holidays of my youth. And then back to the tent.
We're here, just by the giant's finger
Not a great night’s sleep, sloped, jutting and restless. My mind wandered to some dark places in relation to last Wednesday and my detective work. To male it worse my tooth really started to play up. I think I might have to see the emergency dentist. Is it okay to text Lucinda after all this beef with Ryan?
Tomorrow it’s the zoo and the model village. God I’m tired.
Thursday, 16 July 2009
Charlie and Oddest
I met my old colleague Charlie lunch today. As I waited for her to come out of the town hall, I stumbled across a Warhammer 40k figurine in the crook of an brass elbow as part of the shipwreck statue. I’m geeky enough to recognise it as a Space Marine, but not enough to identify its clan. Who put it there? I don’t care, I liked it.
We went to Don Giovanni’s, where the service was slow and the food mediocre, and had a bit of a chat. I wasn’t sure why Charlie had asked me to meet up with her. We were never that close when we worked together. She was widely acknowledged as being the hottest girl in the office, tall, pretty and busty – but I’d never seen it myself. I once went on a blind date with her sister. But I wouldn’t describe us as friends. Why was I there?
Because, it turns out, Charlie is pretty lonesome. She moved in with her boyfriend around the same sort of time that I started working in my current, somewhat tiresome job. They live together, alone, in Northenden, and she doesn’t get up to much of an evening. Or at lunchtime. As she spoke, something sad in her eyes touched me. Maybe I could help her. Choices and chances, right?
I kept thinking about her as the afternoon rolled on. It was heart on a plate stuff on her part, I realised. Pretty gutsy to ask to be friends. Brave. As I was about to leave for my holiday, I was given a pile of junk to handle. Frustrating. Sometimes I want to smash my office with a sledgehammer. Monitors, light switches, other people’s mugs, the photocopier – all of it. It was one of those days. Way to bum me out before my holiday.
An hour later than planned, my 85 rolled up outside Oddest and I went in for a furious pint to wipe out my work anger.
“We’re closing in twenty minutes,” said Kate
“I think I can fit in a pint. I need one.”
After the bar kind of closed, I stayed to help inflate balloons for a little while. It helped. The anger drained out of me. And when I got home I was filled with joy: my new phone had arrived
Dunk and I headed down for the bona fide opening party a little later on. With my holiday and then his European odyssey, I wasn’t going to get much Dunk time for a few weeks. Was the party trendy? We had our picture taken by a photographer. Were we trendy?
We went to Don Giovanni’s, where the service was slow and the food mediocre, and had a bit of a chat. I wasn’t sure why Charlie had asked me to meet up with her. We were never that close when we worked together. She was widely acknowledged as being the hottest girl in the office, tall, pretty and busty – but I’d never seen it myself. I once went on a blind date with her sister. But I wouldn’t describe us as friends. Why was I there?
Because, it turns out, Charlie is pretty lonesome. She moved in with her boyfriend around the same sort of time that I started working in my current, somewhat tiresome job. They live together, alone, in Northenden, and she doesn’t get up to much of an evening. Or at lunchtime. As she spoke, something sad in her eyes touched me. Maybe I could help her. Choices and chances, right?
I kept thinking about her as the afternoon rolled on. It was heart on a plate stuff on her part, I realised. Pretty gutsy to ask to be friends. Brave. As I was about to leave for my holiday, I was given a pile of junk to handle. Frustrating. Sometimes I want to smash my office with a sledgehammer. Monitors, light switches, other people’s mugs, the photocopier – all of it. It was one of those days. Way to bum me out before my holiday.
An hour later than planned, my 85 rolled up outside Oddest and I went in for a furious pint to wipe out my work anger.
“We’re closing in twenty minutes,” said Kate
“I think I can fit in a pint. I need one.”
After the bar kind of closed, I stayed to help inflate balloons for a little while. It helped. The anger drained out of me. And when I got home I was filled with joy: my new phone had arrived
Dunk and I headed down for the bona fide opening party a little later on. With my holiday and then his European odyssey, I wasn’t going to get much Dunk time for a few weeks. Was the party trendy? We had our picture taken by a photographer. Were we trendy?
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
Work sucks, I know
Sam, whose job has changed under the workings of a Dark Lord and is moving to a police station...
Thom, trying to find a job in London to be with his belle...
Miriam, whose organisation is making 50% of its workforce redundant...
...hanging out with some friends this evening made me feel better about my current working arrangements.
Thom, trying to find a job in London to be with his belle...
Miriam, whose organisation is making 50% of its workforce redundant...
...hanging out with some friends this evening made me feel better about my current working arrangements.
Sunday, 12 July 2009
Awesome Sunday
My day was three kinds of awesome today.
1. Milner awesome
I met Helen for lunch at Oddest. It’s been such a long time since I last saw her last for a one-to-one – since Easter, and the videos of the chimpanzees hunting; before Steve and Fordbank were evicted from Victoria Ave; before Steve moved in with Chubb and Helen; since before Helen got a job in London – and so much has happened since then with both of us. I talked about my new house, my housemates, the Moss Side move. She talked about London, living with a boy, optimism and change. “I’ve been in Manchester for three years now,” she said. Wow, I thought, it feels like less than that. This time last year we went to Gorton Monastery to see an orchestra. She’ll be fine – she’s a motivated and intelligent young woman, with a lot going for her. I’ll miss her. I’ll stay in touch.
