Category: old blogging

I’m tired, hungover and a little maudlin.
Yesterday and last night were brilliant – great company with brilliant friends, lots of lovely pressies (full list and thanks will follow later) and lots of beer and crisps. We kept going til late, there’s been a pistachio explosion in my living room and there are holes in my memory.
But this morning I woke up on my own, nobody in the flat but me, no cup of tea on the bedside table, no smiling eyes looking gently into mine, no tender fingers caressing my body awake. sigh
And today’s horoscope:

Something changed when you weren’t looking, but you can’t put your finger on what it is exactly. All you know is that old familiarity is lost in new weirdness. This could be a good time to open yourself up to new possibilities. Oddities appear around every turn, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing. You may be out of the loop today, but tomorrow could find you back in the center of things. Live in the moment while you have the chance.

That’s exactly how I feel.

How to win friends and influence people (No. 437 in a series):
Go to your local truck hire company. Hire the biggest truck you can with your driving licence. Drive it to Orchard Street in Chichester at the peak of the Friday evening rush hour. Park it on double yellow lines so nobody can get past. Walk off and watch from a discreet distance.
[insert evil grin here] hnyarr hnyarr hnyarr!
originally posted 11 May 2001 at 5:44pm

Today is the last day of the 30th year of my life. Tomorrow, I cease to be a twentysomething. Normally I have a bit of a mental review of life around the time of my birthday, but this year it seems fitting to have a bigger mental review. The last ten years have been great – I’ve achieved a lot, done lots of things and, in my opinion, become a much better and more rounded person. When I look back at myself at age 20, I cringe. I’m sure on May 11 2011, I’ll look back at today and cringe too.
But just thinking about what I have done and some of the things that might have happened in the last ten years makes for a pretty interesting list:

• I’ve run my own little business
• I’ve travelled a little bit
• I nearly became a dad
• I nearly got married
• I’ve loved some fantastic people
• I’ve even been loved too – and learnt what a great feeling that is
• I’ve made some brilliant friends
• I’ve lost a few friends too, some of whom I regret losing, others I don’t
• I’ve learnt a lot – about people, work, the world, myself
• I’ve come to realise how much more there is to learn
• I’ve been hurt, sometimes badly, by friends and lovers
• I’ve been happy too, sometimes so happy I could burst
• I’ve been on TV, radio and in magazines (and I don’t just mean John Peel’s show!) – which taught me that media people are just ordinary people with public jobs
• I’ve discovered that there is much more to the world than me, although I’m not sure that my ego has diminished any
• I’ve become a homeowner
• I’ve developed an appetite for life, but discovered that sometimes you need means to satisfy that desire

And I’m looking forward to the next ten years. If, at the age of twenty, you had told me even a few of the things that I would do and experience in the years ahead, I would never have believed you. I have no idea what the next ten years will hold, or even if I’ll complete them (I intend to!), but I’m going to try and enjoy as much of it as I can, grasp every opportunity and be positive throughout. It will be a bumpy ride at times, I’m sure, but I think I like it that way.
originally posted 11 May 2001 at 11:38am

According to my referrer stats, Zannah has linked to me. This is clearly not the case. Does anyone out there with an understanding of how referrer stats work have any idea how this sort of thing happens?
Also, for the person who found this site by searching Google for “Postman Pat tight t-shirt” – say what?!
And apologies for the lack of the comment function at the moment. Blogger is messing about. Normal service will be resumed shortly (I hope).
originally posted 11 May 2001 at 10:13am

Beer this evening in W2 with Arron, Cat, her date Mack and the briefest of appearances by Al. Nice.
originally posted 11 May 2001 at 12:06am

Today turned out to be one of those rare, overcast, long and sultry days that British springs only turn up once every few years. It had a strange and peculiar libidinous quality, the atmosphere oozing sex: the plants bursting full of flower and sexual activity at a slow vegetable pace; animals mewling and growling in the shrubbery; long knowing glances cast across bars and restaurant tables between people who understand, yet don’t understand why…….
The air has a thick liquid quality, and I could almost feel the lust brushing against my skin as I walked through the city tonight, touching the skin on my arms and face as I pushed through the warm sticky air. The atmosphere has a latin, mediterranean feel to it. It reminds me of evenings walking in holiday cities, Barcelona or Lisboa, looking up at birds circling in the light of the streetlamps, voices echoing off the walls of the narrow streets, music gently rolling across the rooftops from bars and tavernas.
I long for those walks now. The gentle touch of a soft hand on my sleeve, a warm breath by my side, a heartbeat walking beside me, soft hair resting against my shoulder, a smile and tender moist eyes.
There is a storm brewing.
originally posted 10 May 2001 at 11:59pm

oh, the temptation. The postman yesterday tried to deliver a parcel but I’d already left for work (special delivery too), so this morning I went to the sorting office to pick it up. It’s from Amazon, so I imagine it is in some way related to my impending 30-ness. Now I must sit and look at it until Saturday morning. ….must….resist….

You can now not only get in touch with me on AIM (ghspencer) but also on MSN (graybouk). Go ahead – communicate!

joy! John Peel just dedicated a record for me! hurrah! (of course, I could just be being a sad git for writing in!)

gah. Blogger offline for most of today, so only now getting the chance to post.
TPL update: a not-very-good 25 points, taking my total to 938. With only two weeks to go, reaching 1000 points could be a struggle, especially as my team seems to have suddenly lost its oomph.