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<Paul> November 21st ----------------------------work getting busy-----------------------moved in with Chris-----------------------worked all through christmas and new years-------------------------- big project which I have been working on for the past year and a half completed--------------------got toads-----------------nothing to do at work now------------------------toads raping each other constantly------------------went to Amsterdam-------------------remember the whole trip thanks to drug free policy at work-----------all my colleagues leaving today to other projects---------------February 27th.
Ok, so if you would please refer to the time-line above, you can get an idea of what's been going on during the period that I have been a slack ass lazy bastard and not updating my blog. Not that anyone reads this damn thing anyways... sniff sniff... wipe away the tear.
I am going to make an attempt to keep it going again. Lots to tell, but little desire to do it right now as I am sick and its Friday and all I can think of is going home. Chris and I spent last weekend in Amsterdam and had a really good time. Its not exactly the best time of year to go as it was so cold the prostitutes were all wearing parkas and refusing to use their stainless steel sex toys... but still an overall enjoyable experience. While we were going through the baggage x-ray thingy on our way back to London, the man in front of us was asked to open his bag on account that the security guy spotted what appeared to be a pair of scissors. The man said 'yeah, no probs, but I don't have anything in there'. So the security guy searches and pulls out a little pair of nail scissors... like really small and pathetic. The man is like laughing and says 'oh, those, well yeah, its not like you can do any harm with those, ha ha ha' (in a mocking tone to the scurity guard). Then security guy says, 'no, that doesn't account for what I saw on the screen so I have to keep searching'. The next thing you know he finds a HUGE fricking knife in the guys bag! It's a camping knife, a la Rambo style, with a 4inch blade! Then the guy is like 'oh, so you are not allowed to bring those on board eh?'. Like you don't know. The craziest thing was that the man with the knife wasn't even muslim!
JUST KIDDING!!!!!!!!
Ok, that's it for now. I am calling it a day.
</Paul> <!--2:54 PM-->
<Paul> I thought I would let you know that I got notification that my Blog Guestbook is going to be switched off, unless I pay a 10£ fee. As much as I would like to keep it going because I get so many entries from all my loyal readers (ummmm, last entry March 2003), I don’t think I can afford it. So now you will just have to NOT communicate with me through some other format. Bitches. Hehehe.
So whats new in London town… well a lot actually! Chris and I have decided to move in together… this is a first for me and pretty damn exciting. Location of the flat is amazing, as it is a 1 minute walk from Russell Square (central central London for anyone in Canada), and the flat is nice, big, and with a bit of decoration and the magic homo touch (ie, frills, doilies, pink cushions, and penis shaped candles), it will be wicked… one bedroom, lots of storage, good size kitchen, living room with balcony overlooking a park and even a little area with a glass roof type thing for plants to grow and prosper. Will be really good! Only shite thing is that there is no shower… I will let you know how that goes, but I am sure it wont be good. The idea of sitting down in a cold tub while attempting to splash my head with lukewarm water from under the tap does not have ‘this morning is getting off to a great start’ written all over it. Moving day is December 12th, so anyone planning on sending me xmas cards and lavishing me with frankincense and myrrh, will have to wait till I get my new address.
Oh, last Thursday I saw ‘the blind leading the blind’… and I don’t care what the expression implies, it was going really well. There is a blind guy who I always see walking down my street, sometimes with his seeing-eye dog and sometimes with his stick (I assume his dog only works part-time, or hates his job and runs away a lot, but then feels guilty about it and comes back). This time when I saw the blind man, he was being guided, arm in arm, by another blind guy with a stick… a seeing-eye blind man of sorts. I assume that this time the blind guy really pissed off his dog and the dog ran away with his stick.
</Paul> <!--1:53 PM-->
<Paul> I am the biggest hypocrite in the world. I just spent the last 15minutes plane spotting. In my defense, today is the day the Concorde gets grounded, and in the UK there is a certain sense of awe the sight of it inspires. For the final flight extravaganza, 3 Concordes, one from Edinburgh, one from the states and one from somewhere else all just landed one after another at Heathrow Airport. The landing path lies directly over the city (good thinking airport designers), and so the three planes just flew overhead. It was slightly cool. That’s it, I’m outta here for the weekend. </Paul> <!--3:32 PM-->
<Paul> Not much to update really, just don’t want you guys to think I am dead or something. A new ozzy girl started at work who is pretty cool. We have bonded over topics such as bush and Iraq, which is cool as typically at work I have no one to talk about that with… engineers being typically blasé about everything except tits and ass. Oh wait I DO have something to blog about… tits and ass reminded me of it.