2. Family Awesome
Caroline, Ashleigh and Izzy came up to see me today. I made a roast dinner using yesterday’s allotment vegetables – new potatoes, spring cabbage, spinach, courgettes – a ready-roasted supermarket chicken, and lashings of tasty gravy. Yum! Izzy and I pootled around the garden, when she wasn’t busy trying to eat rocks, and explored the spooky circle. The four of us strolled into Longford Park, and around the petting zoo. We’re off to the Isle of Wight next week. I’m very excited about it.
3. Batman awesome
In a quiet house, all by myself, I read the Dark Knight Returns and The Long Halloween. Bliss!
1. Milner awesome
I met Helen for lunch at Oddest. It’s been such a long time since I last saw her last for a one-to-one – since Easter, and the videos of the chimpanzees hunting; before Steve and Fordbank were evicted from Victoria Ave; before Steve moved in with Chubb and Helen; since before Helen got a job in London – and so much has happened since then with both of us. I talked about my new house, my housemates, the Moss Side move. She talked about London, living with a boy, optimism and change. “I’ve been in Manchester for three years now,” she said. Wow, I thought, it feels like less than that. This time last year we went to Gorton Monastery to see an orchestra. She’ll be fine – she’s a motivated and intelligent young woman, with a lot going for her. I’ll miss her. I’ll stay in touch.
2. Family Awesome
Caroline, Ashleigh and Izzy came up to see me today. I made a roast dinner using yesterday’s allotment vegetables – new potatoes, spring cabbage, spinach, courgettes – a ready-roasted supermarket chicken, and lashings of tasty gravy. Yum! Izzy and I pootled around the garden, when she wasn’t busy trying to eat rocks, and explored the spooky circle. The four of us strolled into Longford Park, and around the petting zoo. We’re off to the Isle of Wight next week. I’m very excited about it.
3. Batman awesome
In a quiet house, all by myself, I read the Dark Knight Returns and The Long Halloween. Bliss!
Friday, 10 July 2009
Remember that I'm still inside, but I'm dry, I'm dry…
My planned evening of peppermint tea and Batman didn't quite work out as I'd planned. Pippa was just back from her holiday, did I want to meet her for a drink? Antibiotics my foot, I thought, yes I do! Even if my drink is going to be alcohol-free! We went to Oddest, and got some food. It was still really busy, even on day two. We had a mexicana combination platter, which was ace. Once Kate finished work, she joined us, and Dunk soon followed. Pip's holiday sounds like it was amazing, especially the water park. As the bar busied up, ZBox and Chubb came in. "We're meeting Steph!" said Chub with a wink. Zbox and Ollie think I should pull Steph - we'd talked about it last week. I wonder if she likes me. The chance arises, and I'm not drinking - bah! Oh well, so it goes. Steph arrived, looking hot.
Shortly Paul, Louise and David showed up. Pippa, can you talk to Louise about Spain? Paul, can you talk to Dunk about Germany? Thanks! Wow, it's easy to introduce people to common conversation topics when you're stone cold sober and they're a little drunk! Is there a career in that? Probably not. In come David III, Amanda and Ruth. I tiptoed down the smalltalk tightrope with Ruth, who I don't know that well - in as much as I was talking to her about appropriate conversation topics for the hairdresser. If I'd overbalanced, it would have been clear that I was putting my smalltalk tips into practice there and then. Luckily, I had my sobriety to act as a balance bar and keep me stable. Phew! A little excursion over to Steph, Chubb and ZBox, a little bit of chit-chat, and then back. Sobriety is exhausting because you get bored much more quickly than if you're drunk. Especially when it comes to talking to drunks.
On my way home, I ran into Sam outside the Marble. She was wearing a red scarf on her shoulders, and was rather drunk. We're going for a beer on Tuesday night. That's payday eve, I thought, but this dry weekend will save me a bomb. As I passed by Fox Plaza, I found myself thinking that I'd had a really good night. And not a drop of booze. Hmmmm. Could I get used to this?
Shortly Paul, Louise and David showed up. Pippa, can you talk to Louise about Spain? Paul, can you talk to Dunk about Germany? Thanks! Wow, it's easy to introduce people to common conversation topics when you're stone cold sober and they're a little drunk! Is there a career in that? Probably not. In come David III, Amanda and Ruth. I tiptoed down the smalltalk tightrope with Ruth, who I don't know that well - in as much as I was talking to her about appropriate conversation topics for the hairdresser. If I'd overbalanced, it would have been clear that I was putting my smalltalk tips into practice there and then. Luckily, I had my sobriety to act as a balance bar and keep me stable. Phew! A little excursion over to Steph, Chubb and ZBox, a little bit of chit-chat, and then back. Sobriety is exhausting because you get bored much more quickly than if you're drunk. Especially when it comes to talking to drunks.
On my way home, I ran into Sam outside the Marble. She was wearing a red scarf on her shoulders, and was rather drunk. We're going for a beer on Tuesday night. That's payday eve, I thought, but this dry weekend will save me a bomb. As I passed by Fox Plaza, I found myself thinking that I'd had a really good night. And not a drop of booze. Hmmmm. Could I get used to this?
Thursday, 9 July 2009
Oddest, Chorlton, Wilbraham Road
The latest addition to the Odd family, Oddest, on Wilbraham Road in Chorlton is triumphant! Like its sisters in town, the décor is quirky, but classy. A cluster of Turkish lanterns decorate one boothed corner, and vast crimson lampshades droop above the bar. Nothing matches. Everything fits.
Dunk and I met Hannah and went straight down. Kate was working, busy, and to enjoy watching all the reactions of newcomers. That first night feeling, I guess. I really like it. I can see myself spending quite some time there.
Dunk and I met Hannah and went straight down. Kate was working, busy, and to enjoy watching all the reactions of newcomers. That first night feeling, I guess. I really like it. I can see myself spending quite some time there.
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