August 21, 2007
By Special Request
August already? Cough!
Ok:
1) Which capital city contains the letters 'y', 'k' and 'j' in its name, in that order?
2) Who composed the Brandenburg Concertos?
3) What fruit do you get if you cross a blackberry and a raspberry?
4) Whose autobiography is entitled "I don't mean to be rude but"
5) Which two properties on the english monopoly board start with the letter 'B'?
Ok:
1) Which capital city contains the letters 'y', 'k' and 'j' in its name, in that order?
2) Who composed the Brandenburg Concertos?
3) What fruit do you get if you cross a blackberry and a raspberry?
4) Whose autobiography is entitled "I don't mean to be rude but"
5) Which two properties on the english monopoly board start with the letter 'B'?
June 06, 2007
Portugal
Portugal was, all in all, a great break. I hadn’t got away to somewhere sunny in, literally, years. It was difficult to relax though. For a start, taking a break in the middle of a project is stressful. I want things to go well in my absence but I find myself worrying about things I’ve delegated or whatever. There was a little bit of work stuff to do, not much, but the effect of doing the work prevented me from fully relaxing.
The personalities at play out there were also a little stressful. It was absolutely fucking awesome to see Benny so chilled out. It took him 3 minutes between our arrival at the villa and him diving into the swimming pool. Benny doesn’t really do stressed, but it was great to see him relaxing so effectively. We went on holiday with some people from the pub – for a knock down 140 quid flights and accommodation, I might add – and it was interesting watching them all mix it up. Some having been living by themselves for a while so simply weren’t used to having to share stuff and in one or two cases seemed to be incapable of considering the others. It was interesting to watch – nothing like that really stresses me out. I got stressed when other people got stressed and things needed to be managed to prevent explosions. Perhaps I should have just stood back and enjoyed the fireworks. So, I don’t want to paint a picture of not enjoying it – because I did – but I never really felt rested. This is a key lesson: other people are stressful. When Ewan and I go on our expedition to get trampled by bulls in July I’m very glad we’ll have our own car and can escape the others should a similar situation arise.
Activities were fun. Driving on the right, a left hand drive car – it was interesting stuff. Only once did I try to change gears by winding my window down. We went karting and I got told off for trying to put Benny in the wall. We went shooting and I beat Benny – which is all that matters, naturally. There was lots of drinking and lots of lovely meals – in and out. I read lots of books and only one of them was about flying around bombing things. John Peel’s semi-autobiography is excellent, by the way. We played lots of pool. Kev and I spent many an unrememberable evening getting shitfaced on the balcony looking up at a field of stars talking about whatever came to mind; usually women. Benny saw ten shooting stars. Duncan farted his way through the week. Dee and Wendy were lots of fun. Not at all bad.
The personalities at play out there were also a little stressful. It was absolutely fucking awesome to see Benny so chilled out. It took him 3 minutes between our arrival at the villa and him diving into the swimming pool. Benny doesn’t really do stressed, but it was great to see him relaxing so effectively. We went on holiday with some people from the pub – for a knock down 140 quid flights and accommodation, I might add – and it was interesting watching them all mix it up. Some having been living by themselves for a while so simply weren’t used to having to share stuff and in one or two cases seemed to be incapable of considering the others. It was interesting to watch – nothing like that really stresses me out. I got stressed when other people got stressed and things needed to be managed to prevent explosions. Perhaps I should have just stood back and enjoyed the fireworks. So, I don’t want to paint a picture of not enjoying it – because I did – but I never really felt rested. This is a key lesson: other people are stressful. When Ewan and I go on our expedition to get trampled by bulls in July I’m very glad we’ll have our own car and can escape the others should a similar situation arise.
Activities were fun. Driving on the right, a left hand drive car – it was interesting stuff. Only once did I try to change gears by winding my window down. We went karting and I got told off for trying to put Benny in the wall. We went shooting and I beat Benny – which is all that matters, naturally. There was lots of drinking and lots of lovely meals – in and out. I read lots of books and only one of them was about flying around bombing things. John Peel’s semi-autobiography is excellent, by the way. We played lots of pool. Kev and I spent many an unrememberable evening getting shitfaced on the balcony looking up at a field of stars talking about whatever came to mind; usually women. Benny saw ten shooting stars. Duncan farted his way through the week. Dee and Wendy were lots of fun. Not at all bad.
Standby for the Emotional Stuff
So there’s a girl. The girl’s name is Karina and we met a month ago. We were playing cricket and Benny caught a ball in the face, bending a tooth out of place and scarring his upper lip. Lots of blood. Trip to A&E, got home, went over the pub to meet Al. Al was there with a few friends, Karina’s one of them. Got talking, spontaneous poker game back at ours, drunken hilarity ensues, walk her home, stay up until seven talking. Sun rises. Snogging. Walk home. Pass out. Resolve to play it cool. Resolve lasts 4 hours. End up back round her house for Sunday lunch (on a bank holiday Monday). The rest is history: restaurants, cooking, lots of music, huge conversations, films, expeditions, mangoes, illnesses, drinking binges, barbecues, monging out, all kinds of stuff. Long may it continue. Without the blacky, Poker, Bank Holidays and Benny making a tit of himself arguably none of this would never have happened; so bless them all.