So people at work do not know that I am a big fat homo, or as one of my colleagues put it last Friday, ‘riding the wrong bus’. I just don’t talk about my social/sex life and they just assume I have a mysterious, undoubtedly heterosexual one. It’s a satisfactory situation for the most part as I don’t think some of my coworkers would be able to take me seriously wearing a hard hat and boots… partly for the village people image, and partly for the wimpy poof preconception. It hasn’t ever really become an issue, however the other day I found myself in an awkward situation when I was coming back from site and was in a minibus with some of the workers and they were all passing around porno magazines (and my mother wonders why I think I made the wrong choice becoming an engineer!). I had one thrown into my lap (thanks guys), and so I took the compulsory flip through the magazine… for the articles of course! Actually, in this case, that excuse is true… I was looking at the articles. They say that some of the most interesting and intelligent articles are written for pornographic magazines. ‘They’ being the guys at my work of course. Ok, that’s the end of my story.
Oh this past weekend a group of friends and I went out for one of the guys’ birthdays. There were 8 of us who went out for dinner at a place in Soho. We were all sitting around one table and during dinner, one of my friends got up to go to the loo. The rest of us all chatting and drinking failed to notice that while our friend left, another guy filled his seat. Our friend came back and ended up talking to someone at the far end of the table, so it actually took us about 15minutes before we realised that no one in our party knew who this guy sitting at our table was… I think we all assumed someone else knew him. So anyway, friend from the loo now wants to sit and asks stranger to move, stranger gets up and then sits down in Chris’ seat while he went to the loo! What the fuck?! You shouldn’t have to ask people to leave your dinner table should you? Hmm, maybe you had to be there… it was strange.
</Paul> <!--4:41 PM-->
<Paul> Well I am back from holidays and not too pleased about it I must say. Had a good time in Canada showing Chris around, and although it was a quick meeting, it was really great to see everyone in Toronto at the Bishop and Belcher, the only place where a pint of Guinness is more expensive then london. Hawaii was amazing once again. Lena’s wedding went really well, and was set in a beautiful place with a picture perfect sunset in the back ground as well… couldn’t have ordered a nicer evening. Anyways, enough of the happy happy joy joy stuff.
Ok, so I have stopped smoking again. Thought it might be best to write it on my blog, therefore anyone who is anyone (ie anyone who reads this, ie the cool people, ie me and my mom) can bitch at me if they see me with a filthy, dirty, disgusting, putrid… vile…delicious…intoxicating…
Ok, no more mention of smoking as I am getting a mad craving. I have decided to quit cold turkey. On a side note, for about 10 years I thought quitting cold turkey meant you eat cold turkey to help you combat the cravings. I was a little embarrassed when someone pointed out my misunderstanding of the whole thing, and after I stocked up on 50 tins of cranberry sauce. I still do not know where the term originated from.
>>
ok, so I wrote the top part last week and forgot to post it, and now its Tuesday and I hope I remember to post this one. Not much to update other then that I worked all weekend, after working a full week, and I am working this whole week as well. Sucks shit if I may say so myself. It also doesn’t help that I am supervising a bunch of smokers all day, enticing me when I am most vulnerable… but I haven’t fallen off the wagon as of yet.
Today I went to visit one of our depot (not pronounced dee-pot) sites in Willesden Junction (North London). What a freaking shit hole that place is. Willesden a huge industrial area, sadly however in the distance you could see residential areas as well. Anyway, our depot is a short walk from the tube station, through some alleys and up over a bridge which crosses about 6 railway lines. Ok, I need to stress again how much of a shit hole this place is. There is garbage everywhere, the smell of industry (ie sulpher mixed with b.o. and a little bit of tire fire) hits you as you exit the train, noise, dirt, etc etc… did I mention shit hole? So me and a girl from work are starting to walk across this pedestrian bridge over the tracks and she says, ‘oh, the train-spotters are back…’
Firstly, let me tell you that for the longest time I thought the word ‘train-spotters’ or ‘train-spotting’ related to heroine junkies doing their thing … a la Hollywood blockbuster movie. Since working in the rail industry however, I have learned that ‘train-spotting’ really is a past-time that people actually partake in. So I of course figure that these people who go ‘spot’ trains are a little discerning as to what type of trains they are looking at… only admiring locomotives, steam engines, the Hogwart’s Express etc. at conventions or at certain times when the Queen comes by or something. Also, I figured that this hobby would be rare and that I would not really ever see anybody actively spotting trains.
