Happy Samhain

I obviously need first to do my seasonal scary post... so in continuation of last Halloweens post and the followup here are: the pictures! See here, here and here.

Some people say the Shadow People aren't evil. Hmm... I'll leave that to you to decide. Just make sure you don't leave your door open tonight...

Saw the Evil Dead last night. It was not scary, but my God; that's a gory movie. I almost threw up! :) Great fun! But I didn't faint like these wimps

Today I got to work to find it all decorated up nicely (it's so nice not to have to decorate any more like I used to at TVW) and a goody bag of spooky sweets on my table. YUM!

I love Halloween...

Jae Kicks His Coke Habit

As many of my close friends and colleagues know, I struggle from an addiction. I've been addicted to Coke since I was just 12 years old. Back then I was buying 3 or 4 hits a day. Now I did go cold turkey from it for a few months back in 2004. But I quickly fell into my old ways.

At my current job they give it away for free, whenever you want it. My addiction has quickly flown out of control. My calculations would say I spend over £500 a year on it. Jim calculates £700. Realistically, factoring the more expensive hits at bars and from WH Smiths, I'd say it's probably approaching £1000 a year.

Yesterday I decided it had to stop. And it is. I'm suffering from huge withdrawal symptoms, headaches and tiredness. Last night I practically collapsed on the sofa at 6pm!

But succeed I will... Diet Coke Anonymous, here I come.

An early Halloween scare

I live in a house, converted into two flats. We live on the top floor. So when you hear a knock at the door the only people it can be is our neighbours. So when I opened the door last night to find the Angel of Death outside I was quite taken aback. Little did I know worse (or the best depending on your viewpoint) was to follow.

Downstairs was... a giant green monster who I'm assured comes from the Mighty Boosh? Scary! Their costumes were fab!

Saw The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green which was cool. Quite amusing, lots of half naked men, can't fault that now can we!

New Battlestar Galactica is AMAZING. Torchwood was also good.

Where's The Harvey Milk Of Today?

Today I watched "The Times of Harvey Milk". What an awesome documentary. I knew a little bit about Harvey Milk, mainly from my visit to San Francisco and the Castro. But this documentary shows what a really power politician he was.

If we look at the politicians we have today, how many of them can we say are truly charismatic? How many truly care about making a difference rather than scoring cheap political points? So far, despite a deep love of politics, the only politicians I have any respect for are in the Shepway Liberal Democrats! We need someone to come along and lead us all. We need a Winston Churchill, an Abraham Lincoln, a visionary!

Jim was telling me the other night about how much he disliked this country. It is fall of cretins and it isn't pleasant having all those boring, miserable kids standing around on street corners. But I don't hate the country. I hate the current set of politicians who are so out of touch and unable to bring themselves to condemn the way our country's culture is heading. We need someone who stands up and says "There is a better way. Things don't have to be like this. We can get rid of crime, we can get rid of disillusionment. We can get this country together and move forward".

Tony Blair has failed. We need a change. We do not need that plonker David Cameron. We do not need Gordon Brown. And we do not need, and I hate saying this, Menzies Campbell. We need a political revolution that will herald true change for once. Not more of the same.

Or we could just have this guy as PM... I'm easy...

Just Another Day In The Life Of Jae

Last Jim took me out for noodles and beer (beer being had at the Ashburnham Arms). I will also, grudgingly, admit that I also consumed a kebab. I hang my head in shame.

Today after work we had a couple of drinks at the Rose before I headed back to Jim who needed a hug. A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

Oh My God.

Today I suddenly thought... next year I'm 24. As you may know Dear Constant Reader I put importance into seemingly innocuous events and places. The 26th February for instance. Or the alleyway between the tennis courts and Stripes in Folkestone. Don't ask me why I assign importance to such random things, I don't really know myself. And the age of 24 is one of those events. G was 24 when I went out with him. It seemed like the watershed between youth and adulthood proper. I never wanted to be that old.

Now I know you, Dear Constant Reader, can sometimes be quite a bit older than that. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with being older than 24. I just never thought it'd happen to me.

And there's nothing I can do about it. No reverse gear to turn on and head back the way I came.

That annoys me greatly.



Oh well this picture is soothing. Ryo Nishikido... Asian and he has the kind of hair that screams "run your hands through me". Growl...

People Are Stupid

Ever watch an episode of Star Trek and think, "Humanity has a chance"? If you have you are woefully idealistic. There's mountains of paper filled with writings about the wonder of humanity, how beautiful, intelligent and wonderful we all are. Let's face facts people; we are nothing more than animals. Sure individually some people might rise above that. But the human race as a whole will never do so. Want some evidence?