The last month is all a bit of a blur, with the exception of the great Portuguese expedition, itself offering an excellent opportunity for reflection. It doesn’t feel like 4 weeks, it feels like a lot longer. It should feel like a lot shorter because of all the time I’ve spent away, but there you go. There’s no explaining it; none at all. There’s no rational reason for missing someone so much on holiday when you’ve only known them a fortnight, but it felt right. I’ve bolted away from relationships before because of commitment things – but we’re planning all kinds of stuff now and it’s not freaking me out in the slightest.
Thinking about all this shit serves no purpose, you’ve just got to accept that you’re a passenger and see where it takes you. Last week she was sick and I couldn’t stand being in Croydon so I headed home with undue haste. Rationally, that makes no sense at all. God knows what my project manager thought after I’d told him why I was working from home on Friday. But it was, unarguably, the right thing to do. I simply couldn’t have stayed there, I actually needed to be with her. Things are proceeding rapidly, to be sure. Rationally maybe they shouldn’t be. It’s alright. It feels right and it’s mutual. Rational mind screams things – “Honeymoon period!” “Psycho need for intimacy!” “How can you know how you feel after no time at all?” Whatever. What does a rational mind know, anyway? Your rational mind will only ever try to fuck you. That's what Benny kept telling me when he was teaching me how to drive. He was right then and the sentiment's right now.
It’s interesting, having been single for over two years, getting into a relationship with someone. My thinking had always been that it was worth taking the time to make sure I was ready to meet someone and that it was worth getting to know someone slowly when the time was right to minimize the risk of getting screwed up. But I really seem to be totally beholden to my emotional side on this – I really am a total passenger. Speed and direction are things I’m aware of rather than things I can have any meaningful effect on. So I’ve decided to let go and just enjoy it.
Portugal was good for this – pacing round the pool with a glass in hand trying to work out what was going on. Well, sometimes a bottle – but you know, it’s all good. I’d more or less convinced myself that the last relationship I’d had was like an emotional high water mark and that everything thereafter would be measured against that. No exaggeration: I was sure of it. Resigned to it, somehow convinced that it was all going to be downhill from there and that perhaps I’d be with someone and be happy enough but always looking back.
And this has just blown that away. Again, rational mind says “Well that was years ago, the comparison is unfair” but again, whatever, the emotions say something else pretty forcefully.
The key thing - this is actually fun. Really enjoyable.
The last month is all a bit of a blur, with the exception of the great Portuguese expedition, itself offering an excellent opportunity for reflection. It doesn’t feel like 4 weeks, it feels like a lot longer. It should feel like a lot shorter because of all the time I’ve spent away, but there you go. There’s no explaining it; none at all. There’s no rational reason for missing someone so much on holiday when you’ve only known them a fortnight, but it felt right. I’ve bolted away from relationships before because of commitment things – but we’re planning all kinds of stuff now and it’s not freaking me out in the slightest.
Thinking about all this shit serves no purpose, you’ve just got to accept that you’re a passenger and see where it takes you. Last week she was sick and I couldn’t stand being in Croydon so I headed home with undue haste. Rationally, that makes no sense at all. God knows what my project manager thought after I’d told him why I was working from home on Friday. But it was, unarguably, the right thing to do. I simply couldn’t have stayed there, I actually needed to be with her. Things are proceeding rapidly, to be sure. Rationally maybe they shouldn’t be. It’s alright. It feels right and it’s mutual. Rational mind screams things – “Honeymoon period!” “Psycho need for intimacy!” “How can you know how you feel after no time at all?” Whatever. What does a rational mind know, anyway? Your rational mind will only ever try to fuck you. That's what Benny kept telling me when he was teaching me how to drive. He was right then and the sentiment's right now.
It’s interesting, having been single for over two years, getting into a relationship with someone. My thinking had always been that it was worth taking the time to make sure I was ready to meet someone and that it was worth getting to know someone slowly when the time was right to minimize the risk of getting screwed up. But I really seem to be totally beholden to my emotional side on this – I really am a total passenger. Speed and direction are things I’m aware of rather than things I can have any meaningful effect on. So I’ve decided to let go and just enjoy it.
Portugal was good for this – pacing round the pool with a glass in hand trying to work out what was going on. Well, sometimes a bottle – but you know, it’s all good. I’d more or less convinced myself that the last relationship I’d had was like an emotional high water mark and that everything thereafter would be measured against that. No exaggeration: I was sure of it. Resigned to it, somehow convinced that it was all going to be downhill from there and that perhaps I’d be with someone and be happy enough but always looking back.
And this has just blown that away. Again, rational mind says “Well that was years ago, the comparison is unfair” but again, whatever, the emotions say something else pretty forcefully.
The key thing - this is actually fun. Really enjoyable.
Failed Assasination Attempt
Work is going well. I’ve delivered the most significant thing I needed to deliver and the client’s really engaged with it. The people continue to be nice, the food’s good and I’ve just been paid for April which was nice. Biggest ever invoice. Yummy.
The hotel I was staying in was hit by a collapsing tower crane on Saturday (above). No one was killed, one chap is stable in hospital. That must have been quite exciting. We’ve moved back to the original one this week, because the damaged one was full when we tried to book it on Friday.
I’m getting a little bit bored and restless though, truth be told. This is a bit of a problem. The big push is easy to be interested in, but the maintenance side of things and documentation, well, that’s difficult to be motivated about. Everything on the to-do list makes me want to groan a little bit. Plus the weather’s getting warmer so it’d be nicer to be outside. But there you go. Pays the bills, as they say.
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