How wrong I was! When I walked up those stairs and started crossing the bridge I was speechless. I have never seen such a pathetic group of losers in my life. There were approximately 20-25 guys, ranging in age from 18-70, some in little groups, but most spread out along the bridge in their own little area (I’m sure there is a hierarchy for who gets which section and best vantage point), some had binoculars, and one had a hand held telescope device which looked expensive and purpose built, and they also each had a pad of paper and pen with which they write down the make and model number of the trains that go by. Once again I stress at how filthy this area is, and that it is an industrial site where only freight trains pass and other very non interesting trains go by. These guys spend hours and hours each day standing in filth and jotting down train numbers and discussing them. It was so sad and a bit scary to see people choosing to waste so much of their time doing something so pathetic, and in such a nasty environment. At least now I know what all the people who reached Elf Lord status in Dungeons and Dragons are up to.
Today was a sad day for humanity.
Ok, I better get back to what I was doing. The 16:04 from London Bridge to Charing Cross Station is coming through soon… yesterday it was a Connex Train with model number 15062A and it had 8 carriages behind it. Man, you should have seen it go. Maybe today it will have 10 carriages!? I remember one time when I saw a model 15062A with 14 carriages!!! It was AMAZING. My friends don’t believe me, but its true. I took a couple of photos, the first bunch with the lens cap on, and then by the time I remembered to take it off, a stupid Model 704 blocked my view. 704’s suck.
</Paul> <!--2:29 PM-->
<Paul> I was just standing outside having a ciggy with the other dirty smokers in my company. Rather then help, I watched a guy struggling with a suitcase trying to get out of our building, he tried all four doors (two of which are unlocked) and failed to get out… I laughed… then he went back to the first door and decided to push, rather then pull. Ahhh, life’s little pleasures. </Paul> <!--2:22 PM-->
<Paul> Catch up blog… Part Deux.
I went to site today and there was a really really obese man who was setting up this big generator on site. Even though he was not involved in any strenuous work whatsoever, and even though it’s a nice cool day outside… this guy was SWEATING. I am not talking about a damp forehead and some pit stains either. There was sweat dripping, like a very leaky tap, all over his face. I couldn’t stop thinking about the strain his body must be going through just keeping him alive and breathing, never mind standing! I was pleased when he left that he hadn’t drop dead on site while I was there, as I am sure there would be a lot of paperwork involved… ;)
Oh, I came out of the fag closet to all my mates here two weeks ago. For a long while now I have been hiding the truth and living a complete lie… this is my confession to you. At every opportune moment over the past year and a half, I have been sneaking out into dark alleyways, or hiding in a dingy toilet of a pub and sucking on any fag I could find. It just felt so right, so liberating, so… like god had always intended it to be! Man I feel so much better for letting you all know that I, Paul, am… a smoker. Oh and I plan to quit soon, blah blah blah.
</Paul> <!--2:14 PM-->
<Paul> Ok, my blog has gone down hill hasn’t it? And who is to blame? Well according to the blameless culture in which I seem enveloped, no one is. There, doesn’t that make us all feel better?
I have started reading George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. The book is pretty captivating, and I am already right into the story. It is difficult to read it though and not analyse the current world around you, and compare it to 1984’s world. That it takes place in London, helps, as does the fact that some of Orwell’s ideas have actually happened and therefore making the possibility of his world slightly that much more plausible again. If you haven’t read it… I highly recommend it…mind you then ending may suck… but I doubt it! Watch this space. (on an interesting side note, Orwell’s house is right beside where Chris and I go kite flying… well I think its interesting!)
Work has been frustrating me a little lately. The blameless culture thing is just one aspect… it doesn’t seem to motivate people to do a job properly. If someone isn’t held at fault for making an error in judgment, accuracy, efficiency or most likely negligence, then how the hell will anyone learn. I don’t think punishment is the answer, but here it just seems it is ignored completely, and thus the persons or companies responsible don’t even realize what they did, or think they got away with it and thus will do it again. It is the main reason the whole rail industry in the UK is in the dire position it is in right now. Ok, enough of that.
Back to what has been up for the past month. Well work has taken over a little bit in the past weeks. I have been out on site, a la village people construction man, pretending I know what I am doing. On Saturday morning I watched a slab of concrete being poured. I will save the minute by minute of that morning for another blog. Hehe. But my time at work is now pretty much constantly taken up by work… all work and no play make paul something something. My upcoming holiday is well needed.
