Change In Circumstances

Possibly down to the slightly increased exercise regime I have been following - a pool that's further away and half a meter longer - I have lost 5 pounds this week. A much better result than I was hoping for, as it now means that I have lost 54 pounds in total.

Still Making me Laugh

Lane Drama

It has been quite a week this week, what with one thing and another. Firstly, I spent a delicious weekend with Sean where, by some bizzare circumstance we listened to flamenco guitar and beat poets in the heart of St Luke's parish. I know..weird! Anyway, after my Monday night swim I joined a public meeting about Streatham Leisure Centre. In true Paul Vale fashion, it consisted of myself, three officials from the council and somebody I once went on a date with - nuff said. Without wishing to dwell on the subject too much, the pool has closed until further notice and I am now swimming in Clapham.

I was rather perturbed at going to a new pool. I have been swimming in Streatham for about 6 years now and although I am a member Swim London, and therefore can swim in over 40 pools throughout London, I have only really been to Streatham or Oasis. I guess going to Oasis, with all its beautiful men and outrageous bodies, has made it easier for me to go somewhere new; meaning if I can go there, I can go anywhere.

Anyway, Clapham LC Swimming Pool is really good. I leave home about 20 minutes earlier to get there at 7.00am. It's fairly empty till later and contains three equal lanes, including a fast lane. The water never appears to be too warm and after swimming 5 miles in the latter half of the week there, I am feeling a good deal more relaxed - I think it's due to the fact that the lane is wide and we have plenty of room. I have even reached the point where 2 miles in the morning - before going to work, might not be impossible.

It's early days, but it may be that I make a change for good. Sad, but much more practical.

Two Plays

Finally things have slowed down a little and I am no longer at the theatre five nights out of seven in the week. I am sure, however, that this is a short resting period before the Christmas Season hits and I am busy 24/7 again. So far, both plays in November have had a gay-theme and I will say that both of them were extremely good. Busted Jesus Comix by David Johnston tells the story of Marco, a Tallahassee teenager who found himself the subject of an obsenity trial when he printed off copies of his comic book.

The play, unbelievably based on a true story, is fascinating on many different levels and the production, Above The Stag is well worth supporting. Keep an eye out for Henry Blake as Marco in a wonderfully underscored performance.

The other play, turned out to be a musical (read the Press Releases, Paul!!!) A Man Of No Importance is a musical adaptation of the Indie movie of the same name starring Albert Finney. A big fan of the original, this version is a real gem demonstrating the art of Musical Theatre adaptation at its finest. Sadly it was let down by seriously sloppy design, that in turn provided much entertainment for much of the next day.

Shocked of South London

The landlord finally spent half an hour fixing the gutter. A job that took 30 minutes has taken them 3 months to do. Oh well, at least my guests at Thanksgiving will not be bothered by it, should it rain.

Before & After

I must admit, this picture shows me for the first time, how much weight I have actually lost. It also taught me how to use the timer feature on my camera.

Neighbours - A Rant

Our upstairs neighbours have never been particularly friendly. I find this difficult as I am still friends with both sets of neighbours I have lived next to in London. They have not been rude, they merely have no wish to fraternize with either myself or Julie since we have been living here. Last week, I was rather shocked to hear them vacuuming the stairway. Whilst this might not seem particularly odd to most people, you have to bear in mind that these neighbours have shown absolutely no interest in cleaning the communal areas of the house. When we arrived here, they had been walking over 2 YEARS worth of junk mail to get to their flat. Recently they broke the banister up the stairs and whilst is doesn't affect us on the ground floor, broken plaster was splattered across the carpet of the stairs for about a month - until I hear them vacuuming.

It turns out that they are moving out and presumably this little cleaning ploy is an aid to getting their deposit back. That's all well and good and I certainly shan't miss them, but what is pissing me off is the amount of crap they are depositing in the front garden before they go. Both Julie and I have spent a lot of time making the front garden look halfway decent. Left to The Haywoods Group, a pathetic bunch of cowboys who call themselves Estate Agents, the front garden would be the rotting mess of mattresses, rampant weeds and rubbish that it was when we moved in.

I should not mind. The important thing is that their leaving will mean that finally, somebody from Haywoods will have to come in and either
a)Re-decorate for the new tenants or
b)Show new tenants around.

The dumped rubbish will magically find its way to the top of the stairs and it will be Haywoods turn to get off their lardy arses and earn something for the exorbitant rent we are paying them. Why should we have to deal with its removal?!

Don't Try This At Home, Kids.

After a strict Halloween Weekend on a diet of the above, I still managed to loose 2 pounds this week! Yah! I knew that full body exfoliation would budge those last ounces. On a serious note I now have less than a stone to loose before reaching my goal weight.

Gulp!

I weigh in tomorrow morning after my swim and I must say, I am more than a little apprehensive. I did not weigh in last week, as I was in Newtownards and I have lived on a strict diet of Penny Chews, Chips and Gin over much of the Halloween period. Oh well! No one to blame but myself. The thing is, whereas before my aim was to reach my goal weight by Christmas, in actual fact I now have to look fabulous to appear on the beach at Sydney. The new posters at the bus stops for Aussiebum don't help.

Welcome to Oz

Admittedly, there was no foreshadowing this event but on February 8th next year I am going to Australia for 3 weeks. I has happened so suddenly that to be honest, it still hasn’t sunk in - yet. I am not excited – yet. I am not prepared – yet. Kyle is currently out there and has invited his Mother and future In-Laws to join him and his fiancée on Hyams Beach, NSW for his wedding. I have known Kyle since he was 5 years old and I count Rowena as one of my closest and dearest friends. Rowena does not want to travel all that way again alone and she has offered to take me with her.

Three weeks on this beach. In that sea.

Some goals one plans for, others simply pop up as you go. Before that I have Thanksgiving, Christmas, IMATS and The Stage Party! As I say, it’s still, only very slowly, sinking in.

Home Again Home Again

After a fairly smooth journey with swift connections I finally got home last night at about 11.30pm. Travelling to Northern Ireland seemed vaguely surreal this time around. Vince and David were superb hosts, once again and it is always a joy to sit and chat with them. It seems really strange chatting to them, at how much more of a real gay community there seems to be in Belfast. I always find it rather comforting and it never seems to be short of real characters. I am always impressed by Vince's calm sense of self, his charming demeanor and determination to see the best in everybody. David's quiet intelligence and wicked sense of humour compliments this perfectly and together they really are a lovely couple. It's no surprise that I am leaving Newtownards determined to do better, be nicer and work harder.

They were an ordinary couple.......

No. Don't. Come back Toto, come back.

Halloween Fun

Once again, I am in Belfast for the begining of the party season. David and Clare put themselves in my hands once again and allowed me to play with their faces. Vince and I took the easier option and kept the make-up down to a minimum, although the gin flowed until the early hours. Today has been very subdued, with bacon and eggs and plenty of coffee.

A Quinn Martin Production