Murder. The fact that people murder other people seems not to perplex anyone at all; "It was a revenge killing" "Oh well that explains it". No it doesn't! Murder is completely incomprehensible. Check out this story. Does this not lead anyone else to believe the world might be a better place if we all just disappeared?

There's been several stories this month about people using their car navigator. It isn't the fact that these people followed the instructions to the letter. It's that they follow through with them!! So you turn onto the motorway facing the wrong way because you weren't paying attention. Stupid and dangerous, yes. But forgivable. Then you continue to drive the wrong way in the fast lane... for twenty miles. Or in the case of this German man you drive through a building site, up a stairway and into the small toilet shack. And you think these are isolated incidents of stupidity? I work in customer service... trust me... people are dumb, lazy, arrogant, mean and deeply offensive.

Today I was on the train on the way home. At Deptford three girls got on. Normally I don't consciously judge people by their looks; but these girls were hideous. They got on and started talking (read shouting). One girl put her radio on. Full blast. Rap music. On a British train this is akin in offensiveness to taking out your breasts. She did turn it down so one of her friends could answer a phone. And when she got off she said "It was just Sandra".

"I turned my fucking radio down for that waste of space??"

"That's my mother you're talking about"

"I know... she's a fucking bitch".

Up the radio went.

I'm glad I was only on their for 40 seconds more... otherwise I would of had to grab their radio and smash it in their pug faces. Grrr... bastards... But you know I really wouldn't. I'm too polite.

Anyway I'm off back to Jae's fantasy land to escape from these idiots. Mmm... it's 1984 and Arnie's just finished on the set of the Terminator... oops... wasn't supposed to write that... ;op

Tuxedo Jae - Redux

I really was trying not to look like a flaming queen. Success was elusive.



The Bonobos however were in plentiful supply.



My new no snack eating rules have entered into force as of today.

You Know

So yesterday I headed into the deepest, darkest parts of Kent where monsters roam and the wild things are. Getting off the train (after a journey with a woman who said "You know" well over 300 times... I counted) in Westenhanger was refreshing; the station was empty and the walk into Lympne peaceful and personless. Strange, when you live in London you fall into this strange belief that the world is full of people. Lympne's full of cows.

I scared some innocent lady who was in my parents house looking after their new puppy Noodle. I don't think she was expecting a 6'9" bloke to walk up behind her and enquire as to why she was in the house... :)

The puppy is a Jack Russell and although cute barks endlessly...

I was pleased to get out of there and head into Folkestone. Went first to Cheriton and had some drinks with Henry at the Royal Cheriton, after which Zoe and Ray came and got me and we went out for dinner at Kalala. As we left lightening was striking in the hills worryingly regularly... Sam appeared and him and I headed to Safeways to get money... by the time we were about to head back to the car the rain had become torrential and within seconds the water was rushing past the car at the same height as the pavement kerb!!

Being driven by Sam is always an exciting experience (imagine strapping yourself to an unguided rocket) but during a downpour it's a bit scary! :)

We made it to Newington Town Hall for a Lib Dem Race Night! Alcohol, gambling and the Lib Dems... who'd've thought it? Had a good night.

Sam drove me back to Lympne where I didn't sleep at all due to the constant yap yap of the puppy...

It was nice to have a break from London and now I'm back a little refreshed...

Pictures of Tuxedo Jae and the Bonobo will follow tomorrow... but for now..

Tuxedo Jae

Last night was my companys industry awards. Stationery is the industry so you can well imagine what fun it was.

The Tuxedo fit me. Darn it. I was sooo annoyed with that... my final chance for a possible escape from having to wear the bloody thing scuppered... Sadly pictures will follow.

Sat drinking beer in the office while wearing a tuxedo, which was one of those surreal moments that give you pause. The other guys in the office started undressing and, being a good boy, I didn't look. This was made rather difficult by comments such as "Wow... you must work out" and "With pecs like those you could...". That guys is called "cruel". Really cruel.

We got a cab from work in Vauxhall to take us to the Royal Lancaster Hotel near Hyde Park. Instead of heading over Vauxhall Bridge the cabbie told us it was closed and thus began a long tour of the backroads of Lambeth in search of another crossing. Needless to say he didn't find one so 15 minutes we were back at work. This time we headed to Vauxhall Bridge which was in fact open. Grrr.... we then had wonderful time sitting in traffic for 20 minutes before finally reaching the hotel. Thank God.

The place was jammed packed with stationery "grey" people all getting in my way, so I beat a path to the bar, got some wine and hung around with my mates until we were lead into the hall.

The first speaker was the head of our trade federation, who made such hilarious jokes that I began contemplating suicide via butter knife. Thankfully his speech was short enough to avoid this fate and the food began to arrive. For what it's worth the two mouthfuls I managed to get from each course were ok. But the portions were TINY. We joined at dinner by several chimps who we'd taken from an unsupervised stand just outside the hall door. I've named mine Bonobo... I'm sure you Dear Constant Reader will know what a Bonobo is...

Paul Ross was our guest MC for the evening, regurgitating jokes about his brother and five year old email circulars...

Our company did win the award for Dealer Excellence which was nice. Got ratarsed in the bar after to celebrate.

My head hurts.

Thank you Randy Orton

Yesterday was this blogs busiest day ever, with over 950 visitors. That's more than it used to receive in a month! It all seems to be Googles for Randy Orton, that hunky wrestler I sometimes show pictures of. I think the new RAW spawned all the searches so thanks to him!!

This whole veil debate is rather stupid isn't it? A case of What Not Wear on a nationwide scale. Is the Government serious about it's concerns about peoples dress sense (and religious beliefs)? Come on Tony! Get your priorities right... there are homeless people on the streets, people who can't afford to stay in their home towns, British people dying in the name of Americas fight against terrorism... and you're playing Trinny to Jack Straws Susannah?? Next week the Prime Minister expresses concern for those who choose to put milk in their coffee...

And then you have the Christians... so it's not alright to have an advert suggesting a link between religion and homophobic violence, but it's ok for them to continue preaching Leviticus in which God orders all homosexuals to be executed?? Right... that makes no sense now does it??? I'm going to phone in a complaint to the ASA... about the Bible. Oh wait no I won't because I believe in freedom of speech... unlike the bloody fundamentalists... or should that just be mentalists??

There's Too Many Lonely People In The World

Sometimes I read news stories like this and wish I could have intervened. One innocent boy murdered by one messed up boy who really needed someone to give him a slap round the head and a hug. As far as I can see it wouldn't have taken much more than the right words at the right time to have avoided this awful murder... if only huh?

I got a letter today! A proper hand written letter from my Great Aunt Joy. I never get hand written letters, but I love them so. She was giving me some helpful notes on recent family history... I shall write back tomorrow... I haven't written a letter in such a long time. I've barely handwritten anything substantial in recent years... that needs to change...

Charles Dera is Jae's Man Of The Month



All the things I could do...

That advert for the Daily Express is annoying "We stand for traditional values"??? Richard Desmond? Values??? HAVE THEY LOST THEIR MINDS????

I Miss Folkestone

It wasn't that long ago that I dreamed of the day of escaping my hometown, Folkestone, and fleeing forever to the big city. You would never have convinced me I'd miss the godforsaken place. But I do, at least a little.

Folkestone was... simple. Don't get me wrong, I love London and London holds some great memories for me. But Folkestone holds some too. And it has the sea (which I miss like mad). And it has loads of people I miss, like Zoe (and Ray), Combat Sam, Laura, the TVW crew, Becky and a few more...

So I WILL be coming back this weekend... even if it's just for a day (depending on where my room is at the moment last I checked my brother had moved into mine and "my room" is now his old one). Any Folkestone people reading this CLEAR YOUR DIARIES. I want no feeble excuses for not seeing me like "I'm ill" or "I'm in South America" or "I'm working".

Let's go out, paint the town red and point at people and exclaim how they are far too young to be drinking...

The Devil Wears Prada

Today I watched The Devil Wears Prada. It was really very good. Strange really considering I thought it'd be a bland chick flick. It turned out to be funny and engaging despite it's very formulaic plot. Meryl Streep was awesome as the sad Dragon lady, whose entire life is work.

If there's one thing I've learnt in my first year in London... there's a bloody lot of these sad individuals who have no life, and get very snotty when they find out that you do not share the same aspirations as they do... bless their small little brains.

Calling All Brent Corrigan Fans

Your idol needs you! I know a lot of people end up on my site searching for Mr Corrigan.. click that link and you will find him. Just remember to donate a couple of dollars while you're there!!

The Rest Of The Day...

Jensen Ackles rocks my socks.

After my moany post yesterday things got better. One the trip the tuxedo hire place couldn't have gone better (WOO...) and then the night out at Chakalaka was wonderful.

Firstly the staff. One word: cute. The food was delicious. I have a perfect mixed salad for a starter and ostrich fillet with chicken liver on mashed potato which was GORGEOUS. A tad on the quiet side. Putney isn't too hard to get to and my God it's got some hot guys in it.

Today... the trains from Greenwich were cancelled due to "overcrowding" (how did they think this would solve the problem?) so I got the DLR (and got to use my Oyster card for the very first time!) which was suffering severe delays. So I changed to the Jubilee line which was packed and then got a train from Waterloo (where some foolish people tried to walk through me... big mistake). Am at work finally after an hour and halfs journey to cover 4 miles. Joy... I should have walked.

One Of Those Days

I'm having one of those days. Problems are still spilling over at work from last weeks mess up which is obviously stressing me out.

Then Jim's jsut told me the landlord is going to our flat today for kind of boiler service... flat is a mess. I'm sure we're supposed to have got 24 hour notice? Grr... so that's stressful.

And finally I'm not getting a lunch break today because I've got to go get fitted out for a tuxedo so I can then go to an awards ceremony I don't really want to go to next week. Which is stressing me out as well. I'm not the kind of guy who likes dressing up to start off with. People in tuxedos tend to be 1) common (I think tuxedos are probably the most common article of clothing you'll see on ITV for instance) and/or 2) rude so I'm not the biggest fan of the well dressed.

Plus I'm not exactly your normal guy (44 inch inside leg) so trips to a tailor or clothes hire shop are stressful in the extreme... I have this wonderful feeling that it's going to involve some jokes at my expense (tall jokes just crack me up...), some embarassment and a high likelihood that I won't be able to get one and will have to tell my manager which shall lead to more stress and GOD I HATE HAVING TO GO TO THIS THING... grr...

Now tonight I'm going to Chakalaka tonight... wish me luck as I'm sure something awful will happen... it's one of those days.

The Stuff That Scares You

What scares you?

I wouldn't say I have any phobias really. When I say phobias I mean the kind that stop you from doing things; that are so powerful that they actually have a physical as well as mental affect on you. However I do have things that "concern" me.

For instance windows and doorways. I know it sounds silly. But I cannot sleep if the bedroom door is open. In fact if I'm left alone at home for a night I will make sure all the doors are closed. Similarly when I lived with my family if I was left alone for a weekend (as I was, gloriously, very often) I would ensure all the curtains in the house were pulled... all day long. I cannot stand the idea of windows. I hate looking out of them (if I want to see the outside... I can go outside) and I hate the very idea of someone looking in on me (especially at night).

One of my worst childhood memories is sleeping in an old monastery, on the ground floor with NO NET CURTAINS. Just window. And darkness. *shiver*

I really must overcome this, as it's a little silly. Last night I was watching Supernatural and one scene had a clown standing at a window... it was too scary for words...

Battlestar is BACK

Oh joy of joys. I've realised why life has seemed to lack something of late. Battlestar Galactica hasn't been on. Jim said the latest two episodes didn't hold his attention. But I thought they were great. From the opening music... through to the cliffhanger end of Precipice... marvellous.

And of course Lee Adama is back... YUM!



And tonight I'm going to settle down and watch the first two episodes of Supernatural Season 2... and have some disgusting incestual thoughts about two "brothers"... :o)

Honest This Is The Last One

I've had complaints that my posts have got depressing this last week... so normal service will resume tomorrow.

I often visit hate sites. White supremacists, Christian fundamentalists and anti Homosexualists. Why? Because reading their hate reminds why I'm a libertarian, believing in freedom for all rather than for specific groups. It also reminds me that the world is full of stupid arseholes and I need to keep on my toes (as if my job in customer service wasn't an hourly reminder of this fact).

So today I saw this article about how gay men "are paedophiles". This put me in the mood to go buy a powerful rifle, set up position on a church steeple somewhere and start shooting. I'm sick and tired of this old debate. I'm gay. I like MEN. Men with big muscles, and big other things, being my favourite type of male. Homosexuality isn't paedophilia.

But of course the San Francisco Chronicle came to my rescue with an article basically rubbishing the argument. The Chronicle is thus responsible for saving a large group of innocent (comparatively) Christians somewhere in this country from death by righteous gunfire...

...for now.

Following In The Footsteps of Cameroon and Uganda...

...the American Democratic party?

So supposedly the Democrats want to publish a list of all the gay staffers in Congress (strangely mainly Republicans... could this be a partisan move? Nah... couldn't be...) on the net. Hey why not give away their addresses? Or better yet make them all wear Pink Triangles??? That'd be even better!

There's a flimsy argument for unveiling the sexualities of elected officials (if you believe some people don't have a right to privacy that is). But of their staff?? I think not.

American politics makes me feel ill. Another reason to be pleased to be British.

And also we have rugby which leads to men who look a lot like this (although this ones Aussie)...

Wish Me Luck

Last night I went bowling at Elephant and Castle on our regular work night out. Came second in the one game we did finish... the other game I can't quite remember what happened. Nick really must stop racing me in beer drinking. I always win anyway...

Kallie, JP and I finished the night with a Chinese. YUM!

Today at work is going to be hell (I won't give away company info but let's just say our customers shall be EXTREMELY upset today). Don't make me go in!!!!! Please...

I don't know what's funnier... this old councillors feeble attempts at humour (Biblical humour has been done to death, hardly original) or the Lib Dems suggestion that "diversity training" might stop him being homophobic. Diversity training???? WTF!! Yeah that'll change him... Good thinking that Lib Dem...

Leave him alone, it's punishment enough just being him... the crap sense of humour, the pomposity and the looks.

Sometimes I Wish I Was Straight

I love being gay. I really do. Men are so bloody gorgeous and Jim is a dream come true. In some of my lowest moments my sexuality was the only light in the dark.

However sometimes I'm sick to death of the "politics". I hate feeling constantly on the defensive when reading the news. I hate being hated by some religious nuts out there. I just hate the whole fact that other people make my sexuality a negative issue. I'm not saying I'm attacked personally (it'd be a foolish person who personally attacked me... the words "mashed" and "bloodied" come to mind) but the constant drip drip of hate in the news and in political debate is disturbing.

I can understand people who join the ex-Gay movement (although still don't really like them all that much)... they are seeking sanctuary, simplicity, certainty.

I want to help make a difference... I want things to change... I don't want anyone else to have to put up with idiotic hetrosexual prejudice.

That's why I've got a Voodoo doll of George W Bush and I've started poking him with needles... :oP

Grr...

So the whole sex email scandal rumbles on in America and I'm glad to see that the Democrats are keeping it in perspective...

Something really pissed me off about this... the word "Pedophile" is mentioned. Several times. Now excuse me if I'm wrong but I believe the age of consent in D.C. is 16? And that, in fact, no sex actually occured involving anyone that young anyway? So erm... "pedophile"???? WHAT THE FUCK?! For years us gays have had to put up with the pedarist/pedophilie accusations. Enough is enough. The Democrats are just as bloody homophobic as the Republicans!

Now get him for sexual harassment or something like that but don't fucking call him a paedophile (I couldn't continue spelling it US style, it looks silly).

Oh and to be perfectly honest what those who are above the age of consent do with each other be it sex or just smutty emails shouldn't really bother anyone else... so Democrats move on and actually find yourself a platform to fight Bush and the GOP!!! Stop relying on smut peddling...

For once I'm secretly hoping the Democrats are fucked over at the mid terms...

Come on Libertarian Party...

So What Have I Learnt About Me?

So it's been 2 weeks since I started delving into my family history. Have I uncovered any excitement? Nope. Which is kind of reassuring. The parts of my family I've located seem to have spent generations in exactly the same place; the Witherdens in Biddenden, Kent, the Winchs in Filmwell, Sussex, the Barrows and Waters in Kilndown, Kent and the Bristows in Dartford, Kent.

Now some might find this dull and disheartening. But to me it just makes me feel ever more Kentish. Now I know the Kays are probably from Yorkshire or Lancashire (northern blood... noooooo) and the Bristows and Coles probably come from up north too. But let us not worry about that... Kent rules after all.

Ooo... Filmwell is part of Ticehurst, Sussex and I love what the Wikipedia says about that

"Locally, the people of the area have a fairly bad reputation, most notably in the nearby parish of Wadhurst, where the people of Ticehurst are considered to be aggressive, ill cultured and violent."

The people of Wadhurst sound a bit boring (except for one of my Wadhurst relatives who married into the Filmwell lot...)

329 people in my tree as of now.

Now everyones favourite man of Kent is...



In the news... the American Democrats have got all excited because a Republican Congressman exchanged smutty messages with an office junior. A 16 year old one no less (in this country we call that flirting, over there it seems to be some kind of crime up there with murder). Nice to know our Democratic "friends" are so keen to play the homophobic card... I agree with Blogcritics... the gay Republicans need to grow a pair. But the Democrats need to stop relying on scandal to get ahead in the polls and MAYBE START GETTING SOME GOOD POLICIES TOGETHER.