Chris and I have done a bit more traveling. Went to Cheddar, where the cheese is from, and camped there for two nights…. The first of which was sans any sleeping gear as we left it in London! Cheddar is known for its gorge and caves. The caves were pretty amazing… full of stalactites and stalagmites in these HUGE openings, which were sooooo colourful. It was beautiful. We also decided to climb the gorge. Well no, Chris thought it a good idea to not use the winding tourist stairs and path, but rather to climb straight up the rock face. I admit it seemed like an alright idea at the time… the mountain goats on the opposite side of the gorge should have set some type of warning off in my head, but no… anyway, we climbed and it was steep and dangerous and I turned into my mother telling chris to be careful and that this maybe wasn’t the best idea, and chris just kept going… and I had to keep following as this was one of those climbs that you can only do up… there is no going back… and if you reach a dead-end you have to have Search and Rescue come take you down… a no doubt humiliating experience which I was almost ready to put myself through to avoid death. But death didn’t come, and neither did Rescue 911 (or 999 for UK). Apart from the climb itself being very very steep and slippery and awkward, to make things a lot worse, the whole mountainside was covered in brambles and thorn bushes. Everything seemed to have thorns, including the moss. When we got to the top I was so happy nothing happened. I told Chris I was maybe a little too old for that kind of stuff, but then again, I am now really glad I did it, it was a good experience and nothing did happen in the end that was life threatening, so all is well right??? Lord knows I am sure he will convince me to do more things such as these… hopefully I will always be able to tell the stories as well. We also went to Bath that weekend which is such a pretty city. Very well worth a visit. We stayed in a nice B&B and relaxed for the day.
I was stuck on a train on the hottest day of the…ever actually, for 4 hours in the middle of the night. Vanessa, Chris, my friend Rob, Louise and I went to brighton for pride. Had an amazing day, pride was a huge party, with big dance tents and rides etc…. we went for a swim in the ocean and enjoyed the blazing heat. The ride home however was hell on wheels… hell on rails to be more accurate. Damn, I cant go into it now as I am getting writers cramp, but it’s a good story. Ask me sometime, if I haven’t bitched about it to you already. There is much more to tell. I have left the blog too long, and now cannot catch up! More soon. </Paul> <!--2:26 PM-->
<Paul> Office Etiiquette –Lesson Number 158
I just went into one of the little kitchens in my office building to get a glass of water… one of my co-workers is standing there in his bare feet! Am I being over sensitive here? Is this something which has become okay? Its like I work at Baywatch Headquarters… minus the hot boys in swim trunks doing sit-ups randomly on the beech…. Mmmmmm… randomly on the beech…
Last weekend was pride in London. Won’t go into details but I had an amazing weekend. Oh!, I had the opportunity to wear a kilt for the first time. I must say I have always been jealous of Scots and Irish for being able to wear them. All my Dutch heritage ever allowed me to wear was wooden shoes or ‘klompen’, and I only ever really did that in public once… show and tell in grade school… if I remember correctly, I think I was forced to wear knicker bockers the same day. Needless to say I have been a troubled lad ever since. Anyway, back to kilts. Last weekend a pretty weak excuse for me to actually wear one came up, so of course I jumped at the opportunity. I was a little worried at first about dancing around in a skirt and flashing unsuspecting people, however a couple of beers later and what other people thought, was about the last thing on my mind. I had a wicked time, and no accidental flashes occurred, however a couple of properly staged ones may have. For those who have never experienced the kilt… let me tell you that having your genitals feel the cool breeze at night is wear its at! hehe.
</Paul> <!--2:20 PM-->
<Paul> Ghetto-fabulous
So I thought that having a laptop would make it easier to update my blog… not so I guess.
I don’t know what was going on in my hood on Sunday, but it started with an accident right in front of my building. A kid who was about 10-12yrs old was riding his scooter the wrong way down a one way street (which these punk ass kids do all the time, usually sans helmets) and has a head-on collision with a family in an audi. I ran to the window to observe the carnage, and called the cops and ambulance. Luckily the kid wasn’t too hurt, but he did smash the windshield and damage the car and his scooter pretty bad. As he was very underage, he was whisked away to his home before the cops arrived, by some guy on the street who happened to know him… leaving the driver of the car standing alone in the middle of the street, still in a state of shock. On a positive note after all this, I met some new people in my block of flats… they were also hanging out their window, a la ‘227’, watching the events unfold.
Later the same day more sirens and flashing lights… and then suddenly the street in front of my flat is cordoned off by police. Huh. Then that gets cleared up and a couple of hours later still, the police cordoned off a different section just a bit further down the street with another incident… sirens, lights, tape across the road... bizarre… every time Chris and I heard sirens that night (which was a lot of times) we just looked at each other in disbelief.
Last night I was sitting by my window sill once more, curlers in my hair, flower pots on either side, chin resting on my hands, gazing up at the stars… and I look out to see some of the neighborhood kids throwing rocks… their target being two drunk homeless guys, walking… stumbling down the street, one playing the flute, as you would expect, the other, bizarrely, drinking a can of beer. For some reason Iam starting to find all this behaviour strangely endearing and a charming addition to my surroundings… that string of vehicle fires we had a little while ago, seemed to have the same effect…
I am starting to think that maybe im becoming... a Ghetto Supah-stah.
Word.
</Paul> <!--1:57 PM-